Here we are again! Another year gone, another review of the best music that soundtracked our lives. To me, it seems the industry as a whole has gone through changes, but a lot of which point to previous decades. Not too long ago, I was having a discussion with someone as to what this decade’s musical identity sounds like. It’s easy to pinpoint sounds from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, even perhaps the 90’s, but what kind of identifiable sound have we cultivated from 2010-2015? It’s hard to say because so many artists have culled their audible sheen from decades long past. Hell, Taylor Swift rebuilt her latest aesthetic after the sounds of the 80’s and has been wearing it as a badge of honor. Have we become more nostalgic as a culture? Although I’m sure every generation has their fair share of “back-in-my-day” fist shaking, the current population seems very intent on revisiting a known-good well of entertainment.
You can even look at our movie landscape as an example: two of the biggest hits of the year came from continuations of Jurassic Park and Star Wars. When listening to music, it seems that a lot is snatched from the steely sounds of the 80’s along with R&B/Neo-soul of the 90’s. Everyone seems to be looking back in some sort of way. What decades will the next few years pull from? Will it advance into the future? I don’t know, obviously, and this subject could turn into an entire article itself.
To step away from the aesthetic stylings of the music, I want to touch on the attitudes of the public as a whole. I’ve probably said it before that I really hate it when someone exclaims “there’s no good music being made anymore” because it’s A.) completely untrue and B.) downright lazy. There is SO much music being put out now, there is an album for every niche and need you can think of. To further illustrate the point though, I want to talk a bit about my own personal listening habits. See, this year, I tried to keep track of how many albums I listened to. Here is my final calculation:
- 180 albums (that I managed to track. There may be more I didn’t track)
- 80+ albums I didn’t have time to get around to (that are in my queue)
Keep in mind that all of those albums above are recommendations or have great reviews. Meaning, those are the BEST of the BEST from each month! More than 250 albums and those are ranging from mid-level indie to major label. Who knows how many great small label/local albums were released that were barely promoted.
My point is, there is no excuse for not listening to great music. There is an abundance of it released every year and all you have to do is check for it. While streaming services like Spotify, Tidal and the like are still controversial, they make it easier for you, as a listener, to discover great music. Need a few places to start? I recommend looking at Allmusic.com’s Editors Choice, Pitchfork’s Best New Albums, and Stereogum’s Heavy Rotation.
Alright, enough babbling and philosophizing. You didn’t come here for my words! You came here for the LIST! Here it is below, in all it’s glory:
50.) The Cribs – For All My Sisters
49.) Wilco – Star Wars
48.) Lower Dens – Escape from Evil
47.) Earl Sweatshirt – I don’t like shit, I don’t go outside
46.) Mark Ronson – Uptown Special
45.) Holly Herndon – Platform
44.) Miley Cyrus – Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz
43.) Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love
42.) A$AP Rocky – At.Long.Last.A$AP
41.) Tyler, the Creator – Cherry Bomb
40.) Sam Prekop – The Republic
39.) Skylar Spence – Prom King
38.) Wavves – V
37.) Screaming Females – Rose Mountain
36.) CHVRCHES – Every Eye Open
35.) Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss
34.) Belle & Sebastian – Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance
33.) Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit & Think and Sometimes I just sit
32.) Jessica Pratt – On Your Own Love Again
31.) The Amazing – Picture You
30.) Destroyer – Poison Season
29.) Coldplay – A Head Full of Dreams
28.) Grimes – Art Angels
27.) Milo Greene – Save Yourself
26.) Madeon – Adventure
25.) Tobias Jesso Jr – goon
24.) The Go! Team – The Scene Between
23.) FKA Twigs – M3LL155X
22.) Miguel – Wildheart
21.) Beach House – Depression Cherry
20.) Tame Impala – Currents
19.) Toro y Moi – What For?
18.) Blur – Magic Whip
17.) Deerhunter – Fading Frontier
16.) Deafheaven – New Bermuda
15.) Arca – Mutant
14.) Kamasi Washington – The Epic
13.) Baroness – Purple
12.) Father John Misty – I Love You Honeybear
11.) Neon Indian – Vega Intl. Night School
10.) FFS – FFS
9.) Dr. Dre – Compton
8.) Jamie XX – In Color
7.) Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
6.) Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell
5.) Florence + the machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
4.) Panda Bear – Panda Bear vs the Grim Reaper
3.) Oneohtrix Point Never – Garden of Delete
2.) Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion
1.) HEALTH – Death Magic
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