The year hasn't quite ended yet, and the Grammy Awards aren't until February, but it's easy to see which records so far have had the quality to make them contenders. In this list, record sales are not taken into account, only quality and album composition.
10. "The Magic Whip" - Blur
Release Date: April 27, 2015
After a twelve-year-long hiatus, interrupted by only a few singles released in 2010 and 2012, Blur returned strongly to the scene with "The Magic Whip." The sound is more experimental than most Blur fans are accustomed to, but this is to be expected. Lead singer Damon Albarn, since 1998, had been devoting more and more time to Gorillaz, which is a group notorious for combining multiple genres into one total experience.
9. "What Went Down" - Foals
Release Date: August 28, 2015
Foals made a huge impact with the 2013 album "Holy Fire," and their follow-up seems to have some of the same strengths that made it great. It seems as though it's living in the shadow of their past successes, but the sound of "What Went Down" is very cohesive and catchy. The strongest tracks are "Birch Tree," "Mountain At My Gates," and the title track "What Went Down."
8. "Every Open Eye" - CHVRCHES
Release Date: September 25, 2015
The Irish band Chvrches didn't quite catch as much attention as they deserved with "The Bones Of What You Believe" in 2013, but "Every Open Eye" has a chance of catching eyes (or ears, rather) with it's strongest tune "Leave A Trace."
7. "To Pimp A Butterfly" - Kendrick Lamar
Release Date: March 15, 2015
It seems that nobody out there is commanding the cutting edge in the rap game these days quite like K-Dot, and the Compton Kid's sophomore album "To Pimp A Butterfly" is an incredible composition and a journey through consciousness and the racial issues apparent in the United States today. With some excellent guest writing by names like Sufjan Stevens, The Isley Brothers, and Pharrell Williams, the success of this album was inevitable. Had Kendrick chosen to include the studio version of Grammy-winning single "i" instead of a live version, I would certainly reconsider placing this album in the seventh spot.
6. "In Colour" - Jamie xx
Release Date: May 29, 2015
The xx is, if you haven't heard any of their material, a wonderful group who deliver mellowing tunes that can be replayed constantly without exhaustion. Member Jamie Smith, adopting the monicker "Jamie xx," has taken his first venture as a solo artist, and it is electronic excellence. It has some of the same feel of an xx album, but it takes more liberties, and with tunes like "Loud Places" and "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)," it's easy to see why it appears on this list. If you're very astute, you'll notice that the cover contains one fourth of the "X" that appears on albums by The xx, for which I'm sure the reason are obvious.
5. "Badlands" - Halsey
Release Date: August 28, 2015
Halsey first popped up with the release of her EP "Room 93," but her first album "Badlands" has received much critical acclaim over the past month that I can tell that fairly soon, she will be a household name. She took "Easy" by Son Lux and made it her own, arguably better, tune "Hold Me Down." Other tracks, like "Roman Holiday" and "New Americana," are hard to skip if you're listening on shuffle. With such strong beginnings, Halsey shows much promise for the future.
4. "If You're Reading This Its Too Late" - Drake
Release Date: February 13, 2015
If you're like me, you probably remember exactly where you were when you found out Drake dropped this, quite unexpectedly and without any prior promotion. Each album by Aubrey Graham has marked a serious progression in Drake's flow and sound, and this one is the most introspective to date. It's all about The 6. This is an album that I've only grown more fond of the more I listen through. No tellin'.
3. "Sound & Color" - Alabama Shakes
Release Date: June 17, 2014
What an album. Wow. Alabama Shakes has vocal contributions by the talented Brittany Howard reminiscent of soul in the '60s and '70s, mixed with clean blues rock instrumentals that I'd definitely compare to the almighty Akron crusaders, The Black Keys. This is certainly the sound (and the color, I guess) that I'd been expecting out of the music scene today. Have a listen, you will not be disappointed. "Don't Wanna Fight," "Future People," "Gimme All Your Love," and the title track "Sound & Color" are good places to start, but you'll want to stay for the whole thing.
2. "FROOT" - Marina & The Diamonds
Release Date: March 16, 2015
It's a question I know she's tired of answering, but Marina is a solo artist, and the Diamonds are her fans. Solo, then, was her focus and "Froot" by far has been her most independent work of the three studio albums she's released to date. On her sophomore effort, "Electra Heart" - which I might as well go on record claiming as one of the best albums ever released - she had very minor lyrical input from industry hit-makers like Dr. Luke. Although "Electra" was genuinely hers, for "Froot," she wanted to go completely free of outside interference, and what resulted was the second best album of the year. There really isn't a weak spot in the entire album, and it took a certain Black Keys member to unseat her from the top spot. If I have a bias towards her, it is not without good reason, as evidenced by, well, every single song on the record.
Honorable Mentions:
Before I reveal the big number one, here are some albums worth your consideration that failed to make the list.
"Honeymoon" - Lana Del Rey
"Another One" - Mac Demarco
"The Great Pretenders" - Mini Mansions
"Dirty Sprite 2" - Future
"How Big How Blue How Beautiful" - Florence + The Machine
1. "Yours, Dreamily" - The Arcs
Release Date: September 4, 2015
Musically, it's gold. Platinum. Any other precious metals I missed? Those, too. Black Keys lead singer Dan Auerbach was without an outlet for his musical genius following the dislocation of the other half of the band, Patrick Carney's shoulder. So he went ahead and drummed up (pun intended) a side project himself, and what he produced is immaculate. It's best for taking a drive down some desert highway into the sunrise or wandering around the city on a rainy night. It has everything I would've expected out of The Black Keys, just without the name (and the guy with glasses on the drums, of course). You've got to hear it to believe it.
