CREDIT: TWENTY ONE PILOTS / FUELED BY RAMEN
For better or for worse, music is getting weirder.

We can thank 2015 for some truly amazing moments, especially the “Hotline Bling” music video. Although we have to remember it’s also responsible for such atrocities as Carly Rae Jepsen’s “I Really (really really really really really) Like You”, here are some hits and misses of 2015 that are worth remembering.

Hits

Drake – If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late

For a long time Drake was known as, “The whiney guy who sings a little” but since this album came out, he’s become a king in his own right. It’s one thing to drop an experimental surprise album, but it’s another thing entirely for that album to go platinum. The aggression and artistic freedom woven throughout this record make it a breath of fresh air amongst Drake’s repertoire. If his next album, Views From The Six, continues along this path, it’s likely that we’ll see another platinum record in his future.

Modest Mouse – Strangers To Ourselves

If it were up to Modest Mouse, I’m sure that they would still be writing this album. After spending six years making Strangers To Ourselves, it’s safe to say that every single second has been analyzed, triple-checked, disassembled and completely rebuilt from the ground up. As a result, this record is perhaps the most produced and accessible Modest Mouse album to date. While the band is well known for their raw chaotic passion, hearing their songs brought to this level of complex organization brings a new kind of appreciation. If anyone is thinking about getting into Modest Mouse, this is a great place to start.

Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface

After hearing their radio hit “Tear in my Heart”, I was reluctant to give this album a chance, but I’m glad that I did. The rest of this record sounds like it was done by an entirely different band, and even includes references to how they feel about needing to write a song like “Tear in my Heart”. Blurryface is so incredibly varied that at times it sounds like a brilliant compilation album. It’s hard to pinpoint what Twenty One Pilots’ sound is, other than incredibly unique. This is the kind of music you need to play on repeat all day to catch all the little nuances.

Misses

Kid Cudi – Speeding Bullet 2 Heaven

When an album’s most favourable review is titled “Not as Bad as Everyone Thinks”, you go into it with pretty low expectations. Sadly, my expectations weren’t quite low enough because I was still incredibly disappointed. This album is so bad that it’s almost entertaining… almost. From the overbearing, out of place Beavis and Butthead skits, to lyrics like “no more chicken sandwiches, I’ll pay for the damages”, this entire album is one misadventure after another. Kid Cudi takes the shortest inclinations of a tune, and stretches them to an entire song’s length. This album might have been interesting if it strayed towards a Captain Beefheart kind of absurdity, but instead it will die in obscurity.

Adele – 25

I’m not really sure why this album broke so many records, and I’m sure I’ll get a lot of flack for putting this under the ‘misses’ category, but remember this is just an opinion. Adele’s 25 held a lot of promise, and a lot of anticipation, but it just didn’t live up to the hype. It would be an okay adult-contemporary album if anyone else sung it, but as far as Adele goes, this is a bit of a dud. The fiery passion from her former hit singles has seemingly died out, leaving 25 to wallow in their smoldering ashes. Adele’s powerful vocals are still present, but the enthusiasm seems to have diminished. The most exciting part of this album is over before it really begins, and listeners spend the rest of their time anticipating the end of it all. This is the kind of album you listen to once and put on a shelf beside your dusty collection of early 2000’s records.

Miley Cyrus – Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz

Once in a while, an artist releases an album so bad that it’s actually incredibly entertaining. Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz is the kind of joke that cracks you up long before the punch line hits and prompts you to share it with all your friends. Seriously, if you haven’t listened to this album yet, go watch the music video for “Dooo It!” This song pretty much sums up your entire listening experience for the album: forgettable, uncomfortable, tacky and forced. Miley Cryus’ pets may have died, but I can assure you they’re in a better place, far, far, from this record.