I’ll just come out and say it; this was a shit year for music fans. From Lemmy passing at the tail end of 2015 to Bowie following him roughly two weeks later, this year got off to a rough start. It didn’t slow down, Phife Dog passed in March and we lost Prince the following month. In November alone, we’ve lost Leonard Cohen, Leon Russell, and Sharon Jones. In between Prince Buster, Erik Petersen, Maurice White, and many others also died. The one upside for me in all this loss is I stepped outside of my music comfort zone for the first time in years. I had long been a devotee of the umbrella of punk rock and hip-hop sprinkled with a few artists from outside of those genres. This year, I opened my ears up a lot more if for no other reason than I wondered what could possibly fill the void being left. I stepped outside the genre in this website’s name a number of times, and I’m more than okay with that.
Fader Label
Saul Williams is at his best when using his highly intelligent lyrics to make sense of the world around him. He hasn't been this good since The Inevitable Rise and Fall of Niggy Tardust nor has the production work backing his voice been this strong either. Williams touches on numerous topics throughout this album race, shootings by police, economic systems, gender, and even hacking as an art form. Aesop's album might be overall better, Tribe's final effort might be the most memorable, but in terms of challenging me as a listener the only hip-hop group who even came close to Williams this year, was Death Grips.
9. PEARS: Green Star
The second album by PEARS found them taking everything I loved about them finding a way to improve it and then finding stuff to add that made me love them more. Everything about this albums rocks, from the guitar riffs and the vocal energy to the nods to other bands they enjoy within the genre. This album covers a lot of new ground, and I hope the band keeps moving with the same amount of success on their next album.
There was a point in my life, where I hip-hop and punk rock were neck and neck for my favorite genres. While many of the punk bands I got into retroactively had called it a day before I had the chance to hear them, this wasn't always the case with hip-hop. With the passing of Phife Dawg earlier this year, I realized the chances for another tour were slim. But, it looked like we would get a new record. Luckily, for Tribe fans everywhere, this album stacks up against their best work. And that, is no easy task when your first three albums are all worthy of being in the Top 10 hip-hop albums ever.
7. AJJ: The Bible 2
I wasn't sure how AJJ would follow up Christmas Island however upon hearing this release, I was glad to find they did so in spectacular fashion. This album has everything people have always loved about the band, but finds them building on their strengths and expanding their sound in new directions. No, it's not the same as when Sean and Ben were cranking these tunes out solo ... but I'm thankful for that. There's only one band that could make the same album multiple times, and they said adios amigos before I was a teenager.
Total Treble
While lacking the immediacy of their previous effort, this album is no less vital in terms of its content. While Transgender Dysphoria Blues had been an album of change and acceptance of self. This album is about living life after the fact, and figuring out how the world works for you now. This band has been on a roll for two albums now, and I am really curious how, or if, they plan to cap off what is turning into a great thematic trilogy.
Hitting shelves mid-summer was perfect timing for this album, because no matter what they're songs are about Descendents songs are summer songs. They're songs meant to be listened to loud with the windows down. They're riffs and vocal melodies get stuck in your heard. And they just don't release albums often enough for them not to feel like a something special each time a new one comes out.
BAd Seed ltd.
Tragedy also brought forth one of Nick Cave's most compelling records in years, which is saying something as his last three albums have all been astounding. The sparse music on this album combined with Nick Cave's mournful lyrics and delivery, made this album a funeral dirge in a year that needed one. It also ends up being the first quiet Bad Seeds record, that is quite a bit more than just Nick Cave sitting at the piano.
3. David Bowie: Blackstar
This album was a return to form for David Bowie, which is is to say he took on a new form. While ever album he'd made in recent years had been solid, there was something special about this one that had nothing to do with it being his swan song. Certainly the way he dealt with death, was amazing and compelling art. But, when combined with the music it lead to the most solid album he'd made in at least a decade, if not two.
Rhymesayers Entertainment
For years, Aesop Rock has been one of the best artists in hip-hop ... period. His lyrical abilities and flow, place him among the few emcees that are beyond reproach in their abilities. This time around, Aesop got personal and started picking himself and his life apart. This combined with some of the best and most accessible production he's worked with in years lead to an album that's been in constant regular rotation over the past several months.
There’s nothing punk about this record, I'll own that up front. But, if music (and by extension all art) is supposed to be a reflection of what's going on in that artist's life at the moment ... I can't think of a better record this year. Yes, Bowie's album covered the exact same terrain. There's just such a majesty to the way Cohen went about it, perhaps it's the accessibility of it, that Bowie just wasn't able to pull off when covering much of the same subject matter.
Truth be told, I could make you a Top 50 Albums of the year if I wanted to, it would touch on everything from punk to hip-hop to funk to jazz and maybe, just a little bit of noise. If you want to talk music, let me know in the comments. My resolution for 2017 is to expand my musical horizons even further. Challenge me stylistically. I want to hear more music by women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. Get three bands on this list next year you don’t understand why people haven’t realized are fucking amazing.Â