Now we come to my annual playlist that caps off my list. I find it way to difficult to do a ranking of songs, so this is my way to capture the tracks that defined the year. As always, I try to make a playlist that fits on a standard CD-R, to kind of limit myself. Keep in mind these aren’t necessarily my favorite songs of the year, but rather a mix that I think is a good look at what 2015 had to offer. Also, the order is based on how the songs show up on their respective albums, and is in no way a ranking.
This year’s mix consists of 19 songs, down one track from year’s past. Seven of the songs come from albums in my top 10, with five songs from albums in my 11-25 range, leaving the remaining seven from those outside my top 25. The lowest ranked album to have a song featured is Pagans in Vegas from Metric, whose new synth pop direction didn’t always work rendering it 64th in my rankings, but it did give us one of the year’s best pop songs.
Below, you’ll see the tracklist as well as the Spotify playlist (RIP Rdio). Also, Amazon has discontinued their Listmania service, which is dumb, but if you want to see my entire Top 25 in simple list form, I’ve got it here on the list app. And finally, this is the 8th straight year Amy Runner has provided the album art for the mix. She’s basically the only person who gets even a hint of how my list is shaping up, so you should be extremely jealous.
2016 has a tough act to follow, but some recent developments (LCD Soundsystem!Radiohead, maybe!) have me more excited than I was just a week ago.
Formerly known as Mirror Kisses, this is the first release from Clanton under his own name which he released on Bandcamp through his own record label. I like to describe it as a poor man’s LCD Soundsystem mixed with the chillwave vibe of Washed Out. Clanton clearly has a love of 80’s music as there’s a nostalgic feel throughout the album, most notably on the albums final two tracks, which close out a stretch of 5 songs as strong as anything you’ll hear in 2015.
The second album from the Seattle girl group sees the band use their fuzzed out but catchy DIY post-punk songs as avenues to describe their fed up feelings with mansplaining (“Drone”) and slut shaming (“Cool Slut”), among many others topics with feminist undertones, making it one of the year’s most slyly confident and on-point releases.
Once again Youth Lagoon releases one of the more underrated albums of the year. Even though Savage Hills Ballroom can’t quite match the fragile vulnerability of Wondrous Bughouse (which finished 2013 in my top 10), I still come away impressed with the songwriting chops of Trevor Powers, who seems to have memorable melodies in abundant supply.
The second album from Australian punk rockers is the year’s finest punk album, full of throwback garage-punk tunes as catchy and confident as any album you’ll hear in 2015, but with enough skuzz that its authenticity can’t be questioned. What sets it apart for me are Shogun’s lead vocals which are some of the best punk rock pipes I’ve heard in quite some time; soulful and full of range that allow these 10 tracks to truly become something special.
Really more of a compilation (so yeah, I guess I’m kinda breaking my rules here), Teens of Style is the first release for Seattle’s do it yourselfer Will Toledo on Matador Records, who signed Toledo to put out this album of some of his reworked lo-fi melodic indie rock songs from his 11 (!) self-released Bandcamp albums, and then follow it up with an album of brand new material in early 2016. Toledo is only 22 years old, but is a fantastic songwriter with no shortage of great ideas, and emerged as one of 2015’s best new artists.
The debut album from the Los Angeles jazz saxophonist is perhaps the most appropriately titled album of the year as this nearly 3 hour long triple album is indeed best described as epic. Now I’m no jazz expert, so it’s hard for me to say what makes a great jazz album or what makes a bad one, but I do know that collection of easy listening accessible but boundary pushing modern jazz tunes is easily among the best 25 albums I heard in 2015.
Emerging from the ashes of the band Women, Viet Cong’s debut album (and Polaris Music Prize shortlisted) is a visceral album of 7 post-punk songs which paint industrial soundscapes of immense but not overwhelming magnitude. It’s a rewarding listen that presents itself as vital throughout. These guys will reportedly return in 2016 with their follow up, albeit with a different name.
One of the most consistent bands going, Deerhunter’s seventh album may also be their most accessible. Aside from funky lead single “Snakeskin”, the tunes on Fading Frontier have a dreamy quality to them and as a whole feel cleaner and lighter than anything Deerhunter has produced, while in no way being less substantial.
Julia Holter’s fourth album of avant-garde pop is a personal yet approachable release full of gorgeous songs that manage to carry a sense of grandiosity despite being so intimate. Holter’s style exudes subtle experimentation that adds to the appreciation upon repeat listens, but somehow doesn’t come across as challenging for the casual listener.
One of the bands I featured in my 2013 Honorable Mentions post regarding the emo revival returns with their sophomore album and it just shows a great leap in quality that legitimizes this as not just an emo front runner, but a band that should be paid attention to across all genres. Granted, it is still something that will grab emo purists first and foremost, but with Harmlessness the group has gone though some lineup changes that allowed for a more focused and cohesive indie rock album while retaining their emo soul.
Released all the way back in January, the self-titled debut from the Richmond, VA based artist had some major staying power as one of my favorite albums of the year, thanks to impeccable songwriting, exquisite voice, and lush production. This is sophisticated pop from a musician who’s staying power is going to be much longer than just one year if she can continue to pump out songs as stunning as album bookends “My Baby Don’t Understand Me” and “It Is You”, the latter of which sounds like the best Disney song not actually written for Disney.
I don’t think Titus Andronicus will ever be able to match the epic scale of The Monitor (my 2010 album of the year) but they sure aren’t going down trying as evidenced by the 29 track, 90-minute, rock opera The Most Lamentable Tragedy. When announced I wasn’t sure if they were joking around, and if it wasn’t an exercise in self-indulgence, but they pulled it off with this concept album full of their patented punk-rock and highly literate lyrics.
Most people give Björk credit for creating the year’s best breakup album, but Norwegian artist Susanne Sundfør’s sixth album is where I’ll stake my claim. While lyrically it may not match the raw emotion of Vulnicura, Ten Love Songs is inventive baroque-pop music masquerading as club bangers, friendly enough for the radio but with a surprisingly dark core.
A victim of a stacked 2015, Joanna Newsom finds her album Divers just outside my top 10 which is in no way an indication of a drop in quality as compared to her previous releases. If anything, Newsom’s 4th release is arguably her most musically ambitious record yet, but by eschewing epic triple albums and long run times for 11 brisk (at least for her) chamber-folk songs, it’s also perhaps her most accessible.
One of the year’s most anticipated releases came from the Scottish electro-pop band Chvrches and their follow up to their brilliant 2013 debut. There is absolutely no let down with Every Open Eye, as the trio polished their crystalline sound to diamonds, while Lauren Mayberry somehow managed to improve her already dynamic vocals. If song of the year contender “Clearest Blue” is any indicator, this is a group that seems to be gelling into an absolute powerhouse and if they can continue to harness their skills, a true masterpiece very well may be on the way.
Finally, it’s time for the annual playlist that caps off my countdown. Rather than do a ranking of favorite songs, I choose to compile what I think is a good representation for the year in music, all on an 80 minute CD-R. Per the norm, plenty of my favorite songs couldn’t find their way on here due to length, or production techniques of the track, so in some cases I’ve got songs on here that aren’t even my favorite from its respective album.
Other notes: I managed to squeeze 20 tracks onto this years mix, same as last year. This is a very top 25 heavy playlist, as only two songs show up from albums outside my top 25. Those songs being The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die’s “Gig Life” and Tegan and Sara’s “Closer” from their very nice album Heartthrob, my #35 album of the year, which is the lowest ranked album to find a song on my playlist in 2013. Of the remaining tracks, 10 come from albums in my #11-#25 range, and 8 from albums in my top 10. The only top 10 albums that don’t have a representative on my mix are Sunbather and Reflektor. As always, the order of the Mixtape is not a ranking, but rather an order based on how the song appears on its respective album.
Below, you’ll see the tracklist, and after the jump you can listen to every track if you so choose. I’ve also created Rdio and Spotify playlists, the latter of which is embedded below. (Note, “new you” isn’t available on either service.) There’s also my Amazon.com list which has my entire top 25 albums of the year, nice and neat in a one page form (and access to my all my lists since 2001). And last but not least, this is the 6th straight year Amy Boyd has stepped up to provide me my album art. She actually spent part of her birthday working on this, but that’s why she gets paid the big bucks. (Disclaimer: there are no bucks being transferred, much less big ones.)
2013 was a great year for music, and a very tough act to follow. Let’s see what you got, 2014.
1) “Closer” – Tegan and Sara :: Heartthrob
2) “You & I” – Local Natives :: Hummingbird
3) “The Mother We Share” – Chvrches :: The Bones of What You Believe
4) “KV Crimes” – Kurt Vile :: Wakin On a Pretty Daze
5) “Backyard Skulls” – Frightened Rabbit :: Pedestrian Verse
6) “Counting” – Autre Ne Veut :: Anxiety
7) “Song for Zula” – Phosphorescent :: Muchacho
8) “Borrowed Time” – Parquet Courts:: Light Up Gold
9) “Royals” – Lorde :: Pure Heroine
10) “Step” – Vampire Weekend :: Modern Vampires of the City
11) “The Wire” – Haim :: Days Are Gone
12) “Byegone” – Volcano Choir :: Repave
13) “Sea of Love” – The National :: Trouble Will Find Me
14) “Dropla” – Youth Lagoon :: Wondrous Bughouse
15) “new you” – My Bloody Valentine :: m b v
16) “Hold On, We’re Going Home” – Drake :: Nothing Was The Same
17) “Avocado, Baby” – Los Campesinos! :: No Blues
18) “She Will” – Savages :: Silence Yourself
19) “Gig Life” – The World Is A Beautiful Place… :: Whenever, If Ever
20) “Doin’ It Right” – Daft Punk :: Random Access Memories
#10) Daft Punk – Random Access Memories [Columbia; released 5/21/2013]
“We’re up all night to get lucky.”
“Get Lucky”
Daft Punk’s first studio album in 8 years (let’s just ignore the Tron: Legacy Soundtrack), is a group of addictive dance songs inspired by the last four decades, particularly the sounds of the 70’s and 80’s making Random Access Memories a retro listen paying tribute to pretty much anyone the duo wanted to. The songs are impeccably produced, yet remain loose making this album one that could be used as a party mix just as easily as a headphone listen, especially since the songs are so melodically rich but still provide value for a deeper listening experience. It’s a modern record with a nostalgic appreciation for the past, which succeeds in using those influences to make something indelibly Daft Punk.
[“Get Lucky” – Random Access Memories]
#9) Lorde – Pure Heroine[Republic; released 9/30/2013]
“I’m kinda over being told to throw my hands up in the air.”
“Team”
As with any musician discovered at a young age only to be molded by a record label (as is the story of Lorde), there’s concern of a manufactured pop star quality that appears once the artist is released into the wild, if you will. This ultimately doomed Lana Del Rey’s coming out party, someone who New Zealand teenager Ella Yelich-O’Connor has often been compared. However, with Pure Heroine, O’Connor’s debut as Lorde, we have as bold a statement from a young artist that we’ve seen in quite some time. Forget the monster hit “Royals” (well, don’t, it’s an amazing song), the other 9 songs here are just as exquisite pop gems with a staggering amount of depth coming from a 16 year old. (Yes, O’Connor writes her own lyrics and co-writes her songs.) Musically, the minimalism of these tracks gives a restrained quality much like The XX, allowing enough blank space for the listener to become fully enveloped. There is such a unique charm to Lorde, thanks to O’Connor’s confidence and attitude that makes Pure Heroine is as vital as anything released in 2013.
[“Tennis Court” – Pure Heroine]
#8) Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse [Fat Possum; released 3/5/2013]
“You’ll never die.”
“Dropla”
The sophomore effort from Youth Lagoon is a weird listen, certainly not for everyone, but has enough melodic achievement to intrigue and perhaps entrap those that might otherwise be turned off to a more experimental version of avant-garde pop. However, for those fully on board with the quirky sound of the Idaho native, this is one of the most affecting and beautiful albums of the year. Trevor Powers has followed up his well received debut with a stirring collection of lush and haunting dream-pop that immediately reminds me of The Antlers’ magnificent album Hospice (my #2 album of 2009) thanks to Powers’ tender and vulnerable vocals paired with dark and eerie tunes. Wondrous Bughouse is a masterful album, an intimate record, uplifting at times and devastating at others, displaying the gravitas required of such a listen.
[“Mute” – Wondrous Bughouse]
#7) Chvrches – The Bones of What You Believe [Glassnote; released 9/24/2013]
“I’ll be a thorn in your side until you die.”
“We Sink”
The Bones of What You Believe is the highly anticipated debut from the Glasgow trio and does not disappoint, introducing an arresting new voice in stunning fashion. Coming from a Scottish music scene dominated by male lead groups (Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Twilight Sad) it’s refreshing to hear a female voice emerge, and even moreso when the tunes still pack the emotional punch of her regional peers. Lauren Mayberry is that voice, and her backing band members have certainly hitched their wagon to the right star, although their input should not be overlooked. Ian Cook and Martin Doherty (Doherty is a former touring member of the aforementioned The Twilight Sad) are creating some shimmering electro-pop behind Mayberry’s voice that contains enough sweeping melodrama to fit seamlessly alongside M83’s best work. (For real, just listen to the synthesizer explosion that closes out “Tether”.) But Chvrches will only go as far as Mayberry’s voice allows, and her voice is a revelation, not only pitch perfect but also able to evoke a multitude of feelings effortlessly – vengeance seems to be her go-to – to create emotionally resonant songs all contained in a pristine crystalline package. This is catchy, intelligent synth-pop with just the right hint of darkness to set Chvrches up for a very long shelf life.
[“Recover” – The Bones of What You Believe]
#6) Arcade Fire – Reflektor [Merge; released 10/29/2013]
“We know there’s a price to pay for love in a reflective age.”
“Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)”
Much was made of the marketing leading up to Reflektor, the 4th album from the Canadian rockers, what with a viral marketing campaign, an SNL special, papier-mâché masks, and requesting concert attendees to be in costume, but not enough attention has been focused toward the fact that this bizarre, ambitious and over the top album is the freakin’ follow up to a Grammy winning album of the year. Not that I expected Arcade Fire to rest on their laurels – they were as surprised as anyone with their Grammy win – but I don’t think anyone quite expected an epic double album with songs rarely under 5 minutes featuring Caribbean dance themes and schizophrenic songwriting styles. To be clear, this is a massively bloated and indulgent listen, but in fairness so has everything this group has done to this point in their career. The Suburbs was excellent of course (my #2 album of 2010), but despite being 20 minutes longer (if you include the have-to-search-for hidden track), Reflektor actual feels like a shorter listen. Part of that is thanks to the record’s two distinct sides, a welcome quality found on any double album released these days, which split the songs into a more rough around the edges first half and its textural grandiose counterpart. Producer James Murphy’s (LCD Soundsystem) fingerprints are all over Reflektor as the band employed the go-to guy for dance rock to create an album of spontaneously joyous tunes that’s a brilliant reflection of the Haitian Carnival atmosphere that inspired it into being.
Posted by Hawkins 
A Round of Sound 