40. Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid

Aesop Rock has been dropping music for the better part of two decades, delighting underground rap fans with incredibly verbose writing and complex wordplay. He has one of the largest vocabularies in rap, and while he has a tendency to lose the point in excessively complex language, The Impossible Kid finds Aesop actually delivering heartfelt and personal stories fairly directly, without abandoning his impressive lexicon. Much of the album has to do with his struggles with therapy, and finds Aesop working through his demons from the studio rather than the therapist’s couch. It’s probably his most impressive and cohesive project since Labor Days, and no less impressive considering how long Aesop Rock has managed to keep a massive following without ever emerging into mainstream acceptance.

39. dvsn – Sept. 5th

When an anonymous R&B singer started dropping moody, atmospheric tracks out of Toronto, the Weeknd comparisons were inevitable. When dvsn signed to Drake’s OVO label, it seemed he was trying to recreate the early success Abel brought his label. dvsn, however, refuse to be nailed down, and released what’s probably the best album OVO dropped this year. The duo was eventually revealed to be singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85, known for producing plenty of Drake hits including “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and “Hotline Bling”. Sept. 5th is a sprawling, atmospheric journey of sex, drugs, and R&B, bookended by seven-minute tracks “With Me” and “The Line”, the latter of which is the duo’s best track to date.

38. Francis & the Lights – Farewell, Starlite!

While his many performance appearances, collaborations, and opening tour spot with Chance the Rapper propelled Francis & the Lights into the spotlight this year, the man known only as Francis Farewell Starlite has been making incredible music under that moniker for the last decade or so, including his last two phenomenal EPs It’ll Be Better and Like A Dream. Farewell, Starlite! is his first full-length album, and it’s his best work to date. Francis is known for his creation and use of the prismizer, an effect that expands vocals into a choir-like effect that’s been used by Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and Bon Iver in the past year, and it’s all over Farewell, Starlite!. Francis has a stunning voice, and he tackles subjects from love and friendship to anxiety and pain across the ten-track album. “See Her Out” is a glorious, synth-heavy opener; “I Want You to Shake” is a disco-ready dance track; and “Friends” (the inspiration for Chance’s “Summer Friends”) recruits Bon Iver and Kanye West for a regretful, beautiful track about loss and acceptance. Francis’ newfound fame is well-deserved, and it’s a shame this album didn’t get more attention.

37. Shan Vincent de Paul – Saviors

Sri Lankan/Canadian artist Shan Vincent de Paul came up in Toronto’s Sideways collective (alongside singer Coleman Hell, among others), but Saviors is his first debut project. Recruiting fellow Sideways members Coleman and La+ch (who produced the vast majority of the album), along with DJ Hannes Smith, to create an incredibly soulful introduction to Toronto’s rapidly evolving hip hop scene. For an artist who claims to not be very religious, de Paul’s album is rampant with religious imagery and spiritual language. De Paul has an unmistakably powerful voice, evoking passion and thoughtfulness as he rages about love and existence, especially on the impressive one-take standout track “Die Iconic” (which has one of the year’s best videos). Pop sensibilities and subtly impressive rapping go hand in hand for cinematic tracks like “Fight For Us” and “Church”, and de Paul isn’t afraid to get downright sexy for tracks like “Buggin'”, showing off a range of abilities for the bright young artist.

36. The Avalanches – Wildflower

Sixteen years is a long time to wait for a followup, but when your first album is as massively respected and influential as 2000’s Since I Left You, the Avalanches managed to hold onto a massive fan base. Wildflower is a much more sprawling and ambitious undertaking for the Australian collective, and while it’s length is a little unruly, it makes up for it with some truly incredible tracks. The collective employs the ‘plunderphonics’ method, made famous by DJ Shadow, which involves crafting songs nearly entirely out of samples. The samples on Wildflower are mostly taken from 60s psychedelic music, and range from the Sound of Music’s “Favorite Things” to a children’s choir version of the Beatles’ “Come Together”: in total, the album is believed to include about 3500 different samples. The varied array of featured artists round out the album, and range from Danny Brown & MF DOOM (on a long-awaited collaboration for “Frankie Sinatra”) and 90s rap duo Camp Lo, to Father John Misty, Toro y Moi, and Bad Seeds member Warren Ellis.

