2016 Power Rankings

Albums


The top albums of 2016, as ranked by the committee of one.
RANKARTISTALBUMGENREPOWER
INDEX
RATING
1
Bear's DenRed Earth & Pouring RainFolk-Rock91.4
2
Bon Iver22, A MillionArt Pop88.5
3
RY XDawnAmbient Folk85.4
4
Frank OceanBlondeAlternative R&B84.5
5
Bruno Mars24K MagicPop84.2
6
Jarryd JamesHighElectro-R&B81.6
7
RadioheadA Moon Shaped PoolArt Rock81.4
BeyoncéLemonadePop81.4
ShearwaterJet Plane & OxbowIndie Rock81.4
Flock Of DimesIf You See Me, Say YesDream Pop81.4
11
SolangeA Seat At The TableNeo-Soul81.3
12
HONNEWarm On A Cold NightElectro-R&B81.2
13
Folly & The HunterAwakeFolk-Rock79.7
14
Frightened RabbitPainting Of A Panic AttackIndie Rock78.8
15
PalaceSo Long ForeverIndie Rock78.2
LuciusGood GriefIndie Pop78.2
JosephI'm Alone, No You're NotFolk-Pop78.2
18
OWELDear MePost-Rock78.1
Tegan And SaraLove You To DeathElectropop78.1
20
D.D DumboUtopia DefeatedProgressive Indie78.0
RooseveltRooseveltAlternative Dance78.0
DaughterNot To DisappearDream Pop78.0
The HotelierGoodnessPost-Emo78.0
Glass AnimalsHow To Be A Human BeingArt Pop78.0
25
The RangePotentialIDM77.9
Foreign FieldsTake CoverAmbient Folk77.9
Midnight FacesHeavenly BodiesIndie Rock77.9
Empire Of The SunTwo VinesElectropop77.9
29
Ariana GrandeDangerous WomanPop76.8
30
Jack GarrattPhaseElectro-R&B76.7
31
The WeekndStarboyPop76.5
32
HighasakiteCamp EchoIndie Electronic76.2
33
Local NativesSunlit YouthIndie Rock75.5
34
Chance The RapperColoring BookAlternative Rap75.2
35
ZHUGenerationwhyElectro House75.0
TinasheNightrideUrban75.0
37
OneRepublicOh My MyPop/Rock74.6
The 1975I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of ItIndie Pop/Rock74.6
39
CubicolorBrainsugarPost-Rock74.5
40
dvsnSEPT 5THAlternative R&B74.4
41
PhoriaVolitionArt Pop73.8
Francis And The LightsFarewell, Starlite!Art Pop73.8
TychoEpochChillwave73.8
Agnes ObelCitizen Of GlassAmbient Folk73.8
EquadorBones Of ManIndie Electronic73.8
46
James BlakeThe Colour In AnythingElectro-R&B73.7
47
DNCEDNCEPop73.6
Streets Of LaredoWildAlt-Country73.6
LeaguesAlone TogetherIndie Pop/Rock73.6
50
Jóhann JóhannssonOrphéeModern Classical73.5
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SpotifyApple Music

The Fine Print

  • The aFIREintheattic Power Index formula is top secret… but here’s a frivolous hint since we like you: It’s sort of like a logarithmic function on the weighted mean of the committee’s song ratings, which is then standardized-ish and scaled from 0 to 100.   Talk nerdy to me.
  • All songs on an album or EP are rated and contribute to its Power Index.   As a result, releases that are cohesive and consistently good, with fewer filler tracks, will invariably score higher than those with only a handful of great songs and a bunch of throwaways. Here, a release cannot be greater than the sum of its parts. For rankings that take that phenomenon into account, look to the aFIREintheattic Awards at the end of each year.
  • Note that EPs can tend toward higher scores than albums because sometimes an EP is a precursor to a full album and that album will contain the songs from the EP but with the addition of filler tracks that drag the Power Index score down.
  • Albums with a Power Index of 80 or higher and EPs with a Power Index of 70 or higher are a solid bet for a top 10 finish. The two highest scoring albums of all-time are Radiohead’s Kid A at 100.0 and OK Computer at 99.9 and the highest scoring EPs are Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s Winter at 96.7 and James Bay’s The Dark Of The Morning at 94.7. And we’ll be forthright: they probably always will be.
  • If a release is in the power rankings but is not in the playlist above, it’s not available on Spotify. The playlist is made up of the most popular song from each album in order based on its current power ranking.

EPs


The top EPs of 2016, as ranked by the committee of one.
RANKARTISTEPGENREPOWER
INDEX
RATING
1
WestermanHarvardFolk Singer89.7
2
Private IslandSunbreakIndie Rock87.2
Day WaveHard To ReadDream Pop87.2
The ChainsmokersCollagePop87.2
5
Jadu HeartWanderflowerElectro-R&B85.4
6
SivikWinter CollectionPop81.3
Tom MischReverieIndie Electronic81.3
8
The Japanese HouseSwim Against The TideShimmer Pop80.3
9
Gang Of YouthsLet Me Be ClearIndie Rock79.9
YosteFar AwayShimmer Pop79.9
Jadu HeartEzra's GardenElectro-R&B79.9
12
JMRRitualElectro-R&B79.4
13
BASECAMPIn StoneElectro-R&B78.6
Xavier Omär & SangoHours Spent Loving YouAlternative R&B78.6
15
GladesThis Is What It's LikeShimmer Pop78.5
16
Vince StaplesPrima DonnaAlternative Rap72.1
ColouringSymmetryShimmer Pop72.1
18
HANAHANAShimmer Pop71.7
LloydTruUrban71.7
Petit BiscuitPetit BiscuitChillwave71.7
21
SG LewisYoursElectro-R&B71.2
22
TOTEMPicture PerfectPop70.5
CRUISRAll OverIndie Pop/Rock70.5
24
LANYkindaShimmer Pop70.3
25
Astrid SAstrid SPop70.2
SCROLL →
SpotifyApple Music

The Fine Print

  • The aFIREintheattic Power Index formula is top secret… but here’s a frivolous hint since we like you: It’s sort of like a logarithmic function on the weighted mean of the committee’s song ratings, which is then standardized-ish and scaled from 0 to 100.   Talk nerdy to me.
  • All songs on an album or EP are rated and contribute to its Power Index.   As a result, releases that are cohesive and consistently good, with fewer filler tracks, will invariably score higher than those with only a handful of great songs and a bunch of throwaways. Here, a release cannot be greater than the sum of its parts. For rankings that take that phenomenon into account, look to the aFIREintheattic Awards at the end of each year.
  • Note that EPs can tend toward higher scores than albums because sometimes an EP is a precursor to a full album and that album will contain the songs from the EP but with the addition of filler tracks that drag the Power Index score down.
  • Albums with a Power Index of 80 or higher and EPs with a Power Index of 70 or higher are a solid bet for a top 10 finish. The two highest scoring albums of all-time are Radiohead’s Kid A at 100.0 and OK Computer at 99.9 and the highest scoring EPs are Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s Winter at 96.7 and James Bay’s The Dark Of The Morning at 94.7. And we’ll be forthright: they probably always will be.
  • If a release is in the power rankings but is not in the playlist above, it’s not available on Spotify. The playlist is made up of the most popular song from each album in order based on its current power ranking.