Best of 2015: Indie Electronica

I'm getting started early on the "best of" lists that permeate music websites come the last month or two of every year. Rather than lump a complex set of experiences and releases into one gigantic post, I'm doing several based on genre or theme, in order to best highlight my favorite new musicians and the work they've debuted in 2015. These lists won't be comprehensive, although I will do my best to share with you the music that has made this past year such a full and fantastic one, in which there was never a day without new music. 

Let's start with one of my all time favorite modern genres: indie electronica. I describe this genre as music that is a mixture of unconventional and conventional sounds, based in rock and pop but heavily influenced by a variety of instruments, overall focused on incorporating synthesized and electronic sound sets to form its aural foundation. Often it is dancey, beat-driven, rhythmically-focused, or playful - borderline poppy. But indie electronica can also be dark, soulful, deep, experimental, and emotional.

The ten artists below all differ in what they aim to communicate, how they perform, and how they would even describe their own music. There is enough of a thread, however, between these musical groups to explore a dialogue across the world - from Australia to Canada and all the way to Europe - in what it means to mix beat, bass, samples, and earnest lyrics into one familiar concept. 

Farao

     A few times each year, I find myself on a kind of personal musical pilgrimage. By some grace of luck, I stumble across an artist online, and their songs speak to me in a way that few others do. I listen faithfully to these songs over and over, in solitude, knowing that the artist is not based nationally or near me, and I may never get to see them live. I admire the composition, the lyrics, the texture, the essence of their songs in a way where I think, "If only I could write music like that."
     And then this mystical musician, by complete chance, tours through my area, in my city. In this instance, Farao came to the Turf Club in Saint Paul, opening for The Cribs on her first ever (and first night of her) US tour. After listening to "To Sleep Apart" from her EP on repeat, I was thrilled to purchase her new full length Till It's All Forgotten and hear her work transcribed to the stage. These days I do tire of attending shows alone, but on an early October weeknight sitting at the bar by myself, I didn't want to be anywhere else. I even got to meet her, and accidentally spent time talking about her music with a Minnesotan relative of hers. It happens. 

Empress Of

     When a close friend and classical musician, whose musical taste you deeply respect, squeals like a kid over the fact an indie artist is coming to town, you go with them. That would be Empress Of just this past month at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. She performed most of her recent release Me, and it's barely stopped playing in my car's CD player since. 
     I don't want to call her a genius (yet), but after she began performing one of the first songs she ever wrote, my friend joked in imitation: "And oh, by the way, my first song is a masterwork!" It's just that good. Her mastery is first and foremost in rhythm, then in vocal quality, and the list goes on. Live she is spontaneous, alight, and earnest. What she makes is truly her own, and in exploring her own relationships and experiences musically, the album is fittingly titled Me.
     The gorgeous work she makes is only enhanced by her incorporation of Spanish lyrics at times, as the words float out of her sweet like candy. In summation: she does what few others can. Empress Of is one of those artists you drop everything for, and dance to on a weeknight. 

Superhumanoids

One of this year's best kept secrets, Superhumanoids' Do You Feel Okay? is essential indie electronica listening material. If you have a list of albums that you have been meaning to buy this year but haven't yet, add this to your list. I'm still waiting for the day I can see them live.  

CHVRCHES

It may not live up to the fame that was their debut release, but Every Open Eye takes a proactive and self-loving stance that is infectious and hard to ignore. Although it aims to please, this sophomore album pushes the edges of over-production and length at 14 clean cut tracks. They've now proved they can be consistent, so hopefully with album #3 they will aim for unbridled creative innovation. 

Alpine

Read my full review of Yuck at Bearded Gentleman Music.
     "Pop shouldn’t be a dirty word – although it has been derived from what is popular, it has come to be known as a genre full of playful instrumentals, cheeky harmonies, and romantic themes. But who said pop couldn’t be made by skilled, thoughtful musicians? Who said pop couldn’t be a distilled scrutinization of one’s stream of consciousness about working through romantic frustrations in today’s society? Who said pop couldn’t be brilliant? Because Alpine is all of these things, and has simply outdone themselves in the realm of pop music with Yuck. It’s so good, it’s disgusting...
     ...Alpine asks a lot of pop, and of the listener, in Yuck. Thoughts that would normally be portrayed through a moody indie rock album are instead brought to light with something akin to Sylvan Esso on acid. The beats, instrumentals, harmonies, and lyrics link together in a chain; each part independent yet integral to the whole. It’s a detailed construct, but in the end, Yuck is an invitation to take the difficulties in one’s love life, and dance through them."

Holly Herndon

I saw Herndon live at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and it was the best sound art I've ever experienced. Yes, sound art. And rather than be blunt or brash simply to shock the listener, her improvisational but thoughtfully crafted work aims to jar an audience into a deeper experience, devoid of thought. In person, it is an immersion of being. As an album, her work translates as an immersion of listening and feeling as a whole. For starters, try "Chorus." High quality headphones required. 

LEVV

I was unaware of both LEVV and their recent EP until a friend of mine suggested I take a listen. There is something about "Arrow" that hooked me in immediately; the combination of acoustics with electronic dabblings and an ethereal edge. When the beat kicked in, I knew it wasn't pop, but electronica, and was pleased that the rest of the release shares the same well-constructed composition and late night airs. 

Hannah Epperson

I discovered Epperson by association, and what a discovery. Her use of  darker sentiments and stringed instrumentals makes for a sound that desires to defy genre, yet her foundation of beat anchors songs like "Shadowless" firmly in indie electronica over rock or pop. Her 2015 EP only contains 2 tracks, but I eagerly await further finished compositions. 

Young Galaxy (October 30th)

These Canadians cannot fail. At least, they've never failed me. The upcoming release Falsework is sure to be a masterwork, and the sharpest piece they've put out yet. Young Galaxy are pioneers of indie electronica, and the day I see them live I will dance until I can dance no more. 

Kate Boy (November 6th) 

A good friend introduced me to Kate Boy years ago, and I've been hungry for more since. Less than a month away, their first full length includes the single "Northern Lights," which has sustained me all this time. Indie electronica has never been the same after these Swedes through dark and sexy into the mix.