The albums that pushed me through this year of intensity and loss, of dread and motivation. The music out there in the world is always a sign of our great potential for beauty, harmony, understanding, and hope. For me, these are the albums of 2016, in no particular order:
A Tribe Called Quest, We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service
Kate Tempest, Let Them Eat Chaos
Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool
Beyoncé, Lemonade
Conor Oberst, Ruminations
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, A Man Alive
David Bowie, Blackstar
Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam, I Had A Dream That You Were Mine
Common, Black America Again
Blood Orange, Freetown Sound
I’ve always known Beyoncé is really something special. But until this year, nothing she’s done has really spoken to me. Then she released “Formation.” And the Earth stood still. Also, special shoutout to that new Beck song “WOW.” Still can’t believe how amazing it is. Finally, I discovered Valerie June this year. Can’t wait for January 27, 2017.
