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Next Week I will post my Top 20 Albums of 2015 list (I am still working on the order).

This was a TOUGH year for picking (listened to many albums over and over to make cuts).

This is my list of albums that just barely missed my top 20 for 2015. In other words, these were all really good albums worthy of a good listen IMHO.

The Bronze Medalists

The Coneheads - L.P. 1

aka 14 Year Old HS PC Fascist Hype Lords Rip Off Devo 4 the Sake of Extorting $$$ from Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L.P.

Crazy name, but a great young punk band with a great deal of Devo influence. Pure fun. A pleasure and a lark.

This was a guilty pleasure for me this year. Yes, it is only a 20 minute album. But a fun 20 minutes. You can find it on YouTube.

Gun Outfit - Dream All Over

Gun Outfit kind of has that same roll down the windows and ride the highway vibe as War On Drugs. Certainly not a bad thing, at certain times that is a very very good thing.

I guess I am not always in the mood to ride down the wide-open highways. But, sometimes I am.

When you are ready to ride, this album will be a great companion.

Pitchfork Gave the Album an 8.1

Stereogum liked it as well.

Metacritic gave it an 84

Deerhunter - Fading Frontier

Look, I used to be a HUGE advocate for Deerhunter. I am not sure what changed for me. It is a very good album, but I think they have become a little too discernable.

I think I must have liked the feedback loops that used to overwhelm and dominate their conventional melodies.

Kind of like the mystery has been solved, and what is left is still comfy, but no longer amazing.

I still like them, I just don't love them like I used to.

Pitchfork loved it giving it an 8.4

Metacritic gave it an 81

Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss

I was really into this album for a long time. I like Chelsea's voice a bunch. I like the sleek industrial feel. I like the darkness.

I think this was mostly left off for being uneven. It is just not as strong all the way through.

Some great songs, not a great album.

Pitchfork gave it an 8.1

Metacritic gave it a 79

Shopping - Why Choose

I feel very much about this album as I do about Cold Beat - only I like Cold Beat's album about 2.5% better.

Shopping seem very influenced by ska + new wave.

This is a hoot of a fun album though, worth your time.

Pitchfork gave it a 7.6

Spin Magazine gave it 7/10

The Silver Medals

Cold Beat - Into the Air

Speaking of Cold Beat.

This album kept getting close, and then I would waver, it is just a bit too uneven to make the top 20.

There are some really great songs, and it has provided songs to some of my playlists.

Tantalizing, touches of girl group style vocals, ska, cool harmonies and melodies, kind of mad I didn't include it now.

Pitchfork have it a 7.7

Grimes - Art Angels

This one might haunt me because many of my friends love it.

I like Grimes album, I think it is interesting, but it just isn't in my wheelhouse. Too much pop.

I appreciate that she is doing much more interesting things with the form, it just isn't really my thing so much.

I won't deny I was bobbing my head and tapping my feet.

I get why people like it for sure. I really like SCREAN if that helps.

NME Named it "Album of the Year"

Pitchfork gave it an 8.5

Pinkish Black - Bottom of the Morning

Kind of interesting - kind of sludgy, kind of proggy, kind of post-punky.

I guess Shrek would say it has layers - like an onion.

I think Pinkish Black's vocalist (Daron Beck) is a bit too one note and timid for the band to make the big list. The music is great but the vocals are just kind of sludgy and light.

Pitchfork gave the album a 7.9

The Gold Medals

Well, I mean kind of Gold, they didn't make the top 20, but so close (and yet so far).

Diat - Positive Energy

If you follow my playlists on Spotify, you know I really liked this album by Diat.

Well, I liked most of this album.

Again, this was probably a consistency issue. I liked some songs HUGE and some songs just okay.

Just a few steps from the big time (making some dumb bloggers top 20 list).

Pitchfork gave it a 7.0

Treble said the band grew beyond their post-punk limitations

Bully - Feels Like

Big fan of Bully, but I think this one suffered by many of the best songs being on the 2014 Bully EP.

In other words, it wasn't all new to me. Still pretty damn close for having several songs as retreads.

I have often said this band reminds me a lot of that great period in the 90's where lots of great music by women was hitting the alternative charts (yup, that brief period where radio stations were using an alternative format).

Pitchfork said it was 7.8

Stereogum loved it and made it album of the week.

Ought - Sun Coming Down

Ought is another group that had some songs on my playlists (Usually a pretty good sign). This album could easily be on my top twenty. Not sure what made it just a few off. But my brain kept moving it down.

I love the singer of this band (Tim Darcy). Kind of give me a little feel of Afghan Whigs (not quite as dark maybe).

Just moved it down a bit, but this year "a bit" was just enough to miss.

Pitchfork said the album was an 8.0

Consequence of Sound gave it a B

Mas Ysa - Seraph

Had a few chats with Thomas Arsenault (Mas Ysa) on Twitter, he seems like a really pleasant fellow.

This album really reminds me of the 80's in a very pleasant way. He has a voice very similar to Peter Gabriel and the music is a really modern take on 80's synth music.

It is a really fun, gentle, loving cup of an album. I included one of his songs from this album as the only 2015 entry on my 80's dance club mix (that should say something).

No good reason this isn't in the top 20 which is what usually happens when you get to the last few albums.

Pitchfork said it was a 7.1

Consequence of Sound gave the album a B

La Misma - Kanizadi

The last cut. And, for me, the toughest.

La Misma, Kanizadi, not the greatest all-around album or the prettiest.

But it is pure punk rock. I f'n love how much they just attack all the way through.

And I absolutely love the singer, I have no idea who she is, what she looks like, or anything about her, and I don't speak Portugese.

I know her name is Vieira-Rosario.

So, you know I must really love her voice and her attitude.

She pretty much kicks ass all over this record.

And that is my runner-up (or number 21 for 2015)