| Doof's Albums of the Year 2015 |
| 50 |  | Marilyn Manson
The Pale Emperor
Manson deserves a spot here because this is an artist I had marked down as a total lost cause. That he builds his comeback on classic rock and blues tropes is to be expected and it in no way stops his poisonous and impassioned delivery from elevating this to the realms of possible career best territory. |
| 49 |  | Evil Blizzard
Everybody Come to Church
I stumbled on this lot just reading they had four bass players and my initial reaction was 'novelty act'...but they've since wormed their way into my affections with their intense creepy mantras and pagan ritual vibes. |
| 48 |  | DJ Krush
Butterfly Effect
When Krush plays to his expansive trip hop strengths this is impressive, the hip hop numbers towards the back end of the album derail momentum a little, though the excellent final song shows that it might all just be about finding the right vocal collaborator. |
| 47 |  | Clutch
Psychic Warfare
Clutch take a welcome step back from the comedy metal precipice here and go back to their roots of blues rawk, snappy riffing and southern myth-making weirdness. My favourite of theirs for quite some time. |
| 46 |  | Dylan Stark
Heartland
One of the first albums I listened to this year and still one I turn to a lot, a euphoric mash up of samples and beats that calls to mind artists like The Avalanches and Gold Panda. |
| 45 |  | Deafheaven
New Bermuda
Genre clash for the sake of it can be a disaster and on paper extreme metal and post rock is a counter intuitive pairing. What people forget with Deafheaven is they don't just combine those two elements but also fill a middle ground between the two with influences ranging from the classic metal tones of Metallica or Mastodon with the alt rock guitar abandon displayed by acts like the Smashing Pumpkins and even Placebo. It's this middle range on their work that should be heralded because it's what makes the genre mashing at all palatable and this album is a great example of them spreading this appeal liberally. |
| 44 |  | Panda Bear
Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
I'll admit I've always been more of a fan of Avey Tare in the great Lennon/McCartney Animal Collective debate. This is actually my favourite of Panda Bear's solo albums because I personally most enjoy his music at its most delicate and ethereal - here tracks like Tropic of Cancer and Lonely Wanderer end up being his best examples of this style to date. |
| 43 |  | EL VY
Return to the Moon
This isn't as much a 'happy Matt' album as I expected after first hearing the title track, sure Berninger sounds a little more relaxed and dare I say funky here, but generally he's still conveying his usual world weariness. When the peppier musical backing clicks with the vocals this is promising, it just doesn't really happen quite enough. |
| 42 |  | Blur
The Magic Whip
Don't expect 'Parklife', this is a group of artists who've matured beyond recognition but to their credit matured surprisingly gracefully. In fact it could be argued Albarn's artistic stock has never stopped rising reaching a pinnacle with Gorillaz and his many other side projects - all this reinvention has helped inform the tasteful choices the band make here on their comeback. Criticisms? - 'The Magic Whip' is lacking slightly in the excitement bracket. |
| 41 |  | The Chills
Silver Bullets
A New Zealand band who sound like R.E.M in 'Happy Shiny People' mode with Suggs on vocals - you'd be forgiven for saying that set up sounds far from promising. The reality is that at least half of 'Silver Bullets' hits those perfect indie mid 80's notes and when you look around there aren't so many bands currently serving up the jangle pop good stuff. |
| 40 |  | low
Ones and Sixes
The Church of Low continues and they still sound like a weird cult based around singing disconcertingly pure and unaffected vocals over foreboding hymn-like dirges. They probably want to feast on our souls. |
| 39 |  | Horrendous
Anareta
A 'classic' death metal album along the lines of, well, Death. The ambitious range in the arrangements lifts this album to near greatness, if only the vocals weren't quite so inconsistent. |
| 38 |  | Jamie xx
In Colour
An album that starts and finishes really well, Jamie working through a range of electro and dance styles that live up to the colourful cover art, but it's actually the middle section where Mr xx brings in collaborators and guest singers that the wheels fall off a bit and the spell threatens being broken. |
| 37 |  | Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat
The Most Important Place in the World
A grumbly middle aged scotsman delivering spoken word missives about his various romantic and sexual inadequacies over a backdrop of light jazz and piano pieces should set alarm bells ringing but this is one of the most endearing albums of the year. Any Arab Strap or long standing Mogwai fans will of course feel instantly at home with Aidan Moffat's beer battered vocals. |
| 36 |  | Lightning Bolt
Fantasy Empire
Not everyone agrees but I believe the cleaner production makes this album, the drums snap in the mix like never before providing 'Fantasy Empire' with added bite and drive. What headphones were made for. |
| 35 |  | John Grant
Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
This remains the hardest sell of the three Grant albums thus far, there is no obvious narrative and much of it revisits familiar musical turf while the hooks are sunk a little deeper than usual, but to compensate the big man has wisely pushed the comedy to the fore this time. |
| 34 |  | Therapy?
