Top 6 Music Releases of 2015

2015 was a great year for music and I ended up listening to 250+ releases. I thought it was an especially strong year for screamo. In fact, half of the releases I’m going to mention are a part of this subgenre! The albums in my top six are the ones I’ve awarded at least a 4.5/5 to on my Rateyourmusic account. The #1 album is a 5/5 in my book. Without further ado, here’s my top six music releases of 2015!

6. Versus​/​/​/​Verses – Tantive IV

We’re kicking it off with an obscure screamo ep. It has that raw and intimate Bandcamp sound that I personally love. My favorite song is easily the last one. The first few minutes contains no screaming at all, and it builds up to the explosive grand finale. Very emotional and definitely one of my favorite releases from 2015.

5. Inside – Yearbooks

Another screamo release. This one has a lot of post-hardcore influence and lots of midwest emo-like arpeggios thrown into the mix. The screaming is great and heartfelt – another screamo classic in my book.

4. Sing Me a Song – Dérive

This is one of the most unique screamo releases I’ve heard and that’s really saying something. The record has a ton of math rock influence and no two songs sound alike. Sounds range from hectic to absolutely beautiful. It is definitely the best screamo release of 2015 and is among the best of the decade.

3. Passo Torto & Ná Ozzetti – Thiago França

This is an album I didn’t know much about before I listened to it. I knew it was experimental and Brazilian and that’s about it. Well I have to say it caught me really off guard and in the good way! The music is inspired by the “vanguarda paulista” movement of the late 70s and early to mid 80s. It was basically a movement of experimental Brazilian music that wasn’t radio friendly enough to sign with the big record labels of the time. I adore experimental music from this era, so it’s no surprise that I love this. Bits and pieces remind me of avant prog in the vein of the Art Bears as well as artists like The Residents. Definitely check this one out if you like experimental music!

2. Moonlover – Ghost Bath

It’s impossible to talk about this album without mentioning Deafheaven, so I’ll get it out of the way now. Yes, it sounds similar to their “Sunbather” sound. No it’s not a ripoff as they have their own style and they surpass them in a few ways even. The album is a part of the blackgaze genre which combines black metal with post-rock. It also has some depressive black metal elements as well. I love the ambient pieces as well as the amazing vocal performance. Instead of demonic growling we have sorrowful cries throughout the album. It’s a very emotional piece and every black metal fan needs to hear this at least once.

1. The Powers That B – Death Grips

I’ve written about this release before, but it’s so good I need to write more about it! Basically it’s a two disc experimental rap album. A big catch was that the first disc was released almost a full year before the second. This lead fans to speculate the eventual release of the second part. It was an incredible ride and I doubt I’ll ever get as hyped for anything else as long as I live. The first disc, Niggas on the Moon, is my favorite rap release of all time and it ranks as one of my favorite albums of the millennium as well. After falling in love with part one, I just couldn’t wait to hear part 2. Well the second part, Jenny Death, definitely lived up to its hype. While drastically different from NOTM, it goes perfectly well with it and creates one of the finest double albums of all time. Niggas on the Moon has many math rock elements and features Bjork samples on every track. It creates a spastic yet incredibly cohesive piece. Jenny Death sounds more like one of their previous albums, No Love Deep Web. It has a nice blend of heavy guitar driven beats with lots of electronic elements thrown in as well. The Powers That B is a legitimate 5/5 album and is easily my favorite overall release of 2015!

Runner Ups

These are the albums I awarded a 4/5 to. Combined with the above releases, there are 20 in total.

Screamo

Circle Thinking – i hate sex

Don’t Be A Let Down – Messes

To Kill a Heart and Capitalizing on Your Emotions  – The Truth About Dreaming

Heaven in the Hollow – Saintly Rows

Home – Hausmaison

Anatomy & Dissection- Caust

Other Types of Emo

Copacetic – Knuckle Puck (Emo/Pop Punk)

Dogs on Acid – Dogs on Acid (Indie Rock/Emo)

The Dork Ages – Oliver Houston (Midwest Emo)

Hip Hop

Plain Speaking – Scallops Hotel

Today, I Wrote Nothing – Billy Woods

Garage Raps Vol.1 – Signor Benedick the Moor

Last But Not Least

‘Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress’ – Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Post-Rock)

Here’s a handy image of every album I’ve mentioned in this article!

Here’s to 2016 and all of the great music it has in store!

My Favorite Music Releases of the Decade

While the previous decade was great in its own right, I’d argue that the 2010s blow it out of the water. In this article, I’ll focus on four of my favorite releases from this decade.

The Big Blue / There is a Light in You – SULK

I usually don’t pay much mind to singles, but this one is a special case. Most modern singles come with one song that usually ends up on the album anyway. While The Big Blue ended up on their debut album Graceless, the b side, There Is a Light in You, is only available through this single. SULK draws inspiration from the late 80s/early 90s baggy and madchester scenes as well as shoegaze, biritpop, and neo-psychedelia. They have often been compared to The Stone Roses, and I think that is a fair comparison.

