DIIV - "Soul-net"

DIIV's latest single is the slow-burning track "Soul-net" which features The Bends-era Radiohead-like guitars that carefully wrap around one another. It will feature on the band's upcoming full-length Frog In Boiling Water.

Clark ft. Thom Yorke - "Medicine"

Veteran electronic producer Clark's new record Sus Dog was executive produced by Radiohead's Thom Yorke, who adds his ghostly vocals to the track "Medicine." The video also incorporates deep fake technology to merge Clark and Yorke's faces together.

The Smile - "Free In The Knowledge"

The Smile (aka Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner) announced their upcoming debut record entitled A Light For Attracting Attention. With those details, they have given us another single, the lovely ballad "Free In The Knowledge" which finds the band working London Contemporary Orchestra who provide the lush strings. It's one of Yorke's most beautiful songs.

The Smile - "You Will Never Work In Television Again"

The Smile, a side project from Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead and Tom Skinner of Sons Of Kemet, has released their first single, and unpredictably it is a The Bends-era guitar rocker. 

Peter Talisman - "We Have To Leave This Town Because I Have Done Something Unforgiveable"

Peter Talisman, the duo of Samuel Organ and Slugabed, is a peek into the duo's upcoming debut album. This stark instrumental sounds like a western soundtrack done by Radiohead.  

Radiohead - "If You Say The Word"

From the upcoming compilation KID A MNESIA, a collection of tracks that didn't make it onto Kid A or Amnesiac, "If You Say The Word" is a lovely, melancholy song that meanders in the most amazing way.

Saint Jude - "Bodies of Water"

From Saint Jude's brilliant new EP, the title track "Bodies of Water" draws from electronic producers like Four Tet with the experimental curiosity of bands like Radiohead. He creates songs that at once feel familiar, but yet completely unique.

PJ Harvey - "This Mess We're In (Demo)"

In anticipation of the reissue of her album Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, PJ Harvey has released the demo of "This Mess We're In." The album version features vocals from Radiohead's Thom Yorke, but the demo is a gorgeous, stripped-down version that focuses on Harvey's emotive voice.

Black Dresses - "CREEP U"

Canadian trans-power noise-pop duo Black Dresses have released their new record, the inspiring Peaceful As Hell. Their music whiplashes between Crystal Castles' like 8-bit synthpop to an electro version of Green Day. Standout track "CREEP U" borrows a mood from Radiohead but injects their own electro-punk attitude to it.

EOB (Ed O'Brien of Radiohead) - "Olympik"

Chugging, Madchester-esque psych rave-up from Ed O'Brien's solo record Earth.

Jam of the Day: Another Sky - "Life Was Coming Through The Blinds"

Another Sky draws from the deep wells of both Radiohead and Talk Talk on their new EP. The title track meshes jazz-flavored drums, subtle piano, intertwining guitars, washes of synthesizers, and haunting androgynous vocals. It's quite stunning.

Jam of the Day: Weval - "Are You Even Real"

Electronic duo Weval weave together a Boards of Canada/Radiohead vibe on this dreamy track.

Jam of the Day: Radiohead - "Ill Wind"

Truly beautiful B-Side from the A Moon Shaped Pool sessions. You can listen to it here on Spotify.

Jam of the Day: altopalo - "(Head In A) Cloche"

From their intriguing album frozenthere, "(Head In A) Cloche" is a stunningly intricate song that haunts the space between Radiohead's more somber moments and James Blake's sonic explorations.

Jam of the Day: The National - "Guilty Party"

From their upcoming album Sleep Well Beast, The National release their second single "Guilty Party." It's a haunting meditation on a marriage falling apart for no reason. It's a delicate track that starts with glitchy Radiohead-esque electronics and percussion that slowly builds with layers upon layers of keyboards, guitars, and strings. Gorgeous.

Jam of the Day: Fractures - "Swallow"

There is a haunting, Radiohead-like quality to this track from Fractures, with the song steadily building from its hush-toned piano opening.

2016 Favorite Albums (Numbers 10-1)

Without further ado, here are my top ten albums of 2016:

10.

Warpaint - Heads Up

Perfect mixture of their first album's driving post-punk and their sophomore album's murky electronics.

9.

Porches - Pool

Water themes abound in this haunting collection of synth pop masterpieces.

8.

The Weeknd - Starboy

The Weeknd is now firmly entrenched as a pop star, and he takes it to the next level with this deliciously varied set of R&B, pop, and electronic tracks.

7.

James Blake - The Colour in Anything

Yes, it is way too long and needed some judicious editing. With that said, the jewels here far outnumbered the duds. Further exploring that wonderful voice, Blake married it to the most richly textural electronics in recent memory. Each song is deeply felt, and is akin to aural sculpture.

