B&C's 2015 Albums of the Year AKA The One Time A Year Peef Uses Math

[gump]

So, is the Jim O'Rourke album good? It's not available for streaming, and it's pretty expensive. Just wondering whether to order it.

 

[iron yuppie]

Carrie & Lowell got fucking dudded by the fork

That placement wasn't bad - I was expecting #40 or something based on the phrasing of your post.

There is no possible universe, though, where that Jamie XX album is better than Carrie & Lowell.

 

[Mack_Again]

Sorry to interrupt, but am i the only one who still hasn't gotten the appeal of To Pimp A Butterfly?

 

[iron yuppie]

I will be curious to see how this poll turns out - I'd be surprised if it didn't come down to Kendrick and Sufjan. I think there is merit to the argument that Kendrick right now is capturing a certain Afro-centric, disaffected zeitgeist in a way that no one else in music is, but for me Carrie & Lowell is the stronger of the two because of how nakedly honest it is. It's beautiful but also unsettling, like you're spying on someone you greatly respect but still can't look away. It's a very brave album in that sense.

Whereas I think the response of a lot of us indie-types to Kendrick was to nod our heads in polite agreement concerning his politics, which is almost exactly what the Pitchfork capsule did as well. I feel like Kendrick maybe was trying to be incendiary but actually was expressing a lot of sentiment that people who read the New York Times were already aware of and in agreement with. I don't know.

 

[Mack_Again]

Nobody mentioning Failure's comeback album? oh come on, that one was really good.

 

[LemonMelon]

So, is the Jim O'Rourke album good? It's not available for streaming, and it's pretty expensive. Just wondering whether to order it.

100% yes. It holds strong appeal for me as a fan of folk, as well as jazz/rock fusion.

There is no possible universe, though, where that Jamie XX album is better than Carrie & Lowell.

^^^^^^

Carrie & Lowell is the stronger of the two because of how nakedly honest it is. It's beautiful but also unsettling, like you're spying on someone you greatly respect but still can't look away. It's a very brave album in that sense.

I actively dislike the characterization of TPAB as a soulless political screed with no personal revelation, because what has led it to connect with me so closely despite racial boundaries are the very startling glimpses of Kendrick as he really is today; successful but still haunted by depression and self-doubt. It absolutely is a naked, vulnerable album. More so than any he's ever made.



I know your secrets nigga
Mood swings is frequent nigga
I know depression is restin' on your heart for two reasons nigga
I know you and a couple block boys ain't been speakin' nigga
Y'all damn near beefin', I seen it and your the reason nigga
And if this bottle could talk...
I cry myself to sleep
Bitch everything is your fault
Faults breakin' to pieces, earthquakes on every weekend
Because you shook as soon as you knew confinement was needed
I know your secrets
Don't let me tell them to the world about that shit you thinkin'
And that time you...
I'm bout to hurl
I'm fucked up, but I'm not as fucked up as you
You just can't get right, I think your heart made of bullet proof
Shoulda killed yo ass a long time ago
You shoulda filled that black revolver blast a long time ago
And if those mirrors could talk it would say "you gotta go"
And if I told your secrets
The world'll know money can't stop a suicidal weakness



I met a little boy that resembled my features
Nappy afro, gap in his smile
Hand me down sneakers bounced through the crowd
Run a number on man and woman that crossed him
Sun beamin' on his beady beads exhausted
Tossin' footballs with his ashy black ankles
Breakin' new laws, mama passed on home trainin'
He looked at me and said, "Kendrick you do know my language
You just forgot because of what public schools had painted
Oh, I forgot, 'Don't Kill My Vibe', that's right, you're famous
I used to watch on Channel 5, TV was taken
But never mind you're here right now don't you mistake it
It's just a new trip, take a glimpse at your family's ancestor
Make a new list, of everything you thought was progress
And that was bullshit, I mean your life is full of turmoil
Spoiled by fantasies of who you are, I feel bad for you
I can attempt to enlighten you without frightenin' you
If you resist, I'll back off quick, go catch a flight or two
But if you pick destiny over rest in peace then be an advocate
Tell your homies especially to come back home"




Everybody lookin' at you crazy
What you gon' do?
Lift up your head and keep moving
Or let the paranoia haunt you?
Peace to fashion police, I wear my heart
On my sleeve, let the runway start
You know the miserable do love company
What do you want from me and my scars?
Everybody lack confidence, everybody lack confidence
How many times my potential was anonymous?
How many times the city making me promises?
So I promise this

I love myself
The world is a ghetto with big guns and picket signs
I love myself
But it can do what it want whenever it want, I don't mind
I love myself
He said I gotta get up, life is more than suicide
I love myself
One day at a time

 

[iron yuppie]

I actively dislike the characterization of TPAB as a soulless political screed with no personal revelation

Not sure if this directed at me, but "soulless" is one of the last terms I would use to describe TPAB. It is brimming with life despite the harrowing subject matter.

