A few months ago my iPod classic (160GB), which held my entire music library with room to spare, finally gave out on me. It had been my trusty companion for years of road trips, backyard barbecues and house parties. Perhaps more significant, it was also what I relied on for my daily commute. No WiFi. No streaming. Just a tiny computer that fit into my pocket and could call up any of the thousands of songs I was in the mood for with one click of a wheel. The good news is that I had my library backed up. The bad news is that nothing will ever be the same.
Now I am forced to navigate the wilderness of on-line streaming services. I must choose sides in the "streaming wars." This is completely unsatisfying. At the moment I cannot get my Beach House and my Bonnie 'Prince' Billy in the same place. I'm sure that if I worked hard enough or paid enough money I could correct this problem but I have neither the patience nor the resources. So instead my listening library is drastically reduced. This is, however, not without its benefits.
I have found myself spending more time with fewer records and as a result have gotten to know them in a way I probably wouldn't have before. I started compiling a list of my 50 favorite albums of 2015 and quickly realized that this is a bit inauthentic. The truth is that I haven't spent enough time with the 50 records I think I like to know if they are really my favorites. So, let's be real. There are maybe 15 albums that I've been able to really get to know remotely well this year. Some of them better than others, but all of them enough to know that they are great.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy other records this year. There were some from mainstays like Wilco, Bjork, Battles, Deerhunter, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. (I secretly love The Weeknd) And there were break outs from the likes of Dilly Dally, Viet Cong, Bully, All We Are, Ghost Culture, Jessica Pratt...and on and on...I wish I had spent more time with them. But for now I will stick with what I know. These are those, in alphabetical order.
Alabama Shakes - Sound and Color
Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
Knxwledge - Hud Dreems
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Low - Ones and Sixes
Lower Dens - Escape From Evil
Oddisee - The Good Fight
Natalie Prass - Natalie Prass
Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect
Joan Shelley - Over and Even
Vince Staples - Summertime '06
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell
Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
Kamasi Washington - The Epic
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