Best of 2015: Staff Picks

Who and what we loved in twenty-fifteen.

Listener Poll Results

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Rita Houston | Russ Borris | Corny O'Connell | Carmel Holt | Dennis Elsas | Darren DeVivo | John Platt | Alisa Ali | Eric Holland | Paul Cavalconte | Sarah Wardrop | Kara Manning | Bob Sherman | Cara Tobin | Alexis Harrigan | Laura Fedele

Rita Houston

Program Director and Host of The Whole Wide World

Top 10 Songs

1. Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip, "Go"
2. Benjamin Clementine, "Cornerstone"
3. Seinabo Sey, "Hard Time"
4. Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk"
5. Laura Marling, "False Hope"
6. Marian Hill, "You Got It"
7. The Lone Bellow, "Then Came The Morning"
8. Tuxedo, "So Good"
9. Phases, "I'm In Love With My Life"
10. Dawes, "All Your Favorite Bands"

Top 10 Albums

1. Tobias Jesso Jr., Goon
2. Brandi Carlile, Firewatcher's Daughter
3. Disclosure, Caracal
4. Laura Marling, Short Movie
5. Tame Impala, Currents
6. BØRNS, Dopamine
7. Alabama Shakes, Sound and Color
8. Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
9. Joe Jackson, Fast Forward
10. Bjork, Vulnicura

Discovery of the Year: Tobias Jesso Jr.

Russ Borris

Music Director and Host of The Alternate Side on FUV

Top 10 Songs

• Brandon Flowers, "Lonely Town"
• Diane Coffee, "Everyday"
• HEALTH, "Stonefist"
• Jamie xx, "Loud Places"
• Kurt Vile, "Pretty Pimpin'"
• Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, "S.O.B."
• Sam Outlaw, "Ghost Town"
• The Mountain Goats, "Foreign Object"
• Tobias Jesso Jr., "Without You"
• Torres, "A Proper Polish Welcome"

Top 10 Albums

• Tame Impala, Currents
• Father John Misty, I Love You, Honeybear
• The Staves, If I Was
• Ryan Adams, 1989
• Sam Outlaw, Angeleno
• Torres, Sprinter
• FFS, FFS
• John Grant, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
• Twin Shadow, Eclipse
• Son Little, Son Little

Discovery of the Year: Sam Outlaw

Corny O'Connell

FUV Weekday Host

Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)

• Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight"
• Alessia Cara, "Here"
• Clairity, "Velcro"
• Elle King, "Under the Influence"
• Florence + the Machine, "Ship to Wreck"
• Leon Bridges, "Smooth Sailin'"
• Lord Huron, "The World Ender"
• Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, "S.O.B."
• Oddisee, "That's Love"
• The Apache Relay, "Katie Queen of Tennessee"

Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)

• Andrew Combs, All These Dreams
• Death Cab for Cutie, Kintsugi
• Gary Clark Jr, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim
• J.D. McPherson, Let the Good Times Roll
• Joe Jackson, Fast Forward
• Josh Ritter, Sermon on the Rocks
• Leon Bridges, Coming Home
• Lianne La Havas, Blood
• Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
• The Arcs, Yours, Dreamily

Discovery of the Year: Andrew Combs - Dallas-bred, Nashville-based Andrew Combs combines country roots with a pop polish. Check out "Nothing to Lose" from Combs' sophomore release All These Dreams.

Carmel Holt

FUV Weekday Host, Assistant Music Director

Top 10 Songs

1. Jamie xx, "Loud Places"
2. Father John Misty, "Chateau Lobby #4"
3. Kurt Vile, "Pretty Pimpin'"
4. Belle & Sebastian, "Party Line"
5. Matthew E. White, "Rock & Roll Is Cold"
6. EL VY, "Return To The Moon"
7. Heartless Bastards, "Gates of Dawn"
8. Blur, "Go Out"
9. The Decemberists, "Make You Better"
10. John Grant (w. Tracey Thorn), "Disappointing"

