2015 in Music: A Year in Review

Of the 5 years I've been actively reviewing and writing about music, 2015 was easily the most erratic. The heavy-hitting artists that released new material last year seemed to only be capable of putting out complete triumphs or soul-crushing disappointments. The catalyst for this up-and-down year was the sheer amount of veteran bands who made sudden and unsuccessful stylistic and/or genre changes. Artists like Between the Buried and Me, Coheed and Cambria, Parkway Drive and The Sword all drastically deviated from their well-established sounds and as a result, put out the most meandering, uninspired and underwhelming albums of their respective careers. Despite all of these unexpected and frustrating letdowns, there was still plenty to celebrate in 2015. It was a particularly strong year for hip-hop with former indie darlings Vince Staples and Action Bronson seamlessly transitioning to the mainstream with killer major-label debuts, Mac Miller's post Blue Slide Park-renaissance reaching soaring new heights with the brilliant GO: OD AM and Kendrick Lamar officially being elevated to legend status with the immense and powerful To Pimp a Butterfly. Below are my rankings from worst to best for all of the EP's and LP's I heard in 2015, complete with star ratings and my pick for the best track from each release. Hope you enjoy!   

EP's:

7.Lil B x Chance the Rapper-Based Freestyle Mixtape (2/5) (Favorite Track: "We Rare")

6.Incubus-Trust Fall (Side A) (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Absolution Calling")

5.Rotting Out-Reckoning (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Eyes Wide")

4.Riff Raff-Trench Coat Towers (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Brick Off the Balcony")

3.Entheos-Primal (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Form and Void")

2.Freddie Gibbs-Pronto (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Diamonds")

1.FKA twigs-M3LLI55X (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Figure 8")

LP's

122.Beach House-Depression Cherry (0/5) (Favorite Track: N/A)

121.Title Fight-Hyperview (1.5/5) (Favorite Track: N/A)

120.mewithoutyou-Pale Horses (1.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Watermelon Ascot")

119.Jay Rock-90059 (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Wanna Ride")

118.Faith No More-Sol Invictus (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Black Friday")

117.Meek Mill-Dreams Worth More Than Money (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Check")

116.The Sword-High Country (2/5) (Favorite Track: "High Country")

115.Fetty Wap-Fetty Wap (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Trap Queen")

114.Coheed and Cambria-The Color Before the Sun (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Atlas")
113.Tyler, the Creator-Cherry Bomb (2/5) (Favorite Track: "DEATHCAMP")

112.Knuckle Puck-Copacetic (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Evergreen")

111.Native Construct-Quiet World (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Come Hell or High Water")

110.Defeater-Abandoned (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Atonement")

109.Justin Bieber-Purpose (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Feeling")

108.Big Sean-Dark Sky Paradise (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Paradise (Extended Version")

107.Jamie xx-In Colour (Favorite Track: "Hold Tight")

106.Juicy J-100% Juice (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Beans and Lean")

105.Enter Shikari-The Mindsweep (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The One True Colour")

104.Muse-Drones (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Reapers")

103.Being as an Ocean-Being as an Ocean (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Zealot's Blindfold")

102.Tame Impala-Currents (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Less I Know the Better")

101.Selena Gomez-Revival (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Revival")
100.Turnstile-Nonstop Feeling (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Bad Wave")

99.All That Remains-The Order of Things (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "No Knock")

98.Freddie Gibbs-Shadow of a Doubt (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Careless")

97.Parkway Drive-Ire (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Destroyer")

96.Earl Sweatshirt-I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Wool")
95.Miguel-Wildheart (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "leaves")

94.Between the Buried and Me-Coma Ecliptic (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Option Oblivion")

93.Drake & Future-What a Time to Be Alive (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Big Rings")

92.Stick to Your Guns-Disobedient (3/5) (Favorite Track: "I Choose No One")

91.Terror-The 25^th Hour (3/5) (Favorite Track: "The Solution")

90.It Prevails-Perdition (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Borrowed Time")

89.Vola-Inmazes (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Your Mind is a Helpless Dreamer")

88.Future-DS2 (3/5) (Favorite Track: "I Serve the Base")

87.Father John Misty-I Love You, Honeybear (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Nothing Good Every Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow")

86.Gucci Mane-King Gucci (3/5) (Favorite Track: "I'm Too Much")

85.Marina and the Diamonds-Froot (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Blue")

84.Marilyn Manson-The Pale Emperor (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Deep Six")

83.Juicy J-O's to Oscars (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Curb Dat")
82.Carley Rae Jepsen-E.MO.TION (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Emotion")

81.Fall Out Boy-American Beauty/American Psycho (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Irresistible")
80.Drake-If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (3/5) (Favorite Track: "6 God")

79.Migos-Yung Rich Nation (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Pipe it Up")

78.Baroness-Purple (3/5) (Favorite Track: "The Iron Bell")

77.Logic-The Incredible True Story (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Upgrade")

76.Slayer-Repentless (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Cast the First Stone")

75.Veil of Maya-Matriarch (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Leeloo")

74.Travi$ Scott-Rodeo (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Nightcrawler")

73.Ingested-The Architect of Extinction (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Heirs to Mankind's Atrocities")

