Year-End Lists

The Wild Honey Pie: Top 30 Albums of 2016

[see also 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Blackstar
   David Bowie
2. Masterpiece
   Big Thief
3. Coloring Book
   Chance The Rapper
4. My Woman
   Angel Olsen
5. What Will Destroy You
   Kyle Morton
6. Next Thing
   Frankie Cosmos
7. Freetown Sound
   Blood Orange
8. Skin
   Flume
9. Puberty 2
   Mitski
10. Light Upon the Lake
    Whitney
11. Care
    How to Dress Well
12. Views
    Drake
13. 22, A Million
    Bon Iver
14. Sirens
    Nicolas Jaar
15. A Moon Shaped Pool
    Radiohead
16. The Party
    Andy Shauf
17. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
    A Tribe Called Quest
18. The Colour in Anything
    James Blake
19. Blond
    Frank Ocean
20. Psychopomp
    Japanese Breakfast
21. Human Performance
    Parquet Courts
22. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
23. Atrocity Exhibition
    Danny Brown
24. A Seat at the Table
    Solange
25. Slugger
    Sad13
26. Ruminations
    Conor Oberst
27. Emotions and Math
    Margaret Glaspy
28. Requiem
    Goat
29. Moth
    Chairlift
30. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen

Brooklyn Vegan: Top Albums of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. My Woman
   Angel Olsen
2. Slow Forever
   Cobalt
3. Lemonade
   Beyoncé
4. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
   A Tribe Called Quest
5. Puberty 2
   Mitski
6. Cody
   Joyce Manor
7. Atrocity Exhibition
   Danny Brown
8. Blackstar
   David Bowie
9. Nattesferd
   Kvelertak
10. Cardinal
    Pinegrove
11. Malibu
    Anderson .Paak
12. Teens of Denial
    Car Seat Headrest
13. A Seat at the Table
    Solange
14. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
15. Blond
    Frank Ocean
15. Endless
    Frank Ocean
16. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen
17. Hopelessness
    ANOHNI
18. Paradise Gallows
    Inter Arma
19. 22, A Million
    Bon Iver
20. Blood Bitch
    Jenny Hval
21. A Good Night in the Ghetto
    Kamaiyah
22. Goodness
    The Hotelier
23. Midwest Farmer’s Daughter
    Margo Price
24. A Moon Shaped Pool
    Radiohead
25. Freetown Sound
    Blood Orange
26. Running out of Love
    The Radio Dept.
27. A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
    Sturgill Simpson
28. Rheia
    Oathbreaker
29. Commontime
    Field Music
30. Love & Hate
    Michael Kiwanuka
31. Light Upon the Lake
    Whitney
32. Singing Saw
    Kevin Morby
33. Still Brazy
    YG
34. Hypercaffium Spazzinate
    Descendents
35. Blank Face LP
    Schoolboy Q
36. Potential
    The Range
37. FLOTUS
    Lambchop
38. Void Beats / Invocation Trex
    Cavern of Anti-Matter
39. A Coliseum Complex Museum
    The Besnard Lakes
40. American Football (LP2)
    American Football
41. Let Them Eat Chaos
    Kate Tempest
42. Eyes on the Lines
    Steve Gunn
43. Sirens
    Nicolas Jaar
44. Human Performance
    Parquet Courts
45. City Sun Eater in the River of Light
    Woods

Ann Powers: 10 Favorite Albums of 2016, as posted by NPR

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2011]

• Beyond the Bloodhounds
  Adia Victoria
• My Piece Of Land
  Amanda Shires
• Atrocity Exhibition
  Danny Brown
• HEAVN
  Jamila Woods
• Skeleton Tree
  Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
• Upland Stories
  Robbie Fulks
• blackSUMMERS’night
  Maxwell
• Goodnight City
  Martha Wainwright
• Robert Ellis
  Robert Ellis
• This Is Where I Live
  William Bell

No Depression: Favorite Albums of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

