That Wonderful Year in Music... 2024

 

Sonically, 2024 was Jekyll and Hyde. The first half of the year wasn't that inspiring, but a string of strong releases in the late summer and well into fall more than made up for the drab. It seems like 80% of Spotify had Taylor Swift as their most-listened to artist, but only because we felt an obligation to finish the overlong, often dreary The Tortured Poets Department. Chappell Roan seemed to captivate the other 20%, but besides the #1 smash single "Good Luck, Babe" her breakthrough album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was a slow-cooking 2023 release. Regardless, this was a big year for new faces and familiar names alike, punctuated by a legacy act that not only dropped their first album in 16 years, but maybe their best in 3 1/2 decades. The lack of consensus I've seen from other critics' lists indicate this was another deep year.

BEST POP/ROCK ALBUMS

1. Manning Fireworks, MJ Lenderman. Indie rock's best young hope resides in, and writes music, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He's no country singer --in fact, his singing is decidedly plainspoken-- but he lets his growling guitar and keen lyrics carry the load. Already an established sideman, Lenderman's fourth solo album could very well establish him as the Gen-Z Neil Young.

2. Cartoon Darkness, Amyl & The Sniffers.  It's been awhile since since a punk band has been as uninhibited and cathartic as Amy Taylor and her Australian mates. Darkness sounds like a middle finger bouncing up and down, whether it's Taylor raging against internalized sexism or world events in general. She channels Wendy O. Williams and Patti Smith alike, as if she was a long-lost Down Under granddaughter. 

3. Prelude to Ecstasy, The Last Dinner Party. This year's best debut album was previewed in late '23, but advance singles like "Nothing Matters" weren't just a tease. Prelude is a baroque-pop romp, flitting between Florence Welch's musicality and early Roxy Music glam, with lead singer Abby Morris' syllabic daring-do leading the way. The British press insinuated nepotism when they opened for the Stones, but there really is substance under all the hairpin-turn whimsy.

4. GNX, Kendrick Lamar
5. Cowboy Carter, Beyonce
6. Behold, Parsnip
7. Tangk, Idles
8. All Born Screaming, St. Vincent
9. Bright Future, Adrienne Lenker
10. A Dream Is All We Know, Lemon Twigs

11. Bite Down, Rosali
12. Poetry, Dehd
13. Almighty So 2, Chief Keef
14. Only God Was Above Us, Vampire Weekend
15. Songs of a Lost World, The Cure
16. Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii
17. Mahashmashana, Father John Misty
18. Here In The Pitch, Jessica Pratt
19. Wall of Eyes, The Smile
20. The Collective, Kim Gordon

Best EP: SABLE, Bon Iver

Best Rock Album of '23 That I Didn't Hear Until '24: Everything Harmony, The Lemon Twigs. The spirit of Van Dyke Parks and Pet Sounds era Beach Boys is alive and well and residing in Long Island. Their follow-up (see #10) evokes The Monkees and Big Star, which is even more delicious to my ears.

BEST JAZZ ALBUMS

1. Compassion, Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey. This was an especially strong year for new jazz releases, and this emotionally resonant COVID memorial stood out. On the surface, it's a standard ECM release; Manfred Eicher co-produced the only way Eicher knows how. The album stars with a nearly minute-long Sorey drum fill, before Iyer and Oh lead a pseudo-processional. Iyer owes much of his piano prowess to Chick Corea, and the late great is referenced on this lyrical, intimate release, which caps with some outstanding improvisation by the whole trio.

2. Fearless Movement, Kamasi Washington
3. Milton + Esperanza, Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding
4. Speak To Me, Julian Lage
5. self-titled, The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
6. The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, Charles Lloyd
7. To Whom I Love, Summer Camargo
8. Technically Acceptable, Ethan Iverson
9. Nublues, Joel Ross
10. Alternate Summer, Tom Harrell

