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Halftime Report: Your favorite albums of the year so far.

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ohlawd

Member
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Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

the only album I have from this year that I constantly put on repeat.
 
No order so far, I'll save that for the end of the year.

Father - I'm A Piece of Shit
A followup to his 2015 album Who's Gonna Get Fucked First? this album continues these themes but in a more progressive way. The hedonistic themes on that album are now growing tired to him and its reflected in some of the songs on this project. I didn't expect to bump it regularly as I do now but its my favorite project of his yet.


Open Mike Eagle & Paul White - Hella Personal Film Festival
A collaborative album between rapper and producer, this album really impressed me this year. Mike continues his streak of dope projects with clever/witty/quotable/relatable lyrics and Paul White scores this album with some of the most off-kilter and varied beats I've heard in a while. Mike


Jessy Lanza - Oh No
She could have easily have repeated the same beats of her debut album and I would have been cool with it but she really switched it up with this one. Oh No is much more upbeat and playful while experimenting with different genres under the guise of a poppy electronic album


JMSN - It Is
One thing I really like about JMSN is that he never does the same thing twice, none of the albums sound alike. On this one he just went straight Neo-soul and he does his thing with it. He could easily hold his own among his contemporaries with the popular sound of modern R&B but this album is refreshing because he


Death Grips - Bottomless Pit
BLO ,BLO ,BLO ,BLO ,BLO ,BLO ,BLO ,BLO ,BLO ,BLO ,BLO
HOT HEAD OH NO!!!


Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book
Chance has shown more growth between his last mixtape and this than most rappers do in a decade. The way he married gospel and hip-hop without it sounding corny is amazing.


Anderson Paak - Malibu
I still bump his last album Venice regularly but he continues to show that he can do whatever sound he wants to effortlessly. Dude is still one of the most exciting acts in R&B today.


Beyonce - Lemonade
I've always like the random singles she put out but this is the first full length album from her that I've listened to. Needless to say, the album and project as a whole is incredible.


Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.
How your leftovers gonna be one of the dopest things I've heard all year?
*levitate levitate levitate levitate*


Gallant - Ology
Gallant's debut album, dude has the most powerful and dynamic male voices I've heard from his contemporaries in R&B. The album is widely varied from one song to the next but Gallant manages to keep it cohesive.
 

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
A loose top ten, alphabetical by artist

Alex Smoke - Love Over Will
Clark - The Last Panthers
David Bowie - Blackstar
Fatima Al Qadiri - Brute
James Blake - The Colour in Anything
Jessy Lanza - Oh No
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Saul Williams - MartyLoserKing
Tokimonsta - Fovere
Underworld - Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future

It's been a pretty good year for my tastes so far. On top of those, I've picked up another 13 LPs and EPs, and a few other things I've liked but haven't pulled the trigger on buying yet. At this rate, doing a top 10 at the end of the year is going to be brutal.

Also: Max Richter- Sleep . Came out late last year but should still get more attention. An 8 hour long mediaitative ambient piece that is so wonderful.
I've liked the samples I heard from this. I'd like to get the full thing, but that price keeps stopping me, since I can grab 3-4 other albums on my wishlist instead.
 

EYEL1NER

Member
I'd be interested in reading what you were about to post. I don't have much experience with the band in question, but I always enjoy reading think pieces about bands I have no idea about. It helps me understand what's good about them and starts me down that long road of getting into them.
I will type something else up either before I go to sleep or before I go to see the concert tomorrow. I had everything I wanted to say about the sound of the new album already in my mind because I had already typed up a huge review to send a deployed friend who also likes the band, and I had also thought about maybe posting a review somewhere, Amazon at least. But I kept re-reading what I wrote and it sounded like shit, just incoherent run-on sentences. I wasn't concise at all, and so I scrapped it. So I'll try to be a little more to the point and not say the same thing multiple times in different ways across multiple different sentences (because that is what I felt like I was doing before).
 

