Albums of 2015

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PlasticRam
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by PlasticRam »

I think Beauty Behind the Madness by The Weeknd might be this year's 1989 in terms of critical acclaim. At least it has a kind of similar commercial sound. I didn't really like 1989, but I like BBTM.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Sweepstakes Ron »

Image

Tracklist for Grimes!
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Pierre »

Sweepstakes Ron wrote:see post above

Tracklist for Grimes!
And she released her first single with that, "Flesh Without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream". It features guitars and the lyrics are almost all intelligible. Some fans might be shocked, but even though it's poppier, there's still that hazy production of hers that makes it a winner to me. And critical reviews seem positive as well, she has the "Best new track" tag from Pitchfork.

The video might be a tad violent for some tastes though, and is nowhere near what a video for a pop song should look like.

Also I'm glad she decided to keep "REALiTi" after all. All of this still says little about what the album will actually sound like as a complete piece, so I'm staying prudent before crying genius.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Maschine_Man »

I am DOWN for a Janelle Monae collaboration. As a side note, I don't get why there was so much hate for Go, I really liked that track.

Edit: Damn that Susanne Sundfør album is something else, can't believe I almost didn't give it a second chance. Reminds me of Lykke Li's Wounded Rhymes in all the right ways.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by DocBrown »

End of October. Is this it for 2015?

1. Georg Hólm, Orri Páll Dýrason, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson & Kjartan Hólm | Circe
A post rock score to a BBC documentary I've never seen and never will. This is my new favourite Sigur Rós album.
2. Wolf Alice | My Love Is Cool
3. Jason Isbell | Something More Than Free
4. Speedy Ortiz | Foil Deer
5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor | 'Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress'
6. The London Souls | Here Come the Girls
Sophomore album by a British R&B band who just happen to be two dudes from Brooklyn.
7. Les Sœurs Boulay | 4488 de l'Amour
8. Low | Ones and Sixes
9. Wilco | Star Wars
10. Editors | In Dream
11. Torres | Sprinter
12. Laura Marling | Short Movie
13. The White Birch | The Weight of Spring
14. Chelsea Wolfe | Abyss
15. Beach House | Depression Cherry
16. Admiral Fallow | Tiny Rewards
17. Björk | Vulnicura
18. Rhiannon Giddens | Tomorrow Is My Turn
19. San Fermin | Jackrabbit
20. Built to Spill | Untethered Moon
21. Empress Of | Me
22. The band formerly known as Viet Cong | Viet Cong
23. Steven Wilson | Hand. Cannot. Erase.
24. Gretchen Peters | Blackbirds
25. The Weather Station | Loyalty
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Re: Albums of 2015

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Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5 The huge disappointment of the year. Where are gone the beautiful melodies of their previous albums?
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5.5 Not bad but nothing really exciting.
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5 The return of the 80's coldwave and I like it.
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5 Beautiful voices and melodies. Björk is not too far in some songs. A must hear for me this year.



Django Django - Born Under Saturn 9
Glass Animals - Zaba 8,5
Blur - The Magic Whip 8,5
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 8,5
Björk - Vulnicura 8,5
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World 8,5
Of Montreal - Aureate Gloom 8
Archive - Restriction 8
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5
Belle and Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance 7,5
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell 6,5
Moon Duo - Shadow Of The Sun 6,5
Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now 6,5
FFS - FFS 6,5
Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again 6,5
John Carpenter - John Carpenter's Lost Themes 6,5
Allah-Las - Worship the Sun 6
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love 6
Curtis Harding - Soul Power 6
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5.5
Muse - Drones 5,5
All We Are - All We Are 5,5
Calexico - Edge Of The Sun 5,5
Jamie XX - In Colour 4,5
Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5
Toro y Moi - What For? 3
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Nick »

Okay, so far everything I've heard off of the new Grimes album has been sounding really, really good. I loved "Realiti", and now "Flesh Without Blood" is another dose of Grime's avant garde take on pop music. Logically I should be super excited about this album, but...

...the cover art. I know, I know, it doesn't make any sense. But that awful cover art is just killing some of my enthusiasm for the album. When it comes time to sit down and listen to it I'll be as objective as humanly possible, but I just can't get myself all that excited over its release with cover art like...that.

Does this make sense to anyone else? Does anyone else agree that "Art Angels" has some of the worst cover art of the year? Does anyone else have any examples of great albums with horrible art? Am I going crazy? Why would Grimes spend years making this music, hours upon hours of time slaving away at writing, recording, mixing, just to slap a cover like that onto the album? Have you guys seen Grime's series of art she posted for each of the songs on "Art Angels"? They're actually really good. Grimes obviously is a talented visual artist. She obviously has the capacity to make some really good visual art. So why did she go with this cover? You'd think your favorite artists would have the tact to release their albums with some good cover art as well, right? Well wrong, apparently. Grimes, you're breaking my heart, and my only hope is that the deluxe edition has some awesome cover art so I can forget about the travesty that is the art for "Art Angels". "Art Angels"? More like "Art...uh...." well I'll think of a better pun later. Just rest assured that it's an awful, awful, awful cover.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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Nick wrote:Okay, so far everything I've heard off of the new Grimes album has been sounding really, really good. I loved "Realiti", and now "Flesh Without Blood" is another dose of Grime's avant garde take on pop music. Logically I should be super excited about this album, but...

...the cover art. I know, I know, it doesn't make any sense. But that awful cover art is just killing some of my enthusiasm for the album. When it comes time to sit down and listen to it I'll be as objective as humanly possible, but I just can't get myself all that excited over its release with cover art like...that.

Does this make sense to anyone else? Does anyone else agree that "Art Angels" has some of the worst cover art of the year? Does anyone else have any examples of great albums with horrible art? Am I going crazy? Why would Grimes spend years making this music, hours upon hours of time slaving away at writing, recording, mixing, just to slap a cover like that onto the album? Have you guys seen Grime's series of art she posted for each of the songs on "Art Angels"? They're actually really good. Grimes obviously is a talented visual artist. She obviously has the capacity to make some really good visual art. So why did she go with this cover? You'd think your favorite artists would have the tact to release their albums with some good cover art as well, right? Well wrong, apparently. Grimes, you're breaking my heart, and my only hope is that the deluxe edition has some awesome cover art so I can forget about the travesty that is the art for "Art Angels". "Art Angels"? More like "Art...uh...." well I'll think of a better pun later. Just rest assured that it's an awful, awful, awful cover.
Yeah it's quite lewd. I don't wanna look at it again, and I won't be listening to the album partly cos of that. Partly cos Grimes' earlier work is not among my favorites.

