Best Ever Albums

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Anti — Fri, 4 Nov 2016 14:39:26 GMT

Author: Anti

Posted: 11/04/2016 18:39

Puncture Repair wrote:

I get the thought behind this. Obviously albums need to get soaked in by society before we can really make solid judgements on them. But on a level of just personal enjoyment, how is hearing an album from 1962 for the first time today any different from an album released this year?

Albums to me are at most 7 years old, because I've only been listening to music for that long. There's definitely more gravitas to listening to Kind Of Blue for the first time, when you know it's been heralded as one of the finest jazz albums for decades, and that'll always influence someone's opinion, but personal opinion is still personal opinion.

I haven't been alive long enough to have mulled over any album for 10-15 years, old or new. Are my opinions on anything premature?

I definitely can get behind this, it's why I don't necessarily consider years when looking for new albums to listen to.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Anonymous — Fri, 4 Nov 2016 14:21:45 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/04/2016 18:21

Romanelli wrote:

Ask the question in 10-15 years.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

stangetzaway — Thu, 3 Nov 2016 16:26:27 GMT

Author: stangetzaway

Posted: 11/03/2016 20:26

Certainly up there with the best year of the decade. I believe it's standing out to some of us because 2014 was the most dismal year of music I can ever remember. Overall 1959, 68-75, 89-92, 2001 were better years for music in my mind but 2015 is still light years ahead of what came before it.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

TheKing — Thu, 3 Nov 2016 10:40:57 GMT

Author: TheKing

Posted: 11/03/2016 14:40

We should look at the big picture here.

This is our current Top 100 albums of 2015:
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly (#118 all-time)
2. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell (#227 all-time)
3. Tame Impala - Currents (#490 all-time)
4. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear (#581 all-time)
5. Grimes - Art Angels (#750 all-time)
6. Jamie xx - In Colour (#867 all-time)
7. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit (#911 all-time)
8. Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase. (#1278 all-time)
9. Joanna Newsom - Divers (#1368 all-time)
10. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness (#1429 all-time)
11. Blur - The Magic Whip (#1568 all-time)
12. Kamasi Washington - The Epic (#1670 all-time)
13. Björk - Vulnicura (#1705 all-time)
14. Viet Cong - Viet Cong (#1727 all-time)
15. Beach House - Depression Cherry (#1755 all-time)
16. Carly Rae Jepsen - E-MO-TION (#1819 all-time)
17. Muse - Drones (#2106 all-time)
18. Vince Staples - Summertime '06 (#2531 all-time)
19. Jenny Hval - Apocalypse, Girl (#2537 all-time)
20. Florence + The Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (#2719 all-time)
21. Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool #2802 all-time)
22. Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon #2890 all-time)
23. twenty one pilots - Blurryface (#2906 all-time)
24. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper (#2928 all-time)
25. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (#2961 all-time)
26. Destroyer - Poison Season (#3176 all-time)
27. Everything Everything - Get To Heaven (#3188 all-time)
28. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late (#3285 all-time)
29. Deafheaven - New Bermuda (#3475 all-time)
30. Susanne Sundfør - Ten Love Songs (#3480 all-time)
31. Wilco - Star Wars (#3494 all-time)
32. Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden Of Delete (#3718 all-time)
33. Milo - So The Flies Don't Come (#3728 all-time)
34. Adele - 25 (#3815 all-time)
35. Death Grips - The Powers That B (#3843 all-time)
36. Ghost - Meliora (#3893 all-time)
37. Chvrches - Every Open Eye (#3927 all-time)
38. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To Love (#3984 all-time)
39. Foals - What Went Down (#3996 all-time)
40. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday (#4042 all-time)
41. Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color (#4080 all-time)
42. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Star (#4229 all-time)
43. Iron Maiden - The Book Of Souls (#4262 all-time)
44. Future - DS2 (#4412 all-time)
45. Deerhunter - Frontier (#4502 all-time)
46. Chris Stapleton - Traveller (#4523 all-time)
47. Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Style (#4728 all-time)
48. The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness (#4739 all-time)
49. Hop Along - Painted Shut (#4762 points)
50. The Tallest Man On Earth - Dark Bird Is Home (#4871 all-time)
51. Dr. Dre - Compton (#4900 all-time)
52. Tobias Jesso, Jr. - Goon (#4974 all-time)
53. Laura Marling - Short Movie (#5017 all-time)
54. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free (#5025 all-time)
55. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet, & Other Distress (#5048 all-time)
56. The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Harmlessness (#5054 all-time)
57. Mac DeMarco - Another One (#5135 all-time)
58. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth (#5136 all-time)
59. Coldplay - A Head Full Of Dreams (#5218 all-time)
60. Modest Mouse - Strangers To Ourselves (#5294 all-time)
61. Kurt Vile - B'lieve I'm Goin' Down (#5389 all-time)
62. Editors - In Dream (#5415 all-time)
63. Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld - Never Were The Way She Was (#5493 all-time)
64. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love (#5527 all-time)
65. Torres - Sprinter (#5565 all-time)
66. Knuckle Puck - Copacetic (#5577 all-time)
67. Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again (#5590 all-time)
68. James McMurty - Complicated Game (#5591 all-time)
69. mewithoutyou - Pale Horses (#5632 all-time)
70. Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/American Psycho (#5666 all-time)
71. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Surf (#5757 all-time)
72. Miguel - Wildheart (#5788 all-time)
73. Clarence Clarity - No Now (#5812 all-time)
74. New Order - Music Complete (#6052 all-time)
75. Baroness - Purple (#6089 all-time)
76. Kacey Musgraves - Pageant Material (#6100 all-time)
77. EL VY - Return To The Moon (#6126 all-time)
78. Algiers - Algiers (#6145 all-time)
79. SOPHIE - Product (#6208 all-time)
80. Girl Band - Holding Hands With Jamie (#6266 all-time)
81. Neon Indian - VEGA INTL. Night School (#6405 all-time)
82. Sakis Gouzonis - A World At Peace (#6500 all-time)
83. Waxahatchee - Ivy Tripp (#6568 all-time)
84. Young Thug - Barter 6 (#6594 all-time)
85. Shawn Mendes - Handwritten (#6642 all-time)
86. Holly Herndon - Platform (#6663 all-time)
87. Travi$ Scott - Rodeo (#6734 all-time)
88. Joey Bada$$ - B4.Da.$$ (#6735 all-time)
89. The Story So Far - The Story So Far (#6836 all-time)
90. Bryson Tiller - T R A P S O U L (#6928 all-time)
91. Benjamin Clementine - At Least For Now (#6992 all-time)
92. Natalie Prass - Natalie Prass (#7017 all-time)
93. Neck Deep - Life's Not Out To Get You (#7099 all-time)
94. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (#7181 all-time)
95. Scorpions - Return To Forever (#7224 all-time)
96. Belle & Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance (#7301 all-time)
97. Ought - Sun Coming Down (#7453 all-time)
98. Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect (#7522 all-time)
99. Mount Eerie - Sauna (#7530 all-time)
100. Purity Ring - Another Eternity (#7561 all-time)

