Here’s some albums I enjoyed from this year. 

Code Orange - Forever

Converge - The Dusk In Us

Tyson Motesnboker - Almira/A Kind Invitation EPs

Alvvays - Antisocialites

Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound

Circa Survive - The Amulet

Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

The National - Sleep Well Beast

Slowdive - Slowdive

68’ - Two Parts Viper

Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound

The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

Brand New - Science Fiction

Power Trip - Nightmare Logic

Cloakroom - Time Well

METZ - Strange Peace

Ryan Adams - Prisoner

Mutoid Man - War Moans

Planning for Burial - Below the House

Glassjaw - Material Control

Most Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me ( I don’t enjoy this album for its subject matter, but it’s very real and good)

The XX - I See You

Death of Lover - The Acrobat

Julian Baker - Turn Out the Lights

https://open.spotify.com/user/cxteague/playlist/6qLpbwscQn24jiPiAyUnb0

Been awhile since I’ve used this as a platform. I’d like to go over my top 10 albums of 2016 in a greater detail than I have the last couple of years.

1. Touche Amore - Stage Four
Death is weird, loss is weird and maybe even stranger yet, sympathizing with someones loss even though you don’t know them. I love this band. I love their sound, their honesty and combination of punk energy and poppy guitar work. The balance between Jeremey Bolm’s honest approach to the lost of his mother, and the cathartic guitar section is what music is all about. Addressing something and having a strong backbone to place it on. One of the best narratives I’ve heard in a hardcore record in awhile and my favorite album of 2016.

2. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Like many other dorks out there, I sat at my computer waiting for this album to drop one Sunday night. Downloaded the best sounding format even though that meant I had to wait another hour, but when it was done, it was so worth it. The song Daydreaming in my opinion, might be the best song Radiohead has ever recorded. I love that this album has so much orchestral work, and is quite tame compared to past albums. A great change of pace for an already legendary band. True Love Waits is one of the most devastating endings to an album in the best way possible. Top 3 Radiohead albums for me. 

3. Thrice - To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere
This is how you come back. Thrice continues right where they left off with 2012′s Major/Minor and continue to write solid, melodic rock tunes. I wouldn’t say there is anything particularly revolutionary about this album. I just like having one of my favorite bands come back and write a great album that I can blast in my car.

4. Nothing - Tired of Tomorrow
Get bummed. Philly 90′s revival band are back with the most perfectly titled album following the events after they recorded the album (signing to a punk label that was funded by Martin Shkreli, having a father pass in a brutal fashion) Melancholiac, atmospheric and full of fuzzed out guitars and pounding drums. If you like loud guitars and that whole “shoegaze” thing, check it.

5. Tyson Motsenboker - Letters to Lost Loves
I’d say I’m fairly new to the whole singer, songwriter thing. I’ve never taken the time to search anything out that I liked, and the stuff that I was shown was in my opinion “disingenuous”. So finding this guy through a podcast, resonating with themes and music has been awesome and opened some newer music avenues for me. Really dig this guy.

6. Aseop Rock - Impossible Kid
My friend got me hooked onto hiphop on a plane ride to NYC, starting with the Pro Era crew. I’ve dabbled around quite a bit since then, but haven’t found anything that I’ve resonated with until this dude. Huge vocabulary, great hooks and production. The vinyl packaging for this album is also super cool. 

7. Nails - You Will Never Be One of Us
Maybe the heaviest album I heard all year? Image taking the most brutal moments in every heavy album you’ve heard and condensing it down to 21 minutes. That’s what this is. When I listen to this, I either can’t listen to heavy music for the rest of the day, or I immediately start it over for another go around.

8. Kings Kaleidoscope - Beyond Control
Honestly wasn’t expecting to put this up in the top 10 until last week. I heard this earlier in the year and liked it, but didn’t really give it another couple listens. Personally, I’ve been going through some stuff and out of curiosity, wanted to check it out again, mainly because I knew the subject matter on it was somewhat worship related. This album not only has great, relatable lyrics of going through hard times, but amazing instrumentation that is pretty unique for a “christian, worship” album. I’m also glad he says “fuck” in one of the songs.

9. Big Jesus - Oneiric
It’s like Slowdive meets a super melodic metal band. That’s all I need in life.

10. The Devil Wears Prada - Transit Blues
I always get a little embarrassed when putting this band on any top list. I think it’s due to knowing what their fan base is like (scenster, warped tour, kids) even though they’ve been slowing coming out of that (thank God). I’ve always liked Mike Hranica and what he has to say, I resonate with the themes of wanting to be home but also fully enjoying being away. I also like that at this point, he doesn’t care if the lyrics fit within the “metalcore” motif and is writing love songs and wanting to be mundane on a Monday. After loosing one of their founding guitar players and drummer, the band is a lot better. “To The Key of Evergreen” is the best song they’ve ever written.

Kind of a weird list, but that’s me.
Here’s some other stuff I enjoyed this year:

Starflyer 59 - Old

Converge - You Fail Me (redux)

Sumac - What One Becomes

Sioum - Yet Further

Weezer - White Album

Angel Dust- Rock the Fuck on Forever

Death Grips - Bottomless Pit

Super Unison - Auto

Every Time I Die - Low Teens

Balance and Composure - Light We Made

Russian Circles - Guidance

Head Wound City - A New Wave of Violence

Wrong - S/T

Tycho - Epoch

Deftones - Gore

Bon Iver - 22 a Million

diiv - Is The Is Are

Trash Talk - Tangle EP

Swain - The Long Dark Blue

Sleigh Bells - Jessica Rabbit

Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition

Vektor - Terminal Redux

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Dissociation

Meshuggah - The Violent Sleep of Reason

Culture Abuse - Peach

-CT

It’s a little early, but here are some of the albums I enjoyed in the year 2015.

(in no particular order)

Deafheaven - New Bermuda

Title Fight - Hyperview

Turnstile - No Stop Feeling

Tame Impala - Currents

Beach House - Depression Cherry

The Armed - Untitled

Envy - Athiest’s Cornea

METZ - II

mewithoutYou - Pale Horses

Superheaven - Ours is Chrome

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell

Failure - The Heart Is A Monster

Joey Bada$$ - B4DA$$

Loma Preita - Self Portrait

Cloudkicker - Woum

Sumac - The Deal

The Devil Wears Prada - Space EP

Birds in Row - Personal War

Great year for music, growing year for life.

-CT