Entertainment

Music Scene: My Magnificent Seven of 2015

Editors – In Dream
Editors – In Dream Editors – In Dream

IT'S that time again when I feel like taking a few moments to reflect on some of the stand-out music of 2015. While time and space naturally forbids us to recall absolutely all of those magical moments, here are, in my opinion, seven of the most notable mainstream albums of the past 12 months, in no particular order. Happy New Year...

Editors – In Dream

In Dream is the album that Editors have been threatening to make for years.

Wonderfully dark and mysterious (even more so than usual), this record takes all of the band's strong points and musical idiosyncrasies, electronic and acoustic, and blends them perfectly together. It's particularly satisfying when a band gets better with each new chapter and matures with experience and this is certainly the case with Editors and In Dream.

It's actually difficult to single out tracks that deserve highlighted on this one but possibly the superb Life Is A Fear best sums up the majesty of this record.

Muse – Drones

Muse did not disappoint with Drones – a bold and brash operatic rock monster of a record that as usual makes me wonder how Matt Bellamy can be so ridiculously talented. Amazing guitar player, killer singer and great writer are just three of his job titles that are so evident on this record. Pyscho is of course a boisterous, riff-driven crowd pleaser but also deserving a special nod are the gravity-defying Reapers and the bombastic Defector.

Tame Impala – Currents

Currents is a thing of immense beauty. Atmospheric electronica that still manages to actually possess hooks and melodies that are both accessible and unforgettable. Kevin Parker's band certainly struck artistic gold with this album and while it may be somewhat under the radar is definitely worthy of its place on this list. The opening track Let It Happen is one of the best ways to spend eight minutes of your life whereas Cause I'm A Man is a fragile and painfully beautiful song that deserves to be heralded as one of the years best.

Duran Duran – Paper Gods

A stunning release from one of the music's most iconic bands. The heady mixture of classic Duran Duran and contemporary collaborations proved both creatively and commercially successful. Paper Gods delivered big, melodic, cutting-edge electro-rock songs and had one foot planted firmly on the dancefloor. Stand-outs include the title track (featuring Mr Hudson) the Nile Rodgers/Mark Ronson/Janelle Monae hook-up Pressure Off, Last Night In The City with Kiesza and, best of all, Only In Dreams – a song that boasts an ultra cool funk breakdown and the best Duran chorus since Skin Trade. Worth it alone for John Taylor's bass line on Pressure Off!

The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness

Spelling may not be a strong suit but when it comes to creating delicious R&B funk grooves and dreamy epic soul songs The Weeknd is your man. This album contains the beautiful Tell Your Friends as well as possibly my favourite mainstream track of the year , Can't Feel My Face. This is the type of album that leaves such an impression that I'm already impatient for the next one. Excellent.

Noel Gallagher – Chasing Yesterday

Early 2015 saw this album arrive with a Gallagher swagger and a proclamation that our favourite cheeky Mancunian had decided to spread his musical net and even incorporate some 'space jazz' into his body of work! We needn't have worried, the album was a belter and still gets an intense I podding 10 months on. His 'space jazz' reference was about one of the album's prime cuts, The Right Stuff which sat in esteemed company with the likes of the excellent Ballad of the Mighty I (featuring Johnny Marr), Lock All The Doors (an Oasis Morning Glory-style romp) and the album's classy opener Riverman.

Brandon Flowers – The Desired Effect

As a fan of The Killers, I initially wanted Flowers to concentrate on making a record good enough to stand proudly alongside the band's Hot Fuss but after a few listens The Desired Effect began to gently demand my love and affection.

Flowers perhaps used this, his second solo outing, as a way of exorcising a selection of songs that did not fit The Killers' remit but also unearthed a fluid, varied and totally enjoyable record. His use of a Bronski Beat sample on I Can Change was inspired while the gospel-tinged Still Want You was a pleasant surprise. The 80s-style pretty pop of Lonely Town works a treat but best is the powerful Can't Deny My Love