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Andy Johnson
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Top 100 Albums of 2015

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been compiling this massive year-end list for 10 years now. What first started a way to catalogue my exploding interest in popular and experimental music in college has since transformed into an annual exercise in excess. I’m proud to have kept this tradition active for a decade, and I plan to keep it up indefinitely.

Many don’t even find 10 albums in a calendar year they appreciate, never mind a hundred. I enjoy each album on this list, but the true favorites start to perk up in the top 40. I imagine the top 15 or so will stay in rotation for years to come.

On a personal note, I worry my addiction to music interferes with other aspects of my life. I’ve since learned that normal people shouldn’t obsess over this much music. 2015 was a difficult year. I’m hoping for better things in 2016.

100. Wavves & Cloud Nothings — No Life For Me
99. Jeremih — Late Nights
98. Raekwon — Fly International Luxurious Art
97. Jim O’Rourke — Simple Songs
96. Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique — Love is Free
95. Four Tet — Morning/Evening
94. Tyler The Creator — Cherry Bomb
93. Neon Indian — Vega Intl. Night School
92. Heems — Eat Pray Thug
91. ASAP Rocky — At Long Last ASAP

90. Run The Jewels — Meow The Jewels
89. Beach House — Depression Cherry
88. Ringo Deathstarr — Pure Mood
87. Laura Marling — Short Movie
86. A Sunny Day in Glasgow — Planning Weed Like It’s Acid / Life is Loss
85. Natalie Prass — self-titled
84. Built To Spill — Untethered Moon
83. Joanna Gruesome — Peanut Butter
82. Autre Ne Veut — Age of Transparency
81. Mikel Cronin — MCIII

80. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment — Surf
79. Jack U — self-titled
78. Valet — Nature
77. Tanlines — Highlights
76. Baio — The Names
75. Raury — All We Need
74. Best Coast — California Nights
73. Lupe Fiasco — Tetsuo & Youth
72. The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die— Harmlessness
71. Action Bronson — Mr. Wonderful

70. Kacey Musgraves — Pageant Material
69. Disclosure — Caracal
68. Alabama Shakes — Sound & Color
67. Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
66. Julia Holter — Have You In My Wilderness
65. Foals — What Went Down
64. Miley Cyrus — And Her Dead Petz
63. Drake & Future — What A Time To Be Alive
62. Main Attrakionz — 808s & Dark Grapes III
61. Godspeed You! Black Emperor — Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress

60. Waxahatchee — Ivy Tripp
59. Computer Magic — Davos
58. New Order — Music Complete
57. Jay Rock — 90059
56. Future — DS2
55. FFS — self-titled
54. Juicy J — Blue Dream and Lean 2
53. Dr. Dre — Compton
52. Beach House — Thank Your Lucky Stars
51. Big Grams — self-titled

50. Lower Dens — Escape From Evil
49. Battles — La Di Da Di
48. Escort — Animal Nature
47. The Weeknd — Beauty Behind The Madness
46. Wilco — Star Wars
45. Dan Deacon — Gliss Riffer
44. Gems — Kill The One You Love
43. Blur — The Magic Whip
42. Janet Jackson — Unbreakable
41. Hot Chip — Why Make Sense

40. Noel Gallagher — Chasing Yesterday
39. Deafheaven — New Bermuda
38. Freddie Gibbs — Shadow of a Doubt
37. Tamaryn — Cranekiss
36. Shamir — Ratchet
35. Belle & Sebastian — Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance
34. Wildhoney — Sleep Through It
33. Unknown Mortal Orchestra — Multi-Love
32. Metz — II
31. My Morning Jacket — The Waterfall

30. Ought — Sun Coming Down
29. Father John Misty — I Love You, Honeybear
28. No Joy — More Faithful
27. Pusha T — Darkness Before Dawn
26. Colleen Green — I Want To Grow Up
25. Ryan Adams — 1989
24. Jason Isbell — Something More Than Free
23. Mark Ronson — Uptown Special
22. Empress Of — Me
21. Miguel — Wildheart

20. Deerhunter — Fading Frontier
19. Chemical Brothers — Born In the Echoes
18. Panda Bear — Meets The Grim Reaper
17. Mountain Goats — Beat The Champ
16. Chvrches — Every Open Eye
15. Brandon Flowers — The Desired Effect
14. Vince Staples — Summertime ‘06
13. Grimes — Art Angels
12. Big Sean — Dark Sky Paradise
11. Viet Cong — self-titled

