Doof's Top Songs 2016
Last Year's List: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?memberid=1060512&listid=163460 |
| 60 |  | Corey Feldman
Angelic 2 The Core
'We Wanted Change'
No song made me smile more than this one this year. Boom bap, scat a dat dat dat...chaaaaaa! |
| 59 |  | Let's Eat Grandma
I, Gemini
'Eat Shiitake Mushrooms'
The first 2:30 of this song is a 5/5...the remaining 3:30 of runtime is a 0.5/5. Makes for a strange listen. |
| 58 |  | Metallica
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
'Spit Out the Bone'
Dig the passion but wish they'd throw their audience more (melody) bones. |
| 57 |  | Blood Orange
Freetown Sound
'But You'
OH FUCKIN HICCUP CHAMONE ALREADY HOW CAN YOU EVEN LIVE? Creepy, the ghost of Wacko is strong on this one. |
| 56 |  | Animal Collective
Painting With
'Golden Gal'
[[[[These last five picks are more 'stuff I played a lot because they intrigued me' than flat out liked]]]]
In the right mood I like this a lot, AnCo at their most Beach Boys and bubblegum...other times I want to take that Golden Girls sample and shove it up their collective anus. |
| 55 |  | Mark Pritchard
Under the Sun
'Beautiful People'
Absolute album standout and a great guest spot from Thom Yorke. |
| 54 |  | Anderson .Paak
Malibu
'The Season / Carry Me'
Didn't want to include this as it is sorta two songs in one and the OCD in me was triggering hard...but it is the standout 'passage' of the album. |
| 53 |  | Mark Barrott
Sketches from An Island 2
'Distant Storms At Sea'
Ominous toned tropical island music if you can get your head around what that would sound like :/ |
| 52 |  | William Tyler
Modern Country
'Sunken Garden'
Relaxing country flecked guitar instrumental. |
| 51 |  | Ulver
ATGCLVLSSCAP
'Ecclesiastes (A Vernal Catnap)'
Moody shit. |
| 50 |  | Wild Beasts
Boy King
'2BU' |
| 49 |  | Massive Attack
Ritual Spirit
'Take it There'
The return of Tricky on a Massive Attack tune was actually pretty special. |
| 48 |  | Kedr Livanskiy
January Sun
'Winds of May'
Haunted 'tape getting chewed up' rave with disembodied Russian female vocals swirling behind. |
| 47 |  | Dawes
We're All Gonna Die
'We're All Gonna Die'
In places this vocal approach reminds me a bit of Dirty Projectors. A little unappealing at first but a sly grower. |
| 46 |  | Hiss Golden Messenger
Heart Like a Levee
'Cracked Windshield'
Dude should keep that quality control setting high, more stuff like this required. |
| 45 |  | Iggy Pop
Post Pop Depression
'Vulture'
Didn't like the kinda 'mulchy-phoned-in-Homme' full album but this spaghetti western death rattle appeals a lot. |
| 44 |  | Agnes Obel
Citizen Of Glass
'It's Happening Again' |
| 43 |  | The Avalanches
Wildflower
'Colours'
Anything with Jonathan Donahue on it has to be a beaut. |
| 42 |  | Gold Panda
Good Luck And Do Your Best
'Time Eater' |
| 41 |  | Parquet Courts
Human Performance
'Two Dead Cops'
It's Parquet Courts, it's one of their faster ones, you already know what this sounds like. Rocks. |
| 40 |  | The Hue
Aurora
'Magic City'
Is this what the Black Eyed Peas would sound like if they were actually listenable? |
| 39 |  | Deakin
Sleep Cycle
'Golden Chords'
In a bad year for the Collective this pretty 'Sufjan-alike' ditty was a godsend. |
| 38 |  | Wilco
Schmilco
'If I Ever Was a Child'
Cute retro country folk stylings from the 'so laid back in 2016 they're playing horizontal' Wilco boyz. |
| 37 |  | Whitney
Light Upon the Lake
'No Woman'
Slice of easygoing 70s style soft rock, nice tune, not much more to say. Check it. |
| 36 |  | Bitchin' Bajas and Bonnie 'Prince
Epic Jammers and Fortunate Little Ditties
'Despair is Criminal'
Uplifting wafty psychedelic jam with Oldham croaking away merrily over the top. |
| 35 |  | Current Value
Biocellulose
'Footwork'
Goes hard. |
| 34 |  | Death Grips
Bottomless Pit
'Bottomless Pit'
This band...just when I think they're beyond redemption they release yet another rare classic among the dross. |
| 33 |  | Yumi Zouma
Yoncalla
'Barricade (Matter of Fact)'
The most fvckable voice in indie pop returns to everyone's visible relief. |
| 32 |  | Sturgill Simpson
A Sailor's Guide To Earth
'Call to Arms'
Everyone loves a bit of a bluesy country rawk hoedown. |
