Countdown to 30: My Favorite Album From 2015

 2015

Even though there were many great albums in 2015, the winner was clear. As such, I'm only going to include two runners-up, but you can see my full analysis of 2015 albums in an earlier article I wrote.

My first runner-up wasn't on my list of my favorite albums of 2015. I am ashamed to say I didn't hear about this artist until 2018 and thanks to my friends Zack and Erin. 

Tame Impala has been making music since 2007 and really reached a critical and commercial milestone with 2015's Currents. Tame Impala is really just the musical pseudonym for Kevin Parker, who writes, performs and produces sad, psychedelic music. On his first two albums, Parker had collaborators. Such was not the case with Currents, which is truly a product of just Parker. The sound of Currents is far more full of synthesizers than guitars, creating more of a dance sound than previous albums. There is an underlying theme to Currents of personal transition and growing older, as well as breaking up with an ill-suited lover. Parker poured himself into the album, obsessing over working on it and isolating himself for the cause. The work paid off. The album is full of meaning, complexity, and beauty. 

Kate Pierson has been a member of The B-52's since their formation in 1976, but she didn't release her first solo album until 2015's Guitars and Microphones. The album was produced by Tim Anderson and Sia (yes, that Sia). The songs are cowritten by Pierson and various people including Anderson, Sia, Dallas Austin, Sam Dixon, and Nick Valensi (on hiatus from The Strokes). 

Things begin with "Throw Down the Roses," a song Pierson describes as an upbeat, neo-punk riot grrrl song. It seems poppy to me but the premise is empowering, the narrator refusing to be a groupie as she's an artist in her own right.

"Mister Sister" serves as the album's lead single, and celebrates a drag queen finding her identity in the world of rigid gender roles. The bassline is the glue that holds the track together musically. Fred Armisen starred in the video.

"Bottoms Up" is my favorite. It's a straight-up bop with Valensi playing one of his signature rhythm guitar lines, the percussion pulling the song along.

Pierson's voice sounds young and vibrant. It's incredible to realize her actual age when she released this album. Each track adds something new to the table. The arrangement and production of the album is fantastic. I feel like this album didn't really get enough credit.

The album of 2015 for me was definitely Uptown Special by Mark Ronson.

Ronson's career has led him many places, several since Uptown Special. He's a DJ, he's a producer. His debut album Here Comes the Fuzz was primarily rap and hip-hop, while Version was loaded with British soul, brass instruments, and is (as the title implies) exclusively cover versions of other songs. His third album, Record Collection (as Mark Ronson and the Business International) contained some indie pop artists alongside electronic throwback beats and fantastic rap from Ghostface Killah, Q-Tip and Spank Rock.

For Uptown Special, Ronson continues to employ great rappers like Mystikal, as well as working with pop stars like Stevie Wonder and Bruno Mars and geniuses of psychedelic and synthesized music like the aforementioned Kevin Parker and Miike Snow's Andrew Wyatt. Author Michael Chabon contributed lyrics to the majority of the album, creating a literary element to Uptown Special that Ronson's previous work had lacked. Ronson and Chabon began working together when Ronson wrote Chabon a letter of recruitment after reading his book, Telegraph Avenue. Ronson realized while reading the book that Chabon had a deep knowledge of music. Chabon told The Observer of writing lyrics for the album "I will lean more towards the wistful, melancholy regretful note in my lyrics and Mark tends to favor the more optimistic lyrics - that tension, if you will, proved really fruitful." Uptown Special ebbs and flows, alternating between the smooth tracks that tell a story and the more upbeat tracks, but nothing is lost for this, only gained. 

Here in the states, everyone is familiar with the first single, "Uptown Funk," featuring Bruno Mars. I don't often make predictions because I realize my tastes are a little offbeat, but I predict that "Uptown Funk" will be one of the most well-remembered songs of the 2010s twenty plus years down the road. I am sure there are people who don't like it but I haven't met them. Whenever it comes on, people feel like dancing and despite regular airplay, it never seemed to get stale. It contains elements of funk, disco, pop, soul, boogie and Minneapolis sound. "Uptown Special" sat at the top of the American charts for fourteen weeks, and the U.K. charts for seven weeks. It became a worldwide phenomenon. The video for the song still sits at number seven on the most viewed videos of all time with 4.18 billion view, beating out the first video to reach a billion views, Psy's "Gangnam Style." "Uptown Funk" took home the Grammy for record of the year and best pop duo/group performance. The success of the song came after a great deal of work from Ronson, Mars, and Jeff Bhasker. They worked on the track for seven months, the work spanning three locations and so many takes at times that Ronson once passed out trying to perfect a guitar part.

