Let’s get things started with my honorable mentions for 2015. These are not necessarily albums 26-30, but rather just some albums that I think deserve extra attention for one reason or another. Also featured is a dishonorable mention as well as a few other awards.
On the heels of 2014’s Northtown EP, Ratchet was one of the year’s most anticipated debut albums, as Shamir Bailey’s genre bending version of dance-pop stood out as something new and weird and impossible to classify. The Las Vegas native’s countertenor voice is easily the most striking thing you first notice, full of vulnerability in sound and lyrics, while the songs are relentlessly catchy in all their glitchy glory.
Only two albums in and Sadie Dupuis has already established herself as one of the go-to voices in the recent uptick of female empowerment dialogue found in today’s indie music scene. Dupuis scathing lyrics are on full display on the excellent Foil Dear, and musically the aggressive rock tunes serve as a perfect backdrop for all the angst Dupuis seems to have bottled up.
At 10 songs and just 26 minutes, Beach Slang’s debut album provides a non-stop barrage of anthemic punk rock songs Japandroids would be proud of. This quartet from Philadelphia (which, by the way, is on fire right now) seems to have no shortage of hooks and fist-pumping sing along jams announcing Beach Slang as one of 2015’s breakout acts.
The best 90’s grunge record of 2015 comes courtesy Mackenzie Scott and her second album as Torres. Following up her self-titled debut, Sprinter was one of my more highly anticipated releases of 2015, and the Nashville rocker didn’t disappoint with a powerfully dense album showcasing her passionate songwriting akin to a heavier rock version of Sharon Van Etten.
The second album from the Virginia Beach quartet often classified as pop-punk is so much more than that unfortunate designation. Sure, these guys recently opened for New Found Glory, but Turnover elicits an indie-rock version of pop-punk more in line with the emo stylings of The Appleseed Cast fused with the dream-pop of Real Estate. Peripheral Vision is a pleasant and infectious collection of 11 songs that does well to break away from its peers.
Let’s call this my most underrated album that didn’t finish in my top 25, because my actual most underrated album probably a good bit higher. While this is certainly a step down from the 80’s tinged Confess, I still find enough enjoyable with Eclipse that I don’t see it as quite the disaster many critics seem to think it is. Twin shadow has always been cheesy, melodramatic, and over the top and Eclipse is just taking that to the mainstream and modern arena-pop levels.
Likewise, my actual biggest surprise is probably up in my top 25 somewhere, so I’ll call this my biggest surprise that didn’t make my top 25. Surprising for not only its out of nowhere (and free!) release, Star Wars also happens to be the best Wilco album since 2004’s A Ghost Is Born. Jeff Tweedy seems rejuvenated on these 11 songs, and the short 33-minute run time allows the group to cut the fat that has marred their last few albums.
File this one under disappointing and bad. Though to be fair, my expectations weren’t super high for this album considering it’s rare for a band to come back at the top of their game after a 17 year layoff (although Faith No More seemed to handle it pretty well), but Freedom failed to meet even those paltry expectations by delivering an album of watered down stadium rock. Following up a classic like The Shape of Punk To Come was never going to be an easy task, but reuniting to release an album that seems to have no direction and full of fake conviction doesn’t necessarily tarnish the legacy of the Swedish band, but does raise the question of what was so important that they couldn’t just remain dead.
I get why this album was a critical darling: it’s a debut album full of stripped down emotionally raw folk/punk songs from a duo whose 2014 EP gave them a little bit of hype. And it’s a fine album, but it’s essentially Kimya Dawson, which outside the quirkiness of a cute indie movie comes across more irritating than charming.
Another return from a Scandinavian band, this one from Denmark’s Mew with their first album since 2009’s No More Stores…. Mew’s prior albums had a great sense of majesty that for whatever reason just didn’t connect with time this time. I’m not sure if that’s a Mew problem or a Me problem, but the spark seems be missing from +- which causes it to sound a little more phoned-in and lacking the inspiration of their previous two releases.
Let’s get things started with my honorable mentions for 2014. These are not necessarily albums 26-30, but rather just some albums that I think deserve extra attention for one reason or another. Interestingly enough, these are all debut albums from these artists, although that wasn’t intentional on my part. Also featured is a dishonorable mention as well as a few other awards.
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Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
Mountain Man’s Amelia Meath and Megafaun’s Nick Sanborn teamed up to create this electronic album full of pop gems that also retain the folk sensibility of the duo’s main projects. “Hey Mami” and “Coffee” are two of the year’s best songs.
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Pup – Pup
Toronto quartet’s debut album which was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, and with good reason. It’s full of infectious and intelligent punk rock tunes, that while not breaking new ground, is a refreshing and reaffirming listen.
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Alvvays – Alvvays
Pronounced Always, this Toronto band specializes in indie pop tunes in the same vein as Camera Obscura, or a lo-fi version of Eisley. “Archie, Marry Me” is the best example of how great this group can be, and reaches the heights of their contemporary’s best work.
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Fear of Men – Loom
Another indie-pop group, this one from Brighton UK, features a bit more darkness and melancholy in their tunes as compared to their peers. The maudlin and almost vengeful subject matter keep this trio from falling into the twee-pop trap and allows the dreaminess of their songs to come to the forefront.
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St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Half The City
Seven-piece soul band with gospel roots from Birmingham wears their influences on their sleeve, but Paul Janeway’s vocals take the band to a level not to be expected upon first glance. They aren’t there yet, as Janeway’s vocals could use a little restraint here or there, but this is a very promising debut.
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Most Underrated Album: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Days of Abandon
Let’s call this my most underrated album that didn’t finish in my top 25, because my actual most underrated album of the year is quite high on my list. This is certainly the worst of TPOBPAH three albums, as the band continues to move away from the fuzz-pop that made their early work so charming, but these are still very good twee-pop songs that I believe deserve the benefit of the doubt considering the lineup turnover this band has gone through last few years.
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Biggest Surprise: Braid – No Coast
Likewise, my actual biggest surprise is probably up in my top 25 somewhere, so I’ll call this my biggest surprise that didn’t make my top 25. This is the first LP from the emo band in 16 years, after reuniting in 2011 to release an EP, which ended up being really bad. So, expectations were low, but I was pleasantly surprised at how strong this album was from start to finish. The songs feel like a natural progression of what we could’ve expected from this band had they not gone their separate ways a decade and a half ago.
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Dishonorable Mentions
Only one Dishonorable Mention this year, but also included is my most overrated album, and my biggest disappointment.
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Christopher Owens – A New Testament
How the mighty have fallen. Just three years ago Owens was responsible for my album of the year as frontman of the band Girls. This is his second solo album and follow up to the underwhelming Lysandre, but this album may be even worse. Owens’ new found alt-country leanings do not work for him no matter how sincere they may be. The heart and soul that made Girls so affecting has been completely lost by the cheesiness of these tunes, and while I’m thankful of his Girls catalog, he’s probably lost a fan in me.
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Most Overrated Album: Real Estate – Atlas
Another band who just three years ago found itself in my top 5 with the fantastic Days, Real Estate has returned to their boring forgetful tunes that made me think they were overrated when they debuted in 2009. Sure, there are a couple very good songs on this album and it’s beautifully produced and musically tight as ever, but as a whole, it’s completely devoid of memorable melodies, and makes me think Days is going to turn out as a fluke for these guys.
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Biggest Disappointment: The Gaslight Anthem – Get Hurt
These guys exploited their blue-collar punk image to create three straight fantastic albums in The ’59 Sound, American Slang, and Handwritten, however, with Get Hurt they’ve devolved into an arena rock band while trying to retain their blue-collar image and it now just screams of pandering.
Let’s get things started with my Honorable Mentions for 2013. These are not necessarily albums 26-30, but rather just some albums that I think deserve extra attention for one reason or another. I’m also doing things a bit differently this year, by including my most underrated album of 2013 (that doesn’t appear in my top 25), as well as taking a look at a reemerging genre.
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Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
The second album from Birmingham, AL native Katie Crutchfield as Waxahatchee is an exquisite collection of alt-folk songs showing off Crutchfield’s impressive songwriting abilities. The songs are intimate like the Mountain Goats, sweetly charming as Kimya Dawson, beautifully sweeping as Cat Power, yet retain some of the feminine angst of a Liz Phair. It’s a pretty impressive fusion of influences that ushers in a new engaging voice in indie rock.
[“Lips and Limbs” – Cerulean Salt]
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Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
And then on the flipside, you have an established voice, and boy do I mean voice, with her latest collection of folk songs, this time as honest and personal as anything she’s ever penned. Neko Case’s mouthful of a 6th album (now Grammy nominated) is Case at her most confident with her voice impeccable as always and musically the tightest she’s ever been, but this time there’s a darkness to her songs that give a glimpse of the enigmatic psyche within.
[“Man” – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You]
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Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
One of 2013’s breakout acts was the L.A. psych-rock duo Foxygen, due in large part to their sophomore album, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, as well as their notoriously crazed live shows. It’s a retro album, full of psychedelic songs that retain enough pop sensibility to never veer towards druggy jam band tropes. It’s a pleasant listen that while not doing anything revolutionary, is an example of a band coming into their own as fine songwriters.
[“No Destruction” – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic]
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Rhye – Woman
The debut album from Mike Milosh and Robin Hannibal is a supergroup album of sorts, as both members were busy with their own work before initially meeting in 2010 and reconnecting after they each moved to L.A. separately. Woman is a lush group of sexy R&B songs highlighted by an opening trio of tracks as strong as any to open an album all year. The rest of the album doesn’t quite reach those heights, but it’s still a mesmerizing listen thanks to Milosh’s entrancing vocals and Hannibal’s minimalistic instrumentation.
[“Open” – Woman]
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Washed Out – Paracosm
Considered one of the founding fathers of the chillwave genre, Perry GA’s Earnest Greene is now one of its lone remaining members holding strong to the sound as his musical peers veer in other directions. Paracosm is the follow up to his fine 2011 debut and continues down the path of Within and Without and its proceeding EPs. Greene’s patented dreamy soundscapes are in full force here complete with melodies that show off Greene’s songwriting abilities serving as an example of Greene’s progression from producer to full-fledged musician and singer/songwriter status.
[“All I Know” – Paracosm]
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Most Underrated Album: Cults – Static
Now, my actual most underrated album is probably up in my top 25 somewhere, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least give a shout out to the sophomore effort from Brooklyn pop duo Cults. This album came and went with barely a whimper and coming off their very successful self-titled debut (my #9 album of 2011), that was a bit surprising to me, because it’s a very solid follow up. It’s not quite as immediate as their debut and doesn’t really have a standout track, but much of this album is centered around the breakup of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion making for an immensely personal album that I have a hell of a lot of respect for. It’s a wonder these two were able to remain professional enough to write and perform these songs side by side, and listening to the album can almost be an uncomfortable experience, but it’s hard to deny its honesty.
