Released: May 4th
Points: 2 (Mick)
Best Track: Go Home
Released: February 11th
Points: 20 (Pat 10, Andy 9, Jangles 1)
It's a bit embarrassing that 4 of our top 10, and all of our top 3, are Milk! Records releases. We polled independently and honestly, and thus the results indicate Milk's 100% strike rate. Lucklaster, for me, has been the label's greatest achievement. Oliver Mestitz's songwriting is beautifully realized through his uncanny ability to project frailty and fragility in his music - and is framed by the talents of those who contributed to the record. Every song is flawless and a masterpiece. Black Dog introduced me to this album and resonated like no other song has before, but ultimately it is Weirdo's Walk that takes the cake as my favourite track on this album, and favourite of the year. Maddie Duke's voice stuns me every time I hear it.
- Pat
Mick
1. Bunyip - Ouch My Face (10 Points)
2. It's You - Gold Class (9 Points)
3. Quarters - King Gizz (8 Points)
4. Sometimes I Sit and Think - Courtney Barnett (7 Points)
5. Parallax Error - Hierophants (6 Points)
6. Melbourne, Florida - Dick Diver (5 Points)
7. Easy Trip - Splendidid (4 Points)
8. Sorry! - Circular Keys (3 Points)
9. Down Time - Totally Mild (2 Points)
10. Hard Hold - Jaala (1 Pt.)
11. And Sometimes Why - Vowel Movement (1 Pt.)
Released: March 3rd
Points: 12 (John Son 9, Pat 3)
Laden with fuzzy guitar riffery, and characterised by the swirling vocal combination of Antonia Sellbach and Luke Horton, Blast pays homage to the sounds of early 90s grunge. In particular, it appears to draw great influence from the seminal Sonic Youth. Being Love of Diagrams first release since 2009, by no means does Blast set out to reinvent the work of their predecessors. Rather, it amicably merges thrashing, distorted guitars with elements of hazy shoe-gaze, all whilst maintaining it's unrelenting drive throughout. Stand out track: In My Dream.
- John
John Son
1. Morbid Thoughts - Flour (10 Points)
2. Blast - Love of Diagrams (9 Points)
3. Bunyip - Ouch My Face (8 Points)
4. Womb - Orb (7 Points)
5. Paper Mache Dream Balloon - King Gizz (6 Points)
6. Range Anxiety - Twerps (5 Points)
7. Sun Bazel - Sun Bazel (4 Points)
8. Take Me Elsewhere - The Raah Project (3 Points)
9. Sometimes I Sit and Think - Courtney Barnett (2 Points)
10. It's not me, It's you - The Meanies (1 Pt.)
11. Cosmic Blip - Pipe-Eye (1 Pt.)
12. Hard Hold - Jaala (1 Pt.)
13. Bad Blood - Clowns (1 Pt.)
14. Sewer side/goblinwells - goblinwells/sewerside (1 pt.)
15. Choose Your Weapon - Hiatus Kaiyote (1 pt)
Released: May 7th
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: Key Largo
Released: November 24th
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: Ellen Degeneres
Released: September 4th
Points: 16 (Mick 9, Andy 7)
This debut album begins our official top 5, and rightfully earns it's spot through the dark and confusing mix of sounds they present on It's You. The band received heavy rotation on community radio (good radio) and listeners subsequently saw their record slipping off the shelves. Of the top 10 albums on this list, Gold Class's release indicates the most potential for the future. Highlight - Life As A Gun.
- Pat
Released: January 23rd
Points: 6 (John 5, Jangles 1)
Best Track: Stranger
Released: July 10th
Points: 3 (Mick)
Best Track: Baby (Lite)
Released: March 20th
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: How Ya Doin?
Released: March 13th
Points: 3 (John Son)
Best Track: Kill Me In The Summer
Released: November 6th
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: Down City Streets (Emma Donovan and the Putbacks feat. Archie Roach)
Released: January 23rd
Points: 7 (John Son)
Heavy, prog, doom. No other phrases can most appropriately describe this record. Womb, the work of Geelong natives Orb, is brutal in its intensity and the chunky riffs are akin to something you’d find yourself pouring out of a Campbell’s soup can on a miserable Monday smoko. The EP is further accentuated by the variations in time/tempo, adding to each track without the record thus sounding disconnected. Standout track: 11th Commandment.
