Hannah Levin, Host of The Home Stretch and Director of Content

Part of the joy of working in non-commercial, independent-minded radio is the freedom to conceptualize and quantify outside conventional expectations–and year-end lists are no exception. Thusly, here are my Top 5 selections for 2016 (and 2017) across a variety of categories:

 

 

Top 5 National Releases:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Skeleton Tree

Leonard Cohen, You Want It Darker

David Bowie, Blackstar

PJ Harvey, The Hope Six Demolition Project

Margaret Glaspy, Emotions and Math

Top 5 Local Releases:

Jillian and the Giants, Mr. Airplane (listen to their Locals Only session here)

XIXA, Bloodline (watch their acoustic in-studio here)

Pipelights, 518 (listen to their Locals Only session here)

Foxx Bodies, Foxx Bodies (listen to their in-studio here)

The Mission Creeps, Fright Night Creep Out

Top 5 Singles (click on links for an ad-free listen):

Drive-By Truckers, “What It Means”

Kim Gordon, “Murdered Out”

Charlie Faye & The Fayettes, “Eastside”

Eric Bachman, “Small Talk”

Lando Chill, “Floating to Nowhere”

5 Most Memorable In-Studios:

Michael Franti

Melvins/Helms Alee

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mission Creeps on Halloween!

Lee Harvey Osmond (listen here)

The Head and The Heart (listen here)

Top 5 Most Anticipated Local Happenings for 2017:

The recorded collaboration between local producer/musician Gabe Sullivan and Katie Haverly.

The Tucson Hip Hop Festival in February.

Lando Chill’s forthcoming sophomore release.

Hopefully getting a new record from local band Loveland, quite possibly Tucson’s most quietly under-appreciated band.

Opening our auxiliary studio in Hotel Congress!