35. Injury Reserve – Floss

Injury Reserve turned a lot of heads with their 2015 debut Live from the Dentist’s Office, but their sophomore album Floss is where they really came into their own. A rap trio comprised of rappers Ritchie With A T and Steppa J. Griggs, and producer Parker Corey, the Arizona-hailing group seems to mix the boom-bap revival sound of the Cool Kids with elements of crunk, industrial, and just about anything else to make one of the year’s most original releases. Early singles “Oh Shit!!!” and “All This Money” are club-thumping bangers with infectious hooks and cleverly funny writing, but the trio also have an ear for laid-back, introspective tracks like “S On Ya Chest”, “All Quiet on the West Side”, and the Vic Mensa-assisted “Keep On Slippin'”. Englewood rapper Cakes da Killa comes through with a ferocious verse on “What’s Goodie”, providing the albums only other feature credit. Floss is a fun, diverse, and impressive album that solidifies Injury Reserve as a new rap group to keep an eye on.

34. Bon Iver – 22, A Million

After releasing Bon Iver, Bon Iver in 2011, frontman Justin Vernon decided to take a hiatus, citing a lack of inspiration to progress from his old sound. Five years later, Vernon took a complete left turn with 22, A Million. Taking inspiration from frequent collaborator Kanye West, 22, A Million is a tonal shift from Bon Iver’s early work, devolving from his indie folk roots and incorporating elements of electronic music, and most notably the glitchy, abstract, complicated musicality of Radiohead’s Kid A. “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” introduces the wistful, heartbroken theme of the record, as religious, existential, and love-related beliefs are tested and questioned over the 10 tracks. Tracks like “33 “GOD”” and “666 ʇ” involve enormous, layered sonic buildups, but Vernon isn’t afraid to pare down his sound for tracks like “00000 Million” and the mostly-a capella “715 – CRΣΣKS”. Bon Iver took a lot of risks for this record, but they paid off: it’s certainly the most inventive project in the band’s discography, and it’s one of the most unabashedly emotional releases of the year.

33. Kemba – Negus

Formerly known as YC the Cynic, Kemba used his name change to really evolve his sound. While his early work granted him a large underground following and well-deserved acclaim, Negus introduced the world to one of the most political rappers going. The tracks in Negus are interspersed with skits of an African-American father affirming concepts of black beauty and self-love in his children, and it’s the perfect accompaniment to an album that crucifies the racism of American society and espouses the power of black culture. It’s a dense and complicated record, featuring deft wordplay and massively important themes. Standout tracks like “The New Black Theory”, “Hallelujah”, and particularly the outro “Brown Skin Jesus” are powerful and spiritual declarations from a bright, exciting new voice in hip hop, who has turned heads from the likes of Homeboy Sandman and Kendrick Lamar.

32. NxWorries – Yes Lawd!

The second release from Anderson .Paak this year, NxWorries is the collaborative project between .Paak and Stones Throw producer Knxwledge. For the 19-track project, .Knxwledge crafted Dilla-esque beats that throwback to the golden age of soul and funk, providing a perfect soundscape for .Paak’s whiskey-smooth voice. It’s a sexy, easy-listening, emotional album that sounds like it should be played from the speakers of an old Cutlass on Sunset Boulevard. .Paak’s unique voice blesses standout tracks like “Lyk Dis” and “Suede” with a silky flow and evocative language. Tales of sex, sin, and debauchery abound in Yes Lawd!, but .Paak and Knxwledge make it sound oh so cool.

31. Swet Shop Boys – Cashmere

Swet Shop Boys is the collaborative duo of former Das Racist member Heems (formerly Himanshu) and Riz MC, better known as actor Riz Ahmed, who’s notable roles include The Night Of…, Nightcrawler, and recently Rogue One. Cashmere is a political album about being middle-Eastern in Western countries, combining the best parts of Heems and Riz’s last solo albums (Eat Pray Thug and Englistan, respectively) for a project that celebrates and explains the realities of their Indian/American and Pakistani/British nationalities. Institutional racial injustices are laid bare on tracks that “No Fly List”, “T5”, and “Shoes Off”, while “Zayn Malik” takes on the way Muslims are perceived in Western society. The duo don’t hold back on their political views, but in typical Heems fashion, they aren’t afraid to have fun with it: Cashmere features plenty of punch lines and ridiculous turns of phrase. It’s a fun album, but it’s also an album that tackles some themes often ignored in the hip hop community, and proves both Heems and Riz as excellent MCs.

Check back tomorrow for 30-21.