Tim Keen of Ought Picks His Favourite Albums Of The Year

We invited artists, labels and publicists to tell us which records or artists they’ve personally enjoyed over the last twelve months. Tim Keen‘s picks below. Ought’s new album Sun Coming Down is out now via Constellation Records.

This list season has left me more frustrated than any I can remember. Surely, as we all seem to be spending more and more time listening to music, the aggregate of year-end lists should theoretically provide a diverse set of recommendations, a subjective cataloging of the “long tail”. Instead, it seems that the list of albums eligible for inclusion on year-end lists is relatively set in stone (those with big enough distro to be heard by literally everyone), and the collective conversation is limited to bickering about the order. year-end lists then become more about which records had the largest impact on the public conversation about music than which records people enjoyed and want to share with others, while they’re written by the publications that more or less decide which records might have the largest impact on the public conversation about music in the first place. The websites celebrate their self-fulfilling prophecy fulfilled, everyone listens to records they’ve already heard 1000 times, we celebrate another year in independent culture.

Here’s some records in no order that made my jaw drop in 2015.


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Heather Leigh – I Abused Animal (Ideologic Organ/Editions Mego)
Very late to the game but probably my favourite record of the year. Pedal steel and voice, Heather Leigh is a frequent Jandek/Brötzmann/et. al. collaborator.



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* Shining Wizard * – Avec Grace Brooks & James Goddard (Self-Released)
Local noisey free jazz heroes put forward their best-produced and most cohesive work yet.



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Weed – Running Back (Lefse Records)
Honestly amazed that this hasn’t made more lists. Honorable 90s-worship from Vancouver, these songs are really sad and catchy.



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Ursula – Hair Salon (Self-Released)
Fucking brilliant Boston neg punk.



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The Body and Thou – You Whom I Have Always Hated (Thrill Jockey)
Crushing as always. Essentially a Thou record with some additional production/samples.



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OOPS – DEMO MMXV (Self-Released)
St Henri supergroup presents the best punk demo of 2015.



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Jerusalem In My Heart – If He Dies, If If If If If (Constellation)
An informed and moving statement of purpose from our Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, our dear friend and collaborator. Getting the nods it deserves from all the right people.



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Palberta – Hot On The Beach (JMC Aggregate)
NY weirdos in a parallel universe. I listened to this record multiple times in the Canadian border security line after a long flight, you should try the same for maximum effect.



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Wreckage With Stick – La Vitrola 19.07.15 (Self-Released)
Live recording of a show I’m still kicking myself for missing (thanks, tour…). Local Flipper/Jim Shepard/Harry Pussy enthusiasts indulge their patient side.



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Mgla – Exercises in Futility (No Solace)
Polish black metal traditionalists do good, for those who miss Darkthrone. The 2005 compilation called “Crushing the Holy Trinity” is also essential listening.

Photo Credit: Hera-Chan
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