Edit: Only if it gets Metacritic of 85/100 or better I will listen to it.

Edit: "Art Angels"? More like "Art Devils" Image
I feel like that
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Re: Albums of 2015

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I get why people don't like it, but I kinda love it now. It's grown on me, though maybe that's just because everything so far has been bangin.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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Nick wrote:Okay, so far everything I've heard off of the new Grimes album has been sounding really, really good. I loved "Realiti", and now "Flesh Without Blood" is another dose of Grime's avant garde take on pop music. Logically I should be super excited about this album, but...

...the cover art. I know, I know, it doesn't make any sense. But that awful cover art is just killing some of my enthusiasm for the album. When it comes time to sit down and listen to it I'll be as objective as humanly possible, but I just can't get myself all that excited over its release with cover art like...that.

Does this make sense to anyone else? Does anyone else agree that "Art Angels" has some of the worst cover art of the year? Does anyone else have any examples of great albums with horrible art? Am I going crazy? Why would Grimes spend years making this music, hours upon hours of time slaving away at writing, recording, mixing, just to slap a cover like that onto the album? Have you guys seen Grime's series of art she posted for each of the songs on "Art Angels"? They're actually really good. Grimes obviously is a talented visual artist. She obviously has the capacity to make some really good visual art. So why did she go with this cover? You'd think your favorite artists would have the tact to release their albums with some good cover art as well, right? Well wrong, apparently. Grimes, you're breaking my heart, and my only hope is that the deluxe edition has some awesome cover art so I can forget about the travesty that is the art for "Art Angels". "Art Angels"? More like "Art...uh...." well I'll think of a better pun later. Just rest assured that it's an awful, awful, awful cover.
By contrast, I actually like the album cover quite a bit,but am not too fond of the few songs off it I've heard.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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Wilco - Star Wars 5 Meh !
Motorama - Poverty 7 Beautiful bass, the 80's again. I love this kind of music.
Only Real - Jerk At The End Of The Line 7 What a good surprise, I never head this band before. The second part of the album is less good.
The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn 7 Not original at all but always good. Some very good songs.
Carl Barat and The Jackals - Let It Reign 8,5 It's not possible to do a more english album than that. Excellent in the begining to the end.



Django Django - Born Under Saturn 9
Glass Animals - Zaba 8,5
Blur - The Magic Whip 8,5
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 8,5
Carl Barat and The Jackals - Let It Reign 8,5
Björk - Vulnicura 8,5
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World 8,5
Of Montreal - Aureate Gloom 8
Archive - Restriction 8
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5
Belle and Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance 7,5
Only Real - Jerk At The End Of The Line 7
Motorama - Poverty 7
The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn 7
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell 6,5
Moon Duo - Shadow Of The Sun 6,5
Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now 6,5
FFS - FFS 6,5
Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again 6,5
John Carpenter - John Carpenter's Lost Themes 6,5
Allah-Las - Worship the Sun 6
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love 6
Curtis Harding - Soul Power 6
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5,5
Muse - Drones 5,5
All We Are - All We Are 5,5
Calexico - Edge Of The Sun 5,5
Wilco - Star Wars 5
Jamie XX - In Colour 4,5
Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5
Toro y Moi - What For? 3
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Maschine_Man »

Maschine_Man wrote:I am DOWN for a Janelle Monae collaboration.
Venus Fly is one of my favorites on the album. I have to say, I really enjoy the whole thing, I need a few more listens until I can put more words down though.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Nassim »

Ok, Art Angels is jumping straight to my top 10 of the year, probably #3 if it stands the test of the next 2 months.

And based on how awesome it is and first reviews, I'm calling "Kill v Maim" critics EOY top 10.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Nick »

Nassim wrote:Ok, Art Angels is jumping straight to my top 10 of the year, probably #3 if it stands the test of the next 2 months.

And based on how awesome it is and first reviews, I'm calling "Kill v Maim" critics EOY top 10.
Just got done listening to it. Based off "Realiti" and "Flesh Without Blood", I was expecting to like this album a lot more than I actually did. The album draws strongly on kpop and jpop, and if you're not really into those genres, you're somewhat left cold by a lot of the music. The vocals on some of the songs were also annoying on occasion, the worst offender probably being "Kill V Maim". Additionally, there's no real sense of "progression" to the album, the album just kind of ends on a song that doesn't feel at all like a closing song, there's a real strong sense of anticlimax at the end of "Butterfly". The overt poppy nature of the album wasn't a turn off for me like I'm sure it will be for a lot of people, but it's really the style of pop that gets to me rather than the fact that it's poppy. It's not a bad album though, and the two songs that I love from it are more than enough to get this album in my top 30 albums of the year. I was just expecting something more.

Anyway, this album will probably get some good reviews, though nothing all too special. "Realiti" is an almost guaranteed top 10 song of the year for the critics, but I would be shocked if "Kill V Maim" made it that high. I just can't see that happening.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by whuntva »

Nick wrote:
Nassim wrote:Ok, Art Angels is jumping straight to my top 10 of the year, probably #3 if it stands the test of the next 2 months.

And based on how awesome it is and first reviews, I'm calling "Kill v Maim" critics EOY top 10.
Just got done listening to it. Based off "Realiti" and "Flesh Without Blood", I was expecting to like this album a lot more than I actually did. The album draws strongly on kpop and jpop, and if you're not really into those genres, you're somewhat left cold by a lot of the music. The vocals on some of the songs were also annoying on occasion, the worst offender probably being "Kill V Maim". Additionally, there's no real sense of "progression" to the album, the album just kind of ends on a song that doesn't feel at all like a closing song, there's a real strong sense of anticlimax at the end of "Butterfly". The overt poppy nature of the album wasn't a turn off for me like I'm sure it will be for a lot of people, but it's really the style of pop that gets to me rather than the fact that it's poppy. It's not a bad album though, and the two songs that I love from it are more than enough to get this album in my top 30 albums of the year. I was just expecting something more.

Anyway, this album will probably get some good reviews, though nothing all too special. "Realiti" is an almost guaranteed top 10 song of the year for the critics, but I would be shocked if "Kill V Maim" made it that high. I just can't see that happening.
I guess I'll join in the choir of Art Angels for a second.