- John Son
Jimmy Jangles
1. Melbourne, Florida - Dick Diver (10 Points)
2. When We Talk About Love - Oh Mercy (9 Points)
3. Paper Mache Dream Balloon - King Gizz (8 Points)
4. Sometimes I Sit and Think - Courtney Barnett (7 Points)
5. Slow Gum - Fraser A. Gorman (6 Points)
6. Cold Summers - Crepes (5 Points)
7. Quarters - King Gizz (4 Points)
8. Sun Bazel - Sun Bazel (3 Points)
9. Hard Hold - Jaala (2 Points)
10. Pretend You're Mine - Pearls (1 Pt.)
11. Kill It Yourself - Jess Ribiero (1 Pt.)
12. Lucklaster - The Finks (1 Pt.)
13. Below Empty & Westward Bound - Darts (1 Pt.)
14. Range Anxiety - Twerps (1 Pt.)
15. Electric Glitter Boogie - Power (1 Pt.)
16. Easy Trip - Splendidid (1 Pt.)
17. Karmasouptruck - Gilligan Smiles (1 Pt.)
Pat
1. Lucklaster - The Finks (10 Points)
2. Slow Gum - Fraser A. Gorman (9 Points)
3. Gilligan Smiles - Karmasouptruck (8 Points)
4. Assertions - Ministry of Plenty (7 Points)
5. Choose Your Weapon - Hiatus Kaiyote (6 Points)
6. Hard Hold - Jaala (5 Points)
7. When We Talk About Love - Oh Mercy (4 Points)
8. Blast - Love of Diagrams (3 Points)
9. Quarters - King Gizz (2 Points)
10. Charcoal Lane 25th Ann. Ed. - Archie Roach (1 pt.)
11. Bunyip - Ouch My Face (1 pt.)
12. Melbourne, Florida - Dick Diver (1 pt.)
13. Sometimes I Sit and Think - Courtney Barnett (1 pt.)
14. Paper Mache Dream Balloon - King Gizz (1 pt.)
15. Kill It Yourself - Jess RIbiero
16. Snax, Spirits and Classic Hits - The Pink Tiles (1 pt.)
17. Mind Renovation - Dorsal Fins
18. Self-Titled - James Moloney and the Mad Dog Harrisons (1 pt.)
19. Live in Warnambool - Alex Pizzol & The Mackinaw Peaches (1 pt.)
20. Not About Love - Oliver Jach (1 pt.)
21. Self-Titled - Jemma & The Clifton Hillbillies (1 pt.)
22. Self-Titles - Seedy Jeezus (1 pt.)
23. Biomass - Batpiss (1 pt.)
24. Dead Set - King Parrot (1 pt.)
25. Best of the Tru Thoughts Years - The Bamboos (1 pt.)
Released: November 13th
Points: 15 (James 8, John 6, Pat 1)
Paper Mache Dream Balloon is possibly my favourite Gizz album thus far. It's warm and playful sonic facade covers much of the sinister lyrical meanings. ‘Cold Cadaver’ and ’N.G.R.I’ could be song names from a death metal band. The all acoustic instrumentation portrays a 4pm late 90s ABC kids show theme song, which is highly nostalgic.
- Jangles
Released: March 1
Points: 7 (John 4, Jangles 3)
The Breathlessness label strikes again with this standout release from Altona's Sun Bazel (they count as a Melbourne band, at least for the sake of this list). It is buzzing, colourful and rattling - obvious standout is It's Alright (Party Song).
Released: September 25th
Points: 10 (John Son)
Morbid thoughts, the debut full length from Melbourne's Flour, has narrowly claimed the prestigious title as my most enjoyed record of the year. There is a touch of Melbourne punk icons The Meanies present in the songwriting, highlighting the band's ability to write genuinely catchy melodies. The record is full of, as the band proclaims, "care free punk rock" with tunes that simultaneously grab your attention and wallop you clean in the moosh. Grimy fuzzy guitars and droning vocals a feature throughout. Banging album. Stand out track: carpet ride
- John
Released: May 28th
Points: 7 (Pat)
When I reviewed this EP in June, I gave it a rating of Evanly/10. Ministry of Plenty's dreamy affair still stands as one of the freshest sounds I have been introduced to this year. Track 4, Evan (the highlight), is a revelation to anyone expecting the unexpected. Assertions was eligible for this list by the skin of it's teeth, with 5 tracks clocking up just over 26 minutes of listening. All 26 minutes are enjoyable.
- Pat
Released: March 20th
Points: 22 (Jangles 7, Mick 7, Andy 5, John 2, Pat 1)
Courtney Barnett has more buzz around her than a bee hive. From Fitzroy hipster to middle-aged women communities alike (my mum has the CD in her car). Her honest, dead-pan delivery is refreshing and her lyrical ideas of the mundane can make fact sound like fiction. The sonic production is great, there are both bombastic rock drums and also slow introverted songs throughout the album and it still sounds cohesive. Grammy nomination or not, Courtney Barnett is still so down to earth which is probably why she has managed to avoid any tall poppy syndrome, and instead thrown up on a pedestal for all the world to see. While falling short of anyone's top 3, the album landed in the #1 spot through consistency - it is the only one that all 5 of us had listed. This ring's true to the universal appeal of the record that has skyrocketed Barnett to stardom this year.
- Jangles
Released: March 6th
Points: 17 (Jangles 10, Mick 5, Andy 1, Pat 1)
Melbourne, Florida is without a doubt my favourite local Melbourne release for 2015. Waste the alphabet is the perfect pop song, clocking in at just over 2 minutes. It’s easy to listen to and doesn't get boring. The whole album follows that ethos, with a multitude of songwriters, vocalists and instrumentation, Melbourne Florida is fresh throughout with each song sounding different yet cohesive.
- Jangles
Released: June 5th
Points: 9 (Pat 8, James 1)
Just like no. 15 on this list, Karmasouptruck exalts maturation - it shows a disposal of pop vibes in favour of a richer and more fulfilling psychadelic sound. Album highlight Atlas Johnson and the Chestnut Green Railway was a defining moment in the evolution of the band's music. Also, this album sits in 16th thanks to the shameless self-awarding of a point by Gilligan Smiles lead-spinner James...... disgraceful.
- Pat
45. Yuck - Alpine
Released: November 13th
Points: 8 (Andy)
Although technically EDM albums don’t exist (and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong and doesn’t know how to rave) I thought it was necessary to acknowledge the amazing collective work by No-Zu this year. Merging some, it’s a bit disco, kind of jazzy, a bit psychedelic, and heaps of groovy. You’ll be confused, but don’t worry, just dance and you’ll be all fine.
- Andy
Released: June 12th
Points: 1 (Jangles)
Best Track: Foolish
Released: May 1st
Points: 14 (Mick 8, Jangles 4, Pat 2)
Ten 10s all around with this pleaser from Melbourne's most prolific rockers (seriously, I think this is album #29 for them...or something). It's impossible to pick a highlight track from an album that flows continuously as a single 40 minute journey.
- Pat
Released: September 25th
Points: 1 (Rhys)
Best Track: People Move Along
Released: October
Points: 9 (Pat 5, James 2, Rhys 1, Mick 1)
Jaala's quick-hitting debut is an honest attack on the dishonesty of songwriting. It takes you through on a racing and frantic journey without the stress of most eclectic music. The apparent inaccessibility of the record is a myth perpetuated by the close-minded and narrow-eared listeners of Australia.
- Pat
Released: July 3rd
Points: 15 (Pat 9, James 6)
I reviewed this record in June, prior to it's release, and named it my favorite record of the year at that point. It now sits in second place (see item #2 for my first). Slow Gum is another super-goal by Milk records - reinforcing its position as 2015's greatest label (at least in our opinion... 4 of the top 10 records are Milk releases). Dark Eyes is still the highlight of this record, although Shiny Gun is only narrowly second-best.
- Pat
Released: November 17th
Points: 5 (Mick 4, Jangles 1)
Best Track: Happy/Sad
Released: September 25th
Points: 1 (John Son)
Best Track: There's A Gap
17. Hi Gloss - No Zu
Released: September 25th
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: April's Fool
Released: November 27th
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: I Don't Wanna Stop feat. Kylie Auldist
48. Arbes - Swimmer
There it is, the year in review. Were you surprised with the list? We were frustrated that some absolute banger releases weren't really listable due to their length, so here are a few honourable mentions:
Shimmer Through the Night - Love Migrate
The Wind/Baby's Gonna Get Deported - The Shabbab
Radio Voice/Vessel - Good Morning
For a better idea of the points distributed and how each album fared with each of us, here are our individual lists....
Released: June 12th
Points: 13 (Jangles 9, Pat 4)
When We Talk About Love has been on heavy rotation at my house for a long time. It's warm, sonic production coupled with Alex Gow’s crooning vocals and emotional lyrics make it hard to stop listening to. Its the perfect album for hanging out with wine, cooking breakfast or slow dancing in the kitchen. ‘Sandy’ can be both a winter warmer or the perfect summer road trip tune and ‘If You Come Around Tonight’ evokes memories almost every guy has had. It’s indie pop at its best.