Disquiet
Therapy? keep soldiering on and anyone would be forgiven for skipping over this one based on the varying quality found on their recent releases. 'Disquiet' comes after the band went on tour playing the classic 'Troublegum' in full and this really feels like a return to not only that sound but more importantly a return to that type of form. An unexpected all time top four Therapy? album. |
| 33 |  | Prurient
Frozen Niagara Falls
Similar to the Black Wing release in sounding impressively widescreen and dramatic, moments of elegant cinematic beauty punctured by distortion and harsh noise. Despite the geography of the album being spelt out as New York 'FNF' basically sounds like the apocalypse brought to a city near you. |
| 32 |  | Modest Mouse
Strangers to Ourselves
Going into this album with realistic expectations based on their previous two releases being solid yet unspectacular this album delivered exactly what I predicted - a sprawling mish mash of good and bad ideas with a grand concept trying desperately to link everything together. It's almost exactly the same quality as the aforementioned albums and as such lands here as a decent if mildly disappointing listen, but one that does have enough chops to reward perseverance. |
| 31 |  | Tame Impala
Currents
After the early release of 'Let it Happen' this has to go down as one of the disappointments of the year. That song promised a total headtrip but what we have instead is a partial trip and some 'just ok' fluffy pop songs. This is still quality material and the spot here is deserved, it's just the thought of what could have been that grates away at you. |
| 30 |  | Christopher Owens
Chrissybaby Forever
I'd written Owens off after the sickly and unsubtle approach of his last album but he's stopped the rot here delivering his best solo effort by far, one that plays out like a more low key Girls outing. |
| 29 |  | Nickelus F and Shawn Kemp
Trick Dice
Great hip hop mixtape vibe with a broader range of musical backdrops than you first anticipate, the vocals stay pretty solid and engaging throughout too. |
| 28 |  | Paradise Lost
The Plague Within
Paradise lost have come nearly full circle on this album as they resurrect Nick Holme's growly doom vocals, the difference here is what all the year's have taught them - to focus their attack and never forsake those all important hooks. Such a consistent effort, this easily ranks among their top three or four releases. |
| 27 |  | Black Wing
...Is Doomed
This album might just sound the 'biggest' of the year, it's positively epic with every drum note sounding like its causing an impact on the surrounding earth. If someone told me they'd chosen this album to soundtrack a 'Tron' sequel I wouldn't be surprised as the 80's homage and computer game sound palette is most certainly there, though the dark tone wouldn't have me anticipating any happy endings. |
| 26 |  | Mercury Rev
The Light In You
Mercury Rev are a band I've held dear for a very long time and as much as objectively I can see they have dabbled in some slightly ropey new age and AOR influences in recent years I still can't help but love their fantasy world. 'The Light in You' is more consistent than the two preceding releases and shows they're edging ever closer to rediscovering that 'Deserter's Songs' spark again. |
| 25 |  | Baroness
Purple
Despite Mastodon moving into their 'pop prog-metal with a southern fried tang' territory these dudes are still way more convincing at this particular sound. The vocal melodies are strong (if a little samey) but the album really comes alive in the experimental instrumental passages within songs that are expertly afforded just enough breathing space to satisfy without sabotaging structure. |
| 24 |  | Big Blood
Double Days II
This album conjures images of a different time or perhaps a different society, it sounds ritualistic, in thrall of nature...some sort of psychedelic influence is holding sway and the vocals have a near religious fervour to them at times. Folk beamed in from 'the other side'. |
| 23 |  | Clarence Clarity
No Now
This is the definitive 'hit and miss' album of the year for me, my three favourite songs here would all have a claim to top 10 of the year placings...but then you have intensely irritating noise and embarrassingly weak melodies spread across much of the rest. An acquired taste for sure. |
| 22 |  | Little Simz
A Curious Tale Of Trials + Persons
My only slight reservation with this album is I wish she found a little more space for her aggressive and grimy side represented here by 'Dead Body' and feel one or two more similar tracks would have delivered on the statement of intent she lays down at the start of the album. You get the feeling she's only just getting started here. |
| 21 |  | Kurt Vile
b'lieve i'm goin' down...
Another Kurt Vile album and at this stage of the game we know what that entails. This could have done with some editing down to a more manageable size along the lines of 'Smoke Ring' but the fact he's still delivering as much quality material as he is has to be encouraging, it's just you have to commit to quite a ramble to get to it this time. |
| 20 |  | Astronauts, etc.
Mind Out Wandering
Having a similar androgynous appeal to Rhye this band provide a hard to resist combination of lush indie tones and soothing falsetto vocals. |
| 19 |  | ought
Sun Coming Down
Ought sounded even rougher around the gills on this second album than on their first, there was clearly an effort to be even noisier and more discordant. They have now aligned even closer sonically to bands like Parquet Courts but their songwriting still goes further back than the 90's for inspiration ending up at the post rock 80's and in particular David Byrne is a huge influence (check the magnificent 'Beautiful Blue Sky'). |
| 18 |  | Dave DK
Val Maira
Cinematic and sprawling electronic/house that sometimes sports a similar organic feel to Pantha Du Prince's 'Black Noise'. |
| 17 |  | Jim O'Rourke
Simple Songs
Similarly to the RW album this takes its sound palette from predominantly the 70's era but the song writing is all O'Rourke - deadpan vocals and layered but always obsessively neat highly varied instrumentation. His most consistent set of simple songs yet. |
| 16 |  | Ryley Walker
Primrose Green
Retro is the word. Hell more than that derivative is the word. But listen up sput populace, this does not equate to 'bad', in actual fact this is a sublime listen showing great artistry despite cribbing from many 70's folk and soft rock touchstones. |
| 15 |  | Archy Marshall
A New Place 2 Drown
A more sensual and textured listen than his King Krule output, the rough edges of his voice are smoothed out and lower in the mix, blending into the musical backing to make for an appealingly blissed out/spliff ready listen. |
| 14 |  | The Maccabees
Marks To Prove It
A highly consistent English indie rock album that should satisfy cravings for anyone waiting for new albums by Arcade Fire and in particular The Walkmen who the Maccabees resemble quite closely. There are some surprising and well selected atmospheric touches added here and there which help the flow of the album no end. |
| 13 |  | Sun Kil Moon
Universal Themes
First things first it has to be said this doesn't quite match the brilliance of 'Benji' but this album doesn't have the same intentions. Kozelek is trying a subtly different approach yet again and the arrangements here are more complex with multiple parts, it doesn't always work but the moments when words and music align in perfect synthesis can stop you in your tracks. |
| 12 |  | Anna Von Hausswolff
The Miraculous
This was in a mini battle with Joanna - squeaky twee vs Scary Mary drone. That she rates so close is saying a lot, this album sounds so accomplished that at times I feel musically it could soundtrack something enormous, timeless and magical...The Lord of the Rings maybe. The lyrics are surprisingly personal however and give the album a layer of intimate charm. |
| 11 |  | Joanna Newsom
Divers
I keep expecting to one day dislike Joanna's work - it often comes across as smugly precocious, twee and self satisfied. My introduction to this album was watching the video to 'sapokanikan' and it made me want to puke. My first impressions of the album as a whole were 'more of the same, do I need this?'. After a week she'd won me over yet again the undeniably talented darling, this is pure excellence. |
| 10 |  | Kendrick Lamar
To Pimp a Butterfly
My first reaction was slight disappointment with this one, I missed the unified feel of Good Kid and this seemed lacking in aggressive bangers. The truth is TPAB isn't just a hip hop release, it works in soul/pop/funk/jazz/rock flavours and its appeal isn't based on hitting the sweet spot most people associate with hip hop. It's appeal is close to that of a concept album and once you relax into the idea of that you relax into the album's strange personality. |
