Honorable Mentions:
Beach House - Depression Cherry, Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly, Carly Rae Jepson - Emotion
10. Skylar Spence - Prom King
Skylar Spence, the alias of “internet-famous” Robert DeRobertis rightfully claims his reign as the king of music that might play at an awkward, hormone-ridden high school dance. Formerly known as Saint Pepsi, DeRobertis ditches his previous moniker to avoid lawsuit from the soda company, and begins to produce some sweet pop of his own in this wonderful debut. The hit single, “Fiona Coyne,” named after a character from the Canadian TV Drama show “Degrassi” proves to be one of the catchiest songs of the decade.
Skylar Spence - Cash Wednesday
9. Jam City - Dream a Garden
U.K. Producer Jack Latham creates a somewhat unsettling array of songs that could only be described as shoegaze meets RnB set in a modern club atmosphere. The intent behind these songs is the same thing that drives artists of the vaporwave genre: a decaying view of the past. What makes this album stand out for me is the authenticity of its soundscape; Latham is really committed to making ‘80s sounding ambient RnB without the use of samples.
Jam City - Black Friday
8. Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete
While many artists try to achieve shock value in their music, OPN’s Chuck Person speaks it like a second language. In fact, I think there are several other languages spoken on this album as well, none of which I can confirm are real or not. The alien-sounding composition is what initially drew me to Person’s work, and is present on this album arguably more than ever before. Though not as full-sounding and euphoric as his last LP R Plus Seven, GoD manages to shine in its own ways.
Oneohtrix Point Never - Animal
7. Jamie XX - In Colour
While I have never been a huge fan of Jamie’s main project, “The XX”, I have been waiting for him to release his own full LP ever since I heard his post-dubstep solo work back in the beginning of the decade. The album is everything I hoped it would be and more. The singles released leading up to this album were definitely the strong points for me, but the rest of the songs hardly feel like filler material.
6. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
One of the most unanimously well received albums of the year has to be Sufjan Stevens’ latest masterpiece, most likely because death is something so universal to us all. There’s nothing grandiose or adventurous about this album, unlike more of Stevens’ popular releases (See: Age of Adz, Illinois), yet it manages to pull through as yet another great work in the Sufjan discography. To hear stories of a sad childhood is definitely not what most people deem an enjoyable experience, but the beauty of their execution makes it all worth the while.
5. San Fermin - Jackrabbit
For me, Jackrabbit’s appeal comes from its theatrical presentation. These songs, crafted by experienced opera writer and film score composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone deliver more than just the simple pleasures of listening to catchy baroque pop. There’s more substance here, despite the radio-single-simplicity of some of the songs on this album. Cinematic instrumentation and brilliant composition bring new depth to a genre in which it seems obvious these elements would flourish.
San Fermin - Two Scenes
4. Neon Indian - Vega Intl. Night School
I’m always a big fan of artists that continually push a genre into new territory with everything they release. Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo has done this with each one of his LPs. Best known as one of the pioneers of the chillwave genre, which takes artistic direction from the dreamy sounds of ‘80s pop synthesizers, Palomo’s 2015 release is much less “chill” and much more “thrill”. The album takes you on a journey through a world that seems like it exists simultaneously in past and future.
Neon Indian - Street Level
3. Clarence Clarity - No Now
No Now is an album that’s very confusing the first time around, but very indulging every time after. It’s as if the ghosts of early 2000s boy bands have come back to haunt you, and are as flashy and demonic as ever before. This is probably the most unique album I’ve heard this year that is actually well-executed. Words fail to describe all this album puts forth.
2. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love
Love is undeniably one of the most popular topics in music. However, polygamous relationships are much less often dealt with. Frontman Ruban Nielson sings about the trials and tribulations of such a situation on what has become my favorite UMO album to date. Multi-Love is consistently great from start to finish, and offers a lot of great grooves. In addition, the music videos produced for this album have been some of my favorite as well. Though you may not find it so high up on other end-of-the-year lists, I found immense enjoyment in Multi-Love.
1. Tame Impala - Currents
Love or hate the new shift Kevin Parker has made towards what some might call “cheesy” “pop” music, Currents was a fantastic attempt at completely reinventing Tame Impala’s style. It is clear here that Parker has taken notes from more electronica-driven bands like Air, which he has stated to be a major influence on all his work. The theme of change is ever present throughout the album, and is mirrored in this new style. This album is proof that everything Kevin Parker touches turns to gold, and I can’t wait to hear what he touches next.
I like how much different your list is from mine. There's a few albums on here, like Vega Intl. Night School, that I've been meaning to go back to but simply haven't yet.
ReplyDeleteA lot of this list has an electronic focus it seems. I was recently thinking about how I didn't feel like I had heard much electronic music this year besides lighter indie pop stuff, so this is serving as a great reminder on what to try.
This list is really interesting to me. The only crossover to mine is C&L and I think the only ones I've actually heard all the way through are Currents and C&L. I guess it just made me realize that I didn't really know anything about your music taste without even realizing it. The stuff on your list is the kind of stuff that usually falls through the cracks for me, not because I don't like it, but because it's not the kind of music I consider to be my favorite so it's not where I allocate my time. I'm gonna try to work through this stuff now and I'll let you know what I think!
ReplyDeleteA lot of this is stuff I enjoyed. Some of it I didn't. I wasn't crazy about Neon Indian's album, nor did I particularly like Clarence. I'm surprised to see UMO so high on your list, but I certainly liked that one a lot too.
ReplyDeleteI think we talked a bit about Jackrabbit since we both saw San Fermin live. Did seeing some of the songs performed in person make you like the record more? It definitely did for me.