The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

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The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby Strant » Fri Jan 01, 2016 1:08 am

As 2016 is beginning we are going to repeat what we did when 2015 begun. We are going to rate stuff and things and tell us all about what we thought was the best stuffs and things. In this thread we'll be sticking to music though. mmm 'kay? You can arrange them however you want. Want to make a top 50 albums list? Yeah sure, do that. You want to just talk about this one really good song that you love that came out this year. Do that too! You want to talk about your favorite TV-series from last year? Go do that in the other thread I made. (same goes for games)
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby NudgeNudge » Fri Jan 01, 2016 2:11 am

Music schmusic! My favoritest thing! I believe 2015 was an incredible year for music. Like, not kidding, it might have been the best of the decade so far (2010 and 2012 give it a run for its money, but still). We got some great pop, some really great hip hop, and I guess rock bands still haven't given up. Success!

Image
Image

Two albums are bound to be associated to 2015 forever and ever: To Pimp a Butterfly, by the West Coast savior Kendrick Lamar, and Carrie and Lowell, by the former 50 States enthusiast Sufjan Stevens. They couldn't be any more different: the former is a proud, brave hip-hop record that takes no prisoners and that probably speaks to the black community louder than any other record in the last twenty years. I'm not black (citation needed) so I can't relate to it as much as I'd like to, but I have to admit it's catchy, inspirational and very angry. Sufjan's, on the other hand, is a folksy album, quiet, nostalgic, chilling at times. Let's admit it, Illinois, his 2005 masterpiece, is pompous and overwrought as was the whole apparently abandoned project. His latest, however, is intimate and sincere, more of a singer/songwriter effort, and as such is infinitely more touching.

These are not necessarily the albums I, Nudge McNudgerson, have loved the most, but the important people have spoken and this is what they said. So what else is out there?

For starters, Notch's hero Claire Boucher was back, and she's as eccentric as ever. Art Angels is unfortunately no Visions, but its variety and all-over-the-place-ness makes for a really entertaining listen. Back was also Joanna Newsom, with which may seem a weaker album too, but let's face it: Harp Girl can't do wrong. Her voice of a thousand flowing rivers may not be for everyone, but if it's for you, goddammit you're going to know it and love it. And, in these paragraph of childish voices, we can't forget about CHVRCHES, who pretty much rereleased their debut under the name of Every Open Eye. We have learned two things as a result: they're probably not going to reinvent the wheel, and also they absolutely don't need to.

2015 also is the year the mainstream suddenly didn't suck. "Can't Feel My Face" is a freaking banger and not even the most deluded rockist in the world can deny it. Biebz and Cyrus may be douchebags or attention seekers, but they're not opting to remain stale, and are transitioning into a more "twenty-something" scene (dance music and nudist psychedelic pop, respectively). And let's not forget about arguably the pop album of the year: Carly Rae Jepsen's "E·MO·TION", a retro album that manages to sound fresh and clean.

The middle 10s are clearly rehashing some old eighties tunes, as proven by Ms. Jepsen, or The Killers' Mormon frontman himself, Brandon Flowers. Even bands that weren't trying that, like the very obviously sixties-influenced Tame Impala, have changed their minds.

But yes, there was rock. Kiwi punk critical darling Courtney Barnett took the world by storm with Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. Wolf Alice's wonderful noise pop found a huge audience. Ryan Adams Springsteened Taylor Swift with surprisingly great results. And in the harder side of rock, Iron Maiden released their best album in fifteen years (or more, depending on how much you like Brave New World).

And after this lengthy summary, let's go for my twenty favorite songs of the year, together with meaningless tags.

    20. CHVRCHES - Playing Dead (cutesy electropop)
    19. Beck - Dreams (funky alternative dad rock)
    18. Chromatics - I Can Never Be Myself When You're Around (dark synthwave)
    17. The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face (dancefloor R&B)
    16. Lyel - Waterproof (updated Cyndi Lauper)
    15. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta (L.A. hip hop)
    14. LA Priest - Oino (lo-fi new new wave)
    13. Frank Ocean - At Your Best (You Are Love) (intimate falsetto cover)
    12. Diet Cig - Scene Sick (acoustic grrrrl)
    11. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best (electric grrrrl)
    10. Brandon Flowers - Can't Deny My Love (1984 called, they want this song back)
    9. Purity Ring - Begin Again (more mysterious (more talented?) CHVRCHES)
    8. David Hasselhoff - True Survivor (now seriously, 1984 called)
    7. Disclosure ft. Lorde - Magnets (Lorde is a maneater now)
    6. Tame Impala - Eventually (touching synth-rock opera)
    5. Toro y Moi - Buffalo (for Christ's sake, guys, 1984 is pissed)
    4. Natalie Prass - My Baby Don't Understand Me (soulful breakup song)
    3. Susanne Sundfor - Delirious (best Bond theme that never was)
    2. Carly Rae Jepsen - Run Away With Me (makes dance clubs look worth a try)
    1. Grimes - REALiTi (holy crap)