Let's be clear I was not a fan of Grimes at all before. I always found her voice annoying and songs repetitive. This was...actually pretty good. I was able to groove to several songs. "Flesh and Blood" is a really fun song, "Realiti" is good too. "Kill V Maim" was actually fun and worked in favor of her Minnie Mouse voice.

My previous problems with Grimes seem almost nonexistent with this album. The first few tracks are week and "SCREAM" may actually be one of my least favorites this year, but I did like the album enough overall.

I actually don't mind the cover art. It looks really cool and reminds me of the standard anime style.

I think the demo of "Realiti" is superior, this one sounds more like airy pop. But I still liked it.

No idea where this lands on my albums list for the year. Probably Top 10 is a safe bet.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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I've only listened to Art Angels once so far, and I really liked it. She's tilting toward the mainstream much more than I thought she would dare to, but the resulting album has better lyrics, weirder imagery and a more imaginative production than most girl pop albums out there, so in my opinion the album is successful.

Also, I feel that in the light of her new record, I understand Grimes a little more: to me, it seems like she grew up as a girl who dreamed of being the equivalent of a J-pop star, while being too geeky and having a jaded outlook on boys, which made it impossible. Art Angels sounds like the album of a girl who has discovered that there was actually an audience for her stuff, that she was actually cute (she has done some modeling in the past year, so that's unsurprising) and that she could actually sing, aside from her idiosyncrasic vocal effects, but who has still not reconciled with the way the world spins. And I like what she does of it. There are a few weaker numbers on the album, but the best songs are some of the best (slightly) alternative pop music I've heard in recent years.

Nitpick: I liked the production of the "REALiTi" demo better than the finished product as well, but I have the feeling that Grimes is the kind of person who just doesn't give a shit, so I'm complaining only for the heck of it.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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Nick wrote:
Nassim wrote:Ok, Art Angels is jumping straight to my top 10 of the year, probably #3 if it stands the test of the next 2 months.

And based on how awesome it is and first reviews, I'm calling "Kill v Maim" critics EOY top 10.
Just got done listening to it. Based off "Realiti" and "Flesh Without Blood", I was expecting to like this album a lot more than I actually did. The album draws strongly on kpop and jpop, and if you're not really into those genres, you're somewhat left cold by a lot of the music. The vocals on some of the songs were also annoying on occasion, the worst offender probably being "Kill V Maim". Additionally, there's no real sense of "progression" to the album, the album just kind of ends on a song that doesn't feel at all like a closing song, there's a real strong sense of anticlimax at the end of "Butterfly". The overt poppy nature of the album wasn't a turn off for me like I'm sure it will be for a lot of people, but it's really the style of pop that gets to me rather than the fact that it's poppy. It's not a bad album though, and the two songs that I love from it are more than enough to get this album in my top 30 albums of the year. I was just expecting something more.

Anyway, this album will probably get some good reviews, though nothing all too special. "Realiti" is an almost guaranteed top 10 song of the year for the critics, but I would be shocked if "Kill V Maim" made it that high. I just can't see that happening.
I don't hear the J/K-pop influence that much (except maybe the Easily - Pin combo), though it might be because I don't know the genre enough. But for me the album is mostly a mash-up of everything pop-rock from the last 30 years (I hear girls band, eurodance, Madonna, 90s power-pop (Len's Steal my Sunshine), Crystal Castles, Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone, Beyonce's Run the World (Girls) and the influence of M.I.A. on the rhythms is huge... and no I didn't mean to sum up the influence to mostly women, must be some kind of bias from me there).
I'd agree that the album lacks cohesiveness, though songs flow pretty well into each other and I also think that's kind of the point, a statement from Grimes that she can do whatever she wants and won't be a one trick pony or do what people expect from her, which can be summed up by her last words, "I'll never be your dream girl".
Pierre wrote:Nitpick: I liked the production of the "REALiTi" demo better than the finished product as well, but I have the feeling that Grimes is the kind of person who just doesn't give a shit, so I'm complaining only for the heck of it.
Agreed, though it's still a very solid song this way... for some reasons I now dream of Robert Smith covering it.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Sweepstakes Ron »

Grimes did not let me down! I knew she wouldn't! So many great songs here!

Still, it's weird to think that the demo version of "REALiTi" became my #2 all-time song, and now I have no real reason to listen to it anymore.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye 3,5 The first song is pretty good, the rest … no so much. Like their first album, I'm not in at all.
Darwin Deez - Double Down 4 Where is gone the beautiful madness of the first album?
Prince - HITnRUN Phase One 5 Fuck, this time, it's too much for me. It's the first time I really don't click with him.
Dominique A - Eleor 7,5 As usual, a fantastic album with beautiful lyrics and melodies.
Faada Freddy - Gospel Journey 8,5 Best discovery of the year. I love the use of the back voices for the rythmes. A complet a cappella album.

Django Django - Born Under Saturn 8,5
Glass Animals - Zaba 8,5
Faada Freddy - Gospel Journey 8,5
Blur - The Magic Whip 8,5
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 8,5
Carl Barat and The Jackals - Let It Reign 8,5
Björk - Vulnicura 8,5
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World 8,5
Of Montreal - Aureate Gloom 8
Archive - Restriction 8
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5
Dominique A - Eleor 7,5
Belle and Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance 7,5
Only Real - Jerk At The End Of The Line 7
Motorama - Poverty 7
The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn 7
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell 6,5
Moon Duo - Shadow Of The Sun 6,5
Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now 6,5
FFS - FFS 6,5
Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again 6,5
John Carpenter - John Carpenter's Lost Themes 6,5
Allah-Las - Worship the Sun 6
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love 6
Curtis Harding - Soul Power 6
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5,5
Muse - Drones 5,5
All We Are - All We Are 5,5
Calexico - Edge Of The Sun 5,5
Prince - HITnRUN Phase One 5
Wilco - Star Wars 5
Jamie XX - In Colour 4,5
Darwin Deez - Double Down 4
Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5
CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye 3,5
Toro y Moi - What For? 3
Last edited by Romain on Sun Nov 08, 2015 4:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Bruno »

Sweepstakes Ron wrote:Still, it's weird to think that the demo version of "REALiTi" became my #2 all-time song, and now I have no real reason to listen to it anymore.
What about the album's version? Will be your #2?
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Sweepstakes Ron »

