Dec 10, 2015 Over the next few days on here, I will be posting about some of my favorite albums released this year. I should just give out a warning that there won't be many hip-hop releases on here as I don't follow the genre as closely as I used to. So some of these early entries might piss you off for being as low as they are, but essentially every album I'll be talking about is at least an 8+. So let's get on with the list. 25. Dean Blunt - Babyfather (Electronic, hip-hop, experimental) You might have heard me talk about this guy a bit through the forums as this fall I became a huge fan of the dude. He's an UK-based musician who used to be in this electronic music group called Hype Williams that was very proto-vaporwave, eventually went solo releasing the disjointed The Narcissist II, the near-perfect The Redeemer, and his debut on Rough Trade Black Metal. This tape joins a number of others that are hard to find but well worth the search as it's another collection of great music thanks to Blunt's keen ear for sampling, his deadpan and unique vocals, and a return of hip-hop influence hinted at on his last album. Though, I will say his vocals are definitely not for everyone and don't always come off well on this tape, so that's why its placed so well. But I'm basically a stan for this dude so I can't not give him a mention. 24. Future - DS2 (Hip-hop, trap) 23. Future - 56 Nights (Hip-hop, trap) Prior to this year, I didn't really get Future. He had some hot singles but I could barely get myself through Honest and he completely left my radar in 2014 after it came out. However, someone on here put me onto him through Monster and 56 Nights, and DS2 came out shortly after. What bothered me about Honest was that it seemed like he was trying too hard to have pop appeal as there was talent and uniqueness yet, and he seemed to fulfill that with his latest run of tapes and albums. This is some no-nonsense trap music where Future can come through with some great bangers then punch you in the gut with a poignant line or song about drug addiction or heartbreak. 56 Nights is higher on this list than DS2 mainly due to consistency as DS2's highs can be too high sometimes, leaving some songs failing in comparison, whereas with Nights this is not as prevalent. Most people on here know and love these projects so there's not much more to say. 22. Arca - Mutant (Experimental, electronic) You might not know who Arca is, but if you listened to Yeezus you know of his production, as he was one of the many producers who helped craft the experimental hip-hop sound heard throughout that record. Now, after his debut album last year, he's already back with his most insane and weirdest project yet, breaking the boundaries of what we consider music with constantly changing and consistently odd melodies and insane sounds throughout. This was initially much higher on my list, but brought down a little bit as it doesn't hold up as well on multiple listens due to its length (nearly 20 tracks). However, I still wanted to talk about it as this guy is doing some crazy truly s--- that needs some recognition. If you've got an open mind, this is definitely worth a listen. 21. Jlin - Dark Energy (Electronic, dance, footwork) One of my complaints about that Arca album is that it lacks the hip-hop influences of his previous projects, this album fills that slot quite nicely. It's some real wacked out EDM footwork type s---. I haven't dug into this album too much but definitely enough to rank it close to my top 20. Seriously, check this out. #20-16 #16-11 #10-6 #5-3 out now!
Dec 11, 2015 interesting sounding stuff in the last couple spots there, nothing i'd ever actually listen to tho
Dec 11, 2015 definitely, but still pretty weird in a way. if i had to listen to one of the two tho i know i could at least somewhat vibe to Jlin's stuff based off that song
Dec 11, 2015 @Help someone feature this, I may not always agree with @MTY but I appreciate the work anyone puts into constructing a list if they write blurbs with each one.
Dec 11, 2015 At first I thought this was a top 25 hip hop albums list and I saw DS2/56 Nights that low, I was like wtf??? Lol
Dec 11, 2015 This is why I wrote those first paragraphs lol, made sure to let people know there's mostly gonna be non-hip-hop on here.
Dec 11, 2015 Arca's album is really a challenging listen. If you have a headache and you want to relax with music, this album definitely isn't for you. Also I didn't know he was involved in creating Yeezus. It would be great if Kanye decided to go in that direction with his next album.
