This was a very good year for new music.
1. viagr aboys- viagra boys: this is by far my favorite album of the year, i love it. clever, catchy, humorous. the epitome of their weird post punk style.
2. instant holograms on metal film- stereolab: picks up right where they left off 15 years ago. their classic synth-pop sound with good melodies and beautful soundscapes.
3. private music- deftones: it's not new or innovative, but it sound exactly like deftones should sound in the year 2025.
4. helldorado- spiritworld: this is a weird one because i love the heavy slayer-esque songs but don't like the other half of the album's death western sound. i like the heavy songs enough that it got a lot of listens.
5. welcome to the civilized world- ghostwoman: excellent psych blues album. they are a duo but make a lof of noise and have some good riffs.
6. the scholars- car seat headrest: it's a concept album, a college rock opera. it has all the signature sounds of the band with catchy guitars and dense lyrics. i think it's a really solid album that seems to have been overlooked...at least i haven't seen much talk about it this year.
7. sable/fable- bon iver: an upbeat happy bon iver album. it's a bit of a different sound while still sounding exactly like bon iver.
8. cutthroat- shame: angry british post-punk with some humor and experimentation. some great tracks on here.
9. the bestiary- castle rat: fantasy/doom metal. great riifs, killer vocals, a really great sounding album.
10. is- my morning jacket: some classic mmj tracks on this one. firmly in their dad rock era but the soaring vocals and layered guitars work.
honorable mention:
the pattern speaks- skloss: hypnotic, droning psych rock
trash classic- frankie and the witch fingers: garage rock/heavy psych
tron ares soundtrack- nin: the 4 songs with lyrics are really good.