Top 10 Albums

1. D'Angelo & The Vanguard Black Messiah - Technically, this album came out in 2014, but because of its release date (December 15, 2014), it was released too late in the year to make it to any best-of lists. Had it arrived a couple weeks earlier (or later) I have no doubt it would have topped many best-of's. So, for what it's worth, I am giving this masterpiece of a return from D'Angelo the recogition it deserves. Just hope we don't have to wait another 14 years for the next one.
2. Father John Misty, I Love You, Honeybear
3. The Decemberists, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
4. Sleater-Kinney, No Cities To Love
5. Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
6. Ibeyi, Ibeyi
7. Blur, The Magic Whip
8. Laura Marling, Short Movie
9. The Amazing, Picture You
10. Jamie xx, In Colour
11. Calexico, Edge of the Sun
12. The Staves, If I Was

Honorable Mentions

1. Pure Bathing Culture, Pray For Rain
2. Belle & Sebastian, Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance
3. Kurt Vile, b'lieve i'm goin' down
4. Ryley Walker, Primrose Green
5. Jose Gonzalez, Vestiges & Claws
6. Lianne La Havas, Blood
7. Other Lives, Rituals
8. John Grant, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
9. Martin Courtney, Many Moons
10. La Luz, Weirdo Shrine
11. Bjork, Vulnicura

Discovery of the Year: Ibeyi - This was a blockbuster year for music, and with the sheer volume of brilliant releases it was not only exceptionally difficult to name my picks for albums and songs of the year, but 2015 also provided an embarassment of riches when it came to new discoveries. However, as I tried to narrow it down to one pick for New Discovery of the Year, I kept coming back to this captivating and powerful duo of 20 year-old French-Afro-Cuban twin sisters, Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz, who sing in English, French, and Yoruba - an ancient Nigerian language - to electronic, and Afro-Cuban rhythms, invoking Santarian goddesses and spirits, with spine-tingling harmonies only twins could deliver. I can't think of any band or artist in recent memory who has emerged this fully formed with such incredibly unique identity and sound, and stole my heart so completely. Their debut is a must, the live show even more transcendent. I can't wait to see what the future holds for the Diaz twins, though it is hard to imagine improving upon what they have already accomplished with their extraordinary debut.

Dennis Elsas

FUV Weekday Host

Top Songs (Alphabetical)

• Albert Hammond, Jr., "Losing Touch"
• Ben Folds, "Phone in a Pool"
• Calexico, "Falling From the Sky"
• Courtney Barnett, "Nobody Really Cares"
• Diane Coffee, "Everyday"
• ELO, "When I Was A Boy"
• Florence and the Machine, "Ship to Wreck"
• Indigo Girls, "Happy in the Sorrow Key"
• Jamie xx, "Loud Places"
• JD McPherson, "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Head over Heels"
• Joe Jackson, "A Little Smile"
• Keith Richards, "Trouble"
• Los Lobos, "Made to Break Your Heart"
• Martin Courtney, "Northern Highway"
• Matthew E. White, "Rock 'N' Roll is Cold"
• Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, "S.O.B"

Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)

• Blitzen Trapper, All Across This Land
• Blur, The Magic Whip
• Brian Wilson, No Pier Pressure
• Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
• Death Cab For Cutie, KIntsugi
• ELO, Alone in the Universe
• JD McPherson, Let the Good Times Roll
• Josh Ritter, Sermon on the Rocks
• My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall
• Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Discovery of the Year: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Alisa Ali

WFUV Evening Host & Producer

Top 10 Songs

• Mikal Cronin, "Circle"
• Tame Impala, "Let it happen"
• Boxed in, "Mystery"
• Deerhunter, "Snakeskin"
• Chemical Brothers, "Wide Open"
• Unknown Mortal Orchestra, "Can't Keep Checking My Phone"
• Major Lazer, "Lean On"
• My Morning Jacket, "Compound Fracture"
• Sufjan Stevens, "Should Have Known Better"
• Tanlines, "Slipping Away"

Top 10 Albums

• Mikal Cronin, MCIII  
• Tame Impala, Currents
• Kurt Vile, b'lieve i'm goin' down
• Protomartyr, The Agent Intellect
• Sleater-Kinney, No Cities To Love
• Sufjan Stevens, Carrie and Lowell
• Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Multi-Love
• Wolf Alice, My Love is Cool
• Silversun Pickups, Better Nature
• Hot Chip, Why Make Sense

