Can you believe we're 3/20ths of the way through the 21st century? 

20 fucking 15.

This was the year we were supposed to have hover boards, self tightening underwear and the Cubs were supposed to win the World Series. Fuck you Mets. And fuck you Del. 

It's been a pretty hectic year for SYFFAL. We got a brand new website thanks to Kyle (Tim's smarter, more limber brother). We tried our hand in advertising but only made $3.12 in 2 months, so we turned that shit off. We had some new additions to and departures from the staff. And then some departures from the new additions. 

However, on a personal level we are doing tip top. 

• Tim, Syffal's founder and eternal grumpy grandfather officially retired after retiring 2 other times, but I think he's done f'realz. He's going to concentrate on family, his own music and hating Ukranians.
• Joel only had to go to the hospital three times this year from bee stings and is becoming better about not talking about Crossfit so much.  Come to think of it, the only WOD he told me about this year was of the gooey kind that was crusted onto his cargo shorts after he hearing the new Jamie XX. Baby steps Joel. Baby steps. 
• Brando is still the cuddliest motherfucker on his side of the Missip. Seriously everybody needs a Brando in their life. School teacher by day. Rapper by night. McDonald's Monopoly sticker collector by afternoon. 
• Del normally did what Del does. He only shows up in December to announce his lists of songs and albums that are on everybody else's list. BUT he puts them in a different order. (I half kid; he has some dope tracks on his list that I haven't even heard).
• And me? Shit, I live in Indiana now. I'm a little further South and that gives me an excuse to wear my Crocs for approximately 6 days longer a year. 

Anyhoo, here are our favorite songs of 2015. Agree with them. Disagree with them. Either way, we don't give a fuck...we are just doing what we do: sharing the shit we love. 

Love,

Tom 

Tom's favorite songs of 2015

1. City Calm Down - Wandering: Wandering is my favorite song this year because the rage that builds is so fucking intense. It makes me want to get on my Mr. Robot black hoodie, tape up my knuckles, and shadow box until all the day's frustrations have escaped my body. 

2. Jamie XX - Loud Places (Feat. Romy): Little know fact: this song improves your strut. Are you pigeoned toed? Listen to Jamie XX. Got a limp? Listen to Jamie XX. Have tight hip flexors? Jamie XX will loosen them right up. 

3. The Amazing - Winter Dress: Here's another song that I added to the mix tape I'll only listen to when I get a chance to ride on Falkor. That dreamy guitar slide haunting the background of this song doubles me over every single time. It's so fucking perfect and magical. 

4. Fern - It Comes Slow: Oh the suspense. I almost can't handle it. I feel like I'm in a dream running beside a train and am mustarding (mmm mustard) up the courage to jump into the open door of a cart full of white fringed leather jackets.

5. Banditos - Old Ways: Janis? Is that you? 

6. Patrick Watson - Love Song For Robots: When I first heard this song I came up with THEE most BRILLIANT description for this song EVER. I pumped my fist and I said aloud: "This. Is. A. Love. Song. For. Robots!"  .....Then I saw the title of the song. *kicks dirt

7. Tame Impala - Let It Happen: Does it make sense that this may be the best song of 2015, but not necessarily my favorite? The construction of this song alone is brilliant; the use of the phasing, and the glitches, and the building, and the drums. Let's just crown their ass right now. 

8. Twin Limb - Don't Even Think: I thought I was hot poop coming across Twin Limb before everybody. BUT when I flaunted my poop in the form of a soundcloud link send to Joel via G-chat I was learned. Joel wrote about these assholes 18 days before I flaunted said hot poop. Late again. It doesn't matter though because Twin Limb rattles me where the sun don't shine (unless I'm doing my seductive yoga posing). 

9. Maximum Balloon - Let It Grow (feat. Karen O & Tunde Adebimpe): I don't know what it is about this song other than it's perfectly simple. It's easy like Sunday morning. 

10. Silk Rhodes - Pains: Seriously. Best use of a midi quality organ ever. I want this to play at the end of Super Mario Bros. after Princess Peach rejects Mario for having a creepy mustache and smelling like cured capocollo. Mario hangs his head as a pixilated puddle of tears forms around his feet while the credits roll. Poor Maaaadio. 

Joel'S FAVORITE SONGS OF 2015

1. Pinstripe Pigeon Band - It's You: I must've listened to this song 87 times per lunar cycle this year. The fact that a song with a ride cymbal playing lead would break my top anything is proof this song has me by the balls, AND I'm maturing into QUITE the young lady.

2. David Strange - Cocaine: The most miserable song of the fucking year goes to David Strange. I walk in slow motion every fucking time I put this song on. That fuzzy guitar lick murders me. I think this song is my private spirit animal. 

3. Twin Shadow - Eclipse: I fucking adore this whole album. But this particular song is the one that had both my duck lips extended AND my neck movin' round me shoulders. Twin Shadow makes the dark side of the street I'm walking all alone just fucking glamorous. 

4. Magic City Hippies - Fanfare: This song epitomizes the summer of 2015 for me. I hear nothing but the sound of flesh on water whenever I go through this EP. Fucking smooth having sex with chill with a slice of lime bro. 

5. Maribou State - Wallflower: The entire Maribou State album has that fuzzy dreamlike perfection to it, but the sampled stacks of sass on Wallflower are some of the most inventive sounds I've ever heard. This shit is the future bros. And in the future, 7-11 delivers. 

6. Jamie xx - Loud Places: The chorus on this song, the first time I heard it, made me clutch my chest and fall onto my couch face first it was so gratifyingly beautiful. Even remixes of this song give me the pains of the pleasures. 

7. FOALS - Mountain At My Gates: The loose wristed clean tone of the guitar that starts the song, into the intensifying throat of the vocals that carry this song, I'm fucking enamored with this band and I consider this particular song one that exemplifies 2015.

8. Lord Huron - La Belle Fleur Sauvage: This song is the song, that during the crazy storms of the late spring of 2015, that played out of my phone speaker and calmed my entire family when we were without power. Insanely personal, yet somehow in vivid technicolor. 

9. Submotion Orchestra - Doppelgänger: I had to do a lot of reading in 2015, and I needed rhythms to distract me into paying attention. The flighty key strikes on Doppelgänger allowed me to be municipal AND hip bros. Check out my fitbit. 

10. Mutemath - Stratosphere: I wasn't impressed with the new Mutemath album, but this fucking song is fucking BALLLLLLS. That plodding bass and pocket drums, with that dreamy vocal on top? Shoooooooooot, I'm half hard before the vocal even starts. I wish all new Mutemath (NEWTEMATH?) felt like this.

brando's favorite songs of 2015

1. Kendrick Lamar - We Gone Be Alright: To Pimp a Butterfly is 2015’s The Chronic, and “We Gone Be Alright” is its “A Nigga Witta Gun”. Who’s the man with the master plan? We gone be alRIGHT! 

2. Tame Impala - New Person, Same Old Mistakes: Just climb out of my speakers and rip out my fucking heart and shit all over it and then spell my name in it all over the ghost white walls for all my loved ones to gawk at and use against me. 

3. Open Mike Eagle - Ziggy Starfish: Open Mike has given us a social anxiety mantra. This song is medicine.

4. Sister Crayon - Ride or Die: Not only is this song about every thing I’ve ever wanted, but it’s also shot on at the Airliner on Broadway in Lincoln Heights like five minutes from my house. 

5. Milo - Napping Under the Echo Tree: Explain your thoughts on “the Green Horse for rap.”  Milo makes me go look stuff up. He’s a young teacher. A wild poet. A rapper of the highest caliber to have wasted his life microwaving jalapeño poppers. 

6. Oddisee - Belong to the World: Moody and musical and beautiful and fucking poignant and so fucking slept on. This should have millions of views but the world is shitty and stupid. 

7. Ceschi - This Won’t Last Forever: Ceschi is a voice for us, whoever “we” are. There is no voice in music that speaks more for truth. And I only wish more people could feel the way I do. 

8. Scallops Hotel - Gnosis, Black Nationalism, Rice: I want to listen to this song at a train station in Tangier on my way late to nowhere. 

9. Jamie xx - Gosh: Selectah! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Easy, easy! Hold it down, hold it down!  

10. Son Lux - You Don’t Know Me: I’ve yelled this at someone or another at the top of my lungs a good handful of times in my life. 

DEL'S FAVORITE SONGS OF 2015

1. Tame Impala - Let It Happen: From the 3:48 mark and on nothing this year was so repetitive and yet still so grandiose.  My brain was sent into a endless swirl each and every listen.

2. Chromatics - I Can Never Be Myself Around You: Their LP followup to 2012's "Kill for Love" never materialized in 2015 but if this single is any indicator of what we in store for I'm ready to drink myself stupid till that time arrives.

3. On An On - Drifting: It's very rare that the original version of a track manages to outshine the RAC remix version.  This is probably the one shining example.  This song was already so flawless. The slow build kills me.

4. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better:  I gravitate towards the darkness, even more so when the shroud of darkness has an odd light to it. This track is the patron saint of that sound.

5. Jamie XX - See Saw:  Picking one stand out track from In Colour is a challenge but seeing as Tom and Joel both flagged Loud Places as a favorite I'll rock See Saw.  It shares the same Romy DNA but takes the listener on a different path.  Instead of a soul chorus love ode you get a tortured break up with an endless break beat. 

6. Chvrches  - Leave a Trace:  Lauren Mayberry eviscerates every ex in her path to the degree that I want to be one of those chumps in the worst way. If her kiss on is as passionate as her kiss off then it was all worth the pain. 

7. Chemical Brothers - Wide Open (Feat. Beck): The most un-chemically Chemical song that ever chemicaled.  Beck's sad sack vocals and lyrics married to the groove of the Chems is where it's at. Depressed longing and lament never felt so right.

8. Youth Lagoon - Highway Patrol Stun Gun: The 'Highway Patrol Stun Gun' is a true and real thing. It is a weapon of mass abduction and I never want it to let go of me because I can't stop listening to it.

9.  Vallis Alps: Young: My favorite song off of my favorite EP of 2015. 

10. Majical Cloudz - Silver Car Crash: The guttural growl from Dilly Dally's "Ballin Chain", the aloof acceptance of Kurt Vile's "Pretty Pimpin",  and the pop perfection of Grimes' "California" really tried to make it hard for me here, but in the end I couldn't help but come back to Silver Car Crash.  It might be the greatest dark love song that sounds as if it was sung by both my voice and my brain.