The Big Blue is by far my favorite song from their debut album, and the b side is exceptional and could’ve fit perfectly onto the album. Clocking in at around seven and a half minutes, this single perfectly showcases the band’s highlights in a tight and convenient package. They’re currently working on a sophomore album and recently released a single titled Black Infinity (Upside Down).

jumping off a building – father figure

father figure is a screamo (the offshoot of emotive hardcore, not the bastardized term for mediocre metalcore) band from Texas who shares members and influence with Flesh Born, Innards, and Two Knights among others. The music has a distinct influence from Midwest Emo from bands like Snowing, and it also has a hint of math rock as well. The ep has a run time of just under 10 minutes and contains no choruses for the most part. Just a quick shot of perfect screamo.

They released a demo, an album, an ep, and a split with Marcy before their demise in 2013. Even though new content hasn’t been released, they have occasionally played shows and had a discography compilation released on cassette through the Friendly Otter label. If you can’t get enough of the band (as their total output is only around 40 minutes), I’d highly suggest looking into the member’s other projects, this ep by Two Knights in particular was recorded the same year and has a similar sound.

Good Vibes – William Bonney

William Bonney was formed 2010 and features members from the band Merchant Ships. Both bands are similar to father figure since there is a heavy emphasis on midwest emo, but I’d argue that William Bonney has more post-hardcore influence within their music. Good Vibes is around twice the length of jumping off a building and this time allows the songs to develop further. Extremely catchy, heartfelt, and well worth your time.

The band unfortunately broke up in 2013. Fret not though, several other bands share the same members and influence as well. Some examples are Park Jefferson, Knola, Midwest Pen Pals, and Knuckle Puck. These have a lot less emphasis on screamo and are generally more midwest emo oriented though.

The Powers That B – Death Grips

I saved my favorite of the bunch for last! I’ve actually awarded two Death Grips albums a 5/5: this and No Love Deep Web. I thought I would put more of an emphasis on The Powers That B since I love them both for more or less the same reason musically, and I have a bit more to talk about when it comes to TPTB. Both are exceptional releases though.

Death Grips is an experimental hip hop that incorporates many electronic and punk elements into it’s music. They randomly released an album titled Niggas On the Moon on June 9th 2014 and explained that it was only the first part of a double album named The Powers That B. The second half, Jenny Death, was promised to be released later in the year. Niggas on the Moon is an incredibly original album. Each song focuses on irregular beats and incorporates samples of the famous singer Bjork. I love how each song meshes into each other in a sort of Abbey Road-like style. While many hip hop releases are tainted by unnecessary skits, I’d argue that NOTM doesn’t have a single dull or out of place moment. There isn’t a single thing I’d change about this album.

So Niggas on the Moon quickly became my favorite release of the 2010s, and there was another half of the album yet to be released! Needless to say, I was extremely hyped for Jenny Death and so were other Death Grips fans. Many people showed tons of interest in the album even though only the name had been announced. In a surprising turn of events, Death Grips had announced just a month after release that they had broken up, but still planned to release the followup later that year.

A few months later, the covers for both Jenny Death and the complete album, The Powers That B, were showcased through their Facebook page. Many people speculated on where the photographs were taken and if they could lead to a clue about the album’s release date. I remember people distinctly saying it was going to be released on the night of the blood moon among other insane predictions.

Well the new year started and fans were pissed that the album wasn’t released as promised. However, they released an instrumental album titled Fashion Week on January 4th. The names of the songs: Runway J, Runway E, Runway N, etc. spelled the phrase “JENNY DEATH WHEN“, which had previously been an inside joke among fans. This fueled the flames of course and prompted exploration of the upcoming fashion week in order to find clues about the release. On March 16th they did the most unexpected thing ever: traditionally announced its release date as March 31st, almost a full year after their previous installment. Even though the entire piece hadn’t been released yet, two singles for the album were released just ahead of this announcement and the third was released at the end of 2014.

The album as a whole finally leaked on March 19th 2015, and the wait was well worth it. While being tied to Niggas on the Moon, Jenny Death has a completely different sound. The music has a larger emphasis on guitars rather than electonics and irregular drumming patterns. I personally prefer NOTM, but Jenny Death does contain some of their best work. Shortly after the leak they announced a new tour and that they may indeed make more music. Later in 2015 they released a side project album as The I.L.Y’s. Even more recently, they announced a full new project titled Bottomless Pit.

Well there you have it. Since I only included 5/5 releases, there are obviously 4.5/5 albums I didn’t talk about. You can see those below as well as my 5/5 albums from the previous decades.

Albums I’ve Given a 5/5 To (Most Recent to Oldest)

My Ratings From This Decade (Highest to Lowest)