Jeremy’s Albums of 2015 (So Far)

5. Jamie XX- “In Colour”

Yes, both The XX albums sound the same. And yes, this solo outing from Jamie doesn’t exactly stray from the uber-cool, playing as background music at a hipster party formula that they are famous for. So why fix something that ain’t broken? 4 paws out of 5

4. Marika Hackman– “We Slept At Last”

Young, talented, gorgeous. Don’t you just hate her!! (kidding) I defy you to listen to the song below and not fall for her charms too. 4 paws out of 5

3. Nadine Shah– “Fast Food”

I religiously listen to Guy Garvey, lead singer of the band Elbow, DJ on BBC 6 Music on Sunday afternoons, 2 till 4pm. His two hour show, I suspect with a hint of irony, is called Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour. Elbow are a fine band, and judging by the music he plays on his show, are inspired by great musicians. If ever I became a famous bear and was invited onto Dessert Island Discs, I’d just point to Mr. Garvey and say, “Talk to this chap; he knows what I like”.

I was already vaguely aware of Nadine Shah from the odd radio play here and there, but it was Guy Garvey who tweeted how good the album was, so on that recommendation how could I not buy it? And disappointed I was not. 4 paws out of 5

2. Sufjan Stevens– “Carrie and Lowell”

It’s easy to pass off Sufjan Stevens as quirky indie pop, but I genuinely believe there is a wonderful folk music core to his songs, especially when stripped of the Vince Guarldi-esque orchestrations he used to be so fond of. This album, a heart wrenching ode to his late mother and his stepfather, shows how delicate and beautiful his songwriting really can be. Highly recommended.  4.5 paws out of 5

1. Blur- “The Magic Whip”

Blur are in that unique position of not needing the money, but still release albums (albeit very sporadically) for the love of music. And unlike Radiohead, who decided to go a bit mental after OK Computer, Blur still make writing great pop songs look very easy indeed. So, hot on the heels of Damon Albarn’s amazing solo effort last year, I bring you The Magic Whip- my favourite album of 2015 so far. 4.5 paws out of 5