2015 in Review

2015 is a really well-rounded year, with some records that have since stood the test of time in each genre. You can’t talk about any of them though before talking about To Pimp A Butterfly.

Pretty much between good Kid, m.A.A.d city’s release in 2012 and To Pimp A Butterfly’s in 2015, hip-hop was a wasteland of generic, radio club tracks or get-hype music.

That period captures the waning portion of the Young Money/Good Music/Maybach Music era, where every song was autotuned and featured the same six, tired rappers over and over again. Everything was Future and 2 Chainz, YG and Fetty Wap, mixed with some version of a Lil Wayne, Rick Ross or Drake song.

Some of the more technically acclaimed dudes like Vince Staples, Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q had just started really making waves around 2014.

To Pimp A Butterfly cemented Kendrick Lamar as one of the best, smartest, and most innovative artists of all time. But his influence started to show in other areas of the genre more prominently in 2015 as well. Summertime 06 by Vince Staples pulled from Kendrick by mixing highly detailed production with raw, personal west-coast storytelling. Joey BadA$$, Jay Rock and A$AP Rocky and even Drake put out darker, less commercial records.

In rock, Tame Impala’s Currents was so good and such an instant classic, that it quickly became a meme used to describe folks who like to brag about discovering something cool without knowing that everyone’s already listening to it. Sufjan Stevens and Courtney Barnett also had memorable releases.

And after 2014 saw a number of annoying popular songs that definitely overstayed their welcome, the crop of hits from 2015 were a vast improvement. Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion was filled with great hits front to back. “Lean On” by Major Lazer, with production by DJ Snake, led to a lot of artists mixing some leftover sounds from the EDM/Dubstep movement with bouncy, reggaeton electronic sounds that coils be found across the genre for a few years. Other big hits included “What Do You Mean?” off of Justin Bieber’s best record, “Can’t Feel My Face” as The Weekend veered towards Pop for the first time. Thankfully, Twenty One Pilots only had a few songs that got big. And from a more electronic, indie pop perspective, Grimes, Hot Chip, The Chemical Brothers and Jamie XX made darn good contributions.

Songs of the year

2015 Albums

Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
To Pimp A Butterfly	Kendrick Lamar	★★★★★	96	Hip-Hop	West Coast Hip-Hop	Jazz Rap
Carrie & Lowell	Sufjan Stevens	★★★★½	93	Rock	Singer-Songwriter	Indie Folk
Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit	Courtney Barnett	★★★★½	87	Rock	Alternative Rock	Indie Rock
Art Angels	Grimes	★★★★½	86	Pop	Art Pop	Synthpop
Currents	Tame Impala	★★★★½	87	Rock	Psychedelic Rock	Synthpop
Summertime 06	Vince Staples	★★★★½	86	Hip-Hop
My Love is Cool	Wolf Alice	★★★★	81	Rock	Alternative Rock	Dream Pop
In Colour	Jamie XX	★★★★	81	Electronic	House	Electronic Rock
Emotion	Carly Rae Jepsen	★★★★	77	Pop	Dance-Pop	Synthpop
Tetsuo & Youth	Lupe Fiasco	★★★★	76	Hip-Hop
Fading Frontier	Deerhunter	★★★½	73	Rock	Indie Pop	Dream Pop
Poison Season	Destroyer	★★★½	73	Rock	Alternative Rock	Chamber Pop
From Kinshasa	Mbongwana Star	★★★½	73	Rock	Soul	Electronic Rock
Vulnicura	Bjork	★★★½	73	Electronic	Art Pop	Chamber Pop
Depression Cherry	Beach House	★★★½	72	Pop	Indie Pop	Dream Pop
Algiers	Algiers	★★★½	67	Rock	Soul	Post Punk
Kintsugi	Death Cab For Cutie	★★★½	67	Rock	Indie Pop	Indie Rock
Purpose	Justin Bieber	★★★½	67	Pop	Dance-Pop
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late	Drake	★★★½	67	Hip-Hop	R&B
VEGA INTL. Night School	Neon Indian	★★★½	67	Electronic	Dance-Pop
Why Make Sense?	Hot Chip	★★★½	65	Rock	Indie Pop	Alternative Dance
Ones & Sixes	Low	★★★½	65	Rock	Alternative Rock	Slowcore
Late Knight Special	Kirk Knight	★★★	64	Hip-Hop
Rodeo	Travis Scott	★★★	64	Hip-Hop
Every Open Eye	Chvrches	★★★	64	Electronic	Indie Pop	Synthpop
90059	Jay Rock	★★★	63	Hip-Hop
B4.DA.$$	Joey Bada$$	★★★	63	Hip-Hop
Ivy Tripp	Waxahatchee	★★★	62	Rock	Singer-Songwriter	Indie Rock
No Cities To Love	Sleater-Kinny	★★★	62	Rock	Punk Rock
Cherry Bomb	Tyler, The Creator	★★★	62	Hip-Hop	Alternative Hip-Hop
Evermore: The Art of Duality	The Underachievers	★★★	62	Hip-Hop
The Magic Whip	Blur	★★★	61	Rock	Alternative Rock	Britpop
Tell Me I’m Pretty	Cage The Elephant	★★★	59	Rock	Alternative Rock
The Incredible True Story	Logic	★★★	59	Hip-Hop
another eternity	Purity Ring	★★★	59	Electronic	Indie Pop	Electronic Rock
Mutant	Arca	★★★	58	Electronic	Art Pop	Experimental
Elaenia	Floating Points	★★★	58	Electronic	Modern Classical
Something More Than Free	Jason Isbell	★★★	58	Country	Country Rock	Americana
What Wend Down	Foals	★★★	57	Rock	Alternative Rock
California Nights	Best Coast	★★★	56	Rock	Indie Pop
b’lieve i’m goin down…	Kurt Vile	★★★	55	Rock	Alternative Rock	Indie Rock
Yours, Deamily,	The Arcs	★★★	55	Rock	Alternative Rock
DS2	Future	★★★	55	Hip-Hop	R&B
White Men Are Black Men Too	Young Fathers	★★★	55	Hip-Hop	Alternative Hip-Hop	Neo-Soul
At.Long.Last.A$AP	A$AP Rocky	★★★	55	Hip-Hop
Platform	Holly Herndon	★★★	55	Electronic	Art Pop	Experimental
Multi-Love	Unknown Mortal Orchestra	★★½	53	Rock	Psychadelic Rock	Indie Rock
Star Wars	Wilco	★★½	53	Rock	Alternative Rock	Indie Rock
25	Adele	★★½	53	Pop	Singer-Songwriter	Chamber Pop
Sound & Color	Alabama Shakes	★★½	52	Rock	Alternative Rock	Blues Rock
Viet Cong	Preoccupations	★★½	52	Rock	Alternative Rock	Post Punk
Dark Sky Paradise	Big Sean	★★½	51	Hip-Hop
I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside	Earl Sweatshirt	★★½	51	Hip-Hop
Surf	Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment	★★½	49	Hip-Hop	Soul	Neo-Soul
Wave[s]	Mick Jenkins	★★½	49	Hip-Hop
Another One	Mac Demarco	★★½	48	Rock	Psychadelic Rock	Indie Rock
Thank Your Lucky Stars	Beach House	★★½	48	Rock	Indie Pop	Dream Pop
Grey Tickles, Black Pressure	John Grant	★★½	48	Rock	Indie Pop	Synthpop
Dreams Worth More Than Money	Meek Mill	★★½	47	Hip-Hop
Garden of Delete	Oneohtrix Point Never	★★½	46	Electronic
Teens of Style	Car Seat Headrest	★★½	45	Rock	Alternative Rock	Indie Rock
Mr. Wonderful	Action Bronson	★★½	45	Hip-Hop
Big Grams	Big Grams	★★	44	Hip-Hop	Electronic
How Do You Feel Now?	Joywave	★★	43	Rock	Pop Rock	Synthpop
A Head Full of Dreams	Coldplay	★★	43	Pop	Pop Rock
Natalie Prass	Natalie Prass	★★	43	Pop	Art Pop	Chamber Pop
I Love You, Honeybear	Father John Misty	★★	42	Rock	Singer-Songwriter	Chamber Pop
Wilder Mind	Mumford & Sons	★★	42	Rock	Indie Pop	Indie Folk
Drones	Muse	★★	41	Rock	Alternative Rock
Have You In My Wilderness	Julia Holter	★★	41	Pop	Pop Rock	Dream Pop
Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper	Panda Bear	★★	41	Electronic	Psychadelic Rock	Experimenal
Caracal	Disclosure	★★	41	Electronic	House	Synthpop
V	Maroon 5	★★	40	Pop	Pop Rock
Peace is the mission	Major Lazer	★★	40	Pop	Electropop	EDM
Fetty Wap	Fetty Wap	★★	40	Hip-Hop	Pop Hip-Hop
Blurryface	Twenty One Pilots	★½	34	Pop	Electropop	Rock Rap
Kindred	Passion Pit	★½	30	Pop	Indie Pop
SremmLife	Rae Sremmurd	★	24	Hip-Hop

