2 min read

Best music of 2016


Cheap Girls
Cheap Girls (photo courtesy of Cheap Girls)

The year

It’s been a great year (musically), and I’ve kept my head above water by going out to see some great shows. Highlights include; Basia Bulat, Jason Isbell, Shovels & Rope, Neon Indian, Guided by Voices, The Thermals, Summer Canibals, Screaming Females, Aye Nako, The Waco Brothers, Cheap Girls, Bob Mould Band, Lydia Loveless, Will Courtney & the Wild Bunch, Built To Spill, The Posies, Shellac, Shannon Wright, Amanda Shires, Colter Wall, and Sloan. Looking for trends I can say there were more new bands that I saw versus known bands, so I’m still finding new stuff which is all part of the fun.


Neon Indian
Neon Indian (photo courtesy of Volvoxlabs)

The list

  • Basia Bulat “Good Advice”
  • Car Seat Headresst “Teens of Denial”
  • Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds “Skeleton Tree”
  • Cheap Girls “God’s Ex-Wife”
  • Deep Sea Diver “Secrets”
  • DJ Shadow “The Mountain Will Fall”
  • Explosions In The Sky “The Wilderness”
  • Greys “Outer Heaven”
  • Huerco S. “For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)”
  • The Julie Ruin “Hit Reset”
  • Lydia Loveless “Real”
  • Mogwai “Atomic”
  • Radiohead “Moon Shaped Pool”
  • Amanda Shires “My Piece Of Land”
  • Elliott Smith “Heaven Adores You”


Basia Bulat
Basia Bulat (photo courtesy of NPR)

The covers

Good Advice   Teens of Denial   Skeleton Tree   God's Ex-Wife   Secrets   The Moutain Will Fall   The Wilderness   Outer Heaven   For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have   Hit Reset   Real   Atomic   Moon Shaped Pool   My Piece Of Land   Heaven Adores You


Aye Nako
Aye Nako (photo courtesy of Jen Cray)

The honorable mentions

  • Anohni “Hopelessness”
  • Band Of Horses “Why Are You OK”
  • The Field “The Follower”
  • Future of the Left “The Peace & Truce of Future of the Left”
  • Hiss Golden Messenger “Heart Like a Levee”
  • Isolation Berlin “Und Aus Den Wolken Tropft Die Zeit”
  • The Jayhawks “Paging Mr. Proust”
  • Minor Victories “Minor Victories”
  • Bob Mould “Patch The Sky”
  • Okkervil River “Away”
  • Parquet Courts “Human Performance”
  • The Radio Dept. “Running Out of Love”
  • Shovels & Rope “Little Seeds”
  • Teenage Fanclub “Here”
  • The Tragically Hip “Man Machine Poem”
  • The Wedding Present “Going, Going…”


Screaming Females
Screaming Females (photo courtesy of Jen Cray)