| 31 |  | PUP
The Dream Is Over
'Dvp'
I'm a little surprised I like this so much. Noisy, bratty and yet not shite. |
| 30 |  | Ryley Walker
Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
'Roundabout'
Ryley is still doing that classic 70s song writer thing that he does and you can hear the confidence building in his voice on this standout number. |
| 29 |  | Destroyer
Poison Season
'My Mystery'
This 'Poison Season' outtake continues the Anglo obsession ('I put my notice in at Scotland Yard') and tbh I think it should probably have made the cut for the album itself. Perhaps it was too sprightly, I dunno. |
| 28 |  | Matt Elliott
The Calm Before
'The Calm Before'
Nearly a quarter an hour of atmospheric Spanish guitar, tinkling keys, wind sound effects and Matt's rich vocals that's well worth your time. |
| 27 |  | James Blake
The Colour in Anything
'I Need a Forest Fire'
Great guest spot from Bon Iver who really should have been paying more attention for his own album. |
| 26 |  | Lewis Del Mar
Lewis Del Mar
'Tap Water Drinking'
Eccentric sounding funky electro backdrop with a smooth soulful vox delivery. |
| 25 |  | Nicolas Jaar
Sirens
'Killing Time'
This opener has some of the Darkside magic, very sombre, the line 'we're just waiting for the old folks to die' delivered by a man who sounds like he's feeling the years eating at his own ageing soul. |
| 24 |  | Shearwater
Jet Plane and Oxbow
'Filaments'
Shearwater go ethnic/afro sort of. 'Remain in Light' period Talking Heads wasn't an influence I'd have suspected Shearwater to reveal but here it is. A full album like this next please. |
| 23 |  | Car Seat Headrest
Teens of Denial
'The Ballad of the Costa Concordia'
An epic 12 minutes of by turns slacker and impassioned indie rock (alarm bells should be sounding) that incredibly somehow manages to keep fully engaging throughout that runtime. |
| 22 |  | Case/Lang/Veirs
Case/Lang/Veirs
'Atomic Number'
Yet another classic opening track with these classy dames combining vocals like they was born to do it. |
| 21 |  | Kornel Kovacs
The Bells
'The Bells'
Probably my favourite all out n' upbeat dance track of the year. |
| 20 |  | The Veils
Total Depravity
'In the Nightfall'
One of those classic 'moment of stillness' ballads, y'know, like you get in the movies and that. |
| 19 |  | Vektor
Terminal Redux
'Pillars of Sand'
Erm, now for something totally different. I find the overall album favours cheese ahead of straightahead brutality - but this one gets the mix just right. |
| 18 |  | Plantman
To the Lighthouse
'Slow Design'
Twee indie gets an industrial strength depressive makeover. This just fuckin' aches baby. |
| 17 |  | Danny Brown
Atrocity Exhibition
'Ain't it Funny'
Part of me wishes he'd release an entire album of stuff this fast...but then part of me thinks it would be a recipe for torture. A small dose of this is totally dandy with me. |
| 16 |  | Michael Kiwanuka
Love & Hate
'Love & Hate'
Sounds like a soul standard, complete with all the required retro stylings. |
| 15 |  | Radiohead
A Moon Shaped Pool
'Present Tense'
Yorke & Co go tropicalia...well kind of. Definitely one of Thom's best recent vocal performances though. |
| 14 |  | Black Mountain
IV
'Cemetery Breeding'
Still clinging to the hope Robert Smith's got a classic song left in his withered goth brain? Give it up and listen to this instead. |
| 13 |  | Klangstof
Close Eyes To Exit
'Sleaze'
Electronic indie with a Radiohead infatuation, this song has a half awake quality to the vocals that contrast well with the de rigeur glossy synths that enter periodically. |
| 12 |  | Brigid Mae Power
Brigid Mae Power
'It's Clearing Now'
A great year for opening tracks, this one is positively mesmeric thanks to those trailing vocals weaving their spell. |
| 11 |  | Drive-by Truckers
American Band
'Guns Of Umpqua'
Protest rock got palatable in 2016 thanks to Drive-By Truckers and this is the song where they married those sentiments to their most impressive melodic backing. |
| 10 |  | The Drones
Feelin Kinda Free
'Boredom'
