Music & Concerts
YEAR IN REVIEW 2016: Music
Mould, Beyonce, Ocean, Bowie deliver stellar albums


Beyonceās āLemonadeā was a seminal album this year. Decades later, it will be seen as a touchstone of the era. (Photo courtesy Parkwood/Columbia)
10. Ray LaMontagne āOuroborosāĀ
Produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagneās sixth album is a ā70s-style throwback to the astral prog-rock of Pink Floydās best work. āOuroborosā is a tokerās opus, an expansive head-trip deep into a world much less tense than our own. The album is meticulously crafted, a slowly swaying melding of piano, guitar and effects, with LaMontagneās voice floating above like a distant dream. āOuroborosā is made for late nights, great headphones and allowing the real world to fade into oblivion for a while, where it belongs.
9. Bob Mould āPatch the SkyāĀ
Veteran alt-rocker Bob Mouldās latest release is perhaps his tightest since 1992ās landmark album with Sugar, āCopper Blue.ā As with Sugar, Mould fronts a blistering power trio that bashes out his tunes with explosive firepower. The vocals are down in the mix, the melodies seeping through a stinging barrage of guitars and a ferocious rhythm section. āVoices in My Headā is the standout cut, but there are no weak links. Lean, mean and sparked with the same fervor that made Hüsker Dü such an influential band, āPatch the Skyā is the latest in Mouldās long string of essential recordings.
8. Pet Shop Boys āSUPERā
It seems apt that 30 years since āWest End Girlsā topped the charts, Pet Shop Boys would deliver one of the finest albums of their career. āSUPERā exhibits Neil Tennantās whip-smart lyrics spiked with his usual dry wit, and Chris Loweās electronic wizardry is as inventive and exciting as ever. āSUPERā mixes retro ā90s grooves with ultra-modern dancefloor bangers. The highlight is āTwenty-Something,ā a piercing commentary on the millennial generationās restless anxiety over the pressures of trying to keep up with the expectations of an increasingly cynical world beholden to money, status and technology. āSUPERā is smart, edgy, and irrefutable evidence that great pop music has no age limit.
7. Suede āNight Thoughtsā
The veteran British rockersā second album since their long hiatus is as good as anything theyāve done, on par with their 1994 masterpiece āDog Man Star.ā Suede has always brought a sense of dark theatricality to their work, but with āNight Thoughtsā they up the ante with a full string section bolstering their brooding, cinematic rock. āNight Thoughtsā is a work of ambitious grandeur, Brett Andersonās expressive vocals soaring above a jagged and melancholy foundation.
6. Avalanches āWildflowerā
It took 16 years, but the Australian electro-mindbenders Avalanches finally released the follow-up to their classic āSince I Left Youā this year. Like their debut, āWildflowerā is a dizzying swirl of samples and electronic effects that whiz in, out and around the listenerās consciousness like lights flashing through a smoky herbal haze. Highlights include the trippy aural excursions āSubway,ā āColoursā and the sublime āSunshine,ā a dazzling ray of light that reminds us why we loved Avalanches so much in the first place.
5. BeyoncĆ© āLemonadeā
āLemonadeā is a bold and relentlessly innovative fusion of modern R&B/pop with undercurrents of classic soul and gospel slashed with elements spun from a wildly diverse musical palette. Decades from now when listeners point to music that most sharply reflect the turbulent times in which we now exist, āLemonadeā will be at the top of that list. Itās a deeply personal journey that chronicles a complex relationship riven by distrust, rage and anxiety that is echoed in the context of an America roiled by blazing social upheaval.
4. Lucinda Williams āThe Ghosts of Highway 20ā
Interstate 20 stretches from Conway, S.C., to Kent, Texas, running through most of the South. It is indeed a trail through a vast and haunted land wrought by a dark and bloody history, and Lucinda Williams draws on those ghosts for her second two-CD masterpiece in a row, āThe Ghosts of Highway 20.ā Following 2014ās extraordinary āDown Where the Spirit Meets the Bone,ā Williams continues in the same vein with many of the same musicians, including guitar great Bill Frisell. The production is spare and the raw swamp-rock vibe places the listener right alongside the Highway itself. Williamsā writing is masterful and her ability to convey genuine emotion and vulnerability in her well-worn, beautifully rugged voice brings these songs to powerful life.
3.Ā Frank Ocean āBlondā
The eagerly awaited follow-up to Frank Oceanās stellar debut āChannel Orange,ā āBlondā doesnāt disappoint. Oceanās slow-burning, oddly structured compositions fall between the cracks of any traditionally definable genre. āBlondā is built on fragmented dreams, an intimate night of mind travel thatās languid and shrouded in smoke, mellow and contemplative but also immediate and potent. Oceanās hypnotic tone poems wander in unexpected directions, looping a kaleidoscope of samples and vocal effects with complete disregard for the confining lines of standard pop, R&B or hip-hop. Itās an uncompromising step forward for a gifted artist who will surely continue to surprise.
2.Ā Radiohead āA Moon Shaped Poolā
āA Moon Shaped Poolā is Radioheadās most lushly beautiful and deeply personal album, on par with their very best work. āBurn the Witch,ā with its tense paranoia and gripping col legno battuto strings that build to a feverish climax, captures the mood of 2016 as well as any other song this year. āDaydreamingā is a soul-wrenching reverie on the end of a long relationship, which is the overarching thread that ties the album together. It closes with the melancholy āTrue Love Waits,ā Thom Yorkeās forlorn vocal gliding over the sparse electronic accompaniment, pleading, āDonāt leave ⦠just donāt leave.ā It seems a futile gesture. āA Moon Shaped Poolā is an album of subtle melodies and intricate arrangements that unfurl majestically, another glistening gem in Radioheadās already peerless body of work.
1.Ā David Bowie āBlackstarā
David Bowie released āBlackstarā on his 69th birthday, and it was immediately hailed as a bold modern classic. It was only two days later, as the world learned of Bowieās shocking death, that the full context and profound meaning of āBlackstarā became infinitely more clear. Keeping his terminal cancer secret, Bowie and longtime producer Tony Visconti worked with ace jazz musicians that provide a tight and sophisticated canvas for a spacey trip through the chilling final mythologies and expressions of a dying man. āLazarus,ā with its ragged, breathless vocals and wrenching lyrics, remains a painful listen. The grief is still raw. Itās staggering to contemplate the determination and artistic vision that David Bowie possessed to create one last towering masterpiece as those last months and weeks ticked away. He closes with āI Canāt Give Everything Away,ā a rueful acknowledgement of what weāve always known: through his five-decade career, his many personas and an endless inventory of classic songs, weāve never known exactly where the real David Jones is lurking. The truth is that every album is a facet of a man with many faces. In all its glorious darkness, āBlackstarā is the last puzzle piece, the image complete, the ending to an extraordinary journey finally revealed.
Music & Concerts
Bruce & Janet & John Legend, oh my!
Slew of iconic acts hitting the road after pandemic cancellations

