Best Rock Album of 2015


Alright rock fans, let's get our annual thread started.

I'm really digging:

Lord Huron "Strange Trails"

It's definitely in the War on Drugs section of the rock spectrum, but adds some rockabilly-type pace.
keithr
It may not be conventional rock but I've been enjoying the new Muse disc "Drones". 
I also have a best of two disc set that I ordered from russia. Not a bad cut on it. A true best of. Very well recorded as well. 

I like the new UFO disc as well.

I know this one is not new, but I have been going through my Eagles catalogue since the passing of Glenn Frey and the unfortunate accident of Randy's wife this week. The music is timeless, in my opinion. 

Nutty

Listened to Gary Clarke jr latest 'The Story of Sonny Boy Slim' and it's more consistent mix of influences than his first album.
our best selling vinyl record for 2015.... (two physical locations, and online sales combined)

we sell more vinyl than digital product.

i work for a record company that has been in the USA since 1946

they say vinyl is back. we never went anywhere.

http://www.discogs.com/Sonny-Landreth-And-Bayou-Rhythm-Way-Down-In-Louisiana/release/4005500
Not sure if this qualifies as rock but pretty close Old97's "Most Messed Up" somewhere betwixt Alt Country and Rock but a lot of fun.
r_burke....but it does go on...and on...and on.  My initial enthusiasm somewhat tempered by the length of these.  
r_burke thanks for the Interludes tip.  Found it on Spotify and enjoying it.  
Nothing comes close to Ghost - Meliora for me. Best hard rock album I've heard in a long time. People are probably turned off by their appearance thinking they must be some sort of theatrical black or death metal band but they are FAR from that. VERY melodic and catchy tunes with no cookie monster vocals. The lyrics are over the top in a Misfits sort of way so I can see where people might be turned off if they are taking the lyrics literally. I've actually read several comparisons to Blue Oyster Cult.
I am new to the band Deerhunter, but I think this album is very , very good! It's called Fading Frontier .
Robben Ford's Into The Sun is pretty good. It's a rock album with some blues influences and include guest appearances by Sonny Landreth, Keb' Mo, Warren Haynes, Robert Randolph and ZZ Ward. The sound quality is quite good too.
It's a strange band and certainly not for everyone. I group them with The Flaming Lips and The Eels, though better than the others when they're(sic) at their best.

BTW I totally agree with your prior recommendation of Kintsugi. I had lost track of Death Cab since their early albums.
Dgarretson: I wish I could have been there!

As far as ("I'm hearing bands like they're (Is this really a word?) all brand new"... I totally get it!!!
Acman3: Thanks. Saw CB on Austin City Limits last night. Wow! She is the real deal. I love this lp more every time I hear it. That's pretty amazing at this stage in my life.
+1 Star Wars, but topped by Mercury Rev 'The Light in You.' True to their lyric "psychedelic rock and blue-eyed soul." When they're not too Peter Pan, they hit a long ball into R&R.

"The tone arm moves, the vinyl crackles
And suddenly I'm not alone...

You can't fool old Peter Hook

Facebook butterflies flap their wings and
Suddenly a Brooklyn band is born

For the first time in forever
I lay the needle down in the groove
And for the first time in forever
I hold my breath waiting for side two

Translator, Wire, Dead Can Dance
A needle on a record's a second chance
Talk Talk, Felt, Romeo Void
Give me The Fall, "I'm totally wired"
Splat Cats, Opal, Terry Riley
Kaka de Luxe ad Derek and Clive
I'm so bored four on the floor
Bring me the ear of Thurston Moore

Popul Vah, Agitprop
Elliot Smith, The Dream Syndicate

I'm hearing bands like they're all brand new."
Hello Audiotomb. I enjoy Wilco, some things more than others. Their production is usually very good. The brief listen to Star Wars that I did left me way underwhelmed song-wise; so I was surprised to see your vote for it as Best Rock Album of 2015. Absolutely NOT trying to start a fight...just interested to hear your take on this release (especially in light of their other stuff). Which tracks seemed really strong to you? What am I missing? Thanks.
PIL....Lydon's best in years...solid band...Johnny doing his Brit spoiled egg routine over dub, electronic, and other beats
Don Henley's Cass County Deluxe on Ludwig/Grundmand vinyl hits on 12 cylinders. Album of the year with one foot in C&W and the other in Rock.

Honorable mention to David Gilmour's Rattle that Lock. This one argues that Pink wasn't too far from cabaret.
Enjoying Beach House Depression Cherry and Jorma Kaukonen(in top form) on Ain't in No Hurry. Both on vinyl.

Warner Music did a nice job with the Small Faces/Faces vinyl box set purportedly derived from flat analog masters.
Anyone listen to the Foals album yet? It's outstanding!!!
Death Cab For Cutie , Kingsugi is a very strong Pop Rock album!
Hey Bongo, have you checked out the new Foals album called , What Went Down ? It's real nice !!!
Gregg Allman Live-Back to Macon, GA January 14, 2014. A strong live album accompanied by an eight piece band and some very tasty brass. Excellent SQ on double vinyl.
Warren Haynes - Ashes and Dust
Warren playing and singing with Railroad Earth backing him up. Great SQ and good production.
"Edge Of The Sun" isn't their best sonically... musically it ranks right up there, however!
I also like the new Calexico album, although ironic they were interviewed in Stereophile as the recording is very sub-par compared with prior efforts.
Ryan Bingham "Fear & Saturday Night", one caveat...expect your lps to be warped. ( I've owned two copies, one was pressed so out of center that you could literally watch the tonearm move side to side a couple of times per revolution, ( when I took it back for replacement, the dealer played it back on his Crosley and could immediately hear Ryan's famous gravely voice was out of wack), my latest copy was just warped.) Notice I said, "just warped".
... also, by comparison the MMJ is thick and confused it the bass to the DCFC lp.
Regarding My Morning Jacket & Death Cab For Cutie.. their latest' sound very good. My top pick right now for "best rock album" is DCFC. The differences in them as I see it, for sonics are:
MMJ = an overall feeling that this is an album that gets it's sound from studio trickery, IE: mixing, isolating individual people/instruments then adjusting accordingly, it's inconsistent.
DCFC = a very consistent sound that I find to be at least a half a notch or more above and beyond the MMJ. It sounds much, much more like I think it would sound live. Isn't this suppose to be the test?
Courtney Barnett "Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit"
Dengue Fever "the deepest lake"
Calexico "Edge Of The Sun"
Blur's new album is very very strong!!
Also , My Morning Jacket's new album is great as well!!
Train's "California 37". More pop then rock. Great album all the same.
I'm just say'n ✌️
From wikipedia: "Gibbard took the band name from the song "Death Cab for Cutie" written by Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall and performed by their group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The song was performed by Bonzo in the Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour. The song's name was in turn taken from an invented pulp fiction crime magazine The Uses of Literacy, devised by Richard Hoggart as part of his 1957 study of working class culture. In a 2011 interview, Gibbard stated, "The name was never supposed to be something that someone was going to reference 15 years on. So yeah, I would absolutely go back and give it a more obvious name."[61]"