Southern soul and a world of indie pop, rock, rap and dance dominates the best albums of 2015 

2016 was not a very great year for groundbreaking music. No one came out swinging like a Kanye dynamo or invading pop radio with eargasms of life. Yeah, Adele’s 25 deserves special mention because it sold more millions in one week than any other record since nSYNC’s No Strings Attached, but maybe it’s because Adele’s hiatus in between records had everyone glued to iTunes for a pre-sale date. Or maybe because it had everything to do with Adele’s last triumphant record, the multi-platinum selling 21. Or maybe it’s because there simply was no competition for her on that week or any other week.

Justin Bieber tried to compete; Purpose clearly stands out as his most definitive album. Still, it wasn’t groundbreaking. Despite the underachievement of today’s pop royalty, indie records reigned. Yup, indie rock, indie R&B, indie soul, indie pop, indie dance, indie anything. Their records were better, brighter and more interesting. Take lessons, you big labels.

That probably explains the diverse lineup featured on HiFi’s top 33 (and 1 for extra) albums of 2015. Check out these incredible releases below and feel free to post your comments.

Also check out HiFi’s list of 45 best singles of 2015. And be sure to take advantage of the player next to each listing to get into the groove via Spotify.