Bruno wrote:
Sweepstakes Ron wrote:Still, it's weird to think that the demo version of "REALiTi" became my #2 all-time song, and now I have no real reason to listen to it anymore.
What about the album's version? Will be your #2?
I don't think I'll actually make another song list until the next poll (so, probably 2018). I can't predict my tastes that far ahead. But if I had to guess right now, the album version would probably be lower, just because I'm still getting used to it.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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For fans of Björk's Vulnicura and Kanye West's Yeezus, I very strongly recommend their co-producer's, Arca, new album Mutant.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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I finally got to listen to Divers and Art Angels. Two immediate top ten contenders.
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Re: Albums of 2015

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Circa Waves 4,5 ZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZzzzzz
Gaz Coombes - Matador 6.5 I appreciate the voice. Some very good songs (Buffalo, Seven walls).
Diagrams - Chromatics 7 Pleasant. I will follow these guys.
Jeanne Added - Be Sensational 8,5 (maybe 9) With Ibeyi and Faada Freddy, the third best discovery of the year, at least three songs go directly to my top 2015 (Look at them, War is coming and Be Sensational)

Django Django - Born Under Saturn 8,5
Glass Animals - Zaba 8,5
Jeanne Added - Be Sensational 8,5
Faada Freddy - Gospel Journey 8,5
Blur - The Magic Whip 8,5
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 8,5
Carl Barat and The Jackals - Let It Reign 8,5
Björk - Vulnicura 8,5
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World 8,5
Of Montreal - Aureate Gloom 8
Archive - Restriction 8
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5
Dominique A - Eleor 7,5
Belle and Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance 7,5
Only Real - Jerk At The End Of The Line 7
Motorama - Poverty 7
Diagrams - Chromatics 7
The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn 7
Gaz Coombes - Matador 6.5
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell 6,5
Moon Duo - Shadow Of The Sun 6,5
Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now 6,5
FFS - FFS 6,5
Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again 6,5
John Carpenter - John Carpenter's Lost Themes 6,5
Allah-Las - Worship the Sun 6
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love 6
Curtis Harding - Soul Power 6
Prince - HITnRUN Phase One 5,5
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5,5
Muse - Drones 5,5
All We Are - All We Are 5,5
Calexico - Edge Of The Sun 5,5
Wilco - Star Wars 5
Circa Waves 4,5
Jamie XX - In Colour 4,5
Darwin Deez - Double Down 4
Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5
CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye 3,5
Toro y Moi - What For? 3
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Jirin »

I still don't know quite what to make about Sun Kil Moon's album this year. It's like it's full of good four minute songs that last eight minutes. Why do these songs all go on so long?
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PlasticRam
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by PlasticRam »

The new Justin Bieber album "Purpose" is sonically very good.
I feel like that
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by TimmyWing »

Anyone else discovering Benjamin Clementine from the Mercury Music Prize? Really enjoying what I've heard so far.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Romain »

The Go! Team - The Scene Between 1 And yet I liked it a decade ago.
Wavves - V 4 Nothing original, along long long listening.
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars 5,5 Two albums this year… one good song. Not a good year for them.
The Vaccines - English Graffiti 6 Not bad, with some good songs but nothing original either.
The Apartments - No Song No Spell No Madrigal 7 A beautiful sweet and jazzy album. I like the "sound" a lot.
Lower Dens - Escape From Evil 7,5 Very good as usual (is incredible how the voice of the singer is identical to the voice of Catherine Ringer).
Rover - Let It Glow 9 A superb gorgeous bowiesque album.

Rover - Let It Glow 9
Django Django - Born Under Saturn 8,5
Glass Animals - Zaba 8,5
Jeanne Added - Be Sensational 8,5
Faada Freddy - Gospel Journey 8,5
Blur - The Magic Whip 8,5
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 8,5
Carl Barat and The Jackals - Let It Reign 8,5
Björk - Vulnicura 8,5
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World 8,5
Of Montreal - Aureate Gloom 8
Archive - Restriction 8
Lower Dens - Escape From Evil Very good as usual 7,5
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5
Dominique A - Eleor 7,5
Belle and Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance 7,5
Only Real - Jerk At The End Of The Line 7
Motorama - Poverty 7
Diagrams - Chromatics 7
Gaz Coombes - Matador 7
The Apartments - No Song No Spell No Madrigal 7
The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn 7
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell 6,5
Moon Duo - Shadow Of The Sun 6,5
Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now 6,5
FFS - FFS 6,5
Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again 6,5
John Carpenter - John Carpenter's Lost Themes 6,5
Allah-Las - Worship the Sun 6
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love 6
Curtis Harding - Soul Power 6
The Vaccines - English Graffiti 6
Prince - HITnRUN Phase One 5,5
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars 5,5
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5,5
Muse - Drones 5,5
All We Are - All We Are 5,5
Calexico - Edge Of The Sun 5,5
Wilco - Star Wars 5
Circa Waves 4,5
Jamie XX - In Colour 4,5
Wavves - V
Darwin Deez - Double Down 4
Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5
CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye 3,5
Toro y Moi - What For? 3
The Go! Team - The Scene Between 1
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by RickMayer »

A ton of great albums in 2015 and after listening Adele's '25 from front to back, it's easy to see why she's the bomb right now. Polished adult alternative pop ballads that will appeal to all demographics. Other gems to check out are:

Kurt Vile' - B'lieve I'm Goin' Down
Of Monster & Men - Beneath The Skin
My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall
Wilco - Star Wars
Mumford & Sons - Wilder Mind
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Pierre
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Pierre »

Talking about Adele's "25", any speculation where she will land in the final AM ranking for 2015? As far as what I've seen so far, the generalist press has been raving while the musical press has been more prudent. I see the album ranking high in Q's EOY list, and possibly Allmusic, Billboard and Rolling Stone, but I'm more skeptical about other publications if the first reviews are any indication.

When all will be said and done, I see "25" ranking respectably but probably not top 10.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Jirin »

Is the Adele album going to be available to stream anywhere? Lots of the mainstream albums don't go on streaming services but I'm certainly not blind buying it. That's the same reason I never heard 1989.
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PlasticRam
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by PlasticRam »

Jirin wrote:Is the Adele album going to be available to stream anywhere? Lots of the mainstream albums don't go on streaming services but I'm certainly not blind buying it. That's the same reason I never heard 1989.
"musicmp3 (dot) ru" and "song365 (dot) co" prolly.
I feel like that
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Pierre
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Pierre »

Jirin wrote:Is the Adele album going to be available to stream anywhere? Lots of the mainstream albums don't go on streaming services but I'm certainly not blind buying it. That's the same reason I never heard 1989.
I hate having to do that, but when I'm in such a situation I use a peer-to-peer software to get the album and give it a listen. Since it's of course totally illegal, I subsequently delete the album. No matter what, if I like the album I'll buy it and if I only like some songs, usually Youtube can help me if I'm missing them.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Jirin »

I tend to buy maybe my top 15 or so albums of the year in any given year now. So downloading it increases my chance of giving them money from zero to nonzero.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Nick »

I'm not sure why there's such a big fuss over not being able to stream it. If you want to listen to the album in full without buying it, I suggest going to your nearest department store, supermarket, or bank, stand there for about 2 hours, and you'll have heard the whole thing.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Jirin »

I listened to the one song off 25 which is available on Spotify. It's kind of meh.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete is quickly rising up my year end list. Fantastic album.

