![[Gaytheist / Rabbits - Gay*Bits]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/GaytheistRabbitsGayBits14329923YW_f-300x300.jpg)
A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.
2015 started strong with the return of Sleater-Kinney, and it stayed strong all the way through the release of the Hamilton cast recording. That said, the list goes through quite a number of changes, consolidating some stragglers and bouncing a few titles off.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton: An American Musical
- Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly
- Sleater-Kinney, No Cities to Love
- Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
- Torche, Restarter
- Björk, Vulnicura
- Deebs and Jarell Perry, Shift
- Steve Grand, All-American Boy
- Janet Jackson, Unbreakable
- Gaytheist/Rabbits, Gay*Bits
Other favorites from the year:
- Software Giant, We Are Overcome
- Miguel, Wildheart
- Madonna, Rebel Heart
- Duran Duran, Paper Gods
- Enya, Dark Sky Island
- The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
- Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
- ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Wonder Future
- Andrew Norman, Play
- Troye Sivan, Blue Neighborhood
The Favorite 10 sees one title switched out — Gaytheist and Rabbit’s split EP for Miguel’s Wildheart. Father John Misty, Takaakira Goto, Seattle Symphony and Kronos Quartet make way for Andrew Norman, Troye Sivan and Software Giant.
Eight years into 2010s, 2015 is so far turning out to be my favorite year for the decade. The hierarchy of the list gives a false sense of preference — some of the albums outside of the Favorite 10 got as much play time as those at the top of the list.
Duran Duran and Enya could have occupied spots in the Favorite 10 if the field weren’t so crowded.
Tags: andrew norman, asian kung-fu generation, bjork, courtney barnett, deebs, duran duran, enya, favorite edition, gaytheist, jarell perry, jason isbell, kendrick lamar, lin-manuel miranda, madonna, miguel, rabbits, rewind, sleater-kinney, software giant, steve grand, the weeknd, torche, troye sivan
![[Kate Bush - The Red Shoes]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/KateBushTheRedShoes19951110_f-300x292.jpg)
Just in time for the holiday season, a whole slew of box sets make it on the release calendar.
Thought Gang, Thought Gang, Nov. 2
So essentially a Julee Cruise album, minus Julee Cruise? David Lynch and Angelo Badalamanti recorded the material on this album from 1992-1993, but only now does it become public.
Midnight Oil, Armistice Day: Live at the Domain, Sydney, Nov. 9
You can’t watch a Midnight Oil performance without wanting to be Rob Hirst when you grow up.
Kate Bush, Remastered on CD 1, Nov. 16
Kate Bush, Remastered on CD 2, Nov. 30
Kate Bush’s early works suffered the fate of many albums rushed to a CD release — the vinyl masters were used without any consideration of the medium’s expanded dynamic range. Fans have been clamoring for better sound, and in fell swoop, Kate unleashes her entire catalog remastered.
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Hometown, Dec. 5
Yeah, it seemed about time for a new AKFG album.
MONO, Nowhere Now Here, Jan. 19
Tamaki on vocals? Electronics? Are they going glitchy like tourmates Low?
Vinyl
Brian Eno, Ambient 1: Music for Airports, Nov. 16
I was wondering when this album was going to get reissued on vinyl.
The Police, Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings, Nov. 16
In addition to the five studio albums remastered at 45 r.p.m., this box also includes a disc of rarities. I just might find an old copy of Message in a Box instead.
Kate Bush, The Red Shoes, Nov. 16
Kate Bush, Aerial, Nov. 30
Kate Bush, Remastered in Vinyl, Nov. 30
The remastered releases also include vinyl issues, but in the UK, the records will be available in four boxed sets as well as individually. One box set includes remixes and covers. I don’t feel the need to upgrade the vinyl I already have, but I’ve had my eye on The Red Shoes and Aerial.
Tags: asian kung-fu generation, brian eno, kate bush, looking ahead, midnight oil, mono, the police, thought gang
![[Shiina Ringo - Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ShiinaRingoKarukiZaamenK21432_f-298x300.jpg)
I balked when Barsuk Records released a 10-year anniversary edition of Give Up by the Postal Service. Yes, add 10 to 2003 and you get 2013. But 2003 didn’t seem so distant from 2013, as 2003 did from 1993.
That’s the thing about getting older — there’s more past to remember. In 1987, I had barely any memory of 1977. In 1997, I had only 1987 as a clear reference. Only in 2007 did 1987 start to feel distant. And now I’m shocked to think 1997 — the year I moved away from home — is pretty far chronologically from where I am today.
So yeah, 2007 still feels like yesterday, although 2002 does feel more like history.
Tokyo Jihen, Sports
Shiina Ringo’s albums from earlier in the decade saw her batting a hundred, but with Tokyo Jihen, it took a few albums before the band came into its own.
… And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The Century of Self
Source Tags and Codes was the obvious choice to include on this list, but recent spins of the album revealed a number of dead spots. Lost Songs wouldn’t show up till the next decade, which leaves The Century of Self next in line on my list of favorite … Trail of Dead albums.
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, World World World
At first, I dismissed ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION as a watered-down version of Eastern Youth. Then World World World came out, and I became a convert.
Explosions in the Sky, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
It took a while for me to warm up to The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, but All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone had a clarity that hooked me for good.
Utada Hikaru, ULTRA BLUE
Utada Hikaru’s US debut Exodus went too far to rub out the alt-rock influence in her music, so it was refreshing to hear it come roaring back on ULTRA BLUE.
Sigur Rós, Takk …
I was unfamiliar with Sigur Rós when this album was released, so I asked a friend of mine to describe their albums to me. He told me to imagine a cold, flat icy land, and that was Ágætis byrjun. Then he told me to picture 1,000 angels appearing in bursts of blinding light. That was Takk …
Shiina Ringo, Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana
I’m convinced if this album had been released in the US, indie rock fans would have abandoned their Flaming Lips albums.
Molotov, Dance Dense and Denso
US promoters tried and failed to conflate Latin American rap-rock bands as epitomizing Latin alternative rock. Molotov stood head and shoulders above the rest, and they shared more with Café Tacvba and Aterciopelados than with Puya or Control Machete.
Hatakeyama Miyuki, Diving into your mind
The year I started working for Waterloo Records was the year Norah Jones made a splash with her debut album. I wasn’t convinced, mostly because I had spent weeks listening to Hatakeyama Miyuki instead.
AJICO, Fukamidori
UA and Asai Kenichi came together for only one album, but boy is it a keeper. UA had found success on the Oricon charts before this collaboration, but afterward, she embraced a more challenging sound.
fra-foa, Chuu no Fuchi
Every time I put this album on, I feel the need to fuck shit up. It’s that intense.
Tags: ajico, and you will know us by the trail of dead, asian kung-fu generation, explosions in the sky, fra-foa, hatakeyama miyuki, molotov, music discovery, shiina ringo, sigur ros, tokyo jihen, utada hikaru