Discovery of the Year: Weaves

Darren DeVivo

FUV Weeknight and FUV Music Weekend Host

Top Ten Songs (Alphabetical)

• Best Coast, "Feeling OK," California Nights
• Blitzen Trapper, "All Across This Land," All Across This Land
• Mac DeMarco, "No Other Heart," Another One
• EL VY, "Return To The Moon (Political Song For Didi Bloome To Sing, With Crescendo)," Return To The Moon
• Albert Hammond, Jr., "Losing Touch," Momentary Masters
• Lord Huron, "Fool For Love," Strange Trails
• Tuxedo, "Do It," Tuxedo
• Ryley Walker, "Primrose Green," Primrose Green
• The White Buffalo, "Home Is In Your Arms," Love And The Death Of Damnation
• Wilco, "Random Name Generator," Star Wars

Top Ten Albums (Alphabetical)

• The Bad Plus Joshua Redman, The Bad Plus Joshua Redman
• Martin Courtney, Many Moons
• Death Cab For Cutie, Kintsugi
• Al DiMeola, Elysium
• Jeff Lynne's ELO, All Alone In The Universe
• David Gilmour, Rattle That Lock
• Heartless Bastards, Restless Ones
• Joe Jackson, Fast Forward
• Freedy Johnston, Neon Repairman
• Tommy Keene, Laugh In The Dark
• Graham Parker and the Rumour, Mystery Glue
• Chris Stamey, Euphoria
• Ringo Starr, Postcards From Paradise
• 10,000 Maniacs, Twice Told Tales
• Steven Wilson, Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Honorable Mentions:
(Albums released too late in the year for me to wrap my ears around them, but I am very intrigued!)

• Israel Nash, Israel Nash's Silver Season
• Squeeze, Cradle To The Grave

Discovery of the Year: Ryley Walker

John Platt

Sunday Supper Host

Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)

• Brandi Carlile, "The Eye"
• Dawes, "All Your Favorite Bands"
• The Decemberists, "Why Would I Now?"
• The Levins, "I Am Here"
• James Maddock, "Driving Around"
• Laura Marling, "Warrior"
• Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard, "Django and Jimmie"
• Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, "S.O.B."
• The Lone Bellow, "Then Came the Morning"
• Dar Williams, "FM Radio"

Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)

• Ryan Adams, 1989
• Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern
• Rhiannon Giddens, Tomorrow is My Turn
• Patty Griffin, Servant of Love
• Don Henley, Cass County
• Indigo Girls, One Lost Day
• Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
• Joe Jackson, Fast Forward
• Maura Kennedy, Villanelle
• Spuyten Duyvil, The Social Music Hour, Vol. 1

Discovery of the Year: Harpeth Rising - A trio of talented women who met at Indiana University, where they studied classical music. Now based in Louisville, KY, they combine instrumental prowess with impeccable harmonies and Americana-style songwriting in a way that is astonishingly creative.

Eric Holland

Host, WFUV & FUV Music

Top 10 Songs

1. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, "S.O.B."
2. Courtney Barnett, "Pedestrian at Best"
3. Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight"
4. Kurt Vile, "Pretty Pimpin'"
5. Laura Marling, "False Hope"
6. Mark Ronson featuring Kevin Parker, "Daffodils"
7. Best Coast, "Heaven Sent"
8. Saun & Starr, "Look Closer"
9. Gary Clark Jr, "Grinder"
10. Beck, "Dreams"

Top 10 Albums

1. Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
2. Laura Marling, Short Movie
3. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, s/t
4. Tame Impala, Currents
5. Sleater-Kinney, No Cities To Love
6. Gary Clark Jr, The Healing
7. Leon Bridges, Coming Home
8. The Charlatans, Modern Nature
9. Built To Spill, Untethered Moon
10. Algiers, s/t

