The 50 Best Albums of 2015

Man...I don't know. This was a strange year. It feels like there were a whole lot of "good" to "very good" albums released, but very few "great" to "amazing" ones. The bands or artists who had good momentum leading into their third or fourth albums, seemed to rise to the challenge to make some great records. Some elders showed they could still hold their own, making better than expected records. Then there were some new kids who made some positive noise, and it will be interesting over the next couple years to see what they do with it.

For my part, I started the year once again hoping to focus my listening, by not throwing the net so wide. I listen to less music than some people, but more music than most people. I have become increasingly adept at hearing something quickly and knowing if it is going to work out for me, and moving along. That is not to say some albums don't grow on me in due course, but more than in previous years, there were so many albums this year that my ears thought were cool for a good time...just not a long time. Hence why this fun little project sees us back at a Top 50 this year versus a Top 100. 

Generally speaking, I feel comfortable that my sequencing and ranking methodology up to 50 with any pop culture list, works well and mostly without too much bias or outside influence. After 50, it can get a bit dodgy. So the fact that I really only truly liked about 70 albums this year, made it tricky to get down to 50, but pretty easy to stay inside 100. 

As always, melody, harmony, song craft, attention to detail and listenability generally make these albums winners for me. I could have thrown in a few metal and hip-hop albums I liked in 2015 I suppose, but it would have been disingenuous and only served the purpose of optically balancing the list. Plain and simple, I like well put together songs. They can be guitar songs or synth songs. They can be fuzzy, heavy, or jangly. They can be dreamy, gothy, mathy, quirky or bouncy. 

All I really ever want to hear from an album, are a bunch songs where somewhere cared, someone was honest, and someone gave something a try.

	Artist	Title
50	Ghost Culture	Ghost Culture
49	Metz	II
48	Protomartyr	The Agent Intellect
47	Local H	Hey Killer
46	The Cribs	For All My Sisters
45	Mercury Rev	The Light In You
44	Gaz Coombes	Matador
43	Dave Gahan & Soulsavers	Angels and Ghosts
42	Grimes	Art Angels
41	The Charlatans	Modern Nature
40	New Order	Music Complete
39	PINS	Wild Nights
38	Battles	La Di Da Di
37	Sleater-Kinney	No Cities To Love
36	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
35	Susanne Sundfor	Ten Love Songs
34	Built To Spill	Untethered Moon
33	Peace	Happy People
32	Low	Ones and Sixes
31	Swervedriver	I Wasn't Born to Love You
30	Veruca Salt	Ghost Notes
29	Tuxedo	Tuxedo
28	Little Boots	Working Girl
27	Blur	The Magic Whip
26	Young Galaxy	Falsework
25	Beach House	Depression Cherry
24	Surfer Blood	1000 Palms
23	Beach House	Thank Your Lucky Stars
22	Yukon Blonde	On Blonde
21	The Libertines	Anthems For Doomed...
20	Wolf Alice	My Love Is Cool
19	Errors	Lease Of Life
18	Kurt Vile	b'lieve i'm goin down...
17	Telekinesis	Ad infinitum
16	Dan Deacon	Gliss Riffer
15	Foals	What Went Down
14	Viet Cong	Viet Cong
13	The Dears	Times Infinity - Volume One
12	Crocodiles	Boys
11	Girls Names	Arms Around A Vision
10	Bjork	Vulnicura
9	Panda Bear	Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper
8	Dutch Uncles	O Shudder
7	Tame Impala	Currents
6	Hot Chip	Why Make Sense?
5	Ceremony	The L-Shaped Man
4	EZTV	Calling Out
3	Lower Dens	Escape From Evil
2	Everything Everything	Get To Heaven
1	Mikal Cronin	MCIII

20 Best Power Pop Songs (1972-1986)

These are songs that sound like a perfect mix of 60's British and American rock and pop music.

These are songs largely about adolescence, girls and good times.

These are songs with guitars that ring with clean riffs and warm fuzz, while jingling and jangling at the same time.

These songs are full of handclaps.

These are songs with combinations of chords that make you feel like smiling and driving with the windows down.

These are songs with perfectly blended vocals and harmonies.

These are songs that are cleverly crafted, but never take themselves too seriously.

These are songs that are less about pushing musical boundaries, and more about three minutes of perfectly executed fun and happiness.

These songs are from the best and most important period of time for one of my favourite genres of music.