[“I Can Hardly Make You Mine” – Static]
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Emo Revival
An interesting development in 2013 was the reemergence of emo as a viable genre of music. Now, when I say emo I’m not talking about the Fall Out Boys or My Chemical Romances who co-opted the genre when it gained mainstream attention about a decade ago. Before that dark time, emo was a subset of indie rock, and really was what started me on my musical journey in my late high school days. In those days, emo was evolving into what became known as the Midwestern Emo sound featuring bands like The Promise Ring, American Football, Mineral, Braid and even early Jimmy Eat World and Death Cab For Cutie among many many others. This grew out of the early D.C. underground hardcore scene which is considered the birthplace of emo and really it’s 1st wave.
In the last few years, there’s been bands trying to rekindle the Midwestern Emo sound with varying success in what is now considered the 4th wave (or 5th depending on who you talk to). Top Shelf Records came along as a home to many of these groups and is largely responsible for the attention the genre has garnered. In 2013 many of these bands have surfaced from the underground by releasing some damn good albums that feature the sounds of emo’s glory years, and many more bands have albums on the horizon. It’s something I’m looking forward to in 2014. Below, I’m featuring three of the groups who released albums in 2013 that helped legitimize this new wave’s emergence.
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The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Whenever, If Ever
The best of these emo-revivalists is Connecticut band The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die (often shortened to TWIABP), whose debut album Whenever, If Ever is a collection of passionate and tight songs filled to the brim with melody reminiscent of some of the best emo bands of the 90s. The first thing that jumps out about this group is of course that ridiculous name, which is taken from the lyrics of excellent album closer “Getting Sodas”, but if you’re able to get past how off-putting that is you’ll find some exhilarating tunes that evoke musicianship as deep as Explosions in the Sky while capturing the youthful exuberance similar to that of a Los Campesinos!, all in a nice emo package.
[“Heartbeat In The Brain” – Whenever, If Ever]
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Into It. Over It. – Intersections
Now here’s an album that probably has the most emo feel for those casual listeners of the genre dating back to right before bands started finding mainstream success. Into It. Over It. is the brainchild of Evan Weiss who is one of the forebears to this emo revival having been a part of numerous Midwestern emo bands the last few years, but with Intersections he’s put together his best group of songs which at times harkens back to Death Cab For Cutie or Hey Mercedes. Lyrically, this is certainly the most emo of the bands I’m featuring here, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, as it highlights the juvenile characteristics of the genre, which is one of its worst tendencies. But the songs are good enough that those lyrics can be overlooked, and heck for some people, it might actually strike that perfect balance. (Note: Into It. Over It. and TWIABP are heading out on tour this Winter along with fellow emo revivalist, A Great Big Pile of Leaves.)
[“A Curse Worth Believing” – Intersections]
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Crash of Rhinos – Knots
By far the best example of how Midwestern Emo isn’t really a regional identifier comes from British band Crash of Rhinos. The Derby, UK five-piece has created a very American sounding album touching on the more abrasive side of the genre; think Fugazi or Braid. If there’s an example among these revivalist of the emotional hardcore aspect of emo that actually spawned the genre, Knots is it. It’s more on the screamo side of the genre, but more Thursday than Touché Amoré (who released an excellent album this year, but can’t quite be called emo). For longtime fans of emo, this may actually be the most nostalgic listening experience, but should be enjoyable enough for those with no preexisting knowledge of the genre.
[“Luck Has A Name” – Knots]
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Dishonorable Mentions
For this year’s dishonorable mentions, I’ve added a Most Overrated Album, which shouldn’t really be called dishonorable, but I didn’t have anywhere else to put it. However, the other two albums mentioned fit this section quite well.
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Most Overrated Album: Disclosure – Settle
Now I’m no expert on dance music, so perhaps I’m not the best judge, but I really just don’t get what’s so special about this album, the debut from English duo/brothers Disclosure. Maybe it’ll eventually click with me, but I listened to Settle a good bit, and save a song here or there, nothing really jumped out at me. It seems like very generic electronic music, that isn’t really doing anything particularly original or interesting. The beats come across rather formulaic and bland to form an enjoyable, but mediocre listen, one not worthy of the critical praise it’s getting.
[“Latch” – Settle]
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Yuck – Glow & Behold
Oh my, what a massive disappointment this album was. Part of me wants to give them a pass due to the ugly departure of frontman Daniel Blumberg right before recording of this album, but no. I feel like many bands have survived similar situations, but Yuck just couldn’t recapture what it had on that self-titled album in 2011 (a top 15 album for me then), and regressed mightily on Glow & Behold. Rather than find a new lead vocalist, the group decided to promote from within, and Max Bloom just doesn’t have what’s required of a frontman. He seems so disinterested in these songs, creating a passionless and just plain boring listen. And it’s not all his fault; the songs themselves are uninspired and devoid of any ambition. It’s a purposeless album with no direction that seems to have no reason for existing. In a year of numerous disappointing follow ups to breakout albums (Smith Westerns, Surfer Blood, Free Energy, Christopher Owen’s post-Girls solo debut) this one makes those look like masterpieces.