Kevtones

Member
A loose top ten, alphabetical by artist

Alex Smoke - Love Over Will
Clark - The Last Panthers
Jessy Lanza - Oh No
Tokimonsta - Fovere
Underworld - Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future


Great to see Alex Smoke elsewhere. As a huge Clark fan I'm not sure how I missed his release. Thank you.



Lanza is gold and I've got the Toki/Underwold stuff on deck until I get settled (traveling).
 

janoDX

Member
No order, I'll save the top 10 for end of the year.

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Bowie - Blackstar
Kanye West - The Life of Pablo
Weezer - Weezer (White Album)
Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book
Babymetal - Metal Resistance
The Strokes - Future Present Past [EP]
Pierce The Veil - Misadventures
Deftones - Gore
Beyonce - Lemonade
 

Cosmic Bus

pristine morning snow
Andy Shauf - The Party
Chris Cohen - As If Apart
KING - We Are KING
DJ Metatron - 2 the Sky
CFCF - On Vacation
Dorisburg - Irrbloss
Skee Mask - Shred

Thorough dislike of the Kanye and Beyonce albums, wasn't super into Bowie (actually disappointed in myself for this, but hey, at least there are about 30 albums I do love to fall back on), and for some reason I gave Radiohead a try for the first time since 2003 (I wasn't missing much)
 
In no particular order:

Autechre - elseq 1-5

Autechre mention in the first 5 posts... very good!

At first the sheer volume of music was staggering, but it seems pretty approachable now. Well, almost. If people are fans but don't know where to start on this one, chuck on Elseq 4 and give it a listen. That's my favourite of the bunch.

If you are into bouncy old Warp style electronica I'd recommend Kettel - Wingtip as a great release from this year. Also Boulderdash - Pro Time Killers for some pretty chilled electronica that dates back to the early 2000's in sound (probably dates back to this era though it only released this year).
 

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
Great to see Alex Smoke elsewhere. As a huge Clark fan I'm not sure how I missed his release. Thank you.
Yeah, I think someone on GAF recommended Alex Smoke to me back when Lux came out, and I've been a fan since. He's got another thing coming out this Friday under his real name, his score to a BBC documentary. Mechanical Marvels: Clockwork Dreams

The Last Panthers is slightly rearranged suite of Clark's score to the television show of the same name. It's definitely kinda reshaped to flow nicely as an album, but as it's rooted in being a score it's a little different than how his albums are usually structured.
 

stef t97

Member
13. Julia Brown - An Abundance of Strawberries

There was a fucking Julia Brown album and I missed it, what the fuck?

My list so far would probably be:

Imperial by Denzel Curry
Bottomless Pit by Death Grips
Holy Ghost by Modern Baseball
When the Lean Runs Out by Fat Nick
A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead
I'm A Piece Of Shit by Father


Still gotta listen to the new PUP but I think I heard a couple of the tracks live, that was such a sick show with Modern Baseball. Clams Casino's album should be insane from what we've heard so far. Danny brown and schoolboy Q's stuff should be great and I'm hoping for DOOM and Captain Murphy too.
 

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Nanopoof 2: You Only Poof Twice

The Lone Ranger Remarks: Seven Spears for 30 Thieves

Gerrymandering: Smelt County Divides

Alien Golf: Neon Math/ Broken Stars

Danish Melons: Spunk On the Rise Act 2

The Odd Ladies: Whistler

Grant and the Grunts Orchestra: Flick the Bean and Taste the Stream
 

RoKKeR

Member
Haven't listened to a lot of full albums yet this year, so I'll say Radiohead and the new Hotelier album. Want to spin Catfish and the Bottlemen this weekend.
 