- Jangles
Released: August 6th
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: Mother Earth
Released: February 28th
Points: 3 (Andy)
Best Track: Rabbit Run
Released: October 28th
Points: 1 (Jangles)
Best Track: Power
Released: February
Points: 10 (Andy)
T:dy T:wns have delivered a stylistically eclectic album this year. Combining lo-fi, dreamy pop, electronic and orchestral elements between songs seems like a lot to manage, and you couldn’t really say the album progresses smoothly between tracks. But ultimately, each individual song is catchy, upbeat, and witty – Like a Melbourne grown Best Coast.
- Andy
Released: October 2nd
Points: 1 (Jangles)
Best Track: Blank
Released: February 20th
Points: 1 (John Son)
Best Track: Euthanize Me
Released: June 13th
Points: 2 (Jangles 1, Pat 1)
Best Track: Music Industry Event
Released: September 25th
Points: 4 (Andy)
Best Track: Black Blood
Released: February 13th
Points: 2 (Jangles 1, Pat 1)
Best Track: Heart On The Floor
What good is a music website without the obligatory top albums of the year list?
We each individually ranked our own personal top albums for the annum that is now coming to a close, and compiled our choices to determine a final conclusive list of the best albums. Each person's top album received 10 points, their second favourite received 9 points, the third best receives 8 and so on, until ranks 10 and beyond get 1 point each. A full breakdown of individual lists and points is at the bottom of this page.
To be eligible for the list, the release had to be an album or 5+ song EP released by a Melbourne based artist in 2015 ("Melbourne" was a little bit flexible). There were a few EPs that we loved but weren't eligible, so there's some honorable mentions at the bottom.
Is your favourite album on the list? Don't let us know, we don't really care.
Released: July 13th
Points: 19 (Mick 10, John 8, Pat 1)
Punk rock in Melbourne now has a face that is recognizable to the masses who have refused to venture near it in the past. Veteran rockers Ouch My Face reached a new crowd with their first release on the Milk! Records label, and that new crowd included us. Bunyip is a fulfilling experience and yet moves the listener to anticipate more. Highlight - Punched By a Giant.
- Pat
Released: January 31st
Points: 1 (Mick)
Best Track: Video Games
Released: August 3rd
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: Lay Low
Released: May 1st
Points: 9 (Pat 6, Andy 2, John 1)
Choose Your Weapon is a matured departure from the grooves of Hiatus Kaiyote's breakthrough album Tawk Tomahawk. A broader picture is painted, jumping from dance beats to soul and swing much quicker and smoother than on the previous release. Standout highlight is Shaolin Monk Motherfunk.
- Pat
Released: August 14th
Points: 2 (Pat 1, Jangles 1)
Best Track: Kill It Yourself
Andy
1. Sistercity - T:dy T:wns (10 Points)
2. Lucklaster - The Finks (9 Points)
3. Hi Gloss - No Zu (8 Points)
4. It's You - Gold Class (7 Points)
5. Parallax Error - Hierophants (6 Points)
6. Sometimes I Sit and Think - Courtney Barnett (5 Points)
7. Light Weight - The Ocean Party (4 Points)
8. In A Restless House - City Calm Down (3 Points)
9. Choose Your Weapon - Hiatus Kaiyote (2 Points)
10. Melbourne, Florida - Dick Diver (1 Pt.)
19. Womb - Orb
Released: June 23rd
Points: 1 (John Son)
Best Track: Penguin Jazz
THE DOORsTAMPS TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2015
Pat Wane, Jimmy Jangles, John Son, Handy Andy Hamblin, Mick Scalzo - 23/12/2015
Released: May 15th
Points: 1 (Jangles)
Best Track: Aeroplane
Released: April 8th
Points: 5 (Jangles)
Best Track: Cold Summers
Released: February 28th
Points: 1 (Jangles)
Best Track: Big Shot
Released: May 15th
Points: 1 (Pat)
Best Track: Dead Set
Released: October 23rd
Points: 12 (Andy 6, Mick 6)
Bo Diddley's dna and Lou Reed's seed were fused in a lab to create a weird, mutant child called Hierophants that recalls the strengths of both and presents new ones of it's own. At some point during it's childhood it picked up a synth, and this album somehow happened. Highlight - Hail Stones.
- Pat