Beck - "Dreams"
Sing-along vocals and irresistible guitar and keyboard riffs put Beck on the top of this list -- right where he was 20 years ago (with the virtually any track from the great Odelay). Beck says he wanted a song that would be "good to play live" -- and it's hard not to be moved by the groove of this one.
Belle and Sebastian - "The Party Line"
2015 saw the indie darlings bust out the synths and sequencers and make dance music. It's a long way from The Boy With the Arab Strap but it works.
Viet Cong - "Newspaper Spoons"
Equal parts post-punk and shoegaze with some industrial thrown in for good measure, Viet Cong remind me of a deconstructed, more menacing version of Interpol. Jagged guitars cut through the brooding despair. Hard to believe music like this could come from a place like Calgary -- those prairies can't be as desolate and cold as the music here.
Sleater Kinney - "A New Wave"
Another band in top form after a long hiatus -- ten years for the trio from Olympia. What could they have been up to this past decade? I wonder. There's Carrie Brownstein's star turn on Portlandia, of course. The better question is how can they still rock this hard - and this well - after such a long break?
Tanlines - "Slipping Away"
Sounding a little too close to The Cure's "Close to Me", this sunny gem from the Brooklyn duo nicely mixes synthpop with indie and comes up with a winner.
Good Old War - "Never Gonna See Me Cry"
Close your eyes and this sounds like the 1970s AM radio, only better. This Philadelphia trio obviously has an ear for infectious pop hooks, and they caught my ear at a record shop in Fords, NJ this summer. You'll be singing along by the end of this song.
Blur - "Lonesome Street"
2015 saw the fathers of Britpop return to top form as well, Twelve years after Think Tank - the original lineup released The Magic Whip, a collection of songs that draws inspiration from the Far East. As you might expect, Damon Albarn's dramatic vocal flourishes are here, but like most great Blur songs, this one is rooted in a tough Graham Coxon guitar riff. And they played a hell of a live show at Madison Square Garden this fall.
EL VY - "Return to the Moon"
I haven't liked much by The National lately, but lead singer Matt Berninger makes this year's list on the strength of this bright yet understated compilation with Menomena's Brent Knopf.
The Fall - "Fibre Book Troll/Facebook Troll"
Mark E. Smith releases a new album pretty much every year, but lately they've been of dubious quality. Not so with this year's Sub-lingual Tablet, and this laugh-out-loud funny indictment of the modern digital age. (Another standout on the album is called "Quit iPhone" so you get where MES is coming from.) And the ending might be the funniest part of the song.
Robert Plant - "Little Maggie"
I must be getting old if the average age of the artists on this list is topping 50. Robert Plant, at a ripe old 67, continues his love of traditional and folk music with this utterly incredible, modern rendition of the popular bluegrass standard. He still puts the same heart into his music as he did 45 years ago.
Declan McKenna - "Brazil"
Let's get the average age of the artists on this list down a bit. 16-year-old McKenna takes on world football with this indictment of FIFA, the sport's corrupt governing body. And yet it's not the message but the music that earns him a spot on this list
Death Cab for Cutie - "Good Help (Is So Hard To Find)"
The critics didn't like the new album, but it was nominated for a Grammy. Go figure. I appreciate the addition of dance and electronic elements in what otherwise sounds like a typical Death Cab for Cutie song.
New Order - "Tutti Frutti"
Another triumphant return after a long hiatus. New Order's latest album Music Complete could be their best since Republic. And while Peter Hook is no longer part of the band, Gillian Gilbert has returned, and what we get here is a much better balance between keyboards and guitars. Bernard Sumner's lyrics may be suspect in places, but the warmth of his vocals is like hearing an old friend after not talking to him for years. And that's always a good thing.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Beach Slang - "Bad Art and Weirdo Ideas"
Philadelphia's Beach Slang has heard its share of Replacements comparisons, but there's more going on here than that comparison suggests.
Miami Horror - "All It Ever Was"
Lush electronic soundscapes from Melbourne trio.
Oscar - "Beautiful Words"
London's Oscar walks a fine line between channeling the one and only Steven Patrick Morrissey without coming off like a sound-alike. The title track of his 2015 EP is a well-crafted piece of dreamy pop goodness.
Boxed In - "Run Quickly"
Manchester's Oli Bayston creates a hypnotic, driving track that borrows the best of Krautrock and -- as The Guardian puts it -- sounds like "Neu! chasing New Order across the beach in Ibiza at 4am."
The Decemberists - "Make You Better"
Portland's Decemberists round out the list, and continue the theme of bands taking a break only to come back strong. Perhaps that's the lesson of the year -- a hiatus can make you better.
