Best music of 2016...so far

We're at the halfway mark of 2016, and it has already proven to be one of the most surprising years for music in recent memory.

In the first six months we've heard long-awaited releases from Beyoncé, Kanye West, Rihanna and David Bowie, and been surprised by offerings from Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar. Musicians like The 1975, Ariana Grande and M83 all finally emerged from the studio with different takes on the pop landscape.

So much interesting music means it's easy to miss some top-notch stuff. So here's my list of the year's best albums so far. I can't imagine what the second half of the year will hold.

Best albums of the year so far (arranged alphabetically) 

1. Why Are You OK - Band of Horses 

2. Lemonade - Beyonce

 

3. In My Mind - BJ The Chicago Kid

4. The Colour in Anything - James Blake

5. Teens of Denial - Car Seat Headrest 

6. Coloring Book - Chance The Rapper

7. Turn to Gold - Diarrhea Planet

8. Sept. 5th - dvsn

9. Ology - Gallant 

10. Goodness - The Hotelier

11. Standards - Into It. Over It.

12. untitled unmastered. - Kendrick Lamar

13. Cleopatra - The Lumineers

14.  Pennied Days - Night Moves

15. i like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it - The 1975

16. Malibu – Anderson .Paak

17.  Cardinal - Pinegrove 

18. White Hot Moon - Pity Sex

19. A Moon Shaped Pool - Radiohead 

20. The Heart Speaks in Whispers - Corinne Bailey Rae

21. Anti - Rihanna 

22. A Sailor's Guide to Earth - Sturgill Simpson

23. Love You To Death - Tegan and Sara

24. The Life of Pablo - Kanye West 

25. Still Brazy - YG

And song of the year so far goes to...

Album(s) of the Week: Catching up

Anderson .Paak – Malibu

We haven't heard from Frank Ocean yet this year, but .Paak could almost make you forget that.

The singer/rapper blends tropical jazz, boom bap hip-hop and 90's R&B into a delightful mix. Much like last year's fantastic Surf from Donnie Trumpet, .Paak uses an amalgamation of styles to create something incredibly unique. May be the sunniest music we get all year, and we were blessed with it in the second week of January.

Malibu is out on OBE. 

Future – Purple Reign

No rapper had more of a breakthrough year than Future did in 2015, and he takes all that momentum and just keeps charging ahead.

It's entirely possible he's the most interesting voice in the genre right now, and the Atlanta rapper still buries his aching heart in woozy beats and codeine mumbles. Sometimes it's difficult to know what the hell he's on about, but the vibe never changes.

Only Future could mix braggadocio and heartbreak into a line that is supposed to sound like a boast: "Hit another city, and another city, I was just grooving/I was trying to tell you I was losing/I was gon’ tell you I’m improving.”

Purple Reign is out for free online. 

Rihanna – Anti

Rihanna has always been a singles artist for me, and I've never found a full album of hers that satisfied me. Then she dropped Anti out of the blue on Jan. 29.

It's easily her best and most cohesive album to date, and that's because she stops worrying about singles and instead embraces a grander vision. There are no radio-storming singles – instead, Rihanna stretches out her aesthetic into woozy, swirling mix of synths and beats. She even covers a fucking Tame Impala song (and beats the original).

Rihanna's voice has never been this strong (check out album highlight "Higher"), nor her skills more evident. 

Anti is out on Roc Nation. 

Future – EVOL

I know I already wrote about Future up above, but shit if he isn't on a killer roll. He released his second album of the year on Feb. 6, and it's a better album than Purple Reign.

EVOL is not as despondent as Purple Reign, and gets in some more sonic variety. It also gets a little more upbeat for those who are tired of sad Future. Right now, the man can't be stopped.

EVOL is out on Apple Music.

Also recommended this month:

Bloc Party's long-awaited return, Hymns.

Chairlift's melancholy techno-soul release, Moth. 

DIIV's muscular shoegaze sophomore effort, Is The Is Are.

Dr. Dog's rejiggered debut album, The Psychedelic Swamp.

Kevin Gate's major-label debut, Islah.

Majid Jordan's self-titled collection of lovesick R&B.

Migos' long-awaited, Young Rich Niggas 2.

Sia's latest songwriting display, This Is Acting.

Tedeschi Trucks Band's blend of jazz and blues, Let Me By.

Wet's dreamy soul-pop debut, Don't You.

Lucinda Wililam's dust bowl of an album, The Ghosts of Highway 20.

Young Thug's first full length of the year, I'm Up.

Adrian Younge’s sweeping soul opus, Something About April II.

Album of the Week: Hinds Leave Me Alone

Seasonal music is a tricky thing, and everyone has their own definition of the perfect music for a snowy winter or sunny summer day. As a listener, I've found sunny music works better in the winter than vice versa (because really, who wants snow in June?) and the right amount of pep and energy on a grey, cold day can make all the difference.

So in the heart of winter, be thankful for Hinds and their debut full-length, Leave Me Alone, which injects some grungy electricity into the garage-rock scene.

The Spanish quartet don't do anything new or groundbreaking in the 12 tracks on the album, but what they bring in spades are hooks and sharp writing in their lyrics.

Album opener "Garden" tells the story of a good girl fallen for a bad boy, and while that story has certainly been told to death, writers Ana Perrote and Carlotta Cosials find a unique way to get across the feeling of being in a relationship with someone that doesn't really match with you:

And I feel like I’m freezing again

You won’t say you’re bored anymore

‘cause I can take you dancing.

Use me to feel home.

That last line is absolutely brutal, and how effortlessly it comes across is a testament to the writers' ability.

Another album standout is "Chili Town," which makes use of some seriously sexy and sarcastic language to try to grab the attention of someone. It's not clear whether that that person is new or a past love, but lines like

I am flirting with this guy

Just to pretend I’m fine

Saliva mixed with lies my laugh is oversized

Forever yours, right?

give the song a wonderful air of mystery.

And the musicians can just create a piece of startling beauty when they want to, as on the instrumental "Solar Gap," which features some luminously gorgeous guitar lines.

Leave Me Alone grows on you, and each repeat listen provides more hooks and wit for the listener. All and all, this is a lovely grace note to start the year off.

Leave Me Alone is out on Mom+Pop/Lucky Number.

Also recommended this week:

David Bowie's jazz-rock amalgamation, ★.

The Straight Out of Compton soundtrack.