2015 Review: Top 50 Albums of the Year

Happy 2016 to all! We will start the New Year (our 9th on Blogger, if you can believe it) in our usual way, which means it's time for our Albums of the Year list!

Especially this year, it was a good thing that we have waited until the very last day on the calendar before finalizing this list, as 10 of the 50 albums that you see below, are records we've listened to for the first time during December. This means it would have been a very different (and much weaker) list, had we rushed to publish it earlier.

However we did not have to wait this long to decide on our Album of the Year. Already at the half-way point of 2015 it was obvious that Courtney Barnett's official debut "Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit" (2013's introductory "The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas" was, as the title revealed, a compilation) was a strong candidate for this title and it would have taken something very special to surpass it. Actually Julia Holter's baroque pop masterpiece "Have You In My Wilderness" came close, but I'm a sucker for a great guitar hook and Barnett's record is brimming with those. So, despite the fact that she sings in "Pedestrian At Best" (our Single of the Year) "tell me I'm exceptional and I promise to exploit you", we are going to ignore her warnings and put her record on a pedestal with no fear of disappointment. Go ahead Courtney, make that origami, you really do deserve it!

Here are the Top 50 Albums of 2015 (and some of those that came close), based on what we were able to listen to so far (check out Cool Music Database later in the year for the final edition, as it is certain we are going to discover a few more great 2015 releases as we are going through all the other year-end lists out there):

Top 50 Albums of 2015

1.  Sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit - COURTNEY BARNETT

2.  Have you in my wilderness - JULIA HOLTER

3.  No cities to love - SLEATER-KINNEY

4.  Untethered moon - BUILT TO SPILL

5.  The agent intellect - PROTOMARTYR

6.  Currents - TAME IMPALA

7.  Platform - HOLLY HERNDON

8.  Ivy tripp - WAXAHATCHEE

9.  Viet Cong - VIET CONG

10. Sun coming down - OUGHT

11. Half free - U.S. GIRLS
12. Fading frontier - DEERHUNTER
13. The expanding flower planet - DERADOORIAN
14. Depression cherry / Thank your lucky stars - BEACH HOUSE
15. Escape from evil - LOWER DENS
16. The magic whip - BLUR
17. Short movie - LAURA MARLING
18. Ones and sixes - LOW
19. Algiers - ALGIERS
20. Foil deer - SPEEDY ORTIZ
21. Silver bullets - THE CHILLS
22. Poison season - DESTROYER
23. B'lieve I'm goin down… - KURT VILE
24. Return to the moon - EL VY
25. Key markets - SLEAFORD MODS
26. "Freedom tower" - No Wave dance party 2015 - THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
27. Sub-lingual tablet - THE FALL
28. Hinterland - LONELADY
29. Death magic - HEALTH
30. Another eternity - PURITY RING
31. Ghost notes - VERUCA SALT
32. Fast food - NADINE SHAH
33. Divers - JOANNA NEWSOM
34. Universal themes - SUN KIL MOON
35. Strangers to ourselves - MODEST MOUSE
36. Works for tomorrow - ELEVENTH DREAM DAY
37. Heartbreak pass - GIANT SAND
38. What went down - FOALS
39. My love is cool - WOLF ALICE
40. The race for space - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
41. To pimp a butterfly - KENDRICK LAMAR
42. I want to grow up - COLLEEN GREEN
43. Why choose - SHOPPING
44. Wire - WIRE
45. Music complete - NEW ORDER   
46. Born under Saturn - DJANGO DJANGO
47. What a terrible world, what a beautiful world - THE DECEMBERISTS
48. Dodge and burn - THE DEAD WEATHER
49. High - ROYAL HEADACHE
50. Pylon - KILLING JOKE

Bubbling under: II - METZ, Anthems for doomed youth - THE LIBERTINES, Kintsugi - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, California nights - BEST COAST, MCIII - MIKAL CRONIN, Shadow of the sun - MOON DUO, Panda Bear meets the Grim Reaper - PANDA BEAR, Me - EMPRESS OF, Pagans in Vegas - METRIC, Edge of the sun - CALEXICO, Carrie & Lowell - SUFJAN STEVENS, Stuff like that there - YO LA TENGO, Transfixiation - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, Deeper - THE SOFT MOON, How big, how blue, how beautiful - FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

Have a listen on Spotify:



Click here for our Top 50 Singles of 2015.

2015's Album Wall of Fame

2015 Review: Top 50 Singles of the Year

I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and that you have overcome by now the Boxing Day blues! To send off 2015 on an upbeat note, we are presenting today the list of our favorite Tracks of the Year and in a few days we are going to welcome 2016 with the best albums we've listened to over the past 365 days.

The honorable distinction of "Single of the Year" for 2015 goes to Courtney Barnett's "Pedestrian At Best", a truly great rock track that impresses on first listen and never ceases to provide thrills every time you hear those runaway guitar riffs and Courtney's cheeky declaration "Give me all your money and I'll make some origami honey". 

Runner up is the first taster from Savages upcoming, sophomore album "Adore Life". If the explosive "The Answer" is any indication, Savages are going to take 2016 by storm. Tame Impala's epic "Let It Happen", which is accompanied by one of the best videos of the year, completes the Top 3 of 2015.

