by: PJ Wascher

2015 is in the books! I love this time of year. Music fans across the Internet share their favorite mu
sic. I love reading those lists and sharing my own. 2015 has been a solid bounce back year for music. Last year, I struggled to find ten albums I loved. This year, I found over ten albums in the first half of the year. The second half did not quite hold that trend up, but added a few pieces to this year’s list. This will go down as one of the best years in music since 2012 (my favorite since I’ve been making this list).

To review how I judge. Throughout the year I’m listening to every album I can get my ears on. Still a fan of pens and post-its, I manually create a list throughout the year. My list looks for albums with great song depth and great staying power. Something you’ll find yourself listening to beyond 2015. I find several albums with a strong group of songs, but very few that let me press play and let it roll all the way through. 2015 was a relatively strong year for this. Of the Top 10 albums I listed, I found myself continually playing five all the way through.

My goal is to find something new everyday, as you can see with the #SOTD tweets I post every weekday. Ranking music gives me something to go back to and reflect on what I really loved. Let’s get to the fun part! Here’s my official Top 10 Albums of 2015 and Song Of The Year:

 The Top 5

1. Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes

Three years has become the norm for a band’s album life cycle. Despite this lengthy amount of time, it’s surprising how often the result can end up half-thought out. Struggling to recreate their original sound or create a new one, the second album can be a daunting one. Alabama Shake’s first album was a promising entry, which appeared on this list in 2012. Featuring several catchy tunes with a hint of Rock-A-Billy, the songs could sometimes seem simple, but you could tell there was another layer within those tracks. Watching them live left no doubt. Britney Howard is one of this generation’s best live performers. So much soul and power, the range of style and personality she features is unique. I cannot recommend enough seeing her live. I was lucky enough to see her in the fall and she did not disappoint. This second album felt like their coming out party. Boys & Girls gave us a taste of what they could become. Sound & Color showed off this band’s evolution into a big retro soul southern rocker.

Top Tracks:

• Don’t Wanna Fight
• Gimme All Your Love
• The Greatest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oib0a2_itA

2. I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty

I have to admit this was not an artist I expected on the list at the start of the year. That may also be thanks to the fact I’d not heard of him. As a fan of Fleet Foxes, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t keep up with the member’s splinter groups. Former drummer of the Fleet Foxes, Joshua Tillman has a few projects of note. This moniker has now produced two fun albums. It may be weird to describe his music as fun, but a certain perspective is required to translate his highly cynical lyrics out of reality. Beyond the lyrics are layers of fun in the instrumentals. The album bounces in and out of retro 70s and 80s sounds with some hard rock mixed in between. I love all the places this album goes. He was the opener at the Alabama Shakes concert I saw early in the year. It was an amazing, emotional performance that raised the bar to a level I thought the Shakes may struggle to meet. Both groups ended up being fantastic, but I made sure to see him again in the fall during his headline tour. The live performance unlocked a lot of the personality stored inside these songs. If you’re looking to listen to something different or you can’t get your brain to sit still, this music will fit in just fine.

Top Tracks:

• I Love You, Honeybear
• The Ideal Husband
• Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2dAu6yYOjk

3. Strange Trails by Lord Huron

These top three albums have traded spots with one another all year long. For most of the year I thought this would be my album of the year. It’s a great album and I want to spend all of my time talking about that fact. Its swinging melodies and du-op beats bring you back to the sixties, but a folky base is what brings out the emotion. I found this to be the easiest album to listen all the way through on my list. When I start feeling sentimental this is the album I put on. Several of the songs have connected soothing transitions. I wanted to make this my album of the year badly and in many years, since I’ve started this list, it would be. This year it joins a group of three albums that defined my year in music.

