Earlier this month, I collabed with Tim on a few Best of 2015 shortlists for the Weekly Tune-Up, looking at albums released January through June, and then July through December, as much to brush up on what I'd mis sed this year as to remind myself what I loved most. By the end, I realized, it wasn't going to be so easy to compile a straightforward year-ending album list. With the profusion of high quality releases that came out in 2015, I had a hard time keeping up and too often forget to re-visit something I liked or even loved on first listen. I put one together anyway, because there were definite front-runners and the No. 1 spot was earmarked pretty early on (Andrea McCray wrote a whole column outlining why the album was worthy of said honors). But I also assembled a few extra sub-categories; one ran in last week's paper (15 Terrific Tributes), and another I've included along with the straightforward list below that focuses on those albums that completely slipped through the cracks and might very well have made my Best of 2015 list had I had played them more. Tim will be submitting his own Weekly Tune-Up: Best of 2015 Finale today as well. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, enjoy my Best ofs (and Could've Beens) as paired with a Spotify Playlist for your listening convenience.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2015
My top 15 favorites, presented in the general order of the ones played most often to least.
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly [READ THIS]
Kurt Vile, b’lieve i’m goin down…
Jacco Gardner, Hypnophobia
Treasure Fleet, The Sun Machine
Django Django, Born Under Saturn
Toro y Moi, What For?
L’Orange & Kool Keith, Time? Astonishing!
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Multi-Love
Big Grams, Big Grams EP
Here We Go Magic, Be Small
EMEFE, Sun Spat
Thundercat, The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam
Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Kitty Daisy & Lewis
Miguel, Wildheart
American Wrestlers, American Wrestlers
(COULD'VE BEEN) BEST ALBUMS OF 2015/HONORABLE MENTIONS
Twerps, Range Anxiety
The Dead Weather, Dodge and Burn
Bilal, In Another Life
Tame Impala, Currents
Blackalicious, Imani Vol. 1
Balthazar, Thin Walls
Bilal, In Another Life
My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall
Sleater Kinney, No Cities to Love
Eagles of Death Metal, Zipper Down
Belle & Sebastian, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance
Father John Misty, I Love You, Honeybear
Wilco, Star Wars
The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
Battles, La Di Da Di