Listed below are the best albums of 2015 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 2 hours ago).
"@Mother Nature's Son Consider this scenario: a man with a child walks into an art museum. In this museum, paintings are displayed containing graphic, vulgar images, including nudity, violence, etc. The man, upon seeing these pictures, storms out of the museum, enraged by the crass sight he and hi...""@Mother Nature's Son
Consider this scenario: a man with a child walks into an art museum. In this museum, paintings are displayed containing graphic, vulgar images, including nudity, violence, etc. The man, upon seeing these pictures, storms out of the museum, enraged by the crass sight he and his child had witnessed.
"This is not art! This is disgusting!" he shouts, unable to understand how anybody could find pleasure in something so terrible.
Is this man correct? Subjectively, yes. If he does not enjoy the art, then to him it has no personal value. But to deny the art any value whatsoever would be a crime. Vulgarity of this sort can be used to push an artistic point. Would a war painting be complete without violent imagery? Would Michaelangelo's statues be complete without penises? Would a portrayal of a stereotype be complete without a phrase such as "my dick is big"? No. By including such a statement, Kendrick addresses the stereotype that nobody else has the guts to talk about so bluntly. Some things, such as this, are not vulgar- they are real. Black stereotypical characteristics such as this, that are used to define who Kendrick is based on his physical features, are real things. Many people, I'm sure, don't view Kendrick as an artist but as just another black man. Those who do are missing the bigger picture- its only vulgar because it tries to portray the vulgarity of the world. If you can't enjoy it, that's fine, but you can't ignore the truth of the world we live in."[+]Reply
"The death of one's mother is usually always hard to take and Sufjan's grief is keenly felt. Stevens has plenty to draw on here, the sporadic relationship they had, her drug addiction and her mental instability. It can be uncomfortable listening - particularly in the way it explores feelings we of...""The death of one's mother is usually always hard to take and Sufjan's grief is keenly felt. Stevens has plenty to draw on here, the sporadic relationship they had, her drug addiction and her mental instability. It can be uncomfortable listening - particularly in the way it explores feelings we often pretend aren't there or in expressing that feeling of being very lonely and very adrift in the world but nothing says 'I Love You' more than the music on offer here and that's good enough."[+]Reply
"Australia's own Kevin Parker is one of modern music's preeminent figures and most forward-thinking creators. His creativity and artistic foresight has helped partially reinvigorate a stagnant rock industry which has seen itself surpassed by hip-hop in recent years. He burst on the scene with 2010...""Australia's own Kevin Parker is one of modern music's preeminent figures and most forward-thinking creators. His creativity and artistic foresight has helped partially reinvigorate a stagnant rock industry which has seen itself surpassed by hip-hop in recent years. He burst on the scene with 2010's Innerspeaker, a trippy, rainbow-colored interpretation of contemporary psychedelia. His layered, consummate sonic textures earned him widespread acclaim. He then upped the ante on 2012's Lonerism, a richer, more refined collection of the motifs found on Innerspeaker. His vocals channeled John Lennon on tracks like Sun's Coming Up and his guitar-propelled breakdowns were awe-inspiring on tracks like Keep on Lying. Lonerism was even more heavily lauded and alternative rock was ready to crown its newest talisman. Then Kevin did what every great artist does. He made a hard left turn. 2015 marked the arrival of his third studio album, Currents, a record bubbling with pop textures, emphasis on airy synth work and clearer production. He effortlessly repackaged his sound and reinvented his approach as an artist and the endgame resulted in his most luscious, vibrant record to date. Currents is a synth-pop symphony which made fellow genre mates look like neophytes noodling around with Casio keyboards in 6th grade music class.