• Little Seeds
  Shovels and Rope
• Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad
  Billy Bragg & Joe Henry
• Stranger to Stranger
  Paul Simon
• The Bird & the Rifle
  Lori McKenna
• The Very Last Day
  Parker Millsap
• In the Magic Hour
  Aoife O'Donovan
• Emotions and Math
  Margaret Glaspy
• When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired
  Mothers
• Real
  Lydia Loveless
• Heart Like a Levee
  Hiss Golden Messenger
• Dori Freeman
  Dori Freeman
• Young in All the Wrong Ways
  Sara Watkins
• American Band
  Drive-By Truckers
• You're Dreaming
  The Cactus Blossoms
• For Better, or Worse
  John Prine
• Made in Brooklyn
  John McEuen
• This Is Where I Live
  William Bell
• Big Day in a Small Town
  Brandy Clark
• Ain't Who I Was
  Bonnie Bishop
• Honey for the Biscuit
  Tasha Taylor
• Undercurrent
  Sarah Jarosz
• Weighted Mind
  Sierra Hull

Other albums we loved

• Blindfaller
  Mandolin Orange
• Beyond the Rain
  Quiles & Cloud
• The Country Blues
  Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
• Nine Pin
  Kaia Kater
• Introducing Karl Blau
  Karl Blau
• Upland Stories
  Robbie Fulks
• Lovers And Leavers
  Hayes Carll

DIY Magazine: 16 Albums That Shaped 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2011]

• Lemonade
  Beyoncé
• 22, A Million
  Bon Iver
• Chaleur Humaine
  Christine and the Queens
• Not to Disappear
  Daughter
• Blackstar
  David Bowie
• Blond
  Frank Ocean
• Endless
  Frank Ocean
• How to Be a Human Being
  Glass Animals
• The Life of Pablo
  Kanye West
• A Moon Shaped Pool
  Radiohead
• Adore Life
  Savages
• Konnichiwa
  Skepta
• Tell Me If You Like To
  Spring King
• I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
  The 1975
• Ash & Ice
  The Kills
• Weaves
  Weaves
• Alas Salvation
  Yak

Clash Magazine: Albums of the Year 2016

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. A Seat at the Table
   Solange
2. Blond
   Frank Ocean
3. Konnichiwa
   Skepta
4. Lemonade
   Beyoncé
5. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
   A Tribe Called Quest
6. Blackstar
   David Bowie
7. I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
   The 1975
8. A Moon Shaped Pool
   Radiohead
9. Hopelessness
   ANOHNI
10. 99.9%
    KAYTRANADA
11. 1-800 Dinosaur Presents Trim
    Trim
12. The Life of Pablo
    Kanye West
13. 22, A Million
    Bon Iver
14. Made in the Manor
    Kano
15. Malibu
    Anderson .Paak
16. Love & Hate
    Michael Kiwanuka
17. Freetown Sound
    Blood Orange
18. Teens of Denial
    Car Seat Headrest
19. Atrocity Exhibition
    Danny Brown
20. Do Hollywood
    The Lemon Twigs
21. My Woman
    Angel Olsen
22. Awaken, My Love!
    Childish Gambino
23. Human Energy
    Machinedrum
24. Black Focus
    Yussef Kamaal
25. Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight
    Travis Scott
26. Blood Bitch
    Jenny Hval
27. Control
    Rosie Lowe
28. Light Upon the Lake
    Whitney
29. Open Your Eyes
    DJ Earl
30. For All We Know
    NAO
31. Dangerous Woman
    Ariana Grande
32. I, Gemini
    Let’s Eat Grandma
33. Infinite Summer
    NZCA Lines
34. Bonito Generation
    Kero Kero Bonito
35. EARS
    Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
36. Redemption
    Dawn Richard
37. Project Nautilus
    Yamaneko
38. Anti
    Rihanna
39. The Getaway
    Red Hot Chili Peppers
40. Oh No
    Jessy Lanza

Under the Radar: Top 100 Albums of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2011]