I would add links but seriously if you got this far you can do the extra effort. Also there were no good links for the first song so I got sad and stopped looking. And all of it actually sounds like 1984 so why bother.

P.S: Carla Morrison is good, you guys.

Happy new year.
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby Matthew Notch » Fri Jan 01, 2016 2:38 am

Here are a few albums that I really liked this year.

Meow the Jewels - Run the Jewels




This one didn't make any other year-end lists besides my own, and I can see why. I mean it's a rap album made out of cat noises. Seriously, except for the acapellas and the drums (and sometimes even those) it's made entirely out of samples of noises cats make: hisses, whines, meowrs, and of course lots of purring to really blast those... um... woofers.

I don't know, maybe it's because the raps these songs remix were so legit to begin with, or maybe it's because I admire any sucker who can make a proper song out of the weirdest source material, but in my opinion this is the ultimate culmination of all that hip hop, in its past to its hey to now, has been working and striving toward. Making music literally out of whatever's lying around, then besting every rapper this year with last year's material. It's the American dream.

Have You In My Wilderness - Julia Holter



This one is a very late entry for me. I spent a lot of time this last month looking for new music to add to my list, and this album was on a couple other lists I saw. After hearing about two songs, I bought it on a whim, and I'm really glad I did; it's full of dense, complicated compositions, lyrics that are simultaneously cute and deep without being too dear, and besides all that I think I really like her voice. Maybe the closest comparison I can come up with is Pet Sounds, which is of course a record that has influenced like 49902087347 records that have come out since its release, but a lot of them don't strive as hard to be spiritual successors as this one.

For extra fun, listen to the KEXP concert in which she plays just about all of the best songs on the record in one set, including an amazing version of the title track.



Sprained Ankle - Julien Baker



Actually this one isn't on my list because I got it and it changed my life or anything. It's just that everyone else I show her to, they LOVE her. She's just this little girl who has been on drugs and booze and homeless at points and has questioned God and come back around to some semblance of spirituality that, in the end, she doesn't even beat you with over the head. She writes really sad songs, but the thing that binds them all together is that undercurrent of strangely earned optimism. Also a lot of the videos of her singing end with her pretty close to tears, so I don't know...

The thing is, she comes from an emo background, and that seems weird to people who don't like the genre in particular, because it doesn't necessarily sound like they think it should. But emo was never supposed to be a whiny genre full of entitled kids singing about being douchebags to girls. Its roots, and the ones who carry its banner most honestly, are with young men and women who made music to deal with the issues they were going through--it's just that, instead of those issues being political or social, they were personal. It's always interesting to me when someone complains about a songwriter who only writes love songs, or songs about breakups, as if those things are somehow less legitimate than the rise of ISIS or something. Both things are awful, but one thing affects the writer more personally and deeply, and it's not unfair for him or her to write about that as a form of catharsis, and it needn't diminish the artistic value of the work either.

Bones - Son Lux



Bones by Son Lux is the first of two records that Tuli got me into this year. Son Lux is, for the first time, expanded into a band, and it shows up quite a lot. Electronic music has this tendency to do the same thing over and over, but once you start adding in other people with their own visions and desires, the mood all shifts and the potential for some really interesting art takes over. Either that or it gets incredibly banal because no one wants to take risks.

Fortunately that's not the case here. It's weird to say it, but the artist I thought this record sounded the most like was Sufjan Stevens, Illinoise era. That kind of jangly, strangely harmonious collection of different tones, all representative of both a synergy of various talents and a capable composer and conductor overseeing it all, is very evident throughout Bones. My wife says that it's a little too disjointed for her. I think it's terrific.

Sound and Color - Alabama Shakes



I'm gonna level with you: I did not care that much for the first Alabama Shakes record. In my defense (or perhaps to my chagrin), I have never really cared that much for blues music. So much of it just sounds like the same thing over and over, which, unlike some other types of music that are judged the same way, actually has some merit to the accusation: the blues progression is a real thing. Using the same instrumentation, the same chord progression, the same tempos and the same meter, blues artists create this insular, continuously self-referencing art form that I'm frankly not a part of, so therefore can't seem to get into. There are exceptions, classics like Jimi Hendrix and Leadbelly, but overall and in particular when it comes to modern blues artists, it's just... boring as hell.

