Top 15 Albums of 2015 (Part 1)
In alphabetical order, because ranking is hard.
This was one of the first albums released this year, but it has managed to hold up well over the past six months. The sheer power and energy of early tracks like “Heavenly” and “Your Sweetness” are offset by the beauty and vulnerability of deeper cuts like “Pure” and “Long Hair.” This all comes full circle as the band lets loose on the closing title track, and the result is a well-rounded, dynamic album full of alt-rock/indie jams with some of the most earnest vocals you’ll hear all year.
Listen: “Heavenly”
I’d love to be able to pick a more obscure album as my favorite from the first half of the year, but I’m afraid I may have to agree with all the critics on this one. This album is incredible. Barnett has a style all her own and writes the best lyrics of anyone around. Her wordplay is beyond clever and her delivery is unique and charming. Each song is distinct from one another and great for its own reasons. This album will make you rock out one minute, laugh the next, and then make you sit and think (or maybe just sit). Barnett might rush through a quick story about a day at the local pool, but she’s also not afraid to take her time and dwell on the meaning of a dead seal washed up on the shore. This album truly gets better with every listen and you’ll have a new favorite song each time through.
Listen: “Dead Fox”
This album has received almost no press, positive or otherwise, for reasons that don’t make much sense to me. It likely has to do with a combination of Thrice’s alienated fanbase, Kensrue’s dabbles in radical religion, and the fact that these songs sound nothing like the music Kensrue made his name playing. Nevertheless, Carry the Fire is the best pop/rock album of the year and deserves more recognition. The solemnity of songs like “Of Crows and Crowns” is offset by the pure elation of others like “What Beautiful Things” and the upbeat “Ruby.” I never was a huge Thrice fan, and Kensrue’s religious leanings nearly lost me long ago, but I’m glad I stuck around, because he writes some of the strongest, most beautiful pop songs of anyone going today.
Listen: “Of Crows and Crowns”
A lot of the praise for this album will undoubtedly center around Frances Quinlan’s powerful, dynamic, captivating voice. However, the instrumentals are just as deserving of acclaim. That Quinlan is surrounded by such proficient, creative musicians is what makes this album so strong and so hard to define. It’s why the band is labeled “indie,” when there really isn’t a concise name for this kind of music yet. The storytelling on the album nearly matches the skill of the band and singer as well, making for a well-rounded, complete album that requires repeated front-to-back listens to really appreciate.
Listen: “Powerful Man”
Jeff Rosenstock knocks one out of the park again, this time all on his own (sort of). His first official solo album contains many of the same elements that led to his success in Bomb the Music Industry!, although all of the ska has been left behind. Instead, this album serves more as a continuation of BtMI!’s parting gift, Vacation, building upon the strengths of that classic, beautiful album. As expected, Rosenstock’s lyrics are witty without being cheesy and heavy without being depressing. The music is dynamic and full of surprises, though the manic pace of his earlier work has been replaced by a more measured franticism. The vocals are still just as unrefined as ever, continuing to be endearing rather than off-putting. Rosenstock shows no signs of slowing down, even after more than 10 albums between his various projects, and he somehow manages to outdo himself nearly every time.
Listen: “Nausea”
With the demise of State Lines comes the rise of Oso Oso. Neither as aggressive as State Lines’ For the Boats nor as riffy as Oso Oso’s debut EP (back when they were called osoosooso), this album unfortunately fails to reach the heights set by those great records. Nevertheless, RSoTP,WKoLLM is at once singer Jonathan DiMitri’s most somber and poppiest effort to date, as he still finds a way to tread new territory. Rather than playing around with the atypical song structures he was so fond of in State Lines, DiMitri chooses here to end on a broad three-song arc. He even managed to slip his band name into one of the songs, which you have to respect. While this might not have been the groundbreaking effort I hoped for, it is still one of the best pop/emo albums released this year and a surprisingly good summertime listen.
Listen: “Josephine”
The undisputed winner of the greatest weird-in-a-good-way album cover of the year is Pet Symmetry’s Pets Hounds. This album has hooks for days, but it is all centered around some fairly emotional songwriting. The poppiness of the songs belie this fact, which results in an increasingly rewarding experience each time you listen. Despite being a member and leading songwriter in four bands of varying activity levels, Evan Weiss somehow is able to keep cranking out great music. Pet Symmetry serves as an outlet for him to let loose and keep things simple, while also flexing his pun muscles a little bit (okay, a lot). Surrounded by some of Weiss’ signature soundscapes, these songs are endlessly singable and catchier than any pop/punk album has any right to be.
Listen: “Give Thanks (Get Lost)”
Red City Radio has not lost a step at all, despite losing one of their frontmen and songwriters. However, the absence of Paul Pendley allows Garrett Dale to take center stage, and it is honestly a benefit to the band. I always enjoyed Garrett songs more than Paul songs, and 10 straight Garrett songs produces a more cohesive product. The tempo as a whole may have slacked a bit since 2013's Titles, but the energy and heart is still there in boatloads. While the album may be more of a straightforward rock record than their past, punkier efforts, the songs still demand you rock out and shout along with the band. The harmonies and guitar solos are still there, but RCR also takes a new creative leap at the end of the album, closing with the 7-and-a-half-minute-long closer, “I’ll Catch a Ride.” On their self-titled record, RCR finds a way to do what they do best and build on their past work, creating their most well-rounded, strongest overall release yet.
