Following on from our countdown of the 40 best records from around the world in 2015, we wanted to expand on that list and shine some light on some more of our favourite Australian records of the year. The top 15 albums on this list also appear in the same order in the international list – so you can read more about why we chose those albums on the original countdown. In the meantime, enjoy our choices from 40 to 16…
40. Jess Ribeiro – Kill It Yourself
39. Darren Hanlon – Where Did I Come From?
“Darren Hanlon’s storytelling is timeless and continues to age just as well as any Penfolds Grange. Where Did You Come From? is a great return from a man the local music scene should have plenty of time for. A fan since being introduced to his work in high school, I’ll be listening to this album for a while to come.” – Dylan Marshall
38. Cull – Aloft
37. Last Dinosaurs – Wellness
36. Dick Diver – Melbourne, Florida
“…this is a very different album from Calendar Days that expands their musical range (and therefore their audience) while staying true to the things that we fell in love with in the first place. Melbourne, Florida stands on its own as an album, and anyone who likes their jangle-pop with a bit of instrumental experimentation will have it on high rotation.” – Ingmar Duldig
35. Kita Alexander – Like You Want To EP
34. Moses Gunn Collective – Mercy Mountain
“It was surprisingly clear, as to what songs were going to go on the album, because we were writing every day. We’ve got a really nice home studio set up here and so we’re literally every day, just writing and mucking around, having fun. When we looked at what was there, we could see a really clear thirteen track collection that we wanted to put on. It was surprisingly clear, considering all the crap that we’re always making!” – Aidan Moore talks about making the record with Sosefina Fuamoli
33. Szymon – Tigersapp
“I really think the music speaks for itself. It’s a tragedy that Szymon isn’t here with us today but to know people are finding hope and joy in his music is all we could ever ask for.” – Craig Hawker
32. Marlon Williams – Self-Titled
“Marlon Williams has become yet another NZ-born artist we’re claiming as our own – the Melbourne-based performer well and truly made his mark with the release of his self-titled release in 2015. Honestly one of the most captivating and talented vocalists I’ve come across in a long time, this record has so much on it to appeal to more people outside the country/blues crowd of fans he’s cultivated in the last few years already.” – Sosefina Fuamoli
31. Hiatus Kaiyote – Choose Your Weapon
“As a collective, Hiatus Kaiyote have only pushed boundaries further and experimented with some more great sounds on Choose Your Weapon. These guys have always remained ahead of the curve and long may they do so.” – Sosefina Fuamoli
30. Little May – For The Company
“For The Company, is for the record, a stellar album; one that will definitely bring those who are lucky enough to see it live to tears of happiness and leave them in generally holistic awe. Listen to For The Company as an album; not as singles. The experience will be so much more rewarding.” – Dylan Marshall
29. Bad//Dreems – Dogs at Bay
“Bad//Dreems stand out against other burgeoning Australian rock bands… rather than entering a retrospective psychedelic culture that is growing more and more in Australia, they’ve gone back to the pleasure of Australia’s pure pub rock… This re-visitation of rock receives a welcomed reception from its listeners.” – Meredith McLean
28. Grenadiers – Summer
“Definitely one of my favourite releases this year, and the band hails from my city, so there’s an added bonus! The urgency and the pace of Summer sets the album apart from other new releases in the genre; it’s relentless, it’s fun and it doesn’t ease up at any point. A solid, solid album from a band always continuing to develop musically.” – Sosefina Fuamoli
27. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Paper Mache Balloon
“King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard are eclectic, prolific and eccentric but it would all be redundant if they weren’t exceptional. This album just further consolidates that very fact, not because it’s brave to take such a shift in direction but because they lack the fear to do whatever the hell they want whenever the hell they want, and most importantly they master it with conviction and a smile on their face.” – James Stanley
26. Patrick James – Outlier
25. The Paper Kites – twelvefour
“The Paper Kites share an impressive sense of musicality, evident in their latest release. twelvefour is a fluid progression of both sounds and ideas, flowing seamlessly between each track. Hypnotic, whimsical and otherworldly, this LP is simply gorgeous.” – Emmylou Macdonald
24. Dead Letter Circus – Aesthesis
23. Josh Pyke – But For All These Shrinking Hearts
“There was no pressure which was great… After the last album came out, I just started writing again, taking any chance I had I’d be in the studio playing around with new songs or ideas, or even just sonic ideas I had. At the same time I was writing my own stuff I was mucking around with a friend on a side project band which is more psychedelic rock. The process of doing that really broadened my horizons and I felt very liberated and free… I didn’t feel pressured at all to deliver anything in particular, which made the process really fun. It didn’t feel like I was working at all.” – Josh Pyke in conversation with Aidan Hogg, talking about the songwriting process behind the record.
22. Methyl Ethel – Oh Inhuman Spectacle
“Another band that came out of the woodwork this year and took our expectation of Australian music to a new level.” – Gemma Bastiani
21. Sarah Blasko – Eternal Return
“Blasko has made basically a perfect 80s album, with enough musical and lyrical depth to warrant multiple listens.” – Ingmar Duldig
20. The Jungle Giants – Speakerzoid
“Speakerzoid is another example of The Jungle Giants’ growth as a band and their move into making some solid indie pop bangers (for lack of a better word), that hold appeal and longevity. The guitars are slammin’ on this album and although their early influences are still noticeable, Speakerzoid is fresh and exciting – demonstrative of a band incredibly clued in and aware of themselves and the music they want to be making.” – Sosefina Fuamoli
19. Troye Sivan – Blue Neighbourhood
“Troye Sivan may be a newcomer in the eyes of the pop world, but it is clear that he’s not just another young, manufactured pop star. Blue Neighbourhood delivers brooding, serious and excessively progressive undertones that prove Sivan is not just another YouTube sensation – he knows what he can deliver to the world, and he sure as hell is doing a fantastic job doing it.” – Meg Kennedy
18. Gold Class – It’s You
“This band continues to blow me away, and this record is no different. Inevitably drawing parallels to seminal post punk bands, they do so much more than just recreate a burned out sound.” – Gemma Bastiani
17. Northlane – Node
“Marcus Bridge is an incredible vocalist, bringing in a new and refreshing take on what the band stand for in music. A strong stand out in today’s metalcore scene and easily one of the best records of the year.” – Jana Angeles
16. High Tension – Bully
“Hands up if you already thought High Tension’s frontwoman Karina Utomo was one of the most badass women in Australian music at the moment. A lot of you? Good taste. If you’re yet to become acquainted with the Melbourne four piece, you definitely should…” – Sosefina Fuamoli
And now onto the 15 albums already revealed…
15. Royal Headache – High
14. Saskwatch – Sorry I Let It Come Between Us
13. Chaos Divine – Colliding Skies
12. You Am I – Porridge and Hotsauce
11. Fanny Lumdsen – Small Town, Big Shot
10. Falls – Omaha
9. Holy Holy – When The Storms Would Come
8. The Hard Aches – Pheromones
7. City Calm Down – In A Restless House
6. ALPINE – Yuck
5. Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light
4. Art of Sleeping – Shiver and Shake
3. Tame Impala – Currents
2. Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
1. Gang Of Youths – The Positions
Head HERE to look back at our top 40 records from around the world, including the top 15 Australian records you see above.
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