From a musical standpoint, it's likely we won't forget 2016 any time soon. The eclectic, and tumultuous, nature of the year is reflected in the above gallery of our Top 20 Songs of 2016.

We received great new sounds from all corners of the musical spectrum, but it will most likely be remembered for the seemingly endless list of musicians who passed away, including David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Prince. Still, the final artistic statements of Bowie and Cohen, Blackstar and You Want It Darker, respectively, perfectly summed up careers full of integrity, beauty and timelessness. And their deaths were all the more tragic given how quickly they came after their records were released.

While the list contains some of our longtime indie rock favorites like Radiohead, Melvins and Bon Iver, we were also blown away by relative newcomers like Car Seat Headrest, the 1975, Modern Baseball and Angel Olsen. As with our favorite albums of 2016, we also branched out beyond indie rock and alternative to recognize some of the great pop and hip-hop we heard in 2016, including tracks by Beyonce, Frank Ocean and Chance the Rapper.

With the first few months of 2017 already promising new albums from acts like the Flaming Lips, Ryan Adams and Jesus and Mary Chain, we're sure next year will be every bit as memorable. But as we wait for those, you can relive the best songs from 2016 by clicking on the above gallery.

 

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