Alabama Shakes did a lot of blues-inspired work on their last record, and it caught my attention, held it for a bit longer than it would have without the incredible Brittany Howard on guitar and vocals, and then lost it anyway. Sound and Color is just a completely different beast. There are guitar licks you'd expect on a prog record. There are vibraphone lines. There are pocket grooves that your head-bob skill will level up over. I can't explain it and I don't care. This was a monster record and it deserves every bit of the hype it got.

Speaking of hype...

To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar



I don't think there are that many people who question that Kendrick Lamar is the greatest rapper of the current generation. He has always been engaged with the tropes that define his chosen art form, but never beholden to them. Sure, he'll write about wanton sex with a bitch, but he'll write about her emotions and ambitions and the things he reflects on in himself during and after the experience. He'll write about drinking a whole lot--from the standpoint of a man who needs to quit drinking. This was the mistake that a lot of critics made with DS2 by Future; they wrote about it like it was a deep, stark, pleading cry for help from a man too given to his vices, but really it was just another rap record glorifying those vices over slick instrumentation. K Dot's music runs circles around every other rapper thematically and technically, and I'm surprised Future's record made so many year-end lists, if we're being honest.

The thing I kept reading about when it comes to TPAB is that it's a very "black" record, which is a little like porn in that you can't really define it, but you know it when you see it. I don't know about all that. I do know that he definitely has love for white people, but is not afraid to be out and out hostile to the white oppressor in some songs, like The Blacker the Berry for instance. Seriously, take some time to read the lyrics, and then when you get to the end and your mind is blown, read them again. Kendrick's lyrics are something every person who ever says "racism is over in America" needs to listen to right now.

This record made a bunch of year-end lists, many of them at number one. Does it deserve the spot? Pretty nearly. There are only a couple other records I liked more, and that's because given the choice between a candy bar and a plate of curry, most of the time I'm going to pick a candy bar because it will make me happy immediately. But a plate of curry is an amazing thing to have whenever I need some real food in my stomach. In fact I need to hurry up and finish this post so I can make some curry for dinner. The point is, To Pimp A Butterfly is like a really really good plate of curry, full of disparate flavor profiles and a little spicy for the average weak stomach, but just what you need when it's time for something substantial.

Art Angels - Grimes



This really should be my number one. Grimes is my musical hero. I aspire to be her. So I was really surprised that this ended up being number two when it was all said and done. In fact, it's not even my favorite Grimes record. I mean it's utterly awesome and super fun, but Visions edges it out for me. Whyyyyyyyy?

Well, Art Angels is kind of a strange beast. There are so many touches on it that make me think of any number of number one singles from the past few years (the strum pattern in Venus Fly sounds just like "Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry... sorry if that ruined it for you). The production is crisp, clean, freshly Abletonned out, and Grimes taught herself how to play guitar, ukulele, and violin just for the record, so there's plenty of those sounds to be had, a first for her as an artist. Grimes remains one of my most favorite producers--I would love, someday, for her to produce a record and someone else sing it or rap it, as she did with "Scream", the single above. That said, the versatility of her voice has also jumped several notches, and now she's chanting, screaming, and singing lyrics that I can actually understand and aren't under waves of reverb. These all seem like points in its favor.

What makes the difference is that Visions was a very special record for me; it kind of changed my life. There are definitely moments on it where I thought to myself, "She was just figuring something out there, wasn't she?" It felt less like an old master crafting a perfect, radio ready album, and more like an adventure, an exploration of her mind as a creator. I understand why she'd want to distance herself from that sound; although I'd be surprised to hear anything on Art Angels played on Top 40 radio, it's definitely friendlier and more accessible than Visions even at its artsy-fartsiest. She's clearly going a direction, and it will be thrilling to see where she ends up. But I hope that her days of discovering what she wants musically aren't quite over just yet.

Here, enjoy this song. It's probably the most played thing on the instasync this year:



Amor Supremo - Carla Morrison



I listened to a lot of older Carla Morrison after I decided, early on, that this was my album of the year, and I have to say: it's good not great. This album, according to all the press on it and substantiated by my own research, is a huge departure for her artistically. Synths come into play far more frequently, reverb washes over everything, and the general tone is a little sad, a little sensual, and waaaaaaay romantic no matter which direction you point it. And it's all in Spanish.