Honorable Mention: Sunday Morning Put-On, Andrew Bird

Best Jazz Reissue: Ain’t No Sunshine: Live in Seattle, Jack McDuff

BEST SINGLES

"OMG," Suki Waterhouse
"Fox Hunt," Sierra Ferrell
"Bittersweet," Gunna
"Mustang," Kings of Leon
"Get Numb To It," Friko
"That You Are," Hozier feat. Beduoine
"Euphoria," Kendrick Lamar
"Don't Forget Me," Maggie Rogers
"Annihilation," Wilco
"Tunnel Vision," Magdalena Bay
"Hey Wait," Unfamiliar Things
"More For Me," TOVI
"Lonsdale Slipons," The Bug Club
"Facts," Amyl & The Sniffers
"Magnetic," Tunde Adebimpe

BEST VIDEOS

1. "Not Like Us," Kendrick Lamar. Kenny from Compton gave us *two* all-time great diss tracks this year, but unlike "Euphoria" (see above) he gave us a visual, claws-out, incontrovertible takedown of Drake. 

2. "Please Please Please," Sabrina Carpenter. I guess Barry Keoghan was an embarrassing boyfriend on *and* off screen.

3. "Death & Romance," Magdalena Bay. A little bit "Wizard of Oz," a little bit "Starman," a dash of Windows 95, and a lot of "huh?"

4. "CHIHIRO," Billie Eilish. A dreamlike sprint through endless hallways, then a mad dash in a pasture than turns into a brawl, playing out like a subconscious attempt at closure with a lover who's long, long gone.

5. "Tennessee," Kevin Abstract featuring Lil Nas X. Grimy and animalistic, this video is less about the Volunteer State (or Arrested Development) and more alluding to the closeted playwright. Two of rap's most swaggering LGBTQ+ figures lord over a group of shirtless men in the deep south. 

Honorable Mention: "360," by Charli XCX (2024 was all about "waiter vibes") and "Payback" by Aaron Frazer (who loves a good chase?)

Your thoughts?

(743)

That Wonderful Year in Music... 2022

 

2022 wasn't necessarily as deep as 2020 or 2021 were, but it arguably more versatile and eclectic. A number of artists returned from lenghty hiatuses (some COVID related, others not) while others maintained a steady pace. There was a fun mix of old stalwarts, artists in their prime, and promising debuts. 

In short, it seems like we're knee-deep in a particular era of popular music, but I can't pinpoint a name or dominant genre. (Then again, I don't think there's been an underwhelming year for music since 2013 or '14.) That also means a ridiculous, bountiful variety of interesting sounds. There doesn't seem to be a consensus best album from the critics, either. It's best to just ignore the arguments, take these suggestions, and plug in your headphones. 

BEST POP/ROCK ALBUMS

1. Renaissance, Beyonce. The first of a reported trilogy, Queen Bey's first proper solo album since Lemonade could have suffered from too many cooks. ("Alien Superstar" has 26 credited writers and producers. Not a typo.) Fortunately for the Beyhive and casual music fans alike, this is an effortably danceable album, both retro and looking forward, exquisitely arranged like a DJ mix.

2. Blue Rev, Alvvays. A Lazarus act if there ever was one, this Canadian collective weathered five years of stolen demos, personnel changes, *and* a flooded basement that ruined their gear to release their strongest work to date. They didn't alter their sound either, retaining their usual insistent, hooky rush with a slight glow-up. Old school shoegaze and 90s jangle-pop fans won't feel lost here.

3. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, Weyes Blood. In another artist's hands, this follow-up to 2019's lush Titanic Rising would've sank under the weight of its own self-seriousness. Both sequel and ambitious companion piece, Natalie Mering's steady, mellow, double-tracked vocals continue and build upon Titanic's gorgeous arrangements and intricate songwriting.

4. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar

5. Ants From Up There, Black Country, New Road

6. A Light for Attracting Attention, The Smile

7. Skinty Fia, Fontaines DC

8. Gemini Rights, Steve Lacy

9. Once Twice Melody, Beach House

10. Big Time, Angel Olsen

11. Pompeii, Cate Le Bon

12. Aethiopes, Billy Woods

13. WE, Arcade Fire

14. Preacher's Daughter, Ethel Cain

15. Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Denzel Curry

16. Caprisongs, FKA Twigs

17. Laurel Hell, Mitski

18. Fossora, Bjork

19. Versions of Modern Performance, Horsegirl

20. Ugly Season, Perfume Genius

BEST JAZZ ALBUMS

1. Ghost Song, Cécile McLorin Salvant. I dislike hyperbole almost as much I disdain repeating myself, but I'm reiterating this for emphasis: Cécile is the best vocalist in music right now. Not the best in jazz, not the top BIPOC singer, the best full stop. On this latest work her gift is her weapon, and we've never heard it so relentless or tormented. The sparse arrangement, led by guitarist Marvin Sewell, matches her energy as she throttles from love to loss, from life to death. Opening with a Kate Bush cover was ballsy, but she justifies it and then some. 

