We continue our installment attempting to tell a brief story of music released in 2015. In Part Two, we widen our lens a bit and look at hip-hop, metal, and vinyl re-releases. These are some of the first articles from A Perfect Prescription, and a larger goal of this "Best Of" list is to give you an idea of the type of music we will be talking about in 2016. So stay tuned, and here is Part II of our 2015 Music Overview. 

Kendrick Lamar - "To Pimp a Butterfly" (Top Dawg Entertainment)
Is there really a need to say anything more about this record? Even Mr. President himself has declared this the best record of the year, and I think it would be safe to say that it is one of the more important albums of the decade. The world waited for this record with baited ears ever since the release of good kid, m.A.A.d city, a record that flowed with intrigue like a masterful film. Expectations for what the rising young superstar would do with his third record were high, and to meet those expectations Kendrick immersed himself in studio life starting in 2012, immediately after the release of good kid, M.A.A.d. city. Surrounded by the same TDE crew that helped produce his first two records, and a huge list of producers and musicians including Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, and of course Dr. Dre just to name a few, Kendrick spent almost 3 years to make his dense vision a reality. Even while on the road, Kendrick reportedly would continue to record in a small studio on his tour bus. This commitment to the form comes through on this record. Every rhyme, texture, transition, and melody is meticulously detailed, a feat only possible from someone with a clear dedicated vision. To Pimp a Butterfly shows a man who is trying to stay true to his roots, stay true to the ones he grew up with in Compton, and also shows a man who is struggling to deal with a newfound fame. A kind of fame that calls on Lamar to be a voice for his generation, and as heard in the track "The Blacker the Berry," he is trying to grapple with that power and what it means. Throughout the record, the lyrics continue to be raw, honest, conflicted, and profound, all spit in an insanely rhythmic flow that can only be summarized as: jazz. To Pimp a Butterfly is a step forward in every direction, from the production, instrumentation, arrangement, content, and flow, this is the type of record that will be talked about for many years to come, and will mark an important point in musical history. 

Suggested Tracks: The Blacker the Berry, How Much a Dollar Cost, Institutionalized and Hood Politics 

The Internet - "Ego Death" (Odd Future)
This California R&B group, which features Odd Future members Syd the Kyd and Matt Martians, is appropriately named because their sound is redolent of the hip-hop and R&B produced during the dawn of the internet. The Internet found their stride with Ego Death, resulting in an intimate, jazzy and smooth record that carries similarities to the production work of ?uestlove in the early 2000's with the likes of Erykah Badu and D'Angelo. These are the type of songs you blare when you know you've done wrong but just want bae to come home. 

Suggested Tracks: Palace/Curse, Under Control, and Just Sayin/I Tried

BadBadNotGood & Ghostface Killah - "Sour Soul" (Lex)
Since their beginnings in 2011, it seems as if Canadian jazz combo BadBadNotGood has been working towards a collaboration such as this. Early in their career, BBNG proved the range of their palette through jazzy hip-hop inspired covers of A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr, Kanye West, Flying Lotus, Earl Sweatshirt, and Tyler, The Creator. The latter of the two which led to live collaborations with Odd Future members Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt. With their third record, BBNG also demonstrated their ability to write inventive heavy-hitting original tracks demonstrating that all they needed (if anything) was the right MC to spit over the top. And who did they find? None other than Ghostface Killah himself. With thick beats, verbed out guitars, vibes, and the occasional soaring string arrangements, these backing tracks are reminiscent of David Axelrod and crime soundtracks of the 70's, making them the perfect backdrop for the fierce flows of Ghostface Killah. It will be exciting to see who these young musicians decide to team up with next. 

Suggested Tracks: Six Degrees (feat. Danny Brown), Stark's Reality, and Sour Soul

 We live in an incredibly interesting time in musical history, one that is almost a collage of nostalgia. This year was full of great records that looked back at every genre including jazz, punk, folk, psych-rock, and metal to only name a few. Due largely in part to technology, and the incredible amount of music that can now be accessed at ease, the average listener is not focused on one style, genre, or subculture of music. This is a very exciting fact, but with so many choices out there, it makes it more difficult to become totally immersed in a record, and also it becomes easier to miss great records…. and there were quite a few this past year.
In the last few weeks you have most likely been bombarded with every magazine, blog, media site, and radio show telling you which record of 2015 was the best, and why particular records were better than others. But the fact is that we are all individuals with unique experiences and taste, and the best function of a year end list is to discover music that you may have missed in 2015. The core intention of this list, is that you will discover great new modern music. Each record below has been put in  a group of three, with a brief description of the sounds found on the records. If you enjoyed one of the records in a particular group, we think you will enjoy the other records in that group as well. Of course we are not able to address every noteworthy record of 2015, we hope to tell a well rounded story of the world in music this past year. So without further ado here is Part One of A Perfect Prescription's 2015 Music Overview. Stay tuned for Part Two next week.

Ultimate Painting – “Green Lanes” (Trouble in Mind)
And the winner of the best morning-time record is…. Ultimate Painting. A project originally intended as a side project of Jack Cooper of “Mazes,” and James Hoare of “Veronica Falls,” Green Lanes is an extension of the sound realized on their 2014 debut self-titled record. Simple and subdued guitar driven songs reminiscent of The Velvet Underground’s self-titled masterpiece, or if Parquet Courts took morphine and turned down the feedback. The guitar work between Cooper and Hoare is seamless, clean, and catchy as hell, with vocal melodies that are at times haunting and wonderfully frail. It is obvious that the best of these two musicians is brought out through their collaboration. This is a perfect record for walking down the street next to the morning dew.

Suggested Tracks: The Ocean, (I’ve Got The) Sanctioned Blues, and Break the Chain
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John Andrews & the Yawns – “Bit by the Fang” (Woodsist)
Much like brooklyn-based band Woods, from which John Andrews first cut his teeth as the keyboard player, his debut solo record continues along that path of lo-fi Americana. These are songs from an out-of-tune penny piano, one you would find in the corner of your grandparents attic, played by drunken fingers and sang with sincerity.  Bit by the Fang hit the shelves this April in perfect time for long tobacco-ridden road trips down sunny highways that never seem to end.

Suggested Tracks: I’ll Go To Your Funeral (If You Go To Mine), Judy & Judy, and Don’t Spook the Horses

Kurt Vile – “B’lieve I’m Going Down” (Matador)
Kurt Vile should sell alarm clocks that play the opening track “Pretty Pimpin'” when it is time to wake up and face the world, being the perfect song to get your ass out of bed. To just look in the mirror, say to yourself “that’ll do,” and get on with the day. Vile has come a long way since his solo debut Constant Hitmaker, with more polished songs, and a confidence that still maintains a vulnerable honesty, and an ability to make something as mundane as brushing your teeth sound cool as hell. Like his 2013 record Walkin’ on a Pretty Daze, Vile collaborated with recording partner Rob Laakso (Swirlies) on B’lieve I’m Going Down, with most of the instruments being played by the two. In the end this is a beautiful record finding Vile in both new and familiar territories, and is all around playful, somber, and at times extremely profound.  

Suggested Tracks: Stand Inside, Pretty Pimpin’, and Wild Imagination