10. Sleater-Kinney — No Cities To Love
09. Bjork — Vulnurica
08. Wolf Alice — My Love Is Cool
07. Titus Andronicus — The Most Lamentable Tragedy
06. Tame Impala — Currents
05. Carly Rae Jepsen — Emotion
04. Jamie xx — In Colour
03. Drake — If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
02. Kendrick Lamar — To Pimp a Butterfly
01. Sufjan Stevens — Carrie & Lowell

Previous AOTYs

2014: The War on Drugs — Lost in the Dream
2013: Chvrches — The Bones of What You Believe
2012: Fiona Apple — The Idler Wheel…
2011: M83 — Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
2010: Titus Andronicus — The Monitor
2009: The xx — xx
2008: Vampire Weekend — self-titled
2007: Klaxons — Myths of the Near Future
2006: The Hold Steady — Boys & Girls in America

Other 2015 Lists

Favorite 50 Songs of 2015 (alphabetical order)

  • Belle & Sebastian — Nobody’s Empire
  • Big Sean — I Don’t Fuck With You
  • Big Sean — Play No Games
  • Bjork — Lionsong
  • Bjork — Stonemilker
  • Brandon Flowers — Can’t Deny My Love
  • Brandon Flowers — Between Me And You
  • Carly Rae Jepsen — Run Away With Me
  • Chvrches — Clearest Blue
  • Colleen Green — Pay Attention
  • Courtney Barnett — Pedestrian At Best
  • Drake — Hotline Bling
  • Drake — Know Yourself
  • Drake — 6 Man
  • Deerhunter — All The Same
  • Demi Lovato — Cool For The Summer
  • Empress Of — How Do You Do It
  • Father John Misty — Holy Shit
  • Fetty Wap — Trap Queen
  • Foals — What Went Down
  • Grimes — Kill V. Maim
  • Grimes — Venus Fly
  • Jamie xx — I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)
  • Jamie xx — Loud Places
  • Jason Isbell — 24 Frames
  • Kanye West — All Day
  • Kendrick Lamar — Alright
  • Kendrick Lamar — The Blacker The Berry
  • Kendrick Lamar — Wesley’s Theory
  • Mark Ransom — Uptown Funk
  • Miguel — Leaves
  • Missy Elliott — WTF (Where They From)
  • The Mountain Goats — Choked Out
  • No Joy — Hollywood Teeth
  • Ought — Big Beautiful Sky
  • Raury — Devil’s Whisper
  • Sleater-Kinney — Bury Our Friends
  • Sufjan Stevens — John My Beloved
  • Sufjan Stevens — Fourth of July
  • Tamaryn — Hands All Over Me
  • Tame Impala — Eventually
  • Tame Impala — Let It Happen
  • Titus Andronicus — Dimed Out
  • Titus Andronicus — Fatal Flaw
  • Unknown Mortal Orchestra — Necessary Evil
  • Viet Cong — Death
  • Vince Staples — Lemme Know
  • Vince Staples — Norf Norf
  • The Weeknd — Can’t Feel My Face
  • Wolf Alice — You’re A Germ

Overrated Albums of 2015

  1. Young Thug — Barter 6
  2. Joanna Newsom — Divers
  3. Coldplay — A Head Full of Dreams
  4. Giorgio Moroder — Deja Vu
  5. Travis Scott — Rodeo
  6. Hop Along — Painted Shut
  7. Lana Del Rey — Honeymoon
  8. Adele — 25
  9. Earl Sweatshirt — I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside
  10. Modest Mouse — Strangers To Ourselves

Best Concerts of 2015

  1. Prince - Warner Theater - June 14
  2. Basement Jaxx - 9:30 Club - June 30
  3. Drake - Governors Ball - June 5
  4. Tame Impala - Governors Ball - June 7
  5. Sufjan Stevens - DAR Constitution Hall - May 5
  6. Ryan Adams - Governors Ball - June 6
  7. Paul McCartney - John Paul Jones Arena - June 23
  8. My Morning Jacket - Merriweather Post Pavilion - July 26
  9. Carly Rae Jepsen - Fillmore Silver Spring - Nov. 9
  10. Fleetwood Mac - Verizon Center - June 30

Best Movies of 2015

  1. Ex Machina
  2. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
  3. Inside Out
  4. It Follows
  5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  6. Creed
  7. Max Max: Fury Road
  8. Amy
  9. Straight Outta Compton
  10. The Hateful Eight

Best TV of 2015

  1. Fargo (FX)
  2. The Jinx (HBO)
  3. Review (CC)
  4. Mad Men (AMC)
  5. South Park (CC)
  6. Nathan For You (CC)
  7. Broad City (CC)
  8. Making a Murderer (Netflix)
  9. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)
  10. Show Me A Hero (HBO)