The Music Man: My top 10 albums of 2015
December 14, 2015
Well, it looks like this is my last blog post of 2015. In the tradition of many major music publications (and this very blog), I’ve made a list of some of my favorite albums of the year. This year, though, I changed a few things. First off, I extended my list from five to 10 albums, because I ended up listening to a lot more good music this year than last. Second, I decided to acknowledge ties this year — and, having taken a note from New York Times chief film critic A.O. Scott, put together tying albums that fit into similar genres or themes. I won’t bore you any longer, though.
10. “Pageant Material,” Kacey Musgraves
In case you’re new here, I’m not really a huge country music fan. I do, however, have a soft spot in my heart for Kacey Musgraves, who blends of country and pop like few others. With “Pageant Material,” Musgraves made light songs with quippy and clever lyrics about, well, life. Though it’s only her sophomore effort, “Pageant Material” presents itself like it was made by country royalty — and, if Musgraves keeps going the way she is, she’ll have that title before long.
Standout tracks:
3. “Biscuits”
10. “Traveller,” Chris Stapleton
I guess I’m a bit extreme when it comes to the country music I like: It either has to be really pop, or really heavy and bluegrass. While “Pageant Material” fell into the former, “Traveller” definitely falls into the latter. After years of writing country hits for other stars, Chris Stapleton is now able to shine on his own, and the simplicity of “Traveller” shows that he doesn’t need much to shine. At its core, “Traveller” is a collection of honest and heartfelt songs, and that’s some country music I can definitely buy into.
Standout tracks:
2. “Traveller”
9. “Return to the Moon,” El Vy
To be completely honest, I never saw the hype in The National, and I hadn’t heard of Ramona Falls before I found out about El Vy. Against all odds, though, I became hooked on El Vy — a side project by The National lead vocalist Matt Berninger and Ramona Falls multi-instrumentalist Bent Knopf — after the first time I heard its debut single, “Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, With Crescendo)” on the radio. Berninger’s smooth baritone vocals (sometimes evoking David Bowie) hold together El Vy, like The National, but El Vy’s lighter demeanor allows him to shine more. Lyrically, the concept “Return to The Moon” as a true-to-life album about made up people is intriguing as well, from the first to last mention of Didi Bloome.
Standout tracks:
8. “California Nights,” Best Coast
The first time I heard Best Coast, everything was in place for me to love the band — I was driving, with my windows down, in the middle of summer, when “Feeling Ok” came on the radio. But I didn’t like it. After listening to all of “California Nights,” though, I had a new appreciation for Best Coast and its grown up surf rock. Lead vocalist/guitarist Bethany Cosentino’s lyrics are a step up from past albums and guitarist Bobb Bruno’s playing sings just as well as Cosentino, making the record feel like a more mature and overall better presentation of Best Coast.
Standout tracks:
8. “Feels Like,” Bully
I decided to tie another rock album by a female fronted band for eighth: “Feels Like,” the debut album by garage rock band Bully that takes less than half an hour from start to finish. It’s easy to write off the album between lead vocalist/guitarist Alicia Bognanno’s relentless screaming and the band’s blaring guitars, but that’s the album’s beauty. “Feels Like” is simple and pure garage rock at its finest, from its up-front lyrics to its sheer volume. Bognanno’s experience as an audio engineer does the album a favor as well, as she professionally recorded and mixed the album in a way that made it still sound like it was made in a garage — and that’s a very good thing.
Standout tracks:
1. “Milkman”
2. “Trying”
3. “Trash”
7. “My Love Is Cool,” Wolf Alice
At first, I had “My Love Is Cool,” the debut by Wolf Alice, mentally tied with “Feels Like,” but I began realizing “My Love Is Cool” deserved a separate ranking. Unlike “Feels Like,” “My Love Is Cool” is more than rock music — it blends and defies genres behind thought provoking lyrics. Though it’s only the band’s debut, Wolf Alice presents itself well on “My Love Is Cool” between lead vocalist/guitarist Ellie Roswell’s screams, guitarist Joff Oddie’s beautiful riffs and the album’s electronic elements. Not to mention, it’s awesome to see the band play this music live.
Standout tracks:
1. “My Love Is Cool” (hidden track in “The Wonderwhy”)
3. “Bros”
6. “Blue Neighbourhood,” Troye Sivan
“Blue Neighbourhood” was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it didn’t let me down. Though Troye Sivan’s first major label released, the extended play “TRXYE,” was already pretty great, and his following EP, “Wild,” was even better, “Blue Neighbourhood” has somehow progressed to become his best release thus far. Sivan seems to have found his place in the world of synth-heavy dream pop, filling a void in the gray area between Lorde, Lana del Rey and Perfume Genius. At only 20 years old, Sivan has a ton of potential, and “Blue Neighbourhood” could turn him into the household name he’s meant to be.