Looking at that, it's safe to say that we do have a very diverse year in 2015. The alt musics are dominant and outstanding. We have several great hip-hop albums, rap or no rap. Drake released a phenomenal mixtape. The country frame is also amazing with so many brilliant releases, Isbell, Musgraves, etc... We even got some surprisingly good pop records, like, who saw CRJ coming?

This is definitely a great year for music, and in my opinion, this IS the best year in 2010s.

But there's also an undeniable fact that earlier decades have less varied music genre, so we can't compare 2015 to, say, 1966.

Maybe we will have another genre in 20 years, who knows? In any way, it WILL be a memorable year musically.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

davidhuret — Thu, 3 Nov 2016 05:17:44 GMT

Author: davidhuret

Posted: 11/03/2016 09:17

A good year.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

CA Dreamin — Thu, 3 Nov 2016 02:30:04 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 11/03/2016 06:30

It depends on your music taste so it's all subjective. I may be in my 20s but musically I'm an old fart rocker born 10-15 years too late, who looks down my nose at current music while championing 1994-95. If you want to say 2015-16 are the best years in music, go ahead. It's never too early. But keep in mind you may be saying that because your ears are attuned to it, the same way mine are attuned to the '80s and '90s, and the same way my late grandmother, who never liked the Beatles, were attuned to the '40s.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Romanelli — Thu, 3 Nov 2016 00:35:03 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 11/03/2016 04:35

Ask the question in 10-15 years.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

pearljammer13 — Wed, 2 Nov 2016 22:29:07 GMT

Author: pearljammer13

Posted: 11/03/2016 02:29

What we've learned here: the "best year in music" is entirely subjective and will never be agreed upon.

Personally I agree that 2015 was an exceptional year in music and certainly one of my personal favorite years.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

AfterHours — Wed, 2 Nov 2016 19:12:50 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 11/02/2016 23:12

2015 was excellent, but definitely an overestimation IMO. For instance, just dipping one's feet into the waters of 1971 comes up with Shostakovich's 15th Symphony (probably one of the top 15 greatest works of art in history, any medium), Faust's debut, Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill, Can's Tago Mago, and lesser works (but still better than much of/all of 2015) such as Joni Mitchell's Blue ... Etc. What about 1967? What about 1824/25? When one considers Classical and Jazz into the equation (as one should IMO) there are many superior years throughout music history. 2003 for Jazz alone was probably a better year than all of 2015 -- definitely better than 2015s Rock (and sub-genre) releases. That's my 2 cents...

If youre only comparing to 2010s, there's a case to be made.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

souplipton — Wed, 2 Nov 2016 16:06:11 GMT

Author: souplipton

Posted: 11/02/2016 20:06

Definitely not. From the 10 years of 2006-2015, 2015 is better than 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012, but I'd take 2007, 2010, or 2013 over 2015. 2014 is a toss-up for me.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

paladisiac — Tue, 1 Nov 2016 15:56:31 GMT

Author: paladisiac

Posted: 11/01/2016 19:56

yes

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Anti — Tue, 1 Nov 2016 15:02:48 GMT

Author: Anti

Posted: 11/01/2016 19:02

For me...

