The high-five awards of 2015

There was a lot of music this year that really spoke to me, but were undeniably niche.  Instead of hamfisted justifications for their presence in my top ten, I've decided to create an "honorable mentions" list of 2015.

Here are the top five things that deserve a high five, a gold star, a hug, the game ball, or maybe one of those scratch n sniff fruit stickers...

The fearless dedication to 90's alt-rock in Bully's debut, Feels Like.

It's only one note, but a loud and clear one.  I can't wait to see where they go next.  Alicia Bognanno has the range, and her band has enough hooks to do some really creative things...

Check out:  This appropriately 90's video for "Trying"

L'Orange bringing back gimmicky hip-hop in a big way.


I wanted to write about both of these L'Orange produced albums this year, but writing about hip-hop has always intimidated me. I'm a huge fan of Dan The Automator, and all the themed albums he produced in the 90s/00s, such as Deltron 3030, and Lovage.  Time?  Astonishing! and The Night Took Us In Like Family definitely follow in that same vein.  The only thing that kept these from breaking into my top ten was the way the samples were clumsily inserted into the mix without any real grace and flow.  I love me some songs about time travel and 1920s gangsters, but not enough to overlook how jarring the experiences were from song to song.

Check out:  "The Green Ray"







2015's most charming album: Noun's Throw Your Body On The Gears And Stop The Machine With Your Blood


There is enough character in this album to cast in a film.  Baked in teen goth imagery and lore.  The delivery is just straight enough for the music to stand on its own merits, but the entire package is adorable.

Check out: "Pain"


The "best sounding" album of 2015: Sleater Kinney's comeback release, No Cities To Love


The guitars on this album sound like if lightsabers were power-tools.  No Cities To Love was only two bad song choruses away from my top ten.

Check out: "Fangless"



the telephones bow out on their own terms with Bye Bye Hello

It requires a bit of homework, and a high tolerance of... whatever the telephones do, to appreciate it; but this dumb ass band generated more sentiment than anything else I've heard all year.  The nostalgia soaked ballads are just as fun as they are heavy.  I'm gonna miss these dorks.

Check out: ... these 75 seconds of "Something Good" because that's all YouTube in NA has.  Good grief, Japanese music industry, find your chill.