The Retrographer 24 (1 0 0 2 0 1 6)

December 30, 2016

The top 100 songs of 2016, plus top albums, videos, weird internet stuff, and more. RIP Prince, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Phife Dog, and many more. The Retrographer, Issue 24 (2 0 1 6)

Life is for the living. We lost idols and anchors this year, and so the future feels uncertain and unmoored. If there were voices, like Prince’s or David Bowie’s, whose vision guided us to a dazzling future, we've got to let those voices live forever. However challenging and dark 2016 felt, look to the imprint of our forebears to point to where we need to go. The space they left is our charge now, and the incredible work done in 2016 as hope for a future that forges forward even through the darkness. Making the future we were promised is now our work.

Bulletins:

  • This is my second year of the Retrographer, and my sixth making a “Top 100” playlist. I started out making this list because I’d heard many of my friends noting how hard it was to discover music. I figured, given that at the time I was interning at NPR Music, that I could put all my listening to work for others by listing. Thinking small, it was a nice way to make use of my consuming interest in music; Thinking big, music seemed to lose currency after folks left college, and I wanted to bring its significance back. However well that's worked, it's been a lot of fun. Six years in, here’s the full list:

    • 2011

      • Year one. Ranked it, rather than doing it sequentially as I would in the future. Sometimes a bumpy ride but it’s pretty fun anyway. That Yuck B-side was a ballsy SOTY but it holds up!

    • 2012

      • My best work to date. Starts spacey, ramps up, turns to folk. Wish I could take back “Somebody That I Used to Know” though.

    • 2013

      • A good presaging of this year: Early sparks from the 1975, Chance the Rapper, and some dude named David Bowie.

    • 2014

      • Maybe started this one off a little too hot. I won’t apologize for all the One Direction, though.

    • 2015

      • Representative of a musical schism in my life that happened when I left the Webbys to do music full-time at Cymbal. Still very proud of that “What Do You Mean?” to “No Good” transition, BTW.

    • 2016

      • Starts chill, gets dark, brightens a bit around “Florida”, goes pop then hits the islands, then some serious rap, into 80s nostalgia, into country, then rocks out, gets experimental, then settles in a gospel thing. You’ll see.

  • I organize this playlist sequentially, so it should always transition smoothly from song to song. If you pick any song you know, everything around it should feel related. If you want to listen on shuffle, that’ll sort of ruin the effect but all the songs are good so whatevs.

  • Though I publish these playlists to Spotify and YouTube, many songs aren’t available on both or either (looking at you, Beyonce). For Spotify users, you can see the missing songs by going to "Preferences", scrolling down to "Display Options," and then switching on "Show unavailable tracks in playlists." It’d make me so happy if you did this.

  • Speaking of the struggle to find music: I’m very, very proud to be the CEO of Cymbal, the world’s best community for music. If you want to find and talk about songs, get this damn app! Then let me know your username so I can follow you.

  • I joined a band called Office Culture this year, here are our first two singles.

  • Back in March I represented Cymbal at SXSW, where we made videos of Night Moves, Petit Noir, and Public Access TV performing around UT-Austin. Thanks again to Gabriel Ovalle, Roxanne Zech, and the rest of the folks at KVRX for making this happen.

Top 10 Albums of the Year

  1. Frank Ocean, Blonde

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

  3. Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool

  4. Anderson .Paak, Malibu

  5. Kendrick Lamar, untitled unmastered

  6. Pinegrove, Cardinal

  7. Noname, Telefone

  8. Isaiah Rashad, The Sun’s Tirade

  9. Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth

  10. Beyonce, Lemonade

Top 10 Songs of the Year

  1. “Ultralight Beam”, Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, Kelly Price, and The-Dream

