Oh, you thought this was going to be the Top Ten LPs of 2015 feature?

It’s okay. You can come back tomorrow (maybe) for the 10-1 LPs. –Jom

10 (tie). Foreign Fields – What I Kept in Hiding

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10 (tie). Plini – The End of Everything

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I understand that this person means well in his/her own mind and is only going off personal experience or religious persuasion, but I personally dislike eulogies where the speaker asserts that “[So-and-so] is in a better place.” What makes the eulogizer think that the deceased wouldn’t rather be here with us if he could? Daniel Davis (known to most here as paradox1216) passed away this year after a long battle with cancer. Although we all paid our respects when we learned of the tragic news in October, my hope is that we can integrate his positive energy, enthusiasm, and musical curiosity into our own site presences. As problematic as this site can be on the back-end with technological headaches and other details that are completely outside of our control, Sputnikmusic is nevertheless a sanctuary, an interconnected respite for the weary, a place in which we can escape from “the real world” for a few minutes per day to engage colleagues and friends about our shared love of music in meaningful ways. You can read Daniel’s review of this EP [here], and perhaps you’ll resolve to not be dicks to each other so much next year (although, like almost all resolutions, I suspect that you won’t keep it after a few minutes). –Jom

10 (tie). Aphex Twin – Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2

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Last year, Richard D. James released Syro, his first LP under the Aphex Twin moniker after a thirteen year hiatus. Although the album was an outstanding return for a much-missed artist and was a great listen overall, Syro played things a little too safe. Perhaps James was just being careful not to disappoint his fans who had been eagerly awaiting his return, but it was still a slight disappointment when his comeback album felt like a bit of a rehash. For better or for worse, Aphex Twin’s first release since Syro, an EP entitled Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2, satisfies and disappoints in the same way that its predecessor did. A spiritual companion piece to the album Drukqs, Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 seems to strip away all the experimentation and chaos of its counterpart in favor of something much more straightforward. In doing so, it succeeds in being an excellent collection of songs, with the majority of the tracks being very subdued and often quite beautiful. Yet, by stripping down the sound of Drukqs to make it shorter and more accessible, Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 fails to stand out as anything particularly memorable or interesting. If anything, the EP proves that even though Richard D. James is still one damn good musician, he needs to step outside his comfort zone if he wants to release another classic. –Nash J.

9. Suis La Lune – Distance/Closure

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Suis La Lune were never particularly showy. They’ve always had a modesty to their sound, blending post-rock and screamo – a sound that’s become pretty overplayed – and done it better than their counterparts without sacrificing the gut energy. Distance/Closure is gimmick-free. Explaining its appeal in a nonpartisan way is tough because, on paper, it’s a solid emo EP clocking in at under a half hour, with low-mixed vocals, progressive blueprints, and prominent bass. That’s the gist. Really, what makes Distance/Closure great is how it fits into my year. 2015 has been good to me: my wife and kid are happy, work and school are going well, and I’m generally content. I haven’t actively searched out emotive music to cater to me. Distance/Closure hits a spot I didn’t think it needed to. Power of suggestion doesn’t amplify its intensity; it’s just inescapably powerful music. –Tristan Jones

8. Foo Fighters – Saint Cecilia

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As an ardent defender of Sonic Highways, I find it hard to admit that Saint Cecilia is a breath of fresh air. The fact of the matter, however, is that it is a breath of fresh air. Doing away with all of the aforementioned album’s conceits and replacing it with the sort of unadulterated radio rock Dave Grohl is best at, Saint Cecilia is an under 20-minute reminder that Foo Fighters can make great rock music if they just don’t try too hard. As a side note, it’s free to download, and that’s always nice. –Arcade

7. Kate Boy – Kate Boy

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Based on the cover art for any of the Kate Boy releases, or most of the group’s photos, they’re in their natural element when bathed in shadows and shrouded in mystery. However, their self-titled debut EP tells an entirely different story. With Kate Boy, this Swedish electro-pop act has delivered one the hardest-hitting pop releases this year. While this is essentially a gathering of singles dating back to 2012, Kate Boy have built up a distinct, consistent sound for themselves, and the EP has a cohesive feel. Each of the 5 tracks is filled with pounding drum machines that mesh well with incredibly bold grooves and icy synths reminiscent of their snowy, Scandinavian homeland. These components are elevated to greatness thanks to superb songwriting and humongous, memorable choruses. Kate Boy does exactly what an EP is meant to do: it gives people a taste of what you have to offer and gets them hungry for more. If the consistency of this release translates to their debut record, I’d take the words of their single “Northern Lights” as bond: “Everything we touch, it turn turns to gold.” –Jack G.

6. G.L.O.S.S. – Demo

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It’s a shame that many came to G.L.O.S.S.’s demos via the transphobic ramblings of Whirr (or whoever else Whirr decided was accountable for that fiasco). In a way, though, it proves some existential point about punk rock and the inherent challenges of being transgender in 2015. I don’t know, though. I’m not conceited enough to say I know anything about the struggles of the LGBT community. What I do know is that transgender people face constant difficulty in a society that feels settled with progression: to have a band like G.L.O.S.S., fighting real issues with real anger, is to have real punk rock rebellion in 2015. –Arcade

5. Birds in Row – Personal War

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EPs often end up feeling like condensed examples of an artist’s or band’s sound, with every little detail mashed into smaller packaging. Birds in Row’s Personal War seemingly exemplifies this, with its brief fifteen minutes somehow containing just about everything that makes the hardcore outfit so damn good. A lot of the time, it’s fast, furious, and loud to earn that hardcore punk tag, yet suddenly – almost at the drop of a hat – melody creeps in and scathing screams pour emotion through the microphone. Birds in Row have a fiercely emotive sound on their hands: a blend of emo, screamo, and melodic hardcore that projects feeling even when it’s just working on pummeling you. Even if fifteen minutes isn’t a lot of time to make a lasting impression, Birds in Row somehow manage to do just that and quite a bit more. –Brett Tharp

4. Howls of Ebb – The Marrow Veil

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During its opening passage, you’d be forgiven for expecting The Marrow Veil to be a continuation of Howls of Ebb’s debut album Vigils of the 3rd Eye. Although you can still hear some of the penchants that made Vigils such an instant classic (I’m thinking those monstrously heavy riff/vocal hook combinations) throughout the mini-LP, there’s one key difference that proves The Marrow Veil to be a deeper, darker distortion of its predecessor. Lost here is the immediacy of an album like Vigils; instead, the band controls The Marrow Veil‘s darkness with long, ambient, droning passages of feedback and noise and atmosphere. Plodding bass-lines. Clicks and crackles. Chants. The Marrow Veil is a more wildly fleshed-out and deeper record, exploring all its nuances with care and putting emphasis on the moments that truly impress. –Michael Snoxall

3. Arcane Roots – Heaven & Earth

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How valuable do you find originality in music? Sure, totally unique music is a godsend when it appears, but it would be hard to consistently enjoy music if it were your be-all-and-end-all. For the rest of us, bands like Arcane Roots are worth getting excited about. They found their blend of alt-rock and post-hardcore tinged with pop sensibilities, but rather than becoming complacent after the relatively successful Left Fire, they have consistently worked to improve that formula and their overall aesthetic. The soaring choruses have never quite been as anthemic as they are in “When Did the Taste Leave Your Mouth”. The breakdowns have never been quite as punishing as they are in “If Nothing Breaks, Nothing Moves”. The production is crisper, the compositions are more carefully developed, and each individual has grown more proficient in his role. It’s indescribably gratifying to see their continued development, and even if it’s only incremental, Heaven & Earth marks yet another high point in their careers thus far. –ComeToDaddy

2. FKA twigs – M3LL155X

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Separated from all the other modern R&B stars who divorce arousal from sex, FKA twigs comes across as far truer to the topic at hand than The Weeknd, Jeremih, PARTYNEXTDOOR, et al. In part, it’s because she spends most of her time on record never really wanting to have sex, choosing instead to turn it inside out and understand its point of origin. This all reaches fever pitch on M3LL155X, where twigs takes lurid pleasure in narrating sex with lucid details of violence and desire. Its most obvious singles – namely “Figure 8” and “Glass & Patron” – frequently allude to sadism while never positing it as anything that isn’t inherently shameful. At the same time, it never feels all that shameful; perhaps the strongest part of M3LL155X is that, no matter how well it tries to pry apart and mechanize sex, it always remains born of a sincere desire. In a music climate increasingly geared towards this type of pop music, it’s a welcome alternative to the alternative. –Arcade

1. SikTh – Opacities

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Despite my elation at the mere mention of new SikTh material, I tried to suppress my excitement. It’s not that I didn’t think they could pull it off; I simply figured something would be different. Further, it’s not that I expected them to decline; a decade of maturation may have tempered that spastic, unrestrained energy from days past. A more progressive album developed with a careful hand wouldn’t have been a bad thing, right? Still, it was hard to quell those niggling doubts – what if the drums just can’t keep up anymore? What if the vocal cords of the manic vocalists have weakened with age? The first 20 seconds of Opacities vehemently put down all of those doubts.

It’s almost as if the past nine years never happened. As thanks to the rabidly loyal fanbase that dragged them out of retirement, SikTh have mashed together everything that made previous LPs such a unique experience and trimmed it all down to fit into a short half-hour victory lap. Though the groove is emphasized more heavily here, every other facet of their unique sound remains almost unchanged. The absurd vocal interplay, angular riffing, and unsettling spoked word segments all feature prominently, and while some may find it disappointing that they never truly cut loose as they once did (“Such The Fool”, “Another Sinking Ship”), it’s a miracle they can even keep pace with the SikTh of times past. It might seem unreasonable for Opacities to be bestowed with a title as venerable as “Sputnik’s EP of the Year” for simply not changing, but for a band so far ahead of their time, that’s all that’s required to reclaim their throne. –ComeToDaddy

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1