Year End Music Roundup - Best of 2014

Now that it's January, and now that I've spent the past week listening exclusively to my top 75 or so albums of the year, it's finally time to put together my list of best releases for the last calendar year. Looking back, it was, as it is every year, a great year for music. Anybody who says that music was better in the past simply isn't listening to the right music. I honestly believe that what they really mean is to say is that they enjoyed music more in the past. The reason so many people still claim the albums of their youth to be their favorite, myself included, is because of how passionate you felt about it. But you should never confuse that with the quality of music that comes out today. I truly love every album that I'm putting on here. More so than in years past, there truly wasn't any clear cut favorite record. All the top ten or so were pretty even in my praise. And then the next 20 or so were all very close in my level of enjoyment. So pay very little attention to the numbers, and as always, enjoy. 

1. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence: Lana's follow-up to her stunning 2012 Born to Die album. This album is stunning in so many ways. There's a tragic beauty to every song, reminiscent of "Dark Paradise."

2. Antemasque - Antemasque: Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala re-joined forces to form this new band, but instead of picking up where Mars Volta left off, this feels more like the long-awaited follow-up to their previous band At The Drive-In's 2000 masterpiece "Relationship of Command". These ten songs have more in common with that post-hardcore energy than with Mars Volta's prog-rock. The results are pretty spectacular.

3. Beck - Morning Phase: Though I haven't always liked everything he's done, I've always admired Beck's willingness to take chances and try something new. This is a haunting and quiet album that manages to sound fresh even though many others have made music like this over the past few years.

4. o'death - Out of Hands We Go: Since their debut, the Brooklyn band's unique sound catapulted them into my favorite bands, and with each new album they deliver a masterpiece of spiritual death folk. Their last album felt like a redemption from the violence of the preceding album. If that holds, then this album feels like the wandering through the underworld of forlorn soul. Stunning, epic, and undeniably brilliant. 

5. The Icarus Line - Avowed Slavery: My favorite L.A. noise rock band's "mini-album" which they declared to be a companion to last year's phenomenal "Slave Vows" record. These five songs, most longer than 6 minutes, were apparently recorded at the same time as the record and it shows. They have the same dark energy that made that record one of my favorites of last year.

6. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots: The first proper solo album from the legendary Blur, Gorillaz, and The Good, The Bad, and The Queen frontman. The songs on here represent the softer, more personal side that he's always shown here and there in his other bands. There isn't a single bad song on here, once again proving that Damon is one of the best songwriters of his generation.

7. Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows - Mitternacht: Perhaps the most curious album on the list comes from this German darkwave band. Though they've been around for 20 years, I hadn't heard them before this year. Musically, the album carries the same feel. Classical and Neofolk elements combine to create songs that would feel right at home in Neil Gaiman novel. It's rare these days to find something that sounds truly unique and equally wonderful, this is one of those albums.

8. Odawas - Reflections of a Pink Laser: This is one of those under the radar bands that is mesmerizing in a sort of post Syd Barrett, still finding their sound, Pink Floyd kind of way. Their work reminds me of albums like Meddle and UmmaGumma. The most exciting thing about it is how much growth it shows from their previous records. Their sound has expanded into truly epic visions.

9. Natural Snow Buildings - The Night Country: This is the French drone folk band's most focused album in quite some time, and features the welcomed return of vocals to some of the songs, including the epic "Rusty Knives Valley." From the song titles, the theme of this album seems to be the horror of a abandoned countryside and all the terrors, both real and imagined that come to visit. "Sandman Traps" is another stellar achievement, and perhaps one of their best songs ever. This is their most accessible album since Sunlit Stone.

 

10. Ty Segall - Manipulator: Picking up where the last two records left off, there is a spiritual beauty to chaos that shrouds this album. This is the sound of a songwriter hitting his creative peek and exploring whatever direction his muse decides to take him.

 

11. Sivert Hoyem - Endless Love: On his fifth solo album, the Norwegian singer songwriter seems to have recaptured the demon that gave Madrugada their unique edge. His last album, 2011's Long Slow Distance was a brilliant moody album with spiritual undertones, but on this record, he returns to the bleary eyed indie rock of Madrugada's crowning achievement, 2001's The Nightly Disease.

12. Big Blood - Fight For Your Dinner Vol. 1 & Unlikely Mothers: The Portland Maine band's unique blend of psychedelic folk has propelled them near the top of my list of best bands currently around. Their 18th and 19th albums are two more outstanding achievements, sounding like an artifact from an alternate reality where phonographs and traveling oddity shows still reign supreme.

