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Last Active 12-03-22 11:37 pm
Joined 08-18-16
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| Top 20 Songs of 2015
My 20 personal favorites from 2015. | | 20 |  | Three Days Grace
Human
"I Am Machine" --
This Canadian band reminds me of Bad Religion for some reason. I love the vocals on this song -- their power matches the power of the theme. It makes me think about the character of Murphy in Robocop, but you could go with Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Vision in The Avengers, or pretty much any A.I. character who wishes he or she was human. Of course, I think the writers wanted it to be about how all of us are losing our humanity, and that's fine too. | | 19 |  | The Decemberists
What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
"Till the Water's All Long Gone" --
This is the first of two songs from The Decemberist's What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World to make this list, which is kind of weird because I felt kind of meh about the album as a whole. This song is beautiful, though, slow and haunting. It's sung by a character whose time has passed him by -- his beloved daughter is long dead, some distant ancestors have come down from the mountains, but he's protecting his water even if he can't quite remember who he's protecting it for. The song has nothing to do with this, but for some reason, it makes me think of the Bikura episode in Dan Simmons' Hyperion novel. I think it's because both the singer and the people coming down from the mountains remind me of the Bikura in their dimness. | | 18 |  | Florence and the Machine
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
"Ship to Wreck" --
Florence + The Machine is a weird band for me. On each of their albums, including this one, I find I'm not impressed with most of the songs, but there are always one or two that I really like a lot. This song is the band at their best. It has a strong hook, the lyrics have strong imagery, and it all goes perfectly with one of Florence Welch's best vocals. Sometimes (too often, actually) this band gets into a bluesy thing that I don't care for, but this number is straight-ahead driving rock. | | 17 |  | Melanie Martinez
Crybaby
"Pacify Her" --
Cry Baby, the LP on which this song appears, is a concept album. The CD is done up as a kind of demented children's book. This particular song is pretty laid back -- slow, and a little dreamy. It's not the first song I noticed when I heard the CD, but it's the one that grew on me the most. Thematically, it's the reverse of Paramore's "Misery Business" -- this time, we're getting the point of view of the manstealer. "Tired, blue boy walks my way/Holding a girl's hand/That basic bitch leaves finally/Now I can steal her man." There's a wicked sense of humor here, and no repentance whatsoever, which makes it even funnier. | | 16 |  | Coldplay
A Head Full of Dreams
"Everglow" --
This is a slow, kind of sad ballad. It features a soulful vocal by Chris Martin, and some really exquisite Bruce-Hornsbylike piano work. It might be a little schmaltzy, but I can deal with that because it's so damned beautiful. And apparently Martin's ex, Gwyneth Paltrow, does an uncredited guest vocal. What's in the box, Chris?! Oh, what's in the f!-@ing box?!!! | | 15 |  | Coin
Coin
"Run" --
Coin is a poppy alternative band from Nashville. This song is from their eponymous debut CD. The song is a delightful, upbeat indiepop number. It's a little like this -- imagine you took Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up", sped it up, and added jangly guitars, some synth on the transitions, and some clean alt-rock vocals. That's what it's like. A little. Sort of. | | 14 |  | Holly Miranda
Holly Miranda
"Desert Call" --
Holly Miranda is a singer-songwriter from Detroit. "Desert Call" is from her self-titled debut album. This is another slow, dreamy number, with vocals that are alternately breathy and belty. (I'm pretty sure I just made that word up.) There's some stark guitar in the beginning, and later on some gentle sax to carry the song home. And since she grew up singing in a church, there are some easy "halleljuhs" at the end that I'm pretty sure have more to do with world of the flesh stuff than with ecstasies of the spirit. | | 13 |  | Virgin Steele
Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation
"Hymns to Damnation" --
Although Virgin Steele is a metal band, and there's plenty of fast-paced rock on the two-disc album from which this song comes, "Hymns to Damnation" is a ballad. It's a psychotic ballad, but it's a ballad. And you've never heard such a loving tribute to death, deceit and damnation, lovingly growled by lead singer David DeFeis. ("Child heart with bestial eyes/Like tears in spider webs, a perfect disguise ...") Demons rock! | | 12 |  | Night Riots
Howl
"Break"
Night Riots is a California band that has been compared to The Killers. This track is from their Howl EP. The song is a strong alt-rock single, although strangely it wasn't released as a single. Go figure. It's a medium-paced song with a positive message "They will try, but they will never break what you are/There is us, we are one/As the whole world falls apart." It's catchy. You'll like it. (Actually, I have no idea if you'll like it, but I like it, so that's why it's here.) | | 11 |  | Hey Violet
I Can Feel It
"You Don't Love Me Like You Should"
Hey Violet is a mostly-grrl pop punk band from Los Angeles in the tradition of The Go-Gos. Apparently they used to be an all-grrl band called Cherri Bomb, but stuff happens. The music is fast-paced and fun, even when the lyrics are about sad stuff (like when your significant other doesn't love you like they should). They've got a full-length CD coming out later this year, but this song is from last year's I Can Feel It EP. I've never seen them live, but I bet they're a pisser. | | 10 |  | PVRIS
White Noise
"Smoke" --