Standout tracks:
1. “Heaven” (featuring Betty Who)
2. “Lost Boy”
5. “Art Angels,” Grimes
I had heard a lot about “Art Angels” since its release, but didn’t get around to listening to it until about a week ago. The album took me from confusion to enjoyment, and, once I was finished listening to it, I understood its hype. Not only is “Art Angels” an impressive avant-garde pop album, but Grimes herself is impressive in that she created the entire album by herself (excluding two vocal features), right down to the cover art. In terms of sheer, raw talent, Grimes takes this year’s cake.
Standout tracks:
1. “Venus Fly” (featuring Janelle Monae)
2. “California”
3. “Artangels”
4. “Fun Home (A New Broadway Musical),” Original Broadway cast of “Fun Home”
This was the year I dove headfirst into listening to cast albums from Broadway musicals. “Fun Home” was one of the first such albums I stumbled upon, after hearing a lot about the show and seeing a fantastic performance on this year’s Tony Awards. Unlike most cast albums, the “Fun Home” album allows the listener to really understand the entire show’s plot by intermixing scenes of dialogue in between songs. No one member of the cast carries this album, and that’s the beauty of it — everyone, from pre-teen wonder Sydney Lucas to veteran actors Michael Cerveris and Judy Kuhn, makes this cast album what it is.
Standout tracks:
1. “Edges of the World” (by Michael Cerveris)
2. “Flying Away (Finale)” (by Beth Malone, Sydney Lucas and Emily Skeggs)
3. “Days and Days” (by Judy Kuhn)
4. “Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording),” Original Broadway cast of “Hamilton”
When talking about Broadway cast albums, though, there’s a certain cultural phenomenon I just couldn’t leave out — so I tied it for fourth with “Fun Home” instead. “Hamilton,” the hip-hop retelling of Alexander Hamilton’s life by Tony Award-winning writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda (who not only wrote the musical, but also plays its title character), has taken pop culture by storm this year, and rightfully so. By using hip-hop music as a medium to tell Hamilton’s story, with people of color portraying the founding fathers, Miranda has succeeded in making American history accessible to the public. And, in the process, he’s created a two-and-a-half hour epic work of genius.
Standout tracks:
1. “Satisfied” (by Renee Elise Goldsberry and Lin-Manuel Miranda)
2. “The World Was Wide Enough” (by Leslie Odom Jr. and Lin-Manuel Miranda)
3. “Non-Stop” (by Leslie Odom Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson and the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton”)
3. “A Head Full of Dreams,” Coldplay
Quite simply, this is the Coldplay album I’ve spent my dedicated years as a fan waiting for — for once, it’s happy, and not just halfway, like “Mylo Xyloto” was. “A Head Full of Dreams” is the antithesis to the average person’s perception of Coldplay with its blatant, bright and poppy optimism, and that’s precisely what makes it so awesome. (Trust me, as a super fan, it’s taking me a lot of self-control to withhold a No. 1 ranking right now.) Lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Chris Martin has said this may be Coldplay’s last album, and I’d be perfectly content with that, because with “A Head Full of Dreams,” Coldplay has finished its cycle of musical evolution. On the album, Coldplay truly blooms.
Standout tracks:
3. “Hymn for the Weekend” (featuring Beyonce [uncredited])
2. “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit,” Courtney Barnett
Upon first glance, Courtney Barnett’s debut full-length, “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit,” seems like one of the most unimpressive artistic works ever: an album that’s about everyday life, sung in a deadpan style, by an Australian singer-songwriter who’s never made a proper album before. The fact that it succeeds through all of this is what makes “Sometimes I Sit …” so impressive. Courtney Barnett’s guitar-driven, lazy performance style is appealing, but the album really excels lyrically, as Barnett has a wonderful ability to tell a story. Its hand-drawn cover is somewhat reminiscent of a storybook, and, at its core, that’s what it is — a thoroughly great collection of stories.
Standout tracks:
1. “Depreston”
1. “To Pimp a Butterfly,” Kendrick Lamar
Of every album released this year, none has a better case as a work of art than Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly.” At nearly 80 minutes long, the album is a powerful portrayal of race in the 21st century from nearly every possible angle. It’s so much more, though: an experimental fusion of jazz and hip-hop, a journey of self-realization for Lamar and perhaps the most socially important record of the 2010s. Each time I listen to “To Pimp a Butterfly,” I leave with something new, and that’s the true reason why this record is amazing.
Standout tracks:
1. “Wesley’s Theory” (featuring George Clinton and Thundercat)
2. “These Walls” (featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat)
3. “How Much a Dollar Cost” (featuring James Fauntleroy and Ronald Isley)
After about 1,750 words, I feel like I’ve said more than enough. See you in 2016.
Sid Jambunathan • Dec 14, 2015 at 8:25 pm
Couldn’t agree more with you on To Pimp a Butterfly and Head Full of Dreams. Two phenomenonal albums.