Los Angeles singer/songwriter Julia Holter has taken out our Indie30 Album Of The Year for 2015 for her enigmatic work of cerebral wonder, Have You In My Wilderness. Layering stripped down avant garde art pop with shapeshifting orchestral compositions, uber subtle elements of free jazz and poetic lyricism that is storytelling at its finest, its an album that will reward your patience in spades, an album that will stand the true test of time. Beating out the compellingly brutal honesty of Norwegian artist Jenny Hval’s Apocalypse Girl and the ultra modern electronic pop of Grimes’s Art Angels, at two and three respectively was never going to be easy. At number four lands the elaborate Divers by the preposterously good Joanna Newsom which in our eyes stands as the best of most cohesive of her four records. Rounding out the Top 5 is the restless and cryptic second record, Sun Coming Down from American expats, Ought.
The remaining albums that make up the top te include the one of the best comeback albums you’ll hear by Sleater-Kinney, No Cities To Love (6), the disciplined, yet emotively melodic Escape From Evil by Lower Dens (7) and the sonically manipulative and mysteriously scenic Sauna by Mount Eerie (8). At nine and ten respectively stand our first two albums of the week for the year, Jessica Pratt’s crystalline and personal On Your Own Love Again and Viet Cong’s self titled creative monster.
Before you explore the entire list of 30, three brief notes. Firstly, Indie30 does not feature releases by the three major labels and their subsidiaries and therefore none appear in this list. Secondly, we also do not feature the genres of straight rap, hip hop or metal. Thirdly, the list simply reflects our opinion.
Overall, 2015 stands out as another great year in music full of orginality and creativity and we believe these independent albums reflect just how healthy music is right now. So without further discussion, get stuck in to the list in full detail with media at the link below.
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Silhouette
Julia Holter (USA)
From our album of the year, ‘Have You In My Wilderness’, Domino.
Julia Holter Official
Official Video
Sea Calls Me Home
Julia Holter (USA)
From our album of the year, ‘Have You In My Wilderness’, Domino.
Julia Holter Facebook
Official Video
Feel You
Julia Holter (USA)
From our album of the year, ‘Have You In My Wilderness’, Domino.
Julia Holter Twitter
Official Video