6.

Beyonce - Lemonade

Only someone of Queen Bey's stature release an album about her husband's infidelity (with his assistance) and come out stronger and better than ever. This is a ferocious record that has Bey trying on all sorts of different musical looks, and making them all work for her.

5.

Solange - A Seat at the Table

While her sister's album has garnered a lot of attention, it wasn't enough to overshadow this stunning record. For me, Solange just barely edges out Bey, more because this album felt more like a cohesive cycle of songs about what it means to be black and a woman in these times. It also skyrockets Solange into the upper echelons of songwriters. A truly amazing experience.

4.

Beacon - Escapements

Ice cold synths and whispered vocals propel these tracks, reflecting on time, love, and memory. While to some this minimalism may be off putting, but for me, this duo expertly keeps you focused on their intricate productions. As the album journeys forward, the intensity rises, and by album's end, you are taken aback by how they have added more acoustic elements into the mix, showing that there is a beating heart at the center of things.

3.

David Bowie - Blackstar

What more there is to say about Bowie? It is likely that we will never ever see anyone like him every again. He left this world a fitting epitaph to his life and work, the stunning Blackstar. For an album that is mostly about ruminations on death, there is a creative vitality to this work that shows the life still emanating from this great man. RIP David Bowie. My life has been better for having had you exist in it.

2.

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Aside from "Burn the Witch," A Moon Shaped Pool is Radiohead's quietest record, full of ballads and lullabies. There is a despondency in these songs that is heartbreaking. Thom Yorke's haunting, very human voice gives the album its center and keeps it from being too morose. Radiohead are never satisfied with doing things the same way each time. It's a testament to their career, that they keep pushing the envelope, and A Moon Shaped Pool is certainly no exception.

1.

Haelos - Full Circle

I am sure most people are like, who? And, why this album? At the beginning of this year, I was tasked with taking the California bar exam, and this record was basically my life-line back to reality. I had very little free time while going through that experience and I would pretty much listen to it early in the morning when going to the gym and through getting to and from work. There is nothing ground-breaking about their sound. It's an update on 90s trip-hop, but there is a wonderful, warm glow beneath the sounds. The harmonies especially are magical. While the songs all touch on the hardships of love, and the hardships of existing in this insane world, that underlying warmth provided hope. We all need hope. That is why this is my record of the year. It's gorgeous.

2016 Favorite Songs (Numbers 10-1)

And finally, here are my top singles of 2016:

10. Porches - "Underwater"



This song is reportedly about reaching a contented state of mind. With its liquid synths, I imagine the singer floating on top of a pool, letting the water flow over him.

9. Drake - "One Dance"



All I can say is that once I start playing this song, it will be on repeat for about 10 listens in a row.

8. Clock Opera - "In Memory"



"Do I still do the things that made you fall in love?"

7. James Blake - "My Willing Heart"



This song kills me every time. His voice is pure heaven.

6. Sylvan Esso - "Kick Jump Twist"



By the end of this song you will be doing all three. Trust me.

5. Tinashe - "Ghetto Boy"



Gorgeous R&B track, that perfectly evokes the feelings when you are dating someone you know is bad for you, and that others won't approve of, but you can't help yourself.

4. Hælos - "Cloud Nine"



Mesmerizing song that delves into the abyss of a breakup and the constant swirls of the whys and hows that plague the mind.

3. Massive Attack ft. Hope Sandoval - "The Spoils"



No one does cinematic quite like Massive Attack. Hope Sandoval's vocals are practically perfect.

2. Radiohead - "Daydreaming"



The only thing surprising about this song from Radiohead is how simple and yet ultimately complex it is. I have listened to it countless times and it always sends me into a deep reverie. That this far into their career they can continue to do this never ceases to amaze me.

1. Phantogram - "Funeral Pyre"



Many years ago, I saw Phantogram at a small club in Atlanta. They opened with a song I had never heard before, and in most set lists it was labeled as "Untitled." I had never been grabbed by a song and a performance before, the song building and building to a point of collapse, bludgeoning you to the point of exhaustion, but sending you into spasms of release. That song is now the lead track on Phantogram's latest record Three. It is called "Funeral Pyre," and it is still amazing, and it is my top song of the year.

Jam of the Day: Radiohead - "Burn the Witch"

Intense new track from Radiohead.

Jam of the Day: Klangstof - "Hostage"

I guess the closest I can get to describing this song is that is sounds like a perfect combination of Radiohead and Grizzly Bear. It's a gorgeous track.