My top 20 going into my year end contest ritual.

1. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress
2. Mount Eerie - Sauna
3. Kail Baxley - A Light That Never Dies
4. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To Love
5. Waxahatche - Ivy Tripp
6. Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete
7. Royal Headache - High
8. Chvrches - Every Open Eye
9. Faada Freddy - Gospel Journey
10. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Surf
11. Tama Impala - Currents
12. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
13. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free
14. Lonelady - Hinterland
15. Joanna Newsom - Divers
16. Viet Cong - Viet Cong
17. Floating Points - Elaenia
18. Miguel - Wildheart
19. Steve Von Till - A Life Unto Itself
20. Sam Lee - The Fade In Time
Last edited by Jirin on Wed Nov 25, 2015 9:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Matski
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Matski »

While it's been an enjoyable time on other fronts, 2015 hasn't exactly set my musical world alight when it has come to electronic albums. So happy that 'Elaenia' and 'Garden of Delete' were released recently.

:music-listening:
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Romain »

A good week.

Bachar Mar-Khalifé - Ya Balad 7 Very good, beautiful voice.
Monophonics - Sound Of Sinning 8 A 60's forgoten album? No, but as good as a classic.
Moriarty - Epitaph 8 A classieux blues rock album
Mademoiselle K - Hungry Dirty Baby 8,5 I did not excpect that. It's really very good. Good melodies. A lot of potential hit.

Rover - Let It Glow 9
Glass Animals - Zaba 8,5
Django Django - Born Under Saturn 8,5
Jeanne Added - Be Sensational 8,5
Faada Freddy - Gospel Journey 8,5
Blur - The Magic Whip 8,5
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 8,5
Carl Barat and The Jackals - Let It Reign 8,5
Björk - Vulnicura 8,5
Mademoiselle K - Hungry Dirty Baby 8,5
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World 8,5
Of Montreal - Aureate Gloom 8
Moriarty - Epitaph 8
Archive - Restriction 8
Monophonics - Sound Of Sinning 8
Lower Dens - Escape From Evil Very good as usual 7,5
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5
Dominique A - Eleor 7,5
Belle and Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance 7,5
Only Real - Jerk At The End Of The Line 7
Motorama - Poverty 7
Diagrams - Chromatics 7
Gaz Coombes - Matador 7
The Apartments - No Song No Spell No Madrigal 7
Bachar Mar-Khalifé - Ya Balad 7
The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn 7
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell 6,5
Moon Duo - Shadow Of The Sun 6,5
Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now 6,5
FFS - FFS 6,5
Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again 6,5
John Carpenter - John Carpenter's Lost Themes 6,5
Allah-Las - Worship the Sun 6
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love 6
Curtis Harding - Soul Power 6
The Vaccines - English Graffiti 6
Prince - HITnRUN Phase One 5,5
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars 5,5
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5,5
Muse - Drones 5,5
All We Are - All We Are 5,5
Calexico - Edge Of The Sun 5,5
Wilco - Star Wars 5
Circa Waves 4,5
Jamie XX - In Colour 4,5
Wavves - V
Darwin Deez - Double Down 4
Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5
CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye 3,5
Toro y Moi - What For? 3
The Go! Team - The Scene Between 1
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by PlasticRam »

Kid Cudi's new album is I think fantastic. Fantano gave it 0/10 so everyone wants to pan it. Really cool Nirvana style weird stuff. But it's not like this is made 100% seriously, so that's why I think it's better than your average grunge music. Also I respect the artistic leap out of comfort zone.

It's kind of like Trout Mask Replica. Both approach a genre from a completely different angle.
I feel like that
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Romain »

Shamir - Ratchet 3 How this kind of album appear in my list of "to listen"
Rachel Sermanni - Tied To The Moon 6 Nothing bad but nothing really exciting.
Tame Impala - Currents 7 Strong album… in the begining
Prince - HITNRUN Phase Two 7,5 Far better than the Phase One, not too far than the Prince I really like.


Rover - Let It Glow 9
Glass Animals - Zaba 8,5
Django Django - Born Under Saturn 8,5
Jeanne Added - Be Sensational 8,5
Faada Freddy - Gospel Journey 8,5
Blur - The Magic Whip 8,5
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 8,5
Carl Barat and The Jackals - Let It Reign 8,5
Björk - Vulnicura 8,5
Mademoiselle K - Hungry Dirty Baby 8,5
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World 8,5
Of Montreal - Aureate Gloom 8
Moriarty - Epitaph 8
Archive - Restriction 8
Monophonics - Sound Of Sinning 8
Prince - HITNRUN Phase Two 7 ,5
Lower Dens - Escape From Evil Very good as usual 7,5
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5
Dominique A - Eleor 7,5
Belle and Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance 7,5
Tame Impala - Currents 7
Only Real - Jerk At The End Of The Line 7
Motorama - Poverty 7
Diagrams - Chromatics 7
Gaz Coombes - Matador 7
The Apartments - No Song No Spell No Madrigal 7
Bachar Mar-Khalifé - Ya Balad 7
The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn 7
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell 6,5
Moon Duo - Shadow Of The Sun 6,5
Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now 6,5
FFS - FFS 6,5
Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again 6,5
John Carpenter - John Carpenter's Lost Themes 6,5
Allah-Las - Worship the Sun 6
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love 6
Rachel Sermanni - Tied To The Moon 6
Curtis Harding - Soul Power 6
The Vaccines - English Graffiti 6
Prince - HITnRUN Phase One 5,5
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars 5,5
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5,5
Muse - Drones 5,5
All We Are - All We Are 5,5
Calexico - Edge Of The Sun 5,5
Wilco - Star Wars 5
Circa Waves 4,5
Jamie XX - In Colour 4,5
Wavves - V
Darwin Deez - Double Down 4
Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5
CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye 3,5
Shamir - Ratchet 3
Toro y Moi - What For? 3
The Go! Team - The Scene Between 1
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Nick »

PlasticRam wrote:Kid Cudi's new album is I think fantastic. Fantano gave it 0/10 so everyone wants to pan it. Really cool Nirvana style weird stuff. But it's not like this is made 100% seriously, so that's why I think it's better than your average grunge music. Also I respect the artistic leap out of comfort zone.

