10. “‘Awaken, My Love!’” by Childish Gambino
    

    

Of all the unpredictable things from 2016, one of the least expected was this album. Here Childish Gambino finally makes the record he has had in him all along, one exploding at the seams with future funk beamed in from another galaxy. From the explosive vocals on “Me and Your Mama” to the genuine, raw emotion on “Baby Boy,” Gambino finally earned himself some good will and expanded the horizons of what he could do as an artist.

Best songs: “Me and Your Mama,” “Baby Boy,” “The Night Me and Your Mama Met”

9. “Life is Alright, Everybody Dies” by Kal Marks
   

   

“There’s always something wrong with me.” Out of the 38 minutes of music on this album, this is the only phrase that really stands out, clear and easy to hear. Of course, it only comes at the end with frontman Carl Shane repeating the words like a mantra until he sounds like he’s in the middle of a shouting match with God. This moment comes at the end of “Coffee,” the penultimate track on the album and easily one of the best songs of the year, and it makes my hair stand on end every time I hear it. Despite the obvious pessimism in the album title, Kal Marks have made a surprisingly hopeful record that shows every bit of work that goes into seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Best songs: “Coffee,” “Mankind,” “It’s So Hard to Know How to Say Goodbye”

8. “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” by Sturgill Simpson
   

   

Simultaneously a retelling of his time in the Navy, a concept album about his own son and a scathing indictment of modern American politics, Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” is one of many albums from last year that helped to take country music back from the bro-country artists who have dominated the market for years. It helps that Simpson refuses to be pigeonholed as a country artist as he deftly takes cues from old school soul (“Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)”), bluegrass (the ferocious stomp of “Call to Arms”) and even classic ballads (his stunning cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom”) to create one of the most fascinating records of the year.

Best songs: “Welcome to Earth (Pollywog),” “Call to Arms,” “In Bloom”

7. “Prima Donna” by Vince Staples
   

   

Vince Staples does not make music for good times. Across “Prima Donna’s” brief running span, Staples talks about depression, suicide, anxiety and distrust of those around him as though it was just all part of a regular day. The beats surrounding him fit the mood: sparse and dark, they bolster Staples’ every bad thought until all the emotions of the album permeate the listener’s brain. This is dark stuff for dark times, and Staples revels in it.

Best songs: “War Ready,” “Smile,” “Big Time”

6. “A Moon Shaped Pool” by Radiohead
   XL Recordings

Even if Radiohead had just released an audio clip of Thom Yorke yodeling that they ran through some reverb, it would still probably land them an album of the year. However, instead of just resting on their laurels, Radiohead continue to push forward, this time by looking back. Rather than go further down the rabbit hole of twitchy electronica that they explored on 2011’s “The King of Limbs,” “A Moon Shaped Pool” is surprisingly and achingly human. From the ethereal sounds of the appropriately titled “Daydreaming” to the throbbing bass that eventually leads to an orchestral breakdown in “Ful Stop” to the clear heartbreak of “True Love Waits,” Radiohead finally figured out how to make the alien feel human again.

Best songs: “Daydreaming,” “Ful Stop,” “True Love Waits,” “Burn the Witch”

5. “Coloring Book” by Chance the Rapper
   

   

No other record in 2016 managed to capture as much potent joy and love as “Coloring Book” did. It is apparent in every single syllable of every song on this album that Chance the Rapper is full of nothing but love: love for his city, his God, his child, his partner, his family and anyone who happens to be listening. That’s not even discussing the massive technical prowess he displays on this record: Chance manages to make every guest, no matter how disparate their style, fit onto this record due to his chameleonic presence and flow. He can go bar for bar with indie rap legend Jay Electronica and then completely switch styles a song later while still making his own personality be felt. Everything about this record is magical, and it can effortlessly bring a smile to the face of anyone who gives it a listen.

Best songs: “No Problem,” “Angels,” “Same Drugs,” “How Great,” “Blessings”

4. “Teens of Denial” by Car Seat Headrest
   

   

Expansive yet intimate, grandiose yet personal, Car Seat Headrest’s proper debut studio album “Teens of Denial” often feels like everything at once. The music reflects this too, running the gamut from pseudo-funk to ambling alt-country, all guided by singer/guitarist Will Toledo’s lyrics about anxiety, relationships, and anything else that’s bothering him. “Teens of Denial” is magical in all the best ways, and I hope that magic sticks around.

