Top 77 Albums of 2016

  1. A Tribe Called Quest We Got it From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service

    “This album is still pretty new. It was just our Weekly Release Spotlight a week ago, but it was immediately a year-end favorite for me. Not to mention the context of inauguration day; it felt really powerful in that moment.” Luke, Music Director at Radio K

  2. David Bowie Blackstar

  3. Angel Olsen My Woman

    “This is the record you need to put on when you're with people you maybe don't know well but want to have something in common to be into.” Beth, Miami Dolphins

    “Ours would be Angel Olsen–My Woman. Mostly because of how every time Shut Up Kiss Me comes on, we automatically find each other and sing and dance to it. Also, because Angel is a songwriting goddess and knows how to tug all of our heartstrings.” Tony Peachka

  4. Death Grips Bottomless Pit

  5. Danny Brown Atrocity Exhibition

  6. ZULUZULUU What’s the Price

    “I was blown away the first time I heard this album. Zuluzuluu's use of huge synth sounds and groovy bass make put these songs in a league of their own. To see such a forward-thinking and political record come out of the Twin Cities in 2016 is truly special.” David, Marketing Director at Radio K

  7. Radiohead A Moon Shaped Pool

  8. Kitten Forever 7 Hearts

  9. Mitski Puberty 2

  10. Blood Orange Freetown Sound

  11. Whitney Light Upon the Lake

  12. Frankie Cosmos Next Thing

  13. Parquet Courts Human Performance

  14. Of Montreal Innocence Reaches

  15. Har Mar Superstar Best Summer Ever

  16. BadBadNotGood IV

  17. Avalanches Wildflower

  18. Crystal Castles Amnesty (I)

  19. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Nonagon Infinity

  20. Porches Pool

  21. Cate Le Bon Crab Day

    “I love anything Cate Le Bon does. One thing I find unique about Crab Day is that it holds it’s own with or without Le Bon’s vocals. As a musician, I really follow what she and her partner Huw Evans (H. Hawline) do tone and arrangement wise. This album is a light-hearted, imaginative escape from the insane emotional rollercoaster that has been 2016.” Monica Laplante

  22. Nick Cave Skeleton Tree

  23. Japanese Breakfast Psychopomp

  24. NxWorries Yes Lawd!

  25. Ty Segall Emotional Mugger

  26. Dinosaur Jr. Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not

  27. Haley Bonar Impossible Dream

  28. Y La Bamba Ojos Del Sol

    “I first heard the title track when I was setting my radio alarm (to 104.5, obviously) before going to bed. I lived in Portland from 2007-2011, so I was familiar with Y La Bamba, but that title track is so gentle and dreamy I didn’t recognize it as theirs. The next morning I looked up on Radio K’s playlist what the song was, and was excited to find out it was by Y La Bamba! The rest of the album doesn’t disappoint—it’s a surprising, deep, and varied journey, moving from abstract dreamscapes to intimate and direct proclamations, looking inward in order to look outward. Something new captures me each time I listen.” Emily, Sister Species

  29. Tobacco Sweatbox Dynasty

  30. STRFKR Being No One, Going Nowhere

  31. Ego Death Daze EP

  32. Guerilla Toss Eraser Stargazer

  33. M83 Junk

  34. Animal Collective Painting With

  35. Savages Adore Life

  36. Tycho Epoch

  37. Posh Lost Parallels

  38. Anohni Hopelessness

  39. DIIV Is the Is Are

  40. James Blake The Colour in Anything

  41. Night Moves Pennied Days

  42. Tacocat Lost Time

  43. Kweku Collins Nat Love

  44. Allan Kingdom Northern Lights

  45. Mild High Club Skiptracing

  46. Lisa Prank Adult Teen

  47. Kishi Bashi Sonderlust

  48. Florist The Birds Outside Sang

  49. Yeah Wings It Feels Like Laughing With You

  50. Thee Oh Sees A Weird Exits

  51. Tim Hecker Love Streams

  52. A Giant Dog Pile

  53. Mothers When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired

  54. Devendra Banhart Ape In Pink Marble

  55. Crying Beyond the Fleeting Gales

  56. Jenny Hval Blood Bitch

  57. Aphex Twin Cheetah

  58. Mrs. City

  59. Black Marble It’s Immaterial

  60. Strange Relations Going Out EP

  61. Fog For Good

  62. Coathangers Nosebleed Weekend

  63. Goat Requiem

  64. Lunch Duchess My Mom Says I Have a Rich Inner Life

  65. Yoni & Geti Testarossa

  66. Julia Brown An Abundance of Strawberries

  67. Hoops Hoops EP

  68. Eleanor Friedberger New View

  69. Kaytranada 99.9%

    “One of my favorite producers for a while now, Kaytra is an expert soundscape creator. This album has so many flavors on it that it works in a lot of different settings. Uptempo tracks like "Bullets" or "One Too Many" and more laid back joints like "Glowed Up" or "Weight Off" makes this album playable from front to back, on repeat.”  DJ Just Nine, Zuluzuluu

  70. Cymbals Eat Guitars Pretty Years

  71. Helado Negro Private Energy

  72. C. Kostra Now I Feel It

  73. The Seshen Flames & Figures

    “It's a great progressive R&B record, I enjoy their synth-pop spin, dance beats & minimal, leaving space to create emotion.” Nikki Pfeifer, Devata Daun

  74. LVL UP Return to Love

  75. Jay Som Turn Into

  76. Holy Fuck Congrats

  77. Preoccupations Preoccupations

    “The synth lines and bass tones on this record are just phenomenal, and the balance between the mix is just gorgeous.  Memory and Stimulation are probably my two favorite tracks, and the way those tracks abruptly change yet hold the same energy is something I wish I was creative enough to write.” Josh, Posh Lost