4B — Thursday, January 5, 2017
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Best Albums 

of 2016

1. Blonde 
Frank Ocean

In a year of anomalies, norm-

breaking and the unexpected, 
Frank Ocean remains his own 
island. When an artist can get hun-
dreds of thousands of young people 
to watch paint dry on live stream 
over a two-week period, there’s 
something unique happening. It 
indicates a shift in what we inter-
pret as “popular culture” or “main-
stream music.” 

But Ocean is a master of subvert-

ing whatever your norms might be. 
It’s his world, and we’re just living 
in it. In an Internet era where every 
opinion is granted the same space 
on the screen, it even amounts to 
criticism and anger. As the most 
prominent gay hip-hop artist per-
haps ever, there’s a lot that Ocean 
is expected to do and say, and when 
he doesn’t, questions hover. But like 
the genius of his music, he never 
follows the rules — your rules, 
that is. Ocean is revolutionary in 
his expression of his sexuality in 
that, at least through Ocean’s own 
voice, it garners little fanfare. He 
talks about having sex with women 
in one track, and men in another. 
Where so many artists have mis-
leadingly co-opted queerness to 
gain attention (ahem, James Fran-
co), Ocean does the opposite. He’s, 
well, frank about the struggles he 
faces as a man who loves other men 
(“Bad Religion” from his official 

debut is one of the most power-
ful musical expressions of sexual-
ity in decades), but never loud. It’s 
there, and you deal with it or you 
don’t. Ocean doesn’t care either 
way. When queerness, particularly 
male, is so often unapologetically 
stereotyped as flamboyant, dainty 
and in-your-face, it’s a refreshing, 
necessary perspective. 

That kind of subversion also 

happens to be astoundingly fruitful 
musically. Ocean has yet to release 
an official project which doesn’t 
exceed expectations, and Blonde is 
no exception. It’s less immediately 
approachable than Channel Orange 
or even Nostalgia ULTRA, but when 
it settles, what you find is one of the 
most beautiful, shattering pieces of 
sonic work in the last decade. The 
quiet build of “Ivy,” the tangibly 
downtrodden “Siegfried,” the crys-
tal clear “Good Guy” — these are 
all sparkling, somber moments on 
a journey which will continue not 
just tomorrow, but years down the 
road. With Blonde, Ocean has creat-
ed something which can be lived in, 
experienced; it can be taken apart 
and rearranged as you approach it 
with your own feelings and your 
own moments.

Blonde, simply, is felt.

— MATT GALLATIN

2. The Life of Pablo

Kanye West

Like all Kanye West albums, The 

Life of Pablo closes with a satisfying 
resolution. While “Wolves” doesn’t 
cap the actual track-list, it feels like 
the unofficial parting piece; unlike 
the 40-minute whirlwind that 
preceded it, Frank Ocean’s fleet-
ing but sobering appearance after 
“Wolves” brought with it a certain 
sense of rest and stability. For only a 
minute, it felt like Kanye was going 
to be alright after the perplexing 
and often indefensible buildup to 
the album’s release.

The seed of hope turned out 

being all we were offered, as 2016 
had Kanye in a knots over a whole 
host of issues, including the kid-
napping of his wife and anniver-
sary of his mother’s death. It’s an 
important hindsight; his dynamic 
with the various guests on the 
album, and how he creates space 
for them, paints a bigger picture. 
The grandiosity of The Life of Pablo 
becomes unexpectedly intimate 
and relatable despite initial critical 
response to the contrary.

Revisiting the album at the end 

of a bumpy year, it’s easy to reimag-
ine the ranting on “Pt. 2” as part of 
what might be going on in Kanye’s 
head when he, say, cancels a show 
after three songs. Or perhaps the 
paranoia and insecurity of “FML” 
can be found in his recent hospital-
ization. But this album isn’t about 
bleached assholes and sex with 

Taylor Swift so much as it is about 
trials and tribulations, as every 
Kanye album is.