2012 >> 2011 >> 2010 > 2013 > 2015 > 2016 > 2014

Overall, the decade is A1.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Lowkey — Tue, 1 Nov 2016 12:20:56 GMT

Author: Lowkey

Posted: 11/01/2016 16:20

it's dope but imo not the best

2011, 2013, 2016 >>>>

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

AMBNTnoises — Tue, 1 Nov 2016 11:29:48 GMT

Author: AMBNTnoises

Posted: 11/01/2016 15:29

I personally think that 2016 has been equally as great.

But best ever, I don't think so. For the past decade, yeah probably. Cultural norms are always changing, and I think that each generation will have/has had a different preference and taste for music. I don't think an absolute statement can be made in this situation.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Daydreamer — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 17:57:49 GMT

Author: Daydreamer

Posted: 10/30/2016 21:57

2016 is better and it's not even over

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Fischman — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 00:10:58 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 10/30/2016 04:10

Not a chance its the best ever, but it was a damn fine year and the best in a looooonnng time. I had no problem cranking out a top 40 list for the year.

Edit: in reviewing my lists, it looks like it's not the best in a long time for me. 2012 was stellar and remains my favorite of the decade

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Anonymous — Mon, 2 Nov 2015 17:15:46 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/02/2015 22:15

samistake2ice wrote:

If we start patting ourselves on the back for being so "inclusive", then it wont be long before we start pushing albums toward the top that aren't deserving just to prove to others (or ourselves) that we are progressive and not at all sexist (racist, nationalist, etc).

I go back and forth on this. On the one hand, there is a clear standard for what women are and aren't allowed to be in the music industry perpetuated by businessmen and consumers alike, with journalists only recently actively trying to buck this trend. Typically, women who are seen as gifted by music nerd circles are singer/songwriter types or very defiant women (tho never defiant enough to not still be sexy, try as they might - your Liz Phairs, Kim Gordons, etc.). This is a trend that we should seek to deconstruct by working harder to amplify the successes of women who step outside of the manufactured pop princess or "authentic" "vulnerable" singer/songwriter mold.

On the other, everyone that I see trying to equalize audience reception to music by female artists is annoying as fuck and never actually discriminates in what they want, plus they usually just accept and further amplify the status quo of women as manufactured pop stars uncritically.

Looking over my music library, I know that I have a large representation of women, and that hasn't been intentional by any means. On the other hand, it could be much larger if I intentionally pursued female artists or favored exclusively genres that were a bit more equalized. Not many women have made black metal or industrial tapes. In my collection, that's made up for by the fact that I've had a recent interest in contemporary R&B, where it's more likely that you'll find female stars, as well as "gender neutral" genres such as EAI that have fairly even representation in my experience.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

AAL2014 — Mon, 2 Nov 2015 17:13:09 GMT

Author: AAL2014

Posted: 11/02/2015 22:13

samistake2ice wrote:

Also, I don't agree with notion that we should commend the community for having a larger than normal number of female artists in the Top 20. Rather, I would prefer we commend the artists for making music the community deems worthy of placing in such high regard.

If we start patting ourselves on the back for being so "inclusive", then it wont be long before we start pushing albums toward the top that aren't deserving just to prove to others (or ourselves) that we are progressive and not at all sexist (racist, nationalist, etc).

These two paragraphs do speak a lot of truth.

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

samistake2ice — Mon, 2 Nov 2015 17:07:52 GMT

Author: samistake2ice

Posted: 11/02/2015 22:07

I think the OP's statement is a rather bold one, but the large range of diverse opinions is one of the reasons I enjoy the site. I'd actually estimate that 2015 (in my opinion) is closer to the bottom of the decade than the top.

Also, I don't agree with notion that we should commend the community for having a larger than normal number of female artists in the Top 20. Rather, I would prefer we commend the artists for making music the community deems worthy of placing in such high regard.

If we start patting ourselves on the back for being so "inclusive", then it wont be long before we start pushing albums toward the top that aren't deserving just to prove to others (or ourselves) that we are progressive and not at all sexist (racist, nationalist, etc).

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Halloween. 😈

Re: Is it too hurriedly if I call 2015 the best year in Music?

Anonymous — Mon, 2 Nov 2015 15:51:04 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/02/2015 20:51

I was not a big fan of LP1 going into M3LL155X either, but it impressed me enough to go back and try her out again, and it's grown on me. I think at least one other user here had a similar experience.

Also, trap is the kind of rap where there's generally a decent amount of auto-tune involved and more melodic rapping happening, a lot of "snap" to the beats, and that rolling, metallic percussion underneath. It's related somewhat also to drill and bop, and a lot of artists who do one style will jump into those others. Flocka and Gucci Mane are probably the biggest names, but the past couple of years have yielded really big artists like Chief Keef, Future, Young Thug, and Fetty Wap, who all have kind of their own takes on the genre. A lot of the projected homogeneity of trap I think is being overcome in the work of these artists and the continued influence of other outside rappers like Sicko Mobb.