Songs of 2015

It might a forced tradition, but here is my fourth installment of my favourite songs of the past year.  A blog is a useful way for me to keep a history of what I liked at particular times. It is a bonus if this provides you with some recommendations.

The thing that surprises me with the list is how few "new" acts have made it onto the sheet.  I have a preference for new artists but this year it seems professionalism and favourtism have triumphed.  Other explanations are that there's been less good "new" acts, or I've just been a bit lazy.

Songs all listed below, but for convenience, here's the songs on a YouTube playlist and here's the Deezer playlist link too.

Public Service Broadcasting - Go!
Brilliant use of space-race recordings with superb musicianship.  The album is great, but the mania of the controller whose voice is sampled in this wins as the standout track.




Laura Marling - Gurdjieff's Daughter
Pure class, this song is beautifully layered and also strangely upbeat.




Father John Misty - Holy Shit
The greatest drummer turned front man since Phil Collins?  FJM's launch in 2015 was bold, arrogant and fantastic.  Very weirdly, but this is a favourite song of mine when running.



John Grant - Disappointing
It's taken me a while to get into John Grant, and even the latest album isn't a consistent winner with me.  But he has a habit for writing outstanding songs.  This is an absolute favourite of mine for the year.  How arrogant, yet fantastic, is this set of words: 
"Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Prokofiev,
Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Vysotsky and Lev"

 

Courtney Barnett - Depreston
"Sometimes I sit and think, sometimes I just sit" is a must have album of the year.  I'm not usually smart enough to pay attention to lyrics, but her's are just super smart.  This song is beautiful, and actually about house hunting (it could have been an angrier song in my opinion!)

I love it, if only for this couplet:
"If you've got a spare half a million
You could knock it down and start rebuilding"








Sufjan Stevens - No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross
Just beautiful.  Absolutely beautiful.  This blog is named after one of his songs and I'm happy to have him back in my life!





Ezra Furman - Lousy Connection
Everyone should buy this album.  I adore the energy, the message, the sax, the harmonies, everything!






FFS - Piss Off
For those not aware, this is the "supergroup" formed of Franz Ferdinand and Sparks.  Direct and to the point, it's a great song to sing in the car (with the windows down).



Stornoway - The Only Way Is Up
More than just a cover, this is a great recording.  Love it.





Jeffrey Lewis - Outta Town
For me, this is the most romantic song of the year.  It absolutely makes me think of how my boys and I fall apart without my wife around!





Bop English - Dani's Blues
It came out early in the year, but the riff in this song has not moved once. 



Slaves - The Hunter
Just to finish off with some real energy.  In contrast to "Holy Shit", this song has been on my running mix all year and allowed me to dig deep for energy.  All songs should be written with this energy.



And there we go.  No particular favourite, and not in any order, but a useful document of the year that has flashed by so quickly.


PS
For completeness, here's the links to the last few years:
2014
2013
2012