Monday, December 19, 2016

Top 10 Albums of 2016 Part 2

Happy holidays/Merry Christmas/Happy Chaunukah/Happy Yule/Happy Kwanzaa/Happy New Year/etc.! By now I imagine you guys know the drill with this. I'm taking the last week that I will be posting this year to list what I feel were the 10 best albums to come out this year. 2016 had some pretty good stuff released, so I'm looking forward to posting two of them a day till the end of the week after which I will be taking the rest of the year off to enjoy the holidays. These albums will not be listed in any particular order because as I've said in the past, it's a pain trying to place all of them. All that aside, let's continue!




8. Hardwired...to Self-Destruct, by Metallica

After making their fans wait eight long years, the kings of thrash metal finally put out their 10th studio album. With this album, Metallica don't exactly knock on the door politely. In true metal fashion they come crashing in guitars pummeling, drums and bass thundering, etc. They will rock your house or wherever you are to the ground in this most recent release of theirs.

Hardwired...to Self-Destruct is a definite return to form for Metallica. Each song on this two disc nearly 80 minute ass whooping is a throwback to an earlier incarnation of the band's sound while still pushing forward and trying to do something different with it. In my opinion, it is both the album's greatest strength and weakness. That said, if you're looking for some good kick-ass straight up Metallica you're going to find it here.





 7. Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016, by Jack White

After the extensive tour that Jack White did for his 2014 studio album Lazaretto and then writing, recording, and putting out a new album with his side project The Dead Weather last year I'm not surprised that he wasn't in the mood to jump back in the studio and put out a new solo album this year. That said, Acoustic Recordings features a pretty cool selection of tunes throughout all of Jack's recording career including stuff from: The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and plenty of his solo stuff as well.

I like that it features some never before heard tracks as well as some more stripped down or differently mixed tunes of his that we have heard. Honestly, some of the tunes I've listened to most often were the ones that were just different versions of already released tunes. I'm always a big fan of listening to a song I really like in all of the ways that it exists. If there is an acoustic version of something I love with different sounding vocals, you bet I want to get on that. Definitely worth looking into for anyone following Jack White.

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