Top 10 Concerts

1. Bettye LaVette, 1/28 Cafe Carlyle
2. Eric Clapton, 5/3 Madison Square Garden
3. Jeff Lynne, 11/20 Irving Plaza
4. U2, 7/10 Madison Square Garden
5. AmericanaFest w Watkins Family, Fiona Apple etal, 8/8 Damrosch Park
6. Van Morrison, 6/19 Forest Hills Stadium
7. Steely Dan, 10/17 Beacon Theater
8. The Zombies, 10/9 Society of Ethical Culture
9. Robert Plant, 9/18 Hammerstein Ballroom
10. Josh Ritter, 10/22 Rough Trade

Top 10 NYC Albums

1. Albert Hammond, Jr., Momentary Masters
2. Son Little, s/t
3. Josh Ritter, Sermon on the Rocks
4. The Lone Bellow, Then Came the Morning
5. Warren Haynes & Railroad Earth, Ashes & Dust
6. Titus Andronicus, The Most Lamentable Tragedy
7. James Maddock, The Green
8. Jesse Malin, New York Before the War
9. San Fermin, Jackrabbit
10. Twin Danger, s/t

Best Reissue:

• A Tribe Called Quest, People's Instinctive Travels & The Paths of Rhythm

Paul Cavalconte

Host of Cavalcade

Top 10 Songs

1. Elle King, "Ex's & Oh's" - C'mon. You like this song. Admit it. And you heard it first on WFUV.
2. Langhorne Slim & The Law, "Strangers" - Pain Pop. OK, I coined a new genre. Actually, Sean Scolnick did, to perfection.
3. Leon Bridges, "Coming Home" - Neo-soul never sounded more authentic; he's the male Sharon Jones.
4. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, "S.O.B" - I swear! (and cuss and spit and gnash my teeth) The catchiest song of desperation ever.
5. Kurt Vile, "Pretty Pimpin'" - Kurt puts out!
6. Death Cab For Cutie, "Ghosts Of Beverly Drive" - They meet at Bar Marmont every Thursday
7. Houndmouth, "Sedona" - Cruise-control sing-along song of the year
8. Circa Waves, "T Shirt Weather" - Top-down sing-along song of the year
9. Hippo Campus, "Suicide Saturday" - College boys find their safe space in alt pop
10. BØRNS, "Electric Love" - As album title suggests, get the Dopamine flowing

Top 10 Albums

1. The Decemberists, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World - What an exquisitely crafted album. They keep raising the bar.
2. Leon Bridges, Coming Home - Only this level of talent can get away with being that derivative. It works, and he's arrived.
3. Langhorne Slim & The Law, Spirit Moves - Deep, rich,solid, honest. Sean Scolnic offers a singer-songwriter album that rocks.
4. Joe Jackson, Fast Forward, Welcome back to a world class artist, his vision crystal clear as ever.
5. Hot Chip, Why Make Sense? - Party album of the year, but there's wit tucked within those grooves.
6. Richard Thompson, Still - Welcome back to an evolving artist who has never lost his touch.
7. Son Little, Son Little - Like a bad-trip Leon Bridges, and in a good way. Weird, loveable Nu Soul record
8. Blur, The Magic Whip - So as they were saying...Blur picks up where they left off, not missing a beat.
9. The Lone Bellow, Then Came The Morning - Honest without being over-earnest, The Lone Bellow's cry rings true.
10. Belle & Sebastian, Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance - An extravagant musical adventure. Somewhere, Al Stewart is blushing.

Discovery of the Year: Leon Bridges - Just talent, that's all.

Sarah Wardrop

Assistant Program Director, FUV Music Host

Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)

• Courtney Barnett, "Small Poppies"
• Best Coast, "Heaven Sent"
• Blur, "Go Out"
• Phil Cook, "Great Tide"
• EL VY, "Return To The Moon"
• Jason Isbell, "Flagship"
• Jamie xx, "Loud Places"
• Peaches (featuring Feist), "I Mean Something"
• Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, "S.O.B."
• Josh Ritter, "Getting Ready To Get Down"

Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)

• Algiers, Algiers
• Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
• Calexico, Edge of the Sun
• Jose Gonzalez, Vestiges & Claws
• Heartless Bastards, Restless Ones
• Lianne La Havas, Blood
• Sleater-Kinney, No Cities To Love
• Son Little, Son Little
• The Staves, If I Was
• Various Artists, Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Discovery of the Year: Algiers