Kurita

Member
My 25 favorite releases of the year so far.
KANA-BOON's album is my AOTY so far, incredible album.
It's been greaaaaaaaaat, and there's already a shitload of promising releases coming soon, like indigo la End and PELICAN FANCLUB's new albums tomorrow, MY FIRST STORY later that month, the HIATUS in July... Looks like we'll also get a new Sakanaction, maybe a KEYTALK album so I'm excited.
 
1. David Bowie-Blackstar
2. Radiohead-A Moon Shaped Pool
3. Kanye West-The Life of Pablo
4. Kendrick Lamar-untitled unmastered
5. Anderson .Paak-Malibu
6. Death Grips-Bottomless Pit
7. Beyonce-Lemonade
8. Mondern Baseball-Holy Ghost
9. Chairlift-Moth
10. Flume-Skin

Looking like it's going to be a solid year music wise.
 

lord

Member
Anything Parquet Courts is always my favourite, this year is no exception, Human Performance is great. They're truly one of the best bands in the world right now.


Adore Life by Savages is manic and glorious


I have mixed feelings on Paradise by White Lung, on one side it's truly a great album, however it's far, FAR less aggressive and noisy than their last one. Despite that, I like it a lot


I also love anthologies of out there stuff, so I was pretty happy when Now Again records (the label behind the Amanaz re-issue, a great african psych-rock album) announced Wake Up You! The Rise and Fall of Nigerian Rock, 1972-1977, it's two volumes and definitely a great ride. I don't have the book yet but I'm sure it's quality as well.


A bunch of other stuff, these stick out though
 
There's quite a few, so I'll just narrow it down to my top five so far.

Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book
Joey Purp - iiiDrops
Kanye West - The Life of Pablo
Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.
The Range - Potential

Still need to get around to downloading the new Death Grips, James Blake, Tim Hecker, Anderson .Paak, and Open Mike Eagle albums.
 
Anderson Paak - Malibu
James Blake - The Color in Anything
Beyonce - Lemonade
Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book
Lukas Nystrand von Unge - Studio Barnhus EP No. 2
DJ Koze presents Pampa, Vol. 1
David Bowie - Blackstar

It's been a great year so far, and we're only halfway through.
 

Grieves

Member
Wow, the only 2016 album I've listened to is Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool.

I'm gonna use this thread to check out some of the stuff I've missed out on.
 
#2-#4 Favorites so far this year:

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Thrice - To Be Everywhere is to be Nowhere
The Kills - Ash & Ice


And the there's an album that, while not new, continues to be my #1 favorite year over year since it was released in 2012. I just can't put it down. It's like a brand new record every time I listen to it so I kinda always consider it as new lol:

Between the Buried and Me - Parallax II: Future Sequence
 

faridmon

Member
10 - Sunflower Bean - Human Cermony

- Easier Said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xykuu_pVZak
- Wall Watcher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RplDJ08s8Y

9 - Pinkshinyultrablast - Grandfeathered

- Kiddy Pool Dreams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzKqIjNAZbw
- The Cherry Pit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuDscQBInyA

8 - D.A.N. - D.A.N.

- Zidane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epsMJXoFzjs
- Pool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJApOorsjR0

7 - Wray - Hypatia

- Hypatia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvbBvq6CRkU
- Dymaxion Dream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aulnze-cjg

6 - DYGL - Don't Know Where It Is

- Let It Sway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_7z9JMvi4Y
- Let's Get Into Your Car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp9TcsMbhVM

5 - Oscar - Cut and Paste

- Sometimes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B3gNCulbH0
- Good Things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzcIvRiUpNg

4 - 夜の本気ダンス (Yoru no Honki Dance) - DANCEABLE

- By My Side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHFZeM5z0K4
- Crazy Dancer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnkPpSKv20c

3 - Savages - Adore Life

- Adore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7ZpPsaMNMM
- The Answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvvhHT0B5ck

2 - Metafive - Metafive

- Don't Move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LBUEYGfisQ
- Luv U Tokio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D4REZZtOOk

1- DIIV - Is the Is Are

- Under The Sun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKbqyuaXolg
- Is the Is Are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur-0rlI5h1w
 
1. Haken: Affinity

Amazing prog album, The Architect is up there with some of the Rush epics as far as I'm concerned.