The second single released was "Daffodils," which features Kevin Parker's dreamy vocals. Parker and Chabon developed the song around the idea of a fictional drug. Parker had to explain to Chabon what it was like to come down off of a drug, and used a song by The Streets as an explanation and an example of what he was trying to do. Chabon told NME of working with Parker on the lyrics, "He writes entire complete songs and here I was stepping into this groove that he had come up with. I felt nervous, but Kevin was very gracious. He didn't express any doubt or frustration that I was intruding."

Another track featuring a collaboration between Parker and Chabon is "Summer Breaking." It was also written with Ronson and Bhasker. Ronson said that the chords for the song came from his attempts to impress Bhasker. Ronson has identified "Summer Breaking" as his favorite song on the album. 

The final Parker vocal track (he played drums on several others) is "Leaving Los Feliz." Los Feliz is an affluent California neighborhood in which parties are common. The song is about an aging hipster who realizes he needs to stop going to the parties.

Bhasker really shines on "In Case of Fire," a song on which he takes lead vocals for the first time in his career. He also appears on the second of two Stevie Wonder songs that bookend the album, with the first ("Uptown's First Finale") seeing Wonder joined by Andrew Wyatt. "Uptown's First Finale" as a title is a play on the title of Wonder's 1974 album Fulfillingness' First Finale. Ronson's dream was to get Wonder on the track. He wrote a letter to Wonder's manager and sent the song hoping for a response. After a long wait before Ronson was told that Wonder liked the track and wanted to be on it. "Crack in the Pearl Pt. II" features not only vocals from Bhasker and Wonder, but Wonder plays a fabulous harmonica part. 

Andrew Wyatt has his hand in many songs as well. "Crack in the Pearl acts as the first part of the final song, while "Heavy and Rolling" comes just before said finale on the album. "Heavy and Rolling" utilized a bassline Wyatt wrote for an uncompleted xx remix. The title is taken from a NYC cabbie expression meaning that the driver has passengers and are on the job.

I can't leave Mystikal out. His track "Feel Right" is the only rap track on the album, and it utilizes his gruff, mildly comical style. Even though it's the only rap track, the funky backing track ensures that it fits with the rest of the album. Mystikal's flow on this track is a must-hear.

Finally, there is one track on the album with a singer who was a complete unknown. Ronson and Bhasker travelled through the deep south, visiting churches, nightclubs, bars, and community centers before they found the perfect vocalist at Mississippi State. Keyone Starr's voice soars. Typically Ronson has far more female collaborators, but Starr ends up being the only one on Uptown Special, making her performance stand out even more. 

With my sister Ivy at Tower Bridge
during our first trip to London, 2015.

I've been a big fan of Ronson's work ever since I heard his production on the Lily Allen-led version of "Oh My God." When "Uptown Funk" was being played everywhere, I couldn't have been more pleased. The album was an instant hit with me, and the perfect Summer album for 2015. I read Telegraph Avenue myself around that time, not realizing the connection at first. Once I did, "Summer Breaking" seemed to fit the mood of the book perfectly. I love it when anyone is able to successfully blend genres, which Ronson's DJ prowess makes him an expert at. Uptown Special blends more sounds than any other Ronson album, and still comes out as the most polished, coherent project. 

I'd heard of Miike Snow, and even listened to a couple of tracks, but didn't really get into them until the next year, but I appreciated Wyatt's work. I wouldn't become familiar with Tame Impala for a few years, but knew I liked Kevin Parker from his work on this album. Keyone Starr's voice blew me away.

All of the elements of this album come together to make it perfect. If you like "Uptown Funk" and haven't heard this album, that's your homework.

Leaderboard, please!

Join me tomorrow for my favorite album of 2016.