Dec 11, 2015 Now that we've gotten through #25-21, let's continue on with the list from #20 to #16. #20: Thundercat - The Beyond / Where The Giants Roam (EP) (Funk, R&B, jazzy) Because this is my list, I'm going to include a number of EPs throughout the next two days, this included. Some of you may know Thundercat as a close collaborator with Flying Lotus, and is also signed to Lotus' Brainfeeder label. He released a great album last year called Apocalypse which didn't get its due credit because of a very early leak. However, he gained some extra notoriety this year after working heavily on Kendrick Lamar's epic, To p---- A Butterfly, which I'll talk about a bit later on. Once again with this EP, Thundercat's incredible bass work comes through with some of the funkiest lines you'll hear all year. Along with Lotus making a few appearances to help create these songs, we also see up and coming jazz musician Kamasi Washington (who released his nearly 3-hour jazz album The Epic earlier this year, which I haven't given a proper listen since it came out) and the legendary Herbie Hancock make appearances on this EP to help round out the jazz funk fusion this album presents. So, if you enjoyed Kendrick's album and want some more music in that vein, this EP is definitely worth a spin. #19: Clarence Clarity - No Now (Pop, glitch, experimental) So, you think pop stinks, right? It's completely unoriginal and generic now, no one has been making unique music in that genre for year now you also tell me. I laugh at you and tell you that you need to listen to this album, which I can essentially describe as cyber-glitter glitchy experimental pop. The production on here, all done by Clarence Clarity himself, is densely packed with tons of noises going on, but at its bare essentials it is pop. No Now continues a recent trend of alt-R&B, combing the silky smooth falsetto of The Weeknd and the electronic production of James Blake, but turning it up to 11. This album definitely isn't for everyone as it really can be an overload of sounds at times, but I like to consider that the point, taking the current pop machine and hacking into it, causing it to go all haywire, spitting out this album. #18: Kid Cudi - Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven (Punk rock, garage rock, grunge) Kid Cudi is a massive genius and this album will be appreciated one... nah I'm just f---ing with you. This album blows. Here's the real #18: #18: Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes (Singer/songwriter, folk, dad rock) Just one year after his critically acclaimed Benji, Sun Kil Moon aka Mark Kozelek dropped this album, which continues the stream-of-consciousness lyrical style seen on that last album, except this time around while Benji was a reflection of his life as a whole, Universal Themes takes a turn and instead really focuses on the past year or so of Kozelek's life. The subject matter goes from filming a movie with Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, finding an injured possum near his house, meeting an Indian gas station worker new to the job, and getting healthier as he gets older. While this album isn't the emotional gut punch Benji was, I still think this album is incredible as Kozelek is a compelling writer who's able to find the most in the mundane of life. #17: Ought - Sun Coming Down (Post-punk, art punk) While in the grand schemes of things, Ought aren't that special. Many consider their style to be somewhat derivative to Talking Heads and The Fall. However, is that a bad thing? In this case no, as this album right here is an incredibly consistent piece of post-punk. This album is a complete improvement on their debut More Than Any Other Day, with stronger instrumentation, more confident vocals, and sharper lyrics. Ought are the perfect soundtrack for the frustrated college-aged Western millennials of today. #16: Neon Indian - VEGA INTL. Night School (Synth pop, electronic, disco) Next on the list is Neon Indian’s VEGA INTL. Night School. Neon Indian is the solo project of Alan Palomo, who is mostly recognized for being a pioneer of the electronic/pop music subgenre known as chillwave. However with this new album, his first in nearly four years, Palomo ditches most of his chillwave roots for an album that combines synthpop, vaporwave, funk, disco, electronic music, and 1980’s pop for a wildly successful album. VEGA INTL. is not only Palomo’s look back at the night life of 1980’s, it’s his chance to rewrite it, creating his own universe which any music fan should visit. Check back in tomorrow for #15-11!
Dec 11, 2015 This time around I added genre tags to my list entires so if you don't feel like reading my paragraphs, you get a basic idea of the sounds going on.
Dec 11, 2015 It seems like he's going back in a more pop-oriented direction which isn't bad, but it seems to be retreading ground (Graduation) with new moves that don't necessarily work on that old ground.
Dec 11, 2015 only enjoyed two from that second list but man... Clarence Clarity... I'm copping that No Now album asap
Dec 11, 2015 Absolutely loved the Thundercat EP, FlyLo deserves a statue somewhere...I had to re-read the list to make sure that Cudi wasn't actually included...
Dec 11, 2015 Glad to see no now on here, easily the best pop album of the year, clarence is under appreciated af
Dec 11, 2015 I need to listen to the album again tonight, it's somewhat of a challenging listen sometimes as there's so much happening.