2. Vektor: Terminal Redux

Definitely a departure on their first two albums, but when it thrashes it's the best in the business, and even the more prog songs of Collapse and Recharging the Void are incredibly well done. Vocals could be a turn off for most people though.

3. Megadeth: Dystopia

Probably their best album since Countdown to Extinction, and while the politically charged lyrics are rough to get through, the music behind them is not, and Chris Adler on drums was an awesome addition.

4. King Goat: Conduit

A really solid doom metal album. A definite step down in quality from the first two albums on this list but definitely worth a listen.

5. Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman

The album falters towards the end for sure, but the first half is one of the better recent pop albums. Into You and Side to Side are two of my fave songs of the year as well.
 

LosDaddie

Banned
Patiently waiting for RTJ3. I hope it's an instant classic that I'll bump for months on end, like RTJ2 was.

Kendrick's untitled album was ok at best, nothing special. But I also didn't think TPAB was anything special either.

TLoP was alright-to-good.

I've been enjoying Mistah FAB's Son of Pimp pt2 a good amount.
 
Joey LaBeija - Shattered Dreams
Space Dimension Controller – Orange Melamine
Cavanaugh - Time And Materials
T_A_M - In Tandem
PORCHES. - Pool
Throwing Snow - Axioms EP
Amnesia Scanner ‎– AS EP
Boreal Network - Itasca Road Trip
The Range - Potential
Gold Panda - Good Luck And Do Your Best
Deantoni Parks ‎– Technoself
(technically came out in December 2015, but it's so good)
 
1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
2. Animal Collective - Painting With
3. Deakin - Sleep Cycle
Still gotta check out the new Deftones and The Strokes albums. Anyone got any recommendations that are similar to my 3 listed above?
 

Blader

Member
Assuming we're counting EPs...

1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
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2. David Bowie - Blackstar
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3. Beyonce - Lemonade
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4. Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.
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5. Massive Attack - Ritual Spirit
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Thought the new James Black record was kind of dull and didn't even finish the new M83.

Looking forward to new Avalanches, Beck, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and potentially LCD Soundsystem later in the year!
 
Ihsahn/Artkis

definitely the best metal album of the year so far. Black metal, 80's rock, and sax solos. Nothing has topped it yet.

Thanks for reminding me this exists. I meant to buy it but things have been crazy and I forgot.

Metal-Resistance-artwork.jpg


Been listening to it non stop since release.

Most of the albums I bought this year are older. Of the ones that are new this year it's either this or Abbath.

AbbathCover.png


This picture fits.
babymetal_abbath-1000x515-1465245805.jpg


I'm looking forward to the new Lacuna Coil as soon as Amazon gets around to shipping it.
 
This year has been shit for me for the most part.

Best album though is Polyenso - Pure in the Plastic. Best Pop album of the year by far. Experiments in all the right ways.

Polyenso-Pure-in-the-Plastic-2016.jpg
 

Sol..

I am Wayne Brady.
Not really digging this year that much thus far so I guess..

Her "Her Tape EP"
Jessy Lanza "Oh No"
Margo Price "Midwest Farmer's Daughter"
 

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
Anderson Paak - Malibu
Kaytranada - 99.9%
Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book

That's it for me so far. I wish Justice was coming out with another album.
 

elguero

Member
1. Teen Suicide - It's the Big Joyous Celebration, Let's Stir the Honeypot
2. Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book
3. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial
4. Modern Baseball - Holy Ghost
5. Kanye West - TLOP
6. PUP - DVP
7. Jesu/Sun Kil Moon - S/T
8. Pinegrove - Cardinal
9. Jank - Awkard Pop Songs
10. Japanese Breakfast - Pyschopomp
 
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