2016 was quite a year, both musically and otherwise. As has become my annual tradition, I offer you my top records for 2016. Hope you enjoy my list and let me know what were some of your favorite musical moments of 2016 were.
For a mix of tracks off of these records as well as others that I enjoyed a lot this year, be sure to check out
"Pipes's Picks: Best of 2016" on Spotify
16.
Lake Street Dive Side Pony
The funky, soul, retro harmonies and catchy pop melodies of Rachel Price and her bandmates helped make 2016 a break-out year for veteran rock/soul outfit, Lake Street Dive.
Side Pony showcases some great tracks to get you bumping and swaying like, "Call Off Your Dogs," "How Good It Feels," and "Godawful Things."
15.
Hayes Carll- Lovers and Leavers
With introspective lyrics and splendid story telling, Hayes Carll's latest release showcases the songsmith as an act who continues to mature in his craft. Great similes and Carll's soulful drawl draws listeners in with stand out tracks like "Drive," "Magic Kid," "Love is So Easy," and "The Love that We Need" (which may be Carll's finest song to date).
14.
Hiss Golden Messenger Heart Like a Levee
On
Heart Like a Levee Hiss Golden Messenger continues to come into their own as an Americana juggernaut. MC Taylor's vocals and storytelling is at its best paired with the current incarnation of Hiss Golden Messenger featuring Wisconsin native Phil Cook on keyboard and guitar.
Heart Like a Levee shows Hiss as a more mature band tackling broader topics and wider ranges of instrumentation, while staying true to their roots-based jams and Americana sensibility. The addition of Cook to the Hiss Golden Messenger fold certainly broadens the range of the band.
13.
Drive By Truckers- American Band
Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley have tackled topics of social injustice, family struggle and strive, and searching for identity throughout the band's storied two decade career.
American Band sees Drive By Truckers producing a catalog of tracks that could easily fit on a Neil Young record. Unabashed and undaunted, songs like "Filthy and Fried" and "Roman Casiano" showcase the band in prime form telling working-man stories with style and pastiche. Ultimately, their soulful music and heavy riffs drive the songs as
American Band emerges as another classic DBT record.
12.
Margo Price- Midwest Farmer's Daughter
A masterful storyteller whose beautiful and booming voice carries her songs, Price delivers a powerful and poignant record that has made her a buzz artist on the Americana scene. Her voice carries the record, but catchy melodic hooks on tracks like "Tennessee Song" and bluesy grooves on tracks like "Four Years of Chances" differentiate
Midwest Farmer's Daughter as an eclectic record that, while rooted in country, encompasses a myriad of styles.
11.
Okkervil River- Away
Veteran indie folk-rock outfit Okkervil River returned with perhaps its most powerful record in a decade with
Away. Okkervil River are masters of the long-form narrative song, and with most tracks clocking in over the six minute mark, they manage to produce a record that stands alone as a collection of tracks, but also works like a read aloud story when you listen to the entire composition in one sitting. Sheff and company tackle the theme of growing and aging in a unique way showcasing Will Sheff at his lyrical storytelling finest with building epics like "Okkervil River R.I.P.," which is one of the band's best tracks from any of their releases.
10.
Bon Iver- 22, A Million
On
22, A Million Justin Vernon delivers his most ambitious record to date. Mixing in an increasing amount of electronica and production to build lush, layered, soundscapes has resulted in a Bon Iver record that is so different than anything else out there, that it's almost addicting to listen to and try to decipher. There is a tender sweetness in the book end tracks "It Might Be Over Soon," and "00000 Million" that sticks with you and showcases some of Vernon's finest work, whereas the middle of the album takes you on an often complex, confusing and sonically wild ride.
9.
Jim James- Eternally Even
With his sophomore major solo release, My Morning Jacket front man Jim James delivers a soulful, insightful and poignant collection of tunes.
Eternally Even makes you think while you groove. Standout numbers like "Here In Spirit," "Same Old Lie," and "In The Moment" both provide social commentary on modern America as well as some seriously funky and deep grooves. Ultimately, James's spiritual and positive nature has love triumphing over all.
8.
