This year has been jam packed full of amazing albums across many genres of music.  So it was very hard to narrow it down to just 5.  As usual, these are in no particular order because each album is a gem in it’s own right.

Björk – Vulnicura

My list had to absolutely include one of the most heart-wrenching albums of the year. Vulnicura is Björk at her most vulnerable, singing about her break-up in 2014.  Her voice is beautifully accompanied by obscure beats and swelling strings, delivering hope and heartbreak throughout.  You can read my full review here, and if you enjoy the album, there is a broken down version of it called Vulnicura Strings (Vulnicura: The Acoustic Version – Strings, Voice and Viola Organista Only), which takes the songs to a deeper, more intimate level.

Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear

For sure, one of my favourite albums would be I Love You, Honeybear, which I have been listening to throughout this year.  The deadpan delivery of the lyrics by Josh Tillman puts the subject content in the spotlight, ranging from love to the death of the American Dream.  Read my full review here.

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit

The debut record by one of my favourite artists of the past few years, Courtney Barnett, did not disappoint and surpassed my expectations.  Her unique singing style and lyrical content turns everyday events into an adventure the listener wants to participate in.  Check out my full review here.

Ghost – Meliora

Definitely a step away from the other albums on this list, but the third studio album by the Swedish doom metal/prog rock band Ghost was a treat for the ears and food for thought.  The religious connotations in Meliora are abound, in the lyrics delivered like a sermon by Papa Emeritus III, while being accompanied by skillful guitar and drum performances by the Nameless Ghouls.  A great album throughout to rock out to or listen to closely for a revelation on God.

Peaches – Rub

An artist that I’ve been a fan of for years, Toronto-born Peaches delivered her first album this decade in September and showed that shes still got it.  A very gritty electro house record with dashes of hip-hop and techno, <em>Rub</em> has a very sexual-based theme, which isnt anything new from Peaches.  There is a quality of lo-fi The Teaches of Peaches in the tracks, but more refined and fuller in sound.