Top Tracks:

• La Belle Fleur Sauvage
• Louisa
• Until The Night Turns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EQZBu17O24

4. Vitals by MuteMath

Grading one of your favorite bands can be very tricky. You want to call everything they do the best. They’re your favorite for a reason right? Well one of my favorite bands released an album in November. I did my best to honestly rank them and this is as low as I could stomach putting them. I’m just too excited to have an album from them again. It’s been four years since their last album, which featured a new lead guitarist. It was hard to get a feeling for when the next album may come out and what it would sound like if it did. Their last album made a push towards southern blues featuring a lot more organ and guitar. Their 2015 release goes back towards their roots. Electronic beats and sounds coming back into the fold. Guitars have taken a little bit too much of a back seat for my tastes, but the album is a promising release. 80’s sounds have become very trendy in music of late, MuteMath has grabbed hold of this trend and put their own twist on it. I’ve loved every album this band has put out and I’m happy we finally have another one to add to the collection.

Top Tracks:

• Joy Rides
• Stratosphere
• Monument

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIdS8FtIWz4

5. Space Is Still The Place by The Bright Light Social Hour

Sometimes you just get lucky finding an artist. Music recommendation engines continue to evolve. Between Apple Music’s new personalized playlist recommendations and Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist, 2015 added several tools to my search for new artists. This is one of those discoveries. Prepare for psychedelic hooks that mix in catchy pop hooks and some awesome guitar solos. The drummer is fantastic and even better live. Fears about rock music disappearing should quiet a little after this year’s crop of albums. Several of my favorite rock albums went back to a 60-70s psychadelic phase, but there’s plenty outside this genre as the Alabama Shakes have already demonstrated on this list. The depth on this album is fantastic. The album refuses to sit completely in one genre of music, mixing in electronic sounds and a few pop hooks.

Top Tracks:

• Infinite Cities
• Ghost Dance
• Sweet Madelene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q14dQUi8Uw

The Next 5

6. Currents by Tame Impala – We’ve entered the psychedelic rocks section of this list. It was a good year for retro rock sounds. Almost all of the albums appearing on this list are sampling sounds from another era. No band appears more committed to that then Tame Impala. While they stick to their traditional psychedelic sound, this album is just bigger than anything I’ve heard from them before. Unafraid to make +6 minute songs, it’s amazing how mainstream this band is becoming. Their success at big music festivals is probably helping and appears to be an influence on their overall sound. I’ve always been a fan of this band, but their albums have never had as much depth as this one. I got a chance to see them at Outside Lands this summer, they were fantastic and so is this album.

Top Tracks

• Let It Happen
• The Less I Know The Better
• Eventually

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFptt7Cargc

7. For Use And Delight Promised Land Sound– A lot of the albums on this list came out in the first half of the year. This is one of the few late finds I found this year that made my Top 10 list. Continuing the psychedelic rock trend, this album completes the trio on my list. Each band carries their own unique sound. This album mixes in a little more country rock sounds than the other two. At times, the guitar effects remind me of Explosions In The Sky at other moments it goes more towards Pink Floyd. It’s been a good year in this music genre. We’re seeing artists mix in so many different styles.

Top Tracks:

• Push And Pull (All The Time)
• Otherworldly Pleasures
• She Takes Me There

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iUL_fcV6yI

8. Till It’s All Forgotten by Faroa – This is one of the newest artists to make my list. The album features sparse arrangements that allow her beautiful vocals to control the sound. What makes this album work for me is the percussion. It changes tempo and gives the music so much power. The first track on the album is a great example of that. I saw them in Detroit in the fall. You can tell they are still learning and growing. I was surprised to see Faroa was only a duo. With the sound on the album I was expecting several more players. I wouldn’t mind seeing more performers as this band grows up. They have a lot of potential.

Top Tracks

• TIAF
• Hunter
• Bodies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWYxzMyiYYw

9. My Love Is Cool by Wolf Alice – This album just came at the right time of year. It’s fun and bright. Perfect summer album to open the sunroof and blast out the car speakers. Their sound combines a little bit of Best Coast’s California rock with electronic effects on the vocal that remind me of The Metric. I could hear this album throughout the year on the British radio waves, but it even crossed the pond to some American indie/alternative radio stations.

