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BRONZE place
It seems like whole bunches of artists I had discovered previously and liked but not loved endeared themselves to me harder than ever this year. I found out Ween and Sleater-Kinney both have holy ghost-tier songs ("The Argus" and "Jumpers"), that The Thermals could be beautiful ("Never Listen to Me"), and that Marina and The Diamonds actually resumed being good on her third album after taking a little siesta. (And she's a cute bugger in interviews, gosh. It must've been that bitch Electra Heart who turned me off.) I also learned that I misunderestimated...
-The Coathangers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcTGyaovfi4)
-Girl in a Coma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-TPPGkl0aU)
-Stolen Babies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3TOYJx3M_E)
-and even The Beatles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8LbJfC0SYM)
Also I swear I heard Girl in a Coma in a commercial during the Olympics (their cover of 'Come On Let's Go'), but I never found proof that it wasn't just in my head...
The Great Music Artist Comeback of 2016
(Comeback)
It seems like whole bunches of artists I had discovered previously and liked but not loved endeared themselves to me harder than ever this year. I found out Ween and Sleater-Kinney both have holy ghost-tier songs ("The Argus" and "Jumpers"), that The Thermals could be beautiful ("Never Listen to Me"), and that Marina and The Diamonds actually resumed being good on her third album after taking a little siesta. (And she's a cute bugger in interviews, gosh. It must've been that bitch Electra Heart who turned me off.) I also learned that I misunderestimated...
-The Coathangers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcTGyaovfi4)
-Girl in a Coma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-TPPGkl0aU)
-Stolen Babies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3TOYJx3M_E)
-and even The Beatles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8LbJfC0SYM)
Also I swear I heard Girl in a Coma in a commercial during the Olympics (their cover of 'Come On Let's Go'), but I never found proof that it wasn't just in my head...
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SILVER place
I'm gonna be honest here: Anna Calvi doesn't need my endorsement.
(p.s.: And I thought Nicole Atkins was a drama queen)
Anna Calvi
(music artist)
I'm gonna be honest here: Anna Calvi doesn't need my endorsement.
(p.s.: And I thought Nicole Atkins was a drama queen)
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GOLD place
H3H3
(YouTube channel)
For many eons I've wondered if YouTube would ever be host to a third good YouTube channel, subsequent to the now prehistoric gems Community Channel and Schmoyoho. My wonderment ceased earlier this year when commenters under Schmoyoho's "Songify the News #11" were positively ABUZZ with kind words about the guests, so-called "Ethan and Hila" of H3H3 Productions, and I went to watch some of their stuff.
Even though a handful of their videos have made me laugh more than I can recall ever laughing before (on YouTube), I don't think H3H3 would work nearly as well as it does if it was just Ethan. Even if we barely hear from Hila, the relationship and interplay in evidence go a long way toward humanizing the whole offensive enterprise, and I theorize that the difference between a strictly performative YouTube channel and gen-u-ine YouTubers is this pretty special ingredient...sort of like what a blooper reel does for your favorite TV show. (Wait a second...blooper...real??)
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This concludes Good stuff 2016. For other years click here.
Honorable mentionings
Angie Tribeca (tv show)
This is exactly the kind of thing I would've thought was hilarious in middle school. I was on to something.
This concludes Good stuff 2016. For other years click here.