10 Albums We Were Supposed to Like but Actually Didn’t 2016
In no particular order...
Let’s preface this list a little by explaining what it’s all about. I’m not hating on all these albums as being terrible (although a couple of them are), this is NOT a WORST ALBUMS of 2016 list, I’m merely exploring the ways in which they fell short of our expectations. I did find a few of these records quite enjoyable despite their shortcomings, but for the case of brevity, we might as well call them what they really are… flops. Please be kind to me.
Future Present Past by The Strokes
I really really really wanted this EP to be good. The Strokes are one of my favorite bands of all time and their first two albums are debatably two of the best of the 2000’s. So when we heard they were coming out with new music in 2016, we all got hyped. Unfortunately, all we got was essentially a few songs that could've been B-Sides of 2011’s Angles for all we know. It wasn’t significantly bad in any way but we know they are capable of so much more, which is why this is number one on my list. Side note, I do believe I’ve read about a new Strokes album in the works currently so hopefully they make up for this year’s let down with some new music soon.
Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ by Kid Cudi
The wait for Man on the Moon 3 continues… Although I think the evidence suggest this will never happen. Cudi's new album is undeniably better than his last album Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven, but that isn’t saying much at all. Actually, that means nothing… Speedin’ Bullet was actually painful to listen to. This album is not painful to listen to, but that is about all it had going for it. There are a few tracks that are close to being good, some good grooves, a few entertaining synth bars, but overall it's lackluster. This record only needs to be listened to about once. It's very possible Scott Mescudi has already surpassed his prime.
Three by Phantogram
Phantogram doesn’t get me high anymore… Despite this being one of the better tracks off the album, it’s one of only two or three that were enjoyable at all. This duo has done some really cool stuff in the past and I was hoping for more of their edgy alternative dance music. What we got on this album was just a very tame and toned down version of what they've already done. Nothing to see here… (I have to say "Same Old Blues" was stuck in my head for like 3 weeks consistently which was nice and horrible at the same time).
WALLS by Kings of Leon
I actually enjoyed this album a fair amount, which is one of the reasons it pains me to put them on this list… but it had to be done. Outside of a few really catchy and fun songs like "Around the World" and "Find Me", most of this record is filled with placeholder songs. There’s just too much filler nonsense here. Not to mention Kings of Leon has not done really anything exciting since 2008’s Only By The Night. Not to say they haven't made good music, they've given us plenty of easy listening material over the last year. This record continues the trend of KOL’s descent into cookie cutter radio pop.
Joanne by Lady Gaga
This woman has immense talent and I admire her as a musician and vocalist. Unfortunately, Joanne was not what we hoped for or expected in any way. We hoped she would show off her skills and give us something like a full on blues record we could really sink our teeth into, and we expected she would at the very least pump out some extremely fun and catchy dance songs we could blast at parties. What we actually got was something in between and it fell short of accomplishing either goal.
Blank Face by ScHoolboy Q
Hopefully I don’t get too much hate for this one I know fans of Schoolboy are loyal. I guess I’m not into the genre enough to standby this guy through mediocre work. "That Part" is without a doubt my least favorite song of 2016. Despite an impressive lineup of guest artists, this album was not impressive in any way. The highlight was the title track thanks to our boy Anderson .Paak and that’s just because he can do no wrong and it would've been a better track if Schoolboy stayed put of it. This one was a shame, 2014’s Oxymoron was an album that got me really excited about rap in general.
The Healing Component by Mick Jenkins
Chicago based rapper Mick Jenkins has shown signs of having a really unique and fresh approach to hip-hop. 2014’s The Water[s] excited a lot of people, including myself. The Healing Component wasn’t bad, but it didn't show us any signs of progression from this artist as a musician. More of the same, and a lot of filler tracks, same issues we’ve been seeing on all these albums. Shoutout to the lead single "Drowning" featuring BBNG. This along with a few other tracks like "Communication", are worth listening to. I also really enjoyed his lyrical approach and his focus on non-stereotypical subject matter.
Thick As Thieves by The Temper Trap
2009’s Conditions is one my favorite alternative albums of all time. Everything The Temper Trap has released since has been a huge disappointment. Their latest record falls in line with the rest. The first single, "Fall Together", was pretty solid, and then they made me nervous with the horrible second single, "Burn", and then got me excited again with the final single, "Alive". Then the album came out and the rest of the tracks were pretty much garbage. Sadness ensued. What we have here is a classic case of a band with a debut album peak.
PersonA by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
There was a solid amount of great musicianship on this album. The songwriting wasn’t half bad and I appreciate what Alex Ebert was trying to do with this album. There is a clear direction, but it just wasn't in the right direction. This is in no way a bad record, but it sadly did not give us even a shred of the sound we fell in love with on 2009’s Up From Below. Better luck next time.
Holy Key by DJ Khaled
Holy crap. Not sure if this even belongs on this list in particular but it felt worth mentioning. What can we say about it? Not too much, and almost nothing good. Shoutout to some solid features by our friends Kendrick and J. Cole.
Happy New Year’s Friends!