Also, many of these songs are also on this Power Pop playlist on Rdio

20. Marshall Crenshaw - Mary Anne

19. Rick Springfield - We're Gonna Have A Good Time

18. 20/20 - Backyard Guys

17. The Romantics - When I Look In Your Eyes

16. Tommy Keene - Back To Zero Now

15. Bram Tchaikovsky - Girl Of My Dreams

14. The dB's - Big Brown Eyes

13. The Rubinoos - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

12. The Cars - Just What I Needed

11. Dwight Twilley Band - I'm On Fire

10. The Knack - I Want Ya

9. Flaming Groovies - Shake Some Action

8. Blue Ash - Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)

7. Shoes - Boys Don't Lie

6. Todd Rundgren - Couldn't I Just Tell You

5. Big Star - Back Of A Car

4. Raspberries - Go All The Way

3. The Records - Starry Eyes

2. Bad Finger - No Matter What

1. Cheap Trick - Come On, Come On

Top 100 Songs of 2014

Weird year for songs. 2014 felt like a solid year for well rounded and interesting albums, but less so for stand out on their own type tracks. At least more than last year perhaps.

That said, there were still some really fantastic songs written in 2014. I had planned to double or triple up on songs by certain artists, rather than having 100 songs by 100 different artists on this list, but opted for the latter after all.

Probably more songs over 5 minutes than I have had on here in any previous years, but let's not overthink that bit.

This list is also compiled as a playlist here for Rdio users.

	Song	Artist
100	Wonderland	ceo
99	Hang Up	Peter Murphy
98	Nott	Samaris
97	Enemy	Merchandise
96	Feel	The Soft Moon
95	Alone	The Foreign Resort
94	Feel Real	Movement
93	Castles	Glass Towers
92	Silly Games	Tricky
91	Two Weeks	FKA Twigs
90	Turn Me Up	Twin Shadow
89	Deep In My Heart	The Drums
88	Shelter Song	Temples
87	Waterfall	Fear of Men
86	Paper Heart	Chloe Howl
85	Tribe	Theophilus London
84	Illume	Lust For LIfe
83	You've Got A Lot On Your Mind	Sloan
82	Frozen Britain	James
81	Pony Ride	Neil Finn
80	You & I (Forever)	Jessie Ware
79	Frequent Flyer	Chromeo
78	Miko	The Chain Gang of 1974
77	Fall In Love	Phantogram
76	Every Stone	Manchester Orchestra
75	Trainwreck 1979	Death From Above 1979
74	Controller	Cheatahs
73	Left Hand Free	alt-J
72	Simple and Sure	The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
71	Figure It Out	Royal Blood
70	Are You Gonna Be Someone?	Knight
69	Luna	Bombay Bicycle Club
68	Coming Up For Air	Zoot Woman
67	Dancehall Domine	New Pornographers
66	Forever Be	Kelis
65	D.R.E.A.M.	Phraroahe Monch
64	minipops 67	Aphex Twin
63	Coming Down	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
62	Garden Grays	WIldcat! Wildact!
61	Here So Rain	Black Submarine
60	Satellites	EMA
59	Torrent	Asgeir
58	Daddy's Car	Eno - Hyde
57	Artifice	Sohn
56	This Haze	Patterns
55	Paradise	White Hex
54	After The Disco	Broken Bells
53	West Coast	Lana Del Rey
52	Land Of The Blind	Information Society
51	Spirals	Teledrome
50	Climb To Me	Pattern is Movement
49	Paris	Little Dragon
48	Sacred	Erasure
47	Crumbler	Jungle
46	Capitol	TR/ST
45	Close Your Eyes (and Count To Fuck)	Run The Jewels
44	I Try To Talk To You	Hercules & Love Affair
43	Mess On A Mission	Liars
42	Love Stops Here	The Juan MacLean
41	Uptight Downtown	La Roux
40	Heavy Seas of Love	Damon Albarn
39	Feels Like Fire	Ryan Adams
38	Boys In Her Fanclub	Sweet Apple
37	Don't Wanna	Howler
36	Dynamo	Johnny Marr
35	Milwaukee	The Both
34	Weightless	Neneh Cherry
33	In Infancy	Museum of Love
32	Do It Again	Royksopp & Robyn
31	Uptown Funk	Mark Ronson
30	Dress Up	School Of Language
29	A Million Voices	Engineers
28	Time Between	Bear In Heaven
27	Faust	I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
26	Gouge	Eternal Summers
25	fuckmylife666	Against Me!
24	Godiva	Eugene McGuinness
23	I Don't Know You Anymore	Bob Mould
22	Sprinkles	We Are Scientists
21	Tough Luck	Eagulls
20	Long Hair	Drowners
19	Happy Idiot	TV On The Radio
18	Rimbaud Eyes	Dum Dum Girls
17	Do You	Spoon
16	New York Morning	Elbow
15	Digital Witness	St. Vincent
14	Can't Do Without You	Caribou
13	It's Been So Long	Toy
12	Dripping	Blonde Redhead
11	The Bullfighter Dies	Morrissey
10	Doves	Future Islands
9	Anywhere	Interpol
8	Broken Glass Park	Simple Minds
7	Got Well Soon	Breton
6	Treat	Kasabian
5	Unkinder (A Tougher Love)	Thumpers
4	The Mistakes	Army Navy
3	A Simple Beautiful Truth	Wild Beasts
2	Like An Animal	Cymbals
1	So Now You Know	The Horrors

Top 100 Albums of 2014

So I was only going to do a top 50 this year.

