Top 50 Albums of 2015
50, Serpent Power – Serpent Power
This is the newest addition to my top 50 as I’ve only just started listening to this but I’ve been really enjoying it. It’s a collaboration between Ian Skelly of The Coral and Paul Molloy of The Zutons and to be honest it sounds like what you’d expect of a collaboration between those two. An album full of weird and wonderful psychedelic 60s influenced tunes that brings back some of the eccentricities of the early Coral work. Good shit this.
Best track – Serpent Power
49, Manhattan Love Suicides – More Heat! More Panic!
Much like Medium 21 who follow, I would never have predicted the return of these guys in 2015. They’re a band I listened to a bit back at the turn of the decade and another who do the JAMC sound very well. They’ve picked up where they left off here and put out another strong album of indie pop songs.
Best track – (Never Stop) Hating You
48, Medium 21 – Remains
I think I’m pretty much the only person in the world who cares for this lot. Basically they were a band from Northampton who existed for a few years in the early 00s supporting the likes of The Cooper Temple Clause around toilet venues before splitting up. I was pretty surprised to see this getting a release this year, not strictly a new studio album but a release of their remaining recordings that never made the debut album/they were working on when they split up. I’m pleased to say there’s some good stuff amongst this and it makes me wonder what they could have been. The sound is quite American indie influenced with stuff like Grandaddy and Mercury Rev springing to mind which is always up my street. Hearing this lot again in 2015 was a great experience and made me feel 17 again.
Best track: This Could be our Death
47, Froth – Bleak
So yeah I’m a sucker for anything that rips of The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine et al sound and here is another of those bands. Not a lot to be said about this other than I fucking like it. Hopefully The Jesus and Mary Chain will release an actual album themselves next year to avoid me having to have these sorts of bands in my list.
Best track: Afternoon
46, Joanna Gruesome – Peanut Butter
I loved the first Joanna Gruesome album. It was full of youthful energy and had some infectious punky tunes. This follows a similar formula but doesn’t quite reach the highs of the debut for me. All the ingredients are still there and I can’t quite pin point why this doesn’t work quite as well but it just doesn’t. It’s no major criticism though as this is still a good album in its own right and I really do love that debut. Unfortunately the singer left the band shortly after this album was released so it’s the last thing we’ll hear from the band in that incarnation.
Best track: Jamie (luvver)
45, Badbadnotgood and Ghostface Killah – Sour Soul
These two work really well together. Ghostface has one of the best voices in hip hop and Badbadnotgood’s jazzy beats work really well alongside it. The album is a bit on the short side though and my expectations for this album were so high when I heard these two were working together that I couldn’t help but feel just a tad disappointed with this. There’s massive amounts of potential though and I hope these two work together again for future projects as I think they could have a masterpiece up their sleeves.
Best track – Gunshowers
44, Craig Finn – Faith in the Future
I love pretty much anything Craig Finn is involved with and this is no different. You know what you’re getting here – it’s not all that different from the Hold Steady sound but it does allow him to be slightly more introspective and musically creative. What’s lost in big rousing Hold Steady choruses is made up for in some interesting musical moments that wouldn’t quite fit in with their bar room style.
Best track – Newmyer’s Roof
43, Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat – The Most Important Place in the World
I was blown away by the first album these two put out a few years ago and class it as my favourite album of 2011. This was always going to have a tough job to replicate that and for me doesn’t quite manage to pull it off. This is a solid album in its own right but doesn’t have the highs of The Copper Top or The Greatest Story Ever Told.
Best track – The Unseen Man
42, Waxahatchee – Ivy Trip
I feel like I’ve spent a lot of these early entries in my chart saying THIS IS A DECENT ALBUM BUT NOT AS GOOD AS THEIR BEST WORK and this is yet another of those. I really got into Waxahatchee over the past couple of years and this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Again nothing wrong with it at all but not as many real special moments as the last two albums.
Best track - Air
41, Elyse Weinberg – Greasepaint Smile
This was recorded back in the late 60s but has only just seen the light of day. Neil Young plays guitar on one tune and for me it is the real standout however the rest is of a very good quality. Beautiful Canadian folk stuff and it seems Elyse has quite an interesting backstory too. Will definitely check out the rest of her back catalogue.
Best track - Houses
40,Nadine Shah – Fast Food
Nadine Shah really clicked with me this year thanks to this album. PJ Harvey is the obvious comparison and there are elements of Nick Cave going on too. Proper dark vibes but songs that get under your skin.
Best track - Fool
39, Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think Sometimes I Just Sit
I was glad to see this get a heap of hype this year as I love her conversational lyrical style and the song writing in general is really strong. The reason this isn’t any higher on my list is I think it lacks a few real standout top tier moments but overall this is as solid an album as you can find with decent tune after decent tune.
Best track – Depreston
38, Low – Ones and Sixes
I really didn’t like this much on first listen but had a real moment with it a few weeks ago where it just clicked – this often happens to me with Low. I can still remember my first time listening to this and it was outside on a boiling hot summer’s day and it just didn’t work. Now we’re in winter the mood just fits so much better. I’m still finding new things in this album but really fucking enjoying it now.
Best track – Spanish Translation
37 – Tess Parks and Anton Newcombe – I Declare Nothing
Anton’s had a real return to form this year what with the BJM mini album and then this excellent collaboration. I really like Tess Parks voice and it fits in well with the Newcombe vibe. The whole atmosphere of this really gets under my skin and I look forward to hearing these two working together again in the future.
Best track – Wehmut
36, Union Blak – Street English
This is how I like hip hop to sound. DJ Premier esque beats and a real boom bap sound.
Best track – Street English
35, Advance Base – Nephew in the Wild
I was a big Casiotone for the Painfully Alone fan and his Advance Base project is just as good in my opinion. His music fills me with a massive sense of nostalgia for some reason, though for what I’m not sure, it just has warm vibes that always put a smile on my face even if the subject matter isn’t particularly happy.
Best track – Trisha Please Come Home
34 , Tal National – Zoy Zoy
Excellent afrobeat from Niger. These should be bigger than Sonhoy Blues.
Best track – Zoy Zoy
33, Fred Thomas – All are Saved
Fred Thomas was the singer in early 00s indiepop sensations Saturday Looks Good to Me. Since then he has released several solo offerings of which this is the best. It’s a really mature sounding album in comparison to his indiepop past with quite a bit of spoken word stuff which I’m always a sucker for. The instrumentation is really interesting too with lots of brass and electronic samples going on.
Best track – Unfading Flower
32, Leftfield – Alternative Light Source
Leftfield return after a long wait with what turns out to be a really good comeback lp. I have been slightly put off this after the live show was kinda disappointing but judging the album on its own merit this is very good. Any album featuring Sleaford Mods is alright in my book.
Best Track – Head and Shoulders
31, Arthur Russell – Corn
Obviously Arthur Russell is DEAD however this posthumous LP is another fine addition to his back catalogue. He was so ahead of his time it is ridiculous and whilst some of the tunes here have been released as different versions elsewhere, this actually holds up together really well as a complete LP and these tunes have a new live breathed into them.
Best track – Lucky Cloud
30, Bully – Feels Like
This sounds like it was straight out of early 90s America and reminds me most of something Juliana Hatfield would have put out with Blake Babies or something. Once I’ve past my driving test I plan on driving around to this with the windows down next summer.
Best track – I Remember
29 – The Wave Pictures – Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon
The Wave Pictures appearing on my end of year list is as predictable as a load of crap JAMC rip offs also appearing. I’m a big fan and they’re so prolific rarely a year goes by where they don’t release something. On this release they had Billy Childish assisting on guitar and production duties. This brings out a rawer side to the band which works well for the most part.
Best track – Pea Green Coat
28 , Deerhunter – Fading Frontier
Deerhunter’s most positive and upbeat album yet and it sounds all the better for it. I’ve always had a lot of time for anything Bradford Cox is involved with and this is probably my favourite thing he’s put out since Halcyon Digest.
Best track – All the Same
27, Jesse Malin – The Outsiders
Jesse is back on fine form this year treating us to two new studio albums. I’ve always had a massive soft spot for Jesse’s ability to wear his influences on his sleeve to the point of near parody. He always manages to get it just about right and creates some great fist in the air Springsteen/Ramones esque rock.
Best track – Here’s the Situation
26, Jesse Malin – New York Before the War
As above, I found it very difficult to separate these two albums and they’re pretty equal in terms of quality. This ranks one place higher due to it being out for longer so I’ve had more time to get familiar with it.
