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My top 5 albums of 2015 |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Crapville
Posts: 13,162
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My top 5 albums of 2015
I think I am ready to share my top 5 albums of 2015. It has been a good year for me as I have discovered some great stuff AND finally got the opportunity to see Joanne Shaw Taylor live (just need to get Lynne Jackaman and Chantel McGregor over to Belfast now).
Number 5 is Naxatras by Naxatras - a collection of spacey psychedelic rock from Greece. https://naxatras.bandcamp.com/releases Number 4 is Before The Fog Covers The Mount by 1886. This was released way back in January, here we are in December and it is still a favourite. The band are from Barcelona and the music is the sort of groovey psychedelic awesomeness that would have been at home in the 60s/70s. https://1886band.bandcamp.com/album/...vers-the-mount Number 3 is technically an EP rather than an album but it is pure awesomeness - Sow The Wind by Wucan. I discovered this German band last year with their debut EP (that made my top 5 last year as well). It's got quite a proggy groove to it and is properly heavy in places with great female vocals and flute work (rock needs more flute). https://wucan.bandcamp.com/album/sow-the-wind Number 2 is Traveller by Chris Stapleton. This album has become a bit of a runaway train in the country music world and for good reason. It is a superb album that has been nominated for several Grammys. He made a splash at the CMAs performing Tennessee Whiskey with Justin Timberlake (don't let that put you off, this guy is the real deal). It's an absorbing album with a variety of influences in country, bluegrass, rock and blues. Tennessee Whiskey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zAThXFOy2c When The Stars Come Out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4laaHlLBYdk And my number 1 favourite album of the year? That goes to the fantastic Lose Control by Chantel McGregor. Definitely more cohesive than her debut and drawing from a wider array of influences. It's a harder, bigger and more bold sound that has quite proggy and even gothic influences. She is a young lady who is undoubtedly going places. Lose Control (Live) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoUDjIe8VAs Burn Your Anger (Live) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj1aehQ8Nh8 Take The Power https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAl-xo_CfBI So there you have it. Feel free to share your own top 5. |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Crapville
Posts: 13,162
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No one else feel like sharing?
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#3 |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,228
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Honorable mentions: "Blurryface" by Twenty One Pilots, "True Colors" by Zedd, "E.MO.TION" by Carly Rae Jepsen, "Get Weird" by Little Mix, "Dark Before Dawn" by Breaking Benjamin, "Smoke & Mirrors" by Imagine Dragons, "Pharmacy" by Galantis.
5. Lupe Fiasco - "Tetsuo & Youth" My hip hop album of the year, Lupe Fiasco has always been super underrated to me. Never gets the attention that I feel his skill deserves, and this album has flown relatively low under the radar, especially when compared to "To Pimp a Butterfly" by Kendrick Lamar, which received a ton of praise. 4. Mumford and Sons - "Wilder Mind" The move to a more rock-based sound worked for Mumford and Sons I feel, although I would say that as I wasn't really a fan of their folk stuff apart from the odd song. Suffers from the odd forgettable track, but what is memorable is really promising stuff and I look forward to further releases. 3. Saint Raymond - "Young Blood" Brilliant debut album by another underrated and overlooked talent. Full of powerful guitar based anthems with the rare slow one to show off his voice, he's a unique singer with loads to offer. 2. James Bay - "Chaos and the Calm" Wonderful album. Had a lot of hope for James Bay after the incredible "Hold Back The River", and whilst that may still be one of the best songs on the album, that's no slight on the rest of his stuff. He probably suits slower, more emotive songs as opposed to the louder anthemic tracks, but he's still a talented singer-songwriter either way. 1. CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye Exactly what I was hoping for from CHVRCHES 2nd album, which for me blows "The Bones Of What You Believe" out of the water. There is not a bad track on this album, with the 80's inspired synth pop sounding absolutely immaculate. Lauren Mayberry's vocals are absolutely gorgeous and the structure and lyricism throughout is on point. Possibly one of my favourite album of all time. |
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#4 |
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Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,224
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1. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion
2. Tove Styrke - Kiddo 3. Marina & The Diamonds - Froot 4. Dumblonde - Dumblonde 5. Ciara - Jackie |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,517
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1. Disclosure - Caracal
2. Years & Years - Communion 3. Demi Lovato - Confident 4. Ella Eyre - Feline 5. Little Mix - Get Weird |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Under The Ivy
Posts: 16,586
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1. Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION
2. Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon 3. Janet Jackson - Unbreakable 4. Say Lou Lou - Lucid Dreaming 5. Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect Megan Henwood's Head, Heart, Hand and Grimes Art Angels should also get a mention. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,523
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1: Markus Feehily - Fire (totally underrated album) - if anybody is interested, he put every song on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1n8...UFINQKFYK2QpT0
2. Pentatonix - Pentatonix 3. Sara Bareilles - Whats Inside 4. Fleur East - Love, Sax and Flashbacks 5. Imagine Dragons - Smoke + Mirrors |
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#8 |
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 907
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1. That's The Spirit - Bring Me The Horizon