  2. “No Problem”, Chance the Rapper, 2 Chainz, and Lil’ Wayne

  3. “Aphasia”, Pinegrove

  4. “Self-Control”, Frank Ocean

  5. “Lockjaw”, French Montana and Kodak Black

  6. “Fuck Donald Trump”, YG and Nipsey Hussle

  7. “8 (Circle)”, Bon Iver

  8. “Shrine”, Cymbals Eat Guitars

  9. “Nobody Speak”, DJ Shadow and Run the Jewels

  10. “The Bird”, Anderson .Paak

Top 10 Videos of the Year

  1. "Borders", M.I.A. | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Nw7HbaeWY

  2. “Formation”, Beyonce | https://youtu.be/LrCHz1gwzTo

  3. “Gosh”, Jamie xx | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTGJfRPLe08

  4. ”Why You Always Hatin?”, YG, Kamaiyah, and Drake | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkVS79y4p4Y

  5. “Lazarus”, David Bowie | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-JqH1M4Ya8

  6. “Daydreaming”, Radiohead | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTAU7lLDZYU

  7. “Augustine”, Blood Orange | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXtzcViZPGA

  8. “Nikes”, Frank Ocean | https://vimeo.com/179791907

  9. “Don’t Touch My Hair”, Solange | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTtrnDbOQAU

  10. “Genghis Khan”, Miike Snow | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_SlAzsXa7E

Other Cool Music Videos I Liked in 2016

Older Albums That Meant a Lot to Me in 2016

  1. “Hats”, The Blue Nile (Spotify / YouTube)

  2. “Hejira”, Joni Mitchell (Spotify / YouTube)

  3. “Control”, Janet Jackson (Spotify / YouTube)

  4. “Tremolo”, My Bloody Valentine (Spotify / YouTube)

  5. “Two Against Nature”, Steely Dan (Spotify / YouTube)

  6. “Interstellar Space”, John Coltrane (Spotify / YouTube)

  7. “Court and Spark”, Joni Mitchell (Spotify / YouTube)

  8. “TP”, Teddy Pendergrass (Spotify / YouTube)

  9. “In Utero”, Nirvana (Spotify / YouTube)

  10. “Capital Punishment”, Big Pun (Spotify / YouTube)

And Finally: A Meticulously-Sequenced Playlist of the Top 100 Songs of 2016

Listen to these songs on Spotify and YouTube

“The Ease-In”

  • “I Need a Forest Fire”, James Blake and Bon Iver

  • “Ultralight Beam”, Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, Kelly Price, and The-Dream

  • “Cranes in the Sky”, Solange

  • “The Bird”, Anderson .Paak

  • “UGH!”, The 1975

  • “Diddy Bop”, Noname, Cam O’bi, and Raury

  • “Thank You”, Blood Orange

  • “Bday”, Isaiah Rashad and Deacon Blues

  • “Intern”, Angel Olsen

  • “30 Hours”, Kanye West and Andre 3000

  • “Gravity Don’t Pull Me”, Rostam

  • “Formation”, Beyonce

  • “Landcruisin’”, A.K. Paul

“Well. This Got Dark.”

  • “Needed Me”, Rihanna

  • “Timeless”, James Blake

  • “Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane”, Schoolboy Q and Jadakiss

  • “Intro”, Weval

  • “New York 93”, Yaeji

  • “Untitled 07”, Kendrick Lamar

  • “Lonely World”, Moses Sumney

  • “Real Friends”, Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign

  • “The Woman That Loves You”, Japanese Breakfast

  • “Don’t Touch My Hair”, Solange

  • “U With Me?”, Drake

  • “Anxiety”, Preoccupations

  • “Panda”, Desiigner

  • “GLOWED UP”, KAYTRANADA and Anderson .Paak

“Cruisin’ Down the West Side”

  • “Shotgun”, Little Simz and Syd

  • “Find a Topic (homies begged)”, Isaiah Rashad

  • “I’m Sorry”, Swell and shiloh

  • “Lockjaw”, French Montana and Kodak Black

  • “Nights”, Frank Ocean

  • “The Space Program”, A Tribe Called Quest

  • “The Dreamer”, Anderson .Paak and Talib Kweli

  • “Florida”, The Range

  • “This Must Be My Dream”, The 1975

“When Did This Become a Party?”

