2015: There’s Beauty In Every Stumble

Chris Kriofske

A standout year for new music—I know, every year produces its share of great songs, but 2015 was for me another 1992 or 2004. I even sent out an annual mix CD to friends, something I hadn’t done since 2010 (and haven’t again at this writing.) The first half of this playlist mostly replicates that mix: a parade of perennials (Marling, Cracknell, Gryner, Sufjan, Metric, etc.) with a few one-offs and some newbies woven in (Vampire Weekend’s bassist’s side project Baio; Courtney Barnett cannily channeling The New Pornographers while still sounding like her eccentric self.)

The remaining songs are split between good stuff I couldn’t originally fit on an 80-minute CD (Grace Potter’s disco-rock extravaganza, Deerhunter’s cheeriest moment by far, the first good Madonna song in a decade) and, as always, gems I didn’t encounter until the following year or two: Susanne Sundfor’s superior Swedish synth-pop, Grimes’ ethereal, electro-sigh (still best in its “demo” form), Natalie Prass’ classy, out-of-time balladry, and of course, Carly Rae Jepsen’s blissfully, self-assuredly perfect and sophisticated teen-pop.

Mid-decade was a wonderful time for female-driven, left-of-center pop: Marina and the Diamonds referencing Kate Bush at her bubbliest, Florence + The Machine applying their power source to an irresistible Motown stomp, Christine and The Queens effortlessly inserting a rapid rap in French into their song’s bridge, Romy adding warmth and composure to her bandmate in The xx’s sampledelic anthem.

“Nobody’s Empire” deservedly leads off this selection. Released two months before my 40th birthday, hearing it was a shock in that, nearly two decades after If You’re Feeling Sinister, Stuart Murdoch showed he was still capable of greatness: the chiming piano hook, the melody’s immediacy, the organic build-up in the choruses that eventually soar with heavenly choral arrangements worthy of ABBA. He hasn’t come close to topping it since; that as of this writing he’s just published his first novel which is named after it tells you even he recognizes how special it is.

2015: There’s Beauty In Every Stumble

  1. Belle and Sebastian, “Nobody’s Empire”
  2. Marina and the Diamonds, “I’m A Ruin”
  3. Florence + The Machine, “Queen of Peace”
  4. Destroyer, “Times Square”
  5. Laura Marling, “False Hope”
  6. Baio, “Sister of Pearl”
  7. Calexico, “Miles From The Sea”
  8. Robert Forster, “A Poet Walks”
  9. Sarah Cracknell, “Hearts Are For Breaking”
  10. Twin Shadow, “When The Lights Turn Out”
  11. Emm Gryner, “The Race”
  12. Jose Gonzalez, “Let It Carry You”
  13. Roisin Murphy, “Unputdownable”
  14. Sufjan Stevens, “Fourth of July”
  15. Metric, “Fortunes”
  16. Courtney Barnett, “Elevator Operator”
  17. Hot Chip, “Dark Night”
  18. Jamie xx/Romy, “Loud Places”
  19. Susanne Sundfor, “Fade Away”
  20. Lianne La Havas, “Tokyo”
  21. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Boy Problems”
  22. Grimes, “Realiti (Demo)”
  23. Grace Potter, “Alive Tonight”
  24. Deerhunter, “Breaker”
  25. Natalie Prass, “Why Don’t You Believe In Me”
  26. Beirut, “Perth”
  27. Tanlines, “Pieces”
  28. Jason Isbell, “The Life You Chose”
  29. Madonna, “Joan of Arc”
  30. Lord Huron, “The Night We Met”
  31. FFS, “Piss Off”
  32. Christine and The Queens, “Tilted”
  33. The Radio Dept., “This Repeated Sodomy”
  34. Ivan & Alyosha, “It’s All Just Pretend”
  35. Years & Years, “Shine”
  36. Tracey Thorn, “Let Me In”

Leave a comment