I know — 33? WTF?
It’s because I give up. Partly because of schedule and partly because of overwhelming organizing tasks this year, I have abandoned the idea of doing a tidy Top 40, Top 30, Top 20 and Top 10. Obviously, I don’t even include enough titles. And to organize them I would have to do at least one more listen and there are just too many more current things that clamor. I could give favorites an asterisk, but like I say, that would be based on impressions too distant for me to trust. So, in all categories, alphabetical:
- Laurie Anderson, Heart of a Dog (Nonesuch)
- Banda de Los Muertos, S/T (Barbes)
- Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit (Marathon Artists/Mom and Pop)
- Iris DeMent, The Trackless Woods (RedEye)
- Drive-By Truckers, It’s Great To Be Alive (ATO)
- Craig Finn, Faith in the Future (Partisan)
- Robert Forster, Songs To Play (Tapete)
- Grimes, Art Angels (4AD)
- Heems, Eat Pray Thug (Megaforce)
- Hop Along, Painted Shut (Saddle Creek)
- Houndstooth, No News From Home (No Quarter)
- Jamie XX, In Colour (Young Turks)
- Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Ba Power (Glitter Beat)
- Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly (Aftermath)
- Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts, Manhattan (Rough Trade)
- Los Lobos, Gates of Gold (429)
- Low Cut Connie, Hi Honey (Contender)
- Mbongwana Star, From Kinshasa (World Circuit)
- Nellie McKay, My Weekly Reader (429)
- Miguel, Wildheart (RCA)
- Oneohtrix Point Never, Garden of Delete (Warp)
- Boz Scaggs, A Fool To Care (429)
- Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Thompson Fields (Artist Share)
- Shamir, Ratchet (XL)
- Sleater-Kinney, No Cities To Love (Sub Pop)
- Soak, Before We Forget How To Dream (Rough Trade)
- Songhoy Blues, Music in Exile (Transgressive)
- Tanya Tagaq, Animism (Six Shooter)
- +101 Tinariwen Live in Paris (Anti-)
- Various, Hamilton: An American Musical (Atlantic)
- Jozef Van Wissem, Only Lovers Left Alive (ATP, 2014)
- Wolf Alice, My Love Is Cool (Dirty Hit)
- Ya La Tengo, Stuff Like That There (Matador)
Miles To Go 
Thank you, Milo! I had never heard of “Banda de los muertos” but since I moved to Mexico City a couple years ago I’ve grow to love that Sinaloa banda brass sound (which is incredibly popular over here), and I have just ordered the cd based on yur recommendation.
Very fine eclectic outfit — fun and funny, folkloric and funky.
I assume your prior jazz lists don’t overlap? But Maria Schneider?
Schneider is my big crossover fave this year. Did not include her on my jazz-survey mixdiscs, though she was my No. 1 pick, because I wanted to underscore the sumptuous beauty of the album that I think can reach about anybody.
Great list , Milo. Don’t give up , or never give up or is it don’t stop won’t stop? Regardless thanks for this!
Thanks, man. There’s a small group of old friends who expect some sort of yearly picks on mixdiscs from me and a couple have dropped very quiet squeaks about what the fook is going on (this is weeks later than usual). And it helps me understand what’s going on — thought it was a strong and varied year …
Great list as always. Missed your top reissues for 2015 but I understand you have been playing catch up. Many thanks again for your great blog.
Sorry took so long to get back to this. I have not done reissue lists much. I would highlight one kinda-sorta reissue this past year — the VU’s “Matrix Tapes,” which of course was partly out there before. And I didn’t feel it was right to include as a new release.
No problem Milo. Really enjoyed your list and was intrigued by Banda de Los Muertos. Heard song selection on Amazon and will definitely be seeking it out. I’d bet they would be great live. Cheers