Pop and rock icons are releasing their pent-up pandemic frustrations by mounting huge tours this spring and summer. After three years of canceled and postponed shows, everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Janet Jackson is hitting the road at long last. But save your coins because the TicketMaster algorithms are driving ticket prices to astronomical highs. Here are a few highlights from D.C.-area venues this spring. Although some of the iconic acts arenāt coming until summer ā Beyonce, Madonna, Pink ā several others are hitting the road this spring.
ANTHEM
Betty Who plays March 10; Keyshia Cole headlines the All Black Extravaganza 20 Year Anniversary tour on March 18; the Yeah Yeah Yeahs come to town on May 3; Seal brings his world tour to town on May 10; and the beloved Pixies are back on the road with a new North American tour stopping here on June 10.
9:30 CLUB
Donāt miss Gimme Gimme Disco, an Abba dance party on March 18; Inzo arrives on March 31, followed by Bent on April 1; Ruston Kelly brings his The Weakness tour on April 17 along with Purr; The New Pornographers show on May 19 is sold out but there are tickets available for the May 20 show; The Walkmen have added a fourth show on May 23 because the other three shows are sold our;
CAPITAL ONE ARENA
Living legend Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are back with a vengeance, playing one of four area shows on March 27. (Theyāre in Baltimore the night before.) If you missed out this time, donāt worry, Bruce is playing Nats Park in September as well as at Baltimoreās Camden Yards. April 1 brings the R&B Music Experience, including Xscape, Monica, Tamar Braxton, and 112. Blink-182 comes to town on May 23. And this summer watch for Sam Smith to continue his hot streak, bringing his āGloriaā tour to town on Aug.4.
JIFFY LUBE LIVE
Janet Jackson makes her highly anticipated return to the stage this spring, arriving in our area on May 6 along with guest Ludacris. The LGBTQ ally and icon has promised new music on her upcoming āTogether Again Tour,ā which follows the pandemic-related cancellation of her āBlack Diamond Tour.ā Jackson also plays Baltimoreās newly renovated CFG Bank Arena on May 13.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
John Legend plays two nights at Wolf Trap on June 2 and 3; Charlie Puth follows on June 4. Wolf Trap also hosts the Indigo Girls on June 7 just in time for Pride month. Celebrate St. Patrickās Day with the Smithereens at the Birchmere on March 17. Fans of ā80s alternative will be lined up for the Church also at the Birchmere at April 4, followed by Suzanne Vega on April 26. Amy Grant returns to the stage this spring and plays the Birchmere on May 2. Echostage plays host to a slew of buzz worthy shows this spring, including Ella Mai on April 8 and Fisher on May 12.
Music & Concerts
Internationally acclaimed pianist to play at Strathmore
Brian Ganz to celebrate 12th annual concert

