This thing got a little out of hand, but here’s finally the top 10. You might find it weird that there’s no Leonard Cohen or Sturgill Simpson for example. I’m sure I would love them, but I haven’t bough them yet. So that’s why. These are also always completely subjective and there’s nothing objective about them. Just the albums that I fell in love with during the year. Oh yeah and I left out Pony Bradshaw, because it looks like they’ve made that album unavailable at the moment. It’s nowhere to be found at the moment. I’m assuming there will be a more official release coming up in 2017. I hope so, because it’s a really good album and Josephine would be a contender for the song of the year title, if it was out and available. Here are the other chapters of this ridiculously long albums of the year 2016 list.

Part One 50-41
Part Two 40-31
Part Three 30-21
Part Four 20-11
Part Five 10-1

And now my top ten picks for the year 2016.

10. Aaron Lee Tasjan – Silver Tears

Aaron Lee Tasjan created an album that shines brighter than his suit. The first outtake Little Movies took my breath away and is a song of the year contender. The rest of the album Silver Tears didn’t fall far behind. Very impressive.

9. Austin Lucas – Between The Moon & The Midwest

A long time favourite Austin Lucas released a new album Between The Moon and the Midwest early in the year and it stayed on the playlist and in my heart throughout the whole year and I have no plans of letting it go. The new album has some very traditional country stuff, but also a bit of psychedelic pop vibes. It took him a while to get it out in the world, but it was completely worth the wait.

8. John K. Samson – Winter Wheat

I’m a huge fan of Canadian songwriter John K. Samson and his band The Weakerthans. Winter Wheat is his new solo album although it also features other Weakerthans members. I haven’t spent too much time with it yet, but it’s already pretty safe to say that John K. Samson has once again written a marvellous album.

7. Teenage Fanclub – Here

Scottish Teenage Fanclub is one of my all-time favourite bands and they are still Here and in great form. The Darkest Part Of The Night is the biggest highlight and a contender for the song of the year title. Thin Air and Connected to Life and few others are also future TFC classic and it’s a strong album as a whole.

6. Nap Eyes – Thought Rock Fish Scale

Canadian Nap Eyes is a pretty weird band. At first listen, their music just seems lazy and effortless, but somehow they lure you in and a while later what seemed lazy and effortless has turned into charming, unique and thoughtful. A brilliant record.

5. Daniel Romano – Mosey

The new Daniel Romano album turned out to be a little bit different than what I expected beforehand. A little bit of Lee Hazlewood, ye-ye, avant-garde pop, psychedelic elements, soul and what not. It took a few spins or maybe even more than just a few spins, but eventually I fell in love with it and actually it might be my favourite Daniel Romano album at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApW5JJh1QLw

4. Hiss Golden Messenger – Heart Like a Levee

Hiss Golden Messenger is only getting better all the time. M.C. Taylor and co put together a masterpiece called Heart Like a Levee. Great songwriting and wonderful arrangements. Album closer Highland Grace is a work of ark. The ending of that song and this record might well be my favourite moment on any record this year.

3. Richmond Fontaine – You Can’t Go Back, If There’s Nothing To Go Back To

Moving on to the top 3. These next three were by far the dearest albums of the year to me and anyone of them could have been the album of the year, but this is how it went today. Richmond Fontaine is going out with style and released one hell of a farewell album. Future will tell will this reach the same classic status as Post To Wire, Winnemucca and The Fitzgerald, but I think it’s pretty much on the same level. Which is a lot said, because we are talking about one of the greatest bands of the past 20 years. We are gonna miss you Richmond Fontaine.

2. Courtney Marie Andrews – Honest Life

I’m jumping the gun a bit, because the Euro release of the new Courtney Marie Andrews album Honest Life happens in January 2017 on Loose Music. However, I got it when it came out in the states on Mama Bird Recording Co last fall and I completely fell in love with it. There’s no way I could leave out such a masterpiece. Besides, this blog jumped the shark years ago, so I’m sure it’s perfectly ok to jump the gun as well. Anyway, Courtney Marie Andrews is a brilliant songwriter and Honest Life is an amazing collection of beautiful, honest and thoughtful folk songs.

1. Andy Shauf – The Party

The album of the year 2016 is The Party by Canadian songwriter Andy Shauf. This was sitting on the album of the month slot in the old blog layout for half of the year, so I guess it’s no wonder that it’s also the album of the year. The Party is an absolute beauty of an album and I love it to bits. A wonderfully orchestrated and arranged collection of songs that makes me forget time and place and instead I end up dragged into the life of these people, their stories and narratives. Andy Shauf created a colourful pop masterpiece that will stand the test of time.

Part One 50-41
Part Two 40-31
Part Three 30-21
Part Four 20-11
Part Five 10-1

20. Two Cow Garage – Brand New Flag

Two Cow Garage from Columbus, Ohio is a long time favourite and they can kick off the top 20 with their great new album Brand New Flag. Both songwriters Micah Schnabel and Shane Sweeney are in excellent form on this new one.

19. Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster – Constant Stranger

Water Liars frontman Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster put out a magnificent solo album Constant Stranger. A really strong indie-folk album altogether and then there’s this last song The Dirt, The Bells and I . Such a brilliant song.

18. Kalispell – Printer’s Son

Next we have Shane Leonard’s Kalispell. Actually Printer’s Son would have been on my top 10 a year ago, but I left it out because it didn’t come out officially until summer 2016 (Kickstarter backers got it a year earlier). It’s a bit difficult to decide where it should land this year, because I didn’t listen to it nowhere near as much as back in 2015. I still love it though and it’s full of stunning folk songs.

