We've been making some lists, and checking them twice, trying to find out what's been most nice. Music is the winner, and our gift to you...
RNZ Music: Yadana Saw, Kirsten Johnstone, Nick Bollinger, Zac Arnold, Tony Stamp, Alex Behan and Katie Parker from The Wireless Photo: RNZ
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The RNZ Music crew gather to debate their fave tunes from 2016. Its a robust discussion, with overlap and contrast. Bowie and Nick Cave might come closest to achieving consensus, but there is range and depth to explore here because we love allll the musics:
Leonard Cohen, Bowie and other well established names burn bright in the top 10 albums chosen by Colin Morris - online music retailer and regular Afternoon's critic:
RNZ's music critic Nick Bollinger's Best of The Sampler overlaps to an extent, but also offers up some Americana and local highlights from Aaradhna, Lontalius, and Jay Clarkson, among others:
Nick, along with Kiran Dass, devised this rock'n'roll reading list of eleven music books from 2016 worth keeping beside your hammock for the summer holidays. Unsurprisingly biographies and autobiographies feature prominently, covering artists from James Brown and Nina Simone to The Fall and The Cure.
Music writer and Nine to Noon reviewer Grant Smithies' love of Christmas cheer(s!) could explain him veering all over the shop stylistically, from Taranaki R'n'B to London grime, French-African funk to Dunedin guitar pop in his favourite tunes of 2016. But actually he's always like that.
And Mark Rogers - host of Nashville Babylon - a new addition to the RNZ Music stable this year - gets stuck into the Christmas spirit with some alternatives to the the traditional carol. This will appeal to the bah humbug brigade and those with a sense of humour:
Slow Boat Records Jeremy Taylor chooses a track for the end of Music 101's Record Store Day 2016 Photo: RNZ/Yadana Saw
After much deliberation and gnashing of teeth, Jeremy Taylor of Slow Boat Records selects top tracks from his fave 5 albums of 2016 for Nine to Noon:
Trevor Reekie, host of another new RNZ show Worlds of Music picks his top tunes from around the world in 2016
William gets ready to record while his producer makes a fine adjustment to his microphone placement. Photo: Studio Guidon/RNZ
Typically evergreen, William Dart delivers a different musical take on the season in New Horizons, selecting only songs about the jolly man in red. Looking again at the photo above makes us wonder what he's really getting up to for his Christmas "holiday".
RNZ Concert pals Clarissa Dunn and Cynthia Morahan have asked colleagues and friends from the classical music community to contribute some of their memories and music for a Christmas Playlist (listen to it play out on RNZ Concert from 8am on Christmas day).
