2015 in Music: My Top 10
What a year 2015 has been, and although this post may strike you as a bit late (thank you late-winter chills and El Niño storms), I've compiled my annual list of music to satiate your earbuds for the time being. Per tradition, the music is listed by artist, followed by album title, and is listed from my lesser favorites to the number one (which should be no surprise to those of you in conversation with me). Thus, without further ado, I submit my list for your humble consideration.
10. Kamasi Washington, Epic
Washington has come a long way as an artist rising out of the sublime musical swamp that is LA, and, because he was featured in Paste Magazine and other musical pulp, he grabbed my attention immediately. What we find is an incredible blend of hip-hop and jazz; twinges of radio-ready beats mixed with the newest and most progressive expressions of right hand wizardry. I love this because it is, as I've come to learn, the sound of a city coming together. LA is one lucky city to have Washington, and we are sure lucky to hear him out.
9. Julien Baker, Sprained Ankle
As last year's list will attest, I sure am a sucker for a lady with a sad story to tell on an acoustic guitar or piano. Last year's top spot went to Sharon Van Etten; no surprise for those who know me as one to be attracted to all kinds of melodrama. This year the coveted title goes to a waifish 19 year old from somewhere or other, singing plaintively and gently into the microphone with clarity and grace. Her voice is haunting, but not inaccessible. Her lyrics are mature, but not cryptic. The real gut punch hits at the end of the album, which is too good to give away here: listen up and be prepared to weep and rejoice.
8. Deerhunter, Fading Frontier
Deerhunter got headlines for 2014's Monomania, a tirade of angular stuff that wasn't too pleasant for me, the reviewer. They graciously recovered with 2015's Fading Frontier, a much more ambient and soulful performance. "It's all the same" sings leader Bradford Cox on the opening track, but nothing more could be farther from the truth. We are greeted with gentle harmonies and electronic blips that remind us what it is to be human, even if the content of the songs are expressions of jibberish rendered intelligible through one band's journey out of the abyss of their past successes.
7. Waxahatchee, Ivy Trip
On "Air," indie musician Katie Crutchfield sings over a catchy hook and plaintive lyrics, a guitar droning softly below her voice, undergirded by a synthesizer and more sounds to add to her lyrics, "you were patiently giving me everything that I will never need." This is more than enough reason to join her in her wondering, on an album packed with more than just filler from the latest top-50 junk on the radio. Crutchfield knows her territory well, rendered through abstraction and literalism alike. Take a listen to see for yourself.
6. Tie: Tame Impala, Currents and Son Lux, Bones
Okay, so I cheated here. Big deal. I will justify myself with my claim that these two spots are occupied by the harbingers of indie-electronica and the abstract movement of rock's forefront. Both Tame Impala and Son Lux bear the burden of hype given for their expressive beats, rhythms, and grooves. Plus, both can claim fame as projects attached to other famous-ish indie sphere people (Sufjan Stevens is a collaborator of Son Lux, for one, and Impala plays the music festival circuit regularly and popped up on Conan back in April). But they both are interesting, really. If you listen to the opener on Currents, you'll hear hints of psychedelia, pop, and gentle harmonizing that escaped their earlier release Lonerism back in 2012. It's still a classic album, clearly, though not on the top of my favorites as some other works are. As for Son Lux, I like the immediacy and starkness of the music: "Close your eyes, swallow the sound, you have only just begun." sings project leader Ryan Lott. A sure invitation for all of us.
5. My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall
Heartbreak will do any man in. That's something I've learned the hard way, and which no doubt Jim James and company explored as they shacked up in a tiny cabin in remote Marin County, California, to record their latest project last year. The result, however, is pure gold, and MMJ have delivered a dynamite album that will please any fans of their earlier, bizarre, and meandering sounds. The earlier records rewarded listeners with rich harmonies and grain-silo reverb, but the later releases were all about jagged rips from the past. This album delivers the best of both worlds and, as I can attest from seeing them live in concert this year, rocks the hell out of you. I recommend the howling opener "Believe (Nobody Knows)" as well as "Spring (Among the Living)" for its creepy counterpoints best heard through a good set of headphones.
4. Miguel, Wildheart
This guy has taken D'Angelo's throne as the king of sex for the 2010s. Whereas the latter artist rung in the new millenium shirtless and sweaty, Miguel doesn't need any of that to remind women who he is. On the soulful single "Coffee," he croons over a slick guitar hook and major key backup, all while deftly singing his heart out. It's deep stuff.
3. Gungor, One Wild Life: Soul
I basically reviewed this one in this post, so check it out for a more in depth analysis.
2. Sufjan Stevens, Carrie and Lowell
I also basically reviewed this album in a very long, in depth discussion of Sufjan's latest meditation: all having to do with death.
1. Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly
You can't talk about 2015 without talking about Black Lives Matter. You can't talk about 2015 without talking about Kendrick Lamar, and his powerful stance at addressing race relations. I commend this man for taking us all where we think didn't know we needed to go: straight into the heart of the dynamic between justice and truth, love and mercy, and hip-hop and drama. Thanks, K-Dot, for showing us what's up.
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