2. Trio: Ocean, Charles Lloyd

3. World Construct, Matthew Shipp Trio

4. Origin, Joey Alexander

5. The Lights Are Always On, Lynne Arriale Trio

Honorable Mention: Every Note Is True, Ethan Iverson.

Best Jazz Album of 2021 I Didn't Hear Until Early '22: Dear Love, Jazzmeia Horn & Her Noble Force

BEST SINGLES (in no order)

"Prester John," Animal Collective

"Eight Years Old With An iPhone," Joshua Epithet 

"Unnecessary Drama," Belle and Sebastian

"Paddle to the Stars," The Dip

"Bad Love," Dehd

"Love Brand New," Bob Moses

"Mistakes," Sharon Van Etten

"Angelica," Wet Leg

"Under Control," MJ Lenderman

"Perm Act," Osees

"Make a Picture," Andrew Bird

"Seventeen Going Under," Sam Fender

"Trash Mental," Sinaive

"New Body Rhumba," LCD Soundsystem

"Selfish Soul," Sudan Archives

"Billie Toppy," Men I Trust

"Get Inspired," Genesis Owusu

"Expert in a Dying Field," Beths

"Shotgun," Soccer Mommy

"Lullaby," Grace Ives

Best Lionel Richie Imitation: Bruce Springsteen's cover of "Nightshift"

Best Radiohead Side Project Named After Something Thom Yorke Never Does: The Smile

BEST VIDEOS

1. "We Cry Together," Kendrick Lamar feat. Taylour Paige. A rare pick that is Oscar-eligible, this clip is a too-honest take on toxic relationships and the horribly vicious fights (and apologies) that keep them going.

2. "Out of Time," The Weeknd. Karaoke, anyone?

3. "Shinigami Eyes," Grimes feat. Jennie. On a personal level, 2022 was a challenging year for Canada's freakiest polymath artist. It didn't deter her from this slick, technical marvel of a video, a robotic acid trip that grips your subconscious.

4. "Ur Mum," Wet Leg. As a former 20-year-old myself, I can assure you 20-year-old guys are annoying.

5. "Free," Florence + The Machine. An absolute bop about mental health, personified by a grounded Bill Nighy.

Honorable Mentions: "Purple Zone," Soft Cell & Pet Shop Boys; "What I Want," MUNA; "New Beginning," Automatic.

WORST MUSIC VIDEO: "From the D 2 the LBC," Eminem and Snoop Dogg. If you believe both rappers have delved into self-parody at this point, here's your Exhibit A. Four minutes of NFG infatuation, aged like milk, intended to promote Slim Shady's second (and mostly unnecessary) greatest hits disc.

Your thoughts?

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My Belated "Best Music of the 2010s" Post

And what about this decade?

It's tough enough finding time to listen to at least 60 new releases a year --rock, hip-hop, jazz or otherwise-- and whittle it down to my favorite 20. The task is harder when you find an album you enjoyed from a particular year, but you discover it after the fact. Sometimes said album doesn't quite hold up as the brilliant piece of art that you thought it once was.

Forgive the forced wordplay, but 2020 is the so-called "year of hindsight," and for my first blog of the calendar year I'm looking back (and wincing) at my past music blogs. Initially, the only rule is set for myself is that there is a minimum of one album from each of the last ten years on this list. (Some albums have aged better than others, KANYE.) Call it wonky, call out some omissions, but I think these 10 albums will stand the test of time.

