Records of the Year: 2015

ONE.  Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell. There was so much anticipation for this record and it delivered in a huge way as well as massively exceeded expectations. His faint voice and light instrumentation is perfect.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJJT00wqlOo&w=854&h=480]

Note: in becoming a continued student of the relationships of music and spirituality, Sufjan's words and songs are especially intriguing. This article is worth a read.

TWO.  Leon Bridges: Coming Home. I'm a fan. I love the fresh soul he brings and tribute to Sam Cooke.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYplnRjMVhM&w=854&h=480]

THREE.(tied) David Ramirez: Fables. David's work has always resonated well with me. I am a fan of David as a person, as a songwriter, and as a performer. For him and Noah to team up to make this record was a really great gift this year gave.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlI01-mREZI&w=854&h=480]

THREE.(tied) Noah Gundersen: Carry The Ghost. Haunting, beautiful, arresting, tasteful, art. That's all I got.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N5dQKN7gcE&w=854&h=480]

Note: This record had PHENOMENAL album art. Philip Harder's work on this cover is really incredible.

FIVE. Mutemath: Vitals. I knew that Mutemath was coming out with a record, but I honestly did not expect for it to be so good. I have listened to it so much, and this song is one of my favorites of the whole year.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/230665640" params="visual=true&show_artwork=true&callback=YUI.Env.JSONP.yui_3_17_2_1_1513630880488_156698&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="400" iframe="true" /]

And in no particular order:

• Ryan Adams. 1989. I love that he did this. I love that he didn't care. And I actually really enjoy it.
• Sandra McCracken. Psalms. Sandra infused so many beautiful melodies into the Pslams - so thrilled for her and how this turned out.
• Jon Foreman. The Wonderlands. Jon's writing shines so brightly through this series of EPs
• Adele. 25. I am not the only one who liked this record a lot.
• Matthew Perryman Jones. Cold Answer. This record seemed to fly totally under the radar, but has some gems on it.
• Brandon Flowers. The Desired Effect. "Between Me & You" is one of my standout tracks of the year.
• Rayland Baxter. Imaginary Man. Rayland has a super fresh voice and a lot to say.
• Chris Stapleton. Traveller. There are only a handful of people or guideposts that I personally look to for music recommendations. Seth posted about Chris Stapleton right when the record came out and I gave it a gander then and immediately thought "What a voice!" America has also caught on and that is fun.
• Lovelite. Hopeful Strangers. Always solid.
• The Japanese House. All releases. TJH is one of the greatest surprises of the year. Cool vocals, some heavy emotional distortion. I love it.
• Oh Wonder. Oh Wonder. Simple and pretty. Some great piano riffs.
• Beirut. No No No. I never gave Beirut a listen before this year and my interest was piqued when I saw their new record released. The sonics and melodies on this record are phenomenal. 
• James Bay. Chaos & the Calm. Zero to hero in a seemingly short time and he deserves it.
• Justin Bieber. Purpose. This is an amazingly catchy record.
• Julien Baker. Sprained Ankle. Last "JB" of this list and a pretty important record as far as faith + music is concerned.
• Hillsong United. Empires. Standard greatness.
• Tobias Jesso Jr. Goon. Feels old-timey and I dig it.
• Matthew E White. Fresh Blood. Just enough groove to keep it fresh.
• Coldplay. A Head Full of Dreams. Getting slightly better with every listen.
• Joy Williams. Venus. New Joy & new songs made a great combo. Some solid tracks, but "Sweet Love of Mine" is a standout.
• Ben Rector. Brand New. Ben is a kind man and consistently putting out great work. Stoked on how this record came out.
• Slow Meadow. Slow Meadow. The best instrumental music out there at this point.
• Ivan & Alyosha. It's All Just Pretend. Simply solid.
• Lord Huron. Strange Trails. Continuing down the trail they blazed.
• Lapsley. Understudy. Quite the arresting voice.

Thanks for getting this far. A Spotify playlist of some of my highlights from these records has been compiled for you here.

And I want to hear about your favorite records. Tweet me! @p_dodd

P.S. Interesting graphic Spotify gave me this from their Year In Reviewfunction: