2016

• ELEVEN ACORN LANE – Time for Tea
• INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE – IN THE LIGHT OF AIR (Anna Thorvaldsdottir & ICE) 
• SILVERTRON YOUTH CHOIR – Our God is a Possum God
• WHITFIELD, BARRENCE AND THE SAVAGES – Under the Savage Sky
• PUBLIC ENEMY – Man Plans God Laughs
• POTTER, ANDREW SCOTT – Jazz Standards / Afro Bahian Rhythms (w/ Edi Mach)
• RAGPICKER STRING BAND – The Ragpicker String Band
• SHIPP, MATTHEW TRIO – The Conduct of Jazz 
• NEW TRACADEROS, THE – Thrills & Chills  
• Various Artists – God Don’t Never Change, The Songs of Blind Willie Johnson
• BOMBINO – Azel
• PARTON, DOLLY – Blue Smoke
• JARRE, JEAN-MICHEL – Electronica 2: The Heart of Noise
• FULKS, ROBBIE – Upland Stories  
• USELESS EATERS – Relaxing Death     
• JULIE RUIN, THE – Hit Reset
• AESOP ROCK – The Impossible Kid
• DEVIL MAKES THREE, THE – Redemption & Ruin   
• COTTON, EDDIE – One at a Time
• HUNTER, CHARLIE – Everybody Has a Plan Until they Get Punched in the Mouth
• PARTON, HARRIS AND RONSTADT – My Dear Companion: Selections from the Trio Collection
• SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS – The Electric Pinecones
• DAYTON, JESSE – The Revealer   
• NOFX – First Ditch Effort
• SUICIDAL TENDENCIES – World Gone Mad
• BLIND SHAKE – Celebrate Your Worth
• BROWNOUT – Black Sabbath Vol. II 
• LAUDERDALE, JIM – This Changes Everything 
• METALLICA – Hardwired… To Self-Destruct     
• ALLEN, TERRY – Lubbock (On Everything) 

• Zeena Parkins & Tony Buck (Big Ears Festival) – Mill & Mine, May 1
• ROVA Saxophone Quartet OCTET aka Figure 8 – ODC Commons, May 14
• The Cannanes/Bloopers/Lunchbox/The Dyson Spheres (SF Popfest) – Hemlock Tavern, June 3
• Mekons – Bottom of the Hill, September 30
• His Name is Alive/Bastards of Fate (Athens Popfest) – Georgia Theater, August 12
• Kikagaku Moyo – Georgia Theater Rooftop, October 31
• Matmos – Grey Area, December 13

7 Super Songs of 2016

• Bent Shapes – “New Starts in Old Dominion” – Wolves Of Want (Slumberland)
• Big Thief – “Masterpiece” – Masterpiece (Saddle Creek)
• Cian Nugent – “Year of the Snake” – Night Fiction (Woodsist)
• Deerhoof – “Criminals of the Dream” – The Magic (Polyvinyl)
• Heron Oblivion – “Beneath Fields” – Heron Oblivion (Sub Pop)
• John K. Samson – “17th Street Treatment Centre” (ANTI-/Epitaph)
• White Fang – “Doin’ the Damn Thing” – Chunks (Burger)

7 Awe-inspring Albums of 2016

• Allah-Las – Calico Review (Mexican Summer)
• Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial (Matador)
• Baird Sisters – Until You Find Your Green (Ba Da Bing)
• Paul Fonfara and the Ipsifendus Orchestra – Seven Secrets of Snow (Ipsifendus)
• Kikagaku Moyo –  House In The Tall Grass (Guruguru Brain)
• King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity (ATO)
• Orb – Birth (Castle Face)

• Yoni and Geti – Testarossa (Joyful Noise)
• Sports – Sunchokes (Father/Daughter)
• Terry Malts – Lost At The Party (Slumberland)
• Frank Ocean – Blonde (Boys Don’t Cry)
• Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion Side B (School Boy)
• Florist – The Birds Outside Sang (Double Double Whammy)

Best Tracks

• Lucy Dacus – “I Don’t Want To Be Funny Anymore” – No Burden (Matador)
• Waxahatchee – “Black Candy” – Early Recordings (Merge)
• Yoni & Geti – “Madeline” – Testarossa (Joyful Noise)
• A Tribe Called Quest – “The Space Program” – We Got It From Here … Thank You 4 Your Service (Epic)
• Sports – “Nowhere To Be” – Sunchokes (Father/Daughter)
• Frank Ocean – “Solo” – Blonde (Boys Don’t Cry)
• Rostam – “Wood” (XL)
• Kool A.D. – “It’s Alrite 2 Cry” – Have A Nice Dream (Dum Shiny)
• John Bender – “33a1” – I Don’t Remember Now / I Don’t Want To Talk About It [Reissue] (Superior Viaduct) 
• Florist – “Thank You” – The Birds Outside Sang (Double Double Whammy)

