Despite how strange a year 2016
was, I felt it was one of the best years for music I’ve seen in my brief 18
years of existence. Having to whittle down the vast amounts of audible treats
we have been gifted these past 12 months to just 10 albums was extremely difficult , however I feel that the final list
I decided upon displays 120 tracks, and just over 8 hours, of pure brilliance
(whilst also highlighting the truly strange music taste I have). I could not
decide which albums were better than others out of the 10 I eventually chose so
I purely decided to sort them within this post into alphabetical order.
1- Bruno Mars- ‘24k Magic’:
People who know me may be feeling surprised that I have included Bruno Mars in this list, however after
4 years of hiding in the pop wilderness, seemingly doing very little of much
significance (the initially catchy yet quickly extremely irritating
crowd-divider ‘Uptown Funk’ springs to mind), Mars returned somewhat out
of the blue with his single ‘24k Magic’ back in October. An explosive,
euphemism filled, electronically-aided absolute banger, the single was an
emphatic return for the normally love-struck, swooning 31 year-old. When the
full album was released in November, it was clear that this new, sexually
driven, ego driven side to Bruno was going to be a consistent theme throughout
his new album. A million miles away from ‘Grenade’, ‘Just the Way You Are’,
‘When I Was Your Man’ etc, ‘24K Magic’ is a 9 track album swimming in
sexuality, arrogance, fun, silk and all things nice, and I for one, love it.
For me, the sheer audacity to release an album with just 9 tracks, and only
lasting slightly longer than an episode of The Simpsons , after 4 years of
nothing is something to be applauded, especially with something that is as
exciting as ‘24K Magic’. Bravo Bruno.
Overall rating- 8.5/10
Least Fave Songs- Straight Up and Down
2- Childish Gambino- ‘Awaken My Love!’:
Donald
Glover’s (aka Childish Gambino) new album ‘Awaken My Love!’ is a soul nourishing,
funky, joyous piece of work that is a million light years away from his
previous studio album ‘Because the Internet’. Sounding more like Prince than ‘3005’,
‘Awaken My Love’ is the hardest left turn modern rap has seen for some time.
Seemingly ditching rap for good on this new project, Glover has produced a thoroughly
enjoyable album dripping in lush, atmospheric sounds that cleanse the soul of
the listener. And as I sit here at my kitchen table, writing this review and listening
to Gambino’s latest efforts, I can’t help but get up and have a little groove
around to the funky sounds emitting from my laptop. ‘Awaken My Love’ is a true
tour-de-force, with its slick production it is a truly well-executed project from
the future Star Wars star (yes, you read that correctly, look it up). It seems
to me that Glover has not fully gauged the true musical understanding behind
his persona Childish Gambino, however it is exciting for us listeners to be
able to hear these exotic, brave and somewhat seismic shifts in his style.
Overall Rating- 9/10
Least fave songs- ‘Me and Your Mama’, ‘California’
3- David Bowie- ‘Blackstar’:
When the culturally
significant megastar David Bowie sadly passed away in January of 2016, he left
us one of the greatest parting gifts of modern times. ‘Blackstar’ was released
just 2 days before Bowie’s untimely death and unapparent at the time, yet after
his death seemingly obvious, the album was a final goodbye from the much loved
man. With just 7 tracks on the album, Bowie regularly referenced the fact he knew
he was going to die, yet in a cryptic manner. Using lines such as ‘Look up
here, I’m in heaven’ (Lazarus), amongst others, in order to point to this
depressing notion of his oncoming death. Throughout his lengthy career, Bowie
has used various different personas to challenge both the media and the general
public’s viewpoint of masculinity, rock n roll and sexuality. However, Bowie’s
final, sombre persona presented on ‘Blackstar’ is a raw, vulnerable guise that
truly emphasises the genius he was. Bowie will be sorely missed; however his
music is sure to stand the test of time.
Overall Rating- 9.5/10
Least Fave Songs- ‘Girl Loves Me’
4-Glass Animals- ‘How to be a Human Being’:
The Oxford
quartet Glass Animals have stepped out of the gloomy murk of their previous album
‘Zaba’ and presented us with the strange new reality that is ‘How to be a Human
Being’. The bands new musical horizon is clear to see in all its glory on album
opener ‘Life Itself’, a near 5-minute long thrill ride that is about as
exciting and brash as a rollercoaster at Alton Towers. However, don’t be under
the impression that the fun and excitement of ‘Life Itself’ is a constant theme
throughout the album, oh no, ‘How to be a Human Being’ features vignettes of
both a funny and tragic nature throughout. From the bold, joyous nature of ‘Youth’,
to the depressing tale of a drug-addled tragedy on ‘Agnes’, Glass Animals new album
is a superb, broad-natured piece of work that presents the true maturity of
this band.
Overall Rating- 8/10
Least Fave Songs- ‘Poplar St’, ‘Mama’s Gun’
5- Hinds- ‘Leave Me Alone’
The all-girl
Spanish foursome Hinds’ debut LP ‘Leave Me Alone’ features 12 shimmering
indiepop, garage rock, old-skool fueled tracks which fully emphasise the fuzzy,
fun nature of this band. ‘Leave Me Alone’ is a record filled with love, loss
and lust, and the admission and celebration of all these feelings. It’s to no
coincidence that the phrase “You’re on my mind” features on multiple songs on ‘Leave
Me Alone’. Hinds are clearly under no illusion that these particular feelings are
simply unable to be ignored and that the nature of feeling vulnerable from love
is something to celebrate and express, rather than be muted. There is much joy
on this debut effort from Hinds with tracks like ‘Fat Calmed Kiddos’ and ‘San
Diego’ gloriously jangling this album into superb indie territory. The vocals
shared between Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote are truly brilliant, when one
is singing, the other is countering or emphasizing, culminating in a no
restraints, belting harmony which generally benefits the album. Something else
regarding Hinds that I feel should be acknowledged and applauded is the sheer
fact that the majority of ‘Leave Me Alone’ is sung in English, the band’s
second language, which is a truly amazing feat in my opinion.
Overall Rating- 8.5/10
Least Fave Songs- ‘Walking Home’, ‘Solar Gap’
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