Fucking 2015 Year-end List Thing

Probably late, but here's some shit I liked. (Click through for lots of YouTubery.)



First off, Aphex fits into this, I'm just not sure how yet. I think between Syro, Computer Controlled, and all the shit on Soundcloud, there's one fucking destructicon record. But none of them individually makes me shit my britches with a stonking hardon. Computer Controlled - meh on the hi-hat shit. Syro - parts of it are pretty pat Drukqs-era Aphex, and the last track is pretty classic "pretty Aphex" type material. Soundcloud - there's just so much, but the top 10% is holy-balls-good. I feel remiss not mentioning Aphex in a year where he gave us so much, though. I'm just not sure there's a single record where I'm like YES THAT ONE.

Benoît Pioulard killed it with Stanza and Sonnet. I don't think I've listened to much other ambient music this past year, period. Both are great, but I'd recommend starting from Sonnet and then getting Stanza if you really like the first.

There were two rock records that stood out head-and-shoulders for me this year, the first of which is Cherubs' 2 Ynfynyty. If you've never heard Cherubs' record Heroin Man, it's required listening, especially for Miller. This new record is a comeback ("return!" - Gloria Swanson) record, but just destroys in a blown-out, overfuzzed style a la latter-day Unsane:

The other rock record that stood out was Pile's You're Better than This. I got to see them in this tiny used bookstore called Mother Foucault's. They're kind of weird: part noise rock, part folk, the drummer kicks fucking ass, the lyrics are alternately really absurd and really poignant. This is probably the 2015 record I've listened to more than any other.

I'll not go too in depth, but Godspeed put out a record this year, it's more doomy/"metal" than maybe any other Godspeed record, if you passed it up you fucking suck go buy it. Unrelated: Ben tried convince Gray and I that B(c)arter 6 by Young Thug was the best shit in hiphop this year, and I'm definitely not sold (yet, anyway). But I gave dude a second chance on Slime Season 2 and this fast became my 2015 slow jam:

In the ever-increasing lexicon of "bands I like that sound like worshippers at the altar of Jesus Lizard", there were a bunch of good ones this year. Among the top: Short Circuit by Throat, a Finnish band (especially "Polio Stance"):

Also: Adult by Blacklisters, and Force the Zone by Cuntz.

Speaking of weird-ass rock records, here are a few gems that I came back to over and over:

Irreal by Disappears

Gunmetal Eyes by Lardo

Highlife by MAKING

And finally, for some honest to god Jason bummer jams, there's Grievances by Kowloon Walled City:

I look forward to the new True Widow record in 2016 to take over the Bummer Jams crown.

Shit I think might have made my list but I haven't digested yet: new Björk, new Bowie.

Let's hear your shit. I have a dearth of electronic stuff on there. There was new-to-me stuff like the last few Andy Stott records and while I liked the Holly Herndon that Fanz recommended on the first couple listens, I didn't listen to it enough to mention it in the top stuff from this year. Aside from how I kind of cowardly snuck it in right there.