Top 100 Music Albums of 2016 by 
babyBlueSedan 
What's up 2016. 2015 was phenomenal but I have high hopes for you. Before we start here are my post-2014 year chart ground rules:
1. Everything I listen to this year will be listed here with a comment. Partially because I like keeping track of everything and partially because I think it's just as valuable to know why someone doesn't like something as why they do.
1a. My comments get really out of date because I don't update them. So they probably refer to a list order that is no longer accurate or just say "I need to give this another spin". Oh well.
2. I'll mention here how many albums are "keepers", meaning I plan on adding them to my collection. These are the albums that I think I'll still be listening to in 10 years.
3. Albums rated 70 or 65 that aren't keepers still come highly recommended. Typically these albums will have consistency issues or will have a sound I enjoy without doing much memorable with it.
33 keepers so far! This was a tremendous, deep year - keeping nearly 33% of albums I heard is well above average for me, at least I think so.
*Update 9/3/18: updated everything 70 or above, the rest who cares
*Update 2/19/20: I did it again
- Chart updated: 02/20/2020 01:15
- (Created: 01/09/2016 22:09).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of 2016 has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 8 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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100/100
I much prefer ballad Nick Cave to rock Nick Cave; even my old favorite Cave album, Let Love In, is nearly ruined by tracks like Jangling Jack and Thirsty Dog. These songs are hardly ballads, but they are the type of slow meandering tracks that really suit Cave's deep brooding voice. Jesus Alone is the standout, but I love how the tracks at the end get less abrasive, and by Distant Sky and the title track it almost assumes a peaceful quality. [First added to this chart: 10/09/2016]
I much prefer ballad Nick Cave to rock Nick Cave; even my old favorite Cave album, Let Love In, is nearly ruined by tracks like Jangling Jack and Thirsty Dog. These songs are hardly ballads, but they are the type of slow meandering tracks that really suit Cave's deep brooding voice. Jesus Alone is the standout, but I love how the tracks at the end get less abrasive, and by Distant Sky and the title track it almost assumes a peaceful quality. [First added to this chart: 10/09/2016]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,587
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
46
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100/100
I've been a huge fan of Danny Brown for a couple years now and everything he does just makes me more excited to keep following him. I first discovered Brown with XXX, which is in the running for my favorite hip hop album not by Kanye or Kendrick. Brown's high-pitched yelp and penchant for weird rhymes and humorously shocking lyrics is a great combination. He's a rapper who has a fun personality that is able to shine through his music, and his lyrics tend to be pretty insightful even if they have a tendency to be a little depressing. Old found him going in a slightly new direction, but one that he admitted was partially explored so he could play some crazy festival shows. With his reputation built, now he could make the album he was born to make.
Like on his previous albums, Brown spends most of Atrocity Exhibition rapping about two things: sex and how even though he has a lot of sex he's still depressed all the time. The opener doesn't waste any time building this atmosphere. With Brown rapping over what would be a Nine Inch Nails song (the track is called Downward Spiral), he says "your worst nightmare for me is a normal dream" and tells a story about being unable to get an erection but having sex anyway, which makes him scared because he couldn't get his condom on. It would be ridiculous if it wasn't delivered in such an earnest manner. His horrorcore lyrics don't end there though. On Really Doe he talks about sex in likely the most unappealing manner ever:
I be on them checmicals
She be on my testicles
Poked her with my tentacle
In the end though, the lyrics are not what makes this album. What makes it is the varied, insane production. Danny Brown is a student of music; when he says this album was influenced by Joy Division, Talking Heads, and System of a Down he is not just naming names. Several of these songs would be post punk if they were instrumentals - Dance in the Water in particular with its tribal background vocals and frenzied drums. The clear standout is Ain't It Funny, which literally caused me to stop what I was doing and stare at the wall with my mouth wide open until it finished. I don't know how anyone can rap over that beat, with its layers of horns, but somehow Danny managed to do it.
And all this without mentioning the two amazing early singles Pneumonia and When It Rain, or Earl Sweatshirt's amazing verse on Really Doe (with underrated glockenspiel production courtesy of Black Milk), or the throw-down-the-gauntlet closing track. I think this is better than XXX, and to use a recent rap album as a comparison, I think it might be better than To Pimp a Butterfly. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2016]
I've been a huge fan of Danny Brown for a couple years now and everything he does just makes me more excited to keep following him. I first discovered Brown with XXX, which is in the running for my favorite hip hop album not by Kanye or Kendrick. Brown's high-pitched yelp and penchant for weird rhymes and humorously shocking lyrics is a great combination. He's a rapper who has a fun personality that is able to shine through his music, and his lyrics tend to be pretty insightful even if they have a tendency to be a little depressing. Old found him going in a slightly new direction, but one that he admitted was partially explored so he could play some crazy festival shows. With his reputation built, now he could make the album he was born to make.
