It is a pretty good year when Nick Cave’s intense, deeply emotional – though never easily categorised as “sad” – and wholly satisfying Skeleton Tree has to settle for #11 in the top 20 albums of the year. It’s keeping good company though, with the gentle but persistent piano work of Sophie Hutchings and the anything but gentle reportage of P J Harvey affecting works in their own way, and Rokia Traore, balancing pointed commentary and elegance, a quiet achiever. Weirdly, King

BERNARD ZUEL - A LOOK BACK AT 2016 GIGS

The best songs of the year? Quite possibly. The songs I played the most, sang the most, enjoyed the most this year? Definitely. Many of them come from collections which will appear on the list of the best/favourite albums of the year. Not surprisingly. All of them exist independently though. Cracking power plays, strong final statements, quite beautiful and sad moments, slinky sensuous grooves and not one sign of Fergie, Meghan Trainor or Shannon Bloody Noll. Instead there’s

Gillian Welch BOOTS No. 1 (Acony) This is a foundation document, verging on Rosetta Stone status, for understanding what would come next in a good swathe of contemporary – as distinct from “modern” - music. Americana, which now has its own awards, its own category at the major awards, a history and a generation of fans who assume it’s always been there, can be traced to this. If that sounds grandiose, which in truth it is a bit of course, it is not without solid grounds. List

The second half of the near impossible task of pulling 50 songs from 50 years. A mad idea, filled with frustrations at all the ones I couldn’t pick. But, yeah, fun nonetheless. 1990: Sonic Youth – Kool Thing The year I finally got Sonic Youth, or they crossed over to my side. Droll, sexy and sung by one of my favourite bassplayers (along with Tina Weymouth, Bruce Thomas, Paul McCartney & Andy Rourke). Found out recently she’s a pretty cool interview too. 1991: Joni Mitchell –