Though renowned for his ability 

to orchestrate unlikely collabora-
tions, Pablo is surprisingly most 
gripping when Kanye is alone, 
frantically 
teetering 
between 

hopelessness and absurdly con-
fident transparency. Throughout 
the album he alternates between 
the security of a group dynamic 
and the retreaded shelter of his 
character-defining thoughts. Not 
for the first time (see: Pusha T on 
Runaway), he channels the voices 
of others to clear the jumbled mess 
in his head.

Tracks like “Ultralight Beam” 

and “Low Lights” hardly feature 
the voice of Kanye West at all. Yet 
they shed light on what he clutches 
onto most dearly to “get through 
the day”. “Freestyle 4” sees ‘Ye 
drunkenly snarl fantasies of having 
sex on the table at a dinner party: 
He blurs the line between spoken 
and unspoken, external and inter-
nal — what you do and what you 
want to do. The Life of Pablo is a 
meditated narration on a real life. 
It’s about those moments of pri-
vacy, depression, laughter, sex, love, 
confusion, helplessness; it’s about 
Ye, yes, but it’s also about me and 
you.

— SHAYAN SHAFII

3. A Seat at the Table

Solange

Four years after her last offi-

cial release — eight since her last 
proper album — Solange Knowles 
has returned with a genre-defy-
ing album that is triumphant, 
nuanced and deeply frustrated. 
A masterclass in both sonic and 
thematic cohesion, A Seat at the 
Table is an R&B album at heart 
— most of its melodies driven by 
piano and closely accompanied 
by percussion. These melodies, 
however, flow freely, visiting 
and revisiting the album in short 
stints, lending even more poten-
cy to the interludes that deliver 
the deeply personal points of the 
album’s story.

In terms of race relations in 

the United States, that the past 
four years have been tumultuous 
is not a point that is up for con-
tention. Thematically, Solange’s 
album is a summation of the 
anger, sadness and disappoint-
ment accumulated during these 
years, but also a demonstration 
of resilience. It is an unapologet-

ic exploration of what it means to 
be a Black woman today, an eval-
uation of progress (or the lack 
thereof) and an affirmation and 
reinforcement of Black pride. I 
doubt that the significance and 
sheer power of this album can 
be overstated. A Seat at the Table 
carries more weight than I, as 
a white male, will likely ever 
understand, and I must admit 
that I do not trust in my ability to 
do justice to the album.

Any word of criticism that 

I utter should be taken with a 
grain of salt, no word of praise 
necessarily trusted, no evalu-
ation taken at face value. This 
album is beyond me — beyond 
many of us — and only if we 
acknowledge that can we hope to 
progress. What is ultimately and 
absolutely apparent, however, is 
that Solange has earned her seat 
at the proverbial table; what she’s 
telling us, all too clearly, is that 
no one should have to.

— SEAN LANG

Best 

Community 
 

Events of 

2016

1. Canterbury House

Each month, the Canter-

bury House, located at 721 
East Huron Street, presents “A 
Night for Us: Colorful Soul,” 
as part of a concert series pre-
sented by “Artists of Color in 
Ann Arbor,” a student-formed 
organization 
conceptualized 

and executed by SMTD stu-
dents Alexis Lombre, Brian 
Juarez, Mike Perlman and 
Tristan Cappel. Each month, 
a local student artist of color 
headlines a live concert, show-
casing immense talent and 
passion for music and com-
munity. With free admission 
and free (delicious) soul food, 
the welcoming environment of 

the Canterbury House is tan-
gible; all are invited, all are 
embraced. This space offers 
and encourages discussion of 
social issues, the chance to 
meet those of similar (or com-
pletely different) opinions and 
mindsets and the opportunity 
to become part of a community 
and cause vital to the Univer-
sity of Michigan. Featuring 
some of the University’s most 
talented musicians, the per-
formances are truly not to be 
missed. Their next event is 
January 26th at 7 p.m.

