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Lady Amelia writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2016: Amelia Hruby
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Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2016. Our next list is from DJ and Assistant Features Director Amelia Hruby. Every Tuesday morning from 8-9am I host Girl Power Hour during the last hour of my weekly set on CHIRP. I've probably been doing this for about 18 months now, but 2016 is the first year it's been consistent, and, to be honest, it's been SO MUCH FUN. I love featuring kick-ass women & girl power allies in the music industry, so this year, I thought I'd keep that going and do a Girl Power themed Best Of list. *drumroll please* Here are my top ten Girl Power albums of 2016. |
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My Woman by Angel Olsen (Jagjaguwar) |
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Masterpiece by Big Thief (Saddle Creek) |
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Puberty 2 by Mitski (Dead Oceans) |
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HOPELESSNESS by ANOHNI (Secretly Canadian) |
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When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired by Mothers (Grand Jury) |
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ANTI by Rihanna (Roc Nation) |
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Psychopomp by Japanese Breakfast (Yellow K Records) |
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Lemonade by Beyoncé (Columbia) |
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Strangers by Marissa Nadler (Sacred Bones) |
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HEAVN by Jamila Woods (Closed Sessions) |
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Honorable Mentions After picking my top ten, I realized that there were at least another dozen 2016 Girl Power shout-outs to give, so here are a few honorable mentions:
Impulsive Hearts, Sorry in the Summer |
Okay, let's get the obvious one out of the way first. Angel is an angel. This album explores what it means to be a woman in music and the world and your life. If you haven't heard it, I'm not sure how that's even possible. GO LISTEN TO IT.
Adrianne Lenker (frontwoman of Big Thief) is a masterful storyteller. Each of the dozen folk-rock track on this album spin the most beautiful tales of love and loss and hope.
This is probably another obvious one. Mitski won all hearts this year. Puberty 2 is powerful and poignant, and, if that wasn't enough, her woke woman-in-music 
I reviewed this album for the station back in May, and I was blown away. Here's an excerpt from that review: "Pitchfork is calling Anohni the leader of a 'woke pop polemic' and for once that doesn't just seem like a Pitchforkism. This music is aesthetically and politically challenging in the way I wish more music would be. The opener is a real standout, but play any track here, and do your part in dismantling patriarchy."
Another album I reviewed and another excerpt: "This album is a battle between ego and self-doubt splayed across eight tracks about relationships dissolving .. but I promise it's as therapeutic as it is haunting." Kristine Leschper's voice is delicate and soaring. This album carried me from winter into spring this year, and I have a feeling I'll be returning to it as the weather gets cold again.
Okay, so I know that Rihanna isn't really CHIRP-fare, but my iTunes tells me that I played ANTI more than almost any other album this year and iTunes don't lie. Even if you generally don't have Top 40 pop proclivities, give this album a spin. It's fantastic.
Michelle Rauner is amazing. In Psychopomp she sings about love, loss, and oral sex -- okay maybe more about love and loss, but just listen to "Everybody Wants to Love You" and you'll get it.
2016 has been a year of a lot of things, but it's also the year Beyoncé finally went political! Woo! Beyoncé DOES care about racism and sexism and Black reality in the US. And she cares with some amazing music and videos. No matter if you're a member of the Bey-hive or not, Beyoncé is taking female voices and feminism to places in the music industry that they've never been before, and that's Girl Power I can get behind.
I spent a lot of summer lying in bed with the windows open listening to this album. Somehow I listened to the track "Janie in Love" an impressive 100 times in June which probably just illustrates how dreamy Nadler's voice is and how full of summertime sadness I was.
I saved the best for last, because this was MY FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2016. Yes, it was so good I needed to type-yell at you about it. In HEAVN, Jamila (pronounced "Juh-mee-la") Woods deconstructs the Black female experience in the US through brilliant lyrics and samples you won't catch until your 5th or 50th listen. I know everyone was talking about Solange this year, but this album is better.Next entry: Concert Journal: Stevie Nicks & The Pretenders at the United Center (12/3/16)
Previous entry: CHIRP Radio Best of 2016: Dylan Peterson