• A Tribe Called Quest –  We got it from Here…Thank you 4 your Service Digital (Epic)
• Baroness  –  Purple  (Abraxan Hymns)
• Charles Bradley –  Changes  (Daptone)
• Danny Brown –  Atrocity Exhibition  (Warp)
• Brownout –  Brown Sabbath Vol. 2  (Ubiquity)
• Culture Shock – Attention Span (Alternative Tentacles)
• Death By Unga Bunga –  Fight!  (Jansen)
• Explosions In The Sky –  The Wilderness (Temporary Residence)
• Fantastic Negrito –  The Last Days of Oakland  (S/R)
• Julie Ruin –  Hit Reset  (Hardly Art)
• Lee Fields & The Expressions –  Special Night  (Big Crown)
• Zack Lopez –  Bloodlines (Bright Antenna)
• Morricone Youth –  Night Of The Living Dead LP (Light in the Attic)
• Mountains and Rainbows –  Particles  (Castle Face)
• NOTS –  Cosmetic (Goner)
• Angel Olsen –  My Woman (Jagjaguwar)
• Iggy Pop –  Post Pop Depression  (Loma Vista)
• Lisa Prank –  Adult Teen (Father/Daughter)
• Russian Circles –  Guidance  (Sargent House)
• The Olympians –  S/T  (Daptone)
• Tyvek –  Origin of What  (In the Red)
• Various Artists –  Typical Girls  (Emotional Response)
• Various Artists –  CAN’T YOU HEAR ME? 70S AFRICAN NUGGETS (Now Again)
• White Lung –  Paradise (Domino)
• Lady Wray –  Queen Alone (Big Crown)

• Flatbush Zombies – 3001: A Laced Odyssey (Glorious Dead)
• Flock of Dimes – If You See Me, Say Yes (Partisan)
• The Goon Sax – Up to Anything (Chapter Music)
• Julia Jacklin – Don’t Let the Kids Win (Polyvinyl)
• Kaytranada – 99.9% (XL)
• Let’s Eat Grandma – I, Gemini (Transgressive)
• Anna Meredith – Varmints (Moshi Moshi)
• Kyle Morton – What Will Destroy You (S/R)
• Margo Price – Midwest Farmer’s Daughter (Third Man Records)
• Sunflower Bean – Human Ceremony (Fat Possum)

Top 10 Local Releases

• Doncat – Easy Cowboy (S/R)
• Foxtails Brigade – S/T (OIM)
• Ghost & the City – Patchwork Soul (S/R)
• Kendra McKinley – Treat (S/R)
• M. Lockwood Porter – How To Dream Again (S/R)
• Phosphene – Breaker (S/R)
• Plush – S/T (Father/Daughter)
• Rogue Wave – Delusions of Grand Fur (Easy Sound)
• Thao & the Get Down Stay Down – A Man Alive (Ribbon Music)
• Tycho – Epoch (Ghostly International)

Top 10 Shows (not including festival sets)

• Saintseneca – Rickshaw Stop, 1/27
• Dan Deacon – The Fillmore, 1/29
• Julien Baker – Bottom of the Hill, 2/25
• Foxing – Bottom of the Hill, 3/31
• Kaki King – Swedish American Hall, 6/12
• You Won’t – Brick & Mortar, 6/23
• On An On – Rickshaw Stop, 7/21
• Joshua Powell & the Great Train Robbery – Brick & Mortar, 7/26
• Foals – Fox Theater, 9/26
• Brand New – San Jose Event Center, 10/31

• Superstructure – Superposition (Omega Supreme)
• Yagya – Stars And Dust (Deslin)
• Mark Pritchard – Under The Sun (Warp)
• Mark Pritchard – Beautiful People (feat. Thom Yorke) (Warp)
• Mark Pritchard – Under The Sun: Expanded Vol. 1 (Warp/Rough Trade)
• v/a – Various III (030303)
• Pye Corner Audio – Stasis (Ghost Box)
• Lush – Blind Spot (Edemame)
• MNLTH – Trax (WeMe)
• MNLTH – MNLTH102 Demotape (s/r)
• Plaid – The Digging Remedy (Warp)
• EOD – EODS (WeMe)
• John Carpenter – Lost Themes II (Sacred Bones)
• Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool (XL)
• Suzanne Ciani – Buchla Concerts 1975 (Finders Keepers)
• v/a – House, Disco, Boogie, and Other Oddities (Easy Bay)
• Dices & AEM Rhythm Cascade – Thoughtstream (12th Isle)
• Datach’i – System (Timesig)

Best Shows

• Shobaleader One, The Independent 12/17/16
• Octo Octa (DJ), Housepitality @ F8 10/19/16
• Meat Beat Manifesto, DNA Lounge 10/21/16
• Run The Length Of Your Wildness (every Monday)