Albums of the year by George Webb.
10. New Order - Music Complete
The dance-rock pioneers returned without bassist Peter Hook, but it was hard to notice he was even gone. The infectious bassline of ‘Singularity’ and the flawless production throughout the entire album proved that sometimes the old dogs can, in fact, do new tricks.
9. Keith Richards - Crosseyed Heart
The illustrious guitarist that is Keith Richards came out with a very ‘back to basics’ solo LP in September. It harked back to his deepest influences, from blues, to reggae, to old school rock’n’roll. The title track in particular, showcases Richards’ sheer musical wisdom in its simplest form.
8. Beach House - Depression Cherry
American dream-pop duo Beach House delivered this melancholy smooth ride of an album where one track feels like it flows effortlessly into the next. Lead single ‘Sparks’ opens with a muffled, mesmerizing riff before letting Victoria Legrand take the steering wheel on this velvety journey that is Depression Cherry.
7. The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness
Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, released the biggest pop album of the year, which spawned the inescapable hit single ‘Can’t Feel My Face’. There was however, much more to this album than infectious basslines and drug-related metaphors. Tracks such as ‘The Hills’ and ‘Aquainted’ are two examples of some of the slickest production of 2015, and the instrumental joyride of ‘Tell Your Friends’ shows that Tesfaye has a component of sagacity to his moody musical mind. The Weeknd has spent a number of years lurking in the shadows of gloomy R&B since his discovery, but Beauty Behind The Madness has propelled him to the forefront of modern pop music.
6. Swim Deep - Mothers
Swim Deep traded the indie pop tones for a new sound which was laced in synth-fused psychedelia, with the opener, ‘One Great Song And I Could Change The World’ particularly standing out as the closest thing you’ll get to a self-fulfilling prophecy in 2015. This album was the result of an inexperienced band being thrown into the deep end of electronic music and coming out with something rather special.
5. Jamie xx - In Colour
One of the masterminds behind critically acclaimed indietronica band ‘The xx’, has released an eclectic solo LP, incorporating elements of hip-hop (‘I Know There’s Gonna Be Good Times’) as well as old school garage house (‘Gosh’). Old bandmates were borrowed for a few tracks such as ‘Loud Places’, an elegant anti-social anthem where Romy tranquilly sings about wanting to find someone to be quiet with. Jamie displays an exceptional element of versatility amongst his musical arsenal, and proves to the world that he’s more than capable of tackling all walks of modern music.
4. Tame Impala - Currents
Australian psych-rock recording project, Tame Impala, returned with a disco-infused album back in July. 60s style riffs were ditched in favour of modern ways of creating a musical dream state, although Kevin Parker’s vocals are probably capable of doing that alone. Despite Currents being arguable less accessible to the masses, with tracks such as ‘Nangs’ and ‘Eventually’ having enough reverb to make Skrillex seem rather liberal, the pop appeal was still maintained through the groovy riff of ‘The Less I Know The Better’. Psychadelic disco funk isn’t something you come across every day, but expect a lot of bands to follow suit due to the graceful brilliance of Currents.
3. Peace - Happy People
Birmingham indie rockers Peace returned this year with a stunningly fun 18-track album. The 90s influence is well and truly worn on their sleeves, with ‘I’m A Girl’ exhibiting a prominent grunge riff, and ‘Perfect Skin’ having Britpop written all over it. The six-minute roller coaster that is ‘World Pleasure’ would win any kind of Bass Solo of the Year Award if there was one.
2. Gaz Coombes - Matador
Former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes received a Mercury Prize nomination for his second solo LP, released back in January of this year. The Britpop hero transferred his talents to the worlds of progressive rock and art pop. Tracks such as ‘20/20’ flaunt impeccable levels of musical intelligence and wouldn’t look out of place on Radiohead’s iconic ‘OK Computer’. This is a near-flawless album coming from somewhere that not many people were thinking to look.
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
On March 15th 2015, Kendrick Lamar released his second major-label album, and it cemented his position as the new King of west coast hip-hop. Lamar’s lyricism covers issues including racism, American politics, the rap game, and most importantly; depression. The story of his adolescence is told via a poem which is built on as the album develops, where ‘K-Dot’ talks about his journey for answers. The two antonymous tracks ‘u’ and ‘i’ show his two contrasting mindsets, from the depths of depression to the exit from his mental abyss. His immaculate lyricism makes you go as far as to question whether or not you’ve been right there beside him the whole time. Kendrick Lamar has broken away from the stereotypical west coast rapper image and in doing so, has delivered the finest album of the year, and perhaps even the decade.