I made a playlist with 20 of my favorite new tracks from 2016. Have a listen and let me know what I missed!

Listen to the entire playlist HERE or below:

Lazarus – David Bowie
“Look up here, I’m in heaven”. I hope that’s true, for David Bowie. His final album, Blackstar, was a somber, introspective creation. Top to bottom, Bowie delivers a powerful realization his own mortality, and Lazarus is a perfect example. It’s as if his last gift to us was his own obituary, as he passed just days after its release.

Freaky Feedback Blues – Benji Hughes
Moving things to a slightly lighter tone, here’s a track that to me is a straight-forward, fun, catchy tune. The layered vocals are so nicely done and when the background vocals kick in during the chorus, I simply can’t help but want to sing along… freaky!

Let Me Get By – Tedeschi Trucks Band
From the opening notes of this song, it’s easy to tell it’s going to vibe. “TTB” have become a powerhouse over the past several years, touring nearly constantly, and their efforts are paying off. They’ve found their own niche with their signature, southern soulful rock and Let Me Get By embodies that sound perfectly.

First Run – Cian Nugent
Irish singer-songwriter Cian Nugent offers up this track with distorted vocals, and upbeat melody and almost church like organ as the backdrop. First Run is one of those songs that when I listen, I find myself bobbing back and forth to the melody.

Off The Ground – The Record Company
Here’s another track that just grabs you from the opening notes. It’s got a cool, restrained feeling to begin, and opens up as it builds into the chorus. Their entire debut album has a gritty, stripped down, vintage sound and Off the Ground is a perfect taste.

Mirrored In Reverse – White Denim
Corsicana Lemonade was one of my favorite albums a couple of years ago. After re-tooling the band somewhat, White Demin’s follow up album Stiff didn’t quite grab me the same way, but Mirrored In Reverse definitely captured their essence to me: distinct vocals on top of a powerful rhythm section and loud guitars.

Dropkick – Marco Benevento
The Story of Fred Short features a slew of fun, funky, danceable tracks followed by a mini-concept album about Fred. The entire album flows incredibly nicely, and Dropkick brings the energy of Marco’s live performances to the studio production quite well.

Six Shooter AKA the History of Dance – Nikhil P. Yerawadekar & Low Mentality
If you like to get funky, you will most definitely dig this tune, and probably the entire album. Nikhil takes inspiration from all sorts of worldly music and his seven-member band is widely instrumented – the result is a goofy, yet musically complex sound. The “six shooter” is a reference to his guitar, right? It certainly makes me dance!

Old Snow, White Sun – Kikagaku Moyo
Japanese Psych Rock is most certainly a genre I didn’t know I’d dig… and one I didn’t even know existed! But Kikagaku Moyo has opened my eyes. Their album sways between vibey, rocking and heavy. Old Snow, White Sun is one of the more chill tracks, but I love how the gentle vocals sit on top of the strumming acoustic guitar to create such a blissful sound.

New Speedway Boogie – Courtney Barnett
Day of the Dead was such a well put-together project: an extended collection of modern indie rockers covering the Grateful Dead. I could have selected any number of tracks to spotlight, but for some reason Courtney Barnett’s singing “Spent a little time on the Mountain” just grabbed at me.

The Roundabout – Ryley Walker
I discovered Ryley Walker’s simple, stripped down, folk-like sound late last year, and I’m so impressed with his songwriting and lyrics. He’s a 20-something who sings songs that seem significantly more mature. The Roundabout is about hard knocks, but it’s catchy tune and I’ve found myself with the lyrics stuck in my head more than once.

Midnight on the Earth – St. Paul & The Broken Bones
St. Paul & The Broken Bones have a big, soulful sound. From the falsetto vocals to the rich organ to the crescendo of the horns to end the tune, Midnight on the Earth plays very much to their strengths.

Transcendental Meditation – Natural Child
Natural Child’s album is filled with fun, pop-rocking tunes. Transcendental Mediation has an tap-along beat, riffing guitars throughout and is a song I could put on repeat. I could even say the song itself became my own mantra after first hearing it!

Higher Now – Drakkar Nowhere
Higher Now is something like deep, heavy funk mixed with a pinch of psychedelia and a twist of beautiful vocals on top. The stripped down drumming and strong baseline provide a strong backbone to the tune, and the layers of synthesizers and spaced-out vocals almost make me feel like I’m floating away while I am listening… hiiiiiigher now…

More – Phish
When your favorite band puts out an album, of course you have to pick a song for a “favorites” list. Yes, Big Boat does have a bit of that “dad rock” feel to it, but it’s great to see the band making new music and still having so much fun doing so deep into their career. Keep giving us More!

Furry Freedom (feat. Scott Metzger) – WOLF!, Scott Metzger
Scott Metzger’s shreddy telecaster leads WOLF!, an instrumental trio who supposedly has never written a song, but instead craft each track on the go during live performances. So much of the album feels like it could serve as the score of a Tarrantino film, and Furry Freedom is a great sample of the altogether enjoyable record.

You Want It Darker – Leonard Cohen
You can count Leonard Cohen as the second star of this year who seemingly wrote his own obituary. Not unlike Bowie, Cohen crafted a dark, introspective album to cap off a long career filled with incredible songwriting poetry. You Want It Darker feels like his final farewell; he definitely “put out the flame” with this powerful track.

Souvenir Shop Rock – Savoy Motel
Savoy Motel packs a big sound into Souvenir Shop Rock, the title track of their EP release. It’s got a driving rhythm, and fun vocals laid on top of some distorted guitar jams with heavy synth bits interlaced throughout. It’s a song that easily symbolizes the idea of “rocking out”.

Black Spasmodic – A Tribe Called Quest
Tribe’s latest album was released to much hype. While I’m not a hip-hop connoisseur personally, it’s hard not to like what they did here, and Black Spasmodic is boasts a funky beat and a catchy chorus that’s hard not to like.

Have Some Love – Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino is a chameleon of different styles, and with this record, almost every track features a very vintage R&B / soulful feel. Have Some Love very easily could have been a song by Sly and the Family Stone if I didn’t know better, and sends a strong positive message – what’s not to love?!