Year: 2015
Original Rank: 1/10 ranked on my 2015 lists
Genre: Folk
"At the end of the rope, there's a little more rope most times."
James McMurtry may go down as one of our time's forgotten songwriters. He's never written a hit, in fact not even close. But he does tell seemingly simple stories with deep layers built in. Complicated Game, on its surface, is a desparate and depressing record. Mostly performed on an acoustic with relatively little backing instrumentation, the record conveys the feeling of a long and trying winter. The lyrics, however, almost unanimously point toward a feeling of hope that is still there. It may be fleeting, and it may take a miracle, but there's still a way out of this. Opener "Copper Canteen" is reflective on an elderly marriage and two people that have long exhausted their use for each other, until you realize that's not what it's about. Album centerpiece "Carlisle's Haul" focuses on an aging fisherman barely surviving. The song is more packed with imagery than most novels, and clearly articulates the man's solution to his minimal daily catch. The back half of this record is a little stronger and more varied musically than the first, but each song is approached with the care and respect of a master craftsman and one that deserves much more recognition than he's getting.
Year: 2013
Original Rank: Not ranked in my 2013 lists
Genre: Folk
"There's a man who walks beside me, He is who I used to be. I wonder if she sees him and confuses him with me."
Undoubtedly and unmistakably, Southeastern is Jason Isbell's sober record. The man now known as a multiple Grammy winner and probable best songwriter in a generation used to be known as the guy that partied so hard he managed to get thrown out of the Drive-By Truckers. In early 2012, as Southeastern was beginning to come together, Isbell gave up drinking and made it stick. Much of the record focuses on themes of rebirth and self-discovery and the benefits of such an exercise. During this period, Isbell met his wife and penned the first track on this record, "Cover Me Up". This song is an absolute powerhouse. It's the song that will prevent Isbell from being forgotten. While only a half decade or so old, "Cover Me Up" is being covered and released at an astounding rate right now by mainstream musicians. The audiences getting exposure to it for the first time continue to mount, and likely will continue in the future. "Cover Me Up" directly addresses Isbell's sobriety in its middle verses, providing one of the best insider moments on a record ever. Aside from the opener, middle track "Elephant" is the most necessary offering on the record. Telling the story of a cancer patient clinging to her final days in a barroom, this is a sad song even by Isbell's lofty standards. Southeastern is the most carefully crafted record released this decade. It's an Isbell solo release, but his acoustic is backed at times by his band, the ferocious 400 Unit, and the record sparkles for it.
Year: 2015
Original Rank: 2/10 ranked on my 2015 lists
Genre: Rap
"The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. The blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot."
Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly is not only the best rap record released this decade, it is the most important. When it comes to grand gestures, Kendrick is not Kanye, however he's not afraid of going over the top to get his point across. In his performance slot at the 2016 Grammys, Lamar appeared from backstage in a prison jumpsuit and chains before launching into TBAP track "The Blacker the Berry", which definitely had people talking the next day. This record is one written to address bluntly the issues facing African Americans in this decade. It's all encompassing and powerful throughout, touching on everything from the stigma of casually enjoying watermelon to the real threat of someone with an itchy trigger finger. This record was released in 2015. Do you even remember 2015? Politically, it seems like a literal lifetime ago. However, much of what Lamar noticed and noted at that time is even more heightened today. These issues recur regularly and, at least in the short-term, do not seem like they are getting better. On release, this record, while absolutely outstanding, had the potential to age poorly. It did the opposite. And that makes it all the more important right now.
Year: 2012
Original Rank: 2/10 ranked on my 2012 lists
Genre: Rock
"Remember saying things like "We'll sleep when we're dead" and thinking this feeling was never gonna end?"
Japandroids were pretty much done. Coming off a year where they played hundreds of shows in support of their debut record and gained no traction whatsoever, the duo considered folding up the project. They liked touring though and they liked playing songs. It made them feel young. They needed to hold onto their youth, at least in spirit. In fight or flight, Japandroids fought and clawed their way to a masterpiece. Celebration Rock is one of the most bombastic and raw recordings of rock music ever offered. No theme is more prevalent on this record than the abstract party. Opener "The Nights of Wine and Roses" addresses it head on, as do later tracks "Adrenaline Nightshift" and "Younger Us", while most other offerings at least dance around the premise. But this record isn't really about the party itself. It's about the feeling the party brings. It's about being absolutely engulfed in the moment you're living and having the time of your life doing it. You feel invincible. I believe it's absolutely impossible to be in a bad mood after listening to this record. The joy from the band is palpable and you just absolutely have to get in on the fun.
Year: 2013
Original Rank: 1/10 ranked on my 2013 lists
Genre: Indie
"Nobody knows what the future holds and it's bad enough just getting old."
Modern Vampires of the City is grown-up Vampire Weekend operating at absolute maximum capacity. It feels weird to basically admit that my favorite band, one with just four recordings to their name, has peaked, but it seems so obvious at the same time. I'm really not sure how they could top this record in the future. While still trafficking in many of the same international music styles they utilized on early records, lyricist Ezra Koenig chose to look more inward on this release. At times he hones in on religion or death with powerful results. Others, like on "Step", he eschews traditional vocal cadence for more of a hip-hop style of writing and delivers a dense track of name-checks and inside jokes. All of this creates a more relatable experience for the listener. Gone are the days of Vampire Weekend being the smartest guys in the room (at least overtly). No more boat shoes and polos. No more ten dollar words. The Ivy league education is nice, but at a certain point, it was a barrier to entry for this band. Abandoning - or at least setting aside - that tendency made them so much more accessible. The band still wrote potential hits ("Diane Young" was their highest charting song until early 2019), but the formula had changed slightly. This version of Vampire Weekend may be gone forever. Multi-instrumentalist and producer Rostam Batmanglij departed the band after this release and the band's current sound is veering closer to jam than ever before. But that's okay. As I said, it's hard to admit that your favorite band has likely peaked. I'm at peace with it. The peak was high. Very high. And if they never get back, that's okay.
Thanks for reading. See you in 2020.
