10. SpaceGhostPurrp:

Mysterious Phonk: The 

Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp

SpaceGhostPurrp took his lo-fi, haze-filled hip-hop reminiscent of 90’s groups like Three 6 Mafia to a new level this year, releasing Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp on the London-based 4AD Records (home to indie acts such as Deerhunter and St. Vincent).

The 22-year old collection of mixtape tracks was reworked and re-mastered to give his fans studio-quality versions of standout tracks like “Mystikal Maze,” “Osiris of the East” and “Get Yah Head Bust” that demonstrate just how brilliant of a producer he is when given proper tools.

While sample clearance was not given for the Mortal Kombat and Godzilla samples he used on his mixtapes, each track is still enjoyable without them, and they show signs of a bright future for “Tha Black God” if he can secure a long-term record contract.

9. Nick Waterhouse: Time’s All Gone

Nick Waterhouse’s Time’s All Gone is definitely an album out of time and place on this list, but it’s a testament to the album’s quality that it is.

Waterhouse took the Amy Winehouse approach to his music, using his strong voice and nostalgic look (he’s always seen performing in Brooks Brothers suits that looked like they’re from the 50’s) to find success.

The only difference is where Winehouse took old-school doo-wop and R&B sounds and modernized them thanks to production from Mark Ronson, Waterhouse plays it by the back, leading his own band by playing lead guitar and sticking to classic R&B conventions, resulting in an idea of what Fats Domino or Charles Brown would sound like if they recorded music today.

Lead single “Say I Wanna Know” has already been used in a car commercial, and it’s been the primary way Waterhouse has garnered his fame. Be sure to check out other highlights like “Some Place,” “I Can Only Give You Everything” and the two part “Time’s All Gone.”

8. Flying Lotus: Until the Quiet Comes

Los Angeles electronic producer Steve Ellison, a.k.a. Flying Lotus, continues to push the boundaries of not only electronic music, but hip-hop as well.

His latest effort, Until the Quiet Comes fuses his unique, bass-heavy sound with his jazz roots (he’s the godson of John and Alice Coltrane) to create a futuristic hip-hop soundscape.

Ellison effectively manipulates time throughout the album – from the fast-paced, skittering “Putty Boy Strut” to the slow, crawling “Electric Candyman” that boasts a feature from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke.

Ellison made the most logic move for his career by melding the two sounds he’s worked with in the past into one cohesive, dream-like album.

Tracks such as “Getting There,”  “Heave(N)” and “Sultan’s Request” represent of the electro-hip-hop style of music from earlier albums, 1985 and Los Angeles, while the Erykah Badu-featuring lead single “See Thru to U,” “DMT Song” and album closer “Dream to Me” are good representations of the jazz-infused sound he began creating with 2010’s Cosmogramma.

7. Daughn Gibson: All Hell

Gibson’s time on the road as a truck driver led to the creation of All Hell, an impressive debut album that straddles the line between alt-rock, alt-country and electronic music, and sounds about as desolate and lonely as the open roads he once traveled.

Gibson’s greatest strength is his effective use of great spacing in his songs to let each track build, as well as letting the soundscape dominate most tracks.

Much of Gibson’s debut deals with loneliness with most of it relating to lost love.

Lead single “Tiffany Lou” demonstrates Gibson’s storytelling ability as he tells the tale of a young girl remembering the tragic death of her father, while standout track “Rain on a Highway” has Gibson recounting his own tale of lost love.

Gibson’s deep, distraught croon adds a deeper effect to the isolated vibe of the album, as well, making tracks like “In the Beginning”, where he attempts to convince a former lover that he’s changed, more relatable.

6. Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel…

While The Idler Wheel… may not be the same Fiona Apple the music world was introduced to on Tidal or When the Pawn…, it’s clear that this is the first time Apple has successfully stood out on her own.

In the past, talking about a Fiona Apple album was just as much commenting on the production of Jon Brion.

On her second album without Brion, Apple has finally perfected a sound that still lends itself to her earlier albums, but is still all her own.

The Idler Wheel… may not be as angst-ridden and angry as Apple’s previous work, but the maturity she’s gained in the seven years she’s taken off from recording music proved to work in her favor when constructing this album.

5. Death Grips: The Money Store/No Love Deep Web

The duo of MC Ride and Zach Hill are the real definition of rock stars, doing what they want when they want, and answering to no one.

Releasing two albums in a six-month span that eventually got them let go from their major label, The Money Store and No Love Deep Web proved to be an enjoyable assault on the ears, giving the music world some of the most adrenaline-fueled, riotous music released in years. The vibe of both albums is aided by the aggressive nature of MC Ride’s delivery, yelling to the point that he nearly loses his voice in nearly every track.

From the creative sample sources (including old Sega games, 90’s hip-hop, YouTube clips and Serena Williams’ tennis grunts) in The Money Store to the bass-heavy synth-hop of No Love Deep Web, Death Grips have proven to be game changers in the world of hip-hop, and music in general.

4. Chromatics: Kill for Love

This Portland, Oregon band took a big step forward this year with the release of Kill for Love, an ambitious, cinematic-like exploration of the band’s signature electro-pop sound known as “Italo-disco” that owes as much to the sounds of 1970s disco as it does to bands like Joy Division and New Order.

The simplicity and dreamy textures and tones make this album and enjoyable experience from start to finish.

Hit after hit flows from this album all while sounding like one cohesive effort than just a collection of songs, starting with the captivating “Into the Black” and flowing right into lead single and title track “Kill for Love,” to the EDM meets disco infused “Lady” and “These Streets Will Never Look the Same”.

As bold as it is to say that Chromatics may have crafted a modern day classic in Kill for Love, it’s hard to not shake the thoughts from your head. Do yourself a favor; buy this album as soon as you can.

3. Beach House: Bloom

Bloom finds Beach House going forwards in ways I never could have imagined after the release of Teen Dream, though.

The band has cultivated a fuller sound and has learned how to pace out their tracks and leave them open for dramatic effect, as seen in standout tracks like “Myth,” “Wild,” “Lazuli” and “Other People”. This is aided by full use of live drums rather than programed beats they used in the past. All in all, Bloom showed that there was still improvements a very good band could make on their way to becoming a very great band. With that feat now accomplished, it’s only a matter of time before Beach House is able to bust through the indie rock glass ceiling and into the mainstream.

2.  Frank Ocean: Channel Orange

Deciding between two and three was a real hard decision. While Frank Ocean and Beach House both delivered impressive albums, I believe Channel Orange was the better album from start to finish.

Ocean’s soulful voice, excellent songwriting ability and ear for production has him at the top of today’s young artists, and will hopefully elevate him to superstar status with his next release.

1. Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d. city

There’s really not much that can be said about good kid, m.A.A.d. city that wasn’t already said in my previous review.

Kendrick Lamar created a conceptual masterpiece that’s unparalleled by any album released this year.

It’s a rare feat when an artist can paint a perfect picture of a coming-of-age story the way Lamar did about his transformation from K-Dot to Kendrick across an entire album.