Our Best Of…2015 series continues today with The Albums.

For most, 2015 will be remembered for one album; Adele’s ’25’ broke pretty much every sales record going last month, an undeniable worldwide phenomenon. For us at Live4ever though, the year in albums has been about so much more. About the thrilling return of The Maccabees after a long, arduous journey following up 2012’s ‘Given To The Wild’. About Gaz Coombes, 20 years into his career, producing the most forward thinking, surprising, and strongest record of that career so far. About new bands immediately bursting into our consciousness with debut releases, be it the bonkers start of Girl Band or the assured maturity of C Duncan. Yep, it’s these things and more which will have us looking back on 2015 with dewy eyes in the years to come.

Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with the act we placed at #1 also coming up today, and to celebrate our Best Of…2015: The Albums year end list, Live4ever is very excited to partner with Manchester’s authentic brand ei8htball to give three lucky readers a pair of their newly released black ei8htball EX811 in-earphones! Once you’ve been through our album countdown, check out the competition details below.

20: Belle & Sebastian – ‘Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance’

“Ultimately what sets this album apart from their previous work is the dance elements. The comparison to Kings Of Convenience is not insignificant. The Kings of Convenience have always had a true love of dance music, and have managed to walk the finest of lines over the years in bringing that passion to the lightest and most delicate of indie styles. And Belle & Sebastian are now treading this very same line, though it is doubtful that Stuart Murdoch et al will be doing headline DJ sets anytime soon. They have managed to show a completely new and unexpected dimension to the band’s sound which, after all these years, is something to applaud.”

19: Holy Holy – ‘When The Storms Would Come’

“Dawson’s and Redlich’s modern aesthetic, juxtaposed with Carroll’s conventional songwriting, is the fundamental element that makes Holy Holy a vital project. With its driving rhythm ‘You Cannot Call For Love Like a Dog‘ will surely get audiences swaying, Carroll’s vocals soar over Dawson’s soundscapes as the latter’s guitar heroics close the track with a tasteful dose of bombast. Further on the syrupy flange of ‘Holy Gin’ drips with psychedelia while Strathie’s dynamic drumming gives the track an underlying dark blues stomp…Album standout ‘Pretty Strays For Hopeless Lovers’ is a glorious 6-minute chug encapsulating everything which makes this record special. ”

18: Reverend & The Makers – ‘Mirrors’

“Sheffield’s roots and influences are captured on the chamber funk of ‘Mr. Glasshalfempty’ and the romantically lovelorn ‘Last To Know’, both reminiscent of McClure’s songwriting contemporary and collaborator Alex Turner – the subtle and fractured ‘Last To Know’ being especially notable. By the time the credits come crawling in the slogging blues closer ‘Lay Me Down’, it’s clear McClure’s focused creative muse and execution has never been better. Now a decade into their career, ‘Mirrors’ settles as Reverend & the Makers’ finest work to date, showcasing McClure’s artistic vision at its most pristine.”

17: Father John Misty – ‘I Love You, Honeybear’

“The diversity of instruments, along with Misty’s infinitely layered soul-vocals and folky storytelling, make ‘I Love You, Honeybear’ a metamorphosing listen. Yet its conceptual approach renders it important art. Through presenting negative subject matter in a shell of over-the-top schmaltz, Misty manages to expose mislead morality to those who fall for it – which is all of us of course. Given the reference to his real name, it’s easy to assume that he’s dealing with his own struggle with love and societal fabrications such as religion. The warm packaging of cold facts seems to warn listeners of the long climb to wisdom…”

16: Courtney Barnett – ‘Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit’

“‘Sometimes I Sit..’ is one of those records which will have you grasping at thin air for comparisons, whilst itself sitting unpretentiously in the corner…This millennial generation are characterised by knowing what they don’t want, but like every other gone by, also by not knowing what they do. For Courtney Barnett this isn’t a problem; the ambiguity just turns itself into set pieces which hum with authenticity and pathos, all delivered by someone who vibes like she’s just got out of bed. Not walled in by any sense of expectation, ‘Sometimes I Sit..’ is good enough to be loved by you however old you are, whether you’re suited at noon or pajamed by six.”

15: Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Multi-Love’

“Remarkably, UMO’s third album is a massive stride ahead from previous albums. Thoughtfully crafted to perfection, it’s a stand-alone project with a funked-up heart that beats by itself. What’s more, the vibe is much more optimistic and experimental. ‘II’ was an album to be sad to, ‘Multi-Love’ is an album to dance, dream and explore to. What really makes this album exceptional though is that if one dissects it into its elements, it’s an expansive library of sound history. Yet taken as a whole, it offers a look into the future: in a world of ever-increasing technology and accelerating creation, a pastiche of synthetic sounds is the key to being unique.”

