Top Albums and Songs of 2015 (Sam List)

Inspired by Todd and a really great year for music, I’m coming out of hibernation with my tops of 2015…

Top Albums

Jamie xx In Colour (Young Turks)
I figured this collection of dancefloor etudes wouldn’t hold up to repeat listens but here I am, on the last day of the year, still unable to shake the hooks from my head.

Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment Surf (self-released)
A remarkably eclectic and powerful album. The fact you don’t see any of the guest stars credited in song titles tells you everything you need to know about how this “experiment” fared.

Protomartyr The Agent Intellect (Hardly Art)
Riveting post-punk from Detroit; kinda like Interpol without the pretense.

Young Guv Ripe 4 Luv (Slumberland)
Ben Cook set out to satirize bands like Cheap Trick, Big Star, Marshall Crenshaw, etc. only to end up creating a completely epic power pop album of his own.

Jose Gonzalez Vestiges and Claws (Mute)
I respect Jose’s absolute commitment to the whispery folk formula that made him famous, especially when it produces a gorgeous album like this one.

Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell (Asthmatic Kitty)
Like Jose, Sufjan keeps doing his thing and it keeps getting better.

Thundercat The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam (Brainfeeder)
Yearning, confident, proggy, funky – like nothing else out there.

Colleen Captain of None (Thrill Jockey)
An art album that plays like a pop record.

Kamasi Washington The Epic (Brainfeeder)
I may be the only so-called music snob who thought Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly was just okay (or is that just me being extra snobby?) – but if the Kendrick Lamar phenomenon means former studio musicians like Kamasi see more sunshine, I’m all about it.

Beirut No No No (4AD)
Even a B+ record from Beirut will make my top 10.

Top Songs

Young Fathers “Shame” (Big Dada)
Nosaj Thing feat Chance the Rapper “Cold Stares” (Innovative Leisure/Timetable)
Baio “Sister of Pearl” (Glassnote)
The Arcs “Stay In My Corner” (Nonesuch)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone” (Jajaguwar)
Lonelady “Groove It Out” (Warp)
Bicep “Just” (K7)
Swervedriver “Last Rites” (Cobraside)
Spectres “Where Flies Sleep” (Sonic Cathedral)
Beliefs “Tidal Wave” (Hand Drawn Dracula)
Low “What Part of Me” (Sub Pop)
Helen “Motorcycle” (kranky)
Four Tet “Morning Side” (Text)
William Alexander “Strangest Things” (Yellow K)
Open Mike Eagle feat MC Paul Barman & Milo “Trickeration” (Mello Music)

Top 25 Albums of 2015 (ToddS List)

25. Leggy – Nice Try EP [self]

24. Library Voices – Lovish [nevado]

23. Faith No More – Sol Invictus [reclamation]

22. Say Hi – Bleeders Digest [barsuk]

21. Giggly Boys – Bastards of Young [self]

20. The Diamond Center – Crystals of the Brass Empire [funny / not funny]

19. Gun Outfit – Dream All Over [paradise of bachelors]

18. Woolen Men – Temporary Monument [woodsist]

17. Expert Alterations – You Can’t Always Be Liked [kanine]

15. Albino Father – II [self]

14. Mikal Cronin – MCIII [merge]

13. Kurt Vile – b’lieve i’m goin down… [matador]

12. King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard – Paper Mâché Dream Balloon [ato]

11. L’Orange & Kool Keith – Time? Astonishing! [mello music]

10. Ultimate Painting – Green Lanes [trouble in mind]

9. Wand – Golem [in the red]

8. Young Guv – Ripe 4 Luv [slumberland]

7. Moon Duo – Shadow of the Sun [sacred bones]

6. Lazy Knuckles – Bucolic [gold robot]

5. Thee Oh Sees – Mutilator Defeted At Last [castle face]

4. Danny James Etc. – Pear [burger]

3. Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear [sub pop]

2. Destroyer – Poison Season [merge]

1. The Butterscotch Cathedral – S/T [trouble in mind]

Protomartyr

Detroit 4-piece Protomartyr’s sophomore release, Under Color of Official Right, and first with Hardly Art is an indie rock meets punk rock meets post punk hybrid of stabbing, angular guitars and bludgeoning drums. 14 tracks blasted through in 34 minutes definitely leaves you wanting for more.

I slept on this release for months. Don’t make the same mistake as I did, check these guys out now!

Protomartyr – Scum, Rise! from Under Color of Official Right (2014)

Protomartyr – Come & See from Under Color of Official Right (2014)

La Luz

Lo-fi + surf guitar + 4 part harmonies + a bit of fuzz = Seattle’s La Luz. After putting out a single and an EP, La Luz have released their debut LP, It’s Alive on Hardly Art. Have a listen to the super cool “Big Big Blood” and “Pink Slime” below, they are sure to warm your bones during the upcoming winter months. It’s Alive is available now on Hardly Art’s site.

On a sad note, La Luz were just in a really bad accident, here is what Hardly Art has to say about it… “While on their way back to Seattle to play a sold out Neumos date, the members of La Luz were in a severe van accident that resulted in ruined gear, personal injuries, merch loss, and a totaled van. For anyone interested in making a donation to help the band get back on their feet, please click here or use the donation button below.”

Buy their new LP, you won’t regret it. If you can, send a little money their way, I’m sure they can use all the help they can get.

La Luz – Big Big Blood from It’s Alive (2013)

La Luz – Pink Slime from It’s Alive (2013)

Fergus and Geronimo

You know that “Whoa! What is this?” reaction you can have when listening to a band or album for the first time? Sometimes it’s not a good reaction, and other times you’ve just been blown away. I had the latter moment last week when I first sat down to listen to Fergus & Geronimo’s new album Funky Was The State of Affairs. This two-piece band from Denton, TX sound like a Devo meets Zappa meets Ween mashup, with a snotty Descendents-like song (“Roman Tick”, below) mixed in here and there. It’s fantastic zaniness! Funky Was The State of Affairs was recently released on Hardly Art, and I highly recommend it. Check out the songs below, if you like them be sure to buy the album. Enjoy.

Fergus & Geronimo – Roman Tick from Funky Was The State of Affairs (2012)

Fergus & Geronimo – No Parties from Funky Was The State of Affairs (2012)

Fergus & Geronimo – Baby Don’t You Cry from Unleam (2011)

Fergus & Geronimo – Powerful Lovin’ from Unleam (2011)

Hardly Art

Fergus & Geronimo

La Sera

La Sera is the side project of Vivian Girls’ bass player Katy Goodman. Sees The Light, her second album on Hardly Art, has a great in your face pop/rock feel to it which I really enjoy. She recorded this album with the help of Rob Barbato (The Fall, Darker My Love) who lent his guitar and production skills to the recording. The result is a great pop record, full of what great pop records are made of, songs about breakups and heartbreak. Enjoy.

La Sera – Please Be My Third Eye from Sees The Light (2012)

La Sera – Break My Heart from Sees The Light (2012)

Hardly Art

Seapony

Seapony is a three-piece band from Seattle, WA. Their music is pretty simple, mostly three chords with all drum beats coming from a drum machine. The guitars are fuzzy and have that “surf-rock” sound, while the vocals are breathy, and sound like they are being sung through a pay phone. I’m really digging both of the songs included below, they have a very chill summer time feel to them. I hope you enjoy them as well.

Seapony – Blue Star

Seapony – Dreaming

Le Loup

Reports from those who have seen Le Loup live say the album sounds thin compared to their shows. That’s because the album, The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly, is the handiwork of frontman Sam Simkoff pre seven-piece live band. Simkoff, if you buy into the focal points of the band’s promo shots, looks like the indie rock version of Woody Allen: horn-rimmed glasses, basic collared shirts and khakis. In fact, the band’s bio, not to mention the album title, reads like a set up to a Woody Allen joke: inspired by Dante’s Inferno and and ’50s folk artist James Hampton, Simkoff the banjo player… The outcome is anything but comical. Flying solo, Simkoff succeeds at creating small epics like “We Are Wolves! We Are Gods!” spaced-out pop songs sounding like a hybrid of Devendra Banhart and Say Hi To Your Mom with the jamming tendencies of Animal Collective. With his trusty troupe of troubadours in tow I have no doubt he can translate his bedroom vision into something grand.

Continue reading “Le Loup”