| 9 |  | Deerhunter
Fading Frontier
A surprising release in so much as most people would never have expected this band to deliver what skirts very close to a conventional indie pop album. There are enough subversive and experimental touches to still remind you who you are listening to but this will probably take up the role of the Deerhunter album you'd reach for to soundtrack a summer roadtrip. |
| 8 |  | Elvis Depressedly
New Alhambra
The album with the most obvious and instant appeal on the whole list for me, but one that shouldn't be underestimated. It flows like a dream (in both senses) and it can be difficult to not play this short album multiple times in a row such is it's elliptical nature. A downbeat chillout classic. |
| 7 |  | George Clanton
100% Electronica
Yes thanks to Potsy this is an established Sput cult classic but it deserves an audience beyond that as in all honesty this is an album with a lot of conventional appeal. In a year swamped by retro 80's nostalgia fests this easily takes the winner's crown thanks to delivering a set of consistently great songs and a sound palette that has it's own unique ambience that stands it apart from the packed crowd. |
| 6 |  | Father John Misty
I Love You, Honeybear
Tillman had it all planned out. He'd built up this cynical douche hipster 'ladies' man' persona and...then promptly fell in love and got married. He couldn't plough on with that previous context as the desired hollowness would, ahem, ring hollow. Here he takes on the concept of a love cynic who, despite making all efforts at resistance, still nonetheless falls in love and delivers a storytelling masterclass in the process. |
| 5 |  | The Membranes
Dark Matter/Dark Energy
I'd never heard of these old bastards before this release but here we had a group of veterans who coupled a grizzled Jesus Lizard/Fugazi/The Stranglers attack with expansive conceptual touches that fall somewhere along the lines of 'The Moon & Antarctica' and 'Embryonic'. |
| 4 |  | Everything Everything
Get To Heaven
If any album held up a mirror to the grim reality of 2015 it was this one, as close to an update to the 'State of the Nation' address of 'Ok Computer' as we've had since, here EE draw a portrait of a world populated by brainwashed terrorists, feeble wobbly egg politicians, sinisterly charismatic Far Right spokesmen and hundreds of apathetic drones barely aware or their surroundings. That you could also ignore all this context and enjoy this album on the level of just the catchiest indie pop confection of the year is even more remarkable. |
| 3 |  | Sufjan Stevens
Carrie and Lowell
There was always something emotionally distant about Sufjan's work in the past, even Seven Swans felt like Stevens was operating at arms length from his own songs. Here he whips away that safety net, there is no need to ask 'are you writing from the heart?' on this one, the lyrics cut so close to the bone they'll make you wince. That he teams this subject matter with his most consistently excellent melodies is where this album enters the realms of genius. |
| 2 |  | Destroyer
Poison Season
'Poison Season' marks no retreat in terms of ambition or concession to pop appeal after the success of 'Kaputt' but it is perhaps more of a traditional Destroyer album in it's slightly more jumbled and ramshackle approach. Here Bejar adds classical instrumentation and approximates a louche crooner singing style at key moments lending the enterprise it's own unique decadent appeal. |
| 1 |  | Oneohtrix Point Never
Garden of Delete
Lopatin spent a while listening to predominantly rock music before hiring a windowless studio to record this album and the results sound a little like unleashing a horde of nanobots at a Nine Inch Nails concert. The songs are conventional by his standards with vocal melodies to the fore but everything here is smothered in a robotic soup that adds a layer of mind bending abstraction. A genius work of madcap mischief. |
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