Julie

Brooklyn, NY

Fiona Apple's "The Idler Wheel…" won hands down this year. It just nailed it from all angles, and hit me on a personal and emotional level. I was captivated from the second Fiona snarled "Look at, look at, look at me" in "Daredevil". The lyrics read like poems in a journal, but they're beautifully sung and orchestrated. Honesty has never sounded so good.

Kishi Bashi's "Bright Whites", simply because The first time I heard and saw Kishi Bashi perform, I was completely floored. I wish his brilliance could be completely transparent in his recordings, but alas, it's not immediately obvious that he's stacking sounds all over each other with a loop pedal. "Bright Whites" is a gorgeous illustration of Kishi Bashi's ability to transcend the conventional uses of voice and instrument and fuse the two to create what is simply beautiful noise.

Kishi Bashi (see above)

Bobby Womack! Until I listed his 2012 album, "The Bravest Man in the Universe", I only knew him as the guy who sang "Across 110th Street". Suddenly, his aged raspy was coming out of my headphones and I felt like my heart was getting squeezed. The album is beautiful as a whole, and most of the songs are tinged with sadness and longing. I like that Womack is a musician who isn't afraid to have his music age with him (see counter examples in Madonna and Rolling Stones). Hearing Womack's album was the most pleasant surprise of the year for me.

Usher, you *almost* nailed it. Usher is so talented, and "Climax" is an amazing song, but he's still making those mindless dance songs that pander more to pop radio than progressive R&B. He's more talented and experienced than Frank Ocean and Miguel, but their albums were so much better. Also, can someone tell Usher that it's sacrilege to auto-tune a voice like his?

Tune-Yards at Terminal 5. I'm completely in love with Merrill Garbus. She owns the stage with her voice and her drums. She's such a knockout performer.

Hand-clapping was at its apex this year. So much so that a band called "Phenomenal Handclap Band" became an actual thing. Now, I love a good handclap song, but maybe it's time to move on from this trend and its cousin, the group sing-along. Examples of this trend: the popularity of bands like Imagine Dragons, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, and F.U.N.

Seeing as how The Black Eyed Peas did not come out with a song or album this year, I'll go with "Moves Like Jagger" by The Maroon 5. First of all, it doesn't make ANY sense. Second, it's a less than mediocre song with a dance beat overlaid on it like an afterthought in an attempt to make it somewhat compelling. Third, in spite of all this, it's popular and overplayed.