#2015wastops

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Top 50 Albums of 2015

2. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

I mean, this was the album of the year. To Pimp a Butterfly is really an example of an album coming together as a work of art. To put it in terms us progfans understand, it’s more than just a concept album. This album flawlessly juggles multiple narratives of people, places, and time. However, the most important thing is at the end of the day, the music is damn excellent. Having been disappointed by good kid, mAAd city, from the first track throughout this album was immediate, powerful, compelling, and emotional. This was a great year for musicians as artistic creators, and no one was responsible for a grander or more poignant creation than Kendrick Lamar. 

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Top 50 Albums of 2015

4. The Dear Hunter - Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise

Oh thank god Migrant was just a phase. 

Okay previous album bashing aside, The Dear Hunter has been one of the most exciting bands in the modern progressive rock scene, and one with significant crossover success. This is not surprising because their music is often quite catchy and consistently intriguing to all. The music is pompous, quirky, unique, dense, haunting, and passionate. On top of it all, who can resist a multiple album spanning concept? And oldtimeyness which is played perfectly, as it had been on the other Acts. Knowing the audience that this blog has drawn, if you are not listening to The Dear Hunter, you are missing out on some of the best progressive rock out there today. And this is an album that has it all. 

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Top 50 Albums of 2015

9. Panopticon - Autumn Eternal 

As much as I continue to delve into the genre, I cannot label myself as a metal head. There is always some sort of caveat as to what I like and dislike about metal. That being said, I have generally come to enjoy atmospheric black metal. However, now the genre is a bit overflooded (think post-rock 5-8 years ago). Although this was a great year for the genre overall, this was the album to rise above the rest. The main reason for this is that it basically has a more unique sound, bringing in notes of bluegrass and folk to further propel the atmospheric and emotional content of their sound. 

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Top 50 Albums of 2015

11. Torres - Sprinter

As previously mentioned, 2015 was an amazing year for heartfelt, personal female singer-songwriter anthems. This album does just that to perfection. This album’s complexity comes from the richness of translating experience into sound. It’s more than just words and passion, it’s all about the expert execution. The power of Torres’s voice and her keen sense of melody make this album the powerhouse that it is. 

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Top 50 Albums of 2015

14. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion

Yeah, I was surprised too. But seriously, believe the hype, hipsters! Carly Slay Jepsen had the pop album of 2015! 

I can’t think of the last time I sought out a major label pop release. Was it M2M in the era of the first Pokemon movie? No, I should resist the urge to speak as a blog who primarily posts stuff about progressive rock that this album needs to be defended. And if it does, it certainly can stand up to any of them. It’s catchy, fun, and really well written. Even the stodgiest progger must respect a well crafted pop song. Well this album is full of them, and given the current top 40 hat is really freaking rare. 

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Top 50 Albums of 2015

15. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

Part of me wanted to keep this album off my list based solely on how overrated it is on All Songs Considered, but at the end of the day it is pretty great. The lyrics are sharp as anything, the melodies are on point, and he guitar playing is excellent.  There is something classic rock about this album. I mean there is a more traditional rock sound, but it’s kept tight and she is able to explore a few sides of her music on the album, fast and slow, up and down, which feels oddly like an anachronism in today’s music. Maybe’s it’s just the classic rock influence but it really does like this album would be just as enjoyable 40 years ago as it is today, which is pretty darn cool. 

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Top 50 Albums of 2015

20. Destroyer - Poison Season

Having grown up listening primarily to bands, it’s amazing how many solo artists are on this list (particularly upcoming). Perhaps I have really come to appreciate the sense of authorship that successful artists can wield. This album is a great example of this. With compositions and orchestration that border on baroque, this album still maintains a very clear artistic vision and atmosphere. It’s not just melancholy, it triggers a more wistful atmosphere. Anyway if this is the sort of expansion of ideas that exist with solo artists, that explains why I have been drawn to them.

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Top 50 Albums of 2015

21. Susanne Sundfør - Ten Love Songs

This album feels extremely contemporary. It has a dreamy, reverbed out sound that fits very well with today’s pop underground. It’s carried by an extremely strong vocal performance and layered songwriting. The result is the perfect blend of the pop hookiness with reservation, subtly, and as a result, power.