The first part of 2016 is full of hatred, bigotry, and the deaths of a handful of hugely influential musicians. We all mourn in different ways. 

Joel listens to electro, does hot yoga, and prances around pantsless. Tom chooses to waitress at a local diner, spinning plates and serving greasy hashbrowns to truckers. Del keeps starting to write reviews, but then he gets a new customer at the Sunglass Hut...a side job he has to pay off the debt on his Von Dutch hat collection. And Brando, well, Brando just keeps fucking up and not telling anyone how he fucked up, only that he fucked up and he won't do it again, but because we can't call him on his fuck ups, he'll do it again. 

Peep SYFFAL's favorite tracks of the first quarter of 2016. Hit play on a playlist and go about your business. If you like something, buy something from the artist and stop being such a dick. If you don't like something, it's probably because you're such a dick.

BRANDO'S fAVORITE Q1 SONGS

5. Linafornia - Brownies: I love this record for its rawness and the rawest song on the record is “Wettt”. 

4. Tommy V - Stop the World w/Riley Lige): I just toured a little with Tommy V and there isn’t a better human heart beating in music today. 

3. Factor Chandelier - The Magic City: I love this instrumental for everything that “Wettt” is not, in that it’s a perfectly polished Canadian cocksock. 

2. Aesop Rock - Rings: Not sure what it says about me lately that the first three songs were instrumental, but this is the exact opposite of that. #WordsWordsWords

1. James Supercave - So Much Better Strange: Hands down my on-repeat, dancing naked in the kitchen, jamming loud with the windows down, embarrassing my kids fucking anthem of the new year. 

tom'S FAVORITE Q1 SONGS

5. Dr. Dog - Bring My Baby Back: Every time I hear the term 'Americana' I think of this song. It just makes me want to hitch a ride in the back of an old Chevy pick-up truck with a Golden Retriever named Buddy on my journey West. 

4. Andrew Bird - Left Handed Kisses (Ft. Fiona Apple): This is the 3rd time I've wrote about this song, and I realized that I keep on talking about the lyrics, but I fail to point out the creativity of the 'conversational structure'. 

3. M83 - Solitude: At the point of the synthesizer solo and on it's like i'm laying under a waterfall of feels. 

2. Living Hour - Seagull: This track is the whip cream on top of whip cream on top of Johnny's perfectly complected face. Over-loaded with dreaminess. 

1. Ray LaMontagne - In My Own Way: If I could steal one voice it might be Ray's. If I could only use only one guitar tone for the rest of my life it might be the one in this track. With that said, how much do you think I love this song? 

joel'S FAVORITE Q1 SONGS

5. TW Walsh - Public Radio: This song feels like a delicious futuristic cup of fucking coffee wiht an aroma and taste that I'll never tire of. PINKIES OUT.

4. Norte - Beryl: This has been my shower jam because it's both lathery and great for use while using a loofa. Also, it's my futuristic coffee mug bro. 

3. Fennec - Nightlock: I'm fucking obsessed with this album. Every time I listen to it I'm in the Moscow underground getting chased by drugged out thugs with horrible teeth. 

2. Howard - Plastic: Howard's remix project has been stalking me, but the strings into the flam'd guitar/synth lick is the epitome of jarringly beautiful. 

1. Daughter - Numbers: I would put the discovery of this band at the top of my favorite things of 2016. Striking and introspectively gorgeous, the galloping drums and reverby guitar are only matched in beauty by her voice. 

del'S FAVORITE Q1 SONGS

5. Caveman - Never Going Back:  I'm an absolute sucker for Caveman's brand of rock and I'm an even bigger sucker for that quiet/loud transition jump off at the 24 second mark.

4. LA Girlfriend - XIV: Thirty seconds into this song song and I was dragging and dropping it into my slowly growing 2016 spotify list.  Our LA Girlfriend is all growns up!

3. Underworld - I Exhale: That drum beat. That kick in that never ends.  I was never really a big Underworld guy, but this song made me want to rectify that.  To the back catalog asap!

2. School of Seven Bells - Open Your Eyes:  A gut punch of feelz of Hughesian levels wrapped in a shinny pop sheen.   

1. Kanye West - Famous: Kanye's  like the Tarantino of the rap game. Swirling around all the swearing and the (for the most part) whip-smart banter is a person who curates the musical past in a way that educates and influences a new generation. The Nina Simone samples in this kill me along with everything else.