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Poll Results: All Songs Considered Listeners' Favorite 100 Albums Of 2016

By Bob Boilen,
Robin Hilton
Published December 15, 2016 at 9:33 AM EST
Clockwise from top: Radiohead, Sturgill Simpson, Angel Olsen, Chance The Rapper, cover art for Big Thief, cover art for Anderson .Paak
Courtesy of the artists
Clockwise from top: Radiohead, Sturgill Simpson, Angel Olsen, Chance The Rapper, cover art for Big Thief, cover art for Anderson .Paak

It was a monumental year for music. A lot of major artists dropped albums that were as big as they were important, speaking to events on both a personal and global scale. Seven out of the top 10 spots in our 2016 listener poll went to well-established or legacy artists, from Radiohead and µþ±ð²â´Ç²Ô³¦Ã© to Bon Iver, David Bowie and Leonard Cohen. But if you dig a little deeper into the list you'll find some of 2016's best new artists, including Big Thief, Margaret Glaspy, Noname, Pinegrove and Joseph.

Some years these polls aren't even close, but this time it was a tight race for the top five most popular albums of 2016. In the end, Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool squeaked ahead of µþ±ð²â´Ç²Ô³¦Ã©'s Lemonade for the top spot. They were followed, in order, by David Bowie's Blackstar, Bon Iver's 22, A Million and Car Seat Headrest's Teens Of Denial.

On this week's All Songs Considered, we count down and talk about the poll's top 20 albums. You'll find those records below, along with a list of our listeners' top 100 albums.

1 of 1  — Sturgill Simpson, 'A Sailor's Guide To Earth'
/ Courtesy of the artist

The All Songs Considered Listener Poll's Top 100 Albums Of 2016

  • , A Moon Shaped Pool

    •
  • , Lemonade

  • , Blackstar

  • , 22, A Million

  • , Teens Of Denial

  • , Coloring Book

  • , Blonde

  • , We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service

  • , Malibu

  • , A Sailor's Guide To Earth

  • , You Want It Darker

  • , A Seat at the Table

  • , The Life Of Pablo

  • , Skeleton Tree

  • , MY WOMAN

  • , Masterpiece

  • //, case/lang/veirs

  • , Cardinal

  • , Puberty 2

  • , Schmilco

  • , Emotions And Math

  • ZAYN, Mind Of Mine

  • , Midwest Farmer's Daughter

  • , Light Upon The Lake

  • , "Awaken, My Love!"

  • , Are You Serious

  • , American Band

  • , Anti

  • , Freetown Sound

  • Glass Animals, How To Be A Human Being

  • , Stranger To Stranger

  • , Ruminations

  • , The Colour In Anything

  • , Human Performance

  • , Heart Like A Levee

  • , Post Pop Depression

  • , True Sadness

  • , I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

  • , Adore Life

  • Various Artists, Hamilton Mixtape

  • , HOPELESSNESS

  • , Telefone

  • , Sonderlust

  • T, Cleopatra

  • , The Party

  • She Makes War, Direction Of Travel

  • , Good Grief

  • + Rostam, I Had A Dream That You Were Mine

  • , untitled unmastered.

  • , This is Acting

  • , Joanne

  • Kaytranada, 99.9%

  • , Love & Hate

  • , Eternally Even

  • , A Man Alive

  • , No Burden

  • , Painting Of A Panic Attack

  • , Why Are You OK

  • , For All We Know

  • , Blue And Lonesome

  • , Wildflower

  • , Self-Titled (White Album)

  • , The Hope Six Demolition Project

  • , Jet Plane And Oxbow

  • , Atrocity Exhibition

  • , Visions Of Us On The Land

  • Birdeatsbaby, Tanta Furia

  • , Paging Mr. Proust

  • , The Suffers

  • , Starboy

  • , Emily's D+Evolution

  • , We're All Gonna Die

  • , FLOTUS

  • Ariana Grande, Dangerous Woman

  • , Solid States

  • , Sunlit Youth

  • , Yes Lawd!

  • , Singing Saw

  • , Side Pony

  • , The Weight of These Wings

  • , Views

  • , Ology

  • , Let Me Get By

  • , Junk

  • , Is The Is Are

  • , I'm Alone No You're Not

  • , Love You to Death

  • , Big Day In A Small Town

  • , The Very Last Day

  • , Mangy Love

  • , Remember Us To Life

  • , If You See Me, Say Yes

  • , HERO

  • , Next Thing

  • , Head Carrier

  • The Hotelier, Goodness

  • , Golden Age

  • , Emotion Side B

  • , All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend

  • , Big Boat

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    Bob Boilen
    In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.
    See stories by Bob Boilen
    Robin Hilton
    Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.
    See stories by Robin Hilton

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