Listen: “Two Out of Three Ain’t Rad”
…aaand this is the undisputed winner of worst album art of the year. I get that Rocky wanted to emphasize that the all the songs were recorded straight to tape, but there has to be a better way to do so. Regardless, after more than a decade and a half of fantastic folk/alt-country records, Rocky finally released his first indie album, employing ex-Death Cabber Chris Walla to play with the knobs. It’s hard for any late-era artist to keep things fresh, but Rocky makes these songs sound nearly as vital as they did on 2003's Suicide Medicine. Right from the start, it’s clear just how different of a record this will be for the singer. The result is an excellent collection of dark, haunting indie tunes and more upbeat numbers with more electric guitar than on any other Rocky record. I honestly didn’t know how successful this style would look on the singer, but he pulled it off with ease. Plus, for the old school fans, Rocky threw on a few classic Rocky-style acoustic jams as well.
Listen: “White-Knuckles”
If emo/pop sounded like this in the early 2000s, maybe it wouldn’t have been so widely derided and reviled. From the tender opening refrain to the expansive, sprawling closer, this album is full of more unique twists and unexpected turns than any other in the genre released this year. The album is full of huge hooks and great lines, and the use of keyboard is a creative, surprisingly effective touch that makes this stand out from the rest of the emo/pop crowd. This album is a dynamic, highly entertaining, highly emotional set of songs that never goes too far in either direction. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that these boys are from Cleveland!
Listen: “Moth”
Another band originally from Cleveland (although they now reside in Columbus), The Sidekicks occupy somewhat different territory on the punk/emo/indie spectrum. Following a transition from orgcore to pop/punk to alt-rock, this album finds the band going full indie for the first time. Though not an unexpected move, it is a little startling in the extent to which they have adopted their new sound. These songs are almost unrecognizable as the same group when compared to the rest of the band’s catalog, but luckily they’re still pretty great. There’s not a lot of variety on the album and the quality pales more than a bit on the back half of the record, but there are still enough quality summer jams to justify keeping this one in your regular rotation.
Listen: “Everything In Twos”
I take back every negative thing I ever said about this album. Joy, Departed is a damn masterpiece. Every year, there is one emo or punk album that stands out from all the rest. This is this year’s Home, Like Noplace Is There; this year’s The Future Is Cancelled; this year’s On the Impossible Past. Truly a heartbreaking collection of songs about a man’s acceptance of where his life has led him and who he is as a person. Despite the considerable weight of the source material, this is all done without glorifying misery or depression, which was one of the intentions of the band’s songwriter. Still, this album sweeps through a wide range of emotions, many of which are of the downbeat variety. The arrangements are much richer and more complex than your average emo/punk album, resulting in a complete, beautiful work of art. The recurring sonic and lyrical themes and cohesive nature of the album make it stand out from the crowd. And luckily, the band isn’t afraid to rock your socks off when appropriate either.
Listen: “Using”
Timeshares’ new album is essentially what you would get if you combined Drag the River’s party tunes with Lucero’s rock ‘n’ rollers. There’s not a lot of emotional depth on the album, but that’s just fine. These dudes are here to rock and have a good time, and this is the perfect soundtrack to go along with that. Great for summertime driving and for summertime drinking (though obviously not at the same time).
Listen: “The Bad Parts”
By far the most beautiful-sounding album I’ve heard this year. Every song sort of sounds the same, but they all sound gorgeous. The sound of the album lies at the center of the Venn diagram where indie, emo, and punk converge, and the result is brilliant. The melodies are fantastic, and while the lyrics may skew a bit rudimentary at times, they always work within the context of the song as a whole. Plus, there are more than enough heartbreaking lines to make up for the iffy ones. The first two tracks are two of the best released this year, and the rest of the album sounds nearly as good. Great driving music, morning music, nighttime music, chilling outdoors music, and getting-you-through-the-workday music. Highly recommended.
Listen: “New Scream”
Waxahatchee’s third album, Ivy Tripp, is a massive leap forward for singer Katie Crutchfield. Her first two albums, American Weekend and Cerulean Salt, were full of sparse, intimate acoustic songs that made you work hard to pay attention for the length of the whole album. Crutchfield’s voice and lyrics are just as on point here, but Ivy Tripp potentially has more variety than any other record I’ve listened to this year. There are still a few acoustic songs on here, but they are much more palatable when following full-on rockers, piano ballads, dance-y indie-pop jams, and fuzzy slow-burners. Each song has its own unique style, making for an extremely easy, exciting listen every time, and one of the best albums of the year.
Listen: “Under a Rock”