[“Middle Sea” – Glow & Behold]
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The Avett Brothers – Magpie and the Dandelion
When Rick Rubin teamed up with The Avett Brothers to produce their 2009 breakout album I And Love And You, I thought the results were actually quite good. Sure, it was polished to a mirror sheen, but the songs showed maturation and an improved songwriting that made the album a success, while still retaining the energy that gave the songs so much of their charm. The returns weren’t quite as successful on 2012 follow up, The Carpenter, as Rubin’s style started to rob the band of that patented energy, and on Magpie and the Dandelion, the band’s 8th studio album, that energy is completely gone.
Now, part of the problem with this release is that these songs are essentially b-sides that have no business being on a proper album. These tracks were recorded during the same studio session that spawned The Carpenter, and while I’m not against using such songs to build another album (Heck, Timberlake did it this year, and Radiohead did it very successfully with Kid A & Amnesiac), when they feel so much like leftovers, it comes across a rather large miscalculation. Yes, these are songs that have been part of The Avett Brothers’ setlists at live shows over the years, and I’m sure hardcore fans of the band are excited to have these recorded, but there’s just not enough heft to warrant a brand new album. Make it a b-side or rarities release for those fans to complete their collection, but it’s pretty insulting to the casual fan to package these songs and call it a new LP.
However, what really cements this album as the worst I heard in 2013 is the inexplicable inclusion of a live version of “Souls Like The Wheels”, a song that already appeared on The Second Gleam EP back in 2008. Make it a bonus track, and that’s perfectly fine. Heck, I could maybe even forgive it if it was the final track on the album, but to place this song in the middle of its second half is as jarring and bizarre a moment I can remember on any album in quite some time. It has absolutely no place on this album, or any album that a band is trying to bill as their latest studio release and renders what was already a failure, an absolute disaster.
Let’s get things started with my Honorable Mentions for 2012. These are not necessarily albums 26-30, but rather just some albums that I think deserve extra attention to for one reason or another.
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Purity Ring – Shrines
The highly anticipated debut from Purity Ring is a form of synth-pop that is hard to find equal comparisons to in the electronic world. It’s dark, yet remains undeniably sweet thanks to the vocals of Megan James. The beats of Corin Roddick tend toward hip-hop club jams yet create a dreamy ambiance leading to a rather mesmerizing listen. The Montreal duo could use a little more variation in their tunes as the songs are quite samey and run together when listened as an album, but as interesting as these songs are, it’s quite forgivable on such an arresting debut.
[“Fineshrine” – Shrines]
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The Menzingers – On The Impossible Past
The third album from the Pennsylvania punk band was not even close to being on my radar when I decided to give it a go based on its Metacritic score of 93 (!), and even though I had my reservations, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the songs that this group features throughout On The Impossible Past. There’s no denying the catchiness of the songs, but lyrically this is some heavy, introspective stuff that truly sets The Menzingers apart from their pop-punk peers. The substance behind these songs is very refreshing to see in this genre. Normally hearing a line such as “I will fuck this up / I fucking know it” rings hollow, but with these guys, in this context, it meaningful and earnest.
[“The Obituaries” – On The Impossible Past]
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Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t
I Know What Love Isn’t is the long awaited follow up LP to the excellent Night Falls Over Kortedala (one of my favorite albums of 2007), and while it lacks the immediacy of it’s predecessor, this is still a testament to Lekman’s honest and literate songwriting. Known for the personal and humorous essence of his lyrics, Lekman doesn’t hold back on these tunes crafting a break-up album full of his precious charm that has always characterized his music to this point in his career. The heart put into his tunes has never been more evident than on the title track, a song about a sham marriage that Lekman couldn’t go through because he knew he wouldn’t be able to help himself from writing about it. It that kind of the auto-biographical inspiration that makes his music such a rewarding listen.
[“I Know What Love Isn’t” – I Know What Love Isn’t]
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David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant
The collaboration between David Byrne and St Vincent is a partnership that just makes sense. The two share eccentric song writing techniques but do enough different to be able to compliment each other in a way that the songs will sound natural in their production while still feeling like something new. Love This Giant succeeds in doing just that. The poppy funkiness of Byrne meshes quite well with St Vincent’s patented anxiousness creating an album of weird but inviting songs that while predictable in their execution are no less inspired and enjoyable.
[“Who” – Love This Giant]
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Cat Power – Sun
Chan Marshall’s first album since 2006’s fantastic The Greatest sees the artist infuse electronic influences in some of the most confident music of her career. Self-recorded, Sun may be best remembered more for bankrupting Marshall, rather than the 11 pop gems strewn throughout. It’s a beautifully produced album showcasing just enough of Marshall’s quirks (the squawk of an eagle on “Cherokee” is one of the highlights) while remaining fully in control of her craft. It all comes together in the 10 minute track “Nothin’ But time”, an epic, uplifting, David Bowie tinged (and Iggy Pop featuring) masterpiece which will go down as one of the finest songs of her career.
[“Nothin’ But Time” – Sun]
Dishonorable Mentions:
The past few years, I’ve struggled calling the albums I place here dishonorable mentions, as calling them bad was kind of harsh. This year, however, I have no qualms calling these three albums Dishonorable mentions with a capital D.
Best Coast – The Only Place
In 2010, Best Coast released their debut album featuring lo-fi beach pop, filled with catchy melodies which helped it garner an honorable mention from me. The issue with Best Coast has always been Bethany Cosentino’s juvenile lyrics but the music had just enough charm that it was easy to give them a pass. However, on The Only Place, Cosentino has decided to polish her sound and change gears into a more alt-country vibe in the vein of Neko Case or Jenny Lewis. Problem is, she has no where near the songwriting chops of her peers (or the pipes) to make this type of music interesting at all. And with that, her horrid lyrics come to the forefront, no longer shielded by good tunes. The Only Place is a rather large miscalculation and one that I don’t really even care if she recovers from.
