2016 was a big year for music on both the high and low end- The deaths of Prince, David Bowie, and many other legends gave the year a pallor, but inspiring new music from many artists all across the spectrum of fame reminded everyone why we even care about music in the first place.

Here are my picks for the best songs of 2016.

Parquet Courts- "Berlin Got Blurry"

On their latest album Human Performance, Parquet Courts did a 180 on the antics of their 2015 EP that eschewed lyrics, songs, or joy for lo-fi noise as part of a "vow of silence". With the single "Berlin Got Blurry", Andrew Savage is back in full force as one of modern rock music's best lyricists, lobbing indictments of cosmopolitan pretense over the band's cowboy guitar licks and nimble rhythm sections.

Animal Collective- "Lying in the Grass"

In which Animal Collective announced themselves back from the dead. After the confused and lukewarm responses to the last three Animal Collective related releases (the full band Centipede Hz, 2014's Avey Tare quasi-solo album Enter the Slasher House, and Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper), the long gap between band records, and the second departure of Deakin, it seemed like the group had lost their footing. On Painting With, the group forge ahead sounding clearheaded and focused, with standout "Lying in the Grass" embracing Panda Bear's hocketing technique and a gooey modular synth pattern as a launchpad for one of their grooviest songs ever. Lying down never felt so active.

Frankie Cosmos- "Outside With the Cuties"

When this song first became heard as a live session at the start of the year, it was evident that it was another short, strong statement in a catalog full of them from Greta Kline. The full band version cements the brilliance, as each bar feels like a sigh, complimenting Kline's lyrics celebrating the small beauties in life ("My friends are in love") and lamenting the small irritations ("You find the sad in everything"). Whatever side her friends may be on, the important thing to Kline, in the end, is that they are her friends at all.

Kanye West- "Ultralight Beam"

Regardless of the madness of The Life of Pablo's release, it's inconsistency, and Kanye's late year breakdown, there's one thing most music fans in 2016 could agree on- when Kanye makes a gospel song and gets out of the way, good things can happen. This is the kind of song that makes the argument for Kanye's strength as an orchestrator and curator over performer, as Kelly Price, Chance the Rapper, and Kirk Franklin pull together a synth gospel, telling of their faith in God, and the struggles and magnification of flaws that comes with fame. In a year where Kanye tried to be his best and showed his most flaws, this song is a powerful testament of the idea that our attempts to be Godly will always be a failure if we try to do it alone.

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith- "Arthropoda"

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's 2016 standout album Ears was a bubbling, gurgling zone of nature sounds, warped vocals, and synthetic wood winds, mostly created with her mastery of the esoteric Buchla Music Easel system (RIP Don Buchla). In live settings, this song came even more alive than on headphones, with her strange electrical conjurings seemingly growing voltage-controlled foliage all over the theater.

Fantasy Guys- "Surfin' on a Wave of Juice"

With their summer '16 record On Poppy Island, Fantasy Guys staked their claim for the newfound Atlanta sound, somewhere extremely placid soft rock and chintzy hip-hop. "Surfin' on a Wave of Juice" is a standout on an album of unusual consistency, using the perfect blend of Casio tone synths, chorused guitars, and funky basslines to bring you to the beach you can hear swirling in the background. Add on a stunning flute-led outro, and this is one of the best waves you will ride all year, or any time the mood strikes for that matter.

Deakin- "Just Am"

"When I let go, I just am". With this line, the member of Animal Collective who most utilizes their flexible membership policy opens his hands and allows the anxiety-addled solo album seven years in the making to be free. Thankfully for those who have waited a long time for this record and tracked the up and down road to its completion, Deakin delivers. Writing about the hand-wringing and insecurity that almost kept Sleep Cycle from ever seeing the light, Deakin exorcises the demons in order to use them to his advantage. Paired with his relaxed vocals and signature warped guitar lines, Deakin borrows a bit of melody from Paul Simon and a steamy beat from his bandmates in order to tell a story all his own, telling himself and those listening the importance of being intentional when overcoming fear- "Only steps you take will help you to grow".

Jerry Paper- "Ginger & Ruth"

Jerry Paper took his 2016 to take a hard turn away from his previously established MO, dropping the MIDI synth textures and talk of interdimensionality for a record backed by the hottest jazz band on earth currently, BadBadNotGood, and telling the stories of cartoon animals. These toons are used as vehicles for profoundly 3D, human stories of struggle and insecurity, best captured on "Ginger & Ruth", where Jerry laments, "The quotidian aches and pains/ Of being a being". The modest acoustic guitar and drum grooves, punctuated by the occasional sax riff create a good framework for the silly story of two animals trying to survive in New York with terrible bosses and hippie neighbors. Mickey and Minnie may have been cuter, but never could get this real.

Bon Iver- "29 #Strafford APTS"

One gets the sense experiencing Bon Iver's newest record, 22, a Million, that Justin Vernon was trying to shield his feelings behind mystery. With the record's confusing artwork, hilariously unpronounceable song titles, and obtuse lyrics, it would be easy to accuse Vernon of hiding something. This argument is made even stronger by the level to which he mangles everything that has made him so easily identifiable- his haunting falsetto turned warped into whatever digital shape he can imagine, his live in the room authenticity crammed into compressed digital sampling and corroded tape loops. This perception is incorrect, however, as the record, especially in its most tender moment, "29 #Strafford APTS", shows that Vernon had to lose himself in the process and his own individual language in order to process his feelings and express them correctly- whether that be with vocoders and samples or saxophones and acoustic guitars (or all of the above). Having lost none of his authenticity, but only the 21st shallow artifices of it, Bon Iver forges ahead unafraid.

The Pellys- "Celestina"

With their debut EP Hail Jake, The Pellys sound supremely confident with fully formed ideas. An extremely cohesive set of five songs, the EP is held together by entrancing chord patterns, a mountain of reverberating tape echo, and passionate performances from all involved. With a constantly shifting structure, "Celestina" upholds the tradition of spooky surf rock while adding an element of lovesickness sure to resonate with anyone within earshot.

HOMESHAKE- "Call Me Up"

Thankfully for all of us, Peter Sagar did not leave us hanging in 2016, dropping the first single for his upcoming 2017 record Fresh Air. The song indeed does sound fresh, with clean DX-7 piano chords and a smooth bassline anchoring Peter's ode to talking on the phone, lending hope for what's to come from this always-shifting project.

Eola- "How Far Am I From Canaan?"

I tend to judge what my favorite songs of any given year are by simple math- what did I listen to the most? By this metric, the standout from Eola's haunting latest record Dang wins by a landslide. Edwin White's entrancing rendition of the gospel classic sticks to his musical strategy of a Capella, with a choir of Edwins hovering above the ground. Clocking in at just around 2 minutes, "How Far Am I From Canaan?" is the year's most soothing song in the smallest package, with Ed's impassioned vocals breaking into spirited outbursts before bring us reassurance- "Well the angel singin' and the joy bell ringin'". In a year of uncertainty, anger, and division, a simple hymn asking for positivity and deliverance rang clear for its simplicity and beauty.