The 25 best albums of 2016

20 September 2023, 18:48

Take a trip back to the year of The 1975, Bastille, The Last Shadow Puppets, Biffy Clyro and the last album from David Bowie.

1. David Bowie - Blackstar: 8th January 2016

   A staggering end to an unparalleled career: Bowie closes the door on his life and his work with what’s been described as the greatest piece of performance art of the 21st Century. The thing is, it’s an impeccable collection of music, too with tracks like Lazarus and I Can't Give Everything Away.

   

2. Suede - Night Thoughts: release date 22nd January 2016

   Brett Anderson took his bandmates deeper into personal territory. Night Thoughts was the band’s second album since their “comeback” - with songs like Outsiders, Like Kids and What I'm Trying To Tell You.

   

3. Savages - Adore Life: release date 22nd January 2016

   The second album from the British post-punk act, fronted by French singer Jehnny Beth, included the tracks Surrender, T.I.W.Y.G. and Adore.

   

4. Bloc Party - Hymns: 29th January 2016

   Founder members Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack were joined by bassist Justin Harris and drummer Louise Bartle for their fifth album, but the angular, edgy Bloc Party sound remained on tracks like The Love Within, The Good News and Virtue.

   

5. Kanye West - The Life Of Pablo: release date 14th February 2016

   The seventh album by the controversial American rapper included the tracks Famous, Father Stretch My Hands and Fade.

   

6. The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep - For You Are So Beautiful, Yet So Unaware Of It: release date 26th February 2016

   The second album from the young Wilmslow-based quartet was an instant classic with singles The Sound, Loving Someone and She's American.

   

7. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression: release date 18th March 2016

   The Godfather Of Punk meets the frontman of Queens Of The Stone Age. And Arctic Monkeys’ drummer is in there too. The year we lost Bowie made us glad that we still had Iggy: the dependable, epitome of rock ’n’ roll.

   

8. Primal Scream - Chaosmosis: release 18th March 2016

   Eleven albums and thirty years into his career and Bobby Gillespie proved he’s not lost any of his fire. This time, they have a New Order-ish pop sheen on the tunes and the appearance of US singer Sky Ferreira gives them a youthful lease of life.

   

9. The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect: release date 1st April 2016

   Alex Turner and Miles Kane returned eight years after their first collaboration and the follow-up is every bit as giddy and lush as you’d imagine it to be: swooning, romantic, cinematic and just the right side of self-indulgent. Tracks included Bad Habits and Aviation.

   

10. Skepta – Konnichiwa: release date 6th May 2016

    The fourth album from the London rapper won the Mercury Prize for 2016 and included the tracks That's Not Me, Shutdown, Ladies Hit Squad and Man.

    

11. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool: release date 8th May 2016

    The long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s The King Of Limbs was worth the wait. Impenetrable yet accessible, symphonic yet claustrophobic… and full of the idiosyncratic touches that made us love them in the first place.

    

12. Richard Ashcroft - These People: release date 20th May 2016

    The former Verve frontman returned with another State Of The Nation address… featuring the singles They Don't Own Me, Hold One and This Is How It Feels.

    

13. Catfish And The Bottlemen - The Ride: release date 27th May 2016

    2014’s The Balcony was a snapshot of superstars in the making. The follow-up featured such modern classics as Twice, 8, Outside and Soundcheck.

    

14. Jake Bugg - On My One: release date 17th June 2016

    After the storming debut and the equally confident Shangri-La, the Nottinghamshire-born songwriter dug deeper on album three and mixes up the genres with remarkable results: Gimme The Love is streetwise swagger, Love Hope And Misery is a mega-ballad.

    

15. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway: release date 17th June 2016

    The eleventh album from the veteran LA rockers saw them drop producer Rick Rubin for the first time since 1989. In comes Danger Mouse and a subtle revamp to the Chili Peppers sound, with lead single Dark Necessities offering a looser, chilled-out vibe that acts as an ideal sampler.

    

16. Blink-182 - California: release date 1st July 2016

    Tom DeLonge was out, and Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba was in, but the Blink spirit was still there. Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker proved their knack for a rock chorus means divorce doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

    

17. Biffy Clyro - Ellipsis: release date 8th July 2016

    For their seventh outing, the Biff got even more experimental, throwing out defiant anthems (Wolves Of Winter) and classic pop songs (Howl) alongside some deeper, darker musings that illustrated the tensions and triumphs of the band’s career to date.

    

18. Viola Beach - Viola Beach: release date 29th July 2016

    Viola Beach's posthumous self-titled release flew in straight in at No.1, giving the young band who died in such tragic circumstances a lasting legacy. Tracks included Swings & Waterslides and Boys That Sing.

    

19. Blossoms - Blossoms: release date 5th August 2016

    Who’d have thought that the Cheshire town of Stockport would have spawned the latest anthemic rock band to take over the hearts and minds of the UK? This is a rich, spectacular record and with instant classics like Blown Rose and Charlemagne.

    

20. Jamie T - Trick: release date 2nd September 2016

    Mr Treays likes to mix things up a bit, and his fourth outing was no exception. From the sonic barrage of Tinfoil Boy to the Motown-tinged pop of Power Over Men, this is classic T.

    

21. Bastille - Wild World: release date 9th September 2016

    Leaping from a solo, homegrown artist into an arena-filling band leader, Dan Smith's second album included Good Grief, Blame and Glory.

    

22. Kings Of Leon - W.A.L.L.S.: release date 14th October 2016

    We Are Like Love Songs, spells the title - and the album brings us that classic KOL mix of heartbroken, angst-ridden vocals and big, anthemic riffs on tracks like Waste A Moment, Around The World and Reverend.

    

23. Two Door Cinema Club - Gameshow: release date 14th October 2016

    The Belfast trio took their nervy dance rhythms up a notch by embracing the vogue for 80-styled synthpop. Tracks like Are We Ready (Wreck) and Bad Decisions sparkle with joyful energy.

    

24. Courteeners - Mapping The Rendezvous: release date 28th October 2016

    The Manchester outfit returned with their long-awaited fifth album, bringing a kaleidoscope of bangers, including the electronic-inspired anthem The 17th, the rousing Modern Love, No One Will Ever Replace Us and Kitchen.

    

25. The Rolling Stones - Blue & Lonesome: release date 2nd December 2016

    The final Stones album that featured the full participation of drummer Charlie Watts before his death in 2021 (he appears on a couple of tracks on 2023's Hackney Diamonds), this LP saw the band head back to their blues roots, with covers of Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Little Walter and other heroes of the genre.