IMO the feeling of the record, though, is incredibly expansive and very much feels like a big political statement. There's nothing wrong with that at all. I would just argue that the reflective moments are still about wider issues of African-American identity and what it means to associate oneself in that way despite having escaped a lot of the related economic problems.

 

[LemonMelon]

Not sure if this directed at me, but "soulless" is one of the last terms I would use to describe TPAB. It is brimming with life despite the harrowing subject matter.

IMO the feeling of the record, though, is incredibly expansive and very much feels like a big political statement. There's nothing wrong with that at all. I would just argue that the reflective moments are still about wider issues of African-American identity and what it means to associate oneself in that way despite having escaped a lot of the related economic problems.

No, no. Not addressed at you at all. It's just the go-to mode of dismissing the album at this point and is unfortunately being highlighted over many of the album's more relatable aspects by Pitchfork and, inevitably, the Grammys.

 

[lazarus]

I appreciate both the lyrics and the passion behind Kendrick's album. But as with the last album, I'm not a huge fan of his voice/delivery. Not a deal-breaker, by any means, but it prevents me from propelling it higher on my list.

Anyway, I should get this over with:

1. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear 15 pts
2. Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool 14 pts
3. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion 12 pts
4. Jamie xx - In Colour 9 pts
5. New Order -Music Complete 7 pts
6. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To Love 7 pts
7. Songhoy Blues - Music In Exile 7 pts
8. Grimes - Art Crimes 6 pts
9. Veruca Salt - Ghost Notes 6 pts
10. Blur - The Magic Whip 4 pts
11. Kamasi Washington - The Epic 4 pts
12. My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall 4 pts
13. Peaches - Rub 3 pts
14. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly 1 pt
15. Madonna - Rebel Heart 1 pt

 

[BoMac]

8. Grimes - Art Crimes 6 pts

What?

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Good list, laz.

 

[LemonMelon]

Oh, right. Lists. I have one of those.

1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (15)
2. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell (12)
3. Viet Cong - Viet Cong (11)
4. Susanne Sundfør - Ten Love Songs (11)
5. Julia Holter - Have You in My Wilderness (9)
6. Kamasi Washington - The Epic (8)
7. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier (7)
8. Beach House - Depression Cherry (5)
9. Royal Headache - High (5)
10. Tame Impala - Currents (4)
11. The Apartments - No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal (4)
12. Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color (3)
13. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion (3)
14. Torres - Sprinter (2)
15. Pinkshinyultrablast - Everything Else Matters (1)

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Nice list, lemel.

 

[Mack_Again]

should I be ashamed by the fact that I probably only listened to couple of albums that came out this year? like i cant even clearly count.

 

[nielsgov]

15. Pinkshinyultrablast - Everything Else Matters (1)

I'm glad you included this one. It'll be even higher on my list. It's one of the overlooked albums of the year.

 

[LemonMelon]

Nice list, lemel.

Thank you, GAF. If you had a list, I'm positive it would be good as well.

should I be ashamed by the fact that I probably only listened to couple of albums that came out this year? like i cant even clearly count.

Yes.

Go find $10 somewhere, give it to Spotify, listen to a whole bunch of albums and report back.

 

[DaveC]

I actively dislike the characterization of TPAB as a soulless political screed with no personal revelation, because what has led it to connect with me so closely despite racial boundaries are the very startling glimpses of Kendrick as he really is today; successful but still haunted by depression and self-doubt. It absolutely is a naked, vulnerable album. More so than any he's ever made.

Well said

 

[lazarus]

Forgot about Tame Impala. Oh well, it would have been near the bottom anyway.

And I mixed up the name of Grimes' album, too late to edit.