(NOTE: parenthesized numbers are for the year of release, and original rank)

1. My Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West (2010, #1)
2. To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar (2015, #1)
3. The Suburbs, Arcade Fire (2010, #2)
4. Lemonade, Beyonce (2016, #2)
5. DAMN., Kendrick Lamar (2017, #1)
6. Agent Orange, Frank Ocean (2012, #1)
7. Lazarus, David Bowie (2016, #1)
8. St. Vincent, St. Vincent (2014, #1)
9. Titanic Rising, Weyes Blood (2019, #1)
10. A Seat at the Table, Solange (2016, NR)

Honorable Mentions: Civilian, Wye Oak (2011, NR), Random Access Memories, Daft Punk (2013, #2), 7, Beach House (2018, #1).

I meant to post this right after New Year's, but better late than never. Onto the next post.

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That Wonderful Year in Music... 2017

Trying times often make for great art. For us right-brainers, 2017 was a time to flourish: a strong year for cinema, another year of "peak TV," and from my vantage point a strong year for music. It was perhaps the strongest year of the decade for hip-hop, female-identifying singer-songwriters, and pretty much any rock musician who wished they were alive in 1976. In short, there was a healthy heaping of essential music these last 12 months, enough to satisfy any discerning appetite:

BEST ALBUMS:
1. DAMN., Kendrick Lamar. Kung-Fu Kenny's third straight masterpiece is the rare album that builds up to its best track. It looks like a back-to-basics effort yet really isn't: Lamar is going from extrovert to introvert, commencing an intense journey into his own psyche as he embraces fame and the incessant scrutiny that comes with it. (The success of To Pimp a Butterfly weighs heavily.) He's exhausted from fighting for social justice; he's only one man. The winding origin story "DUCKWORTH" sums everything up, an allegory and a plot twist that brings this sojourn full circle.
2. Masseduction, St. Vincent. The queen of art-rock has put another jewel in her crown. The whole album is a candy-coated electro-rock fever dream, reiterating the inevitability of bad decisions in the pursuit of decadence. In a year of frustration, Annie Clark's protagonists uncover the peaks and valleys of escapism as a coping mechanism, the blurry gray line between pleasure and pain, and the acceptance of cold reality.
3. Turn Out The Lights, Julien Baker. For full disclosure, I'm late to the Julien Baker party. I didn't hear her 2015 debut, the sparse and mesmerizing Sprained Ankle, until this past October. Lucky for me, her sophomore effort was nipping at my heels. At first, Lights feels like an extension of Ankle; Baker's voice is cracked but steady, the themes of addiction, suicide, and religion are present, and the songs are fragile yet haunting. The difference is that she's a little older (she just turned 22), a lot wiser, and she's finally confronting the ghosts that followed her into adulthood and sobriety.
4. Pure Comedy, Father John Misty
5. CTRL, SZA
6. Big Fish Theory, Vince Staples
7. Process, Sampha
8. Melodrama, Lorde
9. A Deeper Understanding, The War on Drugs
10. American Dream, LCD Soundsystem.  I see why James Murphy named their (now premature) farewell concert movie "Shut Up and Play the Hits." We all knew LCD wasn't totally done, but the decision to reunite and reinvent the band was a risk that paid off. The sprawling, seven-minute "Call the Police" is a candidate for song of the year, while "Black Screen" is a moving homage to David Bowie. Murphy has become the oldhead that gripes about other oldheads, but he still obsesses over what's cool.

11. Drunk, Thundercat
12. Semper Femina, Laura Marling
13. A Hairshirt of Purpose, Pile
14. 4:44, Jay-Z
15. Guppy, Charly Bliss. The year's most "fun" record is a 1990s alternative/power-pop throwback. A charming debut, the chirpy vocals of Eva Hendricks blends well with her bandmates' distorted guitars, mixing the shambolic with the sugary. It is no coincidence that Charly Bliss opened for Veruca Salt during their reunion tour this past year; they are worthy proteges.
16. I Dare You, The xx
17. This Old Dog, Mac Demarco
18. Pleasure, Feist
19. Waiting on a Song, Dan Auerbach
20. Hang, Foxygen. My last two picks on this list are interchangable. Where Auerbach's solo record exchanges fuzzy blues-rock for a warm 1970s AOR sound, Foxygen's sound has morphed into something evoking Honky Chateau-era Elton John, Atlantic Crossing-era Rod Stewart, and (above all else) glam-rock. Where Waiting is a fully realized mellow-rock affair (one song was co-written by John Prine) Foxygen's theatrical and often bonkers fourth album is at 32 1/2 minutes too concise and left me wanting more.