50 Best Songs

Alright – Kendrick Lamar
PPP – Beach House
I Know – Kirk Knight, Mick Jenkins
Realiti – Grimes
Lisbon – Wolf Alice
Depreston – Courtney Barnett
Jump Off The Roof – Vince Staples, Snoh Aalegra
Wesley’s Theory – Kendrick Lamar, George Clinton, Thundercat
Let It Happen – Tame Impala
Fourth of July – Sufjan Stevens
I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) – Jamie xx, Young Thug, Popcaan
They.Resurrect.Over.New. – Lupe Fiasco, Ab-Soul, Troi
Gimme All Your Love – Alabama Shakes
Need You Now – Hot Chip
Spectre – Radiohead
Lean On – Major Lazor, MO, DJ Snake
Small Poppies – Courtney Barnett
The Blacker The Berry – Kendrick Lamar
Dream Lover – Destroyer
New Person, Same Old Mistakes – Tame Impala
Butterfly – Grimes
Malukayi – Mbongwana Star, Konono N*1
What Went Down – Foals
Company – Drake, Travis Scott
Electric Body – A$AP Rocky, ScHoolboy Q
SMUCKERS – Tyler, The Creator, Lil Wayne, Kanye West
Angels – Chance the Rapper, Saba
Gosh – Jamie xx
Run Away With Me – Carly Rae Jepsen
Huarache Light – Hot Chip
Ain’t I – Lizzo
Go – The Chemical Brothers
Dreams – Beck
Reality In Motion – Tame Impala
Mortal Man – Kendrick Lamar
What Do You Mean – Justin Bieber
Flesh without Blood – Grimes
Wide Open – The Chemical Brothers
Body of Work – Lupe Fiasco, Troi Martine, Terrance Martin
Senorita – Vince Staples
Slumlord – Neon Indian
Know Yourself — Drake
Air – Waxahatchee
Something Soon – Car Seat Headrest
Actin Crazy – Action Bronson
Put a Flower in Your Pocket – The Arcs
Violet – Hippo Campus
Pedestrian at Best – Courtney Barnett
Take Care – Deerhunter
World Princess part II – Grimes

Genre Highlights

Rock

Hip-Hop

Pop

2015 Albums

50 Best Songs

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