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Let's take a trip down memory lane, specifically to the 2016 music scene. There were a lot of earth-shattering careers that came to an end, as we lost treasured stars such as Prince and Bowie and young potential in the boys from Viola Beach. But new British talent has us impressed, as music filled the charts from bands new to the scene or just new to our ears, to help make up for what we had lost. But what were the best albums to grace the charts? We've compiled a list of seven 2016 albums for you to reminisce over (or to discover if you somehow managed to miss these bangers back in 2016!)

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In this blog:

• All Your Happy Life – The Wytches
• Not To Disappear – Daughter
• Curve of the Earth – Mystery Jets
• Phase – Jack Garratt
• Nothing's Real – Shura
• Boy King – Wild Beasts
• Echoes – Young Guns

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All Your Happy Life – The Wytches

Kristian Bell, Gianni Honey, Daniel Rumsey and Mark Breed make up this English psychedelic rock group. Following the release of Annabel Dream Reader in 2014, they began to gain some recognition touring the UK and at festivals such as Bestival and Kendal Calling. Their album All Your Happy Life was released on 30th September 2016 and was described as "a combination of heavy comedown psychedelia" and "utterly nihilistic" genius.

Buy All Your Happy Life by The Wytches on CD

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Not To Disappear – Daughter

Daughter are a soft, sentimental indie trio from London, most recognisable for their song 'Youth' from the album 'If You Leave'. On 15th January 2016 they released 'Not To Disappear', a much more confident yet heart-breaking album described by NME.com as 'rawer and more honest' with 'melodies as smooth and cold as glaciers'. If you are a fan of delicate female vocals, poignant lyricism and other-worldly instrumentation, tracks like Mothers, Numbers and To Belong deserve places on your playlist.

Buy Not to Disappear by Daughter on Vinyl

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Curve of the Earth – Mystery Jets

Mystery Jets are said to draw their influences from artists like David Bowie, Syd Barrett, and Pink Floyd and this is something you can really feel in the tracks Blood Red Balloon and Bombay Blue. The London four-piece have been making music for over 20 years now and since the days of their Eel Pie Island boat parties and kitchen utensil percussion, their sound has matured a lot. But in keeping with the band's youthful quirkiness, Curve Of The Earth was recorded in a studio they built inside an abandoned button factory. The euphoric indie-rock they create in feel-good songs like Bubblegum has steadily grown their fan base, and brought much bigger crowds to shows when touring UK festivals.

Buy Curve of the Earth by Mystery Jets on CD

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Phase – Jack Garratt

Listen to Breathe Life from Jack Garratt's debut studio album Phase and try not to fall in love with his electro-boosted blues vocals. Clashmusic.com described the album as a showcase of 'what a one-man-band can do with an array of instruments, both organic and electronic' and the single Surprise Yourself encompasses this multi-instrumental talent. Shot on a GoPro, the video for the song follows people overcoming great fears, like skydiving, getting a tattoo and driving. Garratt brought honest and uplifting music into the charts with his unique style – despite critics' constant comparisons to other male singer/songwriters (stay out of this Ed Sheeran).

Buy Phase by Jack Garratt on CD

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Nothing's Real – Shura

Aleksandra Lilah Denton is a Manchester-born electro-pop singer and producer who was shortlisted in the BBC Music's Sound Of 2015. The BBC saw something big coming from Shura and her album Nothing's Real certainly exceeded that expectation. Stylistically, her music has been labelled as 'effervescent synth-pop' but the genre of this album can't easily be pinned down. Tracks like What's It Gonna Be? and Tongue Tied have a feel-good shyness to them, that according to theguardian.com shows her 'offering an alternative to the conventional pop star aesthetic'. Shura's delicate lyrics and high-gloss music videos helped to open conversations about gender and sexuality in pop music. What more could we ask for?

Buy Nothing's Real by Shura on CD

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Boy King – Wild Beasts

With Muse-esque vocals and predatory baselines, Cumbria's Wild Beasts moved from offbeat art-rock to darker, hyper-masculine synth-pop in their fifth album Boy King. The core elements of the Mercury Prize nominated four-piece are all still there, but slicked-back, more carnal and luridly lit by neon. If after all these adjectives, you still can't imagine what Wild Beasts could possibly sound like, listen to the album's opening track…

But if the leather-lined innuendo is too much, indulge in their softer side with their 2014 album Present Tense and work your way up.

Buy Boy King by Wild Beasts on CD

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Echoes – Young Guns

Gustav Wood fronts this Bulletproof alternative rock band, who released their fourth album Echoes on 16th September 16th 2016. Their 2013 single Bones hit number one on the Billboard Active Rock charts in the United States, gaining the band notoriety overseas, but little fame in the UK. However, after exposure on BBC Radio One's 'Zane Lowe's Hottest Record', and a lot of touring with bands such as Bullet For My Valentine, Halestorm and Bring Me The Horizon, Young Guns produced an irresistibly hellish album full of razor-sharp rhythm and riffs that can't be ignored.

Buy Echoes by Young Guns on CD

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