Top 50 Albums of 2015
2015 was defined by the size of an artist’s vision.  Whether it was the size of Young Thug’s titanic output of quality material, or the ambition of the songwriting on The Most Lamentable Tragedy or Divers, or the raw power of Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan’s gorgeous vocals, or the precision and autonomy of Grimes’s execution of her singular vision, it was go big or go home in 2015.  Even the weary wisdom of Craig Finn’s Faith in the Future seemed large in its dedication to modesty and humility. But in the end, Young Thug had 2015 on lock.  So much so that I had to cheat and include three of his mixtapes in my number one slot.  They’re all of a piece, so I don’t feel too bad about it.  Thug’s progression as an artist has been fun and, at times, baffling to watch: a mad scientist mixing potions to the tune of his own drummer.  Of all the records on my list, the elasticity of Young Thug’s approach to music defined the cutting-edge sensibility of 2015 best: create, release, and repeat, and let the listeners catch up to the music, not the other way around. Happy listening, DannyMoney The Top 50 Albums of 2015:  1. Barter 6 // Slime Season 1 // Slime Season 2 - Young Thug  2. Faith in the Future - Craig Finn  3. Painted Shut - Hop Along  4. The Most Lamentable Tragedy - Titus Andronicus  5. Simple Songs - Jim O'Rourke  6. Divers - Joanna Newsom  7. Art Angels - Grimes  8. Predatory Headlights - Tenement  9. Summertime ‘06 - Vince Staples  10. Have You Seen My Wilderness? - Julia Holter  11. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late - Drake  12. Garden of Delete - Oneohtrix Point Never  13. DS2 - Future  14. Star Wars - Wilco  15. Stuff Like That There - Yo La Tengo  16. Are You Alone? - Majical Cloudz  17. In Colour - Jaime xx  18. Viet Cong - Viet Cong  19. No Cities to Love - Sleater-Kinney  20. The Agent Intellect - Protomartyr  21. High - Royal Headache  22. Poison Season - Destroyer  23. Four Phantoms - Bell Witch  24. To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar  25. E*MO*TION - Carly Rae Jepsen  26. The Epic - Kamasi Washington  27. Alone in the Universe - Jeff Lynne’s ELO  28. Pageant Material - Kacey Musgraves  29. Shadows in the Night - Bob Dylan  30. Vertigo - The Necks  31. Beach Music - Alex G  32. The Magic Whip - blur  33. Wildheart - Miguel  34. I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside - Earl Sweatshirt  35. Second Hand Heart - Dwight Yoakam  36. Vulnicura - Bjork  37. Something More Than Free - Jason Isbell  38. Bottom of the Morning - Pinkish Black  39. Universal Themes - Sun Kil Moon  40. John Howard & the Night Mail - John Howard & the Night Mail  41. Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper - Panda Bear  42. Apocalypse, girl - Jenny Hval  43. New Bermuda - Deafheaven  44. AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP - A$AP Rocky  45. I Am a Problem: Mind in Pieces - Wolf Eyes  46. Dumb Flesh - Blanck Mass  47. Free TC - Ty Dolla $ign  48. Sun Coming Down - Ought  49. A New Place 2 Drown - Archy Marshall  50. What a Time to Be Alive - Drake & Future
