|
Staff
Reviews 647
Soundoffs 102
News Articles 98
Band Edits + Tags 345
Album Edits 2,238
Album Ratings 3170
Objectivity 73%
Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
Review Comments 43,949
| Sowing's 2015
I deleted all 125 of my lists and am now archiving my favorite albums from each year of the previous decade. Just my way of trimming my profile and making it a bit leaner/meaner. List is straightforward; these are my 20 favorite releases from 2015. | | 20 |  | CHVRCHES
Every Open Eye
In a weaker year this might rank higher, but this is my favorite Chvrches album. More consistent than the debut and worlds better than what followed it. Every song is a melodically accessible blend of pop and electronic. | | 19 |  | Beach Slang
The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel
When I'm feeling this, it's much higher. There's nothing quite like jamming this at max volume in the car during the summer. The only issue is that it has little value outside of that specific setting. | | 18 |  | Frog
Kind of Blah
This was my big discovery of 2015 and one of the underground artists that have stuck with me through the years. An interesting blend of lo-fi indie-rock and punk, Frog are mostly fun but can also be moody and atmospheric. | | 17 |  | Carly Rae Jepsen
Emotion
This isn't the world-beater of a pop album that some make it out to be, but it is very good. There's at least 5 bangers I still return to here, especially 'Run Away With Me'. | | 16 |  | The Decemberists
What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
This was the start of diminishing returns on The Decemberists' Americana phase. It's a slight step down from The King Is Dead, but it still has enough beautifully lush moments to stand on its own as one of the band's better releases. | | 15 |  | bansheebeat
Lumine
I'm not into electronic music normally, but this is phenomenal. A sputnik user project (see Rev's profile) ranking in a year-end Top 15 is unheard of for me, but this is worthy. Lush and atmospheric with some video game soundtrack vibes. | | 14 |  | Beach House
Depression Cherry
I always talk about how much of a let down this was following Bloom, but I tend to exaggerate its weaknesses. This might not be as consistent, but it still has some jaw-dropping peaks. 'PPP' is a top-3 Beach House song for me and the extended outro of that song might be my favorite moment of theirs period. | | 13 |  | Of Monsters and Men
Beneath the Skin
I know this band draws some ire because of their poppy demeanor and their affinity for shouting "hey!", but this is a more mature and grounded effort than their famous debut, My Head Is An Animal. Some beautiful cuts of folk here. Even if you hated their other albums, I'd still recommend giving this a chance. | | 12 |  | Joanna Newsom
Divers
This falls into that dreaded category of incredible albums that I respect the hell out of, but for some reason or another don't listen to as often as I should. All I know is that when I immerse myself in this experience, there's nothing quite like it. The atmosphere on this record is downright otherworldly. | | 11 |  | Julia Holter
Have You In My Wilderness
My favorite Holter release (barely edging Aviary), this album's smooth, tropical sway and mysterious atmosphere is always a treat. I went on a vacation to the Bahamas in 2015 and played this on the plane while staring out the window over the ocean - truly a transcendental experience. | | 10 |  | Godspeed You! Black Emperor
'Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress'
Vastly underrated in my book. Post-rock fans seem to rank this near the bottom of GY!BE's discography, but for me it's as high as their third best. I love the ambient tracks, and the bookends are monstrous and post-apocalyptic. | | 9 |  | Silversun Pickups
Better Nature
After Neck of the Woods got me hooked on these guys, this was the first SSPU album I was truly hyped for. I remember being turned off by the shimmering electronic gleam and lack of rock, but over time the stylistic shift won me over. This is simultaneously their catchiest and prettiest album. | | 8 |  | Titus Andronicus
The Most Lamentable Tragedy
Talk about huge concept albums: this 29-song double LP is as big as it gets, and it packs all the energy, raucousness, and fun that you'd expect from one of punk's leading acts. This was the last time these guys put out anything I cared for, unfortunately. | | 7 |  | FKA Twigs
M3LL155X
This EP floored me in the same way that I imagine a lot of folks who were around in 2000 to hear Kid A upon its release felt. This was my introduction to glitch-pop/R&B/electronics or whatever you want to call it (as you can see I'm still no genre expert), and it just sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before. To this day, it remains my personal measuring stick for experimental pop/R&B. | | 6 |  | The World Is a Beautiful Place...
Harmlessness
If someone had concocted the perfect indie record for user SowingSeason in a laboratory, it might sound a lot like this. Sweet, melodic vocals capable of rising to more; pristine acoustics; swelling strings; lush verdant soundscapes - yep, this makes me feel warm and fuzzy every single time. | | 5 |  | The Tallest Man on Earth
Dark Bird Is Home
Unpopular opinion time: this is the best thing Kristian Matsson has ever done. After several excellent but samey acoustic folk records, he finally branched out. This album has more of a folk-rock vibe, and even introduces some electronic elements. This is breathtaking in a way that his previous efforts are not and the follow-up LP retreats from; I feel like he could still expand upon this sound, but for now it's his crowning achievement. | | 4 |  | Father John Misty
I Love You, Honeybear
I've always equated this record to something of a fucked up Valentine's Day special. Tillman sings of the darker and more twisted side of love - from drugs to choking fetishes - but somehow sings it all in such an endearing way that you relate to every word. The biting sarcasm and narcissism may seem off-putting at first, but that's just who Tillman is. | | 3 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise
Aside from The Color Spectrum, this is the best thing that The Dear Hunter has ever done. This ranks somewhere in my top 10 catchiest albums of all time, and its progressive-rock structures also make it admirable from a technical standpoint. This is a highlight reel of infectious melodies/choruses. | | 2 |  | mewithoutYou
Pale Horses
Any time mewithoutYou releases an album, you can bet it will find its way onto my year-end list. I was actually marginally disappointed with this at first - I thought Weiss sounded lacking for energy. In time I'd come to realize that it was Will Yip's porta-potty production quality (he'd redeem himself three years later on [Untitled]), but regardless, this thing grew immensely. The apocalyptic nature of the lyrics intertwine both biblical and secular themes of destruction, and the murky atmosphere somehow makes it sound even more authentic. 'Rainbow Signs' is one of, if not the, best song of my lifetime. | | 1 |  | Sufjan Stevens
Carrie and Lowell
Not much can be said about this decade-topper that hasn't already been said. The beauty and pain that emanates from Stevens grappling with the death of his estranged mother is heartwrenching. The acoustic atmospheres ring out with a pastoral clarity rarely heard. The melodies are drab and depressed, yet somehow remain lodged in your brain. The lyrics will make you want to have a tissue nearby. This is the greatest folk album of our time. | |
Sowing
05.18.20 | This year had some decade definers, but wasn't as broadly excellent as some other years. There’s a pretty steep drop-off below #12. | DrGonzo1937
05.18.20 | carrie and lowell < 3 | DrGonzo1937
05.18.20 | i also need to look into tallest man's discog. i've only heard fever dream and thought it was okay-ish, but i can tell there's real potential | Sowing
05.18.20 | Yeah I'd highly recommend it. Even his normal folk style is amazing - in fact most would argue that Dark Bird is a pitfall in his discography not the other way around. I just happened to really enjoy his foray into alternative styles there. Regardless, The Tallest Man on Earth is essential sput-core. | JWT155
05.18.20 | Crazy to think it's been 5 years since Carrie & Lowell was dropped. Solid list. Some other notable releases from that year for me:
Neon Indian - Vega Intl. Night School
Grimes - Art Angels
Fightstar - Behind the Devil's Back
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Destroyer - Poison Season
Foals - What Went Down
Ghost - Meliora
Tame Impala - Currents
Haste the Day - Coward
Turnover - Peripheral Vision (I have as a 5)
Lord Huron - Strange Trails
Preoccupations - Viet Cong | Lucman
05.18.20 | 2015 was so good. That was the year I really began to branch out of the Christian music bubble I grew up in. Have never loved music more. This is a superb list too, Sow.
1. Carrie and Lowell, quite easily.
2. Julien Baker - Sprained Ankle
3. Destroyer - Poison Season
4. mwY - Pale Horses
5. Red - Of Beauty and Rage | Sowing
05.18.20 | Thanks! Never listened to Sprained Ankle or New Bermuda so I need to check that out. | Lucman
05.18.20 | That's actually really surprising. Sprained Ankle could almost be described as the Carrie and Lowell of the sad girl with a guitar movement that was popular. It's one of the most claustrophobic records out there. It holds up extraordinarily well. | tyman128
05.18.20 | Man I've only heard 2 off of this... I should probably check some of these out | Sowing
05.18.20 | That sounds amazing Luc. I'll make it my next album to catch up on from the previous decade :-)
Definitely check these out tyman! Top 12 are all safe bets | tyman128
05.18.20 | Will do, I've had my eyes on 1, 3, 5, and 11 for quite some time, just need to get around to it. I've also been contemplating doing a discog run for 10 at some point | ChoccyPhilly
05.18.20 | bro why, I love a good sput shitpost list | ChoccyPhilly
05.18.20 | Also, Sprained Ankle is very good. You'll like it, sowing | Sowing
05.19.20 | ChoccyPhilly now that's a name I haven't seen in a while
Will check Sprained Ankle based on the multiple recs | dmathias52
05.19.20 | Sujfan is my shared number one as well, as well as decade topper. For an album that's pretty difficult to listen to thematically, it's my most played album of the decade as well. Such a special record.
If you have the time, I would also throw in Falling Up's self-titled in as a rec from this year. Very good prog rock from a band that went through a crazy transformation. Started off as a "super poppy alt-rock with some rapping Christian band" that became something really special late in their career | MO
05.19.20 | 17 is 1 |
|
