But, of course, no one blew the roof off in 2016 quite like Beyonce.

RMX RBN

OK: Its not technically an album.

Still, the results were as if she released a set of entirely new material.

ALL CROPS: Best Albums 2016: Beyonce’s Lemonade Bowie’s Blackstar Rihanna’s Anti Kaytranada’s 99.9% Sturgill Simpson’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth Mitski’s Puberty 2 Chance’s Coloring Book ANOHNI’s Hopelessness Anderson PAAK’s Malinu Radiohead’s A Moon-Shap

Credit: (CW) Parkwood Entertainment; Christopher Polk/Getty Images; Kris Connor/FilmMagic; Alice OíMalley; Adela Loconte/WireImage; Reto Sterchi; Michael Kovac/Getty Images

Jonesing for a follow-up to her wonderful 2010Body Talktrilogy?

Heres a solid placeholder.Kevin ODonnell

49.

Over It,Standards

Into It.

Here, Ray explores memory by chanting the same lyrics over and over against lush bells and piano keys.

With occasional air horns or a straight-up scream,Talk To You Soonwas this years most addictive experimental-ambient release.J.G.

The War on Drugs applies a synth-heavy sheen to late-career hit Touch of Grey.

Bela Fleck turns the proggy epic Help On the Way into a mystical newgrass meditation.

The dude from the Walkmen and the guy from Vampire Weekend teaming up to create a baroque-pop masterpiece?

Im trying to re-imagineabracadabrafor poverty, she muses on Forever, like poof, I made it disappear.

Shes totally right:Maidzas debut albumproves she has a promising future ahead of her.

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39.

Hinds,Leave Me Alone

The Madrid-based rockers drew heavily from 90s-era riot-grrrl punk for their exceptional debut album.

Dont be fooled the rest ofMy Womanis a sharp slap in the face.

And while the lyrics are strikingly intimate, the music is anything but.

These gooey grooves are meant for the club.Madison Vain

30.

So if youre gonna hurt me, why dont you hurt me a little bit more?

she pleads on Hurt Me, a glacial ballad that helps kick offher debut LP.

Its intimate, visceral, yet strangely comforting the musical equivalent of pressing a bruise.N.F.

Every moment onMatteris the sonic equivalent of an escape to a gorgeous tropical paradise.K.O.

The 1975,I Like It When You Sleep… to create his most adventurous and pleasurable album in years.K.O.

A Tribe Called Quest,We got it from Here… continues to offer up a singular blueprint for the genre.L.G.

made its arrival all the sweeter.

Its all pretty enigmatic, yes, but its also all pretty great.R.R.

Tegan and Sara,Love You to Death

You wont find self-deprecating, woe-is-me musings on unrequited love here.

But what she presented was no infallible, unattainable icon of self-control.

Fall in your ways, so you might crumble, she advised on the airy galactic-jazz opener Rise.

But by now, weve become all too accustomed with separating Wests extracurricular activities from his music.

Kaytranada,99.9%

Leave it to Kaytranada to unite a divided nation.

And thanks to our heros gift for the groove, its all woven into a 15-track celebration of oneness.

Send a copy to Trump Tower.K.O.

1 of her career.

David Bowie,Blackstar

Blackstarbegins with a 10-minute suite of wonderfully warped jazz fusion.

But Beyonce didnt highlight a marriage in crisis just to stoke tabloid intrigue.

Its no wonder Beyonce has been taking over awards shows and live streams with epic medleys of singlesanddeep cuts.

Everyone else is just trying to get in line.N.F.