Clash's Albums of the Year 2016

Clash's Albums of the Year 2016

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40.

May 13, 2016
Critic Score
78
29 reviews

Driven by crispy drum machines and shimmering synths, Lanza’s second full-length Hyperdub offering is instantly more direct and relatable than its predecessor; cloudy reverb is replaced by sheeny production.

39.

June 17, 2016
Critic Score
66
28 reviews

A band reborn? Possibly. Refined? Definitely. The brilliance of ‘The Getaway’ is in its subtleties, which define their most intimate and expressive album to date, and suggest that, after 32 years, the Chilis can still keep us guessing.

38.

January 27, 2016
Critic Score
70
38 reviews

While Rihanna has put out great records throughout her career, the focus has always been on singles, and as such full-length listens can feel disjointed. ‘ANTI’ is one that you can vibe to from beginning to end.

37.

Yamaneko - Project Nautilus (Keygen Loops)
November 10, 2016
Critic Score
78
2 reviews

35.

April 1, 2016
Critic Score
79
7 reviews
‘EARS’ is fuelled by a real, palpable sense of ambition, of pushing further and further into the unknown.

34.

October 21, 2016
Critic Score
82
10 reviews
‘Bonito Generation’ pulls off a neat trick by being a varied album whose individual tracks are all still unmistakably KKB.

33.

January 22, 2016
Critic Score
74
12 reviews
A more immersive, majestic and ultimately engaging release than album one.

32.

June 17, 2016
Critic Score
74
18 reviews

That a record so dark and ripe with nuance can also harbour such blatant pop sensibility belies the duo’s young age while serving as a testament to their rampant eccentricities.

30.

July 29, 2016
Critic Score
79
20 reviews

It’s her vocal prowess that threads together the line-up of producer-du-jour types that feature on ‘For All We Know’. That, and the infectious grooves that dominate this album provide endless enjoyment.

29.

August 19, 2016
Critic Score
80
4 reviews

28.

June 3, 2016
Critic Score
79
24 reviews
In its relentless fixation upon youth ‘Light Upon The Lake’ seems to have stumbled across the timeless.

27.

February 19, 2016
Critic Score
77
6 reviews

This is a near flawless record sounding both contemporary yet grounded by timeless themes we all can’t but love to relate to.

26.

September 30, 2016
Critic Score
82
25 reviews

25.

September 2, 2016
Critic Score
59
9 reviews

‘Birds…’ is peppered with guest spots left, right and centre, and that’s where it becomes obvious what Travis Scott’s real talent lies - as a platform for other artists to shine.

24.

November 4, 2016
Critic Score
80
4 reviews

23.

September 30, 2016
Critic Score
70
12 reviews

22.

December 2, 2016
Critic Score
77
34 reviews
We’ve not had much to cheer for this year but it looks like Childish Gambino is offering a light at the end of the tunnel.

21.

September 2, 2016
Critic Score
86
39 reviews

It’s addictive yet confusing, instantaneous yet difficult to fully understand – it continually forces to you to cease arguing, and simply listen.

19.

September 27, 2016
Critic Score
84
36 reviews
Danny Brown casts off the more user-friendly EDM touches that brought his previous effort ‘Old’ some mainstream attention in 2013, and drags his fourth LP ‘Atrocity Exhibition’ into an altogether murkier zone – both sonically and thematically.

17.

June 27, 2016
Critic Score
80
39 reviews

If Hynes had chosen to make the power of femininity the basis of this album it would be pretty much flawless ... But the single issue that undermines the cohesiveness of ‘Freetown Sound’ is Hynes’ decision to publicise it as an album about black identity, which it really isn’t.

16.

July 15, 2016
Critic Score
82
25 reviews
There are nods to the early ‘70s work of Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes in these arrangements, comparisons that these songs are bold enough to withstand.

15.

January 15, 2016
Critic Score
81
19 reviews

14.

March 4, 2016
Critic Score
70
10 reviews

13.

September 30, 2016
Critic Score
87
48 reviews
Yes, ‘22, A Million’ is painfully, painfully sincere. Yes, it’s also hopelessly oblique, grandiose, and pretentious. Yet it’s also an absolute diamond of a record, at once fragrantly beautifully and also hopelessly complex, easy to disregard and yet thoroughly hypnotic.

11.

July 29, 2016
Critic Score
73
5 reviews
This album as a whole is without doubt greater than the sum of its parts, but it just so happens that those parts comprise one of the most intriguing production collectives in the industry, and arguably the most unique MC that this country has to offer.

10.

May 6, 2016
Critic Score
80
27 reviews

It’s a record stacked with an adeptness of touch from a production standpoint, a modern tapestry that weaves in and out of genres defined by black artists of past.

9.

May 6, 2016
Critic Score
81
38 reviews

8.

May 8, 2016
Critic Score
87
49 reviews

This is an emotionally brittle and dazzling collection that improves with each enthralling listen.

7.

February 26, 2016
Critic Score
69
35 reviews

The album ultimately feels like the half-breed cousin of Duran Duran’s druggiest years, re-imagined in light of a millennial pop formula. It sounds like a band shooting for the moon too soon.

5.

November 11, 2016
Critic Score
87
32 reviews
The sheer timelessness of this album leaves me cautiously hopeful for a wake up call where institutions of love can be fortified, the close-minded open their borders to understanding and good music continues to be made. Thank you for your service, Tribe.

4.

April 23, 2016
Critic Score
90
38 reviews
‘Lemonade’ is Beyoncé at her most benevolent, and her most unadulterated. Treating her blackness not as an affliction but a celebratory beacon, ‘Lemonade’ is a long overdue, cathartic retribution.

3.

May 6, 2016
Critic Score
81
22 reviews

2.

August 20, 2016
Critic Score
86
42 reviews
More quintessential than any of his previous releases, ‘Blonde’ rewards repeated listens. It demands your attention, but more importantly, it deserves it too. This is the sound of an artist in complete control, full of confidence and dazzling flair.

1.

September 30, 2016
Critic Score
88
30 reviews

‘A Seat At The Table’ is an expertly-curated, a near-perfect record that serves as a timely, musical manifesto on how to be black and proud.

Original Source: http://www.clashmusic.com/features/clash-albums-of-the-year-2016-10-1
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