Like on his previous albums, Brown spends most of Atrocity Exhibition rapping about two things: sex and how even though he has a lot of sex he's still depressed all the time. The opener doesn't waste any time building this atmosphere. With Brown rapping over what would be a Nine Inch Nails song (the track is called Downward Spiral), he says "your worst nightmare for me is a normal dream" and tells a story about being unable to get an erection but having sex anyway, which makes him scared because he couldn't get his condom on. It would be ridiculous if it wasn't delivered in such an earnest manner. His horrorcore lyrics don't end there though. On Really Doe he talks about sex in likely the most unappealing manner ever:
I be on them checmicals
She be on my testicles
Poked her with my tentacle
In the end though, the lyrics are not what makes this album. What makes it is the varied, insane production. Danny Brown is a student of music; when he says this album was influenced by Joy Division, Talking Heads, and System of a Down he is not just naming names. Several of these songs would be post punk if they were instrumentals - Dance in the Water in particular with its tribal background vocals and frenzied drums. The clear standout is Ain't It Funny, which literally caused me to stop what I was doing and stare at the wall with my mouth wide open until it finished. I don't know how anyone can rap over that beat, with its layers of horns, but somehow Danny managed to do it.
And all this without mentioning the two amazing early singles Pneumonia and When It Rain, or Earl Sweatshirt's amazing verse on Really Doe (with underrated glockenspiel production courtesy of Black Milk), or the throw-down-the-gauntlet closing track. I think this is better than XXX, and to use a recent rap album as a comparison, I think it might be better than To Pimp a Butterfly. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2016]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,963
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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95/100
This is a super interesting album; lyrically it borrows a lot from emo and at the heart it's really just some standard indie rock, but there's just enough banjo to give it an alt country feel. Combine that with the drawling, nonchalant vocals and it becomes a very emotional listen. A few of the lyrics still catch me off guard after tons of listens, like
"I saw Leah on the bus a few months ago, I saw some old friends at her funeral"
That happens so fast it's not even fair. Then there's New Friends, which focuses on being lonely but not wanting to put in the effort to find new people to hang out with. And it culminates with an anthemic "the summer's over and I'm still in love with her, and I said 'forget it'". [First added to this chart: 07/27/2016]
This is a super interesting album; lyrically it borrows a lot from emo and at the heart it's really just some standard indie rock, but there's just enough banjo to give it an alt country feel. Combine that with the drawling, nonchalant vocals and it becomes a very emotional listen. A few of the lyrics still catch me off guard after tons of listens, like
"I saw Leah on the bus a few months ago, I saw some old friends at her funeral"
That happens so fast it's not even fair. Then there's New Friends, which focuses on being lonely but not wanting to put in the effort to find new people to hang out with. And it culminates with an anthemic "the summer's over and I'm still in love with her, and I said 'forget it'". [First added to this chart: 07/27/2016]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
796
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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85/100
I'm such a sucker for alt-country like this. Like Lucinda Williams but less world weary (yet still as cynical). Heaven is a great song and the second best song ever named Heaven.
This first is by the Talking Heads, obviously. [First added to this chart: 12/29/2016]
I'm such a sucker for alt-country like this. Like Lucinda Williams but less world weary (yet still as cynical). Heaven is a great song and the second best song ever named Heaven.
This first is by the Talking Heads, obviously. [First added to this chart: 12/29/2016]
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80/100
I would have given this an 85 if not for the period in Paak's name. Just kidding. Mostly.
R&B has always been a tough genre for me. I'm a big fan of Frank Ocean, Miguel, and Curtis Mayfield. But outside of those artists there aren't many R&B singers that have managed to catch my ear. It's just not a genre that (usually) lends itself to much variation and (typically) relies on enjoying the singers voice. I don't give a shit about people's voices.
All that said, I went into this album not expecting much. The first few tracks didn't impress me, and I was wondering where the TPAB comparisons came from. His raspy voice? The Rhapsody feature? (She's a great rapper by the way). As it went on though it definitely picked up some speed, the hooks got better, and the lyrics got deeper. On subsequent listens I started to enjoy the parts I hadn't liked before, and now it's my AOTY. The funky, lush production really helps to compliment Paak's voice. [First added to this chart: 01/27/2016]
I would have given this an 85 if not for the period in Paak's name. Just kidding. Mostly.
R&B has always been a tough genre for me. I'm a big fan of Frank Ocean, Miguel, and Curtis Mayfield. But outside of those artists there aren't many R&B singers that have managed to catch my ear. It's just not a genre that (usually) lends itself to much variation and (typically) relies on enjoying the singers voice. I don't give a shit about people's voices.
