The TOP 15 Albums of 2016 .... Part 1

I have been in agony...

This year has been great for music. Not great....TREMENDOUS for new music. And I have listened and fretted and listened more and fretted more. Why??
1) I committed to myself that I would rank a top X records every year since I started this in 2013. Seems easy enough....right? But...
2) There are SO many good records, I did not know what the cutoff number would be for a ranking....and then once I did....
3) I still had to RANK them and my goodness it was difficult. Any one of the top 4 has sat at #1 on some variation of this list, multiple times. Once I hit enter, I am sure I will want to change it again! And it's not as if 5-15 were easy to figure out either! So...ok....got the SORTA KINDA ranking done...publish right? Nope...
4) I am suffering through writers block! It happens to me from time to time, and this year, just happened at the WRONG time. I tried to go the short video route, but honestly, I looked goofy, so I scrapped that idea. And then, thanks to my brother's inventive Christmas Card message this year, the idea of short, haikus for each record seemed imminently conceivable! And thus, the list is finally ready to go!

So, here is the bottom of the top 15 list, with the top 6 to be published tomorrow. As always, normal rules apply
No Live
No Best Of
No Comps

Enjoy!

14 - The Hotelier - Goodness

A small band from Mass
Pornographic album cover
Goodness it is great




13 – Paul Simon - Stranger to Stranger

Do not let Wristband
Be the song in which you judge
Record as a whole




12 - Green Day – Revolution Radio / Blink 182 – California

Two Bands, One Genre
Comebacks both, but close to same
Had to be a tie






11 – Dinosaur Jr – Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not

Mascis and the boys
Continue on the journey
Acclaimed second act




10 – Teenage Fanclub – Here

Still Going Very Strong
Twenty Five years since Concept
Sounds like yesterday




9 – Bon Iver – 22 a Million

Vernon back to Bon
Falsetto his very best friend
Almost made top 5




8 – Gaz Coombes – Matador

Going by US date
Released last year in UK
Don’t care, it’s my list




7 – American Football – LP2

17 between
LP1 and LP2
Breathtaking emo