1. Blackstar
   David Bowie
2. A Moon Shaped Pool
   Radiohead
3. My Woman
   Angel Olsen
4. Junk
   M83
5. Freetown Sound
   Blood Orange
6. Human Performance
   Parquet Courts
7. Teens of Denial
   Car Seat Headrest
8. You Want It Darker
   Leonard Cohen
9. Front Row Seat to Earth
   Weyes Blood
10. Eternally Even
    Jim James
11. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
12. Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future
    Underworld
13. Tween
    Wye Oak
14. The Bride
    Bat for Lashes
15. Blind Spot
    Lush
16. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
    A Tribe Called Quest
17. Running out of Love
    The Radio Dept.
18. 22, A Million
    Bon Iver
19. Is the Is Are
    DIIV
20. Wildflower
    The Avalanches
21. Amen & Goodbye
    Yeasayer
22. A Seat at the Table
    Solange
23. Palana
    Charlie Hilton
24. Boy King
    Wild Beasts
25. How to Be a Human Being
    Glass Animals
26. Puberty 2
    Mitski
27. Luck or Magic
    Britta Phillips
28. Mangy Love
    Cass McCombs
29. SVIIB
    School Of Seven Bells
30. Lemonade
    Beyoncé
31. Otero War
    Caveman
32. Next Thing
    Frankie Cosmos
33. Atrocity Exhibition
    Danny Brown
34. Human Ceremony
    Sunflower Bean
35. Blond
    Frank Ocean
36. The Midnight Sun
    C Duncan
37. Life of Pause
    Wild Nothing
38. If You See Me, Say Yes
    Flock of Dimes
39. Total Depravity
    The Veils
40. Chaosmosis
    Primal Scream
41. Adore Life
    Savages
42. Coloring Book
    Chance The Rapper
43. Take It, It's Yours
    Katy Goodman & Greta Morgan
44. Singing Saw
    Kevin Morby
45. Building a Beginning
    Jamie Lidell
46. Minor Victories
    Minor Victories
47. Fading Lines
    Amber Arcades
48. No Burden
    Lucy Dacus
49. Melt
    Boxed In
50. Do Hollywood
    The Lemon Twigs
51. Nonagon Infinity
    King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
52. Infinite Summer
    NZCA Lines
53. The Colour in Anything
    James Blake
54. The Hope Six Demolition Project
    PJ Harvey
55. Pretty Years
    Cymbals Eat Guitars
56. A Hand Through The Cellar Door
    Luke Temple
57. Malibu
    Anderson .Paak
58. Midnight Room
    Springtime Carnivore
59. Every Now & Then
    Jagwar Ma
60. Light Upon the Lake
    Whitney
61. Moth
    Chairlift
62. Mass Gothic
    Mass Gothic
63. FLOTUS
    Lambchop
64. Soft Hair
    Soft Hair
65. Foreverland
    The Divine Comedy
66. Plays the Music of Twin Peaks
    Xiu Xiu
67. Blood Bitch
    Jenny Hval
68. Love Yes
    TEEN
69. Hopelessness
    ANOHNI
70. Jet Plane and Oxbow
    Shearwater
71. Heads Up
    Warpaint
72. Strange Diary
    Psychic Twin
73. Dead Blue
    Still Corners
74. Bloom Forever
    Thomas Cohen
75. Schmilco
    Wilco
76. A Corpse Wired For Sound
    Merchandise
77. Here
    Teenage Fanclub
78. City Sun Eater in the River of Light
    Woods
79. Summer 08
    Metronomy
80. IV
    Black Mountain
81. Marlon Williams
    Marlon Williams
82. Love Streams
    Tim Hecker
83. Preoccupations
    Preoccupations
84. Commontime
    Field Music
85. Painting of a Panic Attack
    Frightened Rabbit
86. Brilliant Sanity
    Teleman
87. EUSA
    Yann Tiersen
88. Post Pop Depression
    Iggy Pop
89. Plaza
    Quilt
90. Patience
    The Invisible
91. Innocence Reaches
    of Montreal
92. Night Thoughts
    Suede
93. Luxury Alone
    Weird Dreams
94. Fall Forever
    Fear of Men
95. One Day All Of This Won't Matter Any More
    Slow Club
96. Will
    Julianna Barwick
97. Eyes on the Lines
    Steve Gunn
98. Love You to Death
    Tegan and Sara
99. Waltzed in from the Rumbling
    Plants and Animals
100. Treasure House
     Cat’s Eyes

