Best of 2015 because I am compelled to engage in lists that only I read
My annual disclaimer: It might not be ranked. It probably won't be chronological. And it certainly doesn't promise to be interesting. But it's my list.
FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2015, ranked against my will
1. The Staves//Blood I Bled
2. Courtney Barnett//Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
3. Punch Brothers//The Phosphorescent Blues
4. Glen Hansard//Didn't He Ramble
5. Wilco//Star Wars
6. Björk//Vulnicura
7. Josh Ritter//Sermon on the Rocks
8. Young Fathers//White Men Are Black Men Too
9. David Rawlings Machine//Nashville Obsolete
10. EL VY//Return to the Moon
11. Low//Ones and Sixes
12. Gretchen Peters//Blackbirds
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket, Jason Isbell, Rayland Baxter, Metric, Torres, Calexico, Chris Stapleton, Daniel Romano, Joan Shelley, Milk Carton Kids, Best Coast, and probably Father John Misty
ALBUMS I REALLY LIKED BUT FELT WEIRD ABOUT INCLUDING BECAUSE THEY'RE MY FRIENDS OR I PLAYED ON THEM OR BOTH Dominic Moore//Amateur Sketches of Famous and Important People
My Oh My-Punch Brothers
Blood I Bled/Make It Holy-The Staves
Pedestrian At Best-Courtney Barnett
Getting Ready To Get Down-Josh Ritter
Believe (Nobody Knows)-My Morning Jacket
Nest-Young Fathers
Bullets & Rocks-Calexico
Stonemilker-Bjork
Lowly Deserter/Winning Streak-Glen Hansard
24 Frames/Speed Trap Town-Jason Isbell
Mr Rodriguez/Yellow Eyes-Rayland Baxter
Magnetized/Taste The Ceiling-Wilco
Make You Better-The Decemberists
Return to the Moon- EL VY
Sprinter-Torres
Short-Haired Woman Blues/The Trip-David Rawlings Machine
How Could You Babe-Tobias Jesso Jr
Pretty Things/Nashville-Gretchen Peters
The Blade-Ashley Monroe
Feeling OK-Best Coast
Paul (The Apostle)-Dominic Moore
Death With Dignity-Sufjan Stevens
In LIke A Lion-Adam & Darcie
The Shade-Metric
No Comprende-Low
Anna-Will Butler
The Quiet Hour- Mark Smith
Northern Exposure-Cheatahs
Highway Patrol Stun Gun-Youth Lagoon
If I've Only One Time Askin'-Daniel Romano
I Went To The Store One Day/Bored In The USA-Father John Misty
FAVORITE MOVIES Ex Machina (dude)
Mad Max: Fury Road (DUDE)
Love & Mercy
Inside/Out
Steve Jobs What We Do In The Shadows
and, yeah, The Force Awakens because I'm not dead inside
(still waiting to see Brooklyn, The Revenant, Hateful 8, and the other "prestige" movies) BOOKS I READ Vampires In The Lemon Grove by Karen Russell was some of the best, most imaginative writing I've read.
The SNL book (Live From New York) and the Pixar book (Creativity Inc) were master classes and fun for the most part. I read a ton of Roald Dahl (six books) with my 7 year old. The Hobbit and second Harry Potter too because rites of passage The John Lennon letters was insightful into the life of a brilliant and flawed man.
I read my first collection by Mary Oliver and will be back.
I started Infinite Jest and will likely finish it in the early 2020s.
TV Fargo was one of the best things I've ever watched from top to bottom.
And Mr. Robot was the bingiest thing I've watched in a long, long time.
OTHER STUFF Watched the Jazz set a franchise record with 12 three-pointers in a half with my 7 year old.
Played lots of Mario Kart with my kids. Which sounds dumb but was really, really fun.
Finally checked Steve Earle off my bucket list. "My Old Friend The Blues" is an all timer for me. Also on my bucket list: get to sing "Dear Prudence" with a killer band (as part of the amazing Rooftop Concert Series John Lennon show that I got to help put together). Consider that box checked. Discovering podcasts (WTF, Song Exploder, more) Wilco @ Red Butte with the best guitar solo ever in "Impossible Germany"
Reuniting The Madison Arm for a blistering, sweaty show in the summer sun. Making records with my friends Dan Buehner, Dominic Moore, Debra Fotheringham, and making music with The Madison Arm, The Lower Lights (on the bucket-listing Kingsbury Hall stage no less), and more Punch Brothers @ The Depot vs Chris Thile @ BYU (with everyone emerging victorious)
Sledding with my 5 year old.
Taking my nearly 2 year old twins to Montana for the first time.
Concepting and miraculously pulling off the most ambitious concept for my work. Really proud of our team on that.
And the biggest? Hitting 10 years of marriage to My Better 3/4.
Thanks for helping make 2015 great for me. I hope to see you all in 2016.