Some of my favorite music in the world has been in a language I don't really understand, and I think that's on purpose. You are kind of forced to appreciate the music on its own terms, without knowing exactly what the artist was feeling him or herself when the song was being crafted. I did go through and look up translations for quite a few of the songs, and wow, they are good. Beautiful, but also entirely about boys. Is that bad? Nope.

What really counts is the mood the songs inspire, and even if you can't understand the lyrics, you can feel what she feels through her vocals. Morrison's voice, while derided by some, is an incredible instrument to me, never straining but always aching. After listening through her back catalog, it sounds like, for the first time, she found the music that her voice was always needing to sing over. I am moved and humbled by it every time.
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Last edited by Matthew Notch on Fri Jan 01, 2016 6:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby AboveGL » Fri Jan 01, 2016 3:01 am

NudgeNudge wrote:
    17. The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face (dancefloor R&B)
    7. Disclosure ft. Lorde - Magnets (Lorde is a maneater now)
    1. Grimes - REALiTi (holy crap)

P.S: Carla Morrison is good, you guys.


Yes!

Matthew Notch wrote:Here are a few albums that I really liked this year.

Art Angels - Grimes


Yes!

I still need to give that Alabama Shakes album a whirl, but I have a feeling I'll love it.

Without going into too much detail, I'll just list singles and albums.

    Grimes - Flesh Without Blood
    Carly Rae Jepsen - I Really Like You
    Prodigy - Nasty
    Purity Ring - Bodyache
    Major Lazer - Lean On

    Grimes - Art Angles
    Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool

Wolf Alice and Grimes are new favourites.
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby OhJohnNo » Fri Jan 01, 2016 3:28 am

Some great stuff already mentioned (especially Carly Bae <3) but my favourite album of the year was by Prurient.



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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby Strant » Fri Jan 01, 2016 3:33 am

There happened things in music in 2015. It was surprising. I'm just going to give you my top 10 albums of the year. Give you a link so you can listen to it, I will also link the song I like the most in the album so you can give it a try though. I'm gonna do that now then. Full Album links to Spotify and the song links to youtube.

10
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi Love

Full Album

Song

Why is chosing number 10 always the hardest part? In any case. This goes to Unknown Mortal Orchestra because of their great pop album which I found was very well put together and produced. The vocals aren't the greatest but they serve their purpose and the instrumentals are amazing enough to make up for that.

9
Cattle Decapitation - The Antrophecene Extinction

Full Album
Song

I'm disappointed to have to put this albums so low on the list, but that's because Cattle Decapitation's last album was an album of the year contender the year it came out. This album is still great though (as are ALL the albums on this list) and you should listen to it. This album isn't quite as loud and aggressive as Monolith of Inhumanity, but it's still very loud and aggressive, it just comes with making Deathgrind. The album does, however, opt to have more melodic passages with the less growly voice to make up for this. This worked great for some but to me it wasn't as good as what they did for MoI. The album still has some killer tunes though.

8
Destroyer - Poison Season.

Full Album
Song

When I first heard of this I was like "Shit dude, that title sounds metal as FUCK". But then I turned it on and was at first slightly disappointed but after that had passed and I actually listened to it for what it was, I quickly realized I had no reason to be disappointed. The vocals and lyrics are beautiful and almost poetic. The instrumentals involve a lot of trumpets and other blow instruments, which makes for a great time. The way that Destroyer has built this album isn't revolutionary, but it's very well made.

7
Hop Along - Painted Shut

Full Album
Song

I really liked this album. I know not everyone did, but I did. Where some say she doesn't sing well, I say she sings with a lot of emotion. I think emotion is the name of this album, there's so much of it poured into every song that I just couldn't help but love it. I don't think I can say anything more about this, but I really like it.

6
Everything Everything - Get To Heaven

Full Album
Song

This is basically how I wish pop will sound like in a few years. It isn't going to sound like this at all, but I wish! Anywho. Album's got some really cool stuff going for it and a lot of energy to pull it off. Get to Heaven has this kinda funky feel to it and mixes it with contemporary pop and electronica. It's a really good combination. The songs always have a good pace to them. I imagine this album would make for great running music.

5
Deafheaven - New Bermuda

Full Album
Song

Once again Deafheaven delivered a solid Black Metal album packed that's packed with emotion. Who could have seen that coming?

4
Napalm Death - Apex Predator

Full Album
Song

Napalm Death has had a very long career, and they are somehow still releasing great album. I'm not sure how they do it, but they do.