13. Sun Kil Moon - Benji: All year long, this album stayed with me and was one of the most frequently listened to. It's a sad album, looking back at so many who died as Mark Kozeleck revisits moments in his life. A profound portrait of life in America. 

14. Warpaint - Warpaint: An L.A. based dream pop band, this is Warpaint's second record. It's ethereal sound, with psychedelic undertones, works beautifully with the vocals to give the entire thing the feeling of listening to a dream.

15. Secret Colours - Positive Distractions: Great hooks and catchy rhythms commingle with dreamier moments, creating a spectacle of enjoyment. First released in two parts and later it was released as one album, but I like to view it as two, with the Part I being a little more psychedelic garage and Part II a bit more polished psychedelic pop.

16. King Buzzo - This Machine Kills Artists: This album is a pioneering attempt at folk punk with atonal acoustic guitar blended with King Buzzo's familiar growl. It's rare anymore that I hear something that feels new, but this is one of those records. Much like the death folk wave of several years ago, this album touches a nerve that hadn't yet been exposed.

17. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything: The seventh album from the Montreal post rock band is the first 2014 release that I listened to. It has the grand scope I've come to expect from them and reminds me of the more introspective parts of Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. This album is a journey that one must commit to in order to appreciate.

18. Robert Ellis - The Lights from the Chemical Plant: His sound has a country folk feel with a nod to 70's rock, and his songs are straight forward and very well done. These are traditional country tales of lonely life that have a musically modern feel, somewhat like My Morning Jacket though less grandiosity.

19. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - Midnight Sun: The second album from Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl's evolving band abandons the neo-folk acoustic style of their debut in favor of a psychedelic rock vibe.

20. Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World: Perhaps the most anticipated release of the year for me, actually I've been anticipating ever since the reformed two years ago, this album has not disappointed. Consisting only of guitar and drums (just as The White Stripes and Black Keys) the band manages to squeeze an incredibly full sound out of the instruments, and actually go much heavier than the other mentioned bands. They take their influence from punk rather than blues, and it shows.

21. J Mascis - Tied to a Star: Another beautiful acoustic singer songwriter piece that feels like a trip into a nice hazy world. In some ways it feels like a mellower version of Kurt Vile's "Walkin' a Pretty Daze" but perhaps that's only because Mascis is an obvious influence on him. This is one of those perfect Sunday records to listen to while lazing around and letting your mind drift toward internal stories.

22. Marilyn Manson - The Pale Emperor: Reinventing himself into a demonic version of Bowie's Thin White Duke, The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles delivers the most complete music of his career. This is one of his most dynamic albums, reminding me of Mechanical Animals, with softer and heavier elements and super accessible while keeping the edge he's always had.

23. Tweedy - Sukierae: Over the years, Jeff Tweedy's been one of most prolific and exceptional songwriters, both with Wilco and Uncle Tupelo, and he continues his incredible run with this fantastic album. Combining blues, indie rock, and alternative country, the songs are familiar and dynamic, but with a deeply personal touch that causes them to shine. 

24. Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Wastoid: Five years after their amazing debut "The Birth", the psychedelic rock band finally returned with a follow-up. The band is related, both literally and artistically, to The Flaming Lips and they definitely seem to be following the same path as The Lips have over their past few albums. What I love about this album is how expansive it is, taking influence from metal, psych rock, and indie rock and blending it together into something that sounds new and powerful.

25. Electric Wizard - Time to Die: Shrouded in fuzzy guitar and satanic drumming, this blissful noise washes over you like a storm cloud. This record definitely delves deeper into the heavy psych sphere of their last release, the Legalise Drugs & Murder EP. I like this course for them, it allows them to branch away from pure stoner metal riffs and explore a general sense of creepiness, of which these songs are full of.

26. Noah Gundersen - Ledges: A debut folk album with a country twinge that sounds like an album Ryan Adams would make if he made a scaled back acoustic album. There is also a sadness to it that reminds me of Jason Molina's work. 

 

27. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold: Picking up where 2012's The Lion's Roar left off, this album sees the band morph even further in their incorporation of Midwestern country folk. This album is almost certain to continue their climb into being recognized as one of the best acts around today.

 

28. The Growlers - Chinese Fountain: The Long Beach psychedelic garage band has an effortlessly feel to their music, yet it never sounds dull or lazy. There's definitely laid back Cali vibe that works great, completely unpretentious, much like a West Coast version of Kurt Vile.

29. Thurston Moore - The Best Day: The Sonic Youth frontman's album opens with two lengthy songs which are among his best solo efforts since 1995's Psychic ♥♥♥'s. He's always been able to find the space that exists within a song, stretch it out, and reveal hidden moments that you never knew existed. As much as I love these noodling, drone type creations of his, I also love the short quick rock songs and this album has a good number of those, the title track being among the best. A really great album, refreshing and familiar at the same time.  

