2016 has taken many of our musical heroes away from us, including Prince and David Bowie, it’s also given us some of the most potent and paradigm-shifting music in recent memory.
1/ “Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” Adele
Adele’s bouncy “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” is the perfect example of taking the higher road in this scenario.
2/”Formation,” Beyoncé
It was the call heard ’round the world: “Okay ladies, now let’s get in formation.” Beyoncé’s first single from Lemonade is a no-holds-barred account of what it means to be black in America today, with all of its beauty and fraughtness.
3/”Needed Me,” Rihanna
Rihanna adds to the canon of anthems for independent women and, with warbling beats backing her up, throws shade at a guy who treats her badly
4/”Blackstar,” David Bowie
David Bowie released Blackstar a mere few days before catapulting off into the cosmos forever. And what a gift this last album is, especially cuts like the title track “Blackstar,” a lonesome—and eerily prescient—saxophone dirge that finds Bowie contemplating life after death.
5/ “Existence in the Unfurling,” Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
“Existence in the Unfurling,” is the central single from her album EARS, Smith croons like a sentient robot over a slowly rising crescendo of horn toots, gentle twinkles, and gurgling synthesizers.
6/ “Get a Yes,” Sad13
“Get a Yes.” The shimmering song also tackles a critical subject that’s not typically the stuff of pop: consent. “I say yes to the dress when I put it on,” she sings, “I say yes if I want you to take it off.”
7/ “Fool,” Frankie Cosmos
On the great poignant pop tune “Fool,” she berates someone who left her waiting and feeling like a fool, when all she wanted to do was “talk on darker days, with our boots kicked off.”
8/ “Love Is Not Love,” Cate Le Bon
Her stunning track “Love Is Not Love.” A downtempo beat and saxophones behind her, Le Bon wonders aloud on the melancholic song about the so-called universality of love.
9/ “Only Girl,” Kali Uchis
“Only Girl,” is a throwback that’ll make you want to cruise around in a lowrider, windows rolled down, with no particular destination in mind.
10/ “Work From Home,” Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign
Fifth Harmony make a strong case for working from home, which is becoming more popular for couples who are both practically and emotionally.