[“The Only Place” – The Only Place]
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Band of Horses – Mirage Rock
When Band of Horses first broke onto the scene in 2006 with their stunning debut Everything All The Time, Ben Bridwell and company were a Seattle based band with southern roots. This allowed for an intriguing sound which fused northwest indie-rock with southern rock all the while transcending both genres. Prior to recording the band’s second album, the very good Cease to Begin, Bridwell relocated the group to South Carolina and the southern rock influences started to take over. The band’s lineup changed (Bridwell is the only remaining original member), and in 2010 the group released Infinite Arms which signaled a shift to easy listening southern rock. Its follow up, Mirage Rock, is the culmination of the post-Everything All The time efforts. It does not work. At. All. This music is so bland, inconsequential and unmemorable that it leaves absolutely no lasting mark on the listener, unless you count “Dumpster World” which is one of the worst songs I heard all year. The quality of music has diminished with every release of Band of Horses, and now that this is essentially Bridwell’s middling southern rock band, I don’t see it getting any better. For the record, of the 71 albums I got this year, this one ranked dead last on my list.
[“Knock Knock” – Mirage Rock]
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Mumford & Sons – Babel
When Mumford & Sons released their debut album Sigh No More in 2010, I voiced concerns over songs that I felt were formulaic and inauthentic. It wasn’t enough to completely turn me off to the group, but it was enough to raise some red flags. However, on their follow up album Babel, the band doubled down on everything that made Sigh No More worrisome, thus validating all of my concerns. The songs remain generic in their structure, and there is a faux-earnesty that I just can’t shake when listening to the tunes. Strumming harder and singing louder in the midst of a hoedown isn’t the only way to convey passion and when you do it on practically EVERY SINGLE SONG it loses all meaning and displays a forced emotion that comes across fake and insincere.
One of my least favorite parts of Sigh No More comes in “Little Lion Man” when Mumford self-righteously moans “I really fucked it up this time” as if admitting what an asshole he is deserves a pat on the back and admonishes him of all guilt. So when we come to “Broken Crown” on Babel, and Mumford declares “I took the road and I fucked it all away”, I can’t help but let out an eye roll Liz Lemon would be proud of. It’s disingenuous and just plain pandering to a fanbase he knows will eat this shit up. And pandering is possibly the best way to describe Babel. The band tested many of these songs in their shows, all coming on the heels of stating they were going a different direction with their music on this follow up album. But, of course, the success of Sigh No More wouldn’t allow such a thing, and so we’re left with an album full of the same indulgent drivel that not only fails on its own merits, but also retroactively makes their debut an increasingly grating listen.
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Let’s get things started with my Honorable Mentions for 2011. These are not necessarily the next highest ranked albums after my Top 25, but rather just some albums that I wanted to give extra attention to for one reason or another.
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Feist – Metals
In 2007, Feist broke out in grand fashion with her fantastic album The Reminder (with a little assist from Apple), and while Metals isn’t quite as immediate as its predecessor, it may actually be a more cohesive and complete album. You won’t find a “1234” on this release, but what you will find is a gorgeous set of songs, beautifully produced, that on repeated listens could very well be more fulfilling than anything in the Leslie Feist catalog.
[“The Bad In Each Other” – Metals]
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My Morning Jacket – Circuital
This is the kind of album My Morning Jacket needed to make after the disaster that was Evil Urges. (Now, let’s never speak of it again.) Jim James and crew got whatever the hell that was out of their system and returned to what they do best. It still doesn’t reach the heights of their best work, most notably 2005’s Z, but I really don’t expect them to ever get to that level again. Instead, we have an album full expansive southern rock tunes with just a hint of their psychedelic tendencies…just like we want them.
Quite possibly the year’s hipster darling, James Blake released his debut album in 2011 to a great deal of buzz thanks to his very well received EP’s of 2010. A full album of Blake’s dubstep tunes is quite a lot to take in, but if you’re willing to take an hour with some headphones in, it’s easy to see the ability of this 23 year old Brit. The best description I’ve heard of Blake’s style, and one I like to pass on, is that of a Dubstep version of Bon Iver. He creates some incredibly sparse tunes, that somehow have so much depth beneath the surface. His version of bedroom pop is a divisive one among music lovers, but it’s hard to deny his inventiveness as you listen to his tunes, including a pretty excellent Feist cover.
Much like the My Morning Jacket release, what I’m really praising here is a return to form. It’s not that I’ve hated Wilco’s last few albums, they’ve just been quite boring and pretty great examples of a band mailing it in. However, The Whole Love is Wilco’s finest release since 2005’s A Ghost Is Born, which is not something I was expecting…at all. They seem to be rejuvenated a bit here, offering more of the experimentation that made their early albums so intriguing. A more adventurous Wilco is a more interesting Wilco, and we are all the better for it.
[“Art of Almost” – The Whole Love]
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The Felice Brothers – Celebration, Florida
I have to give a shout out to some of my personal favorites, The Felice Brothers, by mentioning just how impressed I was with the direction the group went with their latest album Celebration, Florida. These guys were poised to benefit from the recent success of The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons, which I was quite ready for since I believe The Felice Brothers have been creating much more interesting folk music than their peers (especially Mumford), so it was quite a shock to see them depart from their folk roots and experiment with a more electronic dancehall sound. It doesn’t always work, as their ambitions do get the best of them at times, but I’ll be damned if I don’t respect the hell out the effort.
