Disclaimer: There's a lot I haven't listened to in 2015 (see: I still haven't listened to all of Julia Holter, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Joanna Newsom's new albums from this year, to name a few), and the following aren't necessarily the best albums of 2015, they are simply my favorite albums out of all of the music I have listened to. This is no way a definitive representation of what was released in 2015.
Honorable Mentions: Bully - Feels Like, Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly, Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Set and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Eskimeaux - O.K., Hop Along - Painted Shut
10. Pony Time - Rumours 2: The Rumours Are True [Self Released]
Highlight Track - Time Tells Me
Allusions to Fleetwood Mac are almost a guarantee in getting placed in this list. Having catchy garage rock songs that feel like outtakes from Fleetwood Mac or other soul inspired rock bands discographies help in that regard too. Rumours 2 is a fun album from a great two-piece band with punchy riffs and vocacls.
9. Jamie xx - In Colour [Young Turks]
Highlight Track - Loud Places
Loud Places might be the song of the year. The instrumental fifteen second bridge is the catchiest thing written all year and there's not enough to be said about this song. Jamie xx, of The xx, released his first solo album in 2015 and it's a doozy. He builds loops upon loops upon loops and features guests that add layers to already great songs. In Colour is all about being somewhere that's a party, albeit a low-key rave or underground dance party. It's as if there's a play between the light and the dark going on, just listen to the change in atmosphere going from I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times) to The Rest is Noise.
8. Sports - All of Something [Father/Daughter Records]
Highlight Track - Reality TV
How many bands are there named Sports? Probably too many. Either way, this is one of the best jangle-pop albums of the year, filled with short and sweet songs that are sure to get stuck in your head. Every track excels during the choruses, filled with insanely catching vocals and guitar riff. From production to themes, All of Something screams DIY and moving on from previous less-than-stellar life experiences.
7. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Style [Matador Records]
Highlight Track - Something Soon
Oh look, bfx ranked Car Seat Headrest in his top ten again. Yeah, whatever. Will Toledo is consistently putting out amazing releases and Teens of Style, his first album on a label, is no exception. It still has his typical wild voice, overdriven and ready to break with emotion. Per usual the tracks are self-aware and filled with self-doubt, though the tracks are slightly less noisy than previous albums.
6. Destroyer - Poison Season [Merge Records]
Highlight Track - Times Square
Dan Bejar is love. Dan Bejar is life. Dan Bejar is incredibly underrated and one of the best songwriters of the past 15 years. Poison Season is no exception as he continues to go down the path of late-night jazz and baroque influenced music. It invokes a sense of grandeur and life in the city that never sleeps that may or may not have ever existed, back before things became so resoundingly sterile and big business. Whether intended or not, Dan Bejar creates an atmosphere that feels like an all-night ride into the next sunrise and a love for bright lights.
5. Colleen Green - I Want to Grow Up [Hardly Art]
Highlight Track - Things That Are Bad for Me pt 2
I Want to Grow Up is somewhat similar to Time to Go Home in that they are both non-nonchalant while being self-aware of personal flaws and failings. The difference is that Colleen Green seems a lot more anxious, self-riddled, and uncertain about her future. At 31, maybe it is time for her to start thinking about "growing up", whatever that may mean. Some tracks, such as Deeper than Love feature a bit of a departure from her typical sound by being reliant on a drum machine, but it works out incredibly well and create some of the best tracks on this album.
4. Chastity Belt - Time to Go Home [Hardly Art]
Highlight Track - Cool Slut
This is an album for sad punks, by sad punks. It's got a droning, somewhat sarcastic and condescending tone towards male-driven culture, the punk agenda, and is filled with questioning of what is and isn't healthy. The music itself is great surf-punk, filled with a slimy and sleazy feeling on a lot of songs, such as Cool Slut and Time to Go Home both of which jam out and fade away, like most punk rockers. That said, there is still very much an air of indifference and apathy and the vocals carry along at a level the barely waves and contributes to the nature of Chastity Belt.
3. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear [Sub Pop]
Highlight Track - Bored in the USA
Father John Misty is the alter ego of Josh Tillman, of Fleet Foxes fame. I Love You, Honeybear is cynical, sexual, and laments modern relationships and society. He's self-loathing, conflicted, and willing present the bullshit of life as he sees it. Where else will you find a song talking about the real Josh Tillman having a threesome and singing in three part harmony during it? It's a bitterly funny album, that's almost guaranteed to make you sad and resigned by the end of it.
2. Jeff Rosenstock - We Cool [Quote Unquote Records]
Highlight Track - I'm Serious, I'm Sorry
I'm Serious, I'm Sorry contains the best refrain in music in 2015 and encapsulates the album perfectly. It's an anthem for people who are beginning to grow up and hate the mundane nature of getting older, moving away from friends, and everyone beginning to have their own lives. Jeff Rosenstock shares his feelings about getting older - everyone does it, it sucks, and there's not much you can do about it other than damage control. It's a punk album that's instantly classic, filled with emotion and raw energy.
1. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell [Asthmatic Kitty]
Highlight Track - Fourth of July
Carrie & Lowell is the most intimate album recorded in 2015. Sufjan bares it all, he strips down his songwriting substantially when compared to his last release, Age of Adz, another fantastic release. The beautiful arrangements of acoustic guitar and other string instruments layers against his lamenting of his childhood and the struggle of growing up in a family that was, at best, dysfunctional. It's a cathartic release filled with inner demons and evokes emotions if you're willing to listen. There aren't too many albums that come along like this one.
Favorite EPs:
Modern Baseball - The Perfect Cast EP
Favorite Compilations: