The middle of the decade always seems to be when the good music releases hit full swing, and this year I had so many to choose from that I almost went with a top twenty instead of ten. But I’ll stick to the traditional format and instead give some nods to note-able mentions. These didn’t quite make the list but are worth checking out.
Tricot – A N D
Japan’s all female math-pop trio makes finger tapping catchier than it’s been since Minus the Bear. You need to hear this band.
Sumac – The Deal
You can only use the word “crushing” to describe something so many times, but leave it up to Aaron Turner and Brian Cook to keep doom fresh. And those drums….
Ghost Face Killah and Badbadnotgood – Sour Soul
When I first heard that this album was being released my initial reaction was: “well of course it is.” The pairing of hip-hop influenced post-bop jazz group Badbadnotgood and a legendary east coast emcee like GFK may have insisted upon itself, but I was surprised at what these two brought out in each other. It’s alot less predictable than you think.
Death Grips – Jenny Death
I for one am thankful that the second part of The Powers that B series was more of the Death Grips we know than the abstract electronic experiments of the first installment. Not that I don’t appreciate DG at their most abstract, it’s just nice to hear them get back to something you could call a song, even if that song is a vicious, bloody mess of rap, industrial, and punk. Still falls short of The Money Store and Ex-Military though.
Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss
I’ve been critical of Chelsea Wolfe’s perhaps overly-grim stage persona before, but despite how you feel about how she promotes herself she can write some seriously good songs. She brings some doom into the mix this time for her most despair-filled journey yet, and it’s stirring to say the least.
Godspeed You! Black Emporer – Asunder, Sweet, and Other Distresses
While one of the more underwhelming GY!BE releases, I still love how this album shakes up the post-rock formula. Rather than traversing the known peaks and valleys, Asunder, Sweet, and Other Distresses starts off at a heavy low to low-mid tempo and tears itself down completely. Visceral waves of drone come after, then from the ashes the album gradually starts to make it’s way towards a hopeful crescendo. It’s far from their best, but leave it up to Godspeed to change the game’s rules a bit.
Refused – Freedom
Pity any band like Refused that releases a landmark album and them immediately breaks up only to reform over a decade later. Yes it’s not The Shape of Punk to Come, but that doesn’t make Freedom any less of an incendiary album.
Baroness – Purple
It feels strange having a Baroness album fall short of my top ten, but this one just came out too close to the end of the year for me to really vouch for the whole LP. From what I’ve heard I think they finally got around to accomplishing what they meant to do with Yellow and Green, and Purple is hard rock triumph. I have a feeling I’ll wish I added this in later, but seriously, I thought we were through with the chromatic theme guys.
Kamasi Washington – the Epic
This is where I fully acknowledge that I’m talking about an album that should really be in the top ten. I wasn’t hip to how hyped that this album was until a month or two ago and I still can’t quite wrap my head around it. I also haven’t had time to digest the whole record, but from what I’ve heard so far it’s worthy of it’s praise. The Epic is a mega ambitious and fittingly titled post-bop excursion that’s a sure thing for virtually any jazz fan. I think we’ve got a candidate for best jazz album of the decade so far.
My top ten of 2015:
10. Maserati – Rehumanizer
In my recent interview with Athens, GA band Maserati’s bassist, he proclaimed that Maserati would never make the same album twice. This is so, but Rehumanizer is an especially big leap ahead and as a result, one of their best albums so far. Perhaps you might identify the Edge’s delay trails and pulse-pounding synth builds that this band has been known to employ in opening track “No Cave”, but “Living Cell” is new-wave to make Joy Division fans squeal while still somehow sounding at home with Maserati’s back catalogue. The fact that it also marks their first time using vocals in a track further suits this album’s mission of marrying the human and the robotic. The last two tracks bring it all home and make Rehumanizer about as good of an 80’s action film soundtrack as you could hope for. Buckle up.
9. Marriages – Salome
Modern rock is losing big time by not wanting to acknowledge Marriages as one of the few things that could save it from it’s abysmal staleness. Their new LP Salome could very well be bringing dark post-punk and shoegaze to masses who might actually enjoy it. But then again who cares? I’m sure this moody trio is perfectly fine being where they are, and I’d be content too if I had released an album this good. It’s dreamy, abrasive, smart, and pretty damn accessible even to folks who might not even know what a shoe-gaze is. Emma Ruth Rundle’s voice carries emotion by the ton, and Marriages somehow tow a line between several genres while still making an album that flows beautifully.