Apex Predator manages to keep the pressure on for it's entire runtime of 40 minutes. If you want one of those albums that will beat the shit out of you, here it is. It's just very well crafted, the vocals are great, and the riffs are too, not much to complain about here. At the end of the day it's grindcore, either you like the abrasive nature of it or you don't.

3
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

Album
Song

Welcome the biggest hypocrite of 2015!

This jazzy hip hop album is an instant classic. I'll eat my shoes if this isn't listened to in 20 years. The albums is well produced, well written and has something for pretty much everyone. A lot of it is for more hardcore hip hop listeners but it also has a lot of easily accessible stuff. It has a lot of social critique, introspection, and memorable verses. If there's something I can critique about this album it's that most of the hooks don't really hook me but that's barely even a complaint since that's just not the point a lot of the time. Kendrick's rapping is obviously on point, as usual.

2
Ghost (BC) - Meliora

Full album
Song

This album is also an instant classic. Satanic Pop Metal band Ghost released their third studio album and it's just so well made. The riffs are memorable, the lyrics are too, and these guys know how to write some fucking choruses. The production makes it sound like it's recorded in some sort of cathedral and if pope Francis can sing better than Papa Emeritus you have converted me to Catholicism, because a singing voice like that would be a miracle. Fun fact about this entry: Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly was going to be here but I changed my mind after I re-listened to both albums, so it's a close call between that and this.


1
Death Grips - The Powers That B

Album
Song1
Song2

First of all, you might have noticed that I put two songs there to represent the albums. It's because this one is more of a double album, one side being full of Bjork vocal samples that they experimented with putting into the songs, with great effect, and is generally a lot less aggressive. The second part is very aggressive but more to the point and not as experimental.

Anyways. If this is Death Grips last album, which it may or may not be, it would be a good send off for the group. This album scratches that itch that seemingly only Death Grips seem to scratch. Shouted vocals, unique industrial hip hop sound with a punk influence. It's all so thematic. The album is very well written lyrically and Stephan can really say a lot with a single sentence.

The album has these musical moments that stick to you, some of the hooks are just so great that they'll be stuck in your head the instant you hear them.

The Powers That B is my album of 2015, because it's very great, basically.
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby Marcuse » Fri Jan 01, 2016 1:36 pm

Due to shortness of cash, I only have a short list of 2015 albums I want to highlight.

5

Sunn 0))) - Kannon

I put this at number 5, because this is essentially more of the same. It's drone, with Attila singing weirdly over it. But it does, for all that, work. It's a bit on the short side, with three tracks the longest of which is 12 minutes. But I still enjoy it, so it's on my list.

4

Flowers for Bodysnatchers - Aokigahara

This stuff is just haunting. Based on the concept of the "suicide forest" near Mt Fuji in Japan, it delivers haunting ambience with some interesting twists. I really enjoyed it, and it's all available on Youtube for free on the cryochamber channel.

3

Arcturus - Arcturian

The space metal pioneers return after a long absence with their most aggressive offering to date. A varied album of black metal mixed with classical elements and electronic influences it presents an eclectic ride, with the deluxe edition packaged with industrial remixes from other artists. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot, even if some of the tracks (such as Crashland) seemed to be lifted from other bands' work.

2

Herbst9 - Fragmentary

One of the more strange offerings of 2015, Herbst9 present a long album of almost soundtrack music, but unlike any soundtrack I've ever heard. Warkatu 1 caught my attention with spoken statements mixed with off kilter trumpets and ambient soundscapes. It's a super interesting ride, and one I'd highly recommend.

1

Corrections House - Know How to Carry a Whip

The industrial supergroup return with the followup to Last City Zero, and present another album of hard hitting and aggressive metal. While lacking out and out standout tracks, the new album is consistently good throughout and something you can listen to from start to finish without losing interest, or skipping ones because of inconsistent content. While it's only a recent release, it's my favourite album of 2015.
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby mancityfooty » Fri Jan 01, 2016 5:03 pm

I spent the last half of the year listening to Ministry, Psalm 69 (again and again) and Buck Owens.

You kids stay off of my lawn!
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby Tuli » Fri Jan 01, 2016 9:53 pm

I'm not that great at staying on top of new music, so I realized I haven't actually listened to that many albums from 2015. Most of the ones I have, I've found by chance (with possibly more than half coming from Deezer recommendations). Very likely I've missed something I'd absolutely love if I just heard it! But still, here I am going to list some of my favorite albums, and some of my favorite songs of 2015.

