Top 20 Albums of 2015

Here, I present a personal list of those albums released in 2015 I've enjoyed listening to most. It's influenced by my biases and in no way claims to be a compilation of the 'greatest' work across all genres. Last year's list, topped by Sharon Van Etten and St Vincent, can be found here.

1) Torres Sprinter
These choices are inevitably influenced by my live music experiences. Torres was the highlight of an amazing first Primavera Festival, but also stands alone. It's powerful, heart hitting, confessional indie rock, full of rage as well as pain. The Exchange is incredibly poignant, but for its melody, my highlight is A Proper Polish Welcome.

2) Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell
This is the most touching album of the year, a heartfelt response to the deaf of Sufjan's mother and a masterpiece. In contrast to his elaborate previous albums, the accompaniment is minimal and sensitive, and the production, with multi tracked vocals, almost angelic. Utterly heart breaking.

3) Wolf Alice My Love is Cool
Several critics proclaimed that they'd heard this grungy rock before in the 90's, and on initial listening I didn't anticipate it coming this high up my end of list. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize, yet I've come to appreciate its escapist pleasure and synthesis of styles more with immersion.

4) Other Lives Rituals
The Oklahoma band's third album has been overlooked, perhaps because it's a grower. On first listen, it felt a little bland, yet with time its quiet, dream like quality can be fully appreciated. Orchestral in sound, it's clearly influenced by Bon Iver, and doesn't aim to break new ground, yet I find it both comforting and uplifting.

5) Low Ones and Sixes
Low continues to plough their own distinctive path of gorgeous minimalism. Their eleventh album newly exploits electronics, but continues to be predicated on vocal interplay of a married couple. I only really began to appreciate its slow, spiritual beauty after an unforgettable live experience.

6) Lady Lamb The Beekeeper After
If you're in any doubt about  the infectious appeal of this album, just listen to the second track: it's catchy, but with quirky lyrics. The album's a little sprawling, but draws you in emotionally (as a break-up album), and Ally Spaltro's delivery is powerful.

7) Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
This much acclaimed work is possibly the 'greatest' album of the year in its cultural influence and likely longevity. A classic in the making, it's astonishingly dense and intricate, a portrait of contemporary America which is almost operatic in sweep and length.

8) Lana Del Rey Honeymoon
Honeymoon is Lana Del Rey's most languid, extreme album, totally retro and filmic, made more for her huge body of loyal fans rather than being likely to win new converts. I approach my next live encounter with trepidation, but meanwhile can luxuriate in the filmic sound. There's scant variation of mood throughout its hour, but if you ignore the controversy, this is sheer, blissful escapism.

9) Waxahatchee Ivy Tripp
Katie Crutchfield's third album has retained her raw emotion and intimacy, stripped down to its low-fi essentials. Her voice is characterful, and there's a real gift for catchy melody. Above all, it feels unpolished, honest and authentic.

10) Florence + Machine How Big How Blue

Adele's 25 may not have made this list due to the uneven quality of the songs (though she may well be a contender for best live artist next year), but popularity doesn't influence my reaction to an album. Florence's latest album sounds huge, to match her arena shows and powerful voice; but it's also an invigorating and powerful blend of dance and pop.

11) Natalie Prass self-titled
My love for this debut album made my substandard live experience of Natalie Prass all the more disappointing, but in the studio Matthew E White's production makes for a lush, cinematic experience. In fact it's orchestral in sound, yet still an intimate emotional journey, compact and beautifully executed.

12) Lord Huron Strange Trails
The Canadian's second album is surely one of the more overlooked ones of the year, and a must listen for lovers of My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes. There's a real talent for melody, and a coherent sweep along its heavenly one hour duration. The sound has some similarities with The Tallest Man On Earth, whose 2015 LP just missed this list.

13) Jamie XX In Colour

Dance music purists have been critical of this debut solo album, but for me the producer brilliantly recreates the spirit of the 80's for a new audience. It's a kaleidoscopic journey around club culture, with brilliant use of collaborators, and a subtlety that reflects his previous work.