17. BJ Barham – Rockingham

American Aquarium frontman BJ Barham released a magnificent solo album Rockingham. Small town hymns that are both warm and devastating. The song + video combination of The Unfortunate Kind is heartbreaking. Man returning from a gravesite and looking back the life they shared. Overwhelming hurt wrapped in warth and gratitude.

16. Robbie Fulks – Upland Stories

Unfortunately there haven’t been that many Grammy nominees on my year-end lists. This year we do have one, because Robbie Fulks got two nominations. I didn’t see that coming, but it was fully deserved because Upland Stories is awesome. The album contains beautiful and warm folk/bluegrass sounds and wonderfully written stories set in the uplands. So fabulous.

15. Chris Staples – Golden Age

Oh Chris. I fell in love with you the minute I heard the first single and opening track Relatively Permanent. That song is a moment. That song is everything. The rest of the album Golden Age had a hard time living up to that, but it didn’t fall far behind its glorious first outtake. The whole album is remarkable.

14. John Calvin Abney – Far Cries and Close Calls

John Calvin Abney is an Oklahoma-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His new album Far Cries and Close Calls is a very captivating collection of songs. A while back he might have been better known as a trusted sidekick or backing musician to your favourite folk songwriter, but these days he is also a tremendous songwriter. Or well maybe he always was and I just haven’t heard the old material.

13. Drive-By Truckers – American Band

I love the band Drive-By Truckers, but for some weird reason I haven’t been extremely excited about their last 2-3 albums. I can’t even pinpoint why that is exactly, because while the records aren’t their very best, they are still pretty damn good and would be standouts in someone else’s catalogue. The excitement is definitely now back, because this new album American Band is a stunning collection of songs. Lyrically important and both Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley are in top form.

12. Daniel Markham – Disintegrator

Daniel Markham put together a dreamscape called Disintegrator. If you wake up in the middle of the night, play this one as loud as your neighbours can handle and it will kick the demons out of your head. Outstanding record from Daniel Markham once again.

11. Wesley Randolph Eader – Highway Winds

Wesley Randolph Eader from Portland might still be fairly unknown, but he is an incredible folk songwriter. Highway Winds should get a lot of recognition. This contains some of my favourite songs of the year. Actually five of these ten songs could be candidates for the songs of the year list. There’s a couple of songs that I’m not that excited about and that’s the only reason this dropped just outside top 10. Wesley Randolph Eader closes this chapter of the albums of the year list by Waitin’s What We Do and Sorrows For A Song, because it would be impossible to pick just one.

Part One 50-41
Part Two 40-31
Part Three 30-21
Part Four 20-11
Part Five 10-1

30. Caleb Caudle – Carolina Ghost

Moving on to the top 30. North Carolinian americana/country singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle has become a big blog favourite over the last few years and I will buy everything he releases. I really love the song Tuscaloosa, but obviously it’s not just that. The whole album is pretty amazing.

29. China – Pool Of Tears

This might be a little obscure pick, because San Francisco-based China is still criminally unknown. That’s unfortunate, because Pool of Tears is a wonderful record. Not exactly the happiest record you might ever hear, but somehow it’s still damn enjoyable one to listen to.

28. Cody Jinks – I’m Not The Devil

Looking for some real and true country music instead of country songs about sipping rum drinks by the pool (that was slightly modified late great Ben Bullington quote). Well look no further. Cody Jinks is the man for the job. I’m Not The Devil is an extremely convincing album and it has already picked several #1 spots in the country/americana blogosphere and rightfully so.

27. Caleb McCoach – Vanity

I accidentally stumbled upon this Caleb McCoach album Vanity during one of my aimless bandcamp browsing sessions. I listened to this for hours and hours and oh how badly I fell in love with it. It’s dark and fragile, but also somehow peaceful and warm. Caleb actually released another album in December. I have to get into that sometime soon, because this one is special.

26. Freschard – Sunday Night

Regular visitors are probably well aware that I’m seriously addicted to the music of French-born, but Berlin-based Freschard. Shh.. Boom Biddy Boom and now Sunday Night is an album trio that I could just listen to all day long. This new one maybe didn’t have anything as highly addictive as Cheese and Crackers or glorious as Tweet Tweet, but it’s definitely another winner.

25. Michael Nau – Mowing

Page France and Cotton Jones guy Michael Nau charmed me early in the year with his solo album Mowing. Full of sweet folk-tinged pop songs and irresistible low-key beauty. It all sounds so smooth, lovely and easy-flowing. I have the US version, but it also came out in the Europe very late in the year.

24. Itasca – Open To Chance

Paradise of Bachelors is a label whose taste I trust and I will listen to each and everyone of their releases. I didn’t know Itasca aka L.A based folk singer-songwriter Kayla Cohen before this album, but Open to Chance instantly became very dear to me. I’ve spent a lot of time just lying on the floor wrapped into the mesmerizing serene beauty of this album.

23. Matt Woods – How To Survive

New Matt Woods album How To Survive has been in really heavy rotation. The man has the voice and of course the songs too. This one Fireflies for example. So damn brilliant and the rest are pretty much on the same level.

22. Kacy & Clayton – Strange Country

Did I ever feature this when it came out on New West Records? If I didn’t, I’ll turn myself in tomorrow to the local police station. One shouldn’t get away with such a crime. Anyway these Canadian second cousins put together a stunning album that echoes both the North American folk tradition and British 70s folk. Very impressive.

21. Robert Ellis – Robert Ellis

Robert Ellis didn’t play it safe and the new album has very ambitious and innovative arrangements and more sonic adventures that I’m usually willing to take. Robert Ellis is such a talent that he can make this all work beautifully and this genre-blending break-up album turned out to be absolutely wonderful. Robert Ellis and California from his self-titled album is a perfect way to end this third chapter of this pointless albums of the year list.