| 40 Records To Spin: 2016 |
| 1 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
A stunning display of grief and raw emotion. |
| 2 |  | Hammock
Everything and Nothing
It's beautiful. But it's Hammock, so that goes without saying. They make it seem effortless. |
| 3 |  | Radiohead
A Moon Shaped Pool
I'm pretty sure I've cried about four times listening to this on separate occasions. |
| 4 |  | Gorguts
Pleiades' Dust
The masters are back. |
| 5 |  | David Bowie
Blackstar
All hail the king. |
| 6 |  | Causa Sui
Return To Sky
Spaced-out and rocking out all at once, |
| 7 |  | Aesop Rock
The Impossible Kid
Better than Labor Days? You bet. |
| 8 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act V: Hymns With The Devil In Confessional
Bombastic, brilliant. |
| 9 |  | Ulver
ATGCLVLSSCAP
Ulver's most underrated record, bringing kraut, synth, drone, and ambient into a swirling mess. |
| 10 |  | Kevin Morby
Singing Saw
Sleeper hit for best folk/folk rock record this year. |
| 11 |  | Snarky Puppy
Culcha Vulcha
Fusion done right. |
| 12 |  | Yawning Man
Historical Graffiti
The legends return with... accordions? Somehow, this works out beautifully. |
| 13 |  | Woods
City Sun Eater In The River Of Light |
| 14 |  | SUMAC
What One Becomes
Recording your drums in an abandoned church can do wonders. |
| 15 |  | Kendrick Lamar
untitled unmastered.
When your b-side record is better than 95% of full length albums in your genre. |
| 16 |  | Niechec
Niechec |
| 17 |  | Frank Ocean
Blonde
Frank Ocean making a solid claim to being the best high-profile R&B artist working today. |
| 18 |  | Glass Animals
How To Be A Human Being
How to have fun. |
| 19 |  | Shearwater
Jet Plane and Oxbow
Shearwater shows that going commercial isn't always a cardinal sin. |
| 20 |  | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Nonagon Infinity
Insanity at its most rocking. |
| 21 |  | Death Grips
Bottomless Pit
Speaking of insanity... |
| 22 |  | Kitchie Kitchie Ki Me O
Are You Land Or Water
Dance kraut. |
| 23 |  | Massive Attack
Ritual Spirit
This EP and its sister release hint at a stunning return to form for one of the greats. |
| 24 |  | Vektor
Terminal Redux
Like Voivod but thrashing like it's 1980. |
| 25 |  | Ryley Walker
Golden Sings That Have Been Sung |
| 26 |  | Gold Panda
Good Luck And Do Your Best
Sometimes you just need to relax. |
| 27 |  | Cobalt
Slow Forever
Changing your vocalist and putting out your best album. |
| 28 |  | Weezer
The White Album
This had no right being as good as it is. |
| 29 |  | The Pineapple Thief
Your Wilderness
I'm not sure if Gavin Harrison gave this band the kick they needed, but boy, does this album kick. |
| 30 |  | Dalek
Asphalt For Eden
The sickening, industrial production returns. |
| 31 |  | SubRosa
For This We Fought the Battle of Ages
Some people might think strings don't belong in metal. Those people are wrong. |
| 32 |  | Anderson .Paak
Malibu
I've got beats, stuck in my head, and he's got the feeling. |
| 33 |  | Gozu
Revival
Riffs: served piping hot with a hint of cannabis. |
| 34 |  | Joe Bonamassa
Blues of Desperation
Easily Bonamassas's best record in quite a while. All original material and a healthy serving of riffs. |
| 35 |  | Charles Bradley
Changes
Soul with vintage style. |
| 36 |  | BADBADNOTGOOD
IV
Not as good as III, but a solid collection of tunes with excellent guest spots. |
| 37 |  | Anna Ternheim
For The Young
The best singer/songwriter album you haven't heard this year. |
| 38 |  | Katatonia
The Fall of Hearts
After a meandering, dull album preceding it, Katatonia is back on track with a fantastic record. |
| 39 |  | The Drones
Feelin Kinda Free
Not quite as good as I See Seaweed, but a poignant release all the same. |
| 40 |  | Dinosaur Jr.
Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not
They need no introduction. You know it's good, if a bit too similar to prior works. |
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