Challengingly brilliant
Both fans and critics want artists to
move forward, push boundaries and confound expectations with their music. When it works, the results are thrilling. But 2015 saw a clutch of artists create dense, difficult works that challenged listeners with their length, scope, and emotional weight. BJ RK
Vulnicura By nature, breakups are messy and difficult affairs. So it’s hardly surprising that Björk’s first record following the dissolution of her marriage to visual artist Matthew Barney cuts so deep. Against a backdrop of beats and strings, the Icelandic singer wields her feelings as both armour and weapon.
KENDRICK LAMAR
To Pimp a Butterfly
In the wake of #blacklivesmatter, many turned to one of hip-hop’s most outspoken voices. Yet few expected that To Pimp a Butterfly would offer nothing less than a treatise on blackness in America. It lacks the radiofriendly bangers most expect from blockbuster rap records, but Butterfly is a dense, confounding and ultimately rewarding listen. JOANNA NEWSOM
Divers Divers pares down Joanna Newsom’s ornate orchestrations into (relatively) digestible servings without losing any of the nuance that’s inspired a devoted following. But the harpist pairs her arrangements with anxious lyrics that can only see fear of death in the face of love, making this the “glass-halfempty” record of the year.
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
Garden of Delete
This is the soundtrack for the internet’s
BJÖRK collective detritus, while bringing the many sonic moods of producer Daniel Lopatin under one roof. But unpacking its larger context — a pubescent alien named Ezra whose story spills over into Twitter accounts, videos and even blogs back-dated to the mid-’90s — challenged even the most ardent fans. TITUS ANDRONICUS The Most Lamentable Tragedy Patrick Stickles never met an idea too ambitious; this record explores his manic depression in a 93-minute five-part rock opera. Your typical punk rock record this is not. They never fit neatly into a box, and here the New Jersey crew once again confounded expectations.