72.Four Year Strong-Four Year Strong (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Here's to Swimming with Bow-Legged Women")

71.Miss May I-Deathless (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Bastards Left Behind")

70.Dark Sermon-The Oracle (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Ode to the Black Widow")

69.CZARFACE-Every Hero Needs a Villain (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Lumberjack Match")

68.Napalm Death-Apex Predator: Easy Meat (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Bloodless Coup")

67.Devil You Know-They Bleed Red (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Master of None")

66.Nile-What Should Not Be Unearthed (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Evil to Cast Out Evil")

65.I the Mighty-Connector (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Adrift")

64.Crossfaith-Xeno (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Dystopia")

63.Demi Lovato-Confident (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Cool for the Summer")

62.Blacklisted-When People Grow, People Go (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Bottle Rockets")

61.Rae Sremmurd-SremmLife (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Up Like Trump")

60.Future-56 Nights (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "No Compadre")

59.Stray From the Path-Subliminal Criminals (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Shots Fired")

58.Hundredth-Free (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Isolation")

57.State Champs-Around the World and Back (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Losing Myself")

56.Joey Bada$$-B4.Da.$$ (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Big Dusty")

55.Haste the Day-Coward (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Shadow")

54.Migos-Back to the Bando (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Burnt Out")

53.Children of Bodom-I Worship Chaos (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Hold Your Tongue")

52.Palm Reader-Besides the Ones We Love (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Sing Out, Survivor")

51.Julia Holter-Have You in My Wilderness (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Silhouette")

50.Northlane-Node (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Leech")

49.Steven Wilson-Hand.Cannot.Erase. (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Ancestral")

48.Sleater-Kinney-No Cities to Love (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "No Cities to Love")
47.Big K.R.I.T.-It's Better This Way (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Got Me Thru")

46.The Wonder Years-No Closer to Heaven (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Bluest Things on Earth")

45.Strawberry Girls-American Graffiti (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Spanish Bay")
44.Waka Flocka Flame-Flockaveli 1.5 (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Blue or Red")

43.Elder-Lore (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Legend")

42.TesseracT-Polaris (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Tourniquet")

41.Feed Her to the Sharks-Fortitude (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Heart of Stone")

40.Make Them Suffer-Old Souls (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Let Me In")

39.Neck Deep-Life's Not Out to Get You (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Citizens of Earth")

38.Black Fast-Terms of Surrender (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Tongues of Silver")
37.Juicy J-Blue Dream & Lean 2 (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "I'm Sicka")

36.Royal Thunder-Crooked Doors (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Floor")

35.High on Fire-Luminiferous (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Black Plot")

34.Pusha T-King Push-Prelude: Darkest Before Dawn (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Crutches, Crosses, Caskets")

33.Thy Art is Murder-Holy War (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Coffin Dragger")

32.Scale the Summit-V (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Soria Moria")

31.Abiotic-Casuistry (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Absence of Purity")

30.Purity Ring-Another Eternity (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Flood on the Floor")

29.A$AP Rocky-At.Long.Last.A$AP (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Holy Ghost")

28.Death Grips-The Powers That B: Disc 2: Jenny Death (4/5) (Favorite Track: "The Powers That B")

27.Born of Osiris-Soul Sphere (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Tidebinder")

26.Cattle Decapitation-The Anthropocence Extinction (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Plagueborne")

25.Lamb of God-VII: Sturm und Drang (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Embers")

24.Cult Leader-Lightless Walk (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Broken Blades")

23.Clutch-Psychic Warfare (4/5) (Favorite Track: "X-Ray Visions")

22.Sylosis-Dormant Heart (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Servitude")

21.Alustrium-A Tunnel to Eden (4/5) (Favorite Track: "The Illusion of Choice I-III")

20.Counterparts-Tragedy Will Find Us (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Burn")

19.The Weeknd-Beauty Behind the Madness (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Prisoner")

18.Intervals-The Shape of Colour (4/5) (Favorite Track: "I'm Awake")

17.The Story So Far-The Story So Far (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Heavy Gloom")

16.While She Sleeps-Brainwashed (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Brainwashed")

15.Soilwork-The Ride Majestic (4/5) (Favorite Track: "All Along Echoing Paths")

14.Mac Miller-GO: OD AM (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Brand Name")

13.iwrestledabearonce-Hail Mary (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Doomed to Fail Part 1")

12.Action Bronson-Mr. Wonderful (4/5) (Favorite Track: "The Rising")
11.Vince Staples-Summertime '06 (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Norf Norf")

10.Rivers of Nihil-Monarchy (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Ancestral, I")

9.Lana Del Rey-Honeymoon (4/5) (Favorite Track: "The Blackest Day")

8.Dance Gavin Dance-Instant Gratification (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Stroke God, Millionaire")

7.Mutoid Man-Bleeder (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Sweet Ivy")

6.Intronaut-The Direction of Last Things (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Fast Worms")

5.Periphery-Juggernaut (Alpha + Omega) (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Priestess")

4.Kendrick Lamar-To Pimp a Butterfly (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Wesley's Theory")

3.The Black Dahlia Murder-Abysmal (4.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Re-Faced")

2.Battlecross-Rise to Power (4.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Scars")

1.August Burns Red-Found in Far Away Places (4.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Broken Promises")