I’ve been writing for Geeks of Doom since April 2008. In that time I have written about the occasional soundtrack release, but never before in my time or anywhere else have I attempted to write a list of the best new music I heard over the course of a year. Please bear with me, dear readers as I get into my picks for my Top 10 Albums of 2015.

Two years before I joined the Geeks writing staff, I was employed by my local Tower Records and Video. From the summer of 1999 to just a few days shy of Christmas 2006 when the nationwide chain shut down forever, I worked full time at Tower and loved almost every minute of my time there. Each day I was exposed to music from countless genres, and having that job deepened my appreciation of music I either dabbled in previously or was never exposed to at all. I was listening to a lot more rap, jazz, opera, bluegrass, gospel, and indie rock than ever before and developing a deeply emotional and intellectual appreciation for how each album was lovingly crafted and the unique history behind every song.

Singer and actor Dwight Yoakam was originally set to play the villain in Walt Disney’s upcoming western epic, The Lone Ranger.

Now Yoakam has had to step away from the project due to a scheduling conflict, and a replacement has already been found. William Fichtner, star of such titles as Armageddon, The Perfect Storm, Black Hawk Down, and Prison Break, has joined the movie and will now be the villain.