My Top 10, 2015 Albums

Here we go!!

10)  Elvyn (Valley Of The Kilowatt Hour)

A very CSN&Y like sound guarantees you will instantly like this band. Each song is a hit in my books. Here is one of my favourite “AM” (if you dont have Google Play then hopefully they will let you sample) :

Elvyn – AM

 

9) Sufijan Stevens (Carrie and Lowell)

What a sad, sad album. His pain on his relationship with  his mother just sprinkled all over. The, mostly, first person account of this very intimate album is difficultl to go through but it is very rewarding. This song showcases the album very nicely “John, My Beloved”

 

8) Ryley Walker (Primrose Green)

Van Morrison is back!! In the form of Ryley Walker. Some albums just walk into your life without you paying much attention to it and then later you listen and wonder why you did not welcome it with open arms.

The guitar work is astounding on this album. He proved it again by releasing an instrumental album with Bill MacKay.

Here is a the title track from Primrose Green :

7) Torres  (Sprinter)

Another album that is very intimate on my top 10. Her voice ranges from the soft and sweet to vicious and full of rage. Beautiful album! Here is the most powerful of the songs from the album ” Strange Hellos”

6) Public Service Broadcasting (The Race For Space)

Excellent concept album from the British duo. One of the few albums that I switched on and did not stop until the album ended. The album essentially details the race for space from Sputnik to the landing on the moon. I love this album because growing up, the space race to an Indian kid with zero outlets, was just fascinating.

Here is a song about one of my heroes Yuri Gagarin.

5) Thee Oh Sees (Mutilator Defeated At Last)

Have always loved this band and have taken their eclectic and dissonance and their inexplicable sounds in stride. However, this new album took me by surprise. Tight, excellent production value and loud! Loved it!

4) Faith Healer (Cosmic Troubles)

The first thing I really liked about the album was the way the vocals remind me of a lazy river. Soft, luscious and faint ripples in pitch here are there. The music and the production on this album are spot on. My favourite song is Cannonised but let’s play “No Car”, the hit.

3) Coutney Barnett

Man, this woman will never able t live down this album. What a debut! Courtney is the female version of Lou Reed, albeit a funnier version. I was hooked from “Pedestrian At Best”. However, that song has been played to death, so lets listen to “Dead Fox”

2) Girl Pool (Before The World Was Big)

What can two really young girls with only a guitar and bass create? An absurd sound that means nothing? Nope. Sublime music that clearly states to the world that they are two young women and on the precipice of adulthood. It’s right there in the title of the album. A really short album (22 minutes) but a powerful one. I keep telling my daughter that I hope that she grows to have such a sound. She ignored my plea, she is still into Taylor Swift. This Tiny Desk Concert of Girlpool is really good. Give it a listen.

1) Waxahatchee (Ivy Tripp)

The first time I heard this album I knew it would be one that I would be going back to again and again. This album has everything, emotions, intensity, soundscapes that range from soft to jangle to hard. The album seems to represent her stance and her emotions in the face of an unknown future. My favourite album of the year. Well done Waxahatchee.