Top 10: Albums of 2015

Each year that passes leaves me increasingly worried that I've reached that age at which you can no longer appreciate new music. I had a lot going on in 2014, and ended up not even having a top ten albums, but merely singles. Luckily, my faith was restored in 2015, and I definitely have a top 10.

What's to say about 2015 in music? For pop radio, it almost seemed to be a year of breakout hits, one-hit wonders, etc, except that Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber, and Adele all dominated as well. The pop charts didn't do much to impress me, but that's not to say they were without winners. And there were plenty of independant pieces that totally rocked. Below are ten of my favorite albums from 2015.

10. Hypercolor by Carrick
Carrick Moore Gerety utilizes a great deal of pop-style production for his first major solo project. It lacks some of the soul of his work with Everybody Else, but his voice will make ANY track pretty good, and there is some definite songwriting prowess exhibited as well.

Key Tracks:
"I Get High"
"Beginners"
"All I Think About"

9. Still Got That Hunger by The Zombies
The Zombies toured this year to support their 1968 classic Odyssey and Oracle, as well as this crowd-funded masterpiece featuring 80% new material. I understand jazz saw a big comeback overall this year, and I hope the jazz-influenced stylings of this classic '60s group were not overlooked.

Key Tracks:

"Chasing the Past"

"Edge of the Rainbow"

"Maybe Tomorrow"

8. Kintsugi by Death Cab For Cutie
Perhaps it's the loss of Chris Walla that gives this album a more tired feeling, but it just didn't have what Death Cab For Cutie's previous albums have had. Still, it packs quite a few punches. It has more in common with Ben Gibbard's Former Lives than Death Cab's Narrow Stairs, utilizing his storytelling as he bemoans lost relationships and more. It's a step down from Codes and Keys, but still a nice piece of work.

Key Tracks:
"No Room in Frame"
"Black Sun"
"Little Wanderer"

7. Grand Romantic by Nate Ruess
I don't know why I was so hell-bent on finding flaws in Grand Romantic, but I eventually had to admit that even "Ah-Ha," which initially got on my nerves, is a solid and catchy tune. There were a couple of misses on the album, but overall, Nate Ruess blends pop and indie sounds together with his out-of-this-world voice for a wonderful album.

Key Tracks:

"Nothing Without Love"

"You Light My Fire"

"Great Big Storm"

6. Alone in the Universe by Jeff Lynne's ELO
Jeff Lynne's flair for production makes his new project sound as fresh and new as anything from this year, as well as remaining consistent with the earlier works of ELO. As I said in my review, this album features a hefty helping of slide guitar and songwriting that is not to be missed.

Key Tracks:
"When I was a Boy"
"Love and Rain"
"Ain't it a Drag"

5. Glean by They Might Be Giants
Still one of the most enjoyable groups out there, They Might Be Giants reintroduced their "Dial-A-Song" concept this year, which meant a new song every week. This provided them with a great deal of new material for Gleam. Gleam is as varied in style as fans have come to expect from the group, yet all drawn together by the sound understanding of musical principles and songwriting that these gents have shown us year after year.

Key Tracks:

"Let Me Tell You About My Operation"

"Erase"

"Aaa"

4. Aureate Gloom by of Montreal
Only a mild step back from what I consider to be of Montreal's best work on Lousy With Sylvianbriar, Kevin Barnes faces divorce and another lineup of the band with his usual verbose and vitriolic tongue. With the backdrop of a funky throwback sound, Barnes also finds time to discuss politics and his own dark side. If you missed my full review, it can be found here.

Key Tracks:
"Last Rites at the Jane Hotel"
"Estocadas"
"Empyrean Abattoir"

3. The High Country by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Featuring some of  Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin's catchiest lo-fi work yet, The High Country is not only one of my favorite albums of the year, but some of the strongest work by the band. As I stated in my review, they have retained the sincerity of their first album, Broom, and the earworm qualities they broke out in Pershing, but with a great deal of finesse. The High Country is totally one of my favorite albums of 2015.

Key Tracks:

"Full Possession of All Her Powers"

"Madeline"

"Step Brother City"

2. Guitars and Microphones by Kate Pierson
Very close to topping this list, Kate Pierson's debut solo album is a masterpiece. For years, she has played an important role in The B-52's, but as of this year, with the help of Nick Valensi (of The Strokes) and Sia, she is sounding her barbaric yawp as a solo artist. Despite the fact that she's a seasoned artist, everything sounds fresh. The upbeat nature of the songs makes them addictive, as does their catchiness and power-pop tendencies.

