[Shaun]

10 more then

#40 - "Honey" by Katy B

I don't think there will ever come a time where there's an object that can be identified as "a bad Katy B album", but this skated quite close to the edge for some. I can see why: it's a collection of random producers and DJs that are a lot more chilled-out than her older garage/dubstep sounds and it's not a terribly exciting listen. But for a winding down gathering it'd be pretty wonderful.

#39 - "Front Row Seat to Earth" by Weyes Blood

Her third album but the first I've heard, she came to my attention because of a future collaboration with Perfume Genius. Turns out she's done stuff with Ariel Pink too. In my head those are exciting names, but I admit on TiBB they're probably foreign-sounding appetisers. This album was an eye-opener for me, though, and she's something like an updated Karen Carpenter.

#38 - "Joanne" by Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa album cycles invariably come along with trying moments: will it match the Fame Monster, will she have RedOne back, is Beyonce going to finish that story, has she ditched the jazz crap? All questions that flatter her command on the world of pop. Perhaps the buzz flattered to deceive: Joanne landed with not so much a bang as a light thud. It's an odd direction for her, not without its fun songs and misfires, but five years ago we were all lauding her unpredictability and now we seem to bemoan it. Joanne is a pretty decent-to-good album.

#37 - "A Seat at the Table" by Solange

I would imagine it's inevitable that this'll creep further the list retrospectively but as of January 30, 2017, Shaun Collins cannot grasp what it is about this album that is supposedly Pitchfork's best of 2016. It is good. It has great tracks. But it's so padded out with waffle and really not all that memorable to me?

#36 - "Night Thoughts" by Suede

They've been pottering about with mediocrity since 1996's 'Coming Up' album. Even 2013's "Bloodsports" - which was received well - wasn't up to much for me, but something clicked with this album and Suede became a band I liked again.

#35 - "Love You to Death" by Tegan and Sara

Whilst the artwork is markedly similar to Taylor Swift's "1989", and it was never going to match the record label money spent on such a project, "Love You to Death" almost as overblown and majestic as it. They've become almost rivals to Robyn now in their sheer dependability with which they release excellent pop music. Speaking of which...

#34 - "Emotion: Side B" by Carly Rae Jepsen

If you are a queer person online (and let's face it, 67% of you are), chances are you're already sick of reading about her. I hope this doesn't serve as a barrier between you listening to the second wave of her 'Emotion' albums, though, because you'd be missing out on a lot of fun. 'Higher', 'Roses', 'The One' and 'Fever' could've all easily crept onto the main event in 2015, but for now they serve as highlights from a surprisingly solid group of eight off-cuts. 'Store' kinda sucks though. Sorry not sorry.

#33 - "Summer 08" by Metronomy

In the three albums now that I've been following Metronomy (a local band to me, which is rare) all of them have been complete surprises and 180 turns of genre and inspiration from the last. Where 'Love Letters' embraced psychedelia and space-age imagery, 'Summer 08' stomps into a weird 70s disco that is just as captivating.

#32 - "Lady Wood" by Tove Lo

It didn't come as a huge surprise that Tove Lo didn't quite come back to the same success that the likes of 'Talking Body' and 'Habits' did from her first record, but what she may have lost in commercial marketability she's more than made up for - in honing albums without significant gaps of lapsed interest. 'Queen of the Clouds', for all of its innovation, was very stop-start. 'Lady Wood' cannot really be faulted.

#31 - "Super" by Pet Shop Boys

I understand that the idea of still listening to the Pet Shop Boys in 2016 is not going to be a terribly popular idea. I also understand that "they've still got it!" is the cry of a defeated man. But I like them