Warpaint's 2010 debut "The Fool" was one of my favorite albums of that year and after a long 4 year wait they came back with a strong sophomore album that I loved every bit as much! It makes me happy to see so much psychedelic rock & roll this year and Warpaint is definitely one of the bands leading that movement!
Believe it or not, this album almost completely flew under my radar. I first heard about FKA Twigs earlier this year but didn't pay much mind to her. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally sat down and listened through "LP1" that I fell in love with the sonic atmosphere FKA Twigs created. Very excited to see what the future holds for her!
8. Snarky Puppy - Family Dinner
It was hard to escape from the Snarky Puppy frenzy that swept across my school when they dropped their first album and just like everyone else I got caught up in it. Snarky Puppy quickly became one of my favorite bands to listen to and their live shows are no joke! Every time I think they can't possibly top their last album they do something like this. Collaborate with artists to create an album that pushes the boundaries of what we think is possible! Best example is this phenomenal performance with Lalah Hathaway! SHE SINGS CHORDS! WHAT?
7. Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
I've always respected Dave Ghrol and the Foo Fighters immensely and they earned even more of my adoration with Sonic Highways. The partnership with HBO to bring the songwriting process to the fans helped cement that. The Sonic Highways series is what really sold me, getting to see them travel to the biggest music cities in America and write songs based on their experiences with the musicians, legends, producers, studio owners, and people from there was a pure work of art! It's inspired me to pursue art and view it in a very different way.
Copeland was one of my favorite bands in the mid to late 2000's. To say I was devastated when they announced their break-up is an understatement. To say that I was a mixed bag of emotions when they decided to announce a new album on April 1st, is also an understatement. I wanted to believe they were serious and I'm so happy it wasn't a cruel joke! Ixora is altogether nostalgic and fresh at the same time. Like an old sweater you once loved but lost, when you find it again it fits just as comfortably as it always did. Filled with old memories but ready to create new ones, Copeland is back and just as great as ever.
5. War On Drugs - Lost In A Dream
If Bob Dylan has started a psychedelic folk rock band I'm pretty sure it would have sounded a lot like War On Drugs, which is what made me fall in love with them so quickly! After hearing only the first track, I already knew that I loved Lost In A Dream and that it would have a solid place on my favorite albums of the year
4. La Dispute - Rooms Of The House
Every album La Dispute has released has had a profound impact on how I view life and the trials faced throughout it and they always seem to come out when I need it most. Rooms Of The House is now exception. La Dispute has always had a way of tying every song on their album into one big arch not quite in the vein of a concept album but in the sense that in the end you can see how every song plays into a big part of what vocalist Jordan Dreyer is trying to express. Until I grow old, one of my favorite memories will be longboarding around North Hollywood at 6am while blasting this album into my ears.
3. Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were
The first time I heard Ben Howard (or how I like to call him Ben Howareyousogood) I was completely blown away! He quickly became a huge influence in my guitar playing and and all I want to be when I grow up is Ben Howard. His debut "Every Kingdom" was a pure work of art and I'm so glad to see him expand his artistry in his follow up. Instead of rehashing everything he did in Every Kingdom he pushed passed that and explored new territory he left completely untouched in his first album. I Forget Where We Were is everything I didn't know I wanted from Ben Howard. Every song on this album left me breathless.
2. Bleachers - Strange Desire
The first time I heard Bleachers I was speechless. I had never heard anything quite like it. Not only was the music fresh and original but it felt like Jack was in my head singing about everything that I wanted to write about. I Wanna Get Better quickly became my anthem of this past summer. The whole album is pure magic! I can't wait to see what Bleachers has in store for the future! If their debut is any sign of things to come than Bleachers is going to be an unstoppable force!
When I first heard Digital Witness and saw Annie sporting her new white hair I was honestly devastated. Strange Mercy and all her previous work had come my favorite albums and I loved everything St. Vincent did but I had felt like she went off the ledge and went completely crazy... and she did but in the best way possible! After fully listening to the full album and seeing her perform her new materiel live I was sorry that I every doubted her. St. Vincent's Self-Titled masterpiece had me in tears. Every song is an absolute work of art!
Honorable Mentions:
Animals As Leaders - The Joy Of Motion
Angus & Julia Stone - S/T
LP - Forever For Now
EMA - The Future's Void
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