Hello, and thanks for clicking on this link. If you don’t know me, I’m Andy and I’m not only a fan of (what I’d call) good music, but I’m a big advocate of the album, a true contemporary art form which is constantly under threat by the pick ‘n’ mix culture of instantly accessible, downloadable digital music and the fact that, basically, there’s not much money in making albums for the vast majority of artists these days, unless you have sold your soul to Simon Cowell or your name is Adele. The fact that I can still buy, listen to and enjoy so much new music these days is testament to the creative spirit and determination of hundreds of brilliant, determined musicians who still want to make albums. I thank them and extend my sincere gratitude for their work and for keeping the album alive, even if they don’t appear on my “end of year” list.
I’ve listened to over a hundred new studio albums this year. When I say listened, I mean bought the album and given each one my undivided attention from start to finish, like I believe an album is meant to be heard. I’ve then uploaded those albums onto my portable music player and hit the random button so that I’ve been able to listen to individual songs, without the context of the album. In short, I’ve listened to a stack load of music this year, some of it great, some not so great. However, out of the hundred plus albums I bought this year, I created a shortlist of seventy-five and have now ruthlessly whittled it down to fifty albums. Fifty albums I think represent the best of the year and certainly fifty that I can call my absolute favourites. So, here they are…
50. Mr. Hyde’s Wild Ride – Piney Gir
49. Dream Soda – Demob Happy
48. Rattle That Lock – David Gilmour
47. The Light In You – Mercury Rev
46. Better Than Home – Beth Hart
45. What Green Feels Like – Eaves
44. Poison Season – Destroyer
43. Architect – C Duncan
42. Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit – Courtney Barnett
41. Look Out Machines! – Duke Special
40. Sea Of Brass – British Sea Power
39. Outsiders – Jessie Malin
38. Highest Point In Cliff Town – Hooton Tennis Club
37. Courting The Squall – Guy Garvey
36. Saturn’s Pattern – Paul Weller
35. Krugerrands – Ian McNabb
34. Limit Of Love – Boy and Bear
33. Blur – The Magic Whip
32. The Fine Art Of Hanging On – The Leisure Society
31. Primrose Green – Ryley Walker
30. Ripe – Slug
29. Songs Of Absolution – The Citizens
28. Constant Bop – Bop English
27. Hand. Cannot. Erase. – Steven Wilson
26. The Artful Execution Of Macho Bimbo – Clowwns
25. Ash – Kablammo!
24. Yours, Dreamily – The Arcs
23. Blackbirds – Gretchen Peters
22. Hollow Meadows – Richard Hawley
21. Anthems For Doomed Youth – The Libertines
20. Carousel One – Ron Sexsmith
19. Sermon On The Rocks – Josh Ritter
18. Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied – The Fratellis
17. Sun Leads Me On – Half Moon Run
16. Whispers II – Passenger
15. Wisdom, Laughter & Lines – Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
14. Still Got That Hunger – The Zombies
13. Let’s Hear It For The Dogs – The Proclaimers
12. FFS – FFS
11. A Comfortable Man – Cathal Smyth
10. Soroky – Andrew Wasylyk
9. So There – Ben Folds
8. Still – Richard Thompson
7. Fast Forward – Joe Jackson
6. Alone In The Universe – Jeff Lynne’s ELO
5. Perpetual Motion People – Ezra Furman
4. I Love You, Honeybear – Father John Misty
3. Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends) – Pugwash
2. Cradle To The Grave – Squeeze
1. Heart Map Rubric – The Fiction Aisle
…and that’s it. My personal picks for 2015. Thanks for reading and, hopefully, this will inspire a few people to check out some of the favourites listed here. If you want the music to continue, make sure you support the artists!
Wishing you all a happy, music-filled 2016!
The Album Preservation Society 