As determined via SCIENCE. Note that a few of these were released in late 2015 but spent a majority of their time on playlist in 2016, and thus qualified for inclusion.
rank | artist | title | label |
1 | Daniel Bachman | Daniel Bachman | Three Lobed |
2 | See Gulls | Curtain Call | Potluck |
3 | Dex Romweber | Carrboro | Bloodshot |
4 | Hiss Golden Messenger | Heart Like a Levee | Merge |
5 | Mount Moriah | How to Dance | Merge |
6 | Various Artists | Save the Pinhook! | self-released |
7 | Le Weekend | It Can't Be Youth | Potluck |
8 | Angel Olsen | My Woman | JagJaguwar |
9 | Boulevards | Groove! | Captured Tracks |
10 | Flock of Dimes | If You See Me, Say Yes | Partisan |
11 | Nathan Bowles | Whole & Cloven | Paradise of Bachelors |
12 | Loamlands | Sweet High Rise | Middle West |
13 | Paint Fumes | If It Ain't | Get Hip |
14 | Tashi Dorji & Shane Parish | Expecting | MIE Music |
15 | Phatlynx | Loosen Yer Belt! | NDM Ltd |
16 | Southern Culture on the Skids | The Electric Pinecones | Kudzu |
17 | Davidians | City Trends | Sorry State |
18 | al Riggs | Night Freedom | self-released |
19 | Horseback | Dead Ringers | Relapse |
20 | Sarah Louise | Solo Acoustic Vol. 12 | VDSQ |
21 | Moon Racer | 2 Songs | self-released |
22 | Some Army | One Stone and Too Many Birds | Potluck |
23 | Body Games | Damager | self-released |
24 | 9th Wonder | Zion | Jamla |
25 | Jenks Miller and Rose Cross NC | Blues from WHAT | Three Lobed |
26 | Whatever Brains | Whatever Brains (2015) | Sorry State |
27 | The Bronzed Chorus | Summering | Double+Good |
28 | Humanize | Sadlands | Winsome |
29 | Chatham County Line | Autumn | Yep Roc |
30 | Beauty World | Joypop Turbo | Potluck |
31 | Naked Naps | The Middle | self-released |
32 | AL Riggs and the Inconveniences | Husbands | self-released |
33 | Liquid Asset | Colony Denied | Primitive Languages |
34 | Museum Mouth | Popcorn Fish Guinea Pig | Equal Vision |
35 | Kleptonaut | On the Up and Up | self-released |
36 | Magpie Feast | To Keep It All Spinning | self-released |
37 | Skylar Gudasz | Oleander | Daniel 13 |
38 | Wild Fur | Feel Free | Potluck |
39 | MAKE | Pilgrimage of Loathing | Accident Prone |
40 | al Riggs | Blue Mornings | self-released |
41 | Secret Boyfriend | Haunt Stress/Burned Version/Forget to Breathe | self-released |
42 | Vaxxers | The Cold Steam Engine | self-released |
43 | al riggs | Breakdowner and the Hungry Months | self-released |
44 | Nancy Middleton | Loaded | self-released |
45 | Malcolm Holcombe | Another Black Hole | Proper |
46 | Blursome | Age | self-released |
47 | Brice Randall Bickford | PARO | self-released |
48 | Etta Baker | Railroad Bill | Music Maker Relief Foundation |
49 | Rebar | Rebar | self-released |
50 | Arrogance | Knights of Dreams | Numero Group |
51 | Cyanotype | Two Silent Schnauzers | Out & Gone Music |
52 | CALAPSE | Welcome to Planet Goo | self-released |
53 | Knives of Spain | Telluric | Hairy Spider Legs |
54 | shirlette ammons | Language Barrier | Churchkey/SugarQube |
55 | Rapper Big Pooh & Nottz | Home Sweet Home | Mello Music Group |
56 | The Dead Tongues | Montana | self-released |
57 | Dan Melchior and Russell Walker | In Durham | Kill Shaman |
58 | Hiss Golden Messenger | Vestapol | Merge |
59 | Kooley High | Heights EP | M.E.C.C.A. |
60 | Maple Stave | V | Phratry |
61 | Totally Slow | Bleed Out | Negative Fun/Self Aware |
62 | No One Mind | No One Mind | Third Uncle |
63 | Caleb Caudle | Carolina Ghost | This is American Music |
64 | Tuskha | Tuskha | Middle West |
65 | Mandolin Orange | Blindfaller | Yep Roc |
66 | Dogs Eyes | Measure the Earth | self-released |
67 | Konvoi | Konvoi | Snot Releases |
68 | Goodbye, Titan | Daedalus | self-released |
69 | Patrick Gallagher | Turrem | Refulgent Sepulchre |
70 | Body Kit | Demo | self-released |
71 | Alpha Cop | Zakouma | self-released |
72 | Holder's Scar | Public Acid | self-released |
73 | Deltoid | Deltoid | self-released |
74 | Beloved Binge | Never, the end | self-released |
75 | Jon Shain & Joe Newberry | Crow the Dawn | Flyin' |
76 | Tonk | Second Chance | Future Standards |
77 | Secret Boyfriend | Memory Care Unit | Blackest Ever Black |
78 | Lack | Perhorrences | Hot Releases |
79 | Bandages | All Extreme Measures b/w Tokyo Carwash | Sorry State |
80 | Human Pippi Armstrong | Everything is Flexible | Djangokill |
81 | Sponge Bath | Golden Light | Tone Log Jr. |
82 | Todd W. Emmert | Devil's Return | Therapy Tapes |
83 | Shallows | The Moon Rises | self-released |
84 | Chateau | Moons over Slaughter | self-released |
85 | Tegucigalpan | The Fifth of She | self-released |
86 | City of Medicine | Bone Coal | self-released |
87 | Bad Friends | DEMOLISH | self-released |
88 | Laurelyn Dossett | Lullabies and Leave-Takings | self-released |
89 | Bloodwritten | We Live in Darkness | self-released |
90 | The Honeycutters | On the Ropes | Organic |
91 | Housefire | burnthemasters | Hot Releases |
92 | Sourvein | Aquatic Cult | Metal Blade |
93 | Chateau | Amissus | self-released |
94 | Blackball | Blackball | Sorry State |
95 | Uninhabitable | Uninhabitable | All We Know/ Dead Tank |
96 | Knurr and Spell | Ought | Potluck |
97 | Suppressive Fire | Bedlam | self-released |
98 | Don Howland | Life is a Nightmare | 12XU Records |
99 | Regraped | Play Extremely Loud | Fort Hazel Magic |
100 | Heron | DYZU | self-released |
101 | Widow | Carved in Stone | Pure Steel |