The second half of 2015 has a lot to live up to. Already this year, we’ve seen breakout releases from Viet Cong, Courtney Barnett and others, along with career defining follow-ups from Kendrick Lamar, Sufjan Stevens and Father John Misty. While we wait out the rest of the year for releases from Kanye West and Tame Impala, we decided to get our bearings in June and list the best albums of 2015 so far. Some albums you’ll see make multiple lists are Kendrick Lamar, Viet Cong, Courtney Barnett, Jamie xx, Sleater-Kinney, Young Fathers and others. We’ve already shared , and you can see what albums we think have stood out this year below:
Matt Miller
1) Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp a Butterfly”
2) Courtney Barnett, “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit”
3) Sufjan Stevens, “Carrie & Lowell”
4) Viet Cong, “Viet Cong”
5) Father John Misty, “I Love You, Honeybear”
6) Lower Dens, “Escape From Evil”
7) Young Fathers, “White Men Are Black Men Too”
8) Jamie xx, “In Colour”
9) Speedy Ortiz, “Foil Deer”
10) Tobias Jesso Jr., “Goon”
John Wenzel
1) Viet Cong, “Viet Cong”
2) Hop Along, “Painted Shut”
3) Sleater-Kinney, “No Cities to Love”
4) Part Time, “Virgo’s Maze”
5) Jim O’Rourke, “Simple Songs”
6) Mac McCaughan, “Non-Believers”
7) Lightning Bolt, “Fantasy Empire”
8) The Helio Sequence, “The Helio Sequence”
9) Robert Pollard, “Faulty Superheroes”
10) Of Montreal, “Snare Lustrous Doomings”
Ashley Dean
1) Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp a Butterfly”
2) Sleater-Kinney, “No Cities to Love”
3) Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, “Surf”
4) Speedy Ortiz, “Foil Deer”
5) Waxatachee, “Ivy Tripp”
6) Young Fathers, “White Men Are Black Men Too”
7) Courtney Barnett, “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit”
8) Viet Cong, “Viet Cong”
9) Sufjan Stevens, “Carrie & Lowell”
10) Drake, “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late”
Dylan Owens
1) Father John Misty, “I Love You, Honeybear”
2) Sufjan Stevens, “Carrie And Lowell”
3) Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp A Butterfly”
4) Unknown Mortal Orchestra, “Multi-Love”
5) Alabama Shakes, “Sound And Color”
6) Hot Chip, “Why Make Sense?”
7) Courtney Barnett, “Sometimes I Sit And Think…”
8) The Tallest Man On Earth, “Dark Bird Is Home”
9) Nao, “February 15″
10) Jessica Pratt, “On Your Own Love Again”
Julio Enriquez
1) Jamie xx, “In Colour”
2) Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp a Butterfly”
3) Lower Dens, “Escape From Evil”
4) Mikal Cronin, “MCIII”
5) Sufjan Stevens, “Carrie & Lowell”
6) Courtney Barnett, “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit”
7) Hot Chip “Why Make Sense”
8) Miami Horror, “All Pssible Futures”
9) Jose Gonzalez, “Vestiges and Claws”
10) Viet Cong, “Viet Cong”
Bailey Constas
1) Chastity Belt, “Time To Go Home”
2) Courtney Barnett, “Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit”
3) Toro Y Moi, “What For?”
4) Death Cab For Cutie, “Kintsugi”
5) Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp A Butterfly”
6) Juan Wauters, “Who Me?”
7) Blur, “The Magic Whip”
8) Tei Shi, “Verde EP”
9) Ava Luna, “Infinite House”
10) The Wombats, “Glitterbug”
Sam Deleo
1) Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp a Butterfly”
2) Hiatus Kaiyote, “Choose Your Weapon”
3) Metz, “II”
4) Thee Oh Sees, “Mutilator Defeated At Last”
5) Roisin Murphy, “Hairless Toys”
6) Laura Marling, “Short Movie”
7) Alabama Shakes, “Sound & Color”
8) Summer Cannibals, “Show Us Your Mind”
9) Action Bronson, “Mr. Wonderful”
10) Blur, “The Magic Whip”
Ru Johnson
1. A$AP Rocky, “At. Long. Last. A.$.A.P”
2) Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp a Butterfly”
3) Drake, “If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late.”
4) Big Sean, “Dark Sky Paradise”
5) Action Bronson, “Mr. Wonderful”
6) Tyler the Creator, “Cherry Bomb”
7) Joey Bada$$, “B4. Da. $$”
8) Jamie xx, “In Colour”
9) Young Fathers, “White Men Are Black Men Too”
10) Wale, “The Album About Nothing”