14) Bjork Vulnicura
I'm relatively new to this performer, but was touched by the emotional impact of this breakup album, whose power is reinforced, not diminished, by the elaborate instrumentation (I can also recommend the string backed version).  Despite the darkness, there's much sensitivity and beauty, and a real humanity.

15) Laura Marling Short Movie
I was privileged to experience Laura in a tiny venue at the start of the year, marking her return from California. America's influence on this album is obvious, as is the gift of an electric guitar from her father, and there's a sense of risk taking and freedom. There's also a new drive and energy as this still young musical genius develops.

16) Israel Nash Silver Season

Indebted to Neil Young and 70's cosmic rock and recorded in Texas, Nash's second album further expands his sound. Pedal steel and lush vocal harmonies feature prominently, and this is a beautiful, soulful, and heart warming creation to get lost in.

17) Sleater-Kinney No Cities to Love
The seminal Portland group were one of my live highlights of 2015 and their eighth live album is a confident, concentrated burst of energy. I'd also strongly recommend Carrie Brownstein's insightful memoir Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl. No Cities To Love is dense but brief, and rewards repeated listening.

18) Houndmouth Little Neon Limelight
The Albany roots rock group's second album is so much fun, and one of the strongest Americana records of the year. Houndmouth's four part vocal harmonies are heart warming, and their energy stands out. When an album's this uplifting, I don't mind at all that they're revisiting The Band's tradition.

19) Anna von Hausswolff The Miraculous
One of the more experimental albums on a list that's turned out to be more mainstream than I expected, the Swedish multi instrumentalist exploits the pipe organ on her third album. The pace is measured, and she's not afraid to challenge, but her originality is memorable.

20) Nadia Reid Listen to Formation, Look For The Signs
The New Zealand singer-songwriter's debut is a must for lovers of Sharon Van Etten's heartbreak and Laura Marling's introspection. I'm impatient for the opportunity to see her live act, but listening to the album is a beautiful and cathartic experience.

Next 20 Favourite Albums

21) Benjamin Clementine At Least For Now
22) Alabama Shakes Sound and Colour

23) Grimes Art Angels
24) Lau The Bell That Never Rang
25) Of Monsters and Men Beneath The Skin
26) Heartless Bastards Restless Ones
27) The Decemberists What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
28) The Unthanks Mount the Air
29) Calexico Edge of the Sun
30) Julien Baker Sprained Ankle
31) The Staves If I Was
32) jennylee Right On!
33) The Oh Hellos Dear Wormwood
34) Tobias Jesso Jr Goon
35) Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
36) Ghostpoet Shedding Skin
37) Rhiannon Giddens Tomorrow Is My Turn
38) Hero Fisher Delivery
39) Gretchen Peters Blackbirds
40) Leon Bridges Coming Home

Top 20 Live Performances of 2015

As usual, I'm posting my annual summaries of my favourite albums, and most memorable live experiences of the past year. You can find my 2014 live highlights here.

1) Zola Jesus, Latitude Festival Day 3 July 2015

2) Torres, Primavera Sound Day 3 June 2015

3) Portishead, Latitude Festival Day 2 July 2015

4) Sleater Kinney, Albert Hall Manchester March 2015 

5) Sharon Van Etten, Brudenell Social Club Leeds April 2015

6) Spiritualized, Primavera Sound Day 1 June 2015a

7) The War On Drugs, Manchester Albert Hall February 2015

8) Low Manchester Cathedral October 2015

9) Warpaint, Albert Hall Manchester March 2015

10) Laura Marling, The Trades Club Hebden Bridge January 2015

11) Alt-J Primavera Sound Day 2 June 2015

12) Calexico, Albert Hall Manchester April 2015

13) Caribou, Latitude Festival Day 1 July 2015

14) Wolf Alice, Albert Hall Manchester September 2015

15) Waxahatchee, The Ruby Lounge Manchester, June 2015

16) Hiss Golden Messenger, The Deaf Institute Manchester, Februrary 2015

17) Benjamin Clementine, The Lowry Salford December 2015

18) Leon Bridges, The Deaf Institute Manchester July 2015

19) The Decemberists, Albert Hall Manchester February 2015

20) Lapsley, First Chop Brewing Arm Salford April 2015

Smoke Fairies, Soup Kitchen Manchester, 16th December 2015 8/10

I'm averse to popular Christmas tunes: perhaps as a consequence of spending my formative years at Cambridge, where a completely different form of festive music prevailed. Yet, two seasonal albums have won me over: Low's outstanding 1999 EP, and more recently, Smoke Fairies' Wild Winter. The publicity around its Rough Trade release last Christmas gave reassurance there is 'not a tinkling sleigh bell to be heard', and they explained in an interview: 'the last thing we wanted to do was make a classic, jolly, celebratory album that can only be played once a year. Sometimes winter provides us with a sense of togetherness and love, and sometimes it leaves us feeling alienated'. Christmas is a time of loneliness for some, and one of stress and pressure for many, when it feels even more necessary than usual to make space to get lost in music.

The chill of winter was evident not outside, but in the venue's over-active air conditioning and the eerily atmospheric Elle Mary and the Badmen. The Manchester support act's slowcore reminded me of Low's minimalist approach. Elle world is that of an introvert, and thankfully the audience remained quiet enough to enable total immersion. Her bass player and drummer were sensitive to the mood, and British folk influences gave some warmth and humanity to balance the more boldly experimental aspects of this act. Elle was shy on stage, but her music encompasses the irony that Smoke Fairies' Jessica conveyed; their EP is called Happiness. I'm keen to listen their upcoming album, and to experience a headline show; since as with Sharon Van Etten, hope lies behind the cathartic sadness.

Smoke Fairies also have a basis in folk: their multi instrumentalist played fiddle in several songs, and the weaving female vocal harmonies were reminiscent of The Staves'. Yet, although they're described as a dream pop group, their more recent guitar heavy numbers remind me of atmospheric LA group Warpaint. In this intimate space, Smoke Fairies were similarly hypnotic. They make a creative, restrained use of electronics, yet at the same time an influences as ancient as medieval plainchant are embraced. Katherine and Jessica met at school in Sussex, but their time spent in New Orleans has brought a wholly beneficial blues influence. The drummer and bass players were completely in the groove, and the often relaxed tempo giving space for the music to breath and luxuriate in the reverb. filled vocal beauty. Their stage craft is relatively demure, and the audience restrained, but the gift of melody evident in a song such as Your Own Silent Movie provides magic.

This was of course a special seasonal show, so the ninety minute set was heavy on songs from Wild Winter. Opening with the funky 3 Kings (which I actually consider to be one of the weaker tracks on the album, along with Bad Good), they encompassed the Captain Beefheart cover Steal Softly Thru Snow, The Handsome Family's So Much Wine, and the gorgeously melancholy title song. Yet most poignant was Nothing To Divide Us, when a previously taciturn Jessica explained that given all the religious wars, humanity needs to recognise we have more in common than we realise. Give and Receive was especially lovely too, presenting a bystander's view of the Christ Child. This album was recorded immediately after the self titled one in long takes over just a few days in the studio, and its spontaneity was all the more evident live. Katherine and Jessica have clearly gained in confidence, and I can't wait for them to bring this new freer style to non-seasonal new material. Happy Christmas!

