As a corollary to our Best Albums of 2015 list, we wanted to highlight some individual songs and music videos that caught our attention over the course of the year. Some of our absolute favorites already fell into the album roundup, but in order to avoid too much duplication we decided that any given band could only be present on one list.
What you see below are the singles, standout album tracks, videos (some of which honestly could stand as short films), and other sundries that we felt were deserving of your attention. So pop those headphones on and get to it.
SONGS
Roseau - "Kids and Drunks"
Goth Babe - "Sunshine"
Froyo Ma - "Think @bt"
Budo Kiba - "One For Charlie"
Slow Dakota - "I Saw Christ in Hermès"
Be Quiet - "Ichor"
Bairoa - "Sumersión"
Phèdre - "Tivoli"
Dadras - "Earth Don't Stop Here"
Alabama Shakes - "Future People"
Sebastian Paul - "Riptide"
Gilligan Moss - "It Felt Right"
Totally Mild - "When I'm Tired"
Silicon - "Dope"
Cool Uncle feat. Jessie Ware - "Break Away"
Car Seat Headrest - "Times to Die"
Purity Ring - "Flood On The Floor"
Florence and the Machine - "Various Storms & Saints"
Wild Ones - "Dim the Lights"
VIDEOS
Nosaj Thing - "Cold Stares ft. Chance The Rapper + The O'My's"
It's a rare occurrence, but every now and again the stars align in Brooklyn and I get the chance to see two of my absolute favorite acts on one bill. After the release of their fantastic new album, Escape From Evil, I was giddy when I heard that Lower Dens would be playing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg for the Northside Festival. For weeks in advance of the concert I had the record on repeat.
And if that wasn't enough, a week before the show I discovered that another of my favorites, Brooklyn locals TEEN, were going to be the opening act. I had wanted to see TEEN ever since their Carolina EP dropped, but for some reason or other I had always missed them when they played in New York. And unlike most things I let myself get my hopes up about, the concert was phenomenal and both acts delivered incredible performances. We've got the photographic proof right here.
TEEN
I love TEEN. In my mind they can do no wrong. And after several years of trying to see them live, finally witnessing them in action has only made me love them more.
"Stylish" is the only word I can think of to describe these guys. Everything they did on stage, every chord or rhythm they played had an air of cool that still washes over me a week after the fact. If you ever get a chance to see TEEN live, do yourself a favor and go.
Lower Dens
Lower Dens have also been on my list for some time, ever since I first heard Nootropics. Even with a few technical difficulties with what seemed like a new sample playback system, I have to say their performance was better than even I could've hoped.
If STYLE is the one word I could think of to describe TEEN the CONFIDENCE is the word I would use to describe Lower Dens. Every member locked into each song with the skill of a practiced musical veteran justifying in my mind why they are one of the best at what they do.
The group's overall relaxation, their mastery of the material, and Jana's shout-out to the late great Jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman definitely made the whole experience a night to remember.
There’s something to be said for any band that can maintain an air of cool aloofness without abandoning their vulnerability. It’s a balancing act, and a shift too far in either direction runs the risk of coming off cold or, perhaps worse, melodramatic. With their third album, Escape From Evil, Baltimore four-piece Lower Dens have continued to navigate that tension with expert subtlety.
Lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Jana Hunter’s voice has always had an authoritative quality that I would hesitate to describe as warm, but her occasionally droning contralto nonetheless retains a bit of uncertainty that softens its edge. On a desperate love song like “Ondine,” the straightforward, pleading lyrics (“I will treat you better”) and almost imperceptible quaver suggest that her apparent emotional distance might be nothing more than a mask. This person isn’t a robot, she’s just afraid of getting hurt like the rest of us.
Threads of love, fear, and guilt run throughout Escape From Evil, and even seem to have played a role in its musical structure. There’s an underlying air of anxious reservation to the album, but from time to time it gathers the courage to break from its thematic comfort zone with more pop-forward tracks like “Non Grata” and the glimmering “To Die In L.A.” The result is a record that manages to be conceptually and acoustically consistent without ever getting boring, marking yet another successful walk along the artistic tightrope.
While this latest effort is something of a departure for Lower Dens (their 2012 LP Nootropics went pretty heavy on the sci-fi), it’s clear that the band hasn’t lost sight of what it is that makes them appealing. Whether they’re musing on transhumanism or beseeching a lover on their way out the door, Hunter and the gang aren’t afraid to explore the insecurities of the cynical, postmodern heart. Hearing a voice finally start to slip when you thought it was as jaded as your own goes a long way towards inciting self-reflection, and maybe it’s exactly what some of us need to hear.
