The singer/poet/actor/activist's newest opus is another slice of genre-agnostic, cultural agitprop inspired by a fictional miner-turned-hacker in the African nation of Burundi.
Our first new mix of 2016 includes a David Bowie cover from Glen Hansard, premieres from Ray LaMontagne, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down and Laura Gibson and more.
The singer-songwriter plays most of the instruments himself on his new album. Critic Ken Tucker says you can hear a love for pop music in Hughes' silly sentiments and artful arrangements.
After wading through more music than one person can possibly see, here's how six different writers (and a photographer) remember this year's edition of a glorious annual overload.