Kara Manning

UKNY Host, Digital Editor and On-Air Interviewer

Top 10 Songs

1. Young Fathers, "Nest" - A surprising declaration of love and regret from this politically-charged Edinburgh trio, buoyed by an ecstatic minor chord, Stax-style piano riff.
2. Missy Elliot feat Pharrell Williams, "WTF (Where They From)" - Yak it to the yak, Missy's back.
3. Girl Band, "Pears For Lunch" - A volcanic eruption of ennui, meant to blow out your speakers. Fantastic.
4. Field Music, "The Noisy Days Are Over" - The spirited first single from the Brewis brothers' forthcoming album, Commontime, is a deliciously funky, brassy jam.
5. Nat Johnson, "Condor" - Inspired by the forgotten Greenwich Village songwriting pioneer Connie Converse; a slow-building beauty.
6. C Duncan, "For (Autumn Rebuild)" - A stunningly pretty reworking of a track found on C Duncan's Mercury Prize-nominated debut; shimmering chamber pop.
7. PINS, "Young Girls" - An anthem that manages to be concurrently wistful, willful and empowered.
8. White, "Future Pleasures" - Glasgow newcomers channeling breathless, propulsive art-pop, akin to Orange Juice, Prefab Sprout or Roxy Music, with wiry abandon.
9. Jane Weaver, "I Need A Connection" - A midnight, long distance driving song; Weaver's voice shimmers like moonlight guiding your way.
10. Dutch Uncles, "Be Right Back" - If Donald Fagen were in this clever Manchester band and had Duncan Wallis's supple reed of a voice, the result might sound like this very soulful thrum of a single.
11. Tirzah, "Make It Up" - Slinky, provocative, menacing and sexy; produced by Micachu.
12. EL VY, "Return To The Moon" - An earworm that refuses to go away.
13. Wolf Alice, "Lisbon" - A simple, raucous rocker with a pretty cast; you can hear Ellie Rowsell's scowl.

Top 10 Albums (in no particular order)

1. C Duncan, Architect - Recorded in his Glasgow bedroom, Chris Duncan's gorgeous debut is as golden-hued and dreamy as an autumn afternoon.
2. Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Multi-Love - Ruban Nielson transforms erotic angst into an insomniac's groove-seduced psych-pop walkabout. Absolutely perfect.
3. Julia Holter, Have You In My Wilderness - An unpredictable gem.
4. Everything Everything, Get To Heaven - Perhaps they didn't get the Mercury Prize nomination they deserved, but Everything Everything have released a masterful album, dripping with dystopian themes, that adroitly reflects these unsettled times.
5. LoneLady, Hinterland - Manchester's Julie Ann Campbell's riveting second album reflects the city's baggy, bleak, darkly poetic streets. A synth-pop synthesis of every genre that thrived in this northern town, from ravers to rockers.
6. Ghostpoet, Shedding Skin - Ghostpoet's Obaro Ejimiwe's weary musings and agitated observations on romantic upheaval for those too peeved to cry to Adele's '25.'
7. Laura Marling, Short Movie - A spiritual hiatus, a journey of self-discovery and artistic rebirth. Extraordinary.
8. Public Service Broadcasting, The Race For Space - With their ears attuned to US/Soviet space exploration of the '50s and '60s, the duo of J. Willgoose Esq. and Wrigglesworth again weave archival finds with propulsive melodies.
9. Fold, Fold - This Leeds collective adroitly blends samples from the likes of Fannie Lou Hamer or Kurt Vonnegut into danceable music with sociopolitical insight.
10. Nocturnal Sunshine, Nocturnal Sunshine - London producer Maya Jane Coles' second album, but her first as Nocturnal Sunshine, is thoughtful and sensually cinematic, draped in house and dubstep, but blissfully intimate ("It's Alright.")
11. Floating Points, Elaenia - Producer Sam Shephard's debut album, primarily instrumental, is luminous. Inspired by migratory birds, it soars.
12. New Order, Music Complete - It's the first New Order album in a decade and Gillian Gilbert is back: how could it not be fabulous?

Discovery of the Year: C Duncan (runners up: White, Weaves, Izzy Bizu, Declan McKenna, Eska)

Bob Sherman

Woody's Children Host

Top 10 Songs

1. Roy Zimmerman, "The Faucets on Fire"
2. Noel Paul Stookey, "Familia dek Corazon"
3. The Burns Sisters, "Father's Blue Eyes"
4. Modern Man, "Los Geezers del Amor"
5. David Crossland, "I Remember America"
6. Jonathan Edwards, "Jonny's Come Home"
7. Tom Paxton, "Mayor of MacDougal Street"
8. Tret Fure, "Riverbank"
9. Terry Kitchen, "Rock of Ages"
10. Christine Lavin, "Under the Table"

Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)

1. Noel Paul Stookey, At Home
2. Christine Lavin, et.al., Christine Lavin and Friends
3. Tom Chapin, A Light in the Window
4. John McCutcheon, Joe Hill's Last Will
5. The Burns Sisters, Looking Back
6. Dan Schatz, The Promise of Sowing
7. Harpeth Rising, Shifted
8. David Roth, So Far, So Good
9. Judy Collins, et.al., Strangers Again
10. Tret Fure, Walking into White

Discovery of the Year: The re-emergence of Jackie Washington, sparkplug of the 1960's folk revival, 50 years later as the singer and story-teller Jack Landron.

Cara Tobin

Membership Director

Top 10 Songs

1. My Morning Jacket, "Big Decisions"
2. Brandi Carlile, "Wherever is Your Heart"
3. Belle and Sebastian, "The Party Line"
4. Father John Misty, "True Affection"
5. Houndmouth, "Sedona"
6. Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight"
7. The Lone Bellow, "Then Came The Morning"
8. Leon Bridges, "Coming Home"
9. Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk"
10. Ratatat, "Cream on Chrome"

Top 10 Albums

1. My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall
2. The Lone Bellow, Then Came The Morning
3. Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color
4. Father John Misty, I Love You, Honeybear
5. Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
6. The Tallest Man On Earth, Dark Bird Is Home
7. Leon Bridges, Coming Home
8. Gary Clark Jr., The Story of Sonny Boy Slim
9. Kurt Vile, b'lieve i'm goin' down
10. Joe Jackson, Fast Forward

Discovery of the Year: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Alexis Harrigan

Development Director

Top 10 Songs

1. Josh Ritter, "Getting Ready to Get Down"
2. Houndmouth, "Sedona"
3. Ryan Adams, "Bad Blood"
4. Son LIttle, "Lay Down"
5. Leon Bridges, "Coming Home"
6. Blur, "Lonesome Street"
7. Belle and Sebastian, "The Party Line"
8. EL VY, "Return to the Moon"
9. Brandi Carlile, "The Firewatcher's Daughter"
10. Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, "S.O.B."

Top 10 Albums

1. Josh Ritter, Sermon on the Rocks
2. Ryan Adams, 1989
3. Leon Bridges, Coming Home
4. David Wax Museum, Guesthouse
5. Steve Earle and the Dukes, Terraplane
6. Gary Clark Jr., The Story of Sonny Boy Slim
7. G. Love & Special Sauce, Love Saves the Day
8. Glen Hansard, Didn't He Ramble
9. Matthew E. White, Fresh Blood
10. Houndmouth, Little Neon Limelight

Discovery of the Year: Jack + Eliza

Laura Fedele

New Media Director

Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)

• Blur, "Lonesome Street"
• Dawes, "All Your Favorite Bands"
• EL VY, "Return to the Moon"
• Houndmouth, "Sedona"
• Jamie xx, "Loud Places"
• Josh Ritter, "Getting Ready to Get Down"
• Kurt Vile, "Pretty Pimpin'"
• Laura Marling, "False Hope"
• Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, "S.O.B."
• Ryan Adams, "Bad Blood"

Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)

• Beirut, No No No
• Calexico, Edge of the Sun
• Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
• Dawes, All Your Favorite Bands
• Joe Jackson, Fast Forward
• Laura Marling, Short Movie
• Mumford & Sons, Wilder Mind
• The Arcs, Yours, Dreamily
• The Decemberists, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
• Wilco, Star Wars

Discovery of the Year: Ibeyi

See: 2015 Releases