Best Albums of 2015: Spin

This review is a little late - I got distracted by non-Internet pursuits for a bit over the holidays. Hope you did too.  Now I feel like I have a bunch to write about, which is fun, but a little stressful.  Anyway, Spin.

When I was in high school, I decided to broaden my music magazine readership and added a Spin subscription to the mix.  It definitely has a different tone than Rolling Stone, a harder, darker musical bent, and they don't mess around with politics or celebrity trash nearly as much.  I know it sells, but I really wish that RS would quit the paparazzi pictures section of the magazine.  Anyway, after a while I let that Spin subscription lapse and I never have picked it back up again, but I read their online offerings with some regularity.  Edgier than RS, but not so obnoxious as Pitchfork.

Anyway, they released a top 50 albums list, and here are their top ten.

1.  Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly  Shocker!  I am SHOCKED, I tell you.  In a state of shockingment.

2.  Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit  Agreed. This one is great and should be on all lists.

3.  Jamie xx - In Colour.  Ugh.  Not a good album.  I reviewed it a while back, and just tried again, and I just can't get there.

4.  Tame Impala - Currents.  Hell yes.  I went out and bought this album the other day to indicate the strength of my vote for this album with my pocketbook and hard earned dinero. While driving out to West Texas for NYE, where Spotify does not roam, I jammed this on my headphones a few more times.  I've come to love "Disciples" in a hard way.

5.  Vince Staples - Summertime '06.  This one kind of fell off of my radar after listening to it before Staples came to ACL this year.  I liked it back then, and after listening three more times today, I like it even more.  I'm going to put this one back into rotation and keep it going.  Norf Norf!

6.  Waxahatchee - Ivy Tripp.  I liked it well enough when I jammed it early in the year, and then reviewed her more fully when she was named to play ACL.  But then I never took the time to go see her set at ACL, so I'm not entirely dedicated to the cause.

7.  Deerhunter - Fading Frontier.  These guys had better be careful that they don't get mistaken for people who actually hunt.  I remember this band from the time that Grantland named them the greatest rock band in America for a period of three years.  Despite my reluctance to accept them as a viable candidate for the best band in America, I do actually like this album.  Here is the most popular song (currently) on Spotify, "Living My Life."

I had planned to give this album one shot and then write it up, but I've now just had it on repeat all day and I can't quit.  Kind of psych rock, kind of Wilco-ish-alt-country-rock, kind of Sgt. Pepper.  You should go check this one out.

8.  Kacey Musgraves - Pageant Material.  Word.  This one is great.  If you didn't go listen to "Are You Sure" after I pimped it, then you should do it now.  I also purchased this disc the other day to support my love for this album more directly and have the ability to jam it in my old ass car. Surprising choice for Spin, but I'll take it.

9.  Shamir - Ratchet.  Hewing to the proper formula for a music blogger's top ten list, here is your left field selection, included below the fold but high enough to try to gain some street cred.  My recollection of this album is that it sucked on toast, but looking back at my review, I see that I enjoyed one tune at least.  Just went back to it and can't say it got any better over time.

10.  Alex G - Beach Music.  I had listened to some other Alex G album in the past, but had never given this one a shot until now.  Has that same DIY vibe as his last album, heavy on the alt-90's Sonic Youth or Pavement and the chilled Kurt Vile vibes.  Here is the most popular track, called "Bug."

Man, I was just about to say that I didn't care to ever hear this album again, but then that song drew me back in again.  Still likely not going to listen to it after today, but kind of catchy.

Aaaaand, only two albums overlapping with RS.  Spin is too REAL, too GRITTY, too HARD to give Adele, D'Angelo, or The Weeknd a slot even in their top 50!  That is actually kind of interesting, that they don't even list those three in their top 50.