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The early reviews are phenomenal for the upcoming FX, Disney+, and Hulu series Shogun.

Starring Hiroyuki Sanada (Mortal Kombat), Shogun is based on the original 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell. The series is partly a historical drama, though it's also a fictionalized version of true events. It is set during the year 1600 and follows various characters and story arcs, and it has often drawn comparisons to the early years of Game of Thrones. With its early screenings with critics, the show has also debuted incredibly strong at Rotten Tomatoes with a first score of 100% on the review aggregator website. High praise is being given to the cast, writing, and the scenery, as Shogun is leaving the critics very impressed all around.

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Another year, another move further away from caring about pop. Whether that's pop's fault or mine, I'm not sure. But there was still plenty of great new music released in 2015, and here, according to my idiosyncratic tastes, are the best albums, or at least my favorites.

1. Wire: Wire (Pink Flag)

This is said to be the first time that Bruce Gilbert's replacement, guitarist Matthew Simms, was heavily involved in the creation of a Wire album, and the result is...the closest Wire has ever come to sounding like a Colin Newman album. I exaggerate for effect, but only slightly: most everything thrums along smoothly and motorik-ly, he takes all the lead vocals (though Graham Lewis supposedly wrote many of the lyrics), and there are none of the post-punkier outbursts of the group's previous two reunion albums, though near the end of Wire, the one-two punch of "Split Your Ends" and "Octopus" come close.

My alienation from current pop is almost complete; the only 2013 Top 40 material I enjoyed enough to play repeatedly was Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, from an album released in 2012. So I am officially a cranky old fart. But there are more and more of us, and maybe fellow COFs will find this list useful. By the way, crossing that border of alienation made me think more than ever that saying my lists are of the "best" albums is nearly absurd, hence the new headline.

1. Wire: Change Becomes Us (Pink Flag)

This is my favorite Wire of this century thanks to more emphasis on Colin Newman's brooding. When allied to their chugging motorik beats, it's irresistible to me. There are still some uptempo burners that recall their beginnings in punk, and some more whimsical though still musically solid songs, but it's Newman's dark musings that made me play this repeatedly.

2. Kitchens of...