Day of the Dead:
Curated by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, the over 50 track behemoth reinterpretation of Grateful Dead tunes breathes new life into classic material. Drawing from an eclectic array of mostly contemporary indie artists including Phosphorescent, Jim James, Bonnie "Prince" Billie, Charles Bradley, Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile, Sam Amidon, and Jenny Lewis, just to name a few, the compilation has far more hits than misses, a rare feat for a collection of music this large. Sure, there are some songs I have to skip over on this, but if I think about what I truly listened to and enjoyed in 2016, I don't think a week went by when I didn't play something off of this collection. At the heart of Day of the Dead is the Dessner twins' passion for not simply covering Dead songs, but making them the artists' own. The National's version of "Morning Dew" brings an eerie quality to the song that, I dare say, I enjoy these days more than the original.
7.
William Tyler- Modern Country
Thoughtful storytelling in songs doesn't always need to include lyrics. Such is the case with William Tyler's stellar release,
Modern Country. In seven sweeping tracks, Tyler transports his listeners into another world with instrumentation alone. A stellar guitarist- who uses dexterous axemanship, masterfully blending together, traditional, slide, and psychedelic styles, Tyler creates lush and layered compositions that have an almost hypnotic quality. In many ways his unique and simply gorgeous record epitomizes its title-
Modern Country.
6.
Wilco- Schmilco
Wilco is aging like a fine wine or cheese. With their somewhat goofy-titled
Schmilco release, the band returns to form with tracks driven by blank space created around Jeff Tweedy's lyrics. In many ways,
Schmilco is an album that epitomizes the "Kings of Dad Rock" at their finest, writing a collection of tracks about growing up and childhood.
Schmilco is a record that grows on you with each listen. While last year's
Star Wars was more of a rock record,
Schmilco shows Wilco back in
Sky Blue Sky and
Being There form with a largely acoustic collection of tracks. Standouts include "If I Ever Was A Child," "Normal American Kids," and "Cry All Day."
5.
Whitney Light Upon The Lake
Never has a break up album sounded this contagiously poppy. Formed in the ashes of indie critical darlings, The Smith Westerns, Max Kakacek and Julien Ehrlich deliver an infectious array of tunes that burrow deep into your brain. Melody is the key to this record, and with quirky guitar licks, falsetto vocals and funky horns,
Light Upon The Lake delivers songs that demand constant re-listens.
4.
Car Seat Headrest- Teens of Denial
Blending together elements of punk, jam-rock, and raw energy, Will Toledo and his bandmates, created a driving unique take on indie rock with
Teens of Denial. While the musicians in Car Seat Headrest are young in age (Toldeo is 24 years old), their sound is years beyond.
Teens of Denial features everything from the foot-tapping album opener "Fill in the Blank" (which clocks in at a little over four minutes) to the epic "The Ballad of the Costa Concordia" (an over eleven minute opus). Build around the brute force of the single, "Vincent," Car Seat Headrest is an act I imagine will be a household name sooner than later.
Wisconsin native Chris Vos and his bandmates didn't need to reinvent the wheel on
Give It Back To You. The power trip crafted a passionate modern rock 'n roll album with traditional roots. With blaring harmonicas, driving bass lines, and above all, soaring vocals, The Record Company deserve all of the success that 2016 has brought them. The only thing better than hearing the tracks off of
Give It Back To You is hearing them performed live.
2.
Steve Gunn Eyes on the Lines
Coming out of the Philadelphia progressive-psychedelic folk scene that includes stand out acts like The War on Drugs and Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn is emerging as a stalwart solo artist combining folk sensibility with truly infectious and charismatic guitar licks. Gunn has toured as Kurt Vile's lead guitarist extensively, and is crafting a sound uniquely his own. Part laid-back troubadour, part axe-man extraordinaire, Gunn's songs create unique and contagious sonic experiences for his listeners. With sweeping sound scape numbers like "Ancient Jules," poignantly-laid back grooves like "Nature Driver," and numbers like "The Drop," which combine the jam quality of the Grateful Dead with the eerie aesthetic of The Doors, Gunn is an artist to watch.
Eyes on the Lines is both diverse and extraordinary.
1.
Sturgil Simpson A Sailor's Guide To Earth
On his third record, Sturgil Simpson, an artist who has turned the genre of country music on its head, delivers a reflective release as a "road map" for his young son. Simpson blends themes of uncertainty and hopefulness together on his musical masterpiece. Tracks like soulful rocker, "Brace for the Impact (Live a Little)," the funky horn driven, "Keep It Between The Lines," and boogie anthem, "Call To Arms" make this concept record a standout release, not just for 2016 but for years to come.
13. Drive By Truckers- American Band