14: Hooton Tennis Club – ‘Highest Point In Cliff Town’

“Mistaking the fact that much of ‘Highest Point In Cliff Town’ sounds carefree for the band not caring would be something however of a sin. Songwriters who can create the tumbling groove of ‘Always Coming Back To You‘ are a rare breed. Less common still are those who can unravel the sublime, ramshackle country of ‘And Then Camilla Drew Four Dots On Her Knee‘, the latter ugly-beautiful and a million miles away from any notion of pastiche. Wherever it is Hooton Tennis Club are coming from, be it the chip shop or the Prom, slouchy ambivalence is as much an ingredient of their chemistry as the gang mentality and close shouldered borrowing of urban folklore.”

13: Tame Impala – ‘Currents’

“Perhaps the most striking aspect of ‘Currents’ is just how melodic and personal it is. There is more emphasis on Parker’s lyrics and vocals than the previous records. It is the first in which he has truly put his heart on his sleeve. The album’s sentiment is rooted in the end of Parker’s relationship with Melody Prochet of Melody’s Echo Chamber. Its emotional and musical centerpiece, ‘Eventually‘, dynamically details the final moments of a break up. “I know I always said that I could never leave you, well this is the very, very last time I’m ever going to,” sings Parker over razor cutting synths and booming drums.”

12: Richard Hawley – ‘Hollow Meadows’

“All in all this record’s beauty can be summed up by the simplicity of ‘Nothing Like a Friend‘, which really is something special. It demonstrates Hawley’s brilliance by feeling simple, natural, and yet somehow slightly ethereal…Hawley is becoming Sheffield’s greatest musical troubadour, involved in music for the sheer love of it. This isn’t contrived; instead ‘Hollow Meadows’ is a true reflection of an artist at the peak of their extraordinary powers. The joy of this record is in its subtleties; it’s in finding its quiet intimate secrets that are hidden there in plain view for all to truly appreciate.”

11: Girl Band – ‘Holding Hands With Jamie’

“It’s the lyrics, and the delivery of them, that appeal as much as the music. Difficult to parse amongst all the unceasing loudness, stream of consciousness-style sentences…Describing something as amorphous, as melodically slender, as Girl Band has its perils. They don’t quite fit into grunge, punk, goth or rock. And neither do they seem to appreciate being labelled (the Nirvana comparison irking most). Nor should they have to be given an identity. But we’ll go on trying to and ‘Holding Hands With Jamie’ is possibly as new and fresh a noise as there is today. Girl Band: please carry on being intractable.”

10: Bill Ryder-Jones – ‘West Kirby County Primary’

“‘Satellites’ is his passive-aggressive take on ‘Where is My Mind’, while ‘Let’s Get Away From Here’ pulls the infamous Black/Kim Deal one-two in seeming like a beautiful little ditty, seemingly needing no further description, until it suddenly does. A trick that changes only slightly on ‘Catharine and Huskisson’, to equally brilliant effect. It’s this contrast which works so well. Much of the record seems slight, achieved by a brilliant musical economy on his part. There is nothing on this record except what should be on this record. Not a single additional instrument, moment or note. Everything is boiled down to its simplest and most refined form.”

9: Drenge – ‘Undertow’

“It’s a fascinating dichotomy of sound, and one on which Drenge does not compromise…This is a masterclass in alluring menace, like Christopher Walken in his prime, it’s a vision of cold beauty that is mesmerising as it unfolds in front of you. And it’s this new duality to their sound, power and brutal but controlled honesty, that really makes this album impressive. This extra dimension is fascinating; the duo are no longer just looking for the knock out blow. Instead they are now willing to trade blow for blow for the full duration, they want to go the distance. And then still knock you out.”

8: Autobahn – ‘Dissemble’

“As uncompromising as much of this album is, there’s the occasional feeling that, oddly, Autobahn might not be taking things as seriously as some of their paraphernalia suggests. As such, where ‘Passion‘ contorts and eventually suffocates itself as if in the grip of some great centrifuge of angst, the war cry of ‘Ostentation‘ is set off against a less totalitarian chassis, occasionally pop in the sense that back in another century the likes of Bauhaus and the Sex Gang Children grazed the mainstream without ever being comfortable in daylight…‘Dissemble’ is crackling with an energy beyond its moving parts. Autobahn are traveling where there’s no speed limit.”

