Jun 1, 2015

I've been meaning to put together a more official top 10 so far this year, so I'm gonna try to do that in this thread, but first, some honorable mentions:

Spoiler

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

Fun little debut album from Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett. Great lyrics from a unique stream-of-consciousness flow, but some of the production is lacking and generic.

Kamasi Washington - The Epic



Speedy Ortiz - Foil Deer

A solid album that I felt was worth mentioning, but I haven't listened to it much since it came out.

NAH - NUTURE

It's a Death Grips rip-off, but a good one at that.

Jamie xx - In Colour

A good, but not great, electronic record. Lots of fusions of other genres and its generally well-crafted, but I wouldn't have minded more experimentation. Maybe my opinion will change as the year goes on.

Now, onto the list:

Spoiler: 10. Drake - If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

This surprise-released mixtape/album from Drake might be my second favorite from him. He seems to have cut the bs from previous releases and decided to release an album of mostly bangers with the occasional R&B track thrown in there every once in a while. If you ever wanted an album of just Drake rapping, this is as close as you'll get. Consistently great production as always from Drake's usual team of producers (Boi1da and 40) and others (Wondagurl, Travi$ Scott, and PARTYNEXTDOOR) and while it may not have the emotional depth of Take Care and Nothing Was the Same, it makes up for it by generally just being fun to listen too.

8.6/10

Spoiler: 9. Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes

A little over a year after the critically acclaimed Benji, Mark Kozelek aka Sun Kil Moon is back with a follow-up to that album. However, if you're expecting Benji 2, you'll probably be disappointed. Kozelek switches out the acoustic guitars of Benji for electric and the songwriting dives more into the mundane than previous. While Benji seems like taking the most melodramatic notes out of Kozelek's journal, Universal Themes takes the mundane and makes it feel exciting, or at the very least interesting. And that's the thing Kozelek does best with this new album, making the most out of the mundane for some of the best songwriting we'll see all year.

8.7/10

Spoiler: 8. Viet Cong - Viet Cong

Apart of a recent wave of post-punk revival, Viet Cong is another album apart of this wave that exceeds expectations. The album creates a dark mood thanks to the vocals of Matt Flegel, the drumwork of Mike Wallace (Wallace and Flegal are former members of the band Women), and the guitarwork of Scott Munro and Daniel Christiansen. The album’s seven tracks range from short and catchy pieces like “Continental Shelf” or long-winded epics like “Death." While it came out earlier in the year, it shouldn't be forgotten. It's an album that fits quite nicely with other post-punk classics.

8.8/10

Spoiler: 7. Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear

Sometimes, the sequel is better, or in this case, the follow-up. The second album from J. Tillman under the moniker Father John Misty is his best yet, improving in almost every way from his last release, Fear Fun. The songwriting is sarcastic but striking, the instrumentation can go from innocent folk rock to a Justin Timberlake-esque pop beat, and Tillman’s voice gets an exercise from the varied instrumentation. It's an album about love that digs into the complexities and struggles of it. It's seeing the character of Father John Misty having his layers taken away, to reveal that it was just front for a man named Josh Tillman.

8.9/10

Spoiler: 6. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell

The seventh studio album from the Michigan native has Stevens at one of his biggest lows in life, dealing with the death of his mother, which the album is named after along with his stepfather, Lowell Brams. The album has Stevens looking back on his tumultuous relationship with his mother, who abandoned Stevens when he was a child because of her battles with depression, alcoholism, and schizophrenia. The album’s production is minimal (mainly comprising of acoustic guitars and occasionally piano or synths) which fits the extremely emotional subject matter that sees Stevens at his most cathartic. Carrie & Lowell is just a beautifully depressing record.

8.9/10

Spoiler: 5. Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too

Moving away from their hip-hop roots, the Scottish trio known as Young Fathers craft together a great lo-fi pop follow-up to their Mercury Prize-winning debut Dead. And if you didn't know their previous work, you wouldn't have ever known they were a hip-hop group at one point due to the smooth transition they've made inbetween albums. The songwriting, production, and vocals are all on-point, delivering some heavily emotional work. It's an album you can put on if you want to be happy due to the fun production and great hooks or wallow in depression as the music is sometimes a stark contrast with the actual lyrical content. This is another album that shouldn't be lost in the fray for its controversial album title, as behind it is the best pop album so far this year.