BEST JAZZ ALBUMS:
1. Fly or Die, Jaimie Branch. Not to be confused with the mid-2000s N.E.R.D. album of the same name, Branch's first album is an impressive, to-hell-and-back artistic statement. Her trumpet playing is free and abstract, and her crackerjack band (cellist Tomeka Reid, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Chad Taylor) doesn't ground her so much as enable her serendipity. Branch has been a known commodity since 2007 or so, a creative and singular talent with a heavy AACM influence. This long-awaited release is a portent of equally impressive recordings to come.
2. La Saboteuse, Yazz Ahmed
3. Loneliness Road, Jamie Saft with Iggy Pop (yes, really)
4. Harmony of Difference, Kamasi Washington
5. Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds, Nicole Mitchell
6. Far From Over, Vijay Iyer Sextet
7. Voices in the Void, Dr. Mint
8. This is Beautiful Because We Are Beautiful People, Toxic
9. Flowers - Beautiful Life Vol. 2, Jimmy Greene
10. Cherry/Sakura, David Murray/Aki Takase

Honorable Mention: Make Noise, Jeremy Pelt.

BEST METAL ALBUM: Nightmare Logic, Power Trip. Speaking of throwbacks, this was a breakout year for the 80s-obsessed Dallas quintet. Logic augments the formula of their 2013 debut album: all-meat, axe-swinging hardcore/thrash fusion that isn't annoyingly self-serious.
Honorable Mentions: Forever, Code Orange; Dead Cross, Dead Cross.

BEST SINGLES:

"Restart," BNQT
"Human," Rag n' Bone Man
"Pressed for Time (Cross My Mind)," Mick Jenkins feat. Goldlink
"In Cold Blood," Alt-J
"Feel It Still," Portugal, The Man
"Three Rings," Grizzly Bear
"Alaska," Maggie Rogers
"No Roots," Alice Merton
"Don't Delete the Kisses," Wolf Alice
"Run," Foo Fighters
"Gold," Manchester Orchestra
"Turning the Screw," Generationals
"This Is It," Lo Moon
"Astronaut (Something About Your Love)," Mansionair
"The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness," The National


BEST VIDEOS:
1. "The Gate," Bjork. Nearly thirty years into a bold and never-not-challenging career, the Icelandic goddess and her frequent collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang keep pushing the envelope. The painstaking precision (complete with fragmented digital fairies) of this ambitious clip is a possible preview of what to expect in music videos in 2027.
2. "Wyclef Jean," Young Thug. The director of the video explains how an elaborate clip idea, based on an ode to the ex-Fugee, went completely off the rails after Thug flaked out of the shoot.
3. "The Story of O.J." Jay-Z. "I'm not black, I'm O.J." Uh, okay.
4. "Them Changes," Thundercat. Tormented samurais!
5. "Green Light," Lorde. The song is banger in its own right, but even if the dancing-in-the-streets thing is beyond cliche, Lorde makes it look fun.
6. "Up All Night," Beck. A young woman goes into Joan of Arc mode at one helluva college party.
7. "Waiting on a Song," Dan Auerbach. A Dazed and Confused homage about four 70s-era teenagers, some strong weed, and the bonds of friendship.
8. "New Rules," Dua Lipa. The #1 video based on YouTube views on this list, this pop empowerment anthem is carefully choreographed to show dancers as a unilateral voice of reason.
9. "Swell Does the Skull," Aldous Harding. Evoking Joan Baez, the clip is just a minimalist as the song: a naturally lit room, a guitar, and a voice. The guilt and yearning are palpable.
10. "Saturnz Barz," Gorillaz. Interactive videos are almost a genre unto itself, but special credit goes to this haunted house clip, where you can adjust the mise en scene as a spirit (Popcaan) hurtles the band into orbit.

Honorable Mentions: "Los Ageless," St. Vincent; "HUMBLE," Kendrick Lamar.

