I'm always collecting music--it probably fuels my imagination more than movies or books. While I didn't find films all that impressive in 2016, I did come across plenty of new music albums that excited me.
Most of it was metal, and most of the metal were very pleasant surprises from many of my favorite artists. Therion--the symphonic metal band I long considered my top favorite--I could have sworn they were on hiatus, but lo and behold, they dropped a really nice EP, the quality of which is on-par with their last album. NIN also released an EP close to the end of the year, and it's quite potent. Lacuna Coil's Delirium is quite powerful. And there's not one, but two new albums by Tarja Turunen back-to-back. New albums by Delain, Epica, Drowning Pool, Korn, Otep, Opeth, Dope, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, have all been pretty awesome.
What's really blown me away repeatedly throughout the year is the works of Klayton. I've wanted to dig into the man's older work, and in 2016 he obliged by re-releasing all the original Circle of Dust albums, remastered with a ton of bonus tracks. Plus, a big re-release of another older side project, Argyle Park. Plus, there's even more Celldweller music to explore. Plus, more Blue Stahli music. Plus, Scandroid. Plus, more remixes of various songs. Of all the albums I explored in the year, this lot has captivated me the most--the physical albums have really fantastic artwork, and the music itself exudes the kind of beat and style I crave the most.
Not every cool thing I've heard is hard and metallic though. Electronica fared okay--after a very long absence, Massive Attack returned with a mellow and moody EP. "Voodoo In My Blood" is probably one of the creepiest and most bizarre music videos I've seen, and I loved it that way--makes me wish I could have written that video as a short story. It's also the thing that made me explore the film Possession, which supposedly inspired it. In turn, the song inspired one of my own stories (which, sadly, was turned down for a horror story contest, and I'm having doubts that it'll see the light of day). I didn't think Röyksopp was still active, but a new single dropped, and it sounded alright. New albums by Death in Vegas, Tricky, and DJ Shadow aren't too shabby.
I wish I could report some great new rock 'n roll, but I've only come across a few new albums. Wolfmother's Victorious is probably the biggest one I know of, and I was pretty happy with it. Jack White released an acoustic compilation, which offers a few tracks that are rare or previously unreleased, but they are bunched together with older songs from other albums--if you're a fan, you probably have most of them already. The Heavy's new album is neat. One new discovery that really appealed to be would be Tribe Society--some soft stuff, but they have some serious beat, and I couldn't get "Outta My System" out of my head. Above all, David Bowie's final album was unleashed, and it remains one of the best of the year. Unfortunately, Bowie's passing just two days later makes it a bittersweet listen.
Pop music didn't do much for me this year. In fact, I haven't heard much of any pop music. Do have Lady GaGa's new album, but haven't listened to it much. On a first glance, it sounds alright. Sting's new album really didn't really speak to me the way I hoped it would. The best new pop song I know of would have to be the single Rihanna made for Star Trek: Beyond--"Sledgehammer," which came off as a little sappy at first, but I grew to appreciate its melody in time.
Then there are soundtracks. There's a lot of music from new games and movies that have been decent, in addition to good compilations of old songs. If it's the classics you want and crave, look no further than the soundtracks for The Nice Guys and Everybody Wants Some!! They got all the funk, soul, and rock from the 70s and 80s. Combined with 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, I actually was in a funky groove for a long time as I strung together a playlist (which, in turn, might inspire my own GOTG-style space adventure some day--but even if it doesn't, it's still a pretty awesome playlist). The soundtrack from Deadpool was a hoot. Suicide Squad had a varied and interesting mix. For orchestral and instrumental works, there's decent sounds from Michael Giacchino's scores for Doctor Strange and Rogue One, Cliff Martinez's thumping score for The Neon Demon, Ben Lovett's ambient score for Synchronicity, and more. You also can't go wrong with Ramin Djawadi coming back a sixth time to score Game of Thrones.