[“Ponzi” – Celebration, Florida]
Dishonorable Mentions
In the last few years, I haven’t really had a need for this category, and this year is no different really, but it’s a tradition so I’ll put something here anyway. Calling these Dishonorable Mentions is pretty harsh as they’re really not that bad. However, I don’t envision it to be quite as controversial as last year.
The Strokes – Angles
This certainly isn’t a bad album. It’s just one that was completely unnecessary. The Strokes released an amazing album in 2001 that ushered in an era of garage band Rock ‘n Roll, then followed it up with basically a carbon copy, and fizzled out with an uninspired third album. For some reason, they thought we really needed them to reunite. I suppose Angles is a bit better than it’s predecessor, but who really cares? It’s evident they don’t. Just call it a day, guys.
[“Under The Cover of Darkness” – Angles]
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Tapes ‘n Tapes – Outside
I present these guys as a great example of the hype machine getting a little bit out of control (see also, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). When Tapes ‘n Tapes released their debut album in 2005 it was for some reason a critical success. I liked it alright, but found it a bit overrated. Their follow up album in 2008 pretty much vindicated my concerns by getting slammed critically and being labeled as a sophomore slump. (Personally, I thought it was on the same level of their debut…but whatever.) Well, with Outside, they’ve done nothing to really disprove that they were a mediocre band all along that for some reason found undeserving success on the internet blogosphere.
First up is my honorable mentions that couldn’t quite crack my top 25. These are not necessarily the next highest ranked albums after 25th. I just felt like these albums deserved a mention for one reason or another, but had yet to be mentioned previously in a post.
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Free Energy – Stuck on Nothing
Free Energy’s brand of power pop is incredibly infectious and there’s plenty to love in the debut album from the Philadelphia 5-piece. Produced by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), Stuck on Nothing shows a great knack for songwriting, featuring some super catchy hooks gleaming with confidence. Free Energy isn’t going to change rock ‘n roll, but Murphy sure saw enough in them to sign them to his DFA record label, because sometimes just creating some super fun music in traditional ways is all you need, especially when it’s done this well.
[“Free Energy” – Stuck on Nothing]
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Delorean – Subiza
Delorean is the kind of band that I have grown to appreciate in the last few years. The Spanish quartet is a dance-rock band which is a genre that I used to have no interest in. However, this isn’t your typical dance music, and it’s not something you’ll be clubbing to, but they’re version of electro-pop reminds me of a mix of Passion Pit and M83, with a little bit of Animal Collective thrown in. Subiza is their 3rd full-length album, probably their best, and includes one of the finest songs of 2010 in “Real Love”.
[“Real Love” – Subiza]
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Best Coast – Crazy for You
Crazy for You is the highly anticipated debut album from the Los Angeles trio founded by Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno, and while I don’t rate this nearly as high as others, that doesn’t mean I don’t find it enjoyable. Best Coast writes lo-fi beach rock music full of catchy little melodies crammed into 2 and a half minutes or so. Crazy for You flies by at just over half an hour, and while my main criticism is the lyrics that seem like they come from the diary of a 12 year old, I do have to give Cosentino some credit for the brutal honesty she exudes in her songs.
[“When I’m With You” – Crazy for You]
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Wild Nothing – Gemini
One of the more under the radar releases this year is the excellent debut album from Jack Tatum, aka Wild Nothing. The Blacksburg, Virginia artist is another lo-fi shoegazing type band much like last year’s indie darlings The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Wild Nothing continues in that C86 style and Gemini features some very well written pop songs especially the excellent “Chinatown” which is one of the songs of the year and shows the talent and potential of Tatum.
[“Chinatown” – Gemini]
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Dishonorable Mentions:
I really can’t come up with too many albums to put here this year, which is a very good thing. That’s not to say there weren’t albums I didn’t like, but for the most part I enjoyed a little bit of every album I got this year. And while there were some disappointments, I just don’t think they deserve to fall in this category. So, what I’m going to do is feature one album that I will call a dishonorable mention, and then do a little write up on another album that you won’t see on my countdown which I’m sure will make some people angry, but I felt the need to explain myself.
The Whigs – In the Dark
The year’s lone dishonorable mention comes from the Athens based rockers The Whigs. It’s not like I was expecting a whole lot from this album, but I did enjoy their 2008 debut, Mission Control, so I was at least looking forward to hearing some more of their southern rock brand. But man, they just plain dropped the ball on this one, creating some uninteresting generic tunes, completely lacking inspiration. Even when some of the songs could work, the production is just dreadful. And I mean dreadful. The title track is the best song and really the only one that I could see fitting on Mission Control, but it’s not enough to save this mess. The sophomore slump strikes again.
So let me start by saying this is not a dishonorable mention. This is an album that ended up ranking in my top 50, and that I did enjoy listening to. However, as much ridiculous hype as this album got, I figured some people might wonder why it wasn’t going to show up in my countdown, so I wanted to give a quick little blurb sharing my thoughts. There’s no denying the talent of this group, especially for a debut album, and often the lyrics do convey a great deal of passion (although, after a while it starts to come across as just plain whining and wears me down. And there are a few lines that irk me, like a lot). The harmonies and ho-downs (or fauxdowns) are enjoyable, but when you do them on EVERY SINGLE TRACK with pretty much the same formula, it can be a bit much and border on self-indulgence. Now, as a fan of indie rock, I’m pretty good at looking the other way regarding self-indulgence, but sometimes, and it’s just hard to ignore the pretentiousness…and that’s the feeling I get with this album. The formula most of these tracks follow (slow acoustic start, building to the fauxdown) is actually quite generic, but my God, do people eat it up. Mumford & Sons take a lot from their influences, which I don’t have a problem with, but I just hate that the bands that pop in my head when listening to M&S have never gotten the same kind of love that these guys have garnered, despite the fact that I think they’re writing much more interesting music. Oh well.