Best Video of 2016 That Easily Applies to 2017: "Nobody Speak," DJ Shadow feat. Run the Jewels. This is Trump's America, so I guess this is our generation's "Dr. Strangelove."

Your thoughts?

(573)

That Wonderful Year in Music... 2015

It seems hard to believe that 2015 is almost over, and even though the year went by fairly fast, it left behind some killer tunes.

All in all, this might have been the strongest year for music since 2010, maybe the best of the last decade. One guy had his hand in not only the best hip-hop album of the year, but the magnum opus jazz recording of his generation. Then the man who was front and center on said hip-hop album appeared in four of the most memorable music videos of the last 12 months. No-brainer picks and aligning stars aside, there was no way I could assemble an all-encompassing top 20 list; there were a lot of quality albums, songs, and clips that came out in '15, and there are still a few that I haven't heard all the way through yet (sorry, Adele) and after being overwhelmed by the surplus of options I broke everything down the way I always do: by ranking the very best in descending order.

BEST ALBUMS

1. To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar. It was clear three years ago (on his breakthrough, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City) that this prodigal child of Compton was not content with recording music so much as making statements. Butterfly sets the bar high; hardly any social issue is left unscathed, and where Good Kid could be accused of over-explaining, Lamar makes you connect the dots. Lamar clearly idolizes Tupac Shakur, and on the epic closing track the two men have a simulated conversation. His final question is left unanswered, a fitting ending to an album that offers no easy answers.
2. No Cities to Love, Sleater-Kinney. As AV Club stated recently, “It’s no surprise that (their) first record since returning from their extended hiatus is as good as everything else in their catalog.” This reunion was not based in commerce, but rather in unfinished business; the long, long-awaited follow-up to 2005’s The Woods takes the sonic explorations even further, and in doing so became even more empowered.
3. Art Angels, Grimes. Following 2012’s sublime Visions, where was speculation over whether Vancouver-bred flibbertigibbet Claire Boucher would ever record or release more music. Despite all that drama with her music label (among other things), it is both borderline miraculous that Grimes recorded not only a fourth album, but one that nearly eclipsed Visions in ambition and scope.
4. Carrie & Lowell, Sufjan Stevens
5. I Love You Honeybear, Father John Misty
6. Short Movie, Laura Marling
7. Star Wars, Wilco
8. Vulnicura, Bjork
9. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Courtney Barnett*
10. Goon, Tobias Jesso Jr. One of the best debut albums of 2015 was also as a low-key, under the radar gem. The musical motifs float from one track to another, but the themes are weighty; the aftermath of a nasty breakup haunts Jesso, and his mother is battling cancer. Put together, it’s a haunting record with a sparse sound, at times evokes the likes of Randy Newman and early Elton John. The world is conspiring against Jesso, and the piano is his best weapon.
11. Ivy Tripp, Waxahatchee
12. In Colour, Jamie XX
13. Depression Cherry, Beach House
14. Return to the Moon, El-Vy -
15. FFS, Franz Ferdinand & Sparks. This unlikely collaboration raised a few eyebrows in 2015 but really shouldn’t have; the Mael brothers and the “Take Me Out” guys have been friends and conspirators for years. In some ways, Alex Kapranos and company were the crackerjack backing band the Maels haven’t had in nearly three decades. In this thrilling co-dependency, Franz Ferdinand was lifted from a creative mini-slump, and Sparks recorded their most interesting work in some time. Like triple-sec vodka chased by Mountain Dew, FFS should have been weird and gross but worked almost effortlessly.
16. Viet Cong, Viet Cong
17. Panda Bear Vs. the Grim Reaper, Panda Bear
18. New Bermuda, Sunbather
19. Momentary Masters, Albert Hammond Jr.
20. Natalie Prass, Natalie Prass. Let me begin with my sole complaint about this Nashville singer-songwriter’s debut solo album: it’s too short. At nine tracks and 39 minutes, Prass is tight and concise yet charming in a sultry sort of way. A former member of Jenny Lewis’ backing band, Prass set out to create a thoroughly American, 1970s throwback of a country-rock record, right down to the somewhat abbreviated running time. In the end, she left everyone clamoring for more.

