Michael Tatum's A Downloader's Diary: Year 2015 Index

(44) December 23

1. Laurie Anderson: Heart of a Dog (Nonesuch) A+
2. Beach House: Thank Your Lucky Stars (Sub Pop) B+
3. Blackalicious: Imani, Vol. 1 (OGM Recordings) A-
4. Eric Church: Mr. Misunderstood (EMI Nashville) A-
5. Leonard Cohen: Can't Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour (Columbia) A-
6. Drive-by Truckers: It's Great to Be Alive! (ATO) A-
7. Future: DS2 (A1/Freebandz/Epic) A
8. Jlin: Dark Energy (Planet Mu) A-
9. Peaceful Solutions: Barter 7 (free download) A-
10. The B-52's: Live! 8-24-1979 (Rhino) ***
11. Chastity Belt: Time to Go Home (Hardly Arts) **
12. Motorhead: Bad Magic (UDR) *
13. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings (Universal) E
14. Lana del Rey: Honeymoon (Interscope) B-
15. Grimes: Art Angels (4AD) B-
16. Janet Jackson: Unbreakable (Rhythm Nation/BMG) B-
17. St. Germain: St. Germain (Nonesuch) B-
18. The Mantles: All Odds End (Slumberland) C+
19. Trust Fund: Seems Fair (Turnstile) C+
20. Neon Indian: Vegas Intl. Night School (Mom + Pop) C
21. Susanne Sundfør: Ten Love Songs (Warner Music Norway) C

(43) October 29

1. The Chills: Silver Bullets (Fire) A
2. Deerhunter: Fading Frontier (4AD) A-
3. Robert Forster: Songs to Play (Tapete) A-
4. Heems: Eat Pray Thug (Megaforce) A
5. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope) A+
6. Jill Scott: Woman (Blues Babe/Atlantic) A-
7. Sleaford Mods: Key Markets (Harbinger Sounds) A-
8. Omar Souleyman: Bahdeni Nami (Monkeytown) A-
9. The Weeknd: Beauty Behind the Madness (XO/Republic) ***
10. Jazmine Sullivan: Reality Show (RCA) ***
11. They Might Be Giants: Glean (Idlewild) **
12. Daniel Romano: If I've Only One Time Asking (New West) **
13. Maddie & Tae: Start Here (Dot/Big Machine) *
14. Ryan Adams: Live at Carnegie Hall (Blue Note) D+
15. Dr. Dre: Compton (Aftermath/Interscope) C+
16. Muse: Drones (Warner Bros./Helium-3) C+
17. Destroyer: Poison Season (Merge) B
18. Lou Barlow: Brace the Wave (Joyful Noise) B-
19. Ryan Adams: 1989 (Pax-Am) B-
20. Tame Impala: Currents (Interscope) C+
21. The Clientele: Alone and Unreal: The Best of the Clientele (Merge) C+
22. Petite Noir: La Vie Est Belle (Domino) C

(42) September 10

1. Ezra Furman: Perpetual Motion People (Bella Union) A
2. Freedy Johnston: Neon Repairman (Singing Magnet) B+
3. Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba: Ba Power (Glitterbeat) A-
4. Nellie McKay: My Weekly Reader (429) A-
5. Ashley Monroe: The Blade (Warner Bros.) A-
6. Giorgio Moroder: Déjà Vu (RCA) A-
7. Mountain Goats: Beat the Champ (Merge) A-
8. Songhoy Blues: Music in Exile (Atlantic) A-
9. Tal National: Zoy Zoy (Fat Cat) A-
10. Yo La Tengo: Stuff Like That There (Matador) A
11. Rhett Miller: The Traveler (ATO) ***
12. Shamir: Ratchet (XL) ***
13. Jason Isbell: Something More Than Free (Southeastern) **
14. Gang of Four: What Happens Next (Metropolis/Membran) *
15. Kasey Chambers: Bittersweet (Sugar Hill) *
16. Beach House: Depression Cherry (Sub Pop) B-
17. Iris DeMent: The Trackless Woods (Flariella) C+
18. Neil Young & the Promise of the Real: The Monsanto Years (Reprise) C+
19. Best Coast: California Nights (Harvest) B
20. Aphex Twin: Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt. 2 (Warp) B
21. Titus Andronicus: The Most Lamentable Tragedy (Merge) B
22. Colleen Green: I Want to Grow Up (Hardly Art) C+
23. Joss Stone: Water For Your Soul (Kobalt) C

(41) July 29

1. Africa Express: Africa Express Presents Terry Riley in C (Transgressive) A-
2. Jason DeRulo: Everything Is 4 (Warner Bros) B+
3. Mbongwana Star: From Kinshasa (World Circuit) A-
4. Miguel: Wildheart (RCA) A-
5. Boz Scaggs: A Fool to Care (429) A
6. Skrillex & Diplo: Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü (OWSLA/Mad Decent) A-
7. Sleater-Kinney: No Cities to Love (Sub Pop) A+
8. Sufjan Stevens: Carrie and Lowell (Asthmatic Kitty) B+
9. Veruca Salt: Ghost Notes (El Camino) A-
10. Young Thug: Barter 6 (300/Atlantic) A
11. Jamie xx: In Colour (XL) ***
12. Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear (Sub Pop) ***
13. Wilco: Star Wars (BPM) ***
14. Waxahatchee: Ivy Tripp (Merge) **
15. Kacey Musgraves: Pageant Material (Mercury Nashville) **
16. Pops Staples: Don't Lose This (Anti-) **
17. Belle and Sebastian: Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance (Matador) *
18. Björk: Vulnicura (Elektra) C-
19. Blur: The Magic Whip (Warner Bros/Parlophone) C+
20. Tobias Jesso, Jr.: Goon (True Panther Sounds) C
21. Ne-Yo: Non-Fiction (Motown) B
22. Bob Dylan: Shadows in the Night (Columbia) B-
23. Darren Hayman: Songs for Socialists (Where It's At Is Where You Are) C+
24. Lower Dens: Escape From Evil (Ribbon Music) C+
25. Dawn Richard: Black Heart (Our Dawn Entertainment) C
26. Viet Cong: Viet Cong (Jagjaguwar/Flemish Eye) C-