— ALLIE TAYLOR

2. Ross Gay

In September, Ross Gay read 

from his third book of poetry 
“Catalog of Unabashed Grati-
tude,” a series of poems that 
explore the natural world’s 
beauty and all of the simultane-
ous joy and pain it encompasses. 
A few miles away from central 
Ann Arbor, at Lotus Farm, the 
picturesque backdrop led for an 
immersive experience of Gay’s 
lush imagery. Amid the twilight 
and blooms, Gay exalted every-
thing from the musical names 
of plants to the dance of a robin, 
while still finding moments of 

silence and stillness to honor 
loved ones gone too soon. He 
shared “essayettes” as well, 
anecdotes focused on “delight” 
steeped in humility that harkens 
back to an alternate definition of 
an essay as an attempt or trial — 
humorous musings on anything 
from nightmares to sneakiness. 
Gay’s work did, and still con-
tinues to, remind its readers 
of the small joys and ineffable 
bliss that persists amid an often 
gloomy backdrop.

— MARIA ROBINS-SOMERVILLE

3. Nick Offerman

This past October the Mich-

igan 
Theater 
hosted 
Nick 

Offerman, the man behind 
the beloved Ron Swanson of 
“Parks and Recreation” in 
honor of his new book, “Good 
Clean Fun: Misadventures in 
Sawdust at Offerman Work-
shop.” At times, it was difficult 
to distinguish Offerman from 
his most celebrated charac-
ter. Yet aside from physical 
characteristics, the two have 
little in common. Reading 
select passages from his new 
book, a collection of thirteen 
exploring his own and other’s 

projects, Offerman pinpointed 
the singular love he and his 
character share — woodwork-
ing. Galavanting through his 
workshop, Offerman peppered 
his book with comments on his 
own and others’ woodworking 
technique, accompanied with 
a wit and insight he inevitably 
brought to the Michigan The-
ater stage and the Ann Arbor 
community.

 — NATALIE ZAK

Best TV Episodes of 2016

1. “Fish Out of Water”

Bojack Horseman

As an homage to Charlie 

Chaplin, Looney Tunes and 
Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Trans-
lation,” the tour de force “Fish 
Out of Water” is a masterwork 
in both animation and storytell-
ing. Despite the lack of dialogue 
— the episode is almost entirely 
silent — “Fish Out of Water” 
compels in its wonderful, eye-
popping visuals, as well as its 
zany and surprisingly poignant 
premise. When the hapless 
BoJack descends into the sea to 
promote his biopic Secretariat at 
the Pacific Ocean Film Festival, 
shenanigans immediately ensue. 
Without a cigarette to light, a 
vodka to drink or a voice to com-
municate with sea creatures, 
BoJack is both physically and 
emotionally lost in this unfa-
miliar 
environment, 
causing 

for some deeply unsettling (and 
hilarious) gags.

It’s a delight and a pity to see 

BoJack interact in this beauti-
fully constructed abyss, which 
is a testament to the brilliant 
artistic vision of creator Raphael 
Bob-Waksberg. After going on 
an insane, death-defying quest 
to find Kelsey Jennings (Maria 
Bamford, “Lady Dynamite”), 
the woman fired from directing 
Secretariat, BoJack digs deep 
into his soul and writes: “In this 
terrifying world, all we have are 
the connections that we make.” 
It’s a bit of risk for a show built 
on excellent banter to solely rely 
on animation, but “Fish Out of 
Water” pays off tremendously in 
its experimental approach and 
reaffirms “BoJack Horseman” 
as one of the most touching, 
vibrant and genuinely thought-
provoking TV satires currently 
on air.

— SAM ROSENBERG

2. “The Animals”

Orange is the New Black

While so much of TV watch-

ing is passive, the penultimate 
episode in season four of 
“Orange is the New Black” is 
anything but. The series has 
never been afraid to be politi-
cal or controversial, readily 
employing what is considered 
taboo as an agent to explore 
the humanity of its characters. 
But in “The Animals,” this is 
taken a momentous step fur-
ther. The episode culminates 
in a heartbreaking, nuanced 

and complicated death of one 
of the series’ most beloved 
protagonists that inevitably 
transcends from the fiction-
al screen to the messy, real 
world. With impeccable writ-
ing and nuanced storytelling, 
“The Animals” perfectly cap-
tures the tension that lies at 
the core of the entire series: 
Right and wrong is rarely 
black and white and good peo-
ple sometimes do evil things.

— DANIELLE YACOBSEN

3. “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”

People V. O.J.

