2015: some tracks to remember

In truth, 2015 was a year in which I didn’t listen to a lot of new music - and a lot of what I listened to were new tunes from my old favourites. That means this list is thus inclined, but there were some good tunes out in any case...


10. Tame Impala - “Disciples”

In amongst their much bigger-sounding songs from Currents, "Disciples" is a breezy number. The brevity gives an endearing quality to the repetition and the little guitar outro.

9. The Libertines - “Gunga Din”

Lacking the impact of their younger days, it’s still good to see The Libertines back, having a bit of a dig at themselves and looking like they're having a laugh in Thailand. Still easy to sing/chant along to.

8. Foals - “What Went Down”

How about this for an outro. Gripping stuff from the indie mainstays who have somewhat upped their game in the last few years.

7. FKA Twigs - “In Time”

British R&B’s Queen of the Occult put on a stunning show at Glastonbury - one of the highlights being this Eastern-tinged number, later featured on her M3LL155X EP.

6. Grimes - “REALiTi”

I’m not a fan of all Grimes’ work, but she seems to have deftly found her niche within the pop universe . Unlike the EDM bollocks of “Go”, “REALiTi” tones it down to allow the prettiness of Claire Boucher’s voice to take centre stage.

5. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - “Lock All The Doors”

Such a lazy songwriter that all he did was add a new verse to an unreleased Oasis song he wrote over 20 years ago. But then, it’s obvious that the rip-roaring chorus was written during the creative zenith of a genius.

4.Kendrick Lamar - “Alright”

A great 2015 for Kendrick, whose album To Pimp A Butterfly made it to the top of many end-of-year lists despite almost filling up an entire CD (not that many people buy those anymore). This song, better than any other, showcases what the man is all about - hood poetry in the vein of Tupac, defiant optimism in the face of gloom and machine-gun delivery. Hip-hop dealing with police brutality is nothing new, but it’s good to see a big name inspiring some genuine controversy.

3.Björk - “Quicksand”

Vulnicura was Björk’s boldest, most personal record for a long time. While it falls outside the main arc of her breakup, focusing more on the health of her mother, “Quicksand” is an apt end to the album; the emotional fragility of the situation co-existing with a feeling of hope which takes the form of a truly lush string arrangement.

2.Jamie xx - “Loud Places”

With Romy on vocals, this isn’t far off simply being an xx track - nothing wrong with that, though. Watching them hang out in the video, you wonder if they’re lamenting the loss of their band, with the achingly sad lyric, “Did I take you to higher places you can’t reach without me?” Although they’ve apparently got a new album coming out, so never mind.

1.The Weeknd - “Can’t Feel My Face”

I was never completely sold on The Weeknd - he seemed to be neither a straightforward pop singer, nor a particularly compelling artist (despite all the critical acclaim). But the second the beat kicks in on “Can’t Feel My Face”, you know it’s going to be massive. Unavoidably evoking MJ while singing about his favourite subject (coke), the Toronto native scored a major hit while still managing to sound fucking cool.