It's kind of like Trout Mask Replica. Both approach a genre from a completely different angle.
I've only heard a couple songs off of it, but I'm inclined to side with Fantano on this one. Awful lyrics, awful production, boring songs, and random Beevis and Butthead skits thrown in the mix. Seeing as this album runs over 90 minutes, I can easily understand why someone would give it such a low score based off the couple songs that I heard.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by PlasticRam »

Nick wrote:
PlasticRam wrote:Kid Cudi's new album is I think fantastic. Fantano gave it 0/10 so everyone wants to pan it. Really cool Nirvana style weird stuff. But it's not like this is made 100% seriously, so that's why I think it's better than your average grunge music. Also I respect the artistic leap out of comfort zone.

It's kind of like Trout Mask Replica. Both approach a genre from a completely different angle.
I've only heard a couple songs off of it, but I'm inclined to side with Fantano on this one. Awful lyrics, awful production, boring songs, and random Beevis and Butthead skits thrown in the mix. Seeing as this album runs over 90 minutes, I can easily understand why someone would give it such a low score based off the couple songs that I heard.
Yeah I guess it's that I like Cudi's character, or Cudi himself cos he doesn't really do a character. The lyrics are just what he feels. That's why I'd take this album over any Nirvana or Pearl Jam album cos I just relate to Cudi more.

And for example the below average guitar playing just sounds good to me, how uncleanly he hits the notes. I think the production is good too. I guess it's just a matter of everyone having their own opinion. I do wonder though if the album would still have the 1.18/5 RYM rating if Fantano hadn't panned it.

Edit: And yeah the TMR comparison was a little provocative cos for example the guitar playing is top-notch on that album.

Edit: But yeah I fully expect this album to do very badly in the AMF moderately acclaimed album poll, just like Future that I nominated last year :D
I feel like that
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Pierre »

Romain wrote:Shamir - Ratchet 3 How this kind of album appear in my list of "to listen"
Romain, not trying to sound provocative or anything, but some day you'll have to explain me just how you hear Prince's music. I mean, his music is pretty much the foundation for almost everything in hip-hop and modern r'n'b, and guys like Frank Ocean or Shamir come to my head immediately when I try to look for modern heirs of Prince's musical experiments... ;)

So I'm having trouble understanding how he can be your favourite artist ever, and then how you can despise pretty much all artists whose music has evolved out of his mold...
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Romain »

Pierre wrote:
Romain wrote:Shamir - Ratchet 3 How this kind of album appear in my list of "to listen"
Romain, not trying to sound provocative or anything, but some day you'll have to explain me just how you hear Prince's music. I mean, his music is pretty much the foundation for almost everything in hip-hop and modern r'n'b, and guys like Frank Ocean or Shamir come to my head immediately when I try to look for modern heirs of Prince's musical experiments... ;)

So I'm having trouble understanding how he can be your favourite artist ever, and then how you can despise pretty much all artists whose music has evolved out of his mold...
Hahahahaha !
First, it's only one of my five favorite artist of all times :mrgreen:

Secondly, I can not find big reference to Prince in Frank Ocean (sounds more like a boy's band for me) or Shamir or maybe in the super sweet Prince's romance which is what I like the least.
On the other side, D'angelo, with Black Messiah has achieved an almost perfect copy of Prince, but only in one genre when Prince is a perpetual fireworks of style.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by sonofsamiam »

I guess I've heard enough to add a near-complete list. I did not include shorter EPs like FKA twigs and Thundercat, as that just did not seem right. I did include Laurel Halo's though, since it's nearly 40 minutes long.

Great year with a lot of interesting things happening in different genres...

1 | Kendrick Lamar | To Pimp a Butterfly
2 | Kamasi Washington | The Epic
3 | Julia Holter | Have You in My Wilderness
4 | Björk | Vulnicura
5 | Holly Herndon | Platform
6 | Oneohtrix Point Never | Garden of Delete
7 | Jim O'Rourke | Simple Songs
8 | Matana Roberts | Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee
9 | Floating Points | Elaenia
10 | Deafheaven | New Bermuda
11 | Stara Rzeka | Zamknęły się oczy ziemi
12 | Mbongwana Star | From Kinshasa
13 | Jlin | Dark Energy
14 | Susanne Sundfør | Ten Love Songs
15 | Lupe Fiasco | Tetsuo & Youth
16 | Jenny Hval | Apocalypse, girl
17 | Lightning Bolt | Fantasy Empire
18 | Joanna Newsom | Divers
19 | Sleater-Kinney | No Cities to Love
20 | Algiers | Algiers
21 | Hieroglyphic Being & J.I.T.U. Ahn-Sahm-Buhl | We Are Not the First
22 | Sunn O))) | 观世音 Kannon
23 | Vince Staples | Summertime '06
24 | Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment | Surf
25 | Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah | Stretch Music
26 | Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express | Junun
27 | Destroyer | Poison Season
28 | John Luther Adams | The Wind in High Places
29 | Grimes | Art Angels
30 | DJ Spooky with Kronos Quartet | Rebirth of a Nation
31 | Courtney Barnett | Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
32 | James Ferraro | Skid Row
33 | Laurel Halo | In Situ
34 | Miguel | Wildheart
35 | Steve Coleman and The Council of Balance | Synovial Joints
36 | Ibeyi | Ibeyi
37 | Godspeed You! Black Emperor | Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
38 | John Grant | Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
39 | Janet Jackson | Unbreakable
40 | Bill Fay | Who Is The Sender?
41 | Laura Marling | Short Movie
42 | Songhoy Blues | Music in Exile
43 | Sufjan Stevens | Carrie & Lowell
44 | John Carpenter | Lost Themes
45 | Sean McCann | Ten Impressions for Piano & Strings
46 | Chelsea Wolfe | Abyss
47 | Dungen | Allas Sak
48 | Tame Impala | Currents
49 | BADBADNOTGOOD and Ghostface | Sour Soul
50 | Jaga Jazzist | Starfire
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Jackson »

Nice. Kendrick, Holter, Floating Points, and Deafheaven will definitely be in my top ten too. The one I can't figure out is Oneohtrix Point Never. I like his previous work, and many sources I usually like rank the album highly, but I've tried it three times and it just leaves me cold.
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Romain »

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly 5,5 Enjoyable for a music genre I don't like. These jazz touch are very appreciable (King Kunta is clearly the Hit of the album).
The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness 7 I really love half the songs but the other half is unlistening with this shitty auto-tune (As you are for example is a torture)
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Paper Mache Dream Balloon 7 Flute and 60's!
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday 7 A classical britpop album. Very melodic as usual.
Petite noir - La vie est belle / Life is beautiful 7,5 Gorgeous pleasant album, beautiful voice.
Two Gallants - We Are Undone 9 Great surprise. The best Black Keys's album… oh, it's not a black Key's album… sorry !




