The past 365 days have made a year of surprise hits in album releases (who would have guessed Carly Rae Jepsen would be so loved) and disappointments (where’s the new music, Frank Ocean?). These are the writers and editors of The DePaulia’s top albums for 2015.
Kevin Quin, Staff Writer
This year was disappointing in music. Frank Ocean failed to deliver a new album, Rihanna continues to annoyingly tease her next release, and Adele is making everyone cry again. While favorites like FKA twigs and Drake dropped gems like “In Time” and “Hotline Bling” respectively, these one off singles weren’t enough to hold me over. Fortunately, this gave me more time to discover amazing undercards like Strange Names and Years & Years. Ultimately, it was Carly Rae Jepsen and all of her ‘Emotion’ that kept me surviving this year.
- Carly Rae Jepsen – “Emotion”
- Years & Years – “Communion”
- Strange Names – “Using Your Time Wisely”
- FKA twigs – “M3LL155X”
- Ryn Weaver – “The Fool”
- Drake – “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”
- Kendrick Lamar – “To Pimp A Butterfly”
- Jamie XX – “In Colour”
- The Social Experiment – “Surf”
- Beach House – “Depression Cherry”
Zachary Holden, Staff Writer
This year’s best album came out within the first three months and after that, artists continued to impress me, but nothing really lived up to Kendrick Lamar’s March release of To Pimp a Butterfly. Lamar set the bar early and nobody seemed to come close to it for the remaining nine months, which really says a lot because we were treated to several amazing albums in 2015.
My opinion on some of the artists in my top ten this year was changed for the better after listening through the latest releases. I’ll admit I was never a Tame Impala or Vince Staples fan until the two dropped their fantastic albums this year. Others like Foxing, Neck Deep and Turnover showed great growth from prior releases and it really showed in the new material.
While I’m not the only one disappointed Kanye West and Frank Ocean didn’t put out their albums as expected, 2015 still provided us with a slew of fantastic albums.
- Kendrick Lamar – “To Pimp a Butterfly”
- Jamie xx – “In Colour”
- Tame Impala – “Currents”
- Vince Staples – “Summertime ‘06”
- Turnstile – “Nonstop Feeling”
- Foxing – “Dealer”
- Drake & Future – “What a Time to Be Alive”
- Neck Deep – “Life’s Not Out to Get You”
- Turnover – “Peripheral Vision”
- A$AP Rocky – “At.Long.Last.A$AP”
Kirsten Onsgard, Digital Managing Editor
Art and life have always gone hand-in-hand, but in 2015 – a year often marked by one tragedy after another – this relationship felt especially potent. Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” punctuated protests across the country against police brutality. Terrorists killed Parisian concertgoers. Killer Mike met with presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Kanye West announced his own presidential hopes – and did everything except release an album.
There’s also the more personal ties. Courtney Barnett’s earnest album spoke everyday mundane. Bully’s Alicia Bognanno channeled pain and anxiety through a rawness reminiscent of The Breeders. And in the middle of an emotional year, Jamie xx dropped a record structured on crescendos, pushing upward with optimism.
- Kendrick Lamar – “To Pimp a Butterfly”
- Jamie xx – “In Colour”
- Bully – “Feels Like”
- Courtney Barnett – “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit”
- Tame Impala – “Currents”
- Deafheaven – “New Bermuda”
- Purity Ring – “Another Eternity”
- Father John Misty – “I Love You, Honeybear”
- Tobias Jesso Jr. – “Goon”
- Panda Bear – “Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper”