Sam's Favorite 10 Albums of 2015

Making this list was an exercise in memory; many of these albums were ones I obsessed over earlier in the year but haven't listened to as much since.  If you know me, you know that I get extremely into albums for a period of a week or two, listening to them non-stop, before eventually moving on.  I will inevitably come back to such albums, but never with the fervor of that first week or two.

Many of these albums came out earlier in 2015 and I haven't been listening to them as much lately.  Still, they are all fantastic.

10. Drug Cabin - Wiggle Room

One half of LA's Drug Cabin is Marcus Congleton, former frontman of Ambulance LTD, whose 2004 album LP is one of the truly incredible records put out so far in the 21st century.  Unfortunately, due to label conflicts and perhaps other factors, the band broke up after only that one album and an EP.  Now, Congleton is back with Drug Cabin.  After getting over my initial disappointment in realizing that Drug Cabin doesn't really take many cues from Ambulance LTD, I was able to actually get into the album and enjoyed it more and more as the year went on.  It's kind of a slacker classic rock type of album.  There's a song called "Steely Dad."  It's good!  Nothing that will shift your perception of life and music as we know it, but it's good.

9. Younghusband - Dissolver

Younghusband are Just Another Great British Band (JAGBB).  Dissolver is not quite as strong as their debut album, Dromes, but it's a solid collection of songs nonetheless.  Elements of krautrock, good guitar work, agreeable vocals, and more!

8. Helvetia - Dromomania

Helvetia's main man Jason Albertini has been associated in various capacities (roadie, bass, etc.) for a long time with Built to Spill, and the two bands tour together a lot.  But Helvetia doesn't sound that much like BtS - while Built to Spill has it's place (a very prominent one), Helvetia is a bit more creative of an outfit.  A Dot Running for the Dust, which is an album the band released earlier this year that was moved to be a sort of "Disc 2" for Dromomania, is also excellent.  You can read an old review I wrote of it here!  In fact, I think I liked A Dot... more than Dromomania, but together as one package it's all really, really good.

7. Forest Fallows - At Home

Tucson's finest, Forest Fallows are a fantastic band.  Their debut album At Home came out this year and it's an excellent piece of work.  Beautiful melodies and pretty intricate layered guitar work help this album to shine.  You can find the thing on Bandcamp if you're so inclined.

6. Deerhunter- Fading Frontier

You've probably heard this album by now.  Bradford Cox just has "it", whatever that means.  The guy can write really good songs that don't just sound good sonically, they also give you a glimpse into his (what I'm assuming is a) frenetic brain.  While Fading Frontier is not quite as strong as Cryptograms, their de facto debut, or Microastle, their strongest record, or perhaps even Halcyon Digest (which many see as a logical predecessor to Fading Frontier), it's still a strong album.  I'm not sure that anything Cox writes could ever not be excellent.

5. Cloakroom - Further Out

Do you hear those drums?  Hmm?  Do you hear them?  Damn fucking right you do.  Now do a quick Google search of the drummer in Cloakroom (see "Cloakroom band" Google Image search - first result) and report back.

But in all seriousness, Cloakroom's style stands out in a sea of the shoegaze and punk revival of 2015.  While they have elements of both, Cloakroom take Low's slower approach to crafting songs, but turn up the volume for good measure.  Lead singer Doyle Martin almost groans along to the songs but in the best way possible, and his guitar work is excellent throughout.

4. Ava Luna - Infinite House

What more can I say?  You all know Ava Luna are great and you all also know that Infinite House is a superb record.  Roses & Cherries is easily one of my favorite songs of the year.

3. Happyness - Weird Little Birthday

Happyness have been compared to the same bands over and over.  And while some folks might hate comparisons, I find it helps to get an idea of the kind of music you are going to be listening to.  I know it can get annoying to be compared over and over to certain bands, but to me I see it as a way to introduce the listener to your sound.  That being said, Happyness sound like Wilco, Sparklehorse, and Pavement, kinda, among others.  And you know what?  It's a fucking delightful mix of sounds.  The lyrics are witty with singers Jonny Allen and Benji Compston switching off on singing on many of the songs to great effect.

Technically this album was released in the UK in 2014, but the US release with bonus tracks is from 2015 and I discovered it this year, so I'm counting it.

2. Swervedriver - I Wasn't Born to Lose You

Shoegaze at it's finest.  Swervedriver returned triumphantly in 2015 after 17 years (17 years!) away from the game, and I Wasn't Born to Lose You really is an amazing way to come back on the scene.  Swervedriver have always been a bit "harder" than their cohort (MBV, Lush, Ride, etc.) despite being of the same ilk.  For me, this makes it a bit more interesting and varied; different strokes for different folks.  Start to finish, I Wasn't Born to Lose You is an album that will make you feel good about music in 2015.  Here's to more old British dudes reuniting in 2016.

1. Grooms - Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair

Grooms.  GROOMS.  GROOOOOOOOOOOMS!

What's amazing to me about this album is that I don't really like lead singer Travis Johnson's voice all that much.  But the drumming (holy shit, the drumming), the guitar playing, and the atmospheric/electronic textures (see: guitar playing) throughout are more than enough to make up for any deficiencies there.  There is so much detail and complexity in this album, it makes me really appreciate what these guys are able to do.  This album is big, sweeping, gorgeous, and of course...the drumming, man.  Here's to more Grooms in the coming years.