2015 halftime report
hello this is my biannual tumblr update
lots of good albums this year but not that i ‘love’ or feel really invested in. Obvs Kendrick and Sufjan and Jamie XX are dominating the conversation around the critic blocs, deservedly, but i’m gonna mention some lesser known ones that i think are worth checking out (unranked tho, ok)
zs - xe
this is experimental, improvisational modern free jazz that’s impressive in its rhythmic presence and ambition. never dull
waxahatchee - ivy tripp
i never realized how much i liked this until i was thinking about which albums to mention here and then it clicked. maybe her best album. took awhile for me to like as much as her debut.
hop along - painted shut
ditto with this release. the vocals dominate here more than on Get Disowned and the songwriting isn’t as catchy but still some great tracks. grew on me, and i keep coming back to it
billy woods - today i wrote nothing
one of the year’s best rap albums; underground and harsh, intelligent. 24 tracks long without any duds. highly lyrical
titus andronicus - the most lamentable tragedy
outstanding massive release. as good as The Monitor. not even officially out yet but worth buying on 3LP.
death grips - the powers that b
skip the memes; great double album
vince staples - summertime ‘06
just came out today, it’s 60 minutes over two discs. Tries lots of different ideas, rarely faltering. tons of energy and skill even if it’s a more accessible effort. The production throughout is unreal, No I.D. and Clams Casino putting in killer work.
mount eerie - sauna
ideal swan song for phil elverum...if that’s what it is.
godspeed! YBM - Asunder etc etc
ahhhhhhhahahahhhhhahhh
jim o’rourke - simple songs
the sort of almost-yacht-rock-but-not-quite you’d listen to if you were a really, really cool Dad.
father john misty - i love you, honeybear
life n marriage (funny)
bjork - vulnicura
divorce and after (sad)
mewithoutyou - pale horses
returns a band that’s felt fairly dormant for several years into the ‘great’ tier, but you can’t really call them post-hardcore anymore...religious content is thoughtful and makes for interesting lyrics in this indie styled record
viet cong - viet cong
this band was dropped here from the late ‘70s and now we’re stuck with them
holly herndon - platform
future shit, legitimizes ASMR, looks forward in time towards a world where the sun opens up like an iphone lock screen
follakzoid - III
stoner jams that u can dig if yr not a long-haired stoner, it’s chill, it’s psychy.
marching church - the world is not enough
if you love Iceage, you’ll love this, which is basically just Elias being self-indulgent. (i love Iceage)
i’ve heard a bunch of other stuff too that i more or less like but need more listens to articulate in any sort of coherence why. like i said, it’s a good year for stuff that’s good, but i haven’t been floored a w h o l e lot.
also since you are here already here is my ranked list of movies from 2015, the year that we are halfway through. http://letterboxd.com/orangehologram/list/2015-films-ranked/
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