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Dec 16, 2015 By Mark Redfern

We’re not sure how most music publications can cap their Albums of the Year lists at 50, there are too many worthy albums most years to leave it at that. Last year Under the Radar published a Top 140 Albums of 2014 list and in 2013 it was 125. This year we calmed down a little and settled on an easy Top 100. Even then there were about five or so albums I regret us leaving off the list (but a Top 105 just doesn’t have quite the right ring to it).

Here’s how it went down. Twenty-eight of our writers and editors (including our two publishers) each submitted their personal Top 45 albums of 2015 lists and then those were all combined and calculated together to form this master list. For an album to make the list it had to be picked by at least three writers, but most were picked by more writers than that. Our #1 album was the runaway winner, with all but five of those who voted having it on their list somewhere. Each album in our Top 10 was picked by an average at least 20 of our writers.

While certainly many albums on our Top 100 have also shown up on other critics’ Best Albums of 2015 lists, each year we are confounded by the multitude of great releases that don’t find themselves on many other lists besides our own. But one of the chief joys of doing Under the Radar is championing worthy artists and albums that are shut out of the cycle of hype and thus neglected. Our partial and simple hope with this list is that you’ll discover a new favorite that you may have missed in 2015. Finally, be sure to pick our Best of 2015 print issue, due out soon. It features new interviews with around 25 of the artists featured on this list, including five of the artists in our Top 10.

So click through to our list section to read how Father John tamed Wolf Alice in a beach house with a deer hunter and an Indian that was neon, while evading a sex witch and a priest from LA. It’s a trip to the fading frontier with Carrie and Lowell, but make sure every eye is open as you brave the currents and return to the moon or you might meet the grim reaper and get to heaven.