2015 in Music
This is necessarily “things I remember about music in 2015” because I don’t keep good notes. There was so much great music, and I have inevitably missed most of it.
Of course, if you can’t be bothered reading it, the tl;dr is “CARLY RAE JEPSEN ALL THE TIME FOREVER”.
Albums of 2015
Carly Rae Jepsen - E.MO.TION
This list isn’t in any order but this, by some considerable measure, my favourite album of the year. I totally, unironically, unashamedly adore this record, and you probably already know about that on account of how I didn’t shut up about it for months after it came out. Pure pop, pure joy.
CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye
Elephant in the room: yes, it’s not as good as their first one. Yes, it’s had some of the rough edges shorn off and the production is shinier. But it’s still CHVRCHES, and it’s still a really great record full of massive synth hooks and angry lyrics and euphoria.
PSB - The Race for Space
I have a hard time dealing with the fact that Public Service Broadcasting exist in the world outside of my head, because I spent an appreciable amount of time attempting to write/record stuff exactly like what J. Willgoose Esq and friends make when I first started using computers to make music. I failed, so it’s probably good that they do exist, and it goes without saying that I love basically everything they’ve ever done and this album is no exception.
Haiku Salut - Etch & Etch Deep
You know what I said about PSB sounding like music I want to make? Same. Influences and ideas and moods and textures from all over the place, seamlessly weaving electronics and acoustic instruments into one sparkling, chiming, drifting, dancing wonderful whole. Beirut meets Penguin Cafe meets electronica. They’re playing in Norwich in January. I will be there.
Stealing Sheep - Get Real
Previously a harmony-heavy psych-folk trio, this album sees them ditch the acoustic instruments nearly entirely for keyboards and drum machines. The incredible vocal harmonies and psychedelic influences are still there, but this is owes more to new wave and 80s pop than it does to the 60s and 70s folk. Friends with Dutch Uncles, who are also brilliant, and it shows. See also “best gigs”.
Honourable mentions:
- East India Youth - Culture of Volume - more song-oriented than the magnificently titled “Total Strife Forever”, still one of the most interesting electronic artists around at the moment.
- Shamir - Ratchet - more amazing pop. The single, “On the regular”, is basically perfect. The rest of the album doesn’t quite reach those heights but it’s still a great pop album.
- Gaz Coombes - Matador - Supergrass this ain’t, but it’s a really, really solid record.
- Jamie XX - In Colour - Slow rave? Quiet dance? Whatever, this is couldn’t be anyone else. Sub-destroying bass, glitchy rhythms and sparse melodies and vocal samples.
- Nils Frahm - Solo - 8 unedited improvisations played on the giant Klavins M370 piano; completely beautiful.
With the caveat that I haven’t spent enough time with Sufjan Stevens, Courtney Barnett, Floating Points, John Grant, Joanna Gruesome, Holly Herndon, Father John Misty, Wolf Alice, etc.
Gigs of 2015
I skipped on a number of gigs I really wanted to go to but didn’t feel up to. I hate this stupid brain illness. Still, I saw some excellent show anyway.
East India Youth, Norwich Arts Centre
I danced my embarassing uncoordinated flailing indie-boy limbs off. Incredible live visuals, defeaning washes of sound, full on squelchy acid rave and some properly great songs to boot. Not just my favourite gig of the year but my favourite gig in some considerable time (probably since Casiokids at the Portland Arms, and that was before they did the refurb a couple of years back).
Stealing Sheep, Cambridge Portland Arms
The best bands look like cool gangs and Stealing Sheep are the coolest gang. Playing everything from Not Real live rather than using the normal Ableton Live pre-recorded clips approach of most electronic artists, and looking like the coolest 80s retro girl gang while they’re at it. This gig was postponed because of bafflingly poor ticket sales, but it was so, so worth the wait.
Thought Bubble mid-con party, Leeds Corn Exchange
OK technically this was a club night/party not a gig but DMC out of Run DMC showed up and did a couple of tracks so I’m going to claim it counts. I was actually having a pretty lousy time for about an hour having got there earlier than friends and was feeling like the awkward nerd in the corner, even though the venue was round and full of other awkward nerds. But then it picked right up and by midnight I was too busy dancing like an embarassing uncoordinated flailing indie boy to remember that I was feeling grumpy. I was going to leave but then Kieron Gillen played Call Me Maybe like he knew.
Honourable mentions:
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Kid Wave, Portland Arms - So young!
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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Portland Arms - the first time I saw them I’d had a lousy, lousy couple of days and they were the perfect catharsis. There was no way they could live up to that, but they’re still great and I will go and see them as often as they play.
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The Unthanks, Greenbelt Festival - “Miserable weather, isn’t it? I’d say we’re here to cheer you up, but we all know that isn’t true.” Haunting, beautiful, dark and wonderful. Absolutely incredible jazz-folk arrangements on their new material, too.