AL'S FAVORITE 2016 ALBUMS
These are generally in order from most-favorite to least, but it's not quite as dead-set as listing my favorite films. For the intents and purposes of this thread, I'm only listing the albums I've heard in full over and over again and become familiar with enough to truly call them favorites of the year. There are plenty of others I feel I haven't heard enough of yet to judge properly. I also only picked the ones I am willing to listen to in full.
01: David Bowie - Blackstar
This album had me with the actual "Blackstar" song. First time I heard it, I thought it resembled something Bjork would do--so unusual, but with steady beat, atmosphere, and vocal quality I found immersive. "Lazarus" would be the song that jerked at my heartstrings the most--the lyrics are moving, but the slick combination of jazz and rock makes it somber while the melody keeps me hooked. Other songs aren't too shabby either--the album as a whole is consistent, full of atmosphere and feeling, and it's easily been the best I've heard all year. Shame it's as short as it is, but its legacy goes far beyond mere runtime.
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02: Massive Attack - Ritual Spirit
Only
four tracks long, but they're all good. Like any good trip-hop album, I
could listen to this over and over without growing tired of it--the
beats are that solid. "Voodoo in My Blood" kinda creeps me out, and I
like that it does--something about the vocals and instrumentation really
gives it a unique style and flavor I can admire. "Ritual Spirit"
is a very smooth and heavenly track that somehow always puts me at
ease--a very apt chillout track. "Dead Editors" is another creepy track,
but it carries a style and mood that would feel right at home with the
band's earlier efforts (like "Karmacoma"). "Take It There" always felt
like a downer to me, but it's still not a bad listen. Four great tracks,
one solid EP to chill to. I couldn't get enough of it, and I hope the
band continues to pump out great work.
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03: Blue Stahli - Premonitions
Very short EP, but very awesome. There's no words to these tracks, but they are built with phenomenal beat, hooks, and power to stir the heart and mind all the way to each magnificent crescendo. Most of these tracks are just begging to be used in movie trailers someday.
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04: Scandroid (self-titled album)
100% retro 80s sound. 100% sci-fi pumped into the lyrics, song construction, and even the album cover. 100% excellent listening, thanks to consistent beat, decent melodies and hooks, and a really cool sound overall. This is probably the most accessible work Klayton's done, and I encourage everybody to give these songs a shot.
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05: Celldweller - Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head Volume 3
Few of these tracks were available for a while, but Klayton arranged this album specifically to include the "factions" from End of an Empire as a separate entity for this album (I guess he thought listeners didn't get it when they were on the other album). This third volume in the line of great conceptual soundtrack music offers more hard-hitting tracks with incredible beat and sound--"Razorface," "Hyperion," "Jupiter," and "Battlecry" are highly energetic must-haves for Cellmates everywhere. The rest is pretty cool and atmospheric, and the album as a whole is the stuff pulp sci-fi dreams are made of.
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06: Lacuna Coil - Delirium
Fans will love this because of how hard and aggressive it is--most are saying it's the best since the band's earliest days, when they put out their original EPs. Personally, the heaviness alone didn't win me over--it was Christina Scabbia's vocal talents, and they are as strong here as ever. It's a very different sound and direction for the group, far darker than before with far less hooks and melodies (and therefore, maybe less commercialized). But nearly every song has a strong catharsis to them, thanks to the sheer power of the vocals and guitars.
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07: Various Artists - Everybody Wants Some!! [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Everybody ought to want these songs. There are some on this album that I'd call truly essential for any good music collection: the Cars' "Let the Good Times Roll," the Knack's "My Sharona," Blondie's "Heart of Glass." I couldn't get enough of Hot Chocolate's "Every 1's a Winner" (and thus I learned where ICP's "The Mighty Death Pop" got its groove from--shame I never discovered this earlier in life). Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" is addictive. Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some" is pretty kick-ass. Other familiar tracks like "Pop Muzik," "Heartbreaker," and "Whip It" are also catchy and great. There's maybe just one or two tracks I personally didn't care for, but the album as a whole is solid and crammed full of awesome, nostalgic fun.
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08: Otep - Generation Doom
Loud, aggressive, but what really pushes this album over the top of other Otep works is the hooks, which seem to be at their strongest in songs like "Lie." What really appeals to me are the lyrics--it can get pretty dirty at times, but their construction, rhymes, and meaning show a certain level of artistry and finesse that I don't really see in other metal acts. On top of that, Otep's cover of "Royals" is insane.
AL'S FAVORITE 2016 SONGS AND SINGLES
When it comes to picking and choosing individual songs that I've enjoyed and defined 2016 overall, I realize a bunch of these are covers. Before you ask where all the originality has gone, I do believe most of these covers have been phenomenal (hence their inclusion here). Tarja's spin on the classic Bond theme "Goldfinger" really blew me away--I never thought I'd hear a metal Bond theme, but she pulled it off with incredible power in both the instrumentation and vocals. The credits song from Kubo and the Two Strings always managed to elicit a tear or two out of me--I never was a Beatles fan, so without bias, I do favor Regina Spektor's voice more, and the traditional Japanese instruments fills the song with a whole new life that I find truly graceful. I believe Scandroid's version of "Shout" is just as good as the original by Tears for Fears. As for Otep's cover of Lorde's "Royals," there's just no denying the sheer aggression and loudness transforms it into a monstrous onslaught on the ears--and by metal standards, it's wicked. I just learned that Therion's "Ah-Hem-Ha-Uh-Err" is a remake. Never heard the original. All I know is that this version has some serious energy to it, with all the same class and style I've come to love from the band. And I had to toss in the remake of "I Started a Joke," because despite the incredibly long build-up, it is a rather cathartic track with lovely vocals.
As far as other songs go...
All of David Bowie's Blackstar is decent, but "Lazarus" stood out to me as the tragic, bluesy heart and soul of the whole thing. In retrospect, it makes one wonder if he saw the end coming and reflected his view in the song. With out without that insight, it's quite a evocative song.
It took a few listens for me to appreciate Rihanna's "Sledgehammer," and now I can't deny that I'm hooked to its melody and butt-kicking lyrics.
Julian Winding's "Demon Dance" has become an essential instrumental dance track for all my playlists. Great beat, great tempo and hooks without it being too noisy or uneven. And it oozes with atmosphere, just like the movie it's featured in.
Lacuna Coil's "House of Shame" is as loud as music gets, but Christina Scabbia's vocals keep it from being pure noise, and the melody reaches such extreme heights it becomes cathartic, repeatedly. I wish more Otep songs were available on Youtube to share here--"Lie" is probably the song that stuck around in my head the most, thanks to its catchy melody and lyrics. Other tracks like "No Color," "Equal Rights, Equal Lefts," and "Down" are also catchy, and throughout the whole album I couldn't help but to marvel at Otep's lyrical mastery (despite the occasional cursing). Rob Zombie's "Well Everybody..." is one nutty song--I love the swell of the guitars and the throbbing tempo maintained in between. Drowning Pool's "Meet the Bullet" is pretty mellow compared to other songs the band's done, but the background chanting, consistent guitar riffs, and chorus really made the song great to my ears. Metallica's new album is still new to me, but so far "Now That We're Dead" is the track that really stood out to me--great beat, tempo, guitars, and everything.
Massive Attack's "Voodoo In My Blood" always struck me as being discordant and strange, but assuming it's by design, the song is great and kinda creepy. The entire EP was pretty smooth, but I favored "Ritual Spirit" the most--it just sounds lovely.
Tribe Society's "Outta My System" always captivated me with its potent hooks and drums. Wolfmother's "The Love That You Give" was the track I found the catchiest on their album, and it does have a good amount of energy and style to it.
There are probably oodles of other songs worth mentioning and oodles I haven't really discovered on a deeper level yet. As of now, these were the standouts that kept my head banging and mind going the whole year.
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