Disclaimer: This list has NOTHING to do with Video games but is merely a general interest article discussing music of 2016 from what gamer to another! Enjoy.
2016 was a weird and ever changing landscape as a whole, but nothing else in my life was as changing for me as my ever evolving music tastes; let me explain: In the last 3-4 years my music taste has changed from “Pop Punk til I die” to “NOTHING BUT METAL” into a far more eclectic overall musical taste in the past year.
So with this in mind, I wanted to list out my top 10 albums of 2016 and as I don’t write for any other blogs – you lot get the pleasure of reading through it.
10 Starboy – The Weeknd.
Whilst clearly not as strong as previous albums, The Weeknd has once again proven that he has the strongest vocals in R&B at the moment.
There are some ABSOLUTE FUCKING BANGERS on this album, including the title track but is unfortunately let down by a couple of “background noise” songs that don’t quite fit in – I can’t help feeling this would have been a better album if they cut out some of the dead weight and released a smaller, tighter album for Starboy.
9 California – blink 182
I haven’t much to say on this. I have been a pop punk kid for yeeeears and this is a blink-182 album.
8 22, A Million – Bon Iver
I HATED this album when I first listened to it, I thought he had gone a little overboard with the weirdness and it was too much.
Then I heard one of the tracks in the background and I liked it… then another and another until the charm of this album actually stuck with me and I realised what an incredible album it really is.
The only reason it is so low on this list is due to my initial hatred and the “grower” aspect of the album as a fair amount of time I wont have the patience to let an album grow on me.
7 Bad Vibrations – A Day To Remember
I was quite impressed by this one, incorporating a heavier sound than seen in the past few albums I found bad vibrations to be an excellent addition to the ADTR album lineup.
With some excellent single worth tunes this album sat quite rigidly in my earholes throughout the summer period!
6 Run The Jewels 3 – Run The Jewels
The hip hop duo have done it again – I have no words to describe this in all honesty that would do it justice – easily the best hip hop album of 2016.
5 The Devil, The Heart & The Fight – Skinny Lister
This one was one of those albums that could pull me out of any sort of funk, The happy acoustic guitar riffs and lighthearted bouncy vocals would always reverse the funk and make me feel like having a little dance, be that at my desk or as I pottered about the kitchen. The clear influences of the likes of Frank Turner (but better and happier) shine through right from the start of “Wanted”.
This was one album I would always return too if I was in a bad mood as a faithful companion to turn my mood around quickly.
Featuring tracks such as “Geordie Lad” and the awesome “Beat It From The Chest” this one is wholeheartedly place slap bang in the middle of my top 10 albums of 2016 and with the fact I am still listening to it now the year has finished it is certainly one with staying power!
If you have yet to listen to this indie/folk/punk hybrid then I cannot suggest a better time to jump on the bandwagon and get involved, I expect huge things from Skinny Lister in 2017.
4 Off With Their Heads – The King Blues. 
There was a quote about this album that I heard somewhere that perfectly sums up the triumphant return of the London based punk band: “We were going to make a really chilled out album, but then the Tories got into power so we thought fuck that”.
This, coupled with the decapitated head of David Cameron as the album cover instantly showed the kind of album this was going to be. The King Blues have provided some much needed punk in these tumultuous times of the past year.
3 This Is Acting – Sia
Another absolutely cracking album by Sia. I truly believe that she has the strongest vocals on the pop circuit right now which mix well with the incredible beats of her tracks.
As a fan of Sia ever since she featured on the trailer for the Prince Of Persia reboot (see this DOES have SOME video game references, even if only one!) she was always going to be on this list whenever she releases an album.
2 Redbone – Childish Gambino
Despite the fact that there is not a single rap track on the album, I think that Redbone might be about the strongest in the Childish Gambino album library.
With incredible beats and amazing Vocals, this is one that has again stayed with me into 2017.
1 You’re a Man Now, Boy – Raleigh Ritchie
No other album in 2016 had the staying power of Raleigh Ritchie for me, no matter the mood or situation. It became almost like an addiction for me, often being played “just one more time” this album was with no doubt my favourite album of 2016.
From incredible tracks such as “Stronger than ever” or “keep it simple” surprisingly featuring Stormzy, I honestly believe that You’re a man now, boy is a fantastic addition to the library of any easy listening fan.
In order to emphasise the point of this I wanted to let you know a little something – it has taken me 4 days to create this list with countless hours of deliberating who should make the top 10 spot for me but I wrote the title for this entry when I first created this article – not only this but I have listened to the album 6 times in these four days, that’s my addiction.
Also helps that he is Grey Worm, but Jacob Anderson has a very promising career ahead of him in both TV & Music.
So that’s it! My 10 favourite albums of 2016! I know it isn’t the usual thing I would write about so I appreciate those of you who stuck around.
What were your favourite albums of 2016? Let us know on Facebook & Twitter or in the comment section below!
Now… back to the original scheduled programming!