Top 10 albums 2015
 

normally I wait until the actual end of the year to make these kinds of lists, but I really tapped myself out on new music this year, and am able to confidentially whittle down a list of the 10 albums I'd consider my favorites while knowing that I'm really burned out on hearing anything else new right now.

Here we go...


1. Kamasi Washington - The Epic
As much as a fan of Kendrick Lamar as I am, and as much as I really tried, I was never able to enjoy To Pimp A Butterfly the way I did Good Kid Maad City or Section 80. However the big takeaway I got from that album was the introduction of an entire jazz scene I was missing on the West Coast. Chief among these musicians was Kamasi Washington, a member of the Young Jazz Giants who released the literally Epic 3-disc album I've placed at #1 here. Over the course of three hours Washington delivers a bold solo debut that runs the gamut on everything from 60's Coltrane to gospel to Charlie Brown-era Geraldi Trio to soul... it's as much free jazz at is soul jazz as it is R&B and choir music. But trying to define any of it is worthless. The Epic is feelgood music. Perhaps the greatest jazz album of the 2010's.

2. Vince Staples - Summer '06
Last year Vince really surprised me with his major label debut - a brief but solid EP. This year he's stretched out his proper debut into a double album. And not a word or moment is wasted. Summer '06 is a brilliant narrative that follows a lineage of recent West Coast insta-classics like Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid Maad City and YG's My Krazy Life. While Lamar told the story of the good kid, and YG was the Devil on his shoulder, Staples comes off as the wallflower. Omniscient, he's part of the story the same was the furniture is in the room he's describing. His writing is sharp, vivid and poignant. His delivery is so understated that lines will knock the wind out of you.

3. A$AP Rocky - At Long Last A$AP
It's been a long strange trip. After waiting two years (which is like a decade in hip hop), Rocky delivered the follow-up to his major label debut. And for the most part is sounds NOTHING like its predecessor, all while sounding totally Rocky. Considering it was released as a total surprise soon after the death of A$AP Yams, there's an odd feeling of rush or panic that hovers over the record. Knowing what a perfectionist Rocky is, this gives the album a weird feeling - as if something he'd been laboring over for years suddenly had an urgency to be completed. The result is a mish-mash of soulfulness ("Holy Ghost") and psychedelic singalongs ("L$D") and straight Three Six throwbacks ("LPFJ2") and whatever else Rocky felt like recording. It's like a mixtape with a major label budget. And it's going to rub some ears the wrong way if they come in expecting Long Live A$AP Part 2. But the open-minded will realize that this is just another in what is likely to be long string of surprising and and excellent albums from Rocky.

4. Action Bronson - Mr. Wonderful
So the guy who built a reputation for a string of mixtapes by a rapper sounding like Ghostface rapping about food has finally made a major label album. And I'm not sure where all the money went, cuz it sounds like a rapper who sounds like Ghostface rapping about food. But that's good. Mr. Wonderful is far from a serious album. Heck, at times it feels like it's intent on self-sabotage. Yet the IDGAF attitude serves the project well. And at the end of the day, I found myself coming back to this one more often than BOTH albums that Ghostface himself released this year.

5. Ryan Adams - 1989
There should be nothing shocking here. I love Ryan Adams. I'm a Taylor Swift fan. Ryan Adams re-recorded Taylor Swift's entire 1989 album. And... it's fantastic. This was a cool year for Adams. Instead of a proper album, he delivered this cover album along with a a live album a few months prior. These sort of archival releases make for a nice diversion to new NEW material while reminding why he's such a great performer. There's a lot of folks out there who I'm sure write Swift off as throw-away pop. But Adams does a good job reminding everyone that she gets the props she gets because she deserves them. These are great songs, and Adams handles them with the utmost sincerity.

6. Miles Davis - Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975
This latest installment in the Davis Bootleg Series proves that there's still plenty more material in the archives that needs to be released. This 4-CD set chronicles 20 years of Newport Jazz Festival performances with shifts from bands and genres that will make your head spin. Many periods of Davis' work is included here starting with a humble all-star jam that probably highlights Monk more than Davis through his jazz fusion bands in the 70's. Just an excellent set for those interested in a history lesson in the evolution of a brilliant career.

7. The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness
The Weeknd's first four albums always felt to me like I should like them more than I did. I knew they were good. I knew they were unique. I knew he was talented as hell. But none of them held my attention all that much. And then he started rolling out a string of new singles starting with his contribution to the 50 Shades Of Gray soundtrack. It was a solid track. A post "Drunk In Love" slow number that got a ton of radio play. But then not to typecast himself he also dropped the super upbeat 80's Michael Jackson-sounding "I Can't Feel Myself," and for good measure the horrific and super vulgar "The Hills" which completed a trilogy of disparate and awesome singles that raised the album to one of my most anticipated of the year. The final result isn't perfect but it is in my opinion the best Weeknd album to date. One that finally highlights everything that made him so blog-worthy to begin with.

