[Shaun]

Lalalalalalala...

#20 - "Untitled Unmastered" by Kendrick Lamar

Was never going to dominate 2016 given its nature as a collection of offcuts without titles, artwork or promotion, but it's a fairly solid selection of eight tracks. Of course, stacked next to the two proper albums before it, it may be quickly forgotten.

#19 - "The Life of Pablo" by Kanye West

I haven't got over just how awful the artwork for this is, yet. Like, there's deviating from the idea of "eye-catching art" and then there's dicking around on Microsoft Paint at primary school. The album itself? It may be one of West's weakest... in fact it is... but its highlights are good enough to warrant a top twenty placing. The editing and cutting process of it was extremely well-publicised (by West himself) and it did get to the stage where I felt he didn't have any idea of what he wanted to present: even with all of its post-release edits and tweaks, it's relatively flawed. But the foundations are all there for another Kanye classic, and some tracks will be some of his career-best if he ever does retire.

#18 - "Chaleur Humaine" by Christine and the Queens

Released originally in France in 2014, her breakthrough in 2016 was most unexpected. The idea of a French genderfluid person being one of Britain's most beloved new musicians in the same year as Brexit is quite laughable on paper, but her stage presence, unique performance styles and a bag of memorable songs made it quite justifiable.

#17 - "A Moon Shaped Pool" by Radiohead

Now approaching the part of the list where everyone could've arguably made the top ten on a good day, but the competition was just so tight. Five years after the terribly divisive 'King of Limbs' came their ninth album, and probably their strongest since Kid A. Many would argue the merits of In Rainbows ahead of this and that's fine, since arguing over which is the best Radiohead album is often like arguing over how to make the best cup of tea; 'True Love Waits' finally got its centre stage moment and all of the surroundings were just as rewarding.

#16 - "99.9%" by Kaytranada

It won Canada's equivalent of the Mercury Prize and it's not hard to see why: the album contains some of the most exciting and wonderful production in a long time. He's worked and written for Alicia Keys, Katy B, Craig David, Chance the Rapper and Azealia Banks and that's just in 2016 alone: given time and honing he can only grow from here. 99.9% doesn't require a lot more to be the perfect 100 after all.

#15 - "Nothing's Real" by Shura

As already mentioned in the singles countdown, the fact that most of this album had already been floating around as singles and soundcloud files for the more diehard of Shura fans meant that this debut's eventual release wasn't quite as impactful for me as it should've been. For the casual pop fan though - I do envy you - this would be a perfect pop record upon hearing for the first time.

#14 - "Puberty 2" by Mitski

(thank you Scott)
This year was the first I'd heard of her, but this is her fourth LP now. That it's her first with a Wikipedia page might illustrate its status as something of a breakthrough, however. I look forward to (eventually) getting around to the three that precede it, but for now, Puberty 2 is captivating enough to keep me entertained for a while. Her song titles might sound like things Scott says whilst huffing glue ("I BET ON LOSING DOGS", he cries), and that's part of its charm.

#13 - "Malibu" by Anderson .Paak

Another breakthrough that isn't strictly a breakthrough, Anderson's second album was strong enough for even the BBC to pay attention. Not enough to put him above whatever a 'Jorja Smith' is, but that battle's a lost cause. 'Malibu' is a sort-of psychedelic, soulful masterpiece that is only topped by two other hip hop records of 2016. One's immediately to come and the other scrapes into the top ten. But this is one of those albums that stands alone entirely on its own terms: it's difficult to describe with genres but is perhaps best described as Anderson .Paak's little world.

#12 - "Coloring Book" by Chance the Rapper

"He said let's do a good-ass job with Chance 3, I hear you gotta sell it to snatch the Grammy. Let's make it so free and the bars so hard that there ain't one gosh darn part that you can't tweet." - Chance's own words on a little song called Ultralight Beam that preceded the release of this, his third mixtape, by roughly three months. Were it eligible for those awards and were Chance more concerned with coins than free music, this would surely sweep the board, but is there something commendable about taking his road? Sure. He stands as a refreshing alternative to the legions of artists out to boast their own wealth, but that's really of some insignificance when it comes to his music. Faith, Chicago, his daughter and his other relationships all make for some of the drawings in this coloring book, and it's more than a little enjoyable.

#11 - "The Colour in Anything" by James Blake

In hindsight I may have been a little harsh on Blake's debut album. That I've gone on to love Overgrown and now this should indicate that I've probably changed my stance on his sound somewhat. In the same year that James Blake has written not one but two songs for Beyonce's Lemonade, he's welcomed Frank Ocean, Bon Iver and Rick Rubin onto his own work - hell, he only needs Drake and he's won Hipster Bingo. Those two tracks on Lemonade may be a lot stronger than what's on display here, but he's made a great step here from indie darling to production superstar.