26 Songs from 2016 You Need To Hear Before the Year Ends

When I look back on 2016 unlike all the people who cry on social media I will actually remember the year fondly. You realize celebrities die every year, right?

I had a lot of great times this year with some great people. I went from "you're gonna die tomorrow" fat, to "at least you don't need a seat belt extender on an airplane anymore" fat. It was a great year for sports and even better for music (IMO). Lots of great music in 2016 and this blog is to share some of my favorite songs from the year that was. It's no secret that I'm an alt-rock guy at heart, and sure there's gonna be a lot of that on this list but you may have some surprises when you see what I included. No rankings here just songs that I enjoyed in the year 2016 that I wanted to share with all the loyal readers of DOL. Hope you enjoy! No Kanye or Beyonce. I'm not a sheep.


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"Pink + White": Frank Ocean (Blonde)

After being out of the spotlight for nearly 4 years, Frank Ocean released his 2nd studio album "Blonde" in 2016 and it did not disappoint. The raw emotion and range of sounds in Frank Ocean's music is what makes me and so many more people fans of his work. Blonde was widely regarded as one of the best albums of the year by critics and deservingly so. Frank Ocean is a genius and pink + white is my personal favorite from the album. 

FRANK OCEAN - Pink + White from Amaury on Vimeo.

"I Feel It Coming" "Starboy": The Weeknd (Starboy)

I still need to listen to Starboy in its entirety but from what I've heard already I've loved. If you've listened to the radio in the last 3 months you've probably heard Starboy and it's a certified banger. I love that song, but his latest single "I Feel It Coming" is a melodic masterpiece. Sounds like a young Michael and luckily for us this song is not about little boys. The orginal version still isn't on youtube so you get this perfomance from Fallon. The Weeknd may have the best pure voice in music right now. 

​"Blow Your Mind (Mwah)": Dua Lipa (Dua Lipa)

This song is just too catchy and too fun to be excluded from this list. I don't care who you are, or what music you're into this is a fun ass song. MWAH!

​"24K Magic": Bruno Mars (24K Magic)

There's been times when I used to bash Bruno Mars, but that was when I was young and stupid. I've since smartened up and become a fan. The dude just puts out hit, after hit, after hit. Wicked talented, sure he's like 4 feet tall but it doesn't matter when every song you make blows up the top 40. Much like "Blow Your Mind" this is a fun song to sing along to that can be loved by fans of any genre. 

​"New Song": Warpaint (Heads Up)

Warpaint formed in 2004 but it wasn't until 2010 when they released their first studio album. It wasn't until this summer with this song where they broke onto my radar. Like most hipster-y bands they've gotten backlash online for having a "pop-y" single.  I always hate when people bash musicians for trying to make money. Godforebid right? This song is amazing and any craft beer sipping hipsters that want to bash on a band for having a good, popular song can kick rocks. I can't wait to hear more from them. I think they have a bright future in the alt-rock scene. 

You've got the moves, you've the moveeees

​"Cheap Thrills": Sia featuring Sean Paul (This Is Acting)

Anytime you can have a hit song in 2016 that has Sean fucking Paul in it you know you've done something right. 

​"Modern Act": Cloud Nothings (Life Without Sound)

I found this song by accident on Apple Music and just kept listening and fell in love with it. Extremely relatable lyrics. 

​"Lighterless": Microwave (Much Love)

Much like Cloud Nothings, Microwave is a band I found on apple music by accident. They're a little indie band from Atlanta still trying to make it. Will they I don't know, but when I heard this song I was hooked.

​"Standing in the Rain": Action Bronson, Dan Auerbach and Mark Ronson (Suicide Squad Soundtrack)

While I wasn't a huge fan of the movie, I am a huge fan of this song. I've been saying it on this blog for months that I'm a big  cross-genre collaborations guy and this is probably my favorite of 2016. You've got Dan Auerbach, the lead singer of the Black Keys (my all time favorite band) teaming up with every one's favorite chef turned rapped: Action Bronson. ​How cool is that?

Heathens by 21 Pilots is trash, just like that trash band and should not have been the big lead song from the movie, should've been this. 

We all use milf-hunters to ease the pain, Action.