8. The Alchemist & Oh No - Welcome To Los Santos
This pseduo-soundtrack to the 2015 PC port of Grand Theft Auto V is an awesome mess of hip hop, electropop, reggae and everything else these two producers could toss into the blender. While I played said game, I kept my car's radio constantly tuned in to this station, so in many ways this album became the definitive soundtrack to not only GTA5, but this weird little world that I spent hours exploring. Welcome To Los Santos is a melting pot of genres and voices that holds up just fine in the real world however.

9. The Robert Glasper Trio - Covered
Another jazz musician I discovered this year thanks to To Pimp A Butterfly. Between projects, Glasper decided to get his trio together and record an intimate live album that takes some of his more experimental tracks, along with productions he's done with others and strips them down into an organic trio recording. It is immediately lovely. It's also quite soulful. There's nothing overly compelling here - which is not a dig in any way. Instead, it is a consistently good and pretty album that serves as an easy to overlook, but totally worth hearing chill out record.

10. Joey Bada$$ - B4DA$$
Joey's been a time-machine for a while now, so it comes as no surprise that his major label debut would sound like it was recorded in 1995 even though it sees the light of day in 2015. This is one of those records for purists who maintain that 'all the hip hop coming out nowadays sounds the same' or who pine for a simpler time we call The Golden Age.

...nobody else?

Surprised not to see Drake here. Was a cool read though, thank you.

thanks - hoping others post their lists...

That Drake album was real close to making the list man. It was probably #11. The last one to get cut. I mean, there's quite a few honorable mentions - Sour Soul comes to mind certainly as well. End of the day tho I just tried to really figure out which albums I genuinely listened to the most.

#7 The Weekend

I'm seeing them on lots of "best of" list. My wife and daughter were watching, The Voice, and The Weekend were playing live, so I guess they are sort of popular?

Not sure if I purchased enough "new" music to compile a list, but I might give it a go one day next week......until then:

HOUSTON RECORD STORE STAFFERS PICK THE BEST MUSIC OF 2015

The Weeknd is one guy. But yeah he's gotten popular this year because of the 50 Shades soundtrack I guess.

that list is boring.

this counts as mine

Don't be mean.

That said, I agree that's a blazing good list for a pitchfork joint.
Blazing good.

However, stealing a list from pitchfork is kind of the definition of lame.

Come up with your own before you go criticizing other people's.

speaking of pitchfork, their recent article in defense of Doug Yule is spot on. I don't give a shit - his work on Loaded is great. And I always liked Squeeze way more than most VU fans seemed to give it credit for. Of course it's not VU. But it sounds to me like what the follow-up to Loaded could have been... or at least Yule's demos for it. I like it.

I admit I didn't know he was the one singing on "Candy Says" and now feel like an idiot - as it's so obvious. What a great performance.

Sorry to derail.

No that was a good piece. I also think Yule's kind of a villain by default among VU fans. Somebody's got to be to blame, right?

But he made some incredible contributions to the band. Without him, the Velvets would have died with White Light. And that would Fucking SUCK.

Just so you know I am totally putting my list up soon, I promise. I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger though.

Also, mine is going to be pretty far left field of your hip-hop wise compared to recent years. I'm honestly not 100% sure my top ten overall is going to contain much if any hip hop. It's just the way things seem to have fallen after revisiting my favorites from the year.

So go easy, eh? ;)

word. When you think about his contributions to the s/t and Loaded, it becomes clear that he was def a good fit for the band. I get the hate on Loaded and Another VU and all. But at the same time... the music isn't bad. He's an interesting part of their legacy as far as the band name was still involved.

no worries brah, I'm just interested to see what you ended up with. Even if mine is hip hop heavy, I figured I'd be chastised for no Kendrick. SO whatever. MY list is just what I honestly listened to most this year.

with no order in particular

Benoit Pioulard - Sonnet
Jerusalem in my Heart - If he dies, if if if if if if
DJ Richard - Grind LP
Viet Cong - Viet Cong
Alva Noto - Xerrox vol. 3
2814 ‎– 新しい日の誕生
Oneohtrix Point Never — Garden of Delete
Lakker - Tundra

Don't have a top 10 this year. 5 will be enough.

1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
2. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
3. Jazmine Sullivan - Reality Show
4. Miguel - Wildheart
5. Future - 56 Nights

Nice one, bro.

EDIT: Version 2.0 (and still working)

10. Joanna Newsom - Divers
9. Vince Staples - Summertime '06
8. Botany - Dimming Awe, the Light is Raw
7. Pusha T - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prequel
6. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Style
5. Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete
4. Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too
4. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - A Year With 13 Moons
3. Viet Cong - Viet Cong
2. Jim O'Rourke - Simple Songs
1. Hudson Mohawke - Lantern

Choices are subject to change. I just bit the bullet and threw this together. I'm pretty sure about the first 4, after that it's mayhem. Whatever.

