Best of 2015: The Everything Edition

Oh look, I decided to do one of these after all. I still stand by that I don't do this out of a sense of need, I am doing it purely for the fun. And the LOLs. Never forget the LOLs.

VIDEO GAMES

I already talked about it in length, but my vote for favorite would go to Life Is Strange. I then give second place to Rise of the Tomb Raider. You're probably wondering why I am not listing Fallout 4 or Rock Band 4. There are reasons they didn't end up here. For Fallout 4, it's two things: I didn't play it all that much and that is due to the main story being stupid as f***. As for Rock Band 4, it is sadly devoid of customizing your band, but this is VERY SLOWLY being fixed. I heard the reason for their new customization direction was to make creating your band less gender-conforming, which is awesome and refreshing. But what part of changing for the good meant a desert of customization? I would think if that was the direction you wanted to go, that meant the sky was the limit with creation, right?

MOVIES

Whoa, I actually saw a couple of new films, but the only one that was of note was Crimson Peak. I absolutely loved this film and cannot wait until it comes out on Blu-Ray so I can watch it again (I smell Halloween tradition!). It is by far my favorite del Toro movie, beating out previous champ Pacific Rim. If you go in, expecting a horror gore-fest, you will be disappointed. But if you go in with a love for books like Wuthering Heights and classic Gothic, you're in for a tasty treat of a movie!

TV SHOW

There were none, and this will continue since Hannibal is canceled. So, eff TV. Until it fixes this grievous error... that will be it for me.

BOOKS

Honestly, there are a ton of 2015-released books I haven't gotten to, so this list is gonna look mighty sparse, especially in the fiction department. Once I do catch up, I might update this list or write about it in the future. But to the ones I got to, these were the ones I'm thankful I spent the money and time on:

2015 RELEASES:
Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero by Emily V. Gordon
M Train by Patti Smith
The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic by Jessica Hopper
The Writer’s Guide to Persistence by Jordan Rosenfeld
The Lost Landscape: A Writer’s Coming of Age by Joyce Carol Oates
Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War by Susan Southard
Slade House by David Mitchell (look everyone, it's  the sole fiction title  in the list!)
Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein

NON-2015 RELEASES:
The Man in the High Castle/Ubik by Philip K. Dick
Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates
Harley Loco by Rayya Elias
The October Country: Stories by Ray Bradbury
The Sundial by Shirley Jackson
The Auctioneer by Joan Sampson

MUSIC

This will be divided up into two parts: albums and songs. I actually liked a ton of songs enough for its own list! Actually, I never had a list this big. Albums will be twelve entries big, the songs fifteen. I'll go ahead and list my all-time fav of each, then list the rest that all share the #2 spot. With that said, let's begin!

ALBUMS:

Number one is taken by two people, as per usual. But, what's this? A band and a solo musician? And the band is full of guys? We have kings this year! As per usual, a queen, but she'll rule with the band full of fine gentlemen.

In Dream by Editors and Kiddo by Tove Styrke

Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit by Courtney Barnett
Factory Girl EP by Rhiannon Giddens
Blood by Lianne La Havas
Thank Your Lucky Stars by Beach House
DAVOS by Computer Magic
M3LL155X EP by FKA twigs
Earthee by THEESatisfaction
COLLXTION I by Allie X
Abyss by Chelsea Wolfe
Eclipse by Twin Shadow
Have You in My Wilderness by Julia Holter

SONGS:

Shut up, I have a tie for first here as well, deal with it. Same thing: a lone queen rules with a group of kings (and I guess an additional queen if you count the guest singer too).

"Classic (featuring Powers)" by The Knocks/"White Light" by Shura

"Salvation" by Editors
"No Way Out (Redux)" by Warpaint
"Green & Gold" by Lianne La Havas
"Deadwater" by Wet
"Borderline" by Tove Styrke
"Leave A Trace" by CHVRCHES
"Nightlight" by Silversun Pickups
"Bassically" by Tei Shi
"Figure 8" by FKA twigs
"When You See Me" by Computer Magic
"Pedestrian At Best" by Courtney Barnett
"Queso" by Pell
"Silhouette" by Julia Holter
"Never" by jennylee

**

Alright, that does it for this year's round of entertainment! Here's to 2016, which is shaping up to be a slow year... oh well.

This post was brought to you by White Denim's wonderful weirdness in the form of the "At Night in Dreams" video: