My Top 10 Songs of 2015 (So Far...)

This year has been full of big releases.  So many artists have follow ups to albums I love this year and most of them I could care less about.  Here is what I do care about.

The Decemberists / Lake Song - The kings of sounding different by sounding the same.  I love that each new offering is a new take on something similar.  It helps that the something similar is something I love.

Kendrick Lamar / For Free? (Interlude) - Kendrick takes rap to a whole new level with this album.  To the point that it is being taught and dissected in high school classes.  It is perhaps one of the most important pieces of Hip Hop to date

Big Data / Dangerous - I very rarely listen to the radio but on the rare occasion that I do I discovered this.  I absolutely love it (probably because it features Joywave).  The rhythm is so infectious I am doing my best Night at the Roxbury impression while typing this.

Tyler, The Creator / DEATHCAMP - Dirty and raw with killer beats and samples.  Everything that you expect from Tyler, The Creator.  When he is unleashed he is at his best.  This song best exemplifies why he is the poster boy for alternative Hip Hop.

Joywave / Somebody New - I don't know what it is about upstate NY but they have been producing killer Indie Electro bands.  Joywave is my new favorite.  It is a shame that I had to be introduced to them through the video game FIFA 15.

Mumford & Sons / The Wolf - I know...I know.  I can't help what I like.  I hated their first disc.  I do like the new sound.  Maybe I am just getting older.  Maybe I have always just been a sucker for radio pop.  Possibly all of the above.

Twenty One Pilots / Stressed Out - These guys combine heart and skill to create something real in today's alternative scene.  The new album tackles the neurotic approach to dealing with their new found fame.  I am afraid that if they ever get a good night's sleep this will all end.

Bully / Milkman - This sounds like Gwen Stefani fronting Hammerbox (Remember Hammerbox?  Simple passing?  Road Rash? Playstation 2?!?),  Female fronted rock punk.  Try not thrashing about while listening to it.  A whole album of it was a bit much though.

Wolf Alice / Moaning Lisa Smile - When I first heard this it immediately made me think of Lush.  That nostalgic, 90's shoegaze sound sucked me right in.  It's a shame the rest of the album did not live up to it.

Jason Isbell / 24 Frames - I find that most Americana music I love is from the 90's,  Where is today's Americana?  Right here.  Jason Isbell did a great job teasing us with this song as there are so many great songs on his new album.

See you when the needle drops!


Fran

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