Overlooked Albums of 2016

we all know about the big-ticket releases but maybe there's something that's flown under the radar that you're super passionate about or think other people on the site would like.

a good rule of thumb is to only mention albums that have either A) no thread on the site or B) a thread with under 45 posts (aka 1 page at the highest PPP setting)

for instance:

One of the leaders of the 90s neo-soul movement that included Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Bilal, etc and influenced contemporary artists like Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean released the second album in a trilogy this summer, and it is excellent Album - Maxwell - blackSUMMERSnight (July 1, 2016)

or

Jefre Cantu-Ledesme is an ambient musician who has worked with Grouper and released a beautiful EP titled In Summer (8.0 on the fork if you care). here is "love's refrain" (BNT) scoring a 16 mm short film

Other albums are:

R&B trio of sisters, entirely self produced hypnotic album Album - King - We Are King (2016)

what else is overlooked this year

 

Kevin Gates

 

Holy Ghost! - Crime Cutz

It's an EP not an album, but it's real fun.

 

Highasakite - Camp Echo is probably my favorite pop album this year that no one is talking about.

RIYL - Susanne Sundfør's most recent album

 

this is a good way to get me on board

 

Aseul (아슬) - New Pop

New Pop, by ASEUL

Korean electonic artist, used to be known as Yukari, but now she releases material under this new name. Think kind of mellow, beautiful, dreamy ish electropop. Really wonderful and well worth your time.

 

I don't think I've listened to a new record this year...

 

I think the Culture Abuse album was overlooked for sure. Musically a ton of fun, which proves to be a sharp contrast w/ lyrical themes.

White Lung, too, but to a lesser extent

 

Not a bad song. I really can't decide if I think she's attractive or not.

Burden Piece by Clique was a nice little album.

 

Outer Spaces - A Shedding Snake

 

Benjamin Francis Leftwich's new one

 

djds - stand up and speak

 

Garbage - Strange Little Birds
Face to Face - Protection
The Monkees - Good Times
Nada Surf - You Know Who You Are
Chevelle - The North Corridor

 

Lake Joy by Sleep Weather has been in rotation since I first heard it. Very very good.

 

Camp Cope's S/T debut. Starting to get some hype, but no where near what it deserves (currently in my top 5 for AOTY).

 

Whitney - Light Upon The Lake
Badbadnotgood - IV
Periphery - Periphery III
Safe To Say - Down In The Dark
Noname - Telefone
The Album Leaf - Between Waves

I think most of those have threads but they aren't very big ones at all

 

Sam Means - 10 Songs

Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid. It has received some recognition. But that album is probably in my top 3 hip-hop albums of all time. Like, I can't understand why people haven't been continuously discussing this album. There is so much to digest that after dozens of listens I still find new details or cool lyrics I had never paid attention to.

 

I second this.

 

The Impossible Kid will certainly be in my top 5 this year.

 

Agree on KING.

The Black Queen — Fever Daydream
The Body — No One Deserves Happiness
The Body & Full of Hell — One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache
Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas — Mariner
The Drones — Feelin Kinda Free
The Jezabels — Synthia
Kristin Kontrol — X-Communicate
Lemon Demon — Spirit Phone
MONEY — Suicide Songs
POLIÇA — United Crushers
Roly Porter — Third Law
Xiu Xiu — Plays the Music of Twin Peaks

Edit: My list is based on this site.

 

Good call on The Jezabels, MONEY, and Poliça. I need to revisit those, but I really liked all of those when they were released!

 

My picks are mostly what I see as overlooked around here and not necessarily generally overlooked

Amnesia Scanner - AS EP
Baauer - Aa
Braids - Companion EP
Deakin - Sleep Cycle
Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution
Kamaiyah - A Good Night In the Ghetto
Leon Vynehall - Rojus
Parquet Courts - Human Performance
Savages - Adore Life

 

Album - Lisa Hannigan - At Swim (August 19, 2016)

 

Classic artists getting overlooked is totally par for the course, but the new Mavis Staples album is amazing and Bonnie Raitt released a pretty wonderful album this year. The Monkees put out a pleasant surprise, too.

Foxes' All I Need was a pretty terrific pure pop album that didn't even get a proper US release.

BJ the Chicago Kid and Corinne Bailey Rae put out outstanding R&B records.

Ben Harper put out his best album in a decade.

Yuna's new one is definitely overlooked because I love her and it took me months to find out it was out.

 

wow i thought bj's album came out last year, totally spaced on that