2015 was a pretty solid year for music, in my opinion. I still have a few more albums to check out before compiling my list of my favorite albums of the year. As I look back on the records I've listened to, I've noticed that quite a few were unexpectedly good. These are some of the albums of 2015 that surprised me in a positive way.
Killing Joke, "Pylon."
It's not so much the high quality of this album that surprises me--Killing Joke is an incredibly consistent group. It's just amazing that Killing Joke has maintained such a great sound in their 20+ year career, even after undergoing a stylistic shift away from post-punk into darker and heavier music. Pylon is a very solid record that anyone into melodic industrial rock should check out.
Liturgy, "The Ark Work."
I'm rarely into extremely experimental avant-garde music. So it's a surprise that this strange album managed to work so well for me. The Ark Work is a weird combination of black metal, electronics, and unorthodox vocals that definitely isn't for everyone, but was quite enjoyable for me.
Marilyn Manson, "The Pale Emperor."
I'm a pretty big fan of Marilyn Manson's earlier works, like Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals. However, the quality of his music took a steep nosedive not long after, with his 2013 record Born Villain being the sub-par end of a 4-album-long streak of thoroughly disappointing albums. As a result, I didn't have high expectations going into The Pale Emperor, but after giving it a few listens, it's actually rather nice. It's certainly not as great as his earlier stuff, but Marilyn Manson has seemed to have reclaimed some of his industrial rock credibility.
Adrenaline Mob, "Dearly Departed."
I was a fan of Adrenaline Mob's work at first, when former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy was a part of the group. After he left, however, there was an extreme drop in quality, with their album Men of Honor being one of my least favorite albums of 2014. Dearly Departed, however, is not nearly as bad. It has a few solid covers, along with one or two decent original tracks. It's by no means my favorite hard rock album of 2015, but it's miles ahead of some of their other recent efforts.
Carly Rae Jepsen, "E*MO*TION."
This is by far the biggest surprise of 2015 for many music nerds. Who would have thought that the singer responsible for the one-hit-wonder "Call Me Maybe" would create a legitimately memorable pop album? Each of the tracks is incredibly fun and positive, and is significantly more mature and impressive than what one would expect from typical bubblegum radio-pop. Put aside any preconceived notions you have, and give this an honest listen. Like myself and many others, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.