9.0/10

Spoiler: 4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love

The third album from the New Zealand/Portland based band is their best yet, taking a slight stylistic change without completely sacrificing their lo-fi psych origins. The album is mostly about band leader Ruban Nielson's polygamous relationship with his wife and a woman he met in Tokyo while touring. The album deals with the complex emotions and stresses that come with this new-found relationship. While the previous two UMO albums sound like they came straight out of the 70's, this new album feels like a 70's album transitioning into the 80's, taking on a bit of a Prince vibe. The instrumentation (which is mostly done by Nielson) and songwriting are fantastic, showing that UMO isn't a one-trick pony.

9.1/10

Spoiler: 3. Björk - Vulnicura

The latest album from this Icelandic musical phenom is her best in over a decade. The album is extensively about her breakup with artist Matthew Barney, detailing the feelings leading up to the breakup and the aftermath of it. Compared to previous releases in her discography, Björk sounds her most human yet. Along with the lovely string work composed by Björk, the co-production with Argentinian producer Arca is subtle and futuristic, complementing the strings quite nicely. Vulnicura is an absolutely captivating release about the struggles of a love ending not on your accord.

9.2/10

Spoiler: 2. Death Grips - The Powers That B

The latest and possibly final album from the Sacramento experimental hip-hop outfit sees the group going out in style with their most varied and confident record yet, seeing the group make transitions from an industrial and electronic sound to a new sound reminiscent of progressive rock and shoegaze. The album is composed of two LPs (n----s on the moon and Jenny Death) and both are wildly different. While n----s on the moon’s production is filled with frantic electronics and Björk samples, Jenny Death’s is filled with fuzzy guitars and distorted synthesizers and while n----s on the moon’s vocals from rapper MC Ride are more toned-down and technically proficient with some exceptions (Up My Sleeves), Jenny Death’s vocals are filled with wild delivery. While I don’t think this is the band’s best record, it’s not hard to see why the group sees themselves at their best here.

9.3/10

Spoiler: 1. Kendrick Lamar - To p---- a Butterfly

I have trouble finding words to describe how great this album is. It's just so difficult to talk about this album and show respect to it. This album was a huge risk for Kendrick as many people wondered how he could follow up his great major-label debut good kid m.A.A.d city. Well, if you were wondering how he'd follow it up, here you go. The album's funk and jazz inspired production is done perfectly, taking some of the best elements of the genre and modernizing it without taking away it's soul. Compared to GKMC, Kendrick is given more freedom in his lyrical content as he's not restricted to a story, giving himself a voice to speak on current issues like racism, police brutality, love, depression, sex, and the temptations fame brings. While it may be polarizing to some, this album will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

9.7/10

Anyways, how is your guy's top 10 lists looking like this year? Post 'em below.

 

Jun 1, 2015

Only heard 3 of these, 2 of them in my top 5.

 

Jun 1, 2015

I'm guessing Drake, Kendrick, and maybe Young Fathers?

 

Jun 1, 2015

Drake , Kendrick, and John Misty

 

Jun 1, 2015

Ah, but all of these are obviously great records I completely recommend.

 

Jun 1, 2015

Word I need to listen to more releases this year from other genres but it seems like every 3 days something new comes out that distracts me

 

Jun 1, 2015

Sometimes I'm like that and trying to check as many new releases as possible and other times I get stuck on something for like a week or two.

 

Jun 1, 2015

1. Kendrick - TPAB
2. Yelawolf - Love Story
3. L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae - The Night Took Us in Like Family
4. Drake - IYRTITL
5. Open Mike Eagle - A Special Episode Of...
6. Mello Music Group - Persona
7. Billy Woods - Today I Wrote Nothing
8. Action Bronson - Mr. Wonderful
9. ASAP Rocky - ALLA
10. Oddisee - The Good Fight

Honorable Mention : Ceschi - Broken Bone Ballads

 

Jun 1, 2015

almost all rap

 

Jun 1, 2015

Yea, it's mostly the only genre of new albums I've listened to this year. I listened to some to some Jazz, and country..but nothing really "new".

 

Jun 1, 2015

 

Jun 1, 2015

My "diversity" is just fine..