Beyonce's Lemonade is one of the best albums of 2016. Chelsea Beck/NPR hide caption

Mitski's "Your Best American Girl" is one of the best 100 songs of 2016. Chelsea Beck/NPR hide caption

Top row, left to right: Solange, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen; Middle row, left to right: Mitski, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean; Bottom row, left to right: Anohni, Car Seat Headrest, Beyoncé. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

Clockwise from top: Radiohead, Sturgill Simpson, Angel Olsen, Chance The Rapper, cover art for Big Thief, cover art for Anderson .Paak Courtesy of the artists hide caption

Soprano Barbara Hannigan shines in let me tell you by Hans Abrahamsen. Elmer de Haas hide caption

Y La Bamba's Luz Elena Mendoza released Ojos Del Sol this year. It's one of Alt.Latino's favorites of 2016. Gerardo Mendoza/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Daniel Bachman's self-titled LP is among the year's best solo guitar releases. YouTube hide caption

The self-titled album from case/lang/veirs, composed of Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs, is one of Folk Alley's favorites of 2016. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Henry Threadgill's Old Locks and Irregular Verbs was voted the No. 1 jazz album of 2016. John Rogers/Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

Vancouver producer Laura Sparrow, a.k.a. LNS, made one of our favorite dance albums of the year in Heliacal Rising. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Byron The Aquarius, Avalon Emerson and Jayda G released some of our favorite dance tunes of the year. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

Saba's Bucket List Project should have been on more lists. Bryan Allen Lamb/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

SiR's album Seven Sundays deserved more love in 2016. Dana Washington/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Car Seat Headrest's Teens Of Denial is Bob Boilen's album of the year. Courtesy of the artist. hide caption

Fantastic Negrito, Angel Olsen and Iggy Pop made some of Bob Boilen's favorite songs of the year. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

Wilco's Schmilco was among Robin Hilton's picks for the best albums of 2016. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Jamila Woods' HEAVN is one of Ann Powers' top albums of 2016. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Bon Iver's 22, A Million is Stephen Thompson's favorite album of 2016. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Sturgill Simpson's album A Sailor's Guide To Earth is one of David Dye's top 10 albums of 2016. Reto Sterchi/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Tanya Tagaq's Retribution was one of Talia Schlanger's favorite albums of the year. Katrin Braga/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

William Bell collaborated with producer John Leventhal on an album titled This Is Where I Live. Ginette Callaway hide caption