The music that mattered most in 2016
David Bowie's death, just ten days into the new year, set the tone for 2016.
Shortly after, A Tribe Called Quest's Malik Taylor died suddenly at his California home. Less than a month later, Prince's overdose shocked the world. In May, we learned Gord Downie has an incurable form of brain cancer. Finally, a double-whammy last month when Sharon Jones and Leonard Cohen died just a week apart.
Considering all the bad news the music industry experienced in 2016, it's easy to look past what it gained. But pound for pound, note for note, this was actually a big year for music.
There was new music from Rihanna, Drake, A Tribe Called Quest, Bon Iver, Maxwell, Frank Ocean, Lady Ga Ga, Radiohead, Bruno Mars and Ariana Grande. Kaytranada announced himself in a big way with his Polaris win. Kanye was still Kanye — the old Kanye and the new Kanye — and Beyoncé dropped one of the most talked-about albums of the decade.
From smiles to tears, from head-bobbing to quiet contemplation, the year in music has given us a lot to chew on. So we assembled our Day 6 music panel to discuss the best music, the biggest newsmakers and — of course — their 'naughty' and 'nice' lists.
Andrea's got a good word for The Highest Order
"Toronto's The Highest Order was a really nice surprise for me this year. They make psychedelic country music and deal with decolonization. They use country music to confront settler mentality, pushing white people to be more accountable."
"It was great — plus, they're fantastic musicians and their drummer is amazing."
Andrea Warner is the co-host of the Pop This podcast and the author of We Oughta Know: How Four Women Ruled the '90s and Changed Canadian Music.
Maxwell makes Maura's nice list
"I thought R&B had a great year. I thought artists like King and Solange all put out albums that were just stunning in quality but I would say Maxwell tops the list."
"He put out blackSUMMERS'night, which is his long-awaited follow-up to 2009's BLACKsummers'night (Yes, those titles are basically the same). It's wonderful, classic soul with a great vibe."
Maura Johnston is a journalism Instructor at Boston College and writer whose work has appeared on Pitchfork Media, the Boston Globe and Rolling Stone Magazine.
On Nate's nice list
"I was very impressed with the Swedish chanteuse who goes by Tove Lo. Her single, Cool Girl, is on my nice list. I love this song because it feels like a meta pop song, one that is at once a mindless piece of entertainment but at the same time it seems to be critiquing the same pop industry that creates this endless line of so-called "cool girls."
Nate Sloan is a musician, music instructor and co-host of Switched On Pop.
When life gives you lemons
Beyoncé's Lemonade represents one of the big music stories of the year. New music from Beyoncé is always news, but this one was different. The surprise release dropped in April and came with a one-hour film that also aired on HBO.
The biggest surprise, however, was the content. The 12 songs hop from one genre to another and cover a wide array of personal and social issues. The Washington Post called the album a "surprisingly furious song-cycle about infidelity and revenge."
Nate says he can't think of a time when a single album has exerted such a cultural force, both in terms of accolades and for being reviled.
"Either way, this audio-visual record was inescapable this year and seemed to bring up so many of the controversies and personal histories we were grappling with in 2016."
Check out our Day 6 playlist with all the music discussed in our year-end music panel: