While writing this post it dawned on me how much each artist had in common. Mainly, there's one creative lead that writes, sings and performs. Each musician is (or was) part of a band, but ultimately the work is their own. The music styles are somewhat different on the surface, but there are many common elements. I suppose this just shows how predictable my tastes are!
As usual, my top album choices are based on what I got the most enjoyment out of personally. The albums don't necessarily need to have been released in 2015, only that I listened to them for the first time this year.
Edit: My brother accurately pointed out that I had neglected Steven Wilson's Hand. Cannot. Erase., so I added #6 to the list!
Big Wreck - Albatross - 2012
Led by singer, songwriter and lead guitarist Ian Thornley, Big Wreck is a Canadian band that formed in Boston, MA way back in the 90's. After releasing albums in 1997 and 2001, the band split but Ian reformed with Brian Doherty in 2012 to produce Albatross. While this album wasn't a big departure from their earlier rock albums, the production, instrumentation and arrangement of the songs have a level of sophistication that shows a lot of growth. Ian's vocals sound very similar to Chris Cornell, and it took me a while to be able to distinguish the two. Favorites on Albatross are Control and Wolves.Big Wreck - Ghosts - 2014
With the same band and producer lineup from Albatross, the 2014 release of Ghosts continued the momentum for Ian and crew. The album was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2015 Juno Awards (Canadian version of the Grammys.) At nearly 70 minutes, Ghosts is a polished and detailed work that consists of hard rock, blues rock and soft rock, and finishes with a cover of the 1983 song War Baby. I ended up waking up with one of the 13 tracks running through my head every morning for about three months. At some point I read that among other bands, Supertramp was an influence for Ian. The precision arrangement and recording of each song is how I see the connection. This album has it all for me.The Dear Hunter - Act IV Rebirth in Reprise - 2015
Similar to Big Wreck, The Dear Hunter is originally from Boston with a single musician as the heart and soul. Casey Crescenzo does it all start to finish with help from his brother (drummer), the band, and even his Mom. The Dear Hunter is definitely progressive rock, and the style is a bit all over the place, including a signature 'carnival' sound, dance pop, Beach Boys harmonies, and of course, epic choruses and guitar solos. Casey has been creating themed albums since 2006, and Act IV is indeed the 4th of a series of concept albums. I read somewhere that Casey's father was a recording engineer/producer and that Casey spent a lot of time in various studios. Likely as a result, his recording and production is top notch.Brian Wilson - No Pier Pressure - 2015
To the chagrin of some, producer Joe Thomas put the gloss on the 2015 solo release by Brian Wilson. Having produced Brian's 1998 album Imagination (which I loved), Thomas seems to me like the ideal person to 'over-produce' the layered harmonies the Beach Boys and its front-man have been known for. Former Beach Boys Al Jardine and David Marks perform on the album, but the prominent contribution is from contemporary artists like Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities, Nate Ruess of Fun, Zooey Deschanel, and Kacey Musgraves. Two of my favorite tracks feature these ladies, and I think Brian brings their vocals to a new level. I'm not a fan of every track, but I played at least a handful about a hundred times.Jeff Lynne's ELO - Alone in the Universe
Jeff Lynne has come out of the woodwork to release the first new ELO material since the 2001 album Zoom. With the longstanding popularity of ELO and the fact that he writes and plays all the music, Jeff Lynne could be considered one of the most underappreciated musicians of our era. Some former band members charted off on their own as "Electric Light Orchestra Part II", and I'm guessing Jeff wanted to make it clear this album is legit, hence adding his name to it. The album has a lot of classic moments that seem to intentionally hint at his former hits, and for me this creates a nice nostalgia. I do miss hearing a true string section, however. The synth orchestra just doesn't cut it. Having watched some recent videos of Jeff performing, I found it pretty amazing that his vocal ability is still excellent at age 68. As usual, Jeff hides behind his sunglasses and seems shy as ever. Maybe that's one of the reasons his fame has been muted. No matter, his music is the focus, and as a huge ELO fan, I'm really happy he's continued to write and record.Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase. - 2015
How could I forget about Steven Wilson's Hand. Cannot. Erase.? I have no good excuse. It was early in 2015. Also, the album took some time to have an impact on me. I often wish he was still making more accessible tracks with the guys from Porcupine Tree. My first impression of HCE was that it meandered around and there was not one song that I liked all the way through. But after seeing the album tracks performed live in June, I had a new perspective. I feel like there are at least two stand-out tracks. Home Invasion may have my favorite stretch of soloing ever, going from Adam Holzman on synth to Guthrie Goven on guitar. So epic. Ancestral is another killer track. So, my apologies Mr. Wilson. You are awesome.
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