​"Soundcheck": Catfish and the Bottlemen (7)

Another song nobody has heard of.

​"Sleep On The Floor": The Lumineers (Cleopatra)

​I've loved the Lumineers sound since the first time I heard them in 2012. Perfect mixture of folk and pop. Their debut album was incredible. Again lyrically this song is just so relatable to all the 20-somethings out there like me. Your boy is dying to live out this video in real life, minus the whole funeral part. 

​"All We Ever Knew": The Head and The Heart (Signs of Light)

I just really love song. Makes me happy when I hear it. Love the violins too. 

​"Life Itself", "Youth" and "Pork Soda": Glass Animals (How To Be A Human Being)

Whether it be the tribal beat to start "Life Itself" or the grooze in "Pork Soda" I cannot get enough of Glass Animals. Their album How To Be A Human Being ​is one of my favorites of the year. Their funky sound is just really refreshing in today's music. I love how much fun you can see they're having on stage in live performances too. They're on my "need to see live" check list. 

​"Black Beatles": Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane (SremmLife 2)

First off I cannot have a 2016 list and not include the song from the #MannequinChallenge.  In (nearly) every video posted online this song was playing. Even Paul McCartney took part in  the craze. Normally I'm not a fan of this kind of rap at all, but I love Black Beatles. It is actually pretty catchy and the whole concept of the song and video is pretty smart and funny. 

"The Sound": The 1975 (I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It)

When I first heard the 1975 a few years back with songs like "Girls" and "Sex" I was all in on them. Really dig their sound. They followed up their self-titled 2013 debut album with "I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It" has been praised by critics. Rolling Stone said it was 2nd best rock album of the year. The Sound was a big reason why. The video is brillant as it makes fun of negative criticism the band has received. 

​"She's Out of Her Mind": Blink-182 (California)

When it was announced Blink-182 was going to go forward without Tom Delonge I can't lie I thought it'd be the end of them. I love Mark and Travis, they're great, but anytime a band loses its lead singer and guitarist it can be tough to bounce back from. Well Blink showed in 2016 they can do just fine without Tom as California as "She's Out of Her Mind" was top 5 hit on the alternative charts. The music video was an awesome tribute to their video for "What's My Age Again?" which is a staple of pop-punk history. 

​"Still Breathing": Green Day (Revolution Radio)

I had kind of given up on Green Day, didn't really pay much attention to what they did after American Idiot. That changed after the first time I heard this, one of my favorite Green Day songs I've ever heard. You can feel the anguish in Billie Joe's singing. Very heavy, but good song by think kings of punk.

​"One Dance": Drake (VIEWS)

What can I say about Drizzy that hasn't already been said? Say whatever you want about the guy but the dude knows how to make a banger. "Too Good" is probably my favorite song from VIEWS but you can't find a good version on youtube. Make sure you hear that if you haven't yet.

​"WALLS" by Kings of Leon in its entirety.

WALLS is personally my favorite album of 2016. Kings of Leon have a steady hold in my top 5 favorite bands of all time, so I'm a little biased but I honestly cannot even find the words to say to describe how much a love this album. I actually have the CD of it in my car. Who still buys CDs? I do. The four songs I included are my personal 4 favorites from the 10 on record but they are all very good, many differents sounds on the album too which is awesome, they can mix it up and still rock your face off. Caleb's vocals still give me goosebumps. Cannot wait to see them at the garden. 

"Talk Too Much": COIN 

This is my favorite song of the year. The guitar riff is ​contagiously catchy, and I mean I think they like stole the whole concept from my brain. If there's ever been a song that embodies Ryan "Doz" M****** it's this. I am the KING of saying or doing the wrong thing with the ladies. I simply talk too much. Right when I think things are going well I say or do the wrong thing. What makes me feel a little bit better is that I'm obviously not the only person who feels this way. Nothing like shared misery am I right guys? Apart from that it is also one of the catchiest songs of the year in rock. You'd never guess COIN is from Nashville with their new wav-y sound they've broken the bold of how Nashville acts sound. Very excited for their yet to be titled sophomore album that features this track to be released. I've probably listened to it 5 times a day since it was released, need more from these guys. Just shut me up already!