Pretty Much Amazing: 60 Best Albums of 2016

[see also 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Lemonade
   Beyoncé
2. The Life of Pablo
   Kanye West
3. Blond
   Frank Ocean
4. Coloring Book
   Chance The Rapper
5. A Moon Shaped Pool
   Radiohead
6. Blackstar
   David Bowie
7. Malibu
   Anderson .Paak
8. Teens of Denial
   Car Seat Headrest
9. 22, A Million
   Bon Iver
10. Wildflower
    The Avalanches
11. Jeffery
    Young Thug
12. A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
    Sturgill Simpson
13. Freetown Sound
    Blood Orange
14. A Seat at the Table
    Solange
15. Untitled Unmastered
    Kendrick Lamar
16. Anti
    Rihanna
17. Hopelessness
    ANOHNI
18. Atrocity Exhibition
    Danny Brown
19. Human Performance
    Parquet Courts
20. Junk
    M83
21. The Colour in Anything
    James Blake
22. My Woman
    Angel Olsen
23. 99.9%
    KAYTRANADA
24. Bottomless Pit
    Death Grips
25. E•MO•TION: Side B
    Carly Rae Jepsen
26. AIM
    M.I.A.
27. Light Upon the Lake
    Whitney
28. The Glowing Man
    Swans
29. Cheetah
    Aphex Twin
30. Sleep Cycle
    Deakin
31. Puberty 2
    Mitski
32. and the Anonymous Nobody…
    De La Soul
33. Sirens
    Nicolas Jaar
34. Leave Me Alone
    Hinds
35. Moth
    Chairlift
36. Preoccupations
    Preoccupations
37. Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future
    Underworld
38. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
    A Tribe Called Quest
39. Cardinal
    Pinegrove
40. Nonagon Infinity
    King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
41. The Hope Six Demolition Project
    PJ Harvey
42. RR7349
    S U R V I V E
43. Blank Face LP
    Schoolboy Q
44. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
45. Love Streams
    Tim Hecker
46. The Impossible Kid
    Aesop Rock
47. Stranger to Stranger
    Paul Simon
48. Rojus (Designed to Dance)
    Leon Vynehall
49. Joanne
    Lady Gaga
50. Tempo
    Olga Bell
51. Singing Saw
    Kevin Morby
52. SEPT. 5TH
    dvsn
53. Endless
    Frank Ocean
54. I Had A Dream That You Were Mine
    Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
55. Roosevelt
    Roosevelt
56. Gore
    Deftones
57. Trans Day of Revenge
    G.L.O.S.S.
58. I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
    The 1975
59. Paradise
    White Lung
60. The Follower
    The Field

The Quietus: Top 100 Albums of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. The Gospel
   Årabrot
2. A Seat at the Table
   Solange
3. III
   Innercity Ensemble
4. Oh No
   Jessy Lanza
5. Lodestar
   Shirley Collins
6. Songs for Our Mothers
   The Fat White Family
7. Blackstar
   David Bowie
8. Centres
   Ian William Craig
9. Redemption
   Dawn Richard
10. Blood Bitch
    Jenny Hval
11. Blond
    Frank Ocean
12. Simultaneous Flight Movement
    Laura Cannell
13. Ultimate Care II
    Matmos
14. Too
    Klara Lewis
15. Konnichiwa
    Skepta
16. Everywhere at the End of Time
    The Caretaker
17. Värähtelijä
    Oranssi Pazuzu
18. Devotional Songs
    Shackleton with Ernesto Tomasini
19. Controlling Body
    Peder Mannerfelt
20. Strangers
    Marissa Nadler
21. Hardcore Sounds From Tehran
    Sote
22. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
23. Color
    Katie Gately
24. Sex Swing
    Sex Swing
25. The Ship
    Brian Eno
26. We Are King
    KING
27. Mirror
    Gnod
28. Be One
    Wolfgang Buttress & Bees
29. Perdurance
    Jute Gyte
30. For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
    Huerco S
31. Freetown Sound
    Blood Orange
32. Remoteness Of Light
    The Stargazer’s Assistant
33. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
    A Tribe Called Quest
34. Will
    Julianna Barwick
35. A Moon Shaped Pool
    Radiohead
36. Night Thoughts
    Suede
37. A Hermitage
    Jambinai
38. 2845
    Convextion
39. The Life of Pablo
    Kanye West
40. Toll
    Kemper Norton
41. The Spiral
    Puce Mary
42. Hipnotik Tradisi
    Black Merlin
43. I, Sun
    Daniel Patrick Quinn
44. Butterflies
    Lord Tang
45. Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future
    Underworld
46. FRKWYS Vol. 13: Sunergy
    Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Suzanne Ciani
47. We Be All Africans
    Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids
48. Bird Sound Power
    Equiknoxx
49. Varmints
    Anna Meredith
50. 25 25
    Factory Floor
51. Love Streams
    Tim Hecker
52. Defy a Thing to Be
    Bully Fae
53. Lemonade
    Beyoncé
54. Made in the Manor
    Kano
55. Human Condition
    Bruxa Maria
56. Furfour
    Grumbling Fur
57. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen
58. Shred
    Skee Mask
59. Hubris
    Oren Ambarchi
60. Channel the Spirits
    The Comet Is Coming
61. “BBF” Hosted By DJ Escrow
    Babyfather
62. No One Deserves Happiness
    The Body
63. Housebound Demigod
    G.H.
64. Thankful Villages, Vol. 1
    Darren Hayman
65. A Pot of Powdered Nettles
    Laniakea
66. Lines
    Waclaw Zimpel
67. Third Law
    Roly Porter
68. Coloring Book
    Chance The Rapper
69. Atlantikwall
    Atlantikwall
70. SsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSs
    SHXCXCHCXSH
71. Adieux Au Dancefloor
    Marie Davidson
72. Pattern Man
    Pattern Man
73. Insight II
    Julien Marchal
74. Lagos Sessions
    Billy Bao
75. Epicycle
    Gyða Valtýsdottir
76. Arbina
    Noura Mint Seymali
77. Remain Calm
    Mica Levi & Oliver Coates
78. Bronze
    Hen Ogledd
79. Disclosure
    Kassem Mosse
80. The Black Meat
    Kristoffer Lo
81. Awake but Always Dreaming
    Hannah Peel
82. Isis and Osiris
    Sam Shalabi
83. In Drum Play
    Pangaea
84. PYR
    Ghold
85. From Patterns to Details
    FIS
86. You Know What It’s Like
    Carla dal Forno
87. The Glowing Man
    Swans
88. 22, A Million
    Bon Iver
89. The Best
    Omar S
90. Bottled out of Eden
    Knifeworld
91. Hymns for the Broken, Swollen And Silent
    Gnaw Their Tongues
92. M:FANS
    John Cale
93. Patience
    The Invisible
94. Nocturnal Koreans
    Wire
95. Jackie Lynn
    Circuit Des Yeux
96. Bes
    The Dwarfs of East Agouza
97. Treasure House
    Cat’s Eyes
98. Ahrkh Wagner
    Ahrkh Wagner
99. Last Evenings on Earth
    Melt Yourself Down
100. Strandebarm
     Stein Urheim

