24. Mulberry Silk Road by Errol Holden and Roc Marciano (East Coast underground rap)

I’m going to acknowledge from the jump that this album isn’t for everyone. But then, I don’t think Roc Marciano is broadly popular, either.  Heads love him, but outside of that he’s never become a huge name.  This album is esoteric and strange, and I didn’t quite get it until the track Rod Lavers with the Stussy Hoodie crept on with a low-volume, fuzzy piano that instantly recalls “Over the Hills and Far Away” by Led Zeppelin.  Suddenly, I got it.  I got the whole album.  It’s strange and fascinating.

Also by Roc Marciano…

This year, Roc released The Coldest Profession with the great DJ Premier.  These are both storied figures in hip hop and while this is not either of their best album, it’s solid and I’m sure I’ll be listening to it years from now.

23. Welcome to My Blue Sky by Momma (indie rock)

Indie pop doesn’t get much hookier than this…

22. Cabin in the Sky by De La Soul (Native Tongue Hip Hop)

The band plays tribute to founding member Trugoy, including using unreleased vocal tracks, in their tenth record…That by itself is an achievement.  Granted, De La made their rep in days when recording artists could still get rich off an album, but still they’ve never been about quantity–just quality.  DLS have never released a bad record, but “Cabin” is one of their best.  If I had to quickly rank it, I’d say it’s #3–under “…Is Dead” and their revelatory first album.  And like their first one, Cabin constantly keeps you guessing–jumping from the kind of playful bop you’d expect through a cover of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer” and ending with the nearly political “Don’t Push Me,” which pays tribute to Grandmaster Flash.

The only problem here, and it’s not a small one, is all the skits.  When will rap artists understand that NOBODY likes skits and they significanly reduce listenability.

Want another album by an O.G. from the golden age of hip hop?

Natural Forces by Masta Ace and Tom Caruana (O.G. Boom Bap).  I try to avoid putting “best of” and “compilation” albums on my end of year list, preferring instead to look at intentional, complete projects.  But what makes this album of remixes so special is that it’s emphatically NOT a “best of.”  The chosen cuts range from very recent to underground singles and leans heaviest on his days as “Masta Ace Incorporated.”  Plus, there’s features from the likes of Guru, Phonte, Wordsworth, Edo G, Torae, Stricklin and Large Professor.  And there are some new originals, too.

And there’s not a single cut from Disposable Arts or Long Hot Summer.

Masta Ace is in my top 5, and Tom Caruana is a well-established producer who, like Ace, has been in the game since the ’90s.  His remixes never disappoint–especially his Beatles/Wu Tang mixape.

21. Moisturizer by Wet Leg (indie)

I don’t think Wet Leg have ever released a bad album, but of all their great records, this one is my favorite.  Not a single skippable or redundant track.

And if Wet Leg whets your appetite, also try

The Straight Line Was a Lie by The Beths.

20. Michigander by Michigander.

What is “Michigander”?  Well, it’s Jason Singer.  It’s rock.  It’s pop.  It’s smart.  It’s fun.  It’s an awesome debut.

If you’re into quirky indie pop, you’ll probably also enjoy…

• You Wanna Fade? by Alien Boy (indie).  Lots of potential here.  Three or four more songs as great as “Changes” and this would have made my list.

19. Reverie by Pony Gold 

Small town Americana from Canadian Theresa Anne Bromley.  The lyrics are full of raw power and insight.  The music is genre-fluid, recalling at once edgier ’90s grunge that borders on cowpunk and the plaintive timeless songs of Lucinda Williams.  Fantastic.

18. Can’t Rush Greatness by Central Cee (UK drill). 

Central Cee’s official debut became, deservedly, the first UK rap album to break into the U.S.’s top 10.

Point of clarification: I mean, it deserves to be popular in the U.S.–not that no UK rap before it should have ALSO been in the top 10.  Just off the top, I can name several albums that should have beaten Central Cee here: Skinnyman’s only album and pretty much all of Simz’s records, several Datkid and Leaf Dog projects, and, of course, Psychodrama by Dave.  There are many more.

I hope Cee’s breakthrough is the beginning of great things to come both for him and for U.S. recognition of UK hip hop.

Want More UK Rap?

UK OGs Leaf Dog and Datkid both released albums this year that well-worth your time.

17. Caveman Wakes Up by Friendship (ambient country)

This album defies genres and is absolutely stunning.

16. Love & Rockets 3:16 (The Emancipation) by Murs (old school underground hip hop)

I’ve read that this will be the final album by a man who is a true hero of underground rap.  Murs has put out more great albums than I can count, including his terrific collaborations with Slug as the rap duo “Felt.”  I hope the rumors that he’s quitting are untrue, but if they’re not, then this is a wonderful swan song.  Murs can get away with rapping about crips and bloods alongside the love he has for his family and his own insecure belief that he’s too old for this stuff.  (P.S.: You’re wrong, Murs. The game needs you.)

And if updated ’90s boom-bap moves you, check out:

Sound of Market by The High & Mighty.  Just solid hip hop from rapper Mr. Eon and DJ Mighty Me with features from Sadat X, Large Professor and one of the KINGS of boom-bap, the great MC Serch.

15. Space Brain by Alex Williams (cover songs)

This album represents why I still blog after doing it for 20 years and after the medium basically died a decade ago.  It’s because sometimes I find stuff that’s just…Fantastic.  Country(ish) takes on classic metal songs ranging far across that genre, from Motorhead to Ratt to Ozzy to Priest…Fantastic album.  I don’t even love the ’80s hair band genre, s0 I dig these even better than some of the originals.

Like Covers Albums?  Me too!  Check these out:

• Promises by Lissie, with the standouts America (Simon and Garfunkle) and I’ll Stand by You (Pretenders).
• Covers by Kathleen Edwards, because covering Jason Isbell is hard as hell–seeing as how his own versions are nearly always perfect
• Making Good Time by Iron And Wine And Ben Bridwell, with truly novel takes on classic U2 and the timeless “More Than This” by Roxy Music.

14. Baloonerism by Mac Miller (hip hop)

Posthumous albums are usually bad and second posthumous albums are usually worse.  This one is better than some of the albums Miller released when he was alive.  It was actually created as an album in 2014, which is probably why it’s so good, but wasn’t released until now.

13. Getting Killed by Geese (alternative rock)

12. The Narrow Way by Nicholas Jamerson (contemporary Appalachian Americana)

Nicholas Jamerson has been making fantastic “story telling” style country music for many years, under the radar, and with this album his lyrical genius is matched to quieter, more contemplative songs.  It’s a fascinating album.

11. Planting between the Signs by SG Goodman (indie)

Without giving up the melancholic undertone that is SG Goodman’s brand, the artist comes out with an album that has some of her most accessible songs to date.