My list honestly started as a top 50 this year.

As with every year, the top 50 is really what was going to count this year.

People have been asking when I will be posting my top 100 this year.

I listened to a whole lot of cool new music again this year.

Looks like my list is a top 100 once again this year.

	Artist	Title
100	Nina Perrson	Animal Heart
99	Information Society	_hello world
98	Mogwai	Rave Tapes
97	Pure X	Angel
96	ceo	Wonderland
95	Beck	Morning Phase
94	Sweet Apple	The Golden Age of Glitter
93	The Pains of Being Pure At Heart	Days of Abandon
92	FKA Twigs	Lp1
91	Hercules & Love Affair	The Feast Of The Broken Heart
90	Tricky	Adrian Thaws
89	The New Pornographers	Brill Bruisers
88	Neil Finn	Dizzy Heights
87	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah	Only Run
86	Maximo Park	Too Much Information
85	Pattern Is Movement	Pattern Is Movement
84	Hospitality	Trouble
83	Pharoahe Monche	PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
82	EMA	The Future's Void
81	New Build	Pour It On
80	Bryan Ferry	Avonmore
79	Samaris	Silkidrangar
78	Phantogram	Voices
77	Tycho	Awake
76	Temples	Sun Structures
75	Philip Selway	Weatherhouse
74	Theophilus London	Vibes
73	Alt-J	This Is All Yours
72	Monomyth	Saturnalia Regalia!
71	Young Liars	Tidal Wave
70	Merchandise	After The End
69	Ryan Adams	Ryan Adams
68	Lust For Youth	International
67	Fear Of Men	Loom
66	I Break Horses	Chiaroscuro
65	Jessie Ware	Tough Love
64	White Hex	Gold Nights
63	The Drums	Encyclopedia
62	Her Name Is Calla	Navigator
61	Lana Del Rey	Ultraviolence
60	Zoot Woman	Star Climbing
59	Kasabian	48:13
58	Echo & The Bunnymen	Meteorites
57	Blonde Redhead	Barragan
56	The War On Drugs	Lost In The Dream
55	Run The Jewels	Run The Jewels 2
54	TR/ST	Joyland
53	Drowners	Drowners
52	Todd Terje	It's Album Time
51	School Of Language	Old Fears
50	Johnny Marr	Playland
49	Asgeir	In The Silence
48	Sohn	Tremors
47	Little Dragon	Nabuma Rubberband
46	Engineers	Always Returning
45	A Sunny Day In Glasgow	Sea When Absent
44	GusGus	Mexico
43	Lamb	Backspace Unwind
42	JJ	V
41	Aphex Twin	Syro
40	Toy	Join The Dots
39	Royksopp	The Inevitable End
38	Thom Yorke	Tomorrow's Modern Boxes
37	TV On The Radio	Seeds
36	Spoon	They Want My Soul
35	Wildcat! Wildcat!	No Moon At All
34	Elbow	The Take Off & Landing of Everything
33	Teledrome	Teledrome
32	Bob Mould	Beauty & Ruin
31	Black Submarine	New Shores
30	The Acid	Liminal
29	Eugene McGuinness	Chroma
28	Damon Albarn	Everyday Robots
27	Warpaint	Warpaint
26	Erasure	The Violet Flame
25	The Juan Maclean	In A Dream
24	Neneh Cherry	Blank Project
23	Eagulls	Eagulls
22	Museum Of Love	Museum Of Love
21	St. Vincent	St. Vincent
20	I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness	Dust
19	Against Me!	Transgender Dysphoria Blues
18	Jungle	Jungle
17	Simple Minds	Big Music
16	We Are Scientists	Tv En Francais
15	Interpol	El Pintor
14	La Roux	Trouble In Paradise
13	Caribou	Our Love
12	Dum Dum Girls	Too True
11	The Horrors	Luminous
10	Morrissey	World Peace Is None of Your Business
9	Patterns	Waking Lines
8	Liars	Mess
7	Breton	War Room Stories
6	Future Islands	Singles
5	Thumpers	Galore
4	Cymbals	The Age Of Fracture
3	Bear In Heaven	Time Is Over One Day Old
2	Army Navy	The Wilderness Inside
1	Wild Beasts	Present Tense