All in all, though there was great music this year... it was kind of a shitty year for music. In 2014 and 2013 I labored over my top picks. I still haven't officially finished 2014's list. hah.

Goddammit why did King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prequel have to come out TODAY?

It's Fucking awesome. If I'm going by my usual rules, it belongs on this year's list or no list at all.

It's the Black Messiah of this year. Damn.

Changes are probably a foregone conclusion.

Also I forgot Eric Holm - Andøya and the last Sightings album! Ahh!

I think you go too far with Yule. Of course he was great singer and also musician, but Squeeze is really not a Velvet album. And also I don´t believe Velvet would have died without him after White Light, Reed was still the main creative force. I really love all the Reed Velvet albums, also V.U. and Another View.

I'm not saying Squeeze is a VU album. (Well, technically it is, but it's very obviously not)... I won't even go as far as NR, who said it sounds like it could pass for the band's follow-up to Loaded. It couldn't. It's not the band. It's Doug Yule. And fuck him for releasing it as a VU release.

That said, I agree with Mr. Pitchfork Writer guy that if it had been dropped as a Doug Yule solo effort, it would have been totally fine.

All I'm saying is this: the chances of the Velvets continuing on after Cale's departure and making better music than self-titled and Loaded with someone other than Doug Yule seem pretty low. I love Velvet Underground & Loaded almost as much as I love the first two. (Another View is kind of a different animal)... anyway, if those albums hadn't been completed exactly as they were, my life would suck a little bit more, and Yule was part of what made them so good.

That's all I'm saying.

I understood what you´re saying. I mention Squeeze as an example what Yule could do without Lou. I think those first two albums are the greatest Velvet-albums and really ever want to underrate the importance of Cale to Velvet. But according to book I read about Lou he just told to Yule what he had to do in third album (anyway for example Candy Says is Reed song). Maybe Yule spent more time in the studio with Loaded than Lou, but I have also read Yule took much more credits of the songs he really compose. I believe there would have beem also some other great musician helping Velvet in that time if there hadn´t been Yule. Velvet just had then quite great reputation at least in art music circles. Of course we never know. And again, both V.U. & Another View are as great Velvet albums as third and loaded.

And I am not saying Squeeze is totally shit album, but it really isn´t the greatest 70 albums. And really has nothing to do with the Velvet. I believe no-one would remember it if it hadn´t made under the Velvet name.

I love Loaded too. One thing I really miss both third and Loaded is that artistic genius of Cale. Yule is ok, but he was just a good musician. Candy Says is of course really great, I agree about that I don´t think anyone else could have sung it so great. Also really much liked Yule´s vocal in New Age (it´s my favourite song in Loaded).

Have to take my words back. Just listened Squeeze and I remembered it was better than it really is. It´s not shit, it´s horrible (even shit can sometimes be good). These are only listenable songs in album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2uL13KDffw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY_g6FT794o

And I don´t think I will listen even these.

The most horrible thing is that I remembered Squeeze to be something totally different than Velvet. But you can hear easily how Yule tried to make Velvet-album. This album is just a great example of that how some musicians should be just musicians and not a creative force of a band. This kind of musicians just make lame copies from something real.

Even the cover is horrible. And what´s also unbelievable, Squeeze is under the name of Velvet in Spotify, but there are no V.U. or Another View!

yeah that is weird.

NO! Not even near. If you listen "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" 10 times non-stop, you have a picture what is Squeeze.

Nope, Squeeze is nowhere near Loaded. Compared to the true VU albums, Squeeze is absolute fucking horseshit. But if Yule had dropped it as a solo album, I think it would be easier to tolerate, and might find its "place" in pop music.

No. It´s just horseshit and deserves to become forgotten. There are just so many lot greater albums in the seventies. As you can see from Wiki, Yule never made a huge solo career. Suprisingly he played as a session musician in Reed´s Sally Can´t Dance & Coney Island Baby. Then joined into (neverheard) country band American Flyer. His only solo is Live In Seattle from 2002 (I don´t want to hear that).

Yeah, I know... But he still should have released Squeeze under his own name. Calling it a VU album was moronic.

He's responsible for tarnishing the discography of one of my favorite bands ever, so I'm no major supporter. But I do think he's contributed more to the band than he's been given credit for.

If Lou had done studio vocals for "Candy Says" the effect would have been totally different. I love Lou Reed, but that performance by Yule is iconic.

I'm not trying to argue with you, I just see the whole thing from two sides. That's all.

