1. The Take Off And Landing Of Everything – Elbow – A sort of uncool, unelectronic, art band on their sixth album and first post-major breakthrough and they manage to top just about anything they’ve even done with the possible exception of “My Sad Captains”
2. About Last Night – Sleeper AGent – Has the gift of all great pop rock albums: consistency
3. Burn Your Witness For No Fire – Angel Olsen – With her sophomore album, Angel redefines her singer songwriter loner folk Billy “Prince” Billy approved experimental classic songs for electronic full band and it works on nearly every track. High five.
4. Somewhere Else – Lydia Loveless – As writerly and complete a rock album dissolving love into a series as temper tantrums as Get Happy!! or Exile On Guysville.
5. Between The Bars – The Civil War – Four covers, each one better than the other and “Sour Times” best of all
6. Adventures In Bluesland – Phil Gammage – A New Wave stalwart continues his career trajectory through Americana to an East Coasts rock and blues sound uniquely his own. Add to that one of the best rock and roll singing voices you’ll hear and a mean harp, Gammage’s album stands as an organic response to synthetic emotions.
7. GIRLS – PHarrell WIlliams – A theme album about getting laid and liking the women who are laying you.
8. Live At The Jazz Cafe, London – D’Angelo – Recorded in ’95. Of course time doesn’t seem to mean the same thing to D as it does to us. One wish? He had give more than 90 seconds to the Ohio Players cover.
9. Transgender Dysphoria Blues – Against Me! – As career moves go, changing genders is a little extreme but it worked for Laura Jane Grace who changed the good but obvious Florida punk band into this towering monument to freedom and sex/ Plus, the songs rocked.
10. Half Life – Marla Mase – Art rock spoken word child of Patti but grown up well.
11. Elevation (The Upper Air) – Bernie Worrell – Jazz classics rearranged for solo piano that are so great it reminds you this man was a child protegee once upon a time. Bill Laswell produced.
12. Little Red – Katy B – EDM storyteller of life after the lights go on at the danceclub
13. Post Tropical – James Vincent McMurrow – Like Bon Iver on Xanax
14. Dirty Gold – Angel Haze – If you can get past the life lines, this is a brilliant rap album hiding out as a mainstream hip hop album
15. Morning Phase – Beck – It feels like it may or may not be a masterpiece but if it is a not, it has enough strong songs to lift itself to one of his better efforts.
16. Nirvana EP – Sam Smith – In the UK EDM Soul wars, singing with Taylor Smith at 02 and this EP puts Smith at the top.
17. Tribute – John Newman – Rudimental soul man already owns the UK and should do the exact same here on this disco beats album.
18. True: Avicii By Avicii – The remixes beat the originals and how
19. Days And Nights – Daley – Northern soul is alive and well and this guy is singing it
20. Croz – David Crosby – He almost cut his hair, ergo jazz inflected folk-rock where the melodies take forever to sink in but the voice is always there.
21. The Haden Triplets – The Haden Triplets – Three voices, one modern folk album echoing all the way back to the Carter Family.
22. Love, Marriage And Divorce – Toni Braxton And Babyface – 80s r&b greats deal with the D word.
23. Riser – Dierks Bentley – Strong new country boy album, Not as clever lyrically as Blake Shelton, but the songs are better.
24. St. Vincent – St. Vincent – Just because it is her most accessible album doesn’t make it her best, but it doesn’t hurt.
25. Pinata – Freddie Gibbs And Madlibs – Two great rappers without a great subject matter.
26. Oxymoron – Schoolboy Q – This years Kendrick Lamar except not quite as mainstream.
27. Rise Of An Empire – Young Money – Weezy’s kids.
28. The Crystal Method – The Crystal Method – Mainstream modern house, meaning LeAnn Rimes sings one song (not track) and Dia Frampton another.
29. Ledgers – Noah Gundersen – Superior sing songwriter and his family releases career defining album.
30. Drowners – Drowners – A modern day the Strokes without the rich kids ‘tude.
31. Choir Of Echoes – Peggy Sue – Indie pop, really lovely in places
32. Small Time Heroes – Hurray For The Riff Raff – Modern Americana resurrects the washboard
33. Blank Slate – Neneh Cherry – Recorded over five days, this has the immediacy of a profound though
34. Held In Splendor – Quilt – An acoustic white blues with hints of folk psychedelia round the edges.
35. Eject – Cazzette – As close to straight up house as pop music gets.
36. Rave Tapes – Mogwai – Scottish instrumental go electronic but sound about the same.
37. Live 1965 – The Rolling Stones – The girls in the audience scream so loud they sound like another instrument.
38. Cheatahs – Cheatahs – Buzz band deliver fuzzed out indie rock
39. All Love’s Legal – Planningtorock – Experimental rock album takes on misogynists and other haters.
40. Dizzy Heights – Neil Finn- Some great songs, shame about the production
41. Music Speaks – Candice Glover – American Idol releases a soulful debut
42. Abracaci – Caetano Veloso – Brazilian indie pop
43. Lift Your Spirit – Aloe Blacc – Good spirited soul guy and his name ain’t Pharrell.
44. My Crazy Life – YG – A Young Moneyer goes forth
45. We Got A Love – Shit Robot – Disco DJ from DFA, second cut isn’t as deep but still better than most
46. Rise Of The Phoenix – The Floacist – Pretty food sing speak poetic stuff
47. Tomorrow’s Hits – The Men – Classic rocker surprise
48. Guilty Of Everything – Nothing – Fuzz rock
49. Say Yes To Love – Perfect Pussy – Very loud punk rock
