2016

• Ahsa Ti Nu – Reborn (S/R)
• Laurie Anderson – Heart of a Dog (Nonesuch)
• A Tribe Called Red – We Are Halluci Nation (Radicalized)
• Blood Orange  – Freetown Sound (Domino)
• David Bowie – Blackstar (Columbia)
• Billy Bragg and Joe Henry – Shine a Light (Cooking Vinyl)
• Cactus Blossoms  -You’re Dreaming (Red House)
• Nick Cave – Skeleton Tree (Bad Seed)
• Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker (Columbia)
• Devil Makes Three – Redemption and Ruin (New West)
• Fantastic Negrito  – Last Days of Oakland  (S/R)
• Globelamp  -The Orange Glow (Psychedelic Thriftstore)
• Goat – Requiem (SubPop)
• Heron Oblivion  – S/T (SubPop)
• Klangstof – Close Eyes to Exit (Genius/Warner)
• Low  – Ones and Sixes  (SubPop)
• Kikagaku Moyo – House in the Tall Grass (Guruguru Brain)
• Sara Neufeld  -The Ridge” (Paper Bag)
• Ohioan  -Empty/Every Mt  (Infinite Front)
• Pridjevi –  Pridjevi (Trouble in Mind)
• Joe Rut  – Stolen Tolls and Stereos (S/R)
• Allen Toussaint  – American Tunes (Nonesuch)
• Thee Oh Sees  – Live in San Francisco (Castle Face)
• Tuuletar  – Tules Maas Vedes Taival (Bafe’s Factory)
• V/A – Gods Don’t Never Change : The Songs of Blind Willie Johnson (Alligator)
• Waco Brothers  – Going Down In History (Bloodshot)

• A Monster Calls (J. A. Bayona, UK/US)
• Arrival (Denis Villeneuve, USA)
• The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, the touring years (Ron Howard, US)
• Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson, USA)
• Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, US)
• Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt, USA)
• Eagle Huntress (Otto Bell, UK/Mongolia/US)
• Fire At Sea (Gianfranco Rosi, Italy | France)
• Hail, Caesar! (Coens, USA)
• The Handmaiden (Chan-wook Park, South Korea)
• Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie, US)
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Taika Waititi, New Zealand)
• I, Daniel Blake (Ken Loach, UK)
• Indignation (James Schamus, USA)
• La La Land (Damien Chazelle, US)
• Lights Out (Davis F. Sandberg, US)
• The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece/Ireland/Netherlands/UK/France)
• Love & Friendship (Whit Stillman, Ireland | France | Netherlands)
• Manang Biring (Carl Joseph Papa, Philippines)
• Manchester By the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, USA)
• Miss Sharon Jones (Barbara Kopple, US)
• Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, US)
• The Music of Strangers (Morgan Neville, US)
• No Home Movie (Chantal Akerman, Belgium | France)
• Our Little Sister (Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan)
• Remember (Atom Egoyan, Canada/Germany)
• Sing Street (John Carney, Ireland/UK/US)
• Trapped (Dawn Porter, US)
• Viva (Paddy Breathnach, Ireland)
• Weiner (Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg, US)
• Where to Invade Next (Michael Moore, US)
• The Witch (Robert Eggers, US)
• 10 Cloverfield Lane (Dan Trachtenberg, US)
• 13th (Ava DuVernay, US)

• Alpha Six Romeo – “Want It Back” – Flint Loves Silver (s/r)
• Bordge – “Bright Clouds & Black Rainbows” – Fatigue (s/r)
• Ben Bostick – “My Country” – My Country (s/r)
• Mac Cagle – “1984” – Punk Rock Opera (s/r)
• Captain Storm – “All The Words She Said” – Let’s Pretend (We Can Fly) (s/r)
• Carne Cruda – “I Love You More Than Tacos” – I Love You More Than Tacos (Round Whirled)
• El Radio Fantastique – “What’s Your Soldier Made Of?” – Shine e.p. (s/r)
• Ensemble Mik Nawooj – “Last Donut” – The Future Of Hip Hop (Golden Fetus)
• Entracte Twist – “Christine Young” – Christine Young (Croque Macadam)
• Flamin’ Groovies – “Crazy Macy” – Flamin’ Groovies (Burger Records)
• The Goat Family – “Aint No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down” – The Devil Can Eat My Dust (s/r)
• Matt Jaffe & The Distractions – “Hellhounds Of Alcatraz” – Matt Jaffe & The Distractions (s/r)
• Karaj – “Blues To Get Home” – Water (s/r)
• Night Auditor – “Higher” – Drugz (s/r)
• Pentacon Six – “Summer’s Over” – Pentacon Six (s/r)
• Schemata Theory – “Horror Show” – Networks (s/r)
• Sons Of The Golden West – “Cry Me A River” – Oh California! (s/r)
• Gery Tinkelenberg – “America” – Loopy Love (s/r)
• Trench City – “Lead Kindly Heart” – Coming With The Force (Gwynfryn)
• Venus Beltran – “She Sends Me Light” – Music For The End Of The World (Turkish Delight)

• Amiri  –  “Liveyalife”  – The New Negative (HipNOTT)
• Bat For Lashes  –  “Never Forgive the Angels”  – The Bride (Warner Bros.)
• Tom Beaulieu  – “Crazy or Evil”  – Spring 21016Update/Brother For Brother Preview (s/r)
• Burnt Palms  –  “Never Met You”  – Back on My Wall (WWNBB)
• Cactus Blossoms –  “You’re Dreaming”  – You’re Dreaming (Red House)
• Kyle Craft –  “Eye of a Hurricane” –  Dolls of the Highland (Sub Pop)
• Death By Unga Bunga  –  “Fight!”  – Fight! (Jansen)
• Charlie Hilton  –  “Pony”  – Parlana (Captured Tracks)
• Kacy & Clayton  – “Strange Country” – Strange Country  (New West)
• Lavender  – “Carved Intentions”  – Horizons Beneath the Surface (Jacktone)
• Mountains + Rainbows  – “a.m. 580”  – Particles (Castle Face)
• Pansy Division  – “Mistake”  – Quite Contrary (Alternative Tentacles)
• Plaid  – “Do Matter”  – The Digging Rememdy (Warp)
• C.W. Stoneking  – “Zombie”  – Gon’ Boogaloo (King Hokum)
• Tacocat  – “Horse Grrls”  – Lost Time (Hardly Art)

• Badbadnotgood – IV (Innovative Leisure)
• Kaytranada – 99.9% (XL)
• V/A – Bobo Yeye: Belle Epoque in Upper Volta (Numero Group)
• De La Soul – And the Anonymous Nobody (AOI)
• Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band – 55 (Big Crown)
• Romare – Love Songs Part 2 (Ninja Tune)
• Gaslamp Killer – Instrumentalepathy (Cuss)
• Brookzill – Throwback to the Future (Tommy Boy)
• Miles Davis & Robert Glasper – Everything’s Beautiful (Blue Note)
• Dillon & Paten Locke – Food Chain (Full Plate)
• Vaudou Game – Kidayu (Hot Casa)
• Emapea – Seeds, Roots, & Fruits (Cold Busted)

Notable Live Performances

• Dayme Arocena – The New Parish, 4/3/16
• Quantic – Freight & Salvage, 4/3/16
• Cymande – Regency Ballroom, 6/5/16
• Femi Kuti – The Fillmore, 6/29/16
• Digable Planets – The New Parish, 8/23/16
• Robert Glasper– SFJAZZ, 12/9/16

• The Lopez – “Kill Yr Selfie” (SKR)
• Chrome Reverse – “Do What?” (Kizmiaz)
• Os Courettes – Introducing The Selvagem Os Courettes (Bachelor)
• Pizza Ninja Squad – “Krang” (Euro Trash)
• Primitive Calculators – “I’m Fucked” (Emotional Response)
• Nachthexen – “Ring Ring” (Kids Of The Lughole)
• Cold Meat – Jimmy’s Lipstick (Static Shock)
• Razz – “No Time” (Warm Wet)
• Bug Fix – “Chocolate Nerve” (MPLS Ltd.)
• Quaaludes – Are The Winners Always Losers? (Jonny Cat)
• The Sticks – “No Sustain” (Market Square)
• Shivas – “I’ve Had Enough” (Casino Trash)
• Patsy – “Eat It” (Total Punk)

I like LPs too! My favorite LPs of 2016

• My Name Is Joe – Stories Of Our Cities (MNIJ)
• Heavy Metal – Anti-Music, Anti-Sense, Anti-You (Static Age)
• Miss Destiny – S/T (R.I.P. Society)
• The Dance Asthmatics – Lifetime Of Secretion (ever/never)
• Boss Hog – Brood Star (In The Red)
• Nots – Cosmetic (Goner)
• Sex Crime – S/T (Danger)
• Black Helicopter – Deadlines For Deadbeats (Midriff)
• The Suburban Homes – The Suburban Homes Are Bored (Total Punk)
• Peluqueria Canina – Jovenes Promesas (Going Underground)
• Mountains And Rainbows – Particles (Castle Face)

And cassettes! My favorite cassettes of 2016

• BD – Demo 2016 (S/R)
• Mike Henry Leak – Human Machine (Vasen Entertainment)
• Sex Hogs II – Sex Hogs II: Part One (S/R)

And of course reissues! My favorite reissues of 2016

• Babeez – Nobody Wants Me (Buttercup)
• Dow Jones And The Industrials – Can’t Stand The Midwest 1979-1981 (Family Vineyard)
• Cheap Nasties – “53rd & 3rd” (Numero Group)
• The Executives – “Jet Set” (Rerun/ Danger)
• Mr. Science – 1978-1979 (Family Vineyard)
• V/A – Subnormal Girls (Waiting Room)
• Units – “High Pressure Days” (FDH)
• Plastic Idols – “Einstein Experience” (Rerun)
• Metal Urbain – “Panik” (Alternative Tentacles)
• Angry Angles – S/T (Goner)
• Mike Rep And The Quotas – Hellbender 1975-78 (Hozac)
• Suicide – “Dream Baby Dream” (Superior Viaduct)
• DNA – “You & You” (Superior Viaduct)

Bonus: Favorite indefinable release of 2016

• Theme Weavers LLC – Nothing But The Best: The Very Best of Theme Weavers LLC (Talent Moat)