I agree with Candy Says totally (I already said earlier I don´t think no-one could have sung it better). Also I think too Yule made good work in Velvet. My main point has been his importance to Velvet hasn´t been even near of the importance of Reed & Cale, not also Morrison & Tucker. I think Yule was the person who could be the most easily replaced in Velvet.

I believe the record company would have ever released Squeeze under the name of Yule. It didn´t sell well under the name of Velvet, but I think it sold better as if it would have sold as a solo record.

and don't forget "Oh Sweet Nothing" - that vocal is fantastic.

Personally it never bothered me that Squeeze was called Velvets. We all know the personnel. We know it's not a real Velvets album. But I find these sort of 'sort thumbs' interesting in any bands' discography.

Yes. There are those two Doors albums that didn´t sound very Doors to me (Other Voices & Full Circle).

I didn't mean to imply that Yule was anywhere near the level of Lou Reed or John Cale. Lou Reed was like a god to me. The world is a much less interesting place without him, and I think about my first time seeing him perform all the time.

I have the Rolling Stone cover devoted to his passing framed and hanging on my living room wall. No question, Yule was no Reed or Cale. He still did some amazing things with the band, however.

Only amazing things Yule did to me is vocals in Candy Says and New Age. Of course he did also good vocals for example Who Loves the sun & Sweet Nuthin. But when Tucker drum playing is unique (also you should never forget her amazing vocals in After Hours & I am sticking with you) also I find Morrison guitar playing unique, Yule´s instrument playing is just common playing every good musician can do.

Yeah, Tucker's vocals on After Hours have always felt extremely influential to countless bands that would follow, including White Stripes.

I kinda feel like Jack and Meg derived their entire playground-chic style from Maureen Tucker's work on the third album and just mixed it with Stooges and MC5.

word, word. Tucker's vox were great.

We can blah blah blah all we want but bottom line is that in 4 (or 5 haha) albums this band explored a lot of sound. And had a lot of personnel shifts. In a way the band feels more like an ever-morphing collective during their short run.

Four albums. Four proper albums. Two high-quality outtakes comps that could pass for proper albums if they had to. Live stuff, and one completely non-VU release that isn't terrible, but sounds more like Grateful Dead playing honky tonk with a pre-disco Doctor Hook.

So, let's just say four albums.

VU and Another View are both simply excellent. I think I'm quoted somewhere as saying that Jesus & Mary Chain's Barbed Wire Kisses is my favorite non-album b-sides/rarities/outtakes compilation of all time, but that has a lot to do with how JAMC embodied the spirit of the Velvet Underground. If Psychocandy ad somehow merged with Bad Moon Rising, Reed and Cale would have probably sued.

Yes. It´s quite amazing they release only four albums that very little people that time wanted to listen but then influenced almost alone the whole new generation ten years later and still influences many. Of course there were also 13th Floor Elevators, Red Crayola, even I find something same Pink Floyd´s two first albums, then Stooges & MC5 little later but I think Velvets were the most important.

I like JAMC, but it has always felt to me somekind poor man´s Velvet.

I think there has been very little to add after Velvet into popular culture if thinking kind of "punk" rock.

I understand what you're sayin Mortte, but JAMC were not a poor man's VU. Honestly, there's no band I can really think of that could claim that title. VU were the poor man's VU. The only bands from anywhere near their era that had the same kind of vibe were bands like the Stooges, and a little later Can.... then Television (who came so much later that they were more followers than peers.)

JAMC definitely used the Velvet's formula, specifically the more simple songs that appeared on 3rd and Loaded, but they added a great deal to the sound to make it exciting for college pseudo punks in the early '80s. But they never pretended that wasn't the case. They mixed NYC art drone with Beach Boys melodies and covered it all in fuzz, and they created something new. Honestly, for a long time they were second only to Sonic Youth in my mind. Now I am a little bit less obsessed with them, but they were definitely influential and powerful in their own right. Without them, I don't think there would be any Dinosaur Jr, or Ride, or MBV. They really kicked open the doors for noise rock, along with Sonic Youth and Spacemen 3 and Husker Du.

Spacemen 3 are probably the most direct and unabashed disciples of the VU, but calling them or JAMC a "poor man's VU" is kind of missing the point. If anything, most of the music world probably considers SY to be more of a poor man's VU than JAMC.

I'm not trying to argue, it's just that I think the Velvets (like the Beatles) inspired SO many bands that it's hard to find good musicians that haven't ripped them off in some way, shape or form. But the same is true of JAMC, Spacemen 3 and Sonic Youth. All of those bands picked up where the Velvets left off to some extent. And they influenced generations of underground bands on their own.

The Velvets are probably the second most influential rock band of all time. They created a diaspora in the underground just as the Beatles did in the mainstream. You couldn't really BE a rock band after those two groups without ripping one or both of them off.

Sorry to wank on and on, but I really do crush hard on the Velvet Underground. For me, great rock music pretty much began in 1967.