 

30. The Vines - Wicked Nature: This album goes back to their roots, opting for a more direct garage rock feel on the almost universally short tracks. It's no wonder the band started as a Nirvana cover band, the influence is still clear, but unlike other bands, they are inspired by Kurt's sound rather than attempting to ape it. Super catchy guitar hooks, rumbling drums, and Craig's howl make this album one that will most likely go down as the band's landmark release.

Honorable Mentions: Here's some other albums that came close to making the list, and as I said, on other days may have made it.

Astronauts - Hollow Ponds

Cold War Kids - Hold My Home

The Coral - The Curse of Love

John Frusciante - Enclosure

Mark Fry - South Wind, Clear Sky

Goat - Commune

Goblin Hovel - Wonders Gone Dark, Shadows Brought to Life

Ed Harcourt - Time of Dust

Joker's Daughter and the Bullfrogs -Hybrid

Jessica Lea Mayfield - Make My Head Sing...

Moonface - City Wrecker

Karen O - Crush Songs

Rural Alberta Advantage - Mended with Gold

Sinoia Caves - Beyond the Black Rainbow

The Skygreen Leopards - Family Crimes

Sleepy Sun - Maui Tears

Spoon - They Want My Soul

Sonne Hagal - Ockerwasser

Those Poor Bastards - Vicious Losers

Temples - Sun Structures

Tricky - Adrian Thaws

Sharon Van Etten - Are We There

Mirel Wagner - When the Cellar Children See the Light of Day

Gerard Way - Hesitant Alien

Woods - With Light and With Love

Weekend Music Roundup (Best of this Half-Done Year)

It was another slow week for new releases, and though I listened to a lot of new stuff there was little I felt compelled to share. So rather than write about albums that only seemed to touch me in passing, I decided to recap my favorite 2014 releases of the year...so far. I know that people don't get to visit every Sunday, and may have missed a few highlights. Also, it's nearly the half way point of the year, so it's always good sort out my thoughts as I do every mid-summer. I always enjoy looking at this post in December and seeing what has stuck with me, and what fell off in favor of Fall releases. But even if none of these albums stick around for the end of year (highly unlikely), you can't go wrong checking out these albums. The reviews are the ones I previously wrote for the Roundup, with a few possible additions. Albums are listed in no particular order. Enjoy.

Beck - Morning Phase: This Beck's 14th album, and first in six years. Though I haven't always liked everything he's done, I've always admired his willingness to take chances and try something new. This album is a return to his contemporary folk style, which I much prefer over his electronic style. This album opens with the beautiful Slowdive sounding "Morning" which pulled me right in. This is a haunting and quiet album that manages to sound fresh even though many others have made music like this over the past few years. "Turn Away" is an absolutely brilliant song and my favorite on the album. It would feel at home on a Nick Drake record.

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence: Lana's follow-up to her stunning 2012 Born to Die album. This album is stunning in so many ways. There's a tragic beauty to every song, reminiscent of "Dark Paradise." Gone are the uptempo, trip-hop influences that dominated much of her last album, which might have actually been my favorite part of that album. But as soon I began to listen to this one, it didn't take long before I didn't miss that aspect of her style. There's an incredible richness to the music on this album, mixing slowcore and jazz elements, creating a mood that feels like a Mazzy Star album if it were produced for a David Lynch film. A lot of people have complained that the songs all kind of sound the same, but I disagree. They are certainly connected, but not replicated. And perhaps it might grow boring over time, but for now it simply sounds hypnotic and brilliant. There are too many great songs on here to pick favorites, but I suppose "Cruel World," "Sad Girl," "West Coast," and the title track stand out for me. The digital release contains three tracks not included on the physical releases.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything: The seventh album from the Montreal post rock band is the follow-up to 2010's Kollaps Tradixionales, and the first 2014 release that I listened to. It has the grand scope I've come to expect from them and reminds me of the more introspective parts of Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. This album is a journey that one must commit to in order to appreciate. I have no problem making that commitment. "What We Love Was Not Enough" is perhaps the most brilliant song on this wonderful album.

 

Warpaint - Warpaint: An L.A. based dream pop band, this is Warpaint's second record. It's ethereal sound, with psychedelic undertones, works beautifully with the vocals to give the entire thing the feeling of listening to a dream. They manage to capture the effortless appeal of The XX and Mazzy Star, while adding a hint of Joy Division eeriness. "Feeling Right," "CC," and "Son" are my favorites in this atmospheric masterpiece. The rare sort of album that can work for early morning, late night, or any time in between. It always seems to match my mood. 

