Dec 14, 2015 #10: U.S. Girls - Half Free U.S. Girls is an experimental pop act made up of Meg Remy. For years, she was making experimental music that was progressively becoming more and more accessible as time went on. So it makes sense with her most accessible release yet, she's joined up with indie label 4AD (known for other avant pop acts like Grimes, Ariel Pink, and tUnE-yArDs, along with other popular acts such as Bon Iver and The National) to drop Half Free, a 36 minute journey exploring themes of feminism through the perspective of many characters, whether it'd be the war widow in "d--- That Valley," a wife who's husband cheated on her with her sisters on "Sororal Feelings," or a woman obsessed with plastic surgery in "Woman's Work." Along with these interesting lyrical themes, we get some great production that mixes stylings of reggae, psych rock, disco, indie rock, deep house, and even vaporwave at one point on "Navy & Cream." This album is getting slept on pretty heavily even on the other forums I go on so please, check this out as the variety in the production is insane and extremely impressive along with Remy's creative lyrics and expressive vocals. 2015 has been a great year for feminism in music and this album just adds to it. #9: BOOTS - AQUARIA While you might not know who BOOTS is, you've definitely heard his work if you listened to Beyoncé's 2013 surprise released self-titled. After working with acts like Run the Jewels and FKA twigs (who shows up later on this list), he's finally put out his debut solo project which is becoming extremely underrated, getting mostly mixed reviews from critics. Not this one though as it's definitely one of my favorite pop albums of the year. The production is somewhat minimalistic but still has tons of interesting stuff going on. BOOTS' lyrics are abstract but his understated and sometimes quiet vocals are still extremely confident. Also these songs are catchy as f---. If you liked the more experimental aspects of BEYONCÉ or liked FKA twigs' EP this year, this is totally worth a listen. #8: Empress Of - Me Out of all the albums I've listened to, this album right here is probably the second most fun I've had listening to an album all year. Sitting alone Friday afternoon at my school newspaper's office, I decided to check this album out on a whim thanks to a friend's recommendation. What followed was my own personal dance party, as this album just produced hit after hit. I should probably explain the background a little bit though. Anyways, Empress Of is a solo project for Lorely Rodriguez, who initially started off posting random demos to her YouTube channel. After a 7" and an EP in 2013, she returned this year with her debut, Me, which is probably the best synth pop album released all year. Made during a five week hiatus to a friend's place in Mexico, the album explores relationships, sex, breakups, and youth behind incredibly fun and bubbly production, that still has a bit of a bite to it that other synth pop albums this year (cough CHVRCHES cough Purity Ring cough Grimes) lacked. This is just a fun a--- pop album that's practically for everyone unless you're a pretentious a------, so lighten up. #7: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love For some of the more indie music fans like me on here, you might be wondering why Tame Impala's Currents hasn't show up yet. It hasn't shown up as I think it's a below mediocre album with god awful lyrics, overblown production, and bad vocals. And also a much better version of it came out about two months earlier, entitled Multi-Love. The album could go wrong in so many ways like Currents, but instead treats everything with justice, like the transition into a more pop-focused style, mature lyrics that treat its somewhat complex subject matter with respect, and generally more interesting grooves/melodies. For those who don't know, Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a band started by a New Zealander residing in Portland named Ruban Nielson (who's the band's sole member during the album process, similar to Tame Impala), who dropped a random song on Bandcamp back in 2010 that took off and eventually led us to here. The album's subject matter focuses on a polygamous relationship between Nielson, his wife, and a woman he met in Tokyo during an off-day on tour, exploring the complex emotions that come with an experience so new. I really recommend checking out the interview Nielson did with Pitchfork that adds a lot of context to this album which really increases the value for me. So, if you're interested in some great funky psych-pop, this is the place to go. #6: FKA twigs - M3LL155X (EP) I told ya she'd be on the list later on. Anyways, FKA twigs is a British singer/producer/director/artist/dancer who's made a big name for herself in quick time after dropping two fantastic within a year entitled EP1 and EP2, before dropping the fantastic LP1 last year. Not even a year after that fantastic album and she just goes ahead and tops herself. Compared to her previous releases, we see the production become more industrial and twigs' vocals more confident. Comparing the stand-out track "In Time" to anything on those previous projects we see someone sounding like a completely new artist thanks to the slight trap-influences added in by twigs' and co-producer BOOTS and embracing the pop side of her must a bit more. This is by far the best EP of the year and worth a listen all the way through. Also check out the short film made for the EP posted above that was directed by twigs' herself! The list will return tomorrow with entries #5-3, as I'm prepping for my last final and need to stretch out the list a bit in the mean time so I can focus more on that. See ya then
Dec 14, 2015 @MTY I gotta say, I can't get behind saying Drake cut the fat on IYRT...it's like the opposite imo. There are some fantastic songs on there but I think this album could have benefitted from less songs more than any other Drake album. Glad to see a Young Fathers nod, my brother got me Tape Two for christmas a couple years ago and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I still gotta hit the rest of their discog.
Dec 14, 2015 I can see why you'd say that about IYRTITL, but personally I felt it was really consistent throughout compared to Take Care and NWTS, which I both like.
Dec 14, 2015 Tbh, this list looks very similar to something Anthony Fantano would put together. I see you @MTY lol
Dec 15, 2015 #5: Viet Cong - Viet Cong Whenever I first heard this back around February/March, I would have never expected it to be on my top 5 at the end of the year, but alas, here we are. For those who don't know, Viet Cong is a Canadian post-punk band made up of two ex-members of the rock band Women, vocalist/bassist Matt Flegel and drummer Mike Wallace, as well as guitarists Scott Munro and Daniel Christiansen. They put an EP out back in 2013 called Cassette, and back in January this yearthey released their debut album under Jagjaguwar. This album is just an incredible piece of post-punk. The drums are punchy as h---, especially seen in the track "March of Progress," the guitars are distorted and heavy, and Flegel's vocals are great, along with his somewhat cryptic lyrics that still have tons of emotion behind them. For anyone who says rock music is dead, show them this. #4: Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear Up until this year, the only thing I knew about Father John Misty was that he was sampled on a Kid Cudi song. Now, that isn't the case as I know him for having the best singer-songwriter album of the year with I Love You, Honeybear, an album inspired by his recent marriage and looking back upon his love life up until and after meeting his now-wife. Whether it'd be perfectly describing the feelings of first falling in love on "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)," how technology plays into relationships on synth-pop-esque "True Affection," or how he first met his wife in "I Went To The Store One Day," we really see the world through Josh Tillman's (who goes under Father John Misty) eyes. He's a sarcastic a------ with a heart of gold, and we see all the complexities that comes with on this fantastic sophomore effort. #3: Death Grips - The Powers That B Usually I'd write a full paragraph here but I did a full-fledged write-up on the entire album on /r/indieheads, which you can check out here where I describe my love for my favorite band of all time. Tune back in tomorrow for spots #2 and my #1 pick for album of the year (which is pretty predictable at this point).
