10 Best Albums 2016

Let's make it simple: 2016 was a terrible year. Not only for me, but for many people. In Argentina, Macri's government started and, with it, the economic and social problems. In the USA, Trump started the living hell in which many people were forced to coexist and survive. Personally, I got my degree and started working but, for some reasons, I suffered that new stage in my life and I started to develop a depression I continue to struggle with and get over from nowadays.

Still, music gave us all some kind of hope: a lot of great releases saw the light (as if reasons for catharsis were lacking, though). That year, I was able to curate my first 50-album list on my favourite albums. Here, I narrow it down to the 10 best ones.

1. Anohni - Hopelessness 

Score: 9.2 

Political doom and an enormous collective and individual crisis don't sound better than on the first full-length studio album from the Antony And The Johnsons' centerpiece. Co-produced with prolific artists Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke, the glitch pop and experimental electronic that stagnates into the cerebral and utterly charming songs is potent, visceral and conscious in a way that was necessary and inspiring in 2016.

2. David Bowie - Blackstar 

Score: 9.5 

The last record from the legend David Bowie is literal magic. The album was recorded in the final stages of the artist's life, struggling with cancer, and the album was release just a few days before his death. And there couldn't be a better closing to an impressive career: avant-garde jazz mixed with art rock, psychedelia and drone make up for a record that celebrates, contemplates and waves life in a chamanic and highly spiritual way. À bientôt, genius!

3. Beyoncé - Lemonade 

Score: 8.9 

The concept and visual album concocted by one of the most prominent pop stars in our generation is a fantastic journey through desperation, grief, resilience and powerful feminism. In a year plagued with injustices and impeding sadness, Beyoncé cracks vulnerability and throws some of the catchiest and most sensible tunes of the year, while reaffirming her status as a reckoning force in the media and in musical standards.

4. Andy Stott - Too Many Voices 

Score: 8.7 

The third release from the Manchester-based electronic producer and DJ continues to inhabit in industrial, cavernous places but, this time around, he manages to diversify his sound palette and emerge into playful, savagely experimental techniques to make his tracks the more complex and enjoyable to both dance to and appreciate. Too Many Voices is bold, energetic and heavily substantial. Another great addition to his catalogue.

5. Solange - A Seat At The Table 

Score: 9.0 

After years of silence, the record Solange puts out is a wonderful testament on black womanhood in nowadays America. The trippy funk and the psychedelic soul are in perfect touch with the bittersweat experiences the singer excellently expresses, and the connection between the tracks feels organic and alive. A Seat At The Table might be the best album the artist threw to date, and marks the greatest year for the Knowles sisters.

6. Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us 

Score: 8.7 

Nails return with another short-yet-extremely-powerful release that tackles powerviolence and grindcore like few others. From the insane cover art to the badass lyrics and astounding perfomances, it's clear we're in front of one of the most realised and superb bands on the genre and on the underground music's scene. Angry and abusive, You Will Never Be One Of Us destroys and marvels at the same time.

7. Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Denial 

Score: 8.6 

The latest release from the Will Toledo project is infectuous and raucously cerebral in execution, lyricism and performance. Growing up and being insecure can be heavy stages to move on from, and it's always best to canalise doubts, fears and thoughts through music. And what a better way to do that than having this talented crew and this amount of things to say, right?

8. Swans - The Glowing Man 

Score: 8.6 

After the fantastic release and impressions To Be Kind left, it's easy to say this new record from the prolific noise rock band seems lighter and more easy-going. But that would be a complete underestimation of the heaviness and stark performatic approach on the tracks all throughout. This marks the end of an adventurous trilogy, and we're left more than eager to see in which direction the band will go in the future. We'll celebrate that, either way.

9. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 

Score: 8.5 

The weirdest and most experimental release of the year, Bon Iver leaves their indie folk, rooty sound behind and translates their verses with glichy electronics and cacophonous void; and that does magnifically. Divisive as it's gotten, 22, A Million is hard to decipher and complex to digest, but it's a cryptic experience that's worth the effort and, who knows, maybe you end up loving it.

10. Merzbow - Kakapo 

Score: 8.5 

The restless experimentalist Merzbow has released more than 200 albums in 30 years, and maybe Kakapo turns out just being in the middle of it, without much praise or recognisition. Who cares. I love it. 30 minutes of sweet noise mixed with heavy layers of drone that compose somewhat melodic patterns and interesting compositions. The Japanese artist melts his synths with awe and passion, and the results are more than obvious.