Best track – Turn Up the Mains
25, Laure Briard – Revelation
I only discovered this album recently but it really caught me off guard and I’ve developed a real fondness for it. It’s 60s influenced French pop with a bit of Stereolab thrown in for good measure. I’d imagine this would sound great outside on a Summer’s day and given the fact it’s sounding so good in miserable Winter time, I could see this being a real favourite of mine.
Best track – Egoiste
24, Blur – The Magic Whip
This is a really good comeback record from Blur. I thought initially this would feature higher in my list because every time I listen to it I end up thinking it’s superb. The issue is I just don’t seem to come back to it all that much. In terms of musical ability and songwriting quality this is better than some of the albums higher up in my list however for me it just doesn’t have the personality and likeability of some of those other records. I’d imagine this will continue to grow on me as time goes by whereas some of those other albums (SPOILER ALERT – Noel G and Libertines) will probably slide down but for now this positioning feels about right.
Best track – My Terracotta Heart
23, Mbongwana Star – From Kinshasa
Probably the coolest sounding album of 2015. Congolese psychedelic funk including a couple of members of Staff Benda Bilili.
Best track – Malukayi
22, Slum Village – Yes
Vintage hip hop featuring a load of J Dilla beats and guest appearances from De La Soul and Phife Dawg. It’s hard to go wrong really.
Best track – Love Is
21, Westkust – Last Forever
A side project of Makthaverskan this is my favourite album ripping off all my favourite albums of the 80s and 90s of the year.
Best track – 0700
20, L’Orange and Jerimiah Jae – The Night Took us in Like Family
I love the vibes on this album. It’s like a hip hop album crossed with a film noir. Reviews have compared it to Madvillainy and whilst it’s not quite in that league it certainly has something special about it.
Best track – All I Need
19, The Libertines – Anthems for Doomed Youth
This is just a brilliantly likeable able. I wasn’t really expecting to care much for this and after the first listen I was pleasantly surprised but still thought it not much better than fairly good. I just kept coming back to it though and found it had a real addictive quality to it. The first half of the LP is definitely better than the second but the lads have still got it.
Best track – Gunga Din
18, Neil Young – The Monsanto Years
The overall reception for this seemed fairly muted but I think it’s pretty great. Neil’s been on good form again over the last few years and it’s good to hear him angry again on this record.
Best track – Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop
17, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday
I really like this album. Fuck you all.
Best track – You Know We Can’t Go Back
16, DJ Paul Nice and Phil Most Chill – The Fabreeze Brothers
Phil Most Chill was involved in collaboration with DJ Format a couple of years ago that I really loved and this is of a similar high quality. I love the samples on this and Phil Most Chill has become one of my favourite MC’s in recent years. A must for hip hop fans.
Best track – No Other Than
15, Ryan Adams – 1989
I got a bit carried away when this first came out and thought it was one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard. It’s not quite that good and he does strip all the joy away from Shake it Off, but other than that this is a superb interpretation of Taylor Swift’s 1989.
Best track – All You Had to Do Was Stay
14, Bjork – Vulnicura
This is the best thing Bjork has put out in years. Lyrically it’s heartbreaking and musically getting Arca and particularly for me The Haxan Cloak on board really adds something to her sound.
Best track – Lionsong
13, The Fall – Sublingual Tablet
There’s not a lot to say about The Fall that hasn’t been said before. It’s remarkable really that given the sheer volume of material they’ve released over the years and that Mark E Smith is clearly a mentalist, that they are still releasing material of such high quality. Long may it continue.
Best track – Venice with the Girls
12, The Pop Group – Citizen Zombie
As I mentioned in the gig list, I’d never classed myself as a huge Pop Group fan or anything so it wasn’t like I was particularly pumped for this release but it’s fucking superb. It manages to get the balance absolutely perfect between catchy funky pop tunes and weirdness. I’ve spent a lot of time with this album over the year as it came out fairly early on and I never find it anything but exhilarating.
Best track – s.o.p.h.i.a
11, Laura Marling – Short Movie
So 2015 was the year I finally properly clicked with Laura Marling. I’d been a fan of her previous work but this album helped it all really click into place for me. This is just a really well written beautiful album. I don’t mind that she’s slowly morphing her voice into Joni Mitchell’s either.
Best track – Worship Me
10, Jessica Pratt – On Your Own Love Again
Another album I feel like I’ve been listening to for ages as it came out back in January. This feels timeless and could have been released at any point in the last 50 years. A massive step up from her debut album and I hope she continues in this vein.
