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| | FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2015 | | 1 |  | Tame Impala
Currents
The Australian psych rockers change shape yet again on their third record, switching gears seamlessly and dramatically. Synths and keys have become central songwriting tool on Currents. You won’t find a single song like “Lucidity” or “Elephant” on the record and that’s not a bad thing. Kevin Parker and co. may have dialed back on the guitars but you’ll hardly notice as they have produced some of their catchiest (“’Cause I’m a Man”) and most adventurous (“Let It Happen,” “Past Life”) music to date. Currents bares the distinction of being their most thematically cohesive album yet. Many of the songs revolve around strained if not disintegrating relationships captured in heartbreaking lyrical detail by Parker. It’s a surprising but welcome left turn of a record that leaves me anxious to see where Tame Impala will go next. | | 2 |  | HEALTH
Death Magic
Moving beyond the deliberately abrasive production of their first two records, HEALTH have honed their industrial/noise rock sound into a lethal weapon on Death Magic. With the assistance of a production team including The Haxan Cloak’s Bobby Kirlic, HEALTH have utilized modern production sensibilities to sound absolutely seismic both in melody and in sonic aggression. “Stonefist” and “New Coke” bludgeon while “Life” enshrouds the listener in a fleeting embrace. The skillfully contrasted balance of sonic heaviness with warm, lilting vocals on Death Magic make for one of the heaviest records all year and one of the poppiest.
HEALTH are just getting started. | | 3 |  | Kamasi Washington
The Epic
Kamasi Washington’s sprawling debut record can be appreciated for a plethora of reasons but I would like to emphasize how in spite of it’s sheer size and breadth of musical ideas and sounds it still works as an approachable, cohesive modern jazz masterpiece. Joined by a choir and full band including bass virtuoso Thundercat, The Epic is a journey in every sense of the word. From the opening number “Change of the Guard” the listener is swept away into a wide screen world of creativity and emotion. Above all, The Epic is an enriching experience for those undaunted by its scope and splendor. | | 4 |  | Kendrick Lamar
To Pimp a Butterfly
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City sounds absolutely pedestrian in comparison to Kendrick Lamar’s triumphantly defiant artistic and political statement of a third record. To Pimp a Butterfly is jam packed with a multitude of ideas, emotions, attitudes, and meditations on the African American experience living in a year as contentious and tragic as 2014. The record is frequently overwhelming in all the best ways. Lamar’s multi-pronged approach to the album’s lyrical themes is reflected in the sheer variety of musical styles at play from track to track. Spoken word is employed on the satirical “For Free”, funk rhythms anchor the bumping “King Kunta” and searing Hendrix-esque soul rock lends uplifting empowerment to the anthemic “i.” Joined by a multitude of heavyweight collaborators including Dr. Dre, Flying Lotus, and Pharrell Williams, Lamar has released what is destined to be a game changing hip hop masterwork and easily his best record to date. | | 5 |  | Braids
Deep In The Iris
I will be the first to admit I didn’t think much of Braids after listening to their debut record Native Speaker. My view of the band improved significantly after seeing them open for Purity Ring this past June. Not only was their art-rock sound fully realized in a live setting, their set was heavy on tracks from their upcoming third record. Deep in the Iris is easily Braids’ best release thus far thanks to a greater emphasis on focused songwriting. The yearning “Taste” and the poignant anti-rape screed of “Miniskirt” stand as two of the band’s best songs thanks in part to a lush and organic production. Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s vocals and Austin Tufts jazz inflected drumming have never sounded better. Engrossing and engaging, Deep in the Iris is one of the best records released by any Canadian band this year. | | 6 |  | Vince Staples
Summertime '06
The debut double album by a rising hip hop talent, Summertime ’06 has a lot to say and makes every word count. Recounting Vince Staples’ life experiences set in and around the summer of 2006 at the age of 13, the record is at once gritty and tense while intimate and morose. The ingenuity of Staples’ lyrics comes from his ability to make personal experience and memory into a broader if not universal statement about the impact of crime, poverty, and drug addiction on African American communities. Lines like “I ain’t never ran from nothin’ but the police” or “They found another dead body in the alley” contain a raw, impressionable power. The production team including No I.D. and Clams Casino provide the perfect sonic backdrop for Staples’ violent and often remorseful rhymes. The thundering bass line on “Lift Me Up” or the foreboding piano sample on “Senorita” bring the often fraught emotional undercurrent to the forefront. Summertime ’06 is anything but fun in the sun. | | 7 |  | Miguel
Wildheart
Wildheart is many things at once. It’s an album sonically indebted to the R&B and rock stylings of yesteryear yet it is defined by modern production and songwriting sensibilities. It explores and contrasts emotional binaries often within the same song. Romantic love is as equally powerful as lust on “Coffee.” Seeking acceptance and self love clash on the soul bearing “What’s Normal Anyway.” The only constant throughout his excellent third record is Miguel himself. The variety of styles he explores and the conflict recurring throughout his lyrics allow for Miguel to truly express himself as a flawed individual throughout these 12 tracks. Seductive, diverse, and empowering, Wildheart comes straight from the soul. | | 8 |  | Titus Andronicus
The Most Lamentable Tragedy
Billed as a five act rock opera, Titus Andronicus’ fourth record is a grand, messy, and dramatic affair. Spanning 93 minutes and 29 songs, the New Jersey punk rock sextet have never sounded more ambitious. Dealing with such heavy themes as manic depression and mental illness in willfully abstract and unconventional means, Titus Andronicus both thrill and confound. In spite of its running time there is never a dull moment to be found on what could easily be an unfocused project in the wrong hands. The three songs that conclude Act II and the first disc (“Fired Up,” “Dimed Out,” and “More Perfect Union”) are worth the proverbial price of admission alone. The bristling charge of Patrick Stickles, Jonah Maurer, and Adam Reich’s triple guitar attack coupled with thrilling string accompaniment make for a listening experience that can only be described as cinematic. The Most Lamentable Tragedy is without a doubt one of the best rock operas composed in recent memory. | | 9 |  | Grimes
Art Angels
Claire Boucher has upped her game over the critically acclaimed Visions, realizing her talent for artsy electro pop in grand technicolor. With the exception of “Oblivion” and “Genesis”, I found Visions’ modest production coupled with some underdeveloped song ideas detracted from the album as a whole as a listening experience. Everything on Art Angels however feels fully realized and vital. Lead single “Flesh without Blood” rides off into the stratosphere on a pulsating guitar lick, “Kill vs. Maim” commands with a ferocious cheerleader chant of a chorus, while “Realti” sounds fit for a dance floor on a distant planet. Art Angels is a crowning artistic achievement in Grimes’ blossoming music career. It’s an album that is abundantly creative, willfully strange, yet extremely accessible. | |
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