Our favorite albums of 2015 (part 2)

Earlier today, I shared the first part of my countdown of my 50 favorite albums of 2015.

The countdown continues now. Remember to click on album art to go to where you can buy each album.

Stolen Jars — Kept

45)Stolen Jars — Kept
This is the second album by the indie-folk outfit from Montclair, New Jersey. I’m reminded of some things like Freelance Whales and Altos. Multi-instrumentalist Cody Fitzgerald started this as a solo project in 2011, and after the first record he was joined by singer Molly Grund. It’s pretty much just the two of them. Grund used to be in a band called Tawny Peaks (you really don’t want to Google that), and most of her bandmates from that have collaborated with her on this. This came out on August 28.

Hey Anna — Run Koko

44)Hey Anna — Run Koko
This is the debut album by the Brooklyn indie rock quintet. They’re one of many bands on this list who I’d never heard of until sometime this year. The group is based around the three sisters Anna (guitar/keys/vocals), Erin (guitar/keys/vocals) and Katie Rauch-Sassen (bass/vocals) along with two dudes who they’ve been friends with for a while. Rumor has it that Jamie DiTringo (guitar) dropped out of seminary school to join the band. They’ve been around for a couple of years and have released a couple of EPs and singles on the way to becoming one of the darlings of the Brooklyn indie scene. The eagerly anticipated debut was self-released on July 7.

Speedy Ortiz — Foil Deer

43)Speedy Ortiz — Foil Deer
This is the second album by the indie rock/power pop quartet from Northampton, Massachusetts. Frontwoman Sadie Dupuis (vocals/guitars) is more than just a rock star: she’s some sort of genius. She studied maths at MIT, but quit that to get a degree in poetry from the crazily prestigious Barnard College. That’s the most selective women’s school in the nation, and it’s actually part of Columbia University. So there’s that. On top of that, she earned an MFA in poetry from UMass.
While the band usually gets comparisons to Pavement and PJ Harvey, Dupuis reminds me a lot of Carol van Dijk out of Bettie Serveert. This album came out on April 21 via Carpark Records.

Marriages — Salome

42)Marriages — SalomeThis is the debut album by the post-punk/stoner rock trio from Los Angeles. Ruth Rundle (guitar/vocals) and Greg Burns (bass/keys) formed the band in 2012 from the ashes of their previous band Red Sparrowes. They released a very well-received EP called Kitsune in 2012 and spent two years making this album. They hoped to get it released last autumn, but it finally came out in April of this year via Sargent House. I love how this is dense and dark, but it’s also a little dreamy.

Haiku Salut — Etch and Etch Deep

41)Haiku Salut — Etch and Etch Deep
This is the second album by the instrumental folktronica trio from Derbyshire, England. Back in September, I described them as a combination of Freelance Whales and The Notwist, but with vocals removed. Yes. Another Freelance Whales reference, because they use so much harmonium and glockenspiel This is one of my sentimental favorites of the year, and I wish I could slot it higher, but there were just so many great records this year.

That’s it for now. We’ll pick up the countdown tomorrow morning.