Honorable Mention, EP Division: Another One, Mac DeMarco.

*Remember my 2014 list? I told you so.

Best Metal Album: Luminiferous, High on Fire. Matt Pike is a very paranoid fellow. Long regarded (or chided) as a man of esoteric hobbies, Pike’s beliefs have mutated into full-blown conspiracy theories. That yen for tinfoil hats fuels Luminiferous, HOF’s most focused album in some time. The rhythm section is unpredictable and complex, and even if you can’t stand Pike’s prattling on about huffing chemtrails or how 9/11 was an inside job, his focus and anger are pinpoint.

Honorable Mention: Sol Invictus, Faith No More.

Best Jazz Album: The Epic, Kamasi Washington. I just couldn't ignore the elephant in the room. In this case, it was the sprawling, ambitious 3-CD set that Washington dropped in the early summer. It’s impossible to digest in one sitting, and that’s fine; Washington did not record this with “binge-listening” in mind. This triptych is accessible yet thoroughgoing, so rich with ideas that almost don’t even notice him reinterpreting Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” on disc three.

Honorable Mentions: Sylva, Snarky Puppy with Metropole Orkest; Plus Joshua Redman, The Bad Plus.

BEST SINGLES

"All Day," Kanye West

"Don't Wanna Fight," Alabama Shakes

"Things Happen,” Dawes

"Sedona," Houndmouth

"Simple Machine," Guster

“Outta My Mind,” The Arcs

"To Die in L.A." Lower Dens

"74 is the New 24," Giorgio Moroder

"S.O.B." Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats

"Smooth Sailin'," Leon Bridges

"Dreams," Beck

"Nightlight," Silversun Pickups

"Sister of Pearl," Baio

“The Party Line,” Belle and Sebastian

“Falling from the Sky,” Calexico

BEST VIDEOS

1. “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift. I’m sure you’re giving me a weird look right now, but “event” videos like this don’t really come around that often anymore. It’s a well-edited action-adventure movie in miniature, with a plethora of cameos by the likes of Lena Dunham, Ronda Rousey, and Cindy Crawford. The “squad” mindset of the video also became a cultural sensation while Swifty --er, “Catastrophe”-- toured the world in the Summer of 2015. Also, hi Kendrick Lamar!
2. "For Free (Interlude)," Kendrick Lamar. Why Kendrick had a killer year, part two. “This. Dick. Ain't. Freeeeeee…”
3. "Alright," Kendrick Lamar. Why Kendrick had a killer year, part three. Where "For Free" is both pointed and lighthearted, "Alright" is gritty with absurdist flourishes. It’s almost hard to believe that this clip was helmed by Colin Tilley, who also directed Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda.”
4. "King Kunta," Kendrick Lamar. Why Kendrick had a killer year, part four. This is a deconstruction of the generic hip-hop “good life” video, with the slick cars and the bodacious, scantily-clad women. I have arrived, Kendrick declares, but never take anything for granted. Also, bring the yams.
5. "A New Wave," Sleater-Kinney. The Belcher brood from "Bob's Burgers" wig out to Carrie Brownstein and company on a standout track from the above-mentioned No Cities to Love.
6. "Pedestrian at Best," Courtney Barnett. Old awards or not, some of us just aren't meant to be clowns for the long term.
7. "Pendulum," FKA twigs. "Hey FKA, what's new?" "Oh, just hangin'."
8. “Anna” (Emma Stone version), Will Butler. The first clip produced for the Arcade Fire bassist’s first solo single was fine enough; it was a relatively basic “lyric video” of him shuffling his feet in a dimly lit field. The second video was more viral-friendly; Stone dances Ernst Lubitsch-style on a cruise ship with several beefcake sailors in what Rolling Stone perceived as an update of Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice.”
9. "Make You Better," The Decemberists. Anything that has a lovelorn Nick Offerman feigning a German accent on a Rockpalest-type music program is a contender in my book.
10. "Let It Happen," Tame Impala. Does a heart attack really feel like that?

Honorable Mentions: "Ghosts," Ibeyi; “Norf Norf,” Vince Staples; "Johnny Delusional," FFS (Franz Ferdinand and Sparks); "Hello," Adele.

Your thoughts?