Best Music of 2015

Here’s my annual list of favorite songs and albums. I’ll update this post once the results are in from the three radio station polls in which I voted. [DONE]

 

Overall, not the strongest of years, with a few exceptions …

Songs (list I entered on WXPN) 

1. Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson f/ Bruno Mars (#11 WXPN Top 100)
2. All Your Favorite Bands – Dawes (#17 WXPN, #19 WTMD Top 89)
3. Stay Gold – First Aid Kit
4. Believe – Mumford & Sons (#44 WXPN, #85 WTMD)
5. Ship To Wreck – Florence + The Machine (#2 WXPN, #8 WTMD)
6. Kansas City – New Basement Tapes
7. Restless – New Order (#74 WTMD)
8. Make You Better – Decemberists (#84 WXPN)
9. Satisfy Me – Anderson East
10. Simple Machine – Guster 

Other Favorite Songs (not played on WXPN) 

1. Lips Are Movin’ – Meghan Trainor
2. Lean On – Major Lazer
3. I Don’t Like It, I Love It – Flo Rida
4. Cheyenne – Jason Derulo
5. Marvin Gaye – Charlie Puth f/ Meghan Trainor 

Favorite Albums 

1. All Your Favorite Bands – Dawes (#3 mvyradio Top 25)
2. Title – Meghan Trainor
3. Delilah – Anderson East
4. One Lost Day – Indigo Girls
5. Still – Richard Thompson
6. 25 – Adele

 

LP #3 David + David – Boomtown (1986)

David Baerwald and David Ricketts came seemingly out of nowhere to record this masterpiece, and seemingly disappeared almost as quickly. Baerwald subsequently released several solo albums, none of which met with much commercial success; Ricketts never released an album under his name. Both stayed in the music biz, however, writing and producing material for other artists. Baerwald is credited with co-founding the “Tuesday Music Club” that launched Sheryl Crow’s career and provided the title for her Tuesday Night Music Club album, for which both Baerwald and Ricketts co-wrote several songs.

 

Boomtown is the album that Daryl Hall & John Oates might have made had they grown up in L.A. and been heavily influenced by Tom Waits and the Police. Most of the tracks depict the seamy side of life in L.A. (or any big city), with characters who are “Being Alone Together” as they are “Swallowed By The Cracks”; the most upbeat track musically (“Ain’t So Easy”) is written from the perspective of a domestic abuser. (No, this is not the CD to put on during your next party.) “River’s Gonna Rise” has broader socio-political implications; it’s apocalyptically brutal, but redemption comes in the chorus (especially for those at all familiar with Greek mythology.)

 

Favorite tracks:

River’s Gonna Rise

A Rock For The Forgotten

Welcome To The Boomtown

Swallowed By The Cracks

Serendipity #53

Used To Rule The World – Bonnie Raitt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjdMEwYO2rg

Heard 12/7/2015 around 11:50, at Zoe’s Kitchen (Kentlands)