The record begins emphatically with the anthemic, Let It Happen. The track buzzes into focus as synth walls hiss while fuzzed out beats linger behind. Parker concludes, "All this running around, trying to cover my shadow; an ocean growing inside, all the others seem shallow." The track reaches a midpoint climax where it undergoes stylized skips as string-like synth tones swell concurrently. Let It Happen is just as springy as it is languid, flowing out without any resistance, avoiding any sonic intrusion. It's a shot to the arm that kicks the album into gear and remains one of Parker's finest achievements. Brief interlude, Nangs, acts as a quasi-comedown but while also turning up the thematic dissatisfaction as Parker croons (faintly), "But is there something more than that?" The album resuscitates with third track, The Moment. The song carries more girth as the bass takes a more noticeable role in the fray. It's also marked by an uptick in the quality of its poetry. Parker accepts, "In the end, it's stronger than I know how to be and I can't just spend my whole lifetime wondering; I fell in love with the sound of my heels on the wooden floor; I don't want our footsteps to be silent anymore." The track moves at a breakneck pace despite lasting over four minutes. Another highlight of danceable vitality delivered with punchy intensity. Currents' second masterpiece is unveiled in the form of fourth track, Yes I'm Changing. The song unfurls with spectral delicacy, creating the illusion of lying face up on a raft, drifting down a boundless river. The percussion structure here is caressing but never overbearing and it galvanizes the song with a steady heartbeat. Parker's maturation is evident on the track as he declares, "And I can't always hide away, curse indulgence and despise the fame; there's a world out there and it's calling my name and it's calling yours too." Parker has shed the shackles of his pre-disposition to avoid incorporating new musical ideas and has opted to grow as an artist and a person. He's inviting you to grow with him. Yes I'm Changing then majestically twinkles out of your reach. A beautiful meditation.
Fifth track, Eventually, journals a deteriorating relationship, characterized by peaks and valleys, both in metaphor and musicality. Eventually launches with authoritative guitar thwacks that contrast the more despondent moments of sound where Parker elegizes, "Wish I could turn you back into a stranger; 'cause if I was never in your life, you wouldn't have to change it." The back half is markedly wondrous as a fizzing synth alternates between both audio channels signifying a situation spiraling out of control. Parker's creative visions have never been more realized and clearly communicated. Sixth track, Gossip, splits the album in two as it transports the listener through osmosis with an aqueous production style. Shortly after, The Less I Know the Better gives us the most clearly-defined pop song on the record. Its tempo is consistent, carrying DNA from The Moment in terms of its percussive principles. Failing romantic relations once again take center stage as Parker laments his inclusion within a love triangle. He details, "I was doing fine without ya till I saw your face, now I can't erase; giving in to all his bullshit, is this what you want; is this who you are?" The song is reinforced by a boisterous guitar riff that forms a rib cage in which to encase the emotional synth chimes. It's both melancholic and madcap in equal measure. Past Life represents the only outright miss on the album, incorporating a distorted spoken word piece awash with Parker's epic, yet marooned synth explosions. Past Life seems more like an unpolished proposition rather than a finished track. It slightly disturbs the flow of the LP but what's shaky for Kevin Parker is another artist's treasure. Disciples starts as a short burst of lo-fi funk, a concept that calls back to the guitar-driven work of Innerspeaker. The song then clears, carving a path for Parker's crystalline vocals. The track is surely a microcosm for the artistic motivations presented on the album.
Ten spot, Cause I'm a Man, is a dissertation that outlines the deficiencies that plague the male sex. Kevin provides his strongest vocal outing on the track, howling apologetically as he slices through his electric ozone. He croons, "Cause I'm a man, woman; don't always think before I do; cause I'm a man, woman; that's the only answer I've got for you." It stands as one of the most implicit moments of humor on Currents. Reality in Motion follows and reclaims your attention harboring all things zealous. It's another example of Parker's gravitational pull to the percussive on the LP as an infectious drum texture spirals throughout. Love/Paranoia is another doleful anecdote à la Eventually. Conclusively, Parker pledges a return to form instead of flying the white flag as he did on Eventually. The second half of the track hovers with an icy synth backing reminiscent of early New Order. The swan song, New Person, Same Old Mistakes, is a bonafide belter as chest felt bass swaggers proudly. Parker seems to uncork the might of his arsenal on the track, as it represents the most ambitious cut since Let It Happen. Kevin celebrates, "Finally taking flight; I know you don't think it's right; I know that you think it's fake; maybe fake's what I like." At the finale, a synth bridge seems to progress inversely before the Aussie puts an end to it with the bombastic refrain. It's a sublime way to conclude the cosmic record.