 

Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots: The first proper solo album from the legendary Blur, Gorillaz, and The Good, The Bad, and The Queen frontman. Though he's released several soundtracks, two operas, and an awesome album of demo sketches, this is really his true debut solo record and it's pretty spectacular. The songs on here represent the softer, more personal side that he's always shown here and there in his other bands. With each listen, I love this album more. There isn't a single bad song on here, once again proving that Damon is one of the best songwriters of his generation. "Hollow Ponds," "Lonely Press Play," "The Selfish Giant," and the title track of among my favorite.

 

Big Blood - Fight for Your Dinner Vol. 1: The Portland, Maine freak folk band's eighteenth full length album, all of them from the last decade. Their unique blend of psychedelic folk has propelled them near the top of my list of best bands currently around. This is another stellar performance, sounding like an artifact from an alternate reality where phonographs and traveling oddity shows still reign supreme. Fun interludes of wrong number answer machine recordings and one of a child making a mix tape in the 80's add to the surreal aspect of the record. "Well Water Pt. II," "Song for Herb," "2+2=? (The Bob Seger System)" and the title track are among the best. (Their second album of the year was the one new album from the past week that I loved...review to come new week)

Sivert Höyem - Endless Love: Since the demise of Madrugada, Sivert Höyem has been better than ever. On his fifth solo album, the Norwegian singer songwriter seems to have recaptured the demon that gave Madrugada their unique edge. His last album, 2011's Long Slow Distance was a brilliant moody album with spiritual undertones, but on this record, he returns to the bleary eyed indie rock of Madrugada's crowning achievement, 2001's The Nightly Disease. "Enigma Machine," "Wat Tyler" "Little Angel," and "Görlitzer Park" are among my favorites.

Neil Young - A Letter Home: For the second time in two years, Neil has released an album of all covers. Crazy Horse rejoined him for his previous covers album of old-timey Americana folky tunes, but this time he is flying solo. Recorded in the lo-fi studio Jack White built inside a telephone booth, the very nature of the production of this album creates the illusion that it's a very old piece of vinyl. Some have said it's gimmicky, but I actually love the crackle quality...and it's not really gimmicky if the effects are a natural result of the recording process. Anyway, on this record, Neil covers songs that inspired him early on, and even later in his career. His voice is vintage Neil, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and the occasional piano. My favorites include "Needle of Death," "Girl From North Country," "On the Road Again," and "If You Could Only Read My Mind." This is a must for fans. 

 

Robert Ellis - The Lights from the Chemical Plant: This is the second album from Robert Ellis. His sound has a country folk feel with a nod to 70's rock. His songs are straight forward and very well done. These are traditional country tales of lonely life that have a musically modern feel, somewhat like My Morning Jacket though less grandiosity. "Good Intentions," "Houston," "Only Lies," and a wonderful cover of Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years" are stand out tracks on a solid album. I've really been loving this as the weather gets warm. 

Noah Gundersen - Ledges: This is the first full length album from the Seattle singer songwriter. This is a folk album with a country twinge. It sounds like an album Ryan Adams would make if he made a scaled back acoustic album. There is also a sadness to it that reminds me of Jason Molina's work. This is one of those albums that makes me excited about new acts as already I can envision years of wonderful music from Noah. "Poor Man's Son," "Separator," and "Cigarettes" are among my favorite tracks, though there really aren't any that I don't like. 

 

The Black Angels - Clear Lake Forest: The Austin neo-psychedelic band released this 7 song EP on colored vinyl for Record Store Day, their first release since last year's Indigo Meadow. Since their 2006 debut, they have released four consistently good rock albums that are just the right blend of psychedelic and garage. This is no different, and is perhaps their freshest sounding release in years. There isn't a bad song on here, but "Linda's Gone" is perhaps the most interesting and different from the rest of their catalog.

 

Songs: Ohia - Journey On: Nearly a year to the day after Jason Molina's untimely death, this box set of five 7" records was released for Record Store Day. It includes 18 brilliant songs collected from singles released during the contemporary folk band's nearly 20 year career. Now that Jason has passed, his songs have even more of a haunting feel than they've always had. In many ways, he was a modern day Neil Young, writing songs of incredible beauty and emotion that have an immediate connection. Every song on here is unforgettable. It's truly a wonderful release to honor a songwriter whom I dearly miss. If you don't know the band, or Jason's other work in Magnolia Electric Co. then this would be a great place to start. Or, if like me, you are quite familiar, then this is a fantastic way to celebrate his tragic career.