Best track – Back, Baby
9, Bill Ryder Jones – West County Kirby Primary
This was a huge surprise how much I liked this album. He was always the coolest one in The Coral and whilst his other solo stuff was pretty enjoyable it was never upper echelons of the end of year list stuff like this has ended up being. The album is just really well written and full of beautiful tunes. The band it reminds of most actually is Electric Soft Parade on some of their quieter moments and that’s a real compliment. It’s a fairly subtle album so I’d imagine will get overlooked by a lot of people but I’d thoroughly recommend spending some time with it.
Best track – Catharine and Huskisson
8, The Charlatans – Modern Nature
THE CHARLATANS THE 8TH BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR IN 2015 WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? I’m not sure really but I think this is actually my favourite album they’ve ever released. They’ve obviously had a shit time with Jon Brookes dying a couple of years ago but it seems to have reinvigorated them and this album is a real celebration of life and positivity. There’s a real soulful feel to it and even though it took a few listens to properly click this is an album I’ve come back to time and time again throughout the year.
Best track – So Oh
7, Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle
This was a proper love at first listen album. She seems to have gone pretty much under the radar but I heard this after seeing Sharon Van Etten bigging her up recently. It’s a similar sort of vibe to Van Etten’s stuff with a bit of Waxahatchee thrown in too. I think she’s only 19 and the naivety shows in the songwriting at times but I kinda find that part of the appeal. I was about to type that this is the most beautiful record I’ve heard this year but then I remembered what my number one is and to be fair that destroys everything in those stakes so this will have to settle for runner up in that respect.
Best track – Something
6, Ryley Walker – Primrose Green
I was a big fan of Ryley’s previous effort and this takes things up a notch and is more of a full band affair with some real jazz influence coming through too. He still has the whole folky thing going on but it’s the band who really impact this album. It clicked with me loads more after seeing it live too where they were able to take these songs to other places through improve jams and shit. One of the most exciting up and coming musicians in the world right now in my book.
Best track – Sweet Satisfaction
5, Kamasi Washington – The Epic
Now several times in recent years an album I’ve given 4 stars to on Rate Your Music has made it to number one slot in my albums of the year list. It’s a testament to how strong this year has been that this album at number 5 is the first of 4 albums I’ve rated 4.5 stars this year before my number one which is a true 5 star album is revealed. This is a near 3 hour jazz masterpiece by one of the saxophonists from Kendrick Lamar’s most recent album. I’m not going to pretend I’ve sat and listened to this all in one go because I haven’t, but each of the 3 volumes that make up this album are fucking great in their own right. It’s great to hear a genre like jazz having new releases sounding so fresh and important still in 2015.
Best track – Cherokee
4, Joanna Newsom – Divers
I fucking love Joanna Newsom. This was probably my most anticipated album of the year and whilst the fact it’s at number 4 in my list obviously means other surpassed it, it still was no disappointment. It’s an easier listen than the epic Have One on Me and the shorter song structure sees it recall the debut and still my favourite album of hers – The Milk Eyed Mender.
Best track – Anecdotes
3, Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
I don’t understand how anyone can be anything but blown away by this album. It works on so many levels and essays could be written about it. Lyrically t manages to summarise black culture in a way I’ve never heard before and it does so packaged into fucking great songs. If I was talking best rather than favourite album of the year then this would have the number one spot, it’s just that my top 2 connected with me that little bit more and are therefore my favourites.
Best track – The Blacker the Berry
2, Sleaford Mods – Key Markets
As I mentioned in the gig list Sleaford Mods are my group of 2015. They just clicked with me so much after seeing them live and I spent the rest of the year collecting everything I could by them on vinyl. There’s just no one else out there currently who summarises what it’s like to live in Britain in 2015 and isn’t afraid to slag people and things off but does so with a good dose of humour. The most important group in Britain right now.
Best track – Bronx in a Six
1, Sufjan Stevens – Carrie and Lowell
Fucking hell what can I say about this album? Inspired by the death of his Mother, this is one of the emotional LPs I’ve heard in years. A true five star album that isn’t just album of the year, it’s currently my album of the decade and would also go into my favourite albums of all time. It’s flawless and knocks me for six every single time I play it.
Best track – The Only Thing