Snarling and snapping political bile over a musical backdrop that can't help but make me picture terrorists tip toeing through the desert carrying oversized rocket launchers. The lyrics pull no punches - 'don't fuckin'tell me you ain't got room, you ever really seen a baby BOOOOM?'. Aussies not known for their subtlety. |
| 9 |  | Richmond Fontaine
You Can't Go Back if There's Nothing to Go Back To
'A Night in the City'
Here we have some serious story tellin' a goin' on. I don't know what's sadder, the story told by the lyrics of this song or the fact this is everyone's favourite alt country band's final album. |
| 8 |  | Okkervil River
Away
'Okkervil River R.I.P'
Have to admit, never my favourite band or vocalist before this album but there's just something they've hit on here. This opener is a real grower, the lyrics and vocal performance are the focus and work together in welcoming you into the autumnal and slightly weary world of 'Away'. |
| 7 |  | Tindersticks
The Waiting Room
'How He Entered'
The first time I road tested this song out on the way to pick up lunch in the middle of my work day I had to stifle a massive lump in my throat, there's just something so nostalgic, tragic and beautiful about this simple spoken word lament. Is it about Staples himself? 'He sang of it, but knew nothing of it'. I tend to think maybe it is. Watching the band perform this with old grainy black and white footage of a wedding playing in the background and Staples holding the lyric sheet in his hand but never even once looking at it was an absolutely perfect moment of 2016 for me. |
| 6 |  | Cass McCombs
Mangy Love
'Medusa's Outhouse'
Cass wheels out the fragile falsetto for this standout tune, one that's packed with evocative trippy lyrics ('help me to remember to forget, to forget what hasn't happened yet', 'dancing and music are sisters...sisters are good listeners...listeners are good kissers') and the surprisingly seamless integration of pedal steal and druggy electronic sound effects in the one song. |
| 5 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
'Girl in Amber'
What could have been an almost pretty arrangement is smothered in an all enveloping funereal fug that reeks of grief and forces you to look it in the face. Cave's vocal delivery throughout the entire album is a wonder to behold but this is my favourite performance of the lot, you think he's in danger of the words rambling away from him but he always just reigns them in. |
| 4 |  | David Bowie
Blackstar
'Dollar Days'
I think a lot of people will remember listening to this album the day they heard Bowie had passed and this is the song that stood out in that moment. Other songs were more explicit about his death (t/t, 'Lazarus', 'I Can't...') but this is where I really felt Bowie was reaching out and grabbing the audience, telling us that yes, this was really happening, he was falling down and time was up. |
| 3 |  | Stimming
Alpe Lusia
'Prepare'
Speaking of emotionally striking instrumentals...this opening track from Stimming was so perfect it actually hindered my enjoyment of the parent album for a long time as I'd just want to keep returning to this one to see if it really was as stunning as I remembered. If anyone still doubts electronic music can contain the grandeur and sweep of classical music then here's the counter argument. |
| 2 |  | Niechec
Niechec
'Krew'
2016 was a year that tested a few of the fundamental areas of strength I'd built my life up around and at times it felt like things were taking a turn towards pure madness. The first time I heard this song it stopped me dead - it really sounds like a world of chaos that occasionally breaks to reveal an underlying sadness which is in turn punctuated by primal howls of anguish. One of the most emotionally resonant instrumentals I've ever heard. |
| 1 |  | Lambchop
FLOTUS
'The Hustle'
18 minutes of pure cinematic elegance from the 'Chop. 'The Hustle' ended up a strange world of it's own, one itself housed within the larger strange world of 'FLOTUS'. It was almost a mirror image of the rest of the album; where the majority of the remaining songs were marked by filtered vox with predominantly organic instrumentation this flipped over to clean singing and the album's most electronic influenced backdrop. |
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