  • “Be Alright”, Ariana Grande

  • “What If I Go?” Mura Masa

  • “Because I’m Me”, The Avalanches

  • “No Problem”, Chance the Rapper, 2 Chainz, and Lil’ Wayne

  • “Broccoli”, D.R.A.M. and Lil’ Yachty

  • “Wyclef Jean”, Young Thug

  • “Don’t Mind”, Kent Jones

  • “Work”, Rihanna and Drake

  • “24K Magic”, Bruno Mars

  • “Greedy”, Ariana Grande

  • “Picture This”, Kero Kero Bonito

  • “Girls @”, Joey Purp and Chance the Rapper

  • “Why You Always Hatin’?” YG, Kamaiyah, and Drake

  • “Black Beatles”, Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane

“Well. This Got Intense.”

  • “Drone Bomb Me”, ANOHNI

  • “Borders”, M.I.A.

  • “Hey Mr. Ramrod”, Ramriddlz

  • “With Them”, Young Thug

  • “Untitled 05 09.21.2014.”, Kendrick Lamar, Anna Wise, and Jay Rock

  • “We The People…”, A Tribe Called Quest

  • “Nobody Speak”, DJ Shadow and Run the Jewels

  • “New Level”, A$AP Ferg and Future

  • “Really Doe”, Danny Brown, Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, and Earl Sweatshirt

  • “F Cancer”, Young Thug and Quavo

  • “Call Ticketron”, Run The Jewels

  • “Fuck Donald Trump”, YG and Nipsey Hussle

  • “Man”, Skepta

“80s Interlude”

  • “Put Me Thru”, Anderson .Paak

  • “Boy”, BOYBOY

  • “Scared Money”, NxWorries

  • “To You”, Andy Schauf

“Country / Soul”

  • “Polly”, Whitney

  • “Keep It Between The Lines”, Sturgill Simpson

  • “Moonlight”, Ariana Grande

  • “All Night”, Beyonce

  • “Self Control”, Frank Ocean

  • “Paul”, Big Thief

  • “Aphasia – Audiotree Live Version”, Pinegrove

  • “Kind Luck”, Night Moves

  • “Midwestern Guys”, Lydia Loveless

  • “In Bloom”, Sturgill Simpson

  • “Ruby”, Charly Bliss

  • “Stuck”, The Aces

  • “Lolisa”, Twin Peaks

  • “Drunk Drivers / Killer Whales”, Car Seat Headrest

  • “I Have Been to the Mountain”, Kevin Morby

“Getting In My Feelings”

  • “Amerika”, Wintersleep

  • “Your Best American Girl”, Mitski

  • “Shrine”, Cymbals Eat Guitars

  • “Stress”, Weaves

  • “Never Let Me Down”, Spoon

  • “You Want It Darker”, Leonard Cohen

  • “The Case of Louis Warren”, Luke Temple

  • “Igmayagh Dum (My Lover)”, Bombino

  • “Desert Island Disk”, Radiohead

“Say Bye”

  • “In Movement”, Jack Dejohnette, Ravi Coltrane, and Matthew Garrison

  • “Untitled 02 06.23.2014.”, Kendrick Lamar

  • “Lazarus”, David Bowie

  • “Adults”, CEREAL

  • “Bum Bum Bum”, Cass McCombs

  • “Somebody Else”, The 1975

  • “8 (Circle)”, Bon Iver

  • “White Ferrari”, Frank Ocean

  • “True Love Waits”, Radiohead

Best-Of Playlists

Though these playlists are all on Spotify, not every song (including many of my favorites) is available to stream.

To see what tracks are missing, go to "Preferences", scroll down to "Display Options," and then switch on "Show unavailable tracks in playlists."