8. Beach House – Depression Cherry
I have to eat some crow regarding my thoughts on Beach House and how they always stick close to their bread-winning formula. While Depression Cherry still keeps said formula intact for the most part, it’s the more unfamiliar moments like “Sparks” where this duo really takes to the sky. Here Victoria Lagrand’s vocals get a different context to float over; a fuzzy guitar lick and endlessly haunting keyboard harmonies. Even if their dismal pop-gaze meandering gets a bit tiresome it still wins me over on tracks like “Bluebird”. This album made me realize I should probably revisit this band’s discography. And yes I realize they put out another LP this year but I can’t have time to listen to them all. I’m betting it’s pretty good too.
7. Rachel Grimes – The Clearing
If I’m a Temporary Residence fanboy it’s because they’ve never steered me wrong, and because I might never find artists that I had no idea my life needed like pianist/composer Rachel Grimes without them. If you are a fan of neo-classical or minimalist music then it would be a crime for you not to own this. These lush string/wind/piano arrangements will break your heart, but can do far more than “gorgeous” too, just check the strong tension and pacing of the title track. The shorter tracks, all built around the themes of air and space, do just as much to tie the experience together as the more extensive ones, and The Clearing is a bold and evocative work of art.
6. Sufjan Stevens – Carrie and Lowell
I laughed when I heard friends say that Sufjan Steven’s new album was something of a return to form for him because I’m waiting for someone to show me what “form” he’s ever occupied for more than a few years at a time. Though I suppose I can see how his fans might have been relieved to hear an album as stripped down as this given how dense his last few have been. And stripped down is certainly what he’s given us on Carrie and Lowell, with both music and lyrics painting an achingly honest and vulnerable portrait of Sufjan’s youth. Despite how minimal the album’s instrumentation is, Sufjan always seems to know what to do with his songs for them to say exactly what they need to say. As you may have guessed, there’s some serious weight to the lyrics here: a song may deal with the loss of a loved one while another deals out cheery lines like: “Now I’m drunk and afraid, wishing the world would go away, what’s the point of singing songs if they’ll never even hear you?” Carrie and Lowell might not even be one of my favorite Sufjan LPs, but it’s another convincing testament to his being one of the greatest songwriters our time will know.
5. No Spill Blood – Heavy Electricity
Having spent alot of my youth listening to metal and punk I tend to require my heavy music to interest me in a new way for it to really keep my attention these days. Last year Sargent House did it with Helms Alee’s Sleepwalking Sailors, and this year they did it with Irish band No Spill Blood’s Heavy Electricity. This album is a fittingly titled monster, seething with thick, distorted bass riffs, pounding drums, dark, analogue synth runs, and insane howling bringing Mad Max – style driving sequences to mind. Songs like the title track build tension wonderfully while songs like “El Duurto” release it in full force, not to mention the likes of “Endless Drift” that do both. This band has some mean riffs indeed, some of which would almost be reminiscent of Melvins or High on Fire if the synths didn’t give them such a unique edge. Since I am a known bass nerd I’m not ending this without giving a hats off to Matt Hedigan, who plays some seriously nasty bass (with strong tones) while holding down vocal duties as well. With Heavy Electricity, No Spill Blood are showing us the side of Ireland’s forward-thinking punk scene that the cheerier math-pop bands like Adebisi Shank and And so I Watch you from Afar have yet to, and I hope it continues.
4. David Gilmour – Rattle that Lock
Is it or is it not kind of a ballsy move that David Gilmour saved his more accessible material for his newest solo album rather than put any of it on last year’s Pink Floyd release? Maybe it was because keeping The Endless River a continually flowing instrumental piece made more sense, but Gilmour has certainly been holding put on us where his pop side is concerned. But that’s not to say that Rattle That Lock isn’t without the floating, contemplative rock dirges that you’ve come to expect from the voice and guitar of Pink Floyd. After all, songs like “In Any Tongue” and “5 A.M.” make perfect sense for what the co-writer of “Comfortably Numb” should be doing at 70. The thing that makes Rattle that Lock great, however, is how the album is paced to give us detours when we might start to get a bit tired from the melancholy. In such moments, the low-key bar jazz of “The Girl in the Yellow Dress” or the beautifully serene “A Boat Lies Waiting” (which would have fit well on either On an Island or the Endless River) show sides of the black Strat wielder that we rarely hear, and that he’s obviously been working hard on. And as you might assume, the guy still knows how to make a guitar solo a worthwhile endeavor in an age where it feels like there’s almost nothing new that can be done with one. While the album may not be pull at the heart strings as strong as his last solo LP did, Rattle that Lock certainly has more variety and yields it’s true fruit after multiple listens. Besides, in my book Gilmour is a god so the fact that this album was even released is cause for celebration enough.
