Since 2008, our focus has been to introduce fresh independent music to our readers. Whether hip hop, punk, indie pop, garage, electronic and more — Grimy Goods is down with all flavors of the musical rainbow. While we lean towards content rich in underground, local and independent music, we still give praise to mainstream albums that are worthy of the notoriety. After all, just about every mainstream band we love today, we were writing about before they were selling out arenas. And it’s been a pleasure to see them grow. As we highlight our favorite lesser know albums of the year, we hope the same future success for them in the years to come.

Without a doubt, these albums were always on repeat for us. Although most of us can list a lot more albums, we’ve limited our personal selection to 10 full-length albums (some less). In no particular order, take a look at Grimy Goods’ Staff Picks for the Best Albums of 2015, and stay tuned for Grimy Goods 50 Best Albums of the Year!

Sandra Burciaga — Editor In Chief / Publisher / Writer

Kendrick Lamar — To Pimp A Butterlfy
The Picturebooks — Imaginary Horse
Peaches — Rub
Sleater Kinney — No Cities To Love
White Reaper — White Reaper Does It Again
Florence + The Machine — How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Action Bronson – Mr. Wonderful
Jamie xx — In Colour
Will Butler — Policy
Shamir — Ratchet

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Emily Saex — Associate Editor / Content Producer / Writer

Sleater Kinney — No Cities To Love
Le Butcherettes — A Raw Youth
Rudimental — We The Generation
Beirut — No No No
Fool’s Gold — Flying Lessons
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — It’s A Holiday Soul Party
Dead Sara — Pleasure To Meet You
Sharkmuffin — Chartreuse
Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield — Sing Elliot Smith
White Reaper — White Reaper Does It Again

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Mark E. Ortega — Writer / Content Producer

Tame Impala — Currents
Kendrick Lamar — To Pimp a Butterfly
Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
Alabama Shakes — Sound & Color
CHVRCHES — Every Open Eye
GRIMES — Art Angels
Wolf Alice — My Love is Cool
Florence + The Machine — How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Ratatat — Magnifique
Bjork — Vulnicura

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Brissa Sanchez — Show List & Contests Editor

Badbadnotgood & Ghostface Killah — Sour Soul
YACHT — I Thought The Future Would Be Better 
Tobias Jesso Jr. —  Goon – Arts & Crafts
Natalie Prass — Natalie Prass
Jamie XX — In Colour 
Robert DeLong — In The Cards
twenty one pilots — Blurryface
Tame Impala — Currents
Father John Misty — I Love You, Honeybear
The Game — The Documentary 2.5

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Casey Lewis — Photographer

Thee Oh Sees — Mutilator Defeated at Last
Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake — Modern Surf Classics
Eskmo — Sol
The Lions — Soul Riot
A Place to Bury Strangers — Transfixiation
Congo Natty — Jungle Revolution in Dub
Jaga Jazzist — Starfire
Sleater Kinney — No Cities To Love
Run The Jewels — Meow The Jewels
Deafheaven — New Bermuda

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Danielle Gornbein — Photographer

City And Colour — If I Should Go Before You
Silversun Pickups — Better Nature
TWIABP — Harmlessness
Death Cab For Cutie — Kintsugi
Toro Y Moi — What For?
Best Coast — California Nights
AWOLNATION — Run
Mac Demarco — Another One
Gardens & Villa — Music For Dogs
Beach House — Depression Cherry

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Anne Marie-Schiefer — Writer / Photographer

Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Ryan Bingham — Fear and Saturday Night
Sufjan Stevens — Carrie and Lowell
Jason Isbell — Something More Than Free
Michael Rault — Living Daylight
Alabama Shakes — Sound and Color
The Lone Bellow — Then Came the Morning
Beirut — No No No
Tallest Man On Earth — Dark Bird Home
ODESZA — In Return

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Steven Ward — Writer / Photographer

Florence + the Machine — How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Will Butler — Policy
Jaime xx — In Colour
Gang of Youths — The Positions
Beach House — Depression Cherry
Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Grimes — Art Angels
Madeon — Adventure
Mumford and Sons — Wilder Mind
Of Monsters and Men — Beneath the Skin

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Jazz Shademan — Photographer

Deafheaven — New Bermuda
Tame Impala — Currents
Alabama Shakes — Sound In Color
Boots — Aquaria
Beach House — Depression Cherry
Jamie XX — In Colour
Palma Violets — Danger in the Club
Wavves & Cloud Nothings — No Life for Me
Foals — What Went Down

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Manuel Dominguez — Photographer

Leon Bridges — Coming Home
Deafheaven — New Bermuda
Envy — Atheist’s Cornea
Evil Needle — Reminisce
toe — Hear You
Oddisee — The Good Fight
Dawes — All Your Favorite Bands
MED, Blu & Madlib — Bad Neighbor
Slum Village — Yes!
Wolf Alice — My Love Is Cool

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Zoë Brown — Writer

Sufjan Stevens — Carrie and Lowell
Bjork — Vulnicura
Monster Rally and Jay Stone — Foreign Pedestrians
Everything Everything — Get to Heaven, released in UK
Joanna Newsom — Divers
Jenny Hval — Apocolypse, girl
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith — Euclid
Szymon — Tigersapp
Empress Of — Me
George Clanton — 100% Electronica

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Ziv Biton — Writer

Father John Misty — I Love You Honeybear
D’Angelo — Black Messiah
Martin Courtney — Many Moons
St Germain — St Germain
Young Thug — Slime Season 1 & 2
Pond — Man It Feels Like Space Again
Future — Dirty Sprite 2
Kurt Vile — B’lieve I’m goin down
Drake & Future — What A Time To Be Alive
Jamie xx — In Colour

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Stephe Sykes — Writer

Grimes — Art Angels
White Reaper — White Reaper Does It Again
Sufjan Stevens — Carrie and Lowell
Mitsky — Bury Me at Makeout Creek
Braids – Deep in the Iris
Kamasi Washington – The Epic
Waxahatchee – Ivy Tripp
Shamir – Ratchet

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Farah Sosa — Photographer

Bomba Estereo — Amanecer
Kamasi Washington — The Epic
Kendrick Lamar — To pimp a butterfly
Nicola Cruz — La Cosecha
Dexter Story — Wondem

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What were you favorite albums of the year? Let us know in a comment below!