2015 album(s) of the year – 6 to 5
(AKA - the fun, fuzzy, pop-rock albums)
6. Reptar - Lurid Glow
This came from nowhere.
One of the best things in 2015 is how continually excellent Joyful Noise Recordings continues to be. A tiny label in Indianapolis, they've continued putting out eclectic and experimental records by bands and artists who would struggle to find an audience elsewhere. The beauty of the label is their philosophy: shared profits, unique and one-off releases just because, excellent customer service. This year they've operated a service which, for £10 a month or so, sends out a limited release of an unreleased single or track from their artists, often on odd formats like flexidiscs, lathe cuts, or a CD that has grooves so that it can be played in different devices.
They're interesting and they provoke interest.
This is partly how I discovered Reptar. Joyful Noise released an early track as a single late last year, a splodgy limited edition 7" with digital downloads for those with a more discerning ear. As an extra two or three quid along with my monthly subscription, I chanced it. It was good enough that I preordered the album; good enough, in fact, that I heavily anticipated the album.
And I was right to. It's a swirling, heady mix of late-era Talking Heads, Young Americans-era Bowie, cheap synths made expensive with shiny production, and passionately-yelled lyrics. It does precisely what you want an album to do: it demands you dance and party before it slows down for a reflective few numbers and ends on a high. It has that 'something for everybody' feel that makes it immediately accessible but rewards repeat listens. At the same time (and as suggested by the points of reference above), it's deliberately nostalgic and, despite the band's name, does so without the smug, hipster irony that might be more prevalent elsewhere.
I love this album, and I love that it exists in 2015. A track like Amanda should appear on many end of year lists and, thanks to the efforts of Joyful Noise in bringing music like this to the market with little interference and plenty of enthusiasm, don't be surprised if it pops up more often than not. Reptar deserve a lot of praise for putting this album together; Joyful Noise deserve a lot of praise for releasing and promoting it as they have done. Bravo to both.
5. Menace Beach - Ratworld
Ratworld feels like a much more traditional release. Although a debut, it comes courtesy of long-time label of excellence Memphis Industries. You always know what you're getting from those guys - clever music which is pop at its heart but never pop on its sleeve.
That description applies here, too. Ratworld is an old-fashioned lo-fi punk-pop rocker, one of those albums where barely any of the songs exceed three minutes in length because by that time the energy's already totally spent. The tracks are drenched in distortion and are raw and angry but, like other artists on the same label, at their heart they are hook-laden catchy pop songs. Both Tastes Like Medicine and Drop Outs have drifted into my subconscious throughout the year, their catchy choruses easy to remember and difficult to push out of mind.
Much like Reptar, the biggest attraction about Menace Beach is that they're fun. So many bands are po-faced and super serious; Ratworld is the sound of a band that are young and want to have fun doing something they love. They're very reminiscent of a young Ash or even, at times, a less-polished Supergrass, exuding the sort of eager joy that's casually observed amongst the young and forgotten about by the old.
Ratworld is a declaration by a band who could go in any direction. I very eagerly await to see where Ryan and Liza go next.