Pitchfork: The 50 Best Albums of 2016
Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, David Bowie, Beyonce, Leonard Cohen, Radiohead, Bon Iver—who didn’t release a record this year? These are the best of a challenging, rewarding, overall epic year.
1 Solange: A Seat at the Table
2 Frank Ocean: Blonde
3 Beyoncé: Lemonade
4 David Bowie: Blackstar
5 Kanye West: The Life of Pablo
6 Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book
7 A Tribe Called Quest: We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service
8 ANOHNI: Hopelessness
9 Angel Olsen: My Woman
10 Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool
11 Danny Brown: Atrocity Exhibition
12 Bon Iver: 22, A Million
13 Anderson .Paak: Malibu
14 Blood Orange: Freetown Sound
15 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Skeleton Tree
16 Kendrick Lamar: untitled unmastered.
17 Leonard Cohen: You Want It Darker
18 Mitski: Puberty 2
19 Rihanna: ANTI
20 Nicolas Jaar: Sirens
21 Young Thug: JEFFERY
22 YG: Still Brazy
23 Jenny Hval: Blood Bitch
24 Car Seat Headrest: Teens of Denial
25 Kaytranada: 99.9%
26 Parquet Courts: Human Performance
27 Noname: Telefone
28 NxWorries: Yes Lawd!
29 Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: EARS
30 Esperanza Spalding: Emily’s D+Evolution
31 Whitney: Light Upon the Lake
32 Elza Soares: A Mulher do Fim do Mundo (The Woman at the End of the World)
33 Maxwell: blackSUMMERS’night
34 Kevin Morby: Singing Saw
35 Hamilton Leithauser /Rostam: I Had a Dream That You Were Mine
36 Jamila Woods: HEAVN
37 KING: We Are KING
38 Schoolboy Q: Blank Face LP
39 Moodymann: DJ-Kicks
40 Vijay Iyer /Wadada Leo Smith: A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke
41 Huerco S.: For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
42 Vince Staples: Prima Donna
43 Weyes Blood: Front Row Seat to Earth
44 Kevin Gates: Islah
45 William Tyler: Modern Country
46 Pinegrove: Cardinal
47 Kamaiyah: A Good Night in the Ghetto
48 Frankie Cosmos: Next Thing
49 Porches: Pool
50 21 Savage / Metro Boomin: Savage Mode