Top 25 Best Songs of 2015 - Part One

Time for the Top 25 best songs of 2015! This is Part One!

25) Therapy? - Tides
Album: Disquiet
Disquiet was Therapy's back-to-basics album and Tides shows the Northern Irish trio at its best: amazing lyrics and memorable melodies especially in the chorus.

24) Computer Magic - Mindstate
Album: Mindstate
The title track from one of the two CD's that Computer Magic released this year is so peaceful that you could listen to it in an infinite loop.

23) Soulfly - Titans

Album: Archangel

The older Max Cavalera gets, the heavier his music gets. Titans begins instantly with a monstrous riff, gets to an epic chorus with chorals backing Max's gutural voice and ends with another monstrous riff.

22) Destroyer - Times Square

Album: Poison Season

Think of David Bowie with extra flourishes, like strings, percussions and jazz horns and you have this beautiful music.

21) Ghost - Cirice

Album: Meliora

If all songs in Meliora were like Cirice, Ghost would have made the best metal album of 2015. Unfortunately, only in Cirice you hear Slayer-esque guitar riffs, the right touch of pop in the chorus and an epic keyboard/guitar solo. And let's not forget the funny music video for the song.

20) Lucero - My Girl & Me in '93

Album: All A Man Should Do

Lucero's  irregular tenth album ends with this beautiful track driven by piano and acoustic guitar. The romantic and nostalgic vibe of the song is something only Ben Nichols can deliver.

19) Strung Out - Nowheresville

Album: Transmission.Alpha.Delta

I guess this music isn't a big revolution in Strung Out's career. On the contrary, it's a typical SO's song: guitar riffs that could fit in a heavy metal song and melodic punk rock vocals by Jason Cruz. However in Nowheresville the songwriting is top-notch, the pre-chorus already gets you pumped and when the chorus kicks in, you just want to scream your heart out. That's punk rock at its finest.

18) Riverside - Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened by A Hat?)

Album: Love, Fear and the Time Machine

I admit that a prog album with this title is a strong sign that we're dealing with one of those pretentious, full of crap prog metal bands. However this Polish band is not the case, they do play prog metal but they succeed in not falling in the genre's cliches (most of the time). As the opening act, Lost has an smart build up, it takes 2:30 to the guitars and drums finally kick in a simple but effective rythm, when it happens you're already sold because Mariusz Duda can carry the song by himself with his vocals and bass skills.

17) Slayer - Piano Wire

Album: Repentless

It's not a coincidence that the best song in Repentless is one originally composed by Jeff Hanneman. Piano Wire was an unfinished song by Jeff from the "World Painted Blood" sessions that Kerry King reworked for the new album. Built around an almost one-note guitar riff, Tom Araya shows a more melodic side of his vocals which perfectly matches the galloping riff. Slayer's catalog proves that when they slow things down a little the results are always special songs and Piano Wire is one these, it's Jeff's swan song.

Sad note: I couldn't find the song on Youtube so here's the link to it on Spotify.

16) The Internet - Get Away

Album: Ego Death 

There are a lot of artists doing this Alternative R&B thing, but few can do it better than The Internet. If there was a prize for the sexiest song of the year, Get Away would win it easily. Syd tha Kid's voice and the bass of this song just makes you want to chill.

15) Baroness - Chlorine & Wine

Album: Purple
Chlorine & Wine is one of the reason why Purple was a little disappointing. Being the first new song premiered, it's set the bar incredibly high. Clocking in almost 7 minutes, there's time for a calm Pink Floydish intro, John Baizley's passionate/epic vocal delivery, great heavy riffs and one of the best guitar solos of the year at the end that sounds like good old Metallica.

14) Tenement - Afraid of the Unknown

Album: Predatory Headlights
The closing track of Predatory Healights is a near-perfect garage rock/punk rock song: a guitar/bass melody as an intro, a simple riff that gets you moving and an addictive chorus ("do you need me around anymore?"). The song kind of restarts in the middle going back to the intro and then a different but also danceable guitar riff kicks in. A verse sung in an almost falsetto voice brings us again to the chorus "do you need me around anymore?/do you need me around anymore?/do you need me around anymore?".

Again, I couldn't find the song on Youtube so here's the link to it on Spotify.

13) Chvrches - Leave a Trace
Album: Every Open Eye
Leave a Trace is a good example of why Chvrches is the best synth pop band around: Lauren Mayberry's delicate but powerful voice, hooky melodies and synth-laden chorus. Many fans think that Chvrches have become too commercial. As long as they keep making good music like this, I'm totally fine. I don't care if they're going mainstream or they decide to play German death reggae, as artists they're allowed to make the kind of music they want. To finish, in Lauren's words Leave a Trace is basically an anti-love song which makes it even cooler.

12) Beach Slang - Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas 
Album: The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us
I can't choose what's the best thing of this song. Is it the sincerity that James Alex puts in the lyrics? Is it the pop lead guitars? Is it the backing vocals? I don't know but together they make these 3 minutes and 19 seconds way too emotional for me.

11) Millencolin - True Brew

 Album: True Brew

The title track of this album is a pop-punk anthem. The lyrics are about being true to yourself and doing the things you really like not the things that people expect you to do. As Nikola sings "It's not about the size of any wallet/It's not about the fortune or the fame". And he can sing that without sounding preachy or corny.