I STAND BY MY LIST

 

[gump]

B&C's 2015 Albums of the Year AKA The One Time A Year Peef Uses Math

Surely Art Crime is Win Butler's version of Knife Crime.

 

[Mack_Again]

Baroness' album is gonna come out soon (or at least some tracks are streamed online).

 

[BigMacPhisto]

1. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness (15)
2. Lady Lamb The Beekeeper - After
3. Waxahatchee - Ivy Tripp (15)
4. Tame Impala - Currents (15)
5. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear (15)
6. Sharon Van Etten - I Don't Want To Let You Down EP
7. Hop Along - Painted Shut
8. Holly Herndon - Platform
9. Jlin - Dark Energy


That was everything I gave more than an 80/100 to on AlbumOfTheYear.org, virtually all of them fronted by women...it hardly scratches the surface of what I loved this year including a lot of tape label stuff.


I'm also giving points to these that have already received votes:

Royal Headache - High (15)
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell (10)

That brings me to 85 points. I'm going to give 15 points to that Purity Ring album, Another Eternity, because I know people around here will vote for it and it will make our final list unique. Plus, it was way underrated.

 

[gump]

Best Albums

1. Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell (14)
2. Grimes: Art Angels (14)
3. Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (11)
4. Chvrches: Every Open Eye (11)
5. Tame Impala: Currents (10)
6. Natalie Prass: Natalie Prass (9)
7. Wolf Alice: My Love Is Cool (7)
8. Julia Holter: Have You In My Wilderness (6)
9. Speedy Ortiz: Foil Deer (5)
10. Joan Shelley: Over and Even (4)
11. Destroyer: Poison Season (4)
12. Sleater-Kinney: No Cities To Love (2)
13. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly (1)
14. Kamasi Washington: The Epic (1)
15. Waxahatchee: Ivy Tripp (1)

Honorable mentions:

Deerhunter: Fading Frontier
Beach House: Depression Cherry
Torres: Sprinter
Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear
Julien Baker: Sprained Ankle


Favorite songs of the year:

1. Grimes: "Flesh without Blood"
2. Courtney Barnett: "Depreston"
3. Wolf Alice: "Bros"
4. Tame Impala: “Let It Happen”
5. Wilco: “Your Satellite”
6. Father John Misty: “True Affection”
7. Chvrches: "Clearest Blue"
8. Panda Bear: "Mr Noah"
9. The Weeknd: “Can’t Feel My Face”
10. Jamie XX: “Loud Places”
11. Purity Ring: “flood on the floor”
12. Sufjan Stevens: "Should Have Known Better"
13. Destroyer: "Times Square"
14. Best Coast: "California Nights"
15. Sleater-Kinney: “A New Wave”
16. Torres: “Strange Hellos”
17. Hop Along: “Happy to See Me”
18. Sharon Van Etten - I Don’t Want to Let You Down
19. Passion Pit: “Lifted Up (1985)”
20. Belle & Sebastian: “The Party Song”

Best live shows:

Sufjan Stevens - May 1st, 2015
Blur - October 23rd, 2015
D’Angelo and the Vanguard - June 21st, 2015
Okkervil River - November 22nd, 2015
U2 - July 19th, 2015

Best live moments:

 

[iron yuppie]

Lots of lists coming in. I am going to be a bit as I want to write something as well. How long are we keeping this open?

 

[gump]

I just noticed that 10 out of my top 15 albums have women as lead singers. Pretty happy about that.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

The official song of the year:

 

[Mack_Again]

weirdly I'm very much attracted to them.

 

[DaveC]

I'd like to make a list, iyup. Can we leave this open until the end of the weekend to give me time to do some focused listening?

 

[iron yuppie]

The thread is usually open until well into January. I imagine it will be the same here.

 

[DaveC]

Oh fuck, loads of time then.

Belay last, out.

 

[Mack_Again]

Im gonna say some that I liked (w/out particular order)

A Heart Is A Monster — Failure
Tame Impala — Current (not much listen I gave, but i can see it's fun album)
Baroness — Purple (come on, this one's gonna be huge)
Torche — Restarter
Fuzz — II
Wilco — Star Wars (not the best, but i liked it)
Carly Rae Jepsen — Emotion (there, I said it)
To Pimp A Butterfly (not my cup of tea, but I understand why people think it's good)

Sorry, my taste isn't really congruent to you guys'