A key reason why “The People 

v. OJ Simpson” is among the best 
shows of the year is in how it brings 
the real figures of the case to life 
and makes them three-dimension-
al characters. No episode of the 
series does this more than “Mar-
cia, Marcia, Marcia.” The hour 
focuses on Marcia Clark, the main 
prosecutor on Simpson’s trial. It 
depicts the toll the trial took on 
her, both in terms of her relation-
ship with her family and her emo-
tions. In the episode, her husband 
complains to the press about how 
she’s failing to take care of her chil-

dren and she gets the famous hair-
cut which the press makes fun of 
her for. Sarah Paulson (“American 
Horror Story”) won an Emmy for 
her performance as Clark and this 
episode was likely the centerpiece 
for that campaign. Her chemistry 
with Sterling K. Brown’s (“This 
is Us”) Chris Darden is another 
highlight, as Darden and Clark 
become closer. While the entire 
run of “The People v. OJ” was quite 
remarkable, this hour proved to be 
its best, mostly due to Paulson’s 
amazing work as Clark.

—ALEX INTNER

4. “B.A.N.”

Atlanta

Part of what made “Atlanta” 

such a success in its inaugural sea-
son was its unabashed willingness 
to take risks with the assuredness 
of a well established series, as it 
often turns to the surreal and unex-
plained to provide further insight 
on its unique subject matter and 
characters. Written and directed 
by series creator and star Donald 
Glover, “B.A.N.” proved to be the 
biggest dive the series took and it 
paid dividends.

Framed as an episode of the 

fictional talk show “Montague” 
on the titular “Black America 
Network,” the episode focuses its 
spotlight on Bryan Tyree Henry’s 
(“Vice Principals”) Paper Boi as 
the program forces him to navi-
gate several complex subjects, from 
transphobia to Black culture. Hen-
ry’s performance continuously ties 
the episode together as he conveys 
Paper Boi’s confusion, frustration 

and eventual clarity, saying, “It’s 
hard for me to care about this when 
nobody cares about me as a Black 
human man … where’s tolerance for 
people like me?”

Meanwhile, “B.A.N.” ’s use of 

parodic commercials further bol-
stered its arguments, as Glover 
puts on a showcase in comedic 
writing, constantly raising the 
bar with each subsequent seg-
ment, ultimately culminating in 
a cereal commercial that steers 
into a shocking display of police 
brutality.

In a first season that constantly 

challenges its form and struc-
ture, “B.A.N.” serves as a peak 
to “Atlanta” ’s many highs, con-
fidently encapsulating the hilari-
ous, perplexing and challenging 
tone that defined the show’s first 
brave steps in the landscape of 
television.

— MATT BARNAUSKAS

5. “The 
Magic 

of 

David 

Copperfield”

“The 
Americans” 
typically 

doesn’t traffic in big, show-stopping 
moments. Even when it must 
depict scenes that, on any other 
show, would be executed in showy, 
headline-grabbing 
fashion, 
the 

FX series applies the same rigor, 
patience and subtlety that it has 
become known for. “The Magic 
of David Copperfield” opens in 
several 
minutes 
of 
sustained 

silence, culminating in Martha’s 
heartbreaking 
departure; 
the 

episode ends with a seven-month 

time jump, the family — ostensibly 
— in much better shape than it was 
before.

What transpires between those 

bookending 
scenes 
is 
vintage 

“Americans:” 
pressure-cooker 

tension and all the cutting family 
drama that feeds into it. Every line, 
shot and character choice in this 
show is beautifully judged; “The 
Americans” is pulp as high art, 
narrative as sustained metaphor, 
the 
intra-familial 
psychological 

warfare of marriage, children and 

patriotism as Cold War spy thriller. 
As the episode ended, I was almost 
relieved at this relaxed sigh of a 
time-jump. But, as “The Americans” 
is wont to do, the show can’t resist a 
twist of the knife: Everyone in this 
family, just as every family must do, 
is feigning happiness. Paige is not 
contentedly hanging with Pastor 
Tim; she’s on assignment from her 
parents, and we see the remorse on 
her face. The Statue of Liberty has, 
indeed, disappeared.

— NABEEL CHOLLAMPAT

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