Rover - Let It Glow 9
Two Gallants - We Are Undone 9
Glass Animals - Zaba 8,5
Django Django - Born Under Saturn 8,5
Jeanne Added - Be Sensational 8,5
Faada Freddy - Gospel Journey 8,5
Blur - The Magic Whip 8,5
Ibeyi - Ibeyi 8,5
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 8,5
Carl Barat and The Jackals - Let It Reign 8,5
Björk - Vulnicura 8,5
Mademoiselle K - Hungry Dirty Baby 8,5
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World 8,5
Of Montreal - Aureate Gloom 8
Prince - HITNRUN Phase Two 8
Moriarty - Epitaph 8
Archive - Restriction 8
Monophonics - Sound Of Sinning 8
Petite noir - La vie est belle / Life is beautiful 7,5
Lower Dens - Escape From Evil Very good as usual 7,5
Flavien Berger - Léviathan 7,5
Dominique A - Eleor 7,5
Belle and Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance 7,5
Tame Impala - Currents 7
Only Real - Jerk At The End Of The Line 7
The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness 7
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Paper Mache Dream Balloon 7
Motorama - Poverty 7
Diagrams - Chromatics 7
Gaz Coombes - Matador 7
The Apartments - No Song No Spell No Madrigal 7
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday 7
Bachar Mar-Khalifé - Ya Balad 7
The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn 7
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell 6,5
Moon Duo - Shadow Of The Sun 6,5
Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now 6,5
FFS - FFS 6,5
Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again 6,5
John Carpenter - John Carpenter's Lost Themes 6,5
Allah-Las - Worship the Sun 6
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love 6
Rachel Sermanni - Tied To The Moon 6
Curtis Harding - Soul Power 6
The Vaccines - English Graffiti 6
Prince - HITnRUN Phase One 5,5
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars 5,5
Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters 5,5
Muse - Drones 5,5
All We Are - All We Are 5,5
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly 5,5
Calexico - Edge Of The Sun 5,5
Wilco - Star Wars 5
Circa Waves 4,5
Jamie XX - In Colour 4,5
Wavves - V
Darwin Deez - Double Down 4
Beach House - Depression Cherry 3,5
CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye 3,5
Shamir - Ratchet 3
Toro y Moi - What For? 3
The Go! Team - The Scene Between 1
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Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Nassim »

Jackson wrote:Nice. Kendrick, Holter, Floating Points, and Deafheaven will definitely be in my top ten too. The one I can't figure out is Oneohtrix Point Never. I like his previous work, and many sources I usually like rank the album highly, but I've tried it three times and it just leaves me cold.
I actually feel the opposite, I am surprised by how much I enjoy it given my dislike for his previously acclaimed albums.

My last list before listening to the Moderately Acclaimed picks (and a few albums I missed and want to hear, mainly Miguel and Petite Noire)

1) Sleater-Kinney - No Cities to Love
2) Grimes - Art Angels
3) Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell
4) Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experience - Surf
5) Dan Deacon - Gliss Riffer
6) Deafheaven - New Bermuda
7) Salut C'est Cool - Sur le Thème des Grandes Decouvertes
8) Jamie XX - In Colour
9) Hop Along - Painted Shut
10) Shamir - Ratchet
11) Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too
12) Godspeed! You Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
13) Low - Ones and Sixes
14) Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit
15) Various Artists - PC Music Vol. 1
16) Girl Band - Holding Hands With Jamie
17) Blur - The Magic Whip
18) Chvrches - Every Open Eye
19) Dr Dre - Compton
20) Mourn - Mourn
21) Built to Spill - Untetherd Moon
22) Hot Chip - Why Make Sense ?
23) Natalie Prass - Natalie Prass
24) Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire
25) Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear
26) C. Duncan - Architect
27) Eagles of Death Metal - Zipper Down
28) Joanna Newsom - Divers
29) Ought - Sun Coming Down
30) Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
31) Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
32) Jason Isbell - Something More than Free
33) Gaz Coombes - Matador
34) Algiers - Algiers
35) Faith No More - Sol Invictus
36) Carly Rae Jepsen - E.MO.TION
37) Four Tet - Morning/Evening
38) Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld - Never Were The Way She Was
39) I'm From Barcelona - Growing Up Is For Trees
40) FKA Twigs - M3LL155X
41) Wilco - Star Wars
42) Haiku Salut - Etch and Etch Deep
43) KEN Mode - Success
44) Run the Jewels - Meow the Jewels
45) The Decemberists - What a Beautiful World, What a Terrible World
46) Torres - Sprinter
47) Horrendous - Anareta
48) Lil B x Chance the Rapper - Free
49) Feu! Chatterton - Ici le jour (a tout enseveli)
50) Arca - Mutant
51) Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
52) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi Love
53) Everything Everything - Get to Heaven
54) Kelela - Hallucinogen EP
55) Floating Point - Elaenia
56) Vince Staples - Summertime '06
57) U.S. Girls - Half Free
58) Ibeyi - Ibeyi
59) Colleen Green - I Want to Grow Up
60) Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect
61) Tame Impala - Currents
62) Beach House - Depression Cherry
63) Viet Cong - Viet Cong
64) Millencolin - True Brew
65) Beach House - Thank You Lucky Star
66) Ho99o9 - Horrors of 1999 EP
67) Modest Mouse - Strangers to Ourselves
68) John Carpenter - Lost Themes
69) Crapulax - Violence Gratuite et Flûte de Pan
70) BC Camplight - How To Die In The North
71) Jessica Pratt - On Your Own Love Again
72) Warren G - Regulate... G Funk Era, Pt. II
73) The Dodos - Individ
74) Refused - Freedom
75) Battles - La Di Da
76) Mbongwana Star - From Kinshasa
77) Disclosure - Caracal
78) Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
79) Bjork - Vulnicura
80) Teenage Time Killers - Greatest Hits, Vol 1
81) Muse - Drones
82) Enter Shikari - The Mindsweep 
83) Madeon - Adventure
84) Panda Bear - Panda Bear meets the Grim Reaper
85) Holly Herndon - Platform

