Best New Music 2015

(No real order, but most of these were played far more than plenty…)

Moon Duo / Shadow of the Sun

Moon Duo kinda just do one particular thing, but they do it sooooo good.

Tame Impala / Currents

Gone are the guitar hysterics and instead we get the most-produced, sing-alongable album of the summer.  Three words: headphones, headphones, headphones.

Esme Patteron / Woman to Woman

Glorious surprise of “answer” songs to guy-centered famous lady songs and that’s just the hook to get you in.  Impeccable guitar playing and songwriting, but best of all; Esme sounds like she’s having a whole lotta fun…

Laurie Anderson / Heart of a Dog Soundtrack

I guess I should probably see this movie because I’m moved by the soundtrack nearly everyday.  Meditations on the dignity of death, whether it be her mom, her dog, or Lou.  I always associated Laurie with her avante-gardey kind of 80’s stuff.  This is just someone telling you something you need to hear.  Beautiful beyond belief.

Circus Devils / Stomping Grounds

Gotta have some Pollard right?  He had solo albums as well as the Ricked Wicky thing this year, but the Devils are the best.  Completely un-classifiable without being too weird to process.  Not an easy thing to do…

Protomarytr / The Agent Intellect

We may someday reach a point where math-rock (or whatever you want to call it) simply exhausts all the tricks it can do.  Protomarytr re-affirm a genre previously lost to me.  Also, if you know someone named Stephen, they should buy this album and play Feast of Stephen really loud.

Sufjan Stevens / Carrie & Lowell

This guy always seemed a little too clever for me.  He strips away all the ironic name-dropping literation-based shit and just makes a heartbreakingly lovely album about his mom.  This record has consistently floored more than all the others this year.

Taco Jon’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1

Full disclosure: Taco’s a friend of mine.  He’s somehow channeled an entire orchestra and big band to make songs about banana hammocks, nachos and drugs.  Humorous at times, sure, but then other times, I listen to a song like “Better Lovin” and think this guy is the Burt Bacharach of our time.

 

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