All that said, I went into this album not expecting much. The first few tracks didn't impress me, and I was wondering where the TPAB comparisons came from. His raspy voice? The Rhapsody feature? (She's a great rapper by the way). As it went on though it definitely picked up some speed, the hooks got better, and the lyrics got deeper. On subsequent listens I started to enjoy the parts I hadn't liked before, and now it's my AOTY. The funky, lush production really helps to compliment Paak's voice. [First added to this chart: 01/27/2016]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,170
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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85/100
Musically this album doesn't really offer anything new, as it's pretty standard melodic hardcore stuff. But the lyrics really elevate it; the album is about the singer's mom who died from cancer, and it explores so many of his feelings surrounding this. He talks about feeling guilty that he was playing shows around the time she died and how he can't listen to the second song on Benji anymore and it's heartbreaking.
A few more listens and I caught what is probably the most affecting part of this album - how he feels guilty because his mom thinks he won't go to heaven because he doesn't believe in God and so she'll never see him again. That part makes me fucking bawl. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2016]
Musically this album doesn't really offer anything new, as it's pretty standard melodic hardcore stuff. But the lyrics really elevate it; the album is about the singer's mom who died from cancer, and it explores so many of his feelings surrounding this. He talks about feeling guilty that he was playing shows around the time she died and how he can't listen to the second song on Benji anymore and it's heartbreaking.
A few more listens and I caught what is probably the most affecting part of this album - how he feels guilty because his mom thinks he won't go to heaven because he doesn't believe in God and so she'll never see him again. That part makes me fucking bawl. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2016]
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85/100
It took me a little bit to get into this but when I did I got REALLY into it. Really it's just a ton of fun, and all the MCs sound like they're having a great time. Wyclef Jean and Kanye West are two of my favorite songs of the year.
Young Thug of course is great, I love his eccentric style of wrapping. [First added to this chart: 01/02/2017]
It took me a little bit to get into this but when I did I got REALLY into it. Really it's just a ton of fun, and all the MCs sound like they're having a great time. Wyclef Jean and Kanye West are two of my favorite songs of the year.
Young Thug of course is great, I love his eccentric style of wrapping. [First added to this chart: 01/02/2017]
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80/100
Fuck yeah! Honestly I wasn't as excited for this given Killer Mike's recent "you shouldn't vote" thing since it kind of revealed the group's politics as more juvenile than I had realized. But screw that, because this is really good and comes really close to being one of my favorite hip hop albums after only one listen.
I could actually see this being my favorite, the rapping of both MCs seems to have improved. [First added to this chart: 01/02/2017]
Fuck yeah! Honestly I wasn't as excited for this given Killer Mike's recent "you shouldn't vote" thing since it kind of revealed the group's politics as more juvenile than I had realized. But screw that, because this is really good and comes really close to being one of my favorite hip hop albums after only one listen.
I could actually see this being my favorite, the rapping of both MCs seems to have improved. [First added to this chart: 01/02/2017]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,550
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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80/100
I am not a fan of either of Bon Iver's first two albums. I try to say this every chance I get, because there are few albums where the critical love and my own ambivalence are further apart. Their debut feels like a pretty generic folk album, while its follow-up does a little to be different but the songs still feel flat and unmemorable. My biggest problem is probably Justin Vernon's warbly, falsetto voice, which sounds really irritating to my ears. So I was pretty ready to hate this.
Surprisingly, I really like this. I feared that the mixture of electronic sounds and folk would feel really off, and honestly in some places it does. But when Vernon is manipulating his voice the falsetto becomes less common, which is an obvious win. Also, Vernon's songwriting has always felt warm and inviting (albeit nap-inducing), which helps the synthetic pieces to feel more full of life. It's clearly a Bon Iver album - as much is apparent from the first couplet of "Where you gonna look for confirmation / and is it ever gonna happen?". And rather than stifle the album, the synths and manipulations give Vernon's songs more room to work.
There are a few duds here; 8 (circle) feels too much like something that could have been on their sophomore album, and a couple of the songs build up to nothing. But 33 "GOD" is the song of the year, and for once Vernon's lyrics don't sound like pseudo-emotional garbage. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2016]
I am not a fan of either of Bon Iver's first two albums. I try to say this every chance I get, because there are few albums where the critical love and my own ambivalence are further apart. Their debut feels like a pretty generic folk album, while its follow-up does a little to be different but the songs still feel flat and unmemorable. My biggest problem is probably Justin Vernon's warbly, falsetto voice, which sounds really irritating to my ears. So I was pretty ready to hate this.
Surprisingly, I really like this. I feared that the mixture of electronic sounds and folk would feel really off, and honestly in some places it does. But when Vernon is manipulating his voice the falsetto becomes less common, which is an obvious win. Also, Vernon's songwriting has always felt warm and inviting (albeit nap-inducing), which helps the synthetic pieces to feel more full of life. It's clearly a Bon Iver album - as much is apparent from the first couplet of "Where you gonna look for confirmation / and is it ever gonna happen?". And rather than stifle the album, the synths and manipulations give Vernon's songs more room to work.
There are a few duds here; 8 (circle) feels too much like something that could have been on their sophomore album, and a couple of the songs build up to nothing. But 33 "GOD" is the song of the year, and for once Vernon's lyrics don't sound like pseudo-emotional garbage. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2016]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,823
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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80/100
Apparently a lot of people didn't like Skelethon, but I loved it. Because it was fairly dark but still obtuse in a way that only Aesop Rock can be obtuse. And while Bazooka Tooth and None Shall Pass suffered because of dense, uninteresting production that made them nearly impenetrable, Skelthon brought some hooks that saved the album.
The production on this one, handled by Aesop himself, is much better than those other two and on par with Skelthon. The main difference is that Aesop has reinvented his lyrical style; the wide vocabulary is still there but he's put aside his obtuseness for a more direct storytelling style. And I like it; it's more immediate than any of his other albums, which means it doesn't reveal any more depth upon further listens like Labor Days or Skelthon, but it's still enjoyable.
On the spot ranking of Aesop Rock albums:
Labor Days (85)
Skelethon (80)
Impossible Kid (75)
None Shall Pass (70)
Bazooka Tooth (70)
Float (60) [First added to this chart: 04/30/2016]
Apparently a lot of people didn't like Skelethon, but I loved it. Because it was fairly dark but still obtuse in a way that only Aesop Rock can be obtuse. And while Bazooka Tooth and None Shall Pass suffered because of dense, uninteresting production that made them nearly impenetrable, Skelthon brought some hooks that saved the album.
The production on this one, handled by Aesop himself, is much better than those other two and on par with Skelthon. The main difference is that Aesop has reinvented his lyrical style; the wide vocabulary is still there but he's put aside his obtuseness for a more direct storytelling style. And I like it; it's more immediate than any of his other albums, which means it doesn't reveal any more depth upon further listens like Labor Days or Skelthon, but it's still enjoyable.
On the spot ranking of Aesop Rock albums:
Labor Days (85)
Skelethon (80)
Impossible Kid (75)
None Shall Pass (70)
Bazooka Tooth (70)
Float (60) [First added to this chart: 04/30/2016]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
686
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of 2016 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Anderson .Paak | 1 | 1% | |
| Angel Olsen | 1 | 1% | |
| Leonard Cohen | 1 | 1% | |
| Anohni | 1 | 1% | |
| Oranssi Pazuzu | 1 | 1% | |
| Dinosaur Jr. | 1 | 1% | |
| LVL UP | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| |
66 | 66% | |
 |
10 | 10% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
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5 | 5% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of 2016 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
 Up 25 from 42nd to 17thSlow Forever by Cobalt |
| Up 16 from 48th to 32nd Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard |
| Up 11 from 20th to 9th 22, A Million by Bon Iver |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 11 from 23rd to 34th Blank Face by Schoolboy Q |
| Down 8 from 19th to 27th A Good Night In The Ghetto by Kamaiyah |
| Down 8 from 25th to 33rd A Sailor's Guide To Earth by Sturgill Simpson |
| New entries |
|---|
 E•MO•TION: Side Bby Carly Rae Jepsen |
| Camp Cope by Camp Cope |
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Other year charts (from the 2010s) by babyBlueSedan
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babyBlueSedan (2020)Top 100 Music Albums of 2016 ratings
88/100 (from 8 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
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N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 8 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 01/12/2021 11:19 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
100/100 | 02/21/2020 02:08 | DJENNY | | 100/100 |
 90/100 | 01/21/2017 22:33 | vruslov | | 89/100 |
| 80/100 | 12/27/2016 03:10 |  phantom1305 | | 92/100 |
| 70/100 | 06/08/2016 18:13 |  mickilennial | | 77/100 |
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100/100
From Larcx13 01/12/2021 11:19
Larcx13 01/12/2021 11:19
that Aesop Rock album was great
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95/100
From 
samistake2ice 04/15/2016 16:52
samistake2ice 04/15/2016 16:52
I'm gonna go ahead and give this a 95 for now just while its in the "under construction" phase, but i really like how you give your charts context in the opening notes. makes for much better understanding. Thank you.
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