- Animals Of Grace – Songs Of Shattering (Rolling Crone)
- A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service (Epic)
- Beats Antique – Shadowbox (S/R)
- David Bowie – Blackstar (Columbia)
- Chook Race – Around the House (Trouble in Mind)
- Death Valley Girls – Glow in the Dark (Burger)
- El Radio Fantastique – Shine EP (S/R)
- FEA – Fea (Blackheart)
- Foxtails Brigade – Foxtails Brigade (OIM)
- Goat – Requiem (Sub Pop)
- Hinds – Leave Me Alone (Mom + Pop)
- Jain – Zanaka (Columbia)
- Julie Ruin – Hit Reset (Hardly Art)
- La Femme – Mystere (Born Bad)
- David Last & Cherushii – Meow Wolf’s Arcade Soundtracks: Wiggy’s Plasma Plex (Mesa)
- Lisa Prank – Adult Teen (Father/Daughter)
- Xenia Rubinos – Black Terry Cat
- Wax Tailor – By Any Beats Necessary (Le Plan)
- Kate Tempest – Let Them Eat Chaos (Caroline)
- The Prophet Hens – The Wonderful Shapes of Back Door Keys (Fishrider)
2016
30 Favorite 2016 Albums
- Acid Arab – Musique de France (Crammed Discs)
- Federico Albanese – The Blue Hour (Berlin Classics)
- Ash Koosha – I AKA I (Ninja Tune)
- A Tribe Called Quest – We got it from Here…Thank you 4 your Service (Epic)
- Automatisme – Momentform Accumulations (Constellation)
- Cyro Baptista – Blue Fly (Tzadik)
- Davis Brooks – Early Musings (Navona)
- The Cactus Blossoms – You’re Dreaming (Red House)
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Original Television Soundtrack, Season 1 (Watertower)
- D-Town Brass – Golden Belt (S/R)
- Debo Band – Ere Gobez (FPE)
- DJ Katapila – Trotro (Awesome Tapes from Africa)
- Dave Douglas – Dark Territory (Greenleaf)
- Exploded View – Exploded View (Sacred Bones)
- Carolina Eyck – Fantasias for Theremin and String Quartet (Butterscotch)
- Goat – Requiem (Sub Pop)
- Tim Hecker – Love Streams (4AD)
- Holy Fuck – Congrats (Innovative Leisure)
- Kleenrz – Season 2 (S/R)
- Luisa Maita – Fiodamemoria (Cumbancha)
- Moon Hooch – Red Sky (Hornblow)
- Anderson .Paak – Malibu (Steel Wool)
- Rafter – XYZ (Joyful Noise)
- Rihanna – Anti (Westbury Road Entertainment)
- Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions – Until The Hunter (Tendril Tales)
- Paul Simon – Stranger to Stranger (Concord)
- Sonzeira – Tam Tam Tam Reimagined (Brownswood)
- William Susman – Scatter My Ashes (Belarca)
- Takenobu – Reversal (S/R)
- Teen – Love Yes (Carpark)
2016 6-CD Changer (if they weren’t all Prince CDs)
- Mitski – Puberty 2 (Dead Oceans)
- Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book (s/r)
- Frank Ocean – Blonde (Boys Don’t Cry)
- A Tribe Called Quest – We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service (Epic)
- Solange – A Seat at the Table (Saint)
- Fea – Fea (Blackheart)
Also in my car
- Kaytranada – 99.9% (XL)
- Blood Orange – Freetown Sound (Domino)
- Nxworries – Yes Lawd! (Stones Throw)
- Kanye West – The Life of Pablo (GOOD)
The Almighty Kaballa-Bonga’s Top 10 Albums of 2016 (in no meaningful order whatsoever)
- Dan Plonsey – Football Season (self-released)
- TriAngular Bent – TriAngular Bent (TriAngular Bent)
- various artists – Modes, vol.30 (Navona)
- Bob Brown – The Wall I Built Myself (Tompkins Square)
- Sebastiano Meloni – Moods and Sketches: 12 Improvisations for Piano (Big Round)
- Matthew Shipp CD – The Gospel According to Matthew & Michael (Relative Pitch)
- Bigfoot Woman – Bigfoot Woman (LoFi)
- Yves Ramette – In Times of Torment: Chamber Works 1941–1944 (Navona)
- various artists – Onyx/Society of Composers Inc. (Navona)
- Zoran Šćekić – Just Music (Ravello)
Ten Delightful Albums of 2016 (or so), +1
- Chris Cohen – As If Apart (Captured Tracks)
- Kikagaku Moyo – House In The Tall Grass (Guruguru Brain)
- Xua – Mekong Moon (Debacle)
- Sandy’s – Prom EP (Sandyams)
- Amy Blaschke – Breaking The Blues (Bird On A Lyre)
- Marielle V Jakobsons – Star Core (Thrill Jockey)
- Morgan Delt – Phase Zero (Sub Pop)
- Julianna Barwick – Will (Dead Oceans)
- High Tides – S/T (Rad Cult)
- Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band – 55 (Big Crown)
+1. Monsieur Jack – Flûte! (S/R, 2014). It’s fitting that this enchanting release was one of the last shared by Aquarius Records, once a vendor of magic, now but a memory. Like a beautiful song you can no longer hear, yet you continue to sing. To all who departed in 2016, and to all who remain, namaste.
Albums That Did It For Me in 2016
- The Allergies – As We Do Our Thing (Jalapeño)
- Blue States – Restless Spheres (Memphis Industries)
- Kev Choice – 88 Steps to Eternity (S/R)
- Kaytranada – 99.9% (XL)
- KING – We Are King (KING CREATIVE)
- Corey King – Lashes (Ropeadope)
- Kilo Kish – Reflections in Real Time (Kisha Soundscape + Audio)
- LION BABE – Begin (Outsiders)
- Terrace Martin – Velvet Portraits (Ropeadope)
- Mo Kolours – Texture Like Sun (One-Handed Music)
- Nite Jewel – Liquid Cool (Gloriette)
- Anderson .Paak – Malibu (Steel Wool)
- Ry X – Dawn (Loma Vista)
- Santigold – 99 Cents (Atlantic)
- Unloved – Guilty of Love (S/R)
- Andrew Weatherall – Convenanza (Rotters Golf Club)
- Your Friend – Gumption (Domino)