So that’s just the music…I won’t even go too in depth of just how much I question this groups authenticity. I mean we’re talking about 4 guys from the super rich London suburbs, who for some reason decided to play American bluegrass folk. Far be it for me to question the type of music a band wants to play, but when you’ve already stated that your next album could go a completely new direction, I just can’t help but wonder where this is coming from. Can you imagine a band like Brooklyn’s Vampire Weekend (also known for their rich, educated, and preppy upbringing) deciding to play bluegrass music? (And trust me, they could if they wanted.) Absolutely not…it’d be a joke. They have embraced their “preppyness” in their tunes and while their music is certainly that type of corporate indie rock, I give them a pass, because I find it much more genuine.
So there you go. Once again, I don’t think this is a bad album whatsoever, but I also don’t think it deserves nearly the amount of hype it’s getting. There’s soooo much great music out there, and the fact that something like this is what people eat up, just bothers the hell out of me. The Pitchfork review was way too harsh and unfair at times, and frankly, reviews like that is why people despise Pitchfork, but there are certainly parts of it I agree with. The great reviews, on the otherhand, I think are also way off base. This album needs to fall somewhere in between, but if Sigh No More is how people get their jollies, then so be it.
Before we get into the countdown, I wanted to mention a few albums that just missed out on the top 25. These are not necessarily the next highest ranked albums after 25th. These are just a few of the albums that I have yet to cover on the blog that couldn’t quite crack the top 25, but I felt like needed mentioning for whatever reason.
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The Thermals – Now We Can See
Following up their landmark album The Body, the Blood, the Machine, the Portland trio return with another pop punk album full of guitar driven hooks. While Now We Can See doesn’t quite have the politically-charged themes as their previous effort, the lyrics are still some of the best in the business from one of the best songwriters in the game. There was a great deal of anticipation for this album following the critical acclaim of TBTBTM, and while this album isn’t nearly as epic, it is an excellent follow up overflowing with catchy melodies and some great sing along tunes.
[“Now We Can See” – Now We Can See]
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Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Elvis Perkins in Dearland
After initially being disappointed with this release, I did eventually come around to appreciate it. This is the follow up to Perkins’ cathartic debut Ash Wednesday, one of my favorites in 2007, and it is much more ambitious than his previous effort this time employing a multi-instrumental backing band that adds a little bit more pomp to his tunes. My first reaction to the album was that some of the emotion was sacrificed, but considering the subject matter of Ash Wednesday, I think that was a little hard to re-create. This release shows Perkins maturation as a songwriter and songs like “Shampoo” and “Doomdsay” are a couple of the year’s best. (“Shampoo” was featured on my mid-year Round of Sound here.)
Initially self-released in 2008, Nonesuch Records picked up Oh My God, Charlie Darwin and re-released it this year maybe trying to pull their own For Emma, Forever Agosuccess story. However, while this album can’t quite match the brilliance of Bon Iver, it does pack some immensely beautiful and intimate folk tunes that serve as a lovely listen. This is the 2nd full-length release from the Rhode Island trio and if anything it sets them up for much greater success in the future.
[“Charlie Darwin” – Oh My God, Charlie Darwin]
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Islands – Vapours
The third album from the ex-Unicorns members is a return to form to their gloriously quirky debut Return to the Sea. Founding member Jamie Thompson departed after that release and follow up Arm’s Way was a much darker album and while still enjoyable, it was a disappointment. However, Thompson returned for Vapours and while everything on Return to Sea hasn’t been recaptured, Vapours is the kind of album these guys should be putting out. This is one of those albums where there really isn’t a standout track, but that’s due to the abundance of consistently good songs on the album as a whole.
[“Switched On” – Vapours]
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Girls – Album
With what has to be one of the least Google-able band names and album titles ever, the San Francisco duo of Girls introduced themselves to the masses with a debut album thats sure to garner some sort of gut reaction due to the incredibly earnest lyrics. Frontman Christopher Owens has an interesting backstory having grown up in the Children of God cult and his world view was obviously molded from his traumatic upbringing. It’s a fascinating and refreshing release of pop songs with a variety of influences.
Now for some albums, that for lack of a better term, I can only call my Dishonorable mentions. These are some of my lower rated albums of the year (but by no means my lowest rated…these all fall in the lower half of my rankings). Now, since I am usually only going to buy albums that I have some sort of interest in, I can’t say these are bad albums. For the most part these are just releases that disappointed me in some way that deserve a mention. And just like my honorable mentions, I’m only featuring albums that I haven’t previously done a write-up on here on the blog.
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Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
I honestly don’t know why I was expecting so much out of this album. Oh wait, I know…it’s because it features M. Ward, Jim James, and Conor Oberst! However, “supergroup” albums are frequently disappointing and this one is no different. It’s just uninspired, way too long, boring and not enough Jim James (and too much Oberst).
This is an example of one of those albums that is by no means a bad release, it’s just that I miss what Wilco used to be. They have completely evolved into an adult oriented rock band and while the music isn’t bad, it is quite boring. I was hoping Sky Blue Sky was just an aberration, but Wilco (The Album), while better, did nothing to excite me. Maybe I’ll like it more when I’m 40.