Set List

• 3 Kings
• Shadow Inversions
• Give and Receive
• Circles In The Snow
• Hotel Room
• Eerie Lackawana
• Christmas Without A Kiss
• Bad / Good
• So Much Wine
• Up In The Air
• Nothing To Divide Us
• Gastown
• Blood Speaks
• Wild Winter

Encore

• Steal Softly
• Want It Forever

Elle Mary (support)

Benjamin Clementine, The Lowry Salford, 1st December 2015 9/10

It's difficult to imagine anyone forgetting the first time they see Benjamin Clementine come onto stage. The tension is palpable as he enters the dark arena bare foot and out of the silence starts to play the piano, illuminated only by a spotlight. It's such an unexpectedly different experience: he appears like an apparition. So much about this act is refreshingly individual, otherworldly, and takes you back in time. Benjamin is physically striking too: tall, gaunt, with an afro, and perched on an implausibly high stool (to the extent that someone later called out their concern for his posture). His between song chatter barely shatters the hush, as he mumbles so quietly I can barely hear him, but a reminder of the more mundane is provided by the audience participation. He's adept at conjuring up a direct conversation, aided by the openness of the Salford crowd. So, after he remarked about the cold weather, he paused for comments, and a lady shouted out: 'but you've warmed our hearts tonight', greeted by applause from the auditorium. When questioned about that out sized perch, he explained that when he acquired a piano, he lacked a stool, and his flat was situated above a bar.

Given Benjamin's theatricality, the choice of venue was apt, and he commented favourably upon its acoustics. His strange, malleable spinto tenor voice has attracted most comment from reviewers, but I was particularly struck by the sensitive, nuanced piano playing. He's explained previously that as a child, he became bored with pop music and started listening to Classic FM, which lead him to imitate Erik Satie. The French composer Debussy has also been mentioned as an influence, yet his polarising vocal style is a long way from operatic. It's certainly melodramatic, at times tortured, but perhaps too affected for some. He varies the timbre for expression, and whilst the tenor range is limited, he has a striking falsetto, deployed sparingly, for example in the second half of Adios. He enunciates words like an actor, and the dynamics vary from a whisper to filling the hall with their power. A drummer provided accompaniment to some songs: whilst initially I felt this was superfluous and detracted from the solo focus, he provided a subtle partner in later songs like London, with its catchy melody.

Some critics have allowed Benjamin's background to dominate their commentary, to his frustration: "sometimes it feels like my story overshadows my music". Yet it does aid understanding of the outlook of his art. He was subject to a strict Christian upbringing in Edmonton, North London, and as a result of being bullied, left school at 16 having passed only an English Literature qualification. An argument with his family (he's still estranged from his parents) led him to becoming homeless, and at the age of 19 he moved to Paris, busking on the Metro and sleeping on the streets. Eventually, he moved into a hostel in Montmartre, living in a 10 man bunk room, and after 4 years was discovered by an agent. In 2013, his first EP followed, and an appearance on Jools Holland which attracted much critical acclaim. After the release of At Least For Now in January, the latest chapter in this story is his recent Mercury victory for the best British album of the year, which might have been unexpected if that prestigious jury didn't have a track record of favouring the avant garde.

I'd suggest that any doubters need to see him live: devoid of the syrupy string arrangements, he creates an unguarded, free-form expression of alienation and sadness. As Benjamin himself explained in a recent interview, his music: “is me, speaking directly to you. I've learned in the little bit of my life so far that you can’t fool people. And so I only tell people what I think about: my ambitions, my dreams, what inspires me.” The poetry can be high brow, with influences from CS Lewis, William Blake and John Locke amidst others, often reflecting the restlessness of his life. he disclosed last night that he is working on a second album, but it's difficult to imagine him compromising artistically to capitalise upon the attention from the win. Benjamin's alternative perspective on life means that despite, or perhaps because of his poverty, he donated the Mercury prize money to provide pianos for Edmonton's youth. He also provided one of the most moving tributes to the victims of the Paris terrorist tragedy in his acceptance speech. That sensitivity manifests itself in a beautifully nuanced performance. There may have been no support act last night, and the song writing can at times be repetitive, but Benjamin Clementine is one of the most remarkable and distinctive live acts you can experience right now.

Note that photographs of the performance were not permitted.