3. Intronaut – The Direction of Last Things
Intronaut have stayed on a steady scorched-earth policy of consistently awesome music since 2008’s Prehistoricisms and don’t seem to be tiring at all. Their latest record might just have the stuff to make them metal royalty seeing as how it furthers the band’s exploration into the more melodic aspects of prog rock and also brings back the screamed vocals that 2013’s Habitual Levitations lacked. This is somehow the heaviest yet most accessible thing that Intronaut have put out so far, or at least it’s close to it. And yet I can’t help but feel that the accessibility serves as a detractor in one aspect; the production may just feel a little too slick for a band with roots as sludgy as Intronaut, but it’s about the only complaint I can file with an album this good. Like the past few Intronaut LPs, The Direction of Last Things somehow continues to bridge the gap between the hesh and the nerdy, and it’s a rare thing for a band to combine this many genres (the usual jazz, ambient, and eastern music components are there) and never be obnoxious and overbearing. They hit hard on this one, but without flexing, letting the music speak for itself.
2. Jaga Jazzist – Starfire
Norwegian group Jaga Jazzist may be the best, most underrated, and overlooked band in music right now. It my sound like a ridiculous claim but let me preach. Despite the fact that Jaga have a respectable international fan base online, they remain one of the hardest bands to start a conversation on owing to how rare it is to find someone who knows them. Yet those that do will tell you that this band is making music on the highest of levels. They are the kind of band that can tour the US and pack out every venue they play because of their reputation as a live band, they can write songs that will drop a music theorists’ jaw and still do so with stunning emotion, and they can do a piece for over ten minutes that will make people dance without disappearing into self-indulgence. When I saw them in Asheville this year people came from several states away and I saw respected musicians showing utter joy at getting to see them. My point is that when I say Starfire might be Jaga’s best album (if it wasn’t for What We Must it would be) I’m saying it’s amazing. During the last six years, Jaga has been honing some of their most fluid and memorable songs, and also learning how to bring them to live with a slew of new electronic goodies. Yes, the keys, synths, and sequencers are in full force this time around, but there’s still plenty of room for Jaga’s signature horn, wind, and guitar section to occupy some sonic space without overcrowding the tracks. “Big City Music” spends so much time lost on the dance floor that there’s not even any attempt at making the very hummable main melody something that could be trimmed into a single. Although Jaga could beat the radio at it’s own game if they wanted to, as proven by Todd Terje’s stellar remix of “Oban”. Songs like the title track may remain too heady and complex for pop music, although you might be amazed at how essential each part is to the whole and how little they truly indulge in their abilities. Full of surprise, rich sounds, and wonderful melodies, Starfire is one of the most adventurous and rewarding musical experiences of the year you can have.
1. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi Love
It was far from a fluke. Their debut record was one of the best low-fi/psych-pop releases to come out in many a year. Then on top of that their sophomore release not only didn’t flop, but it actually expanded Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s mastery of the trip-ier side of pop music. This would have been a good time for them to fall short, especially with some recent gained popularity, but it looks like UMO were just getting warmed up. Now it’s time to revolutionize psych, and on Multi Love they do it by injecting their already established strengths with the passion and groove of classic soul. Track by track, Multi Love is a master-class in what to do to make a quality record, although UMO stay so ahead of the game on this one I can’t tell you what one should gleam from such a class or how to apply it, just listen and be inspired by how much better they are than everything else. “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone” is absurdly catchy and addictive, with a minor key disco verse and a ridiculously funky bassline to tie the chorus together. “The World is Crowded” is a sublimely groovy R&B number disguised as a psych song, with the band not afraid to go outside of a particular format or pattern in terms of tones/effects. And it’s that diversity that helps make Multi Love as excellent as it is, they paint with such a wide variety of color that even Reuben’s voice is not above being given occasional touch ups with flange and phasers. Not only are the songs that good, but it’s the studio wizardry that these guys conduct that make the album truly colorful while still feeling human. There may have been alot of great music come out this year, but 2015 was ruled by this Australian trio in my ears.
The (slightly) Discerning Bassist 