Carla Morrison "Amor Supremo"
I don't get quite as emotional about it as Notch does (:P) but I've listened to it many times over, and the songs remain a well crafted delight. Also Spanish is a nice language. Here's the first track from the album and my favorite:


Wolf Alice "My Love Is Cool"
Ranging from the loudness of Fluffy to the dreaminess of Turn to Dust, there's a fair amount of variety on this album.
Funnily enough, the blandest part of the record for me is their most popular single, Bros. I'm glad I decided to investigate beyond that.


Django Django "Born Under Saturn"
Dance album of the year! Psychedelic indie pop that from start to finish it draws me in with its energy and catchy rhythms and never once lets go. I've heard the criticism that it can get very samey after a while, which I guess is a fair thing to say but that is not a minus for me. I love it!



It Follows soundtrack
And now for something completely different, a soundtrack for a horror movie I have not seen. This one was recommended to me by Notch since I was looking for more dark electronica to listen to. It's very 80s in all the best ways, and at times manages to be super unsettling all on its own. It's not something I will listen to often, but it's highly enjoyable when I'm in the right mood for it. It's very difficult to choose a track to represent the album here, so I will just start with the first one:


Marina and the Diamonds "FROOT"
My personal pop album AND titular pop song of the year.


Son Lux "Bones"
I love Son Lux. Electronic music mixed with classical instruments and unorthodox vocals, all coming together in brilliant compositions. It's eclectic and interesting and so catchy. Son Lux has quickly become one of my favorite musicians so it's no surprise I loved this album too.


And now for some of my favorite songs from albums that didn't quite make the list. The reason Art Angels by Grimes is not on my albums of the year list right now is because I simply haven't had much of a chance to listen to it compared to the other albums. It's not available on the streaming service I use and I haven't bought albums in a long time, so yeah. But the singles have been great.

Pond - Sitting Up on Our Crane

Rival Consoles - Looming


Julia Holter - Silhouette

I have mixed feelings about Holter because I'm really annoyed by the bluntness of her vocals in some songs. But the ones where there's not too much of that are enjoyable.

Courtney Barnett - Kim's Caravan

Despite being one of the most widely lauded albums of 2015, most of Barnett's really doesn't speak to me. But this song is quite simply brilliant.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of stuff but I'm getting tired so that's it for now.
EDIT:

Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

'mnot crying, shaddap ;_;
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby RedBearded » Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:41 am

Joe - Hello (Adele cover)

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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby Matthew Notch » Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:25 pm

Have to make a late addition. This is an album I had meant to listen to last year, and never got around to it.

The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us - Beach Slang


https://beachslang.bandcamp.com/album/t ... el-like-us

I didn't link a video because really, if you have a spare twenty-five minutes and think the first couple tracks are okay, you're probably going to like the entire thing. You'll know immediately if you like it or not. I thought to myself, "Yeah, this is a pretty good record!" about halfway through the first listen. Then it ended, and things were kind of quiet, so I started the album again just to have some background noise, and now I'm almost through my second listen. This is the only album on my list that, after playing it, I immediately started it back over and played it again. That doesn't mean it's my new number one, but it definitely deserves a spot on the list.

It's basically emo. I mean it sounds like high school to me. The closest comparison I can make is probably The Jealous Sound, a band that was widely considered by critics (who, at the time, derided emo in general) to be a rare gem that demonstrated maturity even as it appealed to the primal, hormonal centers of people. That part of them that never really quit being a teenager was brought back to the front, even though the lyrics weren't about teenager shit anymore. And that's a pretty decent review of this record too.

The music is, by necessity, a little on the samey side, and yes, there is a moment on the album where the lead singer actually does yell, "We are young and alive!" If you can forgive those things, or like I did, embrace them as part of the aesthetic rather than dismiss them as silly out of hand, you will probably find something to like about this album. I mean, assuming you find the aesthetic appealing in the first place. Which I do.

Okay fine, here's a video dammit.

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It's Dangerous to Go Alone


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"I have a beautiful sphincter and Mexico is gonna pay for it."--Kate
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Re: The Best Things of 2015: Music Edition.

Postby jbobsully11 » Sat Jan 30, 2016 8:40 pm

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue year to quit paying attention to music. Looking through my files, it seems the only album I have that's actually from last year is Lluvia's Eternidad Solemne. Listening to it right now, it sounds like fairly standard atmospheric black metal. Not bad, imo, but not outstanding. The full album is on Youtube right here.
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