Best songs: “Fill in the Blank,” “Cosmic Hero,” “Vincent,” “Destroyed by Hippie Powers,” “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales”

3. “Atrocity Exhibition” by Danny Brown
   

   

“Atrocity Exhibition” starts with a cold open, the woozy beat echoing Danny Brown’s own feeling as he raps “I’m sweating like I’m in a rave / Haven’t left this room for three days.” This is the world Brown establishes: not one that glorifies drugs, but one that acknowledges the sobering realities of addiction. Every song features some kind of horror story as Brown details his life as an addict. The beats mimic this feeling, taking warped samples and laying them over each other until all that can be heard is phantom noises trailing Brown’s own words.

With one notable exception, Brown is mostly alone on this album, mirroring his own isolation due to addiction. He never attempts to moralize; instead, he presents the words plainly and lets the listener parse through it all themselves. “Atrocity Exhibition” is haunting in all the best ways, an auditory house of horrors that’s as captivating as it is heartbreaking.

Best songs: “When It Rain,” “Tell Me What I Don’t Know,” “Ain’t it Funny,” “Hell For It”

2. “Blackstar” by David Bowie
   

   

Even if David Bowie hadn’t died, “Blackstar” would still be one of the best albums of the year. A disorienting fusion of jazz, rock, and electronica, the album spans more genres across seven songs than some bands do in their entire discography. But Bowie’s death lends the album an ethereal quality it would have otherwise lacked.

The lyrics’ true meanings snap into focus, especially on “Lazarus” (“Look up here, man / I’m in heaven”) or the haunting closer “I Can’t Give Everything Away.” Bowie crafted one last masterpiece before he bowed out, and the world is all the better for it.

Best songs: “Blackstar,” “Lazarus,” “I Can’t Give Everything Away”

1. “The Dream is Over” by PUP (tie)
   

   

“The Dream is Over” contains two of the most cathartic moments ever put on record, and for wildly differing reasons. The first comes on “Can’t Win” when singer Stefan Babcock’s voice finally breaks into a throat-lacerating yelp when he sings “Never thought I’d be nothing at all.” Even through the self-deprecation, it serves as a potent shout of self doubt, a moment where every time the listener has ever questioned themselves comes to the forefront of their minds in a way that’s moving and depressing all at the same time.

The second comes only a song later on “Familiar Patterns” when Babcock describes how people used to question his choice to pursue music; “They used to say ‘don’t quit your day job’ / But guess what?” he sings, before finally screaming his response, “I never had one!” These moments represent the dichotomy of “The Dream is Over” which alternates frequently between downcast and defiant, defeated and undefeatable. The music echoes this feeling, moments of raucous discordance bucking against gang vocals and melodies so catchy that one can’t help but sing along.

PUP manage to infuse every moment with an explosive energy and the camaraderie of a band that’s been around twice as long. I could detail every single thing I love about this album, but it would take me way too long, so I’ll just say that for all the reasons listed above and many others, “The Dream is Over” is my favorite album of 2016.

Best songs: all of them

1. “Blonde” by Frank Ocean (tie)
   

   

“Blonde” is genius. That’s it. Anything other than that feels like overkill. No other album feels quite like it; the minimalism of the music and the clarity of the emotions come together to make a product unlike any other. It’s music made by someone who wishes nothing more than to be detached from everything around them but instead finds themselves face to face with everything they want to get away from. Ocean’s voice, hauntingly beautiful, stunningly ethereal, painfully real and occasionally warped beyond recognition, showcases a breadth of emotions from lustful to loving to hurt.

The music, wisely, lets Ocean carry most of the album by himself. Most songs feature no more than three instruments; some feature nothing more than a guitar or keyboard and some faint sound of percussion. The instrumentals float along calmly until the drums hit and the bass comes in and everything comes crashing through. All this to say that “Blonde” is genius. That’s it.

Best songs: all of them

1. “Worry” by Jeff Rosenstock (tie)
   

   

“The systems we start are destined to fall apart / when we let power and greed corrupt our collective hearts.” These lines, once just correct, now feel almost prophetic in the current American political landscape. One of punk’s greatest skeptics, his view on politics was validated following the surprise results of last year’s election. However, to focus on Rosenstock’s politics alone ignores the obvious beating heart at the center of this record.

Despite all of his paranoia, Rosenstock knows that at the center of all politics lies human beings, and he re-iterates this throughout the record. “Staring Out the Window at Your Old Apartment” and “Wave Goodnight to Me” both deal with the realities of gentrification, while “Festival Song” describes Rosenstock’s own conflicts over playing at various corporate-sponsored music festivals. But Rosenstock’s conceit is finally revealed at the tail end of the record: “Love is worry.” And that’s all there is to it.

Best songs: every single song on this album is perfect. Just go listen to it