Key Tracks:
"Bottoms Up"
"Throw Down the Roses"
"Mister Sister"


1. Uptown Special by Mark Ronson
I deliberated for a long time on which album was my number 1, but Uptown Special totally deserves it. As I said in my review, this record combines different styles, recording artists, and moods into one stellar album with a throwback soul sound. The success Mark Ronson has seen with this album (#27 here in the U.S.) is not only understandable, but well-deserved. Uptown Special is a block party, a romp, and a piece of poetry, making it my favorite album of the year.

Key Tracks:

"Leaving Los Feliz"

"I Can't Lose"

"In Case of Fire"

Album Review: Uptown Special by Mark Ronson

Mark Ronson's ever star-studded albums just got a new little brother in the form of Uptown Special, an album which has already seen a great deal more success here in the states than anything Ronson has performed on in the past. "Uptown Funk" became Ronson's first American #1 as a performer last week (previously he was one of the producers on Bruno Mars' #1 "Locked Out of Heaven").

Uptown Special kicks off with an introduction piece, the short "Uptown's First Finale," which features not only Stevie Wonder himself, but the classic Stevie Wonder sound circa the early 70s. "Uptown's First Finale" gives way to "Summer Breaking." The lyrics (as with many songs on the album) are by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Michael Chabon. As terrific as the collaboration is on "Summer Breaking," which paints a fantastic picture of a heart-hardened girl and her summer exploits, one has to wonder if this will become a recurring partnership between Chabon and Ronson, much like the one between Ben Folds and author Nick Hornby.

"Feel Right," of course, is completely different from the soft, floating sound of the first two tracks. The seventies sound is still present, but the drums and wind instruments bring to mind Version more than Record Collection. Mystikal provides an aggressive yet playful rap on this track for which Bruno Mars is credited as one of the many writers.

Of course, what can be said about "Uptown Funk" that hasn't already been covered?

The feminine voice on the album, "I Can't Lose" features the vocals of brand new artist Keyonne Starr, whose voice is completely on par with the rest of the seasoned musical veterans. It's a shame to see so many fewer women working on this album, since Ronson's work generally features women much more heavily.

One of the standout tracks is "Daffodils," which features vocals by Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. The mesh of funk and psychedelia with poetic lyrics makes the piece a dreamy dance tune. Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow comes to the forefront for "Crack in the Pearl," which also offers a lyrical reprise of "Uptown's First Finale."

"In Case of Fire" is a smooth, falsetto-laden track with vocals by Jeff Bhasker. Chabon's lyrics give the song an incredible flow that may have been missing on the tracks of Record Collection.

"Leaving Los Feliz" is the Beatles-esque track on the album. The first eleven seconds bring to mind Paul McCartney's "We All Stand Together," while the rest of the song, including Parker's vocals and the echo production seems to channel the solo work of John Lennon. Los Feliz is the so-called hipster area of Los Angeles, and the track is about a hipster who realizes he may be getting too old to continue partying in Los Feliz. It's definitely a track that's worth a listen.

And of course, the album is bookended with "Crack in the Pearl, Pt II," another song on which Stevie Wonder guests, reprising the Wonder sound and "Las Vegas" lyrics.

The entirety of Uptown Special has a seventies throwback sound. Inclusions of things like the harmonica and Stevie Wonder vocals merely cement the core sound, which, oddly, isn't disturbed by the album's sole rap track, "Feel Right," which sounds as though it's rapped over a James Brown song. As with any Ronson work, there are many styles of music represented, yet much like Record Collection, no song is the lonely kid standing in the corner. Somehow, all of the styles come together in a cohesive manner, not only because of the central sound style, but because they have a flow that only a good DJ like Ronson could provide for an album with so many varying tempos and styles. As wonderful as Record Collection was, Uptown Special does not disappoint. In fact, there are fewer "weak" tracks on Uptown Special, making it quite an exciting album.

Mark Ronson is a producer and DJ.

Uptown Special can be purchased here.