I'll take the time to listen to Vince Staples once more, the singles are growing on me, and Señorita's video is stunning (I'd say my 2nd favorite of the year behind Sunday Candy)
amnt1882
Are You Experienced?
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2015 2:51 am

Re: Albums of 2015

Post by amnt1882 »

I think my final list for 2015 will look a bit like this, out of maybe a bit more than two times that amount? Some albums are growing on me or grinding out so the list may look different later on though. I've not seen any AOTY lists to reduce prejudice. The relative lack of females is...unfortunate. CHVRCHES was on 26th though

25 || Mew || + -
24 || Dutch Uncles || O SHUDDER
23 || Blur || THE MAGIC WHIP
22 || Battles || LA DI DA DI
21 || Django Django || BORN UNDER SATURN
20 || Vince Staples || SUMMERTIME '06
19 || Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment || SURF
18 || Zombi || SHAPE SHIFT
17 || LA Priest || INJI
16 || Deerhunter || FADING FRONTIER
15 || East India Youth || CULTURE OF VOLUME
14 || Beach House || DEPRESSION CHERRY
13 || Unknown Mortal Orchestra || MULTI-LOVE
12 || The Go! Team || THE SCENE BETWEEN
11 || Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds || CHASING YESTERDAY
10 || Lupe Fiasco || TETSUO & YOUTH
09 || Youth Lagoon || SAVAGE HILLS BALLROOM
08 || Neon Indian || VEGA INTL. HIGH SCHOOL
07 || Outfit || SLOWNESS
06 || Oneohtrix Point Never || GARDEN OF DELETE
05 || The Dear Hunter || ACT IV: REBIRTH IN REPRISE
04 || Public Service Broadcasting || THE RACE FOR SPACE
03 || Kendrick Lamar || TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY
02 || Jamie xx || IN COLOUR
01 || Everything Everything || GET TO HEAVEN
User avatar
Dan
Movin' On Up
Posts: 988
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:41 am
Location: Newcastle, England

Re: Albums of 2015

Post by Dan »

01 | Sufjan Stevens | Carrie & Lowell
Dan wrote:I’m really pleased – even grateful – that he has given us such a beautiful, intimate album. It may be an album inspired by death and darkness, but there are also many moments of compassion and warmth. And, as always, Stevens expresses these emotions with a special kind of sensitivity that is unique to him. Like I said… I’m grateful.
02 | Benjamin Clementine | At Least for Now
I think the panel who voted for the Mercury Prize chose the right winner this year when they selected this as the best UK & Irish album. To me, the piano-led songs by this British-French artist is compelling and beguiling. The theatrical and operatic feel of the music bears a resemblance to Antony Hegarty, but Clementine is no copycat. In fact, I think his style is rather unique in the current domain of critically acclaimed music – he’s a refreshing anomaly. It’s unusual and interesting music.

03 | Blick Bassy | Akö
Most of the album by this artist from Cameroon has a gentle feel to it, thanks to the subtle guitar and banjo playing. But it also features instruments not usually found in African music: the cello and trombone. Bassy also clearly has an affection for blues, but he expresses his love for blues in a delicate way. And then there’s his sublime voice, which I can only describe as angelic. I can think of a few people on this forum who would like this album, but DaveC was the first to come to mind.

04 | Kendrick Lamar | To Pimp a Butterfly
The critical consensus seems to be that this is an album of immense gravitas. It’s certainly an intelligent and complex album, but although I totally get why it is taken so seriously because of its eloquent depiction of anger during a year when black Americans had many reasons to be upset, the thing that prevents this album from feeling like a classic to me is that (with the exception of King Kunta) it takes itself too seriously. But I guess that’s the point of it? Having said that, even if you think this album is slightly overrated and was subjected to too much hype, there’s no denying that it has turned out to be one of the most potent protest albums ever recorded.

05 | Spiro | Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow
Spiro is a four-piece who play six instruments between them: violin, mandolin, accordion, piano, guitar and cello. And what makes them special is that they play those instruments in an unconventional way, with the aim to create exhilarating folk music. They fulfil that aim with admirable confidence.

06 | Tame Impala | Currents
I’m a little bit surprised that the revival of synthpop in the 2010s has lasted this long. I can see why some people are getting annoyed with it – especially people who take electric guitars too seriously. I’m definitely not one to complain: I have found plenty of synthpop revival songs and albums that I enjoyed listening to over the past few years. This year Tame Impala, with their psychedelic synthpop, are the critical darlings in that field. Rightly so. I agree with the critics that their song “Let It Happen” is not only the best song to listen to in a trendy bar full of people wearing skinny jeans, but simply the best song of the year.

07 | Susanne Sundfør | Ten Love Songs
Speaking of synthpop, this album by Sundfør is a wonderful homage to 1980s synth-led music, with an added classical sensibility. Despite its flaws, what I like most about this album is that sounds like a synthpop album made by a good classical musician.

08 | James McMurtry | Complicated Game
When I listened to McMurtry’s album “Too Long in the Wasteland” for the 1989 poll a couple of years ago, I was surprised that that intimate and reflective album wasn’t listed on AM. 26 years later he seems to have created another underrated Americana album.

09 | Eilen Jewell | Sundown Over Ghost Town
10 | Courtney Barnett | Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
11 | Jamie xx | In Colour
12 | Leon Bridges | Coming Home
13 | Barna Howard | Quite a Feelin'
14 | Father John Misty | I Love You Honeybear
15 | Vince Staples | Summertime '06
16 | Blur | The Magic Whip
17 | Laura Marling | Short Movie
18 | Björk | Vulnicura
19 | Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band | Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band
20 | Mbongwana Star | From Kinshasa
21 | Joanna Newsom | Divers
22 | Jason Isbell | Something More Than Free
23 | Ibeyi | Ibeyi
24 | Tobias Jesso Jr. | Goon
25 | Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment | Surf
...will keep us together.
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