Top Tracks:

• Your Loves Whore
• Bros
• Moaning Lisa Smile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD_Q9CxXTo4

10. Such Things by Saintseneca – This band makes my list two years in a row! It’s become pretty rare for a band to release albums in back2back years and even more rare for the finished product to be any good. Not only did Santseneca produce a second album in two years, they started growing up. This album rocks out more than their first release, but it still maintains their overall sound that I liked. That is helped out by a unique set of vocals that I would normally associate in a quieter folk setting. This album clears any confusion with that.

Top Tracks:

• Rare Form
• Such Things
• Lazarus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcX_GS34YYw

If Only I could List 15 Albums

Multi-Love by Unknown Mortal Orchestra – So close to making the Top 10. Would have made it four albums in psychedelic rock genre.

Top Tracks

• Multi-Love
• Like Acid Rain
• Necessary Evil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEtDVy55shI

Coming Home by Leon Bridges – I’m a big fan of Sam Cooke, wouldn’t mind seeing more artists bring this retro soul sound back.

Top Tracks

• Smooth Sailin’
• Brown Skin Girl
• Better Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgS_xob1x4A 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgS_xob1x4A

The Ashen Tang by Royce Wood Junior – One of the more unique albums on my list. Hard not to compare Royce to Prince. Very funky.

Top Tracks

• Clanky Love
• Honeydripper
• Stand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzubrOYRWjc

Imaginary Men by Rayland Baxter – This was a late find for me in 2015. Made a late push to be on my list. Was just very hard to knock anything off for it. This is what I wish John Mayer’s newer albums sounded like.

Top Tracks

• Oh My Captain
• Rodriguez
• Yellow Eyes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFaiSqpk70A

Jackrabbit by San Fermin – I went back and forth on this album all year, but in the end it settled into a nice spot for me. It just carries so many different styles and can be tough to settle into. At one point it sounds like The National and then it transitions to something from The Family Crest.

Top Tracks

• Emily
• Jackrabbit
• Women In Red

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4rnD3628N4

What Went Down by Foals – One of my favorite straight rock albums of the year. You don’t see many mainstream rock albums these days. Foals have taken over this rare spot from artists like Muse and The Killers.

Top Tracks

• What Went Down
• Mountain At My Gates
• London Thunder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_EIE5f2t6M

Honorable Mentions

Plenty of music to get you through the upcoming year. Did the trick for me! Feel free to go through and listen to all the links below, or click here and go to an online playlist hosted by WHYD.

Our Own House by MisterWives https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGl7O1EVR7Y

The Firewatcher’s Daughter by Brandi Carlile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYvwRpqidvY

Honeymoon by Lana Del Rey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kYsxoWfjCg

Jukebox The Ghost by Jukebox The Ghost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gevER2R7pkc

No Cities To Love by Sleater-Kinney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdNgHnLJWgw

Don’t Lose This by Pop Staples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Vdoghm8Sw

LOVETAP! by Smallpools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSJtjPi8CcY

National Throat by Will Dailey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3nGl4on1jo

Escape From Evil by Lower Dens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHaL2jwWnl4

Xtra Love by WE ARE TWIN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRAF9DxT1Os

Glitterbug by The Wombats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzGV3R0kLw

Phantom Pop by Wild Party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygLy1FSNEAA

Makes A King by The Very Best https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr9hkox3ALA

The Embers Of Time by Josh Rouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=objraP0Pbog

California Nights by Best Coast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MDWtSf_AI4

Wilder Minds by Mumford & Sons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHzc_DLHztA

The Waterfall by My Morning Jacket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDjGnCvDOk4

Such Jubilee by Mandolin Orange https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7PvgY65OxA

The Helio Sequence by The Helio Sequence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAMNzmoMTIU

Drug For The Modern Age by Kopecky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdu5n0sDNw8

The Desired Effect by Brandon Flowers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FmPEoC7vg4

English Graffiti by The Vaccines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RM5byRW_jM

1997 by Mirror Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXbE3K53Ii0

It’s All Just Pretend by Ivan & Alyosha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSyDnHhth9o

Axis Mundi by Brownbird https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMLDVtUICo8

Fear And Lies by Sick Sad World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twg5ZL-_nKc

Holly Miranda by Holly Miranda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIKOV9RlP1I

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful by Florence + The Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ50rvySDCk

Algiers by Algiers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGV9rFA-tRk

Coin by Coin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35zBQeOW3F4

The Fool by Ryn Weaver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qafdnLo5mYw

Welcome You by Motopony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBcs4fff8Yw

Pageant Material by Kacey Musgraves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uN5Ge-ICDM

Born Under Saturn by Django Django https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ucPrtZS6kI

Venus by Joy Williams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55sY1WqGyMY

Broken Into Better Shape by Good Old War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL1l81KBHGY

The State of Gold by Matt Pond PA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0_jAT_ZBKM

In The Wilderness by Stranger Cat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvIrqvxoMsU

Story Of An Immigrant by Civil Twilight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-Jh7GJ4XjE

Flying Lessons by Fool’s Gold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5iANGjjBfM

Let The Good Times Roll by J.D. McPherson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QGE2xjhEY0

Traveler by Chris Stapleton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zAThXFOy2c

On Blonde by Yukon Blonde https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8q84cm8rxc

Second Sight by Hey Rosetta! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB1cMMxJ7Uk

All Yours by Widowspeak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_9TW_QyZFM

Everybody’s A Good Dog by Diane Coffee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADJiK-X1Vm4

No No No by Beruit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfE156KQBa0

twelvefour by The Paper Kites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN2ZrTkrk1U

Pagans In Vegas by The Metric https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnJKGwOA2vI

Trading Change by Jeremy Loops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dumv7o1zIJ0

Fuel To The Fire by The Rationale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHs6O6jC7Y8

Thunderbitch by Thunderbitch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-_oXNzc04A

JR JR by JR JR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iNG_DJOw5k

The War Inside by Jill Andrews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc8X927co6o

Emotion by Carly Rae Jepsen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeccAtqd5K8

Boom Forest by Boom Forest https://soundcloud.com/boomforest/freshly-laundered-linen?in=emily-horton-3/sets/dec-2013

Sermon On The Rocks by Josh Ritter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIHMAhIe9es

Men Amongst Mountains by The Revivalist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fbvL6zUJKQ

Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz5MGQZfKPo

Sun Leads Me On by Half Moon Run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZbfyWg1xlY

Living by Oh Pep! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv8OThXB8M8

Peace Is The Mission by Major Lazer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqeW9_5kURI

LIMBO by Pell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQLZRKel-c8

Oh Wonder by Oh Wonder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LFGqokvOwI

Big Grams by Big Grams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIG2_N1drc4

A Head Full of Dreams by Coldplay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtXby3twMmI

Kept by Stolen Jars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4-O0muFRtE

Keep The Village Alive by The Stereophonics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ5cg0KNKH0

Ones And Sixes by Low https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZfjysllZyg

Before We Forgot How To Dream by SOAK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgaRm9j8SQI

Architect by C Duncan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R15J_yfHJ8g

Shedding Skin by Ghostpoet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIR_Qs3tbFU

Song Of The Year Goddess by Chrome Sparks

It’s wrong to put this song at the bottom of this posting, but I’m not going to have time to post a full SOTY article this year. This song is a bit of a surprise to be my number one. The song was a relatively late find, but once I heard it I couldn’t stop playing it. It’s unusual for me to list an electronica song #1, but it’s just so epic. A video editors dream song. Makes all videos look dramatic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbx5coHTow8

Wow! You made it to the bottom of the list! Nice work! That’s a lot of music listed above. Hope you enjoyed some of it. Leave a comment let me know what you thought of 2015. What was your favorite album? Be sure to keep an eye out as I get ready to transition this site. Coming soon, I plan to launch a site focused on music.