This is a band from Lowell, MA who hit it big last year with their White Noise album. They got a lot of coverage from magazines like Alternative Press and playing last year's Vans Warped Tour. This is a slow song with a lot of sexual heat. What's with spelling "Pvris" with a "v", though? For some reason, my iPod just can't cope with it, and I have to look them up by the album name instead of the band name. It's annoying. Anyway, lead singer Lyndsey Gunnulfsen has been getting more love in the press than any alt rock female singer since Hayley Williams. | | 9 |  | Meg Myers
Sorry
"Desire" --
This is another slow song sung by a female singer with a lot of sexual heat in the mix. Meg Myers is a Los Angeles resident (by way of Nashville, TN). Her debut CD Sorry made my Top 10 this year, not bad for a new artist. The album charted on the Billboard 200, and the song peaked at #17 on their Alternative Songs chart. She sings with some definite attitude. She claims to have been heavily into grunge, but her interest is in mixing it in with some nice pop hooks. I think she's done a decent job of that here. | | 8 |  | Lord Huron
Strange Trails
"Meet Me in the Woods" --
I expected the Strange Trails CD that this came from to be a heavy rock album, probably because I was mixed up and thought the band had named itself after Lord Humongous from The Road Warrior film. Instead, it turns out Lord Huron is an indie folk band from Los Angeles. Nevertheless, there's a kind of darkness to this album, and particularly to this song, which hints of unspeakable acts going on in the woods ("There ain't language for the things I've seen/The truth is stranger than my own worse dreams"). And there's nothing I like better than a nice dark song. | | 7 |  | Tang
Blood & Sand
"The 11th Hour" --
Tang's Blood & Sand was my Number One album for 2015, and this song is a good example of why. It's kind of medium-paced, with both melodic and screamo vocals, and the lyrics are full of images of armageddon. The song has some great dynamics, with soft breaks that contrast nicely with the points where all hell breaks loose. And although the song holds up just fine by itself, there's a great moody intro track called "Ashes" that leads into it. Blood & Sand was my Number One album of the year from the first time I heard it, and this track is one of the reasons why. | | 6 |  | Elle King
Love Stuff
"America's Sweetheart" --
This is what they used to call "shitkicker" music, with some driving banjo and a country-sounding vocal. To listen to her, you'd probably think Elle King was a Nashville gal, but she was born in Los Angeles and currently lives in Brooklyn (and frighteningly enough, apparently she's the daughter of Rob Schneider, the comedian). The song is about drinking, picking up guys and then dumping them, and otherwise trying her hardest to not be a role model. ("What do you want from me/I'm not America's sweetheart"). It's not usually my style of music, but she does it really well. | | 5 |  | Death Cab for Cutie
Kintsugi
"Little Wanderer" --
As Death Cab is wont to do, this is a stark number, kind of quiet and sad. It's about a long distance relationship and what it's like to be the person that stays at home while the other one indulges in wanderlust ("But someone's gotta be the lighthouse/And that someone's gotta be me"). The song is bittersweet, and the music fits the theme. | | 4 |  | The Juliana Hatfield Three
Whatever, My Love
"If I Could" --
Weird coincidence, but this is the second song in a row on this list where the theme is long-distance relationships sung by the partner who stays behind. As compared to the previous song, this one is faster-paced, and the chorus has a really strong hook. The album is called Whatever My Love, and although Hatfield has been active as a solo act over the last 20 years, this is the first time The Juliana Hatfield Three has been back together since 1993's Become What You Are album. "If I Could" is a little less sad than "Little Wanderer", but no less worthy a single. | | 3 |  | Jeremy Gilchrist
Causality
"Letter from the 21st" --
Jeremy Gilchrist is a singer-songwriter who currently resides in Vermont. This song is one of his strongest ever. It's basically a musical love letter to a future generation and an apology for the world our generation has left for them. The song is slow and a little sad, but there's also a sense of optimism that the future can be better, even if the present is less than ideal ("Sorry you can't drink money/It suited us just fine"). Though the lyrics are sarcastic and at times filled with mild despair, there's a sweetness in the hope that maybe future generations will learn from our mistakes. Nice job by a former Long Islander. | | 2 | | The Decemberists
What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
"Make You Better" --
For most of the year, I thought this song was going to be my Number 1. It's certainly worthy. It's slow and fairly sparse, and has a strong vocal by Colin Meloy. I'll be honest -- I have no idea what some of the lyrics mean, beyond the fact that they're about a relationship that's obviously gone south ("I want you thin fingers, I wanted you, thin fingernails"). But the words are kind of poetic, and the song definitely evokes a wistful feeling. There's also a cool video for it, featuring the band playing on a German television talk show while the clueless host fantasizes about hitting on his beleaguered production assistant. | | 1 |  | Antigone Rising
Whiskey & Wine Vol. II
"My Town" --
Antigone Rising has released two EPs in the last two years, Whiskey & Wine Vols. 1 and 2, and if they'd have released them as one full-length LP, it would have scored high in my Top 10 Albums list. Lead singer Nini Camps has always had an exquisite voice, and this is one of her strongest numbers. The song has a rural or small town feel to it, and while it might be an idealized vision, I really want to live in this town ("There's something here for saints/And for sinners like me"), where they "give second chances" because "We're hopeless romantics like that". This band has always managed to make a career for itself, but in a fairer world, they'd be huge. | |
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