Top 89 Staff Picks: Luke Taylor, digital producer
by Luke Taylor
December 01, 2015
Top 10 Songs of 2015
1. Brandi Carlile, "The Eye" — This song is spare, expertly arranged and stunningly, stop-me-in-my-tracks beautiful. Brandi and the Hanseroths were kind enough to perform the radio debut of this song during their in-studio session at The Current; during the interview, Brandi credited Tim Hanseroth for writing the song, and she said, "It's my favorite song on the album, probably my favorite song ever."
2. Jason Isbell, "The Life You Chose" — It's so hard to choose just one from Isbell's stellar album, Something More Than Free; this could have been nearly any one off the record.
3. JD McPherson, "Head Over Heels" — Hooray for hand claps and fat guitar rhythms. This song is what fun sounds like.
4. Bully, "Trying" — I got to see Bully open for Hamilton Leithauser at the Turf Club in January, and I was so impressed by their straight-ahead indie rock. It was great to hear this single on The Current. Alicia Bognanno is a great songwriter and an awesome rocker.
5. Albert Hammond Jr., "Losing Touch" — Hammond is able to capture that perfect push-pull between melancholic singing and uplifting rock riffs. This song got better and better each time I heard it.
6. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, "Howling at Nothing" — If people still danced "The Stroll," they'd do it to this track. Fantastic soul/blues tune on the absolutely pitch-perfect choice of the Stax Records label.
7. EL VY, "Return to the Moon" — The lyrics approach Dadaism; the tune is pure power pop that is infectious in the extreme. Love it.
8. Low, "What Part of Me" — Excellent, longstanding band out of Duluth put out this great song that, like Hammond's "Losing Touch," blends a bit of poignancy with pop-rock layers.
9. Leon Bridges, "Better Man" — Bridges is so talented; he's the heir apparent to a vocal tradition that includes great soul and Motown singers like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, the Four Tops, the Isley Brothers, and Bill Withers. Just fantastic.
10. Bad Bad Hats, "Midway" — There's a wistful longing in the lyrics, and the way the guitars come in on the chorus is brilliantly executed.
Top 10 Albums of 2015
1. Jason Isbell, Something More than Free — There is not a misstep in the bunch. Isbell has a talent for economical storytelling set to thoughtful arrangements.
2. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats (self-titled) — This is a thoroughly entertaining soul album and a stunning debut. How perfect it is that this record was released on the Stax label.
3. JD McPherson, Let the Good Times Roll — An excellent collection of songs from a hard-working band, and it's no small thing that they're just a great group of guys.
4. Brandi Carlile, The Firewatcher's Daughter — A near-perfect collection of songs. Besides the fantastic opening three songs, check out the heart-wrenching "I Belong to You" and then the wonderful surprise at the end with Brandi's cover of the Avett Brothers' "Murder in the City."
5. Blur, The Magic Whip — It's so great to see Blur not only back together, but back on form. It seems some time to flex their creative muscles with solo projects (Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon), getting a law degree and participating in politics (Dave Rowntree) or making cheese and designing clothing (Alex James) has served the band well, refreshing their enthusiasm for making music together.
6. Bully, Feels Like — With an ostensible pedigree that traces itself to the rich vein of 1990s indie rock, this collection of brand-new tunes burst into 2015 like a breath of fresh air.
7. Albert Hammond Jr., Momentary Masters — It's good to be consistent, it's even better to be consistently good. Hammond continues his streak of solid solo releases.
8. Alabama Shakes, Sound and Color — Brittany Howard's voice is an attention-grabbing blend of raw emotion and technical chops. Add her guitar playing, a wonderfully tight band and a string of well-crafted songs, and we get this excellent rock record.
9. Bob Dylan, The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 — This probably gets some sort of raspberry award for one of the clunkiest titles ever, but that doesn't take away from this surprising and engaging collection of rarities.
10. Pokey LaFarge, Something in the Water — What's old is new again, and Pokey LaFarge (working with producer Jimmy Sutton, who is also the bassist of JD McPherson's band) has taken classic ingredients and churned out a fresh-baked feast of delectable tunes.