Year In Review 2016

Although 2016 will be remembered by most as a pretty crappy year, there were some great things that were, at least to me, pretty awesome. 

2016 included: A full scale house remodel of our kitchen, dining, office and living room, which was a huge undertaking - My sister and her husband welcomed their first baby Stella Grace - The Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl - I had my first year as a coach for Jr. Jazz basketball - the only grandma Shara knew passed away at the age of 90 - My band Go Suburban released our self titled debut album that we put so much time and effort into - We celebrated Jane's 3rd birthday at Disneyland/California - Will learned how to ride a bike & land flips on the trampoline - We remodeled a separate bathroom and laundry room - Will had 2 sets of stitches this year - Jane dealt with night terrors about half of the year, which we are still trying to figure out - We remodeled Will's room - Shara and I traveled to Moab and hiked around for our 11th anniversary - Will started Kindergarten - Jane started preschool - We voted - Jane started attempting flips on the trampoline. 

During all of that, the events of this year were coupled with an amazing soundtrack. Which will help embed the memories of this year into my mind. A brief history of what I do to compile this list: My year in review mix is something I start doing on January 1st of each year. I'm constantly finding and listening to new music, debating throughout the year if it's worthy enough to end up on my list at the end of the year. This year I even contributed to this list as well, which I didn't just consider lightly. If you are new to how I compile this list, I rank what I consider to be the top 20 albums of the year, then I make a playlist featuring 1 song off of each album that I think best showcases the album, or is just my favorite song off of the album. In years past, I have always tried my hardest to find the "clean" version of songs knowing that some people might be somewhat offended by certain lyrics. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find clean versions of songs, and with the advent of streaming music coming to the forefront the past couple of years, it's going to be nearly impossible as we move forward. So on that note, some of the music I have included on this list does contain some swears, and I truly apologize.

This year included some interesting choices that I wouldn't have otherwise foreseen me listening to. Specifically a musical that would have such a huge impact on me. This album made an exception because I'm generally not into musicals, especially while making a generally alternative playlist. It also made an exception because technically it was released in 2015, but wasn't on my radar until earlier this year, and since it pretty well dominated much of what I listened to this year, I had to make a spot for it. I also featured my band Go Suburban's album, which I was so proud to be a part of, and love every single song so much. These albums are the definition of 2016 for me. An election year, a year of firsts for my family, a year of struggles and triumphs. 

Here is my Year In Review for 2016:

1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool "Burn The Witch"
2. Go Suburban - WWDK "War Of Wars"
3. Various Artists - Hamilton Soundtrack "Non-Stop"
4. Bon Iver - 22, A Million "8 (Circle)"
5. Pinegrove - Cardinal "Aphasia" *
6. The Hotelier - Goodness "Goodness, Pt. 2"
7. The Strokes - Future Present Past EP "Oblivius"
8. Wilco - Schmilco "If I Ever Was A Child"
9. Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Denial "Fill In The Blank"
10. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - I Had A Dream That You Were Mine "In A Black Out"
11. Young The Giant - Home Of The Strange "Amerika" **
12. The Lumineers - Cleopatra "Angela"
13. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway "Dark Necessities"
14. Weezer - The White Album "Jacked Up"
15. Jack Garratt - Phase "Weathered"
16. Angel Olsen - My Woman "Shut Up Kiss Me"
17. Glass Animals - How To Be A Human Being "Life Itself"
18. A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service "Solid Wall Of Sound"
19. The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It "Somebody Else"
20. Frank Ocean - Blonde "Pink + White"

*: Best New Artist
**: Best Album Cover

Honorable mentions:
Into It. Over It. - Standards
Ra Ra Riot - Need Your Light
Band Of Horses - Why Are You OK