First, the ol' fashioned sampler mixes of all the stuff I'll be considering (can't find a bunch of it on Spotify).

1. Bidiniband - Ladies of Montreal
2. Low Cut Connie - Diane (Don't Point That Thing At Me)
3. Dot Dash - Rainclouds
4. Biters - Reckless Hearts
5. Kitty, Daizy, & Lewis - Whenever You See Me
6. Jesse Malin - Oh Sheena
7. Turbo Fruits - Don't Let Me Break Your Heart Again
8. The Sonics - Sugaree
9. Gateway Drugs - Fridays Are For Suckers
10. Alabama Shakes - Shoegaze
11. JD McPherson - Head Over Heels
12. The London Souls - Crimson Revival
13. The Blow Monkeys - If Not Now, When?
14. Cotillon - Holding You Back
15. Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms - Should Be Me
16. Warm Soda - Don't Walk Away
17. The Dirty Aces - Ain't No Forgettin'
18. Young Guv - Kelly I'm Not A Creep
19. Diamond Rugs - Thunk
20. Prima Donna - Born Yesterday
21. Whitehorse - Oh Dolores
22. Unlikely Friends - Soft Reputation
23. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian At Best
24. Downtown Boys - Poder Elegir

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1. Tenement - Why Are We Where We Are
2. Royal Headache - Carolina
3. Reno Bo - How Do You Do
4. The Barreracudas - Promises
5. Barrence Whitfield & the Savages - The Claw
6. The Orange Humble Band - If That's What You Want
7. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats - Howling at Nothing
8. Donald Cumming - Game of the Heart
9. Christopher Owens - Another Loser Fuck Up
10. White Reaper - Candy
11. Diamond Dogs - Alright Alright Alright
12. Big Talk - I've Been Sentimental Lately
13. Yukon Blonde - I Wanna Be Your Man
14. Gin Wigmore - Written in the Water
15. Tim Rogers & the Bamboos - Rules of Attraction
16. Backyard Babies - I'm on My Way to Save Your Rock & Roll
17. The Fauntleroys - Worry Doll
18. Terry & Louie - (I'm) Looking For A Heart
19. Titus Andronicus - Fatal Flaw
20. The Connection - Treat You So Bad
21. Leon Bridges - Flowers
22. Imperia1 State Electric - All Over My Head
23. Kid Wave - Wonderlust
24. Ike Reilly - Born On Fire

linl

1. Simon Love - (****) Is A Dirty Word
2. Lucero - Can't You Hear Them Howl
3. Simi Stone - Bitches Fly
4. Dan Kelly - Never Stop The Rot
5. Sweet Spirit - Rebel Rebel
6. Josh Ritter - Where The Night Goes
7. Bottle Rockets - Monday
8. Wreckless Eric - Several Shades of Green
9. Shilpa Ray - Johnny Thunders Fanstasy Space Camp
10. The Kickback - Scorched Earth Brouhaha
11. Young Rival - Interior Light
12. Terra Lightfoot - Home To You
13. Beach Slang - Hard Luck Kid
14. Jesse Malin - Whitestone City Limits
15. Vidunder - Gone With Dawn
16. Spoon - I've Been Good Too Long
17. The Libertines - Gunga Din
18. Thunderbitch - Eastside Party
19. You Am I - Buzz The Boss
20. Summer Twins - Juju
21. Sugar Sugaar - Strange
22. Holly Golightly & the BrokeOffs - Coulda Shoulda Woulda
23. Andra Dey - Gin & Juice (Let Go My Hand)
24. Rooni - Roses

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Three Radcliffe mixes?! It must be Christmas!

Many thanks, downloading now

really liked that Tenement album...

Really really like Leon Bridges. Gonna acquire that album asap. Also dug JD, Nathaniel, and Andra (though I listened to the Andra Dey album and the track on your mix is the best one by far IMO. Still soaking in Ratliff).

The singer for Unlikely Friends sounds sooooo familiar. Gonna drive me crazy until I put my finger on it.

And then there was a bunch of stuff I liked, but I knew that already (Downtown Boys, Tenement, Beach Slang, Holly).

Have you heard the King Khan & BBQ Show album that came out this year?

My 2015 Top 40 or thereabouts:

1. Barreracudas - Can Do Easy



Power pop punk glam trash armed with an amazing arsenal of hooks and a fearless hold on that old rock & roll rhythm. Easy enough to dismiss, but impossible to shake. My most played album of the year.

2. Ike Reilly - Born On Fire



Title track might be the most affecting tribute from a father to a son that I've ever heard, and the rest of the album burns with a reawakened commitment. My favorite of his since Sparkle In The Finish - and the albums in between weren't exactly dog food.

3. Royal Headache - High



I can't listen to these guys without imagining each song as some future classic. Shogun's vocals were amazing on their debut, but if anything he's even more confident now - and the band's starting to catch up to him.

4. JD McPherson - Let The Good Times Roll



He flirts with the rock & roll revivalist retro ghetto, but imbues it all with a modern sheen that pushes something that should be a cliche (like a song called "Let The Good Times Roll") into fresh territory. Plus the tunes won't leave yer head.

5. Dot Dash - Earthquakes & Tidal Waves



Named after a Wire song, Dot Dash have expanded from the brittle post-punk of their previous albums to incorporate even more strains from the 80s into their DNA.

6. Diane Coffee - Everybody's A Good Dog



Foxygen's "...And Star Power" was a disappointment on the heels of "We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic," but it turns out the true follow-up was by Foxygen drummer Shaun Fleming's side project Diane Coffee. A cuinsinart of genre fuckery.

7. The Sonics - This Is The Sonics



Tempted to put this at the #1 spot, just on the basis of its existence. It's just nothing short of amazing that 50 years after their last album these guys could lay down something as face-melting as this.

8. Minky Starshine - Pop Jewelry



This was a good year for left-of-center pop. Minky Starshine's previous albums were on the overly busy side - a bit too much Elephant 6 for my tastes - but on Pop Jewelry he's focused his melodic instincts into a gorgeous suite of songs.

9. Role Models - The Go-To Guy



Rough, tough Replacements-style what-the-fuck, complete with the requisite doses of hopelessness and world-beater arrogance. This tightrope is harder to walk than people figger.

10. Simi Stone - Simi Stone



There's equal streaks of 50s doo wop and 70s Laurel Canyon singer/songwriter cool running through Simi's mellow take on modern R&B that I find endlessly awesome.

11. Lucero - All A Man Should Do
12. The Ballantyes - Dark Drives, Life Signs
13. Simon Love - It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
14. Sugar Sugaar - Strange Kicks
15. Orange Humble Band - Depressing Beauty
16. Terra Lightfoot - Every Time My Mind Runs Wild
17. Turbo Fruits - No Control
18. Donald Cumming - Out Calls Only
19. Baby Shakes - Starry Eyes
20. Dan Kelly - Leisure Panic

21. Low Cut Connie - Hi Honey
22. Ryan Hamilton - Hell Of A Day
23. Blow Monkeys - If Not Now, When?
24. Biters - Electric Blood
25. Downtown Boys - Full Communism
26. Leon Bridges - Coming Home
27. Barrence Whitfield & the Savages - Under A Savage Sky
28. Shovels & Rope - Busted Jukebox Vol. 1
29. White Reaper - White Reaper Does It Again
30. Nikki Hill - Heavy Hearts, Hard Fists

31. Reno Bo - Lessons From A Shooting Star
32. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think...
33. Jesse Malin - New York Before The War
34. Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms - Heart String Soul
35. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats - Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
36. The Connection - Labor of Love
37. Dr. Boogie - Gotta Get Back To New York City
38. Thunderbitch - Thunderbitch
39. Wreckless Eric - AmERICa
40. Prima Donna - Nine Lives & Forty Fives

Others worthy of mention:

Keith Richards - Crosseyed Heart
Andra Day - Cheers To The Fall
Tenement - Predatory Headlights
The Volcanics - Transmission
Libertines - Anthems For Doomed Youth
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color
Bettye Lavette - Worthy
Elvyn - Valley Of The Kilowatt Hour
Diamond Dogs - Quitters & Complainers
Bottle Rockets - South Broadway Athletic Club
You Am I - Porridge & Hot Sauce

Favorite EPs of 2015:

The Breakdowns - Heavy Metal Bombs
Modern Kicks - The Kicks Ain't All Right
The Pilgrims - Shred Savage
Rooni - Yodo
Rooni - Pilot

These either made my list or came close - excellent job, Rads! I like a couple of tracks from that Keef jernt, but thought the album as a whole wasn't quite as good as I hoped. I really loved his early solo stuff, so I'm always excited for anything he releases.

Barreracudas would've been my #1 too if I'd made a list. Good stuff.

It's almost surprising how good it is. Sorta like one of the early Ramones albums, deceptively simple songs that rush by in a couple minutes, each one brimming with energy and hooks. And pretty much no one heard it or cared about it... again, sorta like the early Ramones albums.

Best-of-2015 mix:

1. Ike Reilly - Notes from the Denver International Airport
2. Royal Headache - Wouldn't You Know
3. Dot Dash - Flowers
4. The Ro1e Models - Lie For Today
5. The Barreracudas - Long Explanation
6. JD McPherson - It's All Over But The Shouting
7. Ryan Hamilton - Records and Needles
8. Minky Starshine - Drive
9. Simi Stone - Good Girl
10. Simon Love - The New Adam and Eve
11. Terra Lightfoot - Never Will
12. Diane Coffee - Mayflower
13. White Reaper - Sheila
14. Low Cut Connie - Both of My Knees
15. Nikki Hill - Nothin' With You
16. Lucero - Young Outlaws
17. Sugar Sugaar - Sweet City
18. Turbo Fruits - Don't Change
19. Downtown Boys - Wave of History
20. Baby Shakes - Teenage Cloud
21. Donald Cumming - Workin' It Out
22. The Ballantynes - My Place Your Town
23. Dr. Boogie - Life On The Breadline
24. Biters - Dreams Don't Die

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