With Currents, Kevin Parker didn't just craft top notch pop music, he rearranged its pieces in order to shape something superior altogether. Currents represents pop's future and all the things the genre could be if properly upheaved. The fledgeling genius knows that the only way to create change is from within, and he's certainly set a precedent with his third LP by looking within himself and pushing multiple boundaries. By transversing electronic soundscapes, turning over new leaves while reflecting on old ones, Parker has emphatically expanded his reach and influence. His much-awaited follow up, 2020's The Slow Rush is another feather in his cap but 2015's Currents is his chef-d'oeuvre. It's an LP that assuredly livens up any college party while simultaneously prompting its guests to contemplate their ever-murky futures.
"Man, I know that it's hard to digest,
But maybe your story ain't so different from the rest,
And I know it seems wrong to accept
But you've got your demons, and she's got her regrets."
-New Person/Same Old Mistakes
Standout Tracks:
1. Let It Happen
2. Yes I'm Changing
3. New Person/Same Old Mistakes
92.8"[+]Reply
"This album has 2015 off to a fine start, already looking miles ahead of 2014. Only on my first listen, but this is a very well put together record. There are certainly sparse Fleet Foxes vibes, as well as so many others, including Pink Floyd that I'm getting right now. John also utilizes the same...""This album has 2015 off to a fine start, already looking miles ahead of 2014. Only on my first listen, but this is a very well put together record. There are certainly sparse Fleet Foxes vibes, as well as so many others, including Pink Floyd that I'm getting right now. John also utilizes the same existential, mid-life lyrics of his former band. Magnificent instrumentation of many sorts. This year we got an AOTY placeholder pretty damn early, when did St. Vincent come out last year? And this album is more than a "placeholder", it's the real deal."[+]Reply
"Visions did a good job of creating a mirthful street-headphones atmosphere and getting that modern, slightly trepid young-urban feeling just right, but with Art Angels Grimes creates her own little wonderland... it's as if some remote galaxy intercepted our popular pop trends, gleefuly turning ev...""Visions did a good job of creating a mirthful street-headphones atmosphere and getting that modern, slightly trepid young-urban feeling just right, but with Art Angels Grimes creates her own little wonderland... it's as if some remote galaxy intercepted our popular pop trends, gleefuly turning everything inside-out and then back in-again, and sprayed it all with some glittery neon slime. I don't know of any albums recently that have been this effervescent and seamless- while big show-stoppers like Kill V Maim and the jolting pocket-symphony that is Realiti command individual attention, Grimes jumps confidently from each weird cloud to the next, never losing sight of the AA's main heart in the process. It's both fluffy, serene, pulsating and kind of unnerving, and really just one terrifically insane (in a playful, graceful way mind you) album that's still never hard to swallow. While the move into full-on electronica dance could polarize some previous fans, especially those who latched on to the more chic darkwave/witch-house-y beats of Visions, Art Angels still remains a wonderfully bewitching and uncompromising album, where pop appeal and demented bedtime-lullabies-gone-horribly-wrong can exist together harmoniously. "[+]Reply
"Love her stream of consciousness lyrical style. All the songs sound fun on the surface but with an underlying serious message. The lyrics of Kim's Caravan are heartbreaking"Reply
"It's kind of sad that CRJ has fallen somewhat out of the public eye considering how great of a pop album this is. Catchy beyond belief and something everybody should at least give a try."Reply
"If you have listened to this album once or twice.... you need to listen to it maybe 5 more times in order to get it! It will grow on you I promise!! This is probably the Saddest album I've heard in my life. I have. to say it's my Top 3 albums of all time.... Like I said in the review on "The Rave...""If you have listened to this album once or twice.... you need to listen to it maybe 5 more times in order to get it! It will grow on you I promise!! This is probably the Saddest album I've heard in my life. I have. to say it's my Top 3 albums of all time....