7: The Maccabees – ‘Marks To Prove It’

“The standout moments come as a pair. ‘Something Like Happiness‘ is more than anything else here reminiscent of their earlier records, but comes with a maturity, a slight darkness and an unshakable brilliance that is all ‘Marks To Prove It’s own. This is followed by the brilliant rage and fury, the shifting and jagged beauty of ‘WW1 Portraits‘. It hits hard, very hard indeed. If it wasn’t apparent before, this record affirms The Maccabees’ brilliance, but also cements their individuality. There are hints of this, whisps of that, suggestions of some things half remembered. In reality it’s The Maccabees and nothing else”

6: Lord Huron – ‘Strange Trails’

“It’s as if Brian Wilson got good and lost, some kind of schizophrenic Californian surf Jesus wandering in the desert. There is a warmth and glow to the entire record that cannot be ignored. And, this warm glow is probably what gives the record its hazy, dreamlike beauty. Throughout, ‘Strange Trails’ has a truly mesmerising grandeur and majesty, and stuns from beginning to end. Lord Huron have created something powerful and beautiful, an album that tells its story on its own terms, without compromise. These are tales of what could and should have been, and will haunt us all to the end.”

5: Marika Hackman – ‘We Slept At Last’

“Much like her attitude to making music, Hackman’s approach to lyrics and lyrical themes is uninhibited. There is a real sense of freedom here and a principle that anything can be the root of a song’s inspiration. ‘Animal Fear’ for instance was initially about turning into a werewolf and being afraid of oneself during the transformation. “I’ve been weeping silent like a wound, won’t you stitch me up, or let the blood soak through?” she sighs tenderly; the lingering melody cloaking the Gothic undertone yet without sounding remotely forced or peculiar…‘We Slept at Last’ is undoubtedly an ambitious statement and yet confidently and deliberately understated.”

4: Foals – ‘What Went Down’

“‘What Went Down’ shimmers with invention. The free air Foals are now breathing is revelatory; while the delicate weave of ‘Albatross‘ ebbs and flows, ‘Snake Oil‘ is as unremittingly dirty and distorted as the band have ever seen fit to be. A man who knows little of compromise, the overwhelming schema remains that where Phillipakis’ head is, their fortunes will follow and reassuringly his remorse on the soulful ‘London Thunder‘ reveals a psyche steering away from its past attempts at self destruction. Equally, where an angrier, younger man might have turned his back dismissively on Holy Fire’s pop leanings, instead they’re smartly re-embraced.”

3: Gaz Coombes – ‘Matador’

“The haunting, atmospheric ’22/20′ complete with trademark Gaz ‘ooohs’ is a forward-thinking effort with echoes of Radiohead whilst retaining his distinguished songwriting hallmarks. It’s a sound dabbled with on the debut solo album ‘Gaz Coombes Presents: Here Comes The Bombs‘, but here it is fully realized, its chorus explodes into a euphoric climax that’s begging to soundtrack a dramatic space film scene. ‘Buffalo‘, a song already previewed, shares ’20/20’s grandiose appeal and picks up where tracks like ‘Bombs‘ left off on the first album, whilst elevating it all to a new level.”

2: C Duncan – ‘Architect’

“Usually, discovery of how a thing is made quietens human curiosity, or at least dampens it. That one person built up this noise like a craftsman from a bygone age merely adds however to its unwritten invitation to admire the curves and grace even more. Appropriately the jazzy, Bacharach tones of closing track ‘I’ll Be Gone By Winter‘ are the only ones marked by any kind of obvious desire for conformity, Duncan’s Snowbird homage more Vegas than Sauciehall Street in January. It’s a stylish, un-ironic conclusion to a record which is constantly changing shades. Its producer is an architect for sure, one blessed with flair and a rare ear for the gorgeously sublime.”

1: Little Comets – ‘Hope Is Just a State Of Mind’

“It’s the powerful taunting of misogynist tendencies in the music industry and society as a whole on final track ‘The Blur, The Line & The Thickest of Onions‘ which truly displays the lyrical potency of the band…This form of engagement with larger questions of humanity at the heart of ‘Hope Is Just a State of Mind’ is precisely why Little Comets have survived and flourished beyond the universal indie clear-out at the back end of the noughties. They are a band with much to say about the difficulties of growing up in a culturally diminishing, post-recession Britain, yet provide a sense of optimism in their richly varied and hugely enjoyable tapestry of auditory influences.”

Live4ever’s Best Of…2015:

The Writers’ Albums Of The Year
The Albums
The Tracks
The Music Videos

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eightball contest

 

It’s all about the sound really.

The skitter of a drum machine, the romance of the 808 kicking “Manchester” into life, the howling feedback that links The Who to Jesus And the Mary Chain…to Napalm Death, the jangle that stretches from the Beatles to Arctic Monkeys , the soul groove that pulls back from Alex Turner’s Sheffield lads to Marvin Gaye and rebounds to Robin Thicke .

What you need is something that can handle all of those sounds. Something that will cope with whatever mood you’re in. Something that will be true to what you need to hear.
ei8htball. It’s all in your head.

To enter our contest let us know your favorite album of 2015 in the comments section below or retweet our contest tweet with hashtag #ALBUMOFTHEYEAR and your album selection.

3 Winners will be announced on January 10th. Good luck!