Check out below all 50 tracks we have selected as our favorite single releases of the year and keep in mind that we're only allowing one song per artist or band so that our list represents as many as possible from the numerous excellent releases we've enjoyed during 2015:

Top 50 Singles of 2015

1.  Pedestrian At Best - COURTNEY BARNETT

2.  The Answer - SAVAGES

3.  Let It Happen - TAME IMPALA 

4.  Lampshades On Fire - MODEST MOUSE 

5.  A New Wave - SLEATER-KINNEY

6.  Why Does It Shake? - PROTOMARTYR

7.  Snakeskin - DEERHUNTER

  

8.  Fool - NADINE SHAH

9.  False Hope - LAURA MARLING

10. Feel You - JULIA HOLTER

11. Interference - HOLLY HERNDON
12. A Beautiful Woman - DERADOORIAN
13. Raising The Skate - SPEEDY ORTIZ
14. Under A Rock - WAXAHATCHEE
15. Damn That Valley - U.S. GIRLS
16. Begin Again - PURITY RING
17. Go Out - BLUR
18. Go! - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
19. Straight - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
20. Irony.Utility.Pretext. - ALGIERS
21. The Blacker the Berry - KENDRICK LAMAR
22. Bunkerpop - LONELADY
23. Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo) - EL VY
24. Living Zoo - BUILT TO SPILL
25. America Says Hello - THE CHILLS
26. Laughing In The Sugar Bowl - VERUCA SALT
27. Pay Attention - COLLEEN GREEN
28. To Die in L.A. - LOWER DENS
29. Forces From Above - DESTROYER
30. First Light - DJANGO DJANGO
31. Straight Lines - SHOPPING
32. Giant Peach - WOLF ALICE
33. Pears for Lunch - GIRL BAND
34. What Went Down - FOALS
35. Restless - NEW ORDER
36. Water Water - EMPRESS OF
37. Stonefist - HEALTH
38. Sparks - BEACH HOUSE
39. Cavalry Captain - THE DECEMBERISTS
40. Pretty Pimpin - KURT VILE
41. Random Name Generator - WILCO
42. What Part of Me - LOW
43. Should Have Known Better - SUFJAN STEVENS
44. I Don't Want To Let You Down - SHARON VAN ETTEN
45. Cumbia De Donde - CALEXICO
46. Black Sun - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
47. The Shade - METRIC
48. Flesh without Blood - GRIMES
49. What Kind of Man - FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE
50. Winter / Feeling Alright - DAUGHTER / WARPAINT

2015 Review: The Old School

Last week we presented our favorite Debuts of the Year. However, taking a look at the long list of albums under consideration for our Top 50 of the Year (almost ready, wait for it!), I find that a significant percentage comes from bands with a long history. Some of them have never stopped recording, others reappeared after a long absence, some have all or most of their original members and others have a rotating lineup that serves the vision of the band leader. All of them, though, have a history that goes back at least twenty years and in 2015 have produced great records that even if they don’t surpass their best work, they are certainly important additions in their remarkable discography.

Here are 2015’s Top 15 Albums from the Old School of Rock:

1.  Untethered Moon - BUILT TO SPILL
2.  No  Cities To Love - SLEATER-KINNEY
3.  The Magic Whip - BLUR
4.  Ones and Sixes - LOW
5.  "Freedom Tower" - No Wave Dance Party 2015 - THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
6.  Sub-lingual Tablet - THE FALL
7.  Silver Bullets - THE CHILLS
8.  Ghost Notes - VERUCA SALT
9.  Works for Tomorrow - ELEVENTH DREAM DAY
10. Heartbreak Pass - GIANT SAND
11. Wire - WIRE
12. Music Complete - NEW ORDER
13. Pylon - KILLING JOKE
14. Stuff like that there - YO LA TENGO
15. Whatever, My Love - THE JULIANA HATFIELD THREE

Built To Spill - Living Zoo

Coming up next week in our 2015 review: The Tracks of the Year.

2015 Review: Top 10 Debut Albums of the Year

In the second half of December we are celebrating the best music that 2015 had to offer, which means you're going to see plenty of lists here for the next couple of weeks, as we do enjoy putting things in the "right" order. This order, of course, is changing almost daily, but we do feel that these lists are a fun and efficient way to capture the overall picture of the musical landscape we've been wandering in for the past twelve months.

So, let's get the ball rolling by reinstating the "Best Debuts of the Year" list. Last year we didn't feel like making one, perhaps for the first time since this blog started, as in our opinion 2014 was a rather unimpressive year for the rookies. Things did look up in 2015, although I still wouldn't call it a vintage year for debuts. However the following ten albums include one indisputable classic plus four or five more strong candidates for the year's Top 50. All of them deserve your attention if you're looking for promising new acts who inject fresh blood in guitar rock and pop music. 

Here's our Top 10 Debuts of 2015:

1. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit - COURTNEY BARNETT

2. Viet Cong - VIET CONG

3. The Expanding Flower Planet - DERADOORIAN

4. Algiers - ALGIERS

5. My Love Is Cool - WOLF ALICE

6. Holding Hands With Jamie - GIRL BAND 

7. Me - EMPRESS OF

8. Hermits On Holiday - DRINKS

9. Feels Like - BULLY

10. Are You Satisfied? - SLAVES

Also recommended:

Before The World Was Big - GIRLPOOL

Switch Me On - THE FIREWORKS