[“You and I” – Wilco (The Album)]
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Muse – Resistance
Now this one is hard on me. I like Muse, I really do. Their debut album, Showbiz, was a very important album for me and my musical evolution. But ever since then (except for Origin of Symmetry), they have been on a slippery slope of becoming caricatures of themselves. Well, Resistance pretty much completes that downfall. It’s one of the most self-indulgent, overtly pretentious albums I have heard in quite some time. And this is coming from a fan of indie-rock…I hear plenty of pretentious music.
[“Uprising” – Resistance]
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Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Summer of Fear
I loved loved loved MBAR’s self titled debut album released in 2008 (I even mentioned it in my first ever AROS post), which is why I am so disappointed in this absolute mess of an album, Summer of Fear. A few of the songs are keepers, but even those can be grating to listen to. MBAR’s ambitions got the best of him here, and it doesn’t work out well at all. The lyrics are awful, and the music is disjointed and just plain hard to listen to.
On the heels of 2014’s Northtown EP, Ratchet was one of the year’s most anticipated debut albums, as Shamir Bailey’s genre bending version of dance-pop stood out as something new and weird and impossible to classify. The Las Vegas native’s countertenor voice is easily the most striking thing you first notice, full of vulnerability in sound and lyrics, while the songs are relentlessly catchy in all their glitchy glory.
Only two albums in and Sadie Dupuis has already established herself as one of the go-to voices in the recent uptick of female empowerment dialogue found in today’s indie music scene. Dupuis scathing lyrics are on full display on the excellent Foil Dear, and musically the aggressive rock tunes serve as a perfect backdrop for all the angst Dupuis seems to have bottled up.
At 10 songs and just 26 minutes, Beach Slang’s debut album provides a non-stop barrage of anthemic punk rock songs Japandroids would be proud of. This quartet from Philadelphia (which, by the way, is on fire right now) seems to have no shortage of hooks and fist-pumping sing along jams announcing Beach Slang as one of 2015’s breakout acts.
The best 90’s grunge record of 2015 comes courtesy Mackenzie Scott and her second album as Torres. Following up her self-titled debut, Sprinter was one of my more highly anticipated releases of 2015, and the Nashville rocker didn’t disappoint with a powerfully dense album showcasing her passionate songwriting akin to a heavier rock version of Sharon Van Etten.
The second album from the Virginia Beach quartet often classified as pop-punk is so much more than that unfortunate designation. Sure, these guys recently opened for New Found Glory, but Turnover elicits an indie-rock version of pop-punk more in line with the emo stylings of The Appleseed Cast fused with the dream-pop of Real Estate. Peripheral Vision is a pleasant and infectious collection of 11 songs that does well to break away from its peers.
Let’s call this my most underrated album that didn’t finish in my top 25, because my actual most underrated album probably a good bit higher. While this is certainly a step down from the 80’s tinged Confess, I still find enough enjoyable with Eclipse that I don’t see it as quite the disaster many critics seem to think it is. Twin shadow has always been cheesy, melodramatic, and over the top and Eclipse is just taking that to the mainstream and modern arena-pop levels.
Likewise, my actual biggest surprise is probably up in my top 25 somewhere, so I’ll call this my biggest surprise that didn’t make my top 25. Surprising for not only its out of nowhere (and free!) release, Star Wars also happens to be the best Wilco album since 2004’s A Ghost Is Born. Jeff Tweedy seems rejuvenated on these 11 songs, and the short 33-minute run time allows the group to cut the fat that has marred their last few albums.
File this one under disappointing and bad. Though to be fair, my expectations weren’t super high for this album considering it’s rare for a band to come back at the top of their game after a 17 year layoff (although Faith No More seemed to handle it pretty well), but Freedom failed to meet even those paltry expectations by delivering an album of watered down stadium rock. Following up a classic like The Shape of Punk To Come was never going to be an easy task, but reuniting to release an album that seems to have no direction and full of fake conviction doesn’t necessarily tarnish the legacy of the Swedish band, but does raise the question of what was so important that they couldn’t just remain dead.
I get why this album was a critical darling: it’s a debut album full of stripped down emotionally raw folk/punk songs from a duo whose 2014 EP gave them a little bit of hype. And it’s a fine album, but it’s essentially Kimya Dawson, which outside the quirkiness of a cute indie movie comes across more irritating than charming.
Another return from a Scandinavian band, this one from Denmark’s Mew with their first album since 2009’s No More Stores…. Mew’s prior albums had a great sense of majesty that for whatever reason just didn’t connect with time this time. I’m not sure if that’s a Mew problem or a Me problem, but the spark seems be missing from +- which causes it to sound a little more phoned-in and lacking the inspiration of their previous two releases.
Posted by Hawkins 
By far the best example of how Midwestern Emo isn’t really a regional identifier comes from British band Crash of Rhinos. The Derby, UK five-piece has created a very American sounding album touching on the more abrasive side of the genre; think Fugazi or Braid. If there’s an example among these revivalist of the emotional hardcore aspect of emo that actually spawned the genre, Knots is it. It’s more on the screamo side of the genre, but more Thursday than Touché Amoré (who released an excellent album this year, but can’t quite be called emo). For longtime fans of emo, this may actually be the most nostalgic listening experience, but should be enjoyable enough for those with no preexisting knowledge of the genre.
A Round of Sound 
