My Favorite Albums of 2015
I spent most of 2015 listening to musicals, honestly. If I was being 100% real, my top 5 would be something like Fun Home, Hamilton, Thoroughly Modern Millie, They’re Playing Our Song and Tarzan. But there were new albums that came out this year that I quite enjoyed.
Carrie and Lowell by Sufjan Stevens. When this one came out, I didn’t have very high expectations. I couldn’t even with his last album, Age of Adz, and I didn’t think this one would be anything better. But it caught me off guard. A beautiful collection of mellow, lightly-electronic slow songs about love and loss.
Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz I thought her last album was so fun, but I didn’t think she could follow up with anything noteworthy. Fortunately, she hooked up with the Flaming Lips for this one, and the formula totally works. A very listenable collections of weirdo-rock, with a tiny splash here and there of young woman angst.
Fun Home Fun Home wasn’t entirely on my radar until the 2015 Tony Awards. I watched the performance of Ring of Keys and I was IN. Bought the cd that day. I was lucky enough to see the show months later, in New York. By the time I saw it, I essentially had the CD memorized.
Honeymoon by Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence was a departure from her established sound. Much more guitar and less orchestra. Honeymoon is back to her lush sound, but it goes another new direction. Sounds like old Hollywood. I think it’s beautiful.
The Inevitable End by Royksopp I got in to Royksopp because of their work with Robyn. I heard they had a new album and thought I’d check it out. First listen, I didn’t think it was for me, but I got in to it. It’s pretty great. Supposedly, this is their last “traditional album”, but you never know.