Artists' rankings

Foreword: as much as I try to keep decently up to date with the current record world, the albums I listen to and play more than 10/15 times often aren't necessarily contemporary… quite the opposite! Still, thinking back, in 2015 I mostly listened to the following records.

1. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly. I had never listened to a hip-hop album as much as I did with this masterpiece. It goes beyond genre, and as far as I'm concerned that's its strength. Going beyond.

2. IOSONOUNCANE – DIE. Same goes for Jacopo. He's outdone himself, surpassing every other contemporary Italian artist. With consistency and stubbornness, and with the sole aim of satisfying his own thirst for artistic exploration.

3. Wilco – Star Wars. Class, pathos, pure songwriting. With them I almost always find everything I need.

4. Thundercat – The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam. I stumbled across a live video of "Them Changes" online that really impressed me. Only afterwards did I realize that this megabassist/singer/multi-instrumentalist had actually collaborated with Lamar (and that other madman Flying Lotus). Excellent!

5. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love. Of Ruban Nielson's three albums, this is the one I like least. It's the poppiest, the most melodic, the most produced (even though it's still recorded at home). And yet it's still at an extremely high level, well above average pop craftsmanship.

6. Kurt Vile – B'lieve I'm Going Down. Maybe not his best, but still hugely enjoyable. "Life Like This" is one of my favorite tracks of the year.

7. Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. I loved and wore out the compilation of her early EPs. This, her first proper album, has a bit less magic, which is a shame. But there are a few gems that move me deeply, like "Depreston".

8. Jim O'Rourke – Simple Songs. O'Rourke is a legend. Out of time and out of fashion, he's a true goldsmith of music history, always profound and refined.

9. Sex With Giallone – We Had A Room At Tropicana Motel. Truly strange stuff. They're young, talented and rule-free. They broke up before even releasing it. That's the way to do it. Whenever we listen to it (always in full, of course) on the road while on tour, it's always an all-consuming experience, invariably followed by a meditative silence.

10. Pueblo People – Giving up on People. Neil Young is my Favorite Artist.

11. Deradoorian – The Expanding Flower Planet. With this splendid first proper album, she revealed herself to be not only a great singer (as she'd already shown during her time in Dirty Projectors) but also an excellent songwriter and all-round artist. Wow!

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29/10/2025