Top 14 Albums since 8/14

I probably will get back around to talking about last year's other best picture nominations, but today I want to talk about music. This year starting in May I upgraded to Spotify premium and it's totally changed my music life forever. So between a 10 road trip, time driving around town and now a job at which I can listen to music for 5 hours a day, I've listened to a lot more music than usual so far this year. Some of it has been bad, but most has been really good. I might update this in the fall because I strongly suspect Honeymoon (Lana Del Ray) and Uncomfortable (Andy Mineo) will make the list. Here are a few of my top picks for best album of 2015 so far (this is a ranking, but to even make the ranking, you've got to be pretty good).

* So that was the plan until I realized a half dozen of the albums I wanted to include actually came out in 2014. So the list will be amended to be My Top 14 Albums since August 2014.

Top 14 Albums since 8/14

14-11--Rookies and Veterans

14. Bulletproof Picasso-Train. This album doesn't capture the greatness of some of the other train albums, namely Save Me, San Francisco, but it still delivers some good songs. I'm especially partial to the title track and Angel in Blue Jeans

13. American Beauty/American Psycho-Fall Out Boy. Fall Out Boy is a weird band to talk about because they set their ceiling impossibly high with From Under the Cork Tree back in 2005 and had no chance of replicating that greatness again in their lives. That said, this record is solid and good step forward to the pop-rock genre after Save Rock and Roll.

12. Bombs Away-Sheppard. This band is a newcomer known currently for the song Geronimo. I don't like that song very much, but the rest of the album is really solid. They remind me of another band that will make the top 5. I wouldn't be surprised if they keep rising.

11. The Desired Effect-Brandon Flowers. This record is the first solo project from The Killers frontman, Brandon Flowers. Though something different from The Killers, the sound is still familiar and refreshing. This could be higher on the list, but I haven't listened through it as many times as some of the others.

10. Talking is Hard-Walk the Moon. This band exploded with the song Shut Up and Dance but the rest of the album is really good, too. It's fun, dancy, poppy with interesting melodies and lyrics. A lot of similar bands sound stale quickly, but Walk the Moon keeps sounding fresh every time.

9. Pageant Material- Kacey Musgraves. I was a big fan of Kacey Musgraves's first album Same Trailer Different Park and the song Merry Go Round. Her sophomore release follows in the steps of the first album with more deft plays on words and complicated lyrics. Her sound is still very much reminiscent of vintage Taylor and The Band Perry. Fans of Taylor's country days should definitely check her out.

8. Moonshine in the Trunk- Brad Paisley. This album captures all that Brad Paisley does best: catchy earworms with clever and hilarious lyrics. Limes, High Life, Gone Green and Country Nation all should rank among his best songs (or at least be well regarded). This album is hilarious, up tempo and really, really fun: perfect summer music.

7. Anomaly- Lecrae. Most of my friends really love this album. I think it's pretty great, but not outstandingly great. It's a solid effort, but it's not as great as Church Clothes in my opinion. However, I'm still really happy that it did really well because it brought great prominence to Christian Rap on the mainstream. The genre is on the way up for sure.

6. Queen of the Clouds- Tove Lo. After 1989 (obviously still coming on the list), I searched for months and months to find something that could sort of replace the Taylor shaped whole in my music life. I finally found it in the album. Tove Lo is a little bit edgier than Taylor but the sound is the same. The album as a whole is well laid out to communicate a greater story than isolated tracks. Few if any of the songs fail to be enjoyable and good music. Talking Body and Timebomb are probaly my favorites songs off the album.

5. Mansion- NF. Mansion by newcomer NF is quite likely the best Christian rap album I've ever heard and certainly the best debut album. I describe him a cross between Eminem and Macklemore with that same anger and edge communicated with great skill through rap music. I'm now a fan for life and eagerly await any upcoming albums. I can't pick favorite songs because they're all amazing.

4. Kids in Love- The Mowgli's.  Though not as outstanding as Waiting for the Dawn, the sophomore release by the Mowgli's has still been played over and over on my iPod. Their sound is as strong as ever, reminiscent of Echosmith and Sheppard. They're coming to Portland soon and I'm excited. Kids in Love advances the skill of the Mowgli's in that this album is more thoughtfully composed together, tied together with a theme of childlike innocence and love. It's fantastic in every way.

3. Pain Killer- Little Big Town. I love this album a lot. I have a huge crush on the song Girl Crush, but the rest of the album is also amazing. It is an artful blend of slow and fast songs with both rock and country dynamics at play. Pain Killer delivers variety for all country fans, whether you want more of that Boondocks sound or something more akin to a slower ballads, Pain Killer delivers.

2. Grand Romantic- Nate Ruess. Like Brandon Flowers, Nate recently branched off from his long time band to try it solo... and it worked exceptionally well. This album delivers everything I loved about the Some Nights album (Fun.) while still advancing Nate's identity as a solo artist forward. Pretty much the whole album is gold and great for capturing the grand romantic in all of us. Harsh Light is my favorite song off it, but, like I said, the whole thing is amazing.

1. 1989- Taylor Swift. I recently ranked all 70+ songs off Taylor's five albums: 1989 has five songs in top 10 and 10 songs in the top 20. I didn't expect anything could be as good as Speak Now and Fearless, but Taylor proved me wrong with 1989. Wildest Dreams rapidly became one of my favorite songs ever. I very rarely skip any song off 1989 when it comes on my iPod or radio. With this album Taylor Swift further cemented her place in the upper echelon of entertainment and secured total pop dominance. Her country days are way behind her, and I'm okay with that.


I hope this list gave you something to check out next time you need new music. All albums on Spotify except for 1989 (but you need to own that one anyway). I would especially recommend The Mowgli's, Sheppard, Little Big Town and the Moonshine in the Trunk album as a perfect summer playlist. Thanks for reading and please comment albums that I overlooked.