Like I said in the review on "The Raven", I've only started listening to SW's music 4 months ago. This is the second SW solo album I bought after "The Raven". I can tell you my first impression on the album wasn't as great as his other works like "The Raven" and "Fear of a blank planet", I found the first few tracks are too "Poppy" for my likings, the 2nd half of the album was more enjoyable than the first half. However, after giving it a few more listen, this album has become my favourite prog-rock concept album of ALL TIME, high above Dark Side of the Moon, and I'll tell you why.
To be able to fully appreciate this album, you need to know the concept behind and read the fictional story that SW wrote for the album booklet. I'm sure many of us who bought the album know it's inspired by the real-life story of Joyce Carol Vincent whose body was found in her apartment in London after she's been dead for nearly 3 years. Next to her body were wrapped presents to her family that never got delivered. People wondered how come no one missed her in 3yrs? This album is about urban alienation, and the state-of-mind of a deeply depressed woman who chose to cut herself off from her family, friends and the society eventually.
This album actually has a lot more heart & depth compared to "The Raven". Even though The "Raven" successfully emulated the 70's prog rock sound with tight drumming from Marco, Scorching guitar solo from Guthrie Govan, to me it's more of a Tribute Album to King Crimson/Genesis/Jethro Tull. It's pleasant/euphoric to listen to, but you wouldn't think much about it after.
Versus Hand Cannot Erase, I feel my stomach churned every time I listened to it. Adam Holzman's keyboard work is definitely the highlight of this album. I could hear the emotion pouring out of every key he pressed. The flow of the album is my favourite, each track is carefully placed in order, it's like reading the diaries of the main character and you could feel her emotional state each step of the way. It is meant to be listened from the beginning to the end to get the full picture.
Track List and my own interpretation:
1. First Regret - It starts off with Adam Holzman's gloomy keyboard sound and SW's brooding soundscape. It's calling for your attention.
2. 3 Year Older - It's your typical pop rock song, it gives you the first glimpse of the main character's state-of-mind. She's starting to relate to someone who she once knew before... someone who disappeared from her life and she didn't understand why... but now she does..."I can feel you more than you really know.... I can love you more than I'll ever show"
3. Hand Cannot Erase - This is a stellar pop track! It showcases SW's ability to create different type of music. It expresses the desire of the main character that she just wanted to be left alone. It's something we can all relate to...."Writing lying emails to our friends back home...feeling guilty if we sometimes wanna be alone" "It's not you, forgive me if I find I need more space..." I'm sure we all feel that way sometimes.... some days we just want to be left alone
4. Perfect Life - Pure Electronica piece, one of my favourite tracks. It's the monologue of the main character talking about the foster sister that she once had. She's 3 years older and she disappeared from the main character's life. Now we know the track "3 Year Older" is about that long lost friend
5. Routine - This is one of the saddest songs I've heard in my life. It has nothing to do with the story of this album. It's more like a side story about a woman's grief after the lost her children. She had to maintain her daily routine in order to keep sane. The highlight was Guthrie Govan's guitar solo and Ninet's heart-wrenching vocal. I've listened to this song many times, and I cried every time when I heard the line "Don't ever let go.... try to let go....", it's a struggle everyday.... you know you need to move on, but when is it OK to move on?
6. Home Invasion - It's one of the heaviest tracks on this album, it has some Metal riffs. This song talks about the social detachment people have due to Internet and Social Media. Technology brings us closer and further at the same time. We get on line, we know everything that's happening around the world at the comfort of our own home. People don't even interact with each other any more because Texting/Tweeting/Facebooking is easier...everyone has a different visage on the internet, you can be anything, anyone you want...
7. Regret #9 - This one is an instrumental track showcasing each members' musicianship. The opening sounds very RUSH. If you didn't know, you would think you are listening to Rush. This is one of the best and heavier tracks of the album.
8. Transience - Another favourite track of mine. This is the most melodic track in the album. I could definitely hear the influence of Pink Floyd especially the harmonies. It's very folksy & melodic, you just want to sing along. It's simply beautiful.
9. Ancestral - This is probably the best track in the album. It's a 13-min long journey packed with tons of goodies including SW's lush and brooding guitar sound and haunting vocal; Adam's magical keyboard/organ works and Guthrie's sky-scorching guitar solo. Definitely cannot be missed.
10. Happy Returns - This is definitely THE saddest song I've ever heard in my life. I thought there's no song that can top the sadness of 'Routine", but this song did it. I have to say the first 20 times when I heard this song, I just find it very sad, but it never got me to the point that I had to weep uncontrollably like 'Routine". I only truly experienced how sad this song actually is when I saw it performed live at the SW's concert. The song is a letter she wrote to her brother after she cut herself off from her family for years. She tried putting up a strong front so people would think she's ok, but she's actually very broken. It almost seemed like it's her way of crying for help, she's in the verge of breaking down. Her train-of-thoughts were very scattered... one moment she expressed her helplessness "I feel like I'm falling once again... but there's no one left to catch me..." Another moment she's talking about her financial trouble and suddenly asked if her nieces & nephews remember her... "I've got trouble with the bills... do the kids remember me?... I got gifts for them and for you... and sorrow.... but I'm feeling kinda drowsy now... so I'll finish this tomorrow..." Even though the song never implied the fate of the character, but we all know those gifts never got delivered and she's never waking up again. (Joyce Carol Vincent died in her apartment with undelivered wrapped presents around her.) I lose it every time when I thought about how she died alone and no one missed her for years.......
11. Accident Here One - It's all Adam Holzman's emotional keyboard work!! I'm a true fan of him now after seeing him performed this album live. I saw big guys weeping at the concert when Adam concluded the show with this gloomy piece of art.
I have to say there's no other albums I've listened to in my life made me feel that touched and emotional. This is an essential collection for music fans across all genres... not just Pop Rock and Prog Rock fans... but music fans with good ears in general. It is sad... but like Steven Wilson said "I find sad music uplifting!". This album is truly a masterpiece!
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"An eccentric, melodic, ethereal, and overall gorgeous pop record. Whereas other dreampop bands like Beach House have achieved an immersive sound through serene synthesized production and sparkling guitars, this album finds its heavenly sound through more organic instrumentation. A lot of the text...""An eccentric, melodic, ethereal, and overall gorgeous pop record.
Whereas other dreampop bands like Beach House have achieved an immersive sound through serene synthesized production and sparkling guitars, this album finds its heavenly sound through more organic instrumentation. A lot of the textures on this record are created by layered vocals, harpsichord, and double bass.
While it might not be as tight of a soundscape as Loud City Song (a highly thematic record) it makes up for this in its diversity from track-to-track. Even when Julia is trading bubbly pop songs like "Feel You" with dense mystical soundscapes like "Night Song", the album is consistently beautiful and the variation gives the album really great pacing.
I cannot find a single noticeable flaw with this record; every single song feels vital to the overall whole and each tidbit is an enjoyable listen (although "How Long?" and "Vasquez" could be a bit of a challenge when heard outside the context of the record).
10/10.
Favorites: Betsy on the Roof, Feel You, Night Song, Have You In My Wilderness, Lucette Stranded on the Island "[+]Reply
jeremih724 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +28 votes (35 helpful | 7 unhelpful)
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johnner | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +13 votes (14 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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DriftingOrpheus | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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cestuneblague | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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