YEAR IN REVIEW: My favorite songs of 2015

by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)

The lists are a bit longer than usual because I liked a lot that came out this year, but here are my favorite Alternative, Hip-hop, and Pop songs from 2015.

Alternative/Rock Songs

1. Let It Happen – Tame Impala
2. Gimme All Your Love  – Alabama Shakes
3. Dream Lover – Destroyer
4. Realiti – Grimes
5. Dreams – Beck
6. What Went Down – Foals
7. Fourth Of July – Sufjan Stevens
8. Eventually – Tame Impala
9. Wide Open – The Chemical Brothers, Beck
10. Spectre – Radiohead
11. The Ghosts Of Beverly Drive – Death Cab For Cutie
12. Huarache Lights – Hot Chip
13. Pedestrian at Best – Courtney Barnett
14. Put A Flower In Your Pocket – The Arcs
15. Loud Places – Jamie xx, Romy
16. Death With Dignity – Sufjan Stevens
17. Flesh Without Blood – Grimes
18. Malukayi – Mnongwana Star, Konono N*1
19. Air – Waxahatchee
20. Should Have Known Better – Sufjan Stevens
21. Lonely Hunter – Foals
22. Point – The Creases
23. Bangkok – Destroyer
24. No Room In Frame – Death Cab For Cutie
25. Depreston – Courtney Barnett
26. Reality In Motion – Tame Impala
27. Time Square – Destroyer
28. Elevator Operator – Courtney Barnet
29. FloriDada – Animal Collective
30. Pretty Pimpin – Kurt Vile
31. Moaning Lisa Smile – Wolf Alice
32. Ship To Wreck – Florence + The Machine
33. Suicide Saturday – Hippo Campus
34. Thought I Was A Spaceman – Blur
35. Leave A Trace – CHVRCHES
36. Giant Peach – Wolf Alice
37. Why Make Sense? – Hot Chip
38. New Person, Same Old Mistakes – Tame Impala
39. PPP – Beach House
40. Keep You On My Side – CHVRCHES
41. Too Bad, So Sad – Metric
42. The Yabba – Battles
43. Them Changes – Thundercat, Flying Lotus
44. The Ground Walks, with Time In A Box – Modest Mouse
45. First Light – Django Django
46. Back To You – Twerps
47. Return To The Moon – EL VY
48. In Time – FKA twigs
49. Sound & Color – Alabama Shakes
50. Souls – Hippo Campus

Hip-Hop/R&B Songs

1. Alright – Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams
2. The Blacker The Berry – Kendrick Lamar
3. They.Resurrect.Over.New. – Lupe Fiasco, Ab-Soul
4. I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) – Jamie xx, Young Thug, Popcaan
5. Mortal Man – Kendrick Lamar
6. Wesley’s Theory – Kendrick Lamar
7. Born To Shine – Big Grams, Run The Jewels
8. Body Of Work – Lupe Fiasco
9. Angels – Chance The Rapper, Saba
10. Untouchable – Pusha T
11. Know Yourself – Drake
12. Actin Crazy – Action Bronson
13. Dots & Lines – Lupe Fiasco
14. Alchemy – Mick Jenkins
15. All Day – Kanye West
16. SMUCKERS – Tyler, The Creator
17. Jump Off The Roof – Vince Staples, Snoh Aalegra
18. WTF (Where They From) – Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams
19. Ain’t I – Lizzo
20. Fade Away – Logic
21. Back To Back – Drake
22. We Are – Justin Bieber, Nas
23. Fell In The Sun – Big Grams
24. Hotline Bling – Drake
25. One Of Us – Rick Ross, Nas
26. Sunday Candy – Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, Chance The Rapper
27. Shame – Young Father
28. Rubble Kings Theme (Dynamite) – Run The Jewels
29. King Kunta – Kendrick Lamar
30. El Chapo – The Game, Skrillex
31. Tell Your Friends – The Weeknd
32. Chopper – Lupe Fiasco
33. u – Kendrick Lamar
34. Your Love – Mick Jenkins
35. DEATHCAMP – Tyler, The Creator
36. Goldmine Junkie – Big Grams
37. P’s & Q’s – Mick Jenkins
38. Paper Trail$ – Joey Bada$$
39. The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Part 6–12 (Remix) – Tyler, The Creator
40. Slaughtermouse – Joe Budden
41. You & The 6 – Drake
42. Electric Body – A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q

Pop Songs

1. Gosh – Jamie xx
2. Go – The Chemical brothers
3. Need You Now – Hot Chip
4. Dancing In The Dark – Hot Chip
5. What Do You Mean? – Justin Bieber
6. Here – Alessia Cara
7. Daffodils – Mark Ronson, Kevin Parker
8. Lean On – Major Lazor, MO, DJ Snake
9. Butterfly – Grimes
10. Love is The Future – Hot Chip
11. Love Myself – Hailee Steinfeld
12. Ex’s & Oh’s – Elle King
13. Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd
14. Run Away With Me – Carly Rae Jepsen
15. Magnets – Disclosure, Lorde
16. Hello – Adele
17. WTF – (Where They From) – Missy Elliot, Pharrell Williams
18. Hotline Bling – Drake
19. The Party Line – Belle and Sebastian
20. You Know You Like It – DJ Snake, AlunaGeorge
21. Adventure Of A Lifetime – Coldplay
22. In The Night – The Weeknd
23. Electric Love – BORNS
24. SeeSaw – Jamie xx, Romy
25. The Things I regret – Brandi Carlile
26. Lifted Up (1985) – Passion Pit
27. Wherever Is Your Heart – Brandi Carlile
28. Renegades – X Ambassadors
29. Picture This – Kero Kero Bonito
30. FourFiveSeconds – Rihanna, Kanye West, Paul McCartney
31. Teenage Talk – St. Vincent
32. Good For You – Selena Gomes, A$AP Rocky
33. Like I’m Gonna Lose You – Meghan Trainor, John Legend
34. I Don’t Like It, I Love It – Flo Rida, Robin Thicke
35. London Queen – Charli XCX
36. Stare – Prince
37. First Time – Icona Pop
38. Levels – Nick Jonas
39. Fire N Gold – Bea Miller
40. Fun – Pitbull, Chris Brown
41. On My Mind – Ellie Goulding