L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss — The Los Angeles Times’ music team is diverse — sometimes even argumentative — in its opinions. But one artist united almost all of us this year: Beyoncé. What follows is the 10 favorite records from each contributo... more info

Stereogum — The first time I heard “Be Yourself,” I couldn’t help but laugh because of the haunting sentiment that an older maternal figure was commanding me to not drink and do drugs on a Frank Ocean album. Flashbacks to my mom hammering in these same val... more info

Core News — “Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay return to the Essential Mix turntables for the first time since 2007 with an eclectic selection of music including Air, Frank Ocean, Gesaffelstein, Prince and Pink Floyd!” Check out other Essential Mixes in the... more info

Idolator — From Gwen Stefani to Frank Ocean, see who made their triumphant return in 2016. more info

Obscure Sound — This past October, mysterious Maine-based act AGENCY impressed with “Evaporate”, a chilling new track with an ample atmospheric R&B presence, featuring droplets of piano combining with smooth vocals in a stylistic vein that sat somewhere between ... more info

Soul Sides — It’s been a while since I voted in the Village Voice’s annual Pazz and Jop poll but for whatever reason, I decided to do so this year even though I didn’t have a literal top 10 (just top 8). The way Pazz and Jop works is that your picks are ... more info

Idolator — Yup. more info

Stereogum — Earlier today, Chance The Rapper shared an Apple Music playlist called “Yup” — one that, according to Chance, he put together specifically for the bath. And with that playlist, we learn that Chance, like so many of us, enjoys listening to Gucci... more info

Idolator — The liner notes to the Black Friday physical edition were posted. more info

Brooklyn Vegan — Kanye West, Beyonce, Solange, Chance the Rapper, Radiohead, Angel Olsen, Frank Ocean, A Tribe Called Quest, Bon Iver, and David Bowie all make multiple appearances. Continue reading… more info