Pitchfork: 50 Best Albums of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. A Seat at the Table
   Solange
2. Blond
   Frank Ocean
3. Lemonade
   Beyoncé
4. Blackstar
   David Bowie
5. The Life of Pablo
   Kanye West
6. Coloring Book
   Chance The Rapper
7. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
   A Tribe Called Quest
8. Hopelessness
   ANOHNI
9. My Woman
   Angel Olsen
10. A Moon Shaped Pool
    Radiohead
11. Atrocity Exhibition
    Danny Brown
12. 22, A Million
    Bon Iver
13. Malibu
    Anderson .Paak
14. Freetown Sound
    Blood Orange
15. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
16. Untitled Unmastered
    Kendrick Lamar
17. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen
18. Puberty 2
    Mitski
19. Anti
    Rihanna
20. Sirens
    Nicolas Jaar
21. Jeffery
    Young Thug
22. Still Brazy
    YG
23. Blood Bitch
    Jenny Hval
24. Teens of Denial
    Car Seat Headrest
25. 99.9%
    KAYTRANADA
26. Human Performance
    Parquet Courts
27. Telefone
    Noname
28. Yes Lawd!
    NxWorries
29. EARS
    Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
30. Emily’s D+Evolution
    Esperanza Spalding
31. Light Upon the Lake
    Whitney
32. A Mulher do Fim do Mundo
    Elza Soares
33. blackSUMMERS’night
    Maxwell
34. Singing Saw
    Kevin Morby
35. I Had A Dream That You Were Mine
    Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
36. HEAVN
    Jamila Woods
37. We Are King
    KING
38. Blank Face LP
    Schoolboy Q
39. DJ-Kicks
    Moodymann
40. A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke
    Vijay Iyer & Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith
41. For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
    Huerco S
42. Prima Donna
    Vince Staples
43. Front Row Seat to Earth
    Weyes Blood
44. Islah
    Kevin Gates
45. Modern Country
    William Tyler
46. Cardinal
    Pinegrove
47. A Good Night in the Ghetto
    Kamaiyah
48. Next Thing
    Frankie Cosmos
49. Pool
    Porches
50. Savage Mode
    21 Savage & Metro Boomin