āAn Evening of Chopinās Chamber Music with Brian Ganz and Friendsā will be on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore.
Pianist Brian Ganz will celebrate his 12th annual concert in his quest to perform the complete works of FrƩdƩric Chopin. He will be joined by Carter Brey, principal cellist for the New York Philharmonic, and Laura Colgate, concertmaster for the National Philharmonic. The artists will perform all the major chamber music works written by Chopin, including the rarely heard Trio in G minor for piano, violin and cello, Op. 8, as well as the famed Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor.
Ticket prices start at $29 and free for young people 7ā17. For more details, visit nationalphilharmonic.org.
Music & Concerts
Boston Gay Menās Chorus builds bridges in new documentary
āMusic Triumphs Homophobiaā chronicles groupās travels around the world

Poland, Turkey, and South Africa are among the places the Boston Gay Menās Chorus has traveled, facing discrimination, but also finding acceptance and camaraderie on the road.
āMusic Triumphs Homophobia,ā a new documentary available on Amazon Prime Video written and directed by filmmakers Craig Coogan and Michael Willer, follows the Chorusās tours around the world and grapples with how spiritual LGBTQ people contend with the homophobic mistranslations of religious texts. It also explores the power of music.
āOur goal is to share ⦠the joy and inspiration that music can have in overcoming prejudice,ā Coogan, the former executive director of the chorus, said in an interview. āWhat BGMC has done for 40 years, and other choruses have done as well, is infusing the world with joy, inspiration, and hope.ā
And itās not just Christianity that misinterprets religious doctrines, Coogan said.
āIt wasn’t just Christian, and it wasn’t Muslim. It wasn’t Jewish. It wasn’t one particular denomination. It actually was overall,ā Coogan said.
The Boston Gay Menās Chorus was founded in 1982 and is comprised of more than 200 performers, from all different backgrounds. This diversity of perspective is what drives the mission of the chorus and the documentary, Coogan said.
āThe universality of coming together as one voice, to tell one story, is incredibly powerful. And I think that’s what audiences identify with,ā Coogan said.
Because the Boston Gay Menās Chorus had to go on hiatus from performing at the onset and height of the pandemic, Coogan and Willer sought out a solution ā to put together a documentary chronicling the history and work of the group.
The pair already had most of the footage before putting together a full, nearly two-hour documentary was a reality for them. For years, people at the chorus, including Coogan and Willer, had captured the various trips for the archives.
āThis actually afforded us a unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in 30 terabytes of footage,ā Willer said.Ā

Coogan and Willer put together the footage and filled gaps with additional interviews, which they filmed in a studio at the height of the shutdown while following health and safety protocols.
The entirety of the music paired with the documentary is also produced by the chorus.
Coogan and Willer hope LGBTQ people and non-LGBTQ people alike watch the film and that they experience a āshifting perception.ā
āWe tried to cover as many different perspectives as we had access to that had stories to share,ā Willer said. āAnd to give a sense of relatability and humanity to people that are human, and deserve to have their voices heard, and hopefully in a way that is affecting, and that lasts for whoever might watch it.ā
āIt’s not about one person, but all these different perspectives,ā Coogan added.
The title of the documentary is a spin on a translated news headline in Poland when the chorus went there in 2005 ā āMusic Triumphs Intolerance.ā It also communicates the mission of the group in a clear, concise way, Coogan said.
āWhen it really comes down to it, music does triumph over homophobia,ā he said.
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