2. How Big How Blue - Florence & The Machine 3. Kintsugi - Death Cab For Cutie 4. American Beauty - Fall Out Boy 5. Every Open Eye - Chvrches |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,033
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1. Years & Years - Communion
2. Adele - 25 3. Florence + The Machine - How Big, How Blue 4. Justin Bieber - Purpose 5. Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon |
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Kingston Upon Thames
Posts: 1,863
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1. Book of Souls - Iron Maiden
This was more or less a no brainer to me, Iron Maiden came and released this double album which has been their best stuff since before Bruce Dickinson left in 1992. Bruce actually had tongue cancer at the time of recording so the fact that his voice sounds as good as it does is frankly a miracle. The lyrics are very well written and creative, the guitar solos and riffs are some of the best they've done, the drumming is very strong on this album, essentially each song is a work of art, and topping it off with an epic 18 minute track with some lovely piano work was absolutely beautiful in my opinion. Speed of Light - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F7A24f6gNc Tears Of A Clown (Dedicated to Robin Williams) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4CXD5cdhcc 2. Into The Wildlife - Halestorm Halestorm are unlikely to be familiar to a fair few people here as they're one of the more recent up-and-coming rock bands, but Lzzy Hale has such a powerful and stunning voice that listening to them is hard not to be reminded of the best female fronted bands like Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Pat Benatar and Joan Jett and The Wildhearts. The band are getting more and more musically creative with each release and aren't afraid to try new things while keeping the same energy they had from day one, they'll be massive one day, I'm sure of it. I Am The Fire - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hkmuTvkp_s Apocalyptic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PXkCAiV0Ww 3. Endless Forms Most Beautiful - Nightwish I only found out about this band because so many people were raving about them over in the Hard Rock/Metal thread and my friend had a spare ticket to their gig just 4 days ago, but since then I've had this album on repeat, almost non-stop. It's just so epic and Floor Jansen is frankly the most talented frontperson going right now in rock music, the band use a lot of piano, keyboard and other instruments to give off a folk vibe in tracks such as Élan while also retaining a harder sound for other tracks. The sheer versatility of this band is astounding and they're more or less hitting the big time now as we speak as they just played to a sold out Wembley Arena. Shudder Before The Beautiful (ft. Richard Dawkins) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=see_TY5ANEc Élan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPonioDYnoY 4. War of Kings - Europe When people think of Europe, most of them think of the ridiculously cheesy, overplayed, iconic opening to Final Countdown. The sad truth is the band are sooooo much more than that and their talent is really on full display on this album. Would definitely recommend to anyone. War of Kings - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOgVa--DyVI Hole In My Pocket - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-YVZCqjKmA 5. Volume - Skindred I can't get enough of this band personally just because reggae metal is such a bizarre mix that shouldn't work... and yet Skindred (specifically frontman Benji Webbe) makes it work. Some really enjoyable tracks on this album, and in a live venue this band are a complete force of nature. Under Attack - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkJuB656AVc Volume - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vKPnLhmyBs Honourable Mentions: Chris Cornell - Higher Truth, Scorpions - Return to Forever, Hollywood Vampires - Hollywood Vampires, Black Star Riders - Killer Instinct |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Liverpool
Posts: 580
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1. Still - Richard Thompson
2. Coracle - Emily Portman 3. Myths and heroes - Fairport Convention 4. The spyglass and the herringbone - Jackie Oates 5. Endless forms most beautiful - Nightwish |
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: At college, in L.A.'s office
Posts: 54,221
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In no order:
After The Fall (EP1) - Future Perfect Get Weird - Little Mix Honeymoon - Lana Del Rey Working Girl - Little Boots Love, Sax and Flashbacks - Fleur East Honourable mentions: Reflection - Fifth Harmony and Hairless Toys - Roisin Murphy |
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 730
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1 Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool
2 Nothing but Thieves – Nothing But Thieves 3 Tame Impala – Currents 4 Blur – The Magic Whip 5 Chvrches -Every Open Eye |
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,436
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Madonna, Rebel Heart
Grimes, Art Angels Wolf Alice, My Love is Cool Halsey, Badlands Duran Duran, Paper Gods |
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#15 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Glasgow / Cambridge
Posts: 3,984
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I liked the Julia Holter record 'Have You In My Wilderness' and 'Universal Themes' by Sun Kil Moon.
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Brighton
Posts: 2,504
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1. Neon Indian - Vega Intl. Night School
2. Spector - Moth Boys 3. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear 4. Tame Impala - Currents 5. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi Love Other albums that made this year the best: Kagoule - Urth, La Luz - Weirdo Shrine, Girls Names - Arms Around a Vision, Deerhunter - Fading Frontier, Here We Go Magic - Be Small |
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 944
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1. Years & Years - Communion
2. Carly-Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION 3. Little Mix - Get Weird 4. Adele - 25 5. Selena Gomez - Revival |
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