Top 40 Albums of 2015 (20-1)

This year didn’t quite live up to the high expectations I had back in January. Artists like Chance the Rapper, Frank Ocean, Jai Paul, Kanye West, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, and The Wrens didn’t make good on their promise for a new full-length album in 2015. Fortunately, others were there to pick up the slack and provide us with some great albums. Below you will find this year’s edition of what I consider the top 40 albums of the year. To read the first 20 entries (40-21), CLICK HERE. On this list you’ll find albums from varying genres and possibly a few albums that are new to you. In a time where you can look up any song on a streaming service and hear it instantaneously, I hold on tightly to a love for the album as a whole, a collection of songs that work off each other, building toward one major theme or mood. As you will see in the list below, I’m a bit obsessed with new music and the art form that is the album. I take great pride in this list and hope that you find something worth checking out by the end.

(To hear my choices for the Top 10 Songs of 2015, go check out the latest Podcast HERE)

Top 40 Albums of 2015 (40-21)

This year didn’t quite live up to the high expectations I had back in January. Artists like Chance the Rapper, Frank Ocean, Jai Paul, Kanye West, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, and The Wrens didn’t make good on their promise for a new full-length album in 2015. Fortunately, others were there to pick up the slack and provide us with some great albums. Below you will find this year’s edition of what I consider the top 40 albums of the year. You’ll find albums from varying genres and possibly a few albums that are new to you. In a time where you can look up any song on a streaming service and hear it instantaneously, I hold on tightly to a love for the album as a whole, a collection of songs that work off each other, building toward one major theme or mood. As you will see in the list below, I’m a bit obsessed with new music and the art form that is the album. I take great pride in this list and hope that you find something worth checking out by the end.

20 Worst Album Covers of 2015

The annual “Worst Album Covers” list is one of my favorites because it gives me a chance to write about a subject that is a little more light-hearted and fun than the more formal album review. I enjoy poking fun at the bad album covers that I’ve seen during the year, so go into the following article with that in mind. If you are easily offended, it might be good to stop reading now. Some of the choices will make you feel awkward, some of the choices are in bad taste, and others are just plain awful. Whether you find the following covers to be interesting or fantastically bad, take joy in this year’s collection of horrible album art.

20 Best Album Covers of 2015

With the year coming to a close, it’s that time again to take a look back at some of the best that the music world had to offer in 2015. First up, I will run-down the most compelling album covers of 2015. Throughout the year, I kept a list of album covers that I found strange, beautiful, and provocative.  This list is a compilation of my favorites from this year-long collection.  Anyone who loves the album as an art form knows the importance of a powerful LP image, and the following 20 covers elevate their corresponding albums.

BDWPS Podcast #41

In this month’s podcast we check out new music from Thundercat, Kurt Vile, The Mantles, Beach House, Mike Krol, and Deerhunter. We’ll also discuss the new documentary “Keith Richards: Under the Influence” and take a look at the use of Bob Dylan’s “It’s Alright Ma” in the final Sopranos episode. Check it out HERE, or better yet, go subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, or Podomatic (search keyword: BDWPS).

Tracklist:

Thundercat “Them Changes”
Kurt Vile “Pretty Pimpin'”
The Mantles “Hate To See You Go”
Beach House “SF”
Mike Krol “This is the News”
Deerhunter “Living My Life”
Muddy Waters “I Just Want To Make Love To You”
Bob Dylan “It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding”