Skip to main content

Year in Rock 2016: Album of the Year Shortlist


Having filled my old CD Plus messenger bag with the 20 CDs that made this year's longlist and pored over them bit by bit, I feel I'm comfortable enough to slice that list in half and finalize this year's shortlist. Now, the real work starts; over the next week, I have to figure out which of the ten deserves my greatest honour. This is going to be an incredibly tough decision: I get to choose between three previous AOTY winners, two runners-up, four first time nominees and one deceased legend. Wish me luck.

Your Year in Rock 2016 nominees for Album of the Year are:




AGAINST ME!
Shape Shift With Me


DAVID BOWIE
Blackstar


CAR SEAT HEADREST
Teens of Denial


NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
Skeleton Tree


DEFTONES
Gore


THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
Dissociation


ANGEL OLSEN
My Woman


PUP
The Dream is Over


RADIOHEAD
A Moon Shaped Pool


WINTERSLEEP
The Great Detachment

Who will take home the crown? Find out December 19th! Oh, and while we're at it, here's how I ranked Albums #11-20:

11. JULY TALK: Touch
12. THE TRAGICALLY HIP: Man Machine Poem
13. JOYCE MANOR: Cody
14. DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS: American Band
15. NOTHING: Tired of Tomorrow
16. CRX: New Skin
17. EVERY TIME I DIE: Low Teens
18. ANTHRAX: For All Kings
19. BILLY TALENT: Afraid of Heights
20. KYNG: Breathe in the Water

Until next week!






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Year in Rock 2025

  Alright, I've got some explaining to do.   By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but:   a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up!  What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...