Not a Typo II: Honorable Mentions, Additional Favorite Songs of 2015
I wrote this a year ago, too.
(If you missed it, the list of 20 favorite albums from 2015 is here!)
I.
First, not an honorable mention and not an additional favorite song, but important. We’ll call it Omission Of Note:
Kendrick Lamar — To Pimp a Butterfly
We all have our favorite musical genres. But you can’t live in a little indie/folk/rock/pop bubble and pretend that rap isn’t being created and isn’t having an enormous impact. And when an album is hailed as the defining statement of our time, released by the greatest rapper of a generation… well, everyone needs to pay attention.
The opposite of ignoring To Pimp a Butterfly is tempting but also be troublesome. Can you immediately declare you Get It? Can you really speak authoritatively as you congratulate yourself for “recognizing and respecting” its genius and reflexively plunk it at the top of your 2015 list, without really getting it yet?
The still-evolving listening experience is powerful but also difficult, unsettling and awkward. The music is not immediately accessible and comfortable — because, guess what, it shouldn’t be. It’s the height of racial self-centeredness to think that everything should be conveniently packaged to those it is not immediately written for.
As kris ex wrote on Pitchfork: All of this Blackness is important. Important because sometimes white people need to take a metaphorical seat — to sit down, shut up, and listen to conversations in which they are a cultural object, not the center. This is not an easy task. White people have been way too comfortable for way too long in this country, in this world.
I need to keep listening. Honest, careful, thoughtful listening doesn’t merit an award, and it’s not the central story. It’s just a critical first step.
II.
Five quality 2015 releases that didn’t quite make my top 20 list but certainly merit a mention:
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill (2015 Remaster)
I owned this iconic album on cassette in sixth grade. Which meant casually leafing through the liner notes during school breaks to seem tough, and innocently misunderstanding nearly every lyric. What a difference 20 years — not to mention remastered and CD-quality audio — makes. New instrumental layers emerge in the mix, and songs like “Perfect” and “Forgiven” deliver gut-punch lines on human behavior and realities. Revisiting this album might’ve even reoriented my attention on few members of a new generation of female musicians with similarly honest, raw lyrics who wound up being 2015 favorites.
The Antlers – In London
Having seen The Antlers in concert for the first time this year, I can verify that they are absolutely in the “even better live than recorded” band category. The vocals are more emotional, the dramatic guitar passages are louder and more frenetic, and a real, live trumpeter (a rarity among average modern indie bands) adds an unexpected intensity. Each live track also features a couple minutes of vocal-less introduction — like an orchestral warmup or a gentle, wandering interlude — before the song coalesces. All this is captured on In London, a special vinyl-only release.
Rhett Miller – The Traveler
Whether as part of the Old 97’s or on his own, Rhett Miller somehow always as a new album out. Even more impressively, they’re usually pretty high-quality. Backed by Portland-based bluegrass group Black Prairie, The Traveler offers the usual smart storytelling — complete with lovelorn characters and wry plot twists — wrapped into catchy pop choruses and adds new instrumental textures. While the album lacks the Nashville Skyline-style cozy country intimacy that made The Dreamer my favorite of his four solo records, the fiddling and guitar-picking seamlessly complement these tunes without ever feeling trendy or overdone.
Son Little – Son Little
Discovered purely by chance when I fell in love with the classic 1960s soul sound of Leon Bridges’ Coming Home and scrolled through a list of “similar artists,” Son Little’s self-titled album spans numerous decades and styles, incorporating thumping blues-rock beats, folk grittiness, modern hip-hop elements and electronic flourishes. The high-energy blend contrasts with the frequently quietly despondent lyrical mood — a perfect combination for catharsis.
James Taylor – Before This World
Does James Taylor strike you as Mom Music? That’s quite all right. I grew up listening to him and pretended to dislike him for a while, but eventually realized he’s a legendary singer/songwriter for a reason. Before This World covers a range of topical and emotional ground, from the sweet tearjerker “Angels of Fenway” to the gentle seize-the-day anthem “Today, Today” to the chilling war commentary on “Far Afghanistan,” all delivered with that eternally smooth, soothing voice.
III.
Five songs I really liked from albums not on the list:
Amason – “Flygplatsen”
A really lovely pop song. It’s in Swedish, so I have nothing substantive (or otherwise) to say about the lyrics and only two unrelated observations to make: First, the descending opening notes (appear to be F-sharp, C-sharp, B — yes, I nerded it out on the keyboard) sound just like the beginning of Dawes’ “Things Happen” (B, F-sharp, E), though they’re in different keys. Second, it mentions piña coladas multiple times.
Chelsea Wolfe – “Crazy Love”
Multiple people recommended Chelsea Wolfe’s album Abyss as “more accessible” metal for someone who typically finds the genre overwhelming. Alas, my weakling ears still found some of the songs too heavy. This song — one of the album’s “lighter” tracks — skips some of the deepest, most droning guitar layers while keeping the dark edge, haunting string arrangements and beautifully restrained vocals.
Jazmine Sullivan – “Stupid Girl”
Spot-on commentary on relationships and their all-too-common results for women, dressed as a catchy anthem with bouncy vintage R&B beats and singalong background vocals. Despite the title, everything is laid out without judgment, with an “I’ve been there” first-person plural perspective: sometimes you just get swept up, but watch out.
Ryan Adams – “Style”
Why is a pop album suddenly “authentic” and worthwhile now that a dude has covered it and made it scruffy? The release of Ryan Adams’ version of 1989 sparked valid, important discussion about sexism in music and indie snobbery that can’t be isolated from the music itself. Ultimately, in 2015 I came around and liked the original album. These covers are also really good. especially this motorcycle-ready Springsteen-esque take on “Style.”
Weyes Blood – “Some Winters”
Discovered thanks to NPR’s annual SXSW present — a massive downloadable mix of songs by artists performing in Austin — this song, officially dubbed “experimental rock,” takes an intriguing journey. With a steady piano melody weaving through its core, it traverses multiple moods: at its folksiest moments, it’s reminiscent of classic Joan Baez music. Then it veers into a dreamlike electronica before splintering into a spooky, glitchy opera.
