Best Music of 2014 – part 2

– posted by Colby

There were great albums released this year – albums that I was drawn back to over and over again without them ever getting old or tired.  As soon as I sat down to review the contenders and do my end-of-year review, research and sorting I immediately knew who the top picks were.  But picking a #1 was difficult.  And ranking a Top 10 just didn’t seem to fit this year.  So, I’m going to use a little different format for my list this time.

Best Album of 2014 – a three-way tie for overall album of the year.

Benjamin Booker, Benjamin Booker – This kid is awesome. Mash together Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, the Ramones and crank it up with grit and distortion.  This album will make you move.  It will make you want to drink hard liquor.  It will make you think about your youth and scream about the injustices of the world.  Even if you can’t tell what he’s singing about.

Spoon, They Want My Soul – I try not to be biased when a favorite artist puts out new music. I want to listen to it with fresh ears and let my impressions come honestly.  I think I generally do a good job of that (ex. sadly, no New Pornographers album on this year’s list).  So, upon first listen to this new Spoon album, I had to hesitate a bit.  It sounded really good.  Was it?  Was I just getting swept up in the hype?  I listened again.  And again.  I went back and listened to older Spoon albums to compare.  Oh no.  It is that good.  Standing on it’s own today, or compared to their back catalog – it’s great.

Sturgill Simpson, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music – I grew up on Outlaw Country.  I didn’t know what it was at the time – I was eight – but I knew the sound of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Charlie Daniels.  It wasn’t until I hit my 30’s that I realized how much those early sounds really meant to me and how strongly they influenced my musical sensibility.  Needless to say, Sturgill Simpson immediately resonated with me.  However, what’s most impressive about Metamodern Sounds is that it honors the ethos of Outlaw Country while still being original instead of being another trite parody of it like so much of mainstream Country these days.  If you’ve never been a country music fan but have wanted to give it a try, this is the album.

Most Impressive Albums of 2014 – the albums that blew my mind with power, emotion and/or beauty.

Rodrigo Amarante, Cavalo – A masterfully delicate album. I was not familiar with Amarante before I heard this album, however, it took just one listen to strike me as something special. I rarely hear an artist who can be this beautiful and tender without slipping in to “precious.” This is an album that some might play as simple background music while those who hold their headphones close and listen carefully will be swallowed up in Amarante’s wonderfully illuminated world.

Run The Jewels, Run The Jewels 2 – I’ve been a fan of El-P as a producer and rapper for some time and I thought there were good tracks on the first Run The Jewels album he did with Killer Mike.  But I was not expecting much from the second release – and maybe it was that underestimation that helped accentuate the impact this album made. Aggressive, deadly-serious, while never afraid to laugh at themselves.

Sun Kil Moon, Benji – To be honest, I’ve had a hard time getting in to Sun Kil Moon in the past, but right away I was sucker punched by this album.  His vocal delivery may not suite everyone and there’s not a lot of musical range in this album but it’s all about the lyrics.  The stories he tells, the pictures he paints, are so raw and emotional that you can’t turn away. Some might find the overall tone too dark (I could almost imagine this as an album adapted from some Daniel Woodrell collection) but I see it balanced with wonder, love of family, and hope for a better life.

Heaviest Rotation Albums of 2014 – the albums that simply drew me back over and over again without wearing out.

James Vincent McMorrow, Post Tropical – Justin-Vernon-like falsetto, some R&B sensibility, a little James Blake pacing, and some 80’s schmaltz combined under an intentionally cheesy (I hope) album cover.  This is the dark horse on my list.  It’s certainly not an album I’ve seen on any other Top Album lists.  Simply put though, iTunes and Spotify told me it was the album I listened to most this year.  (Note: it did get helped in that scoring by an early January release.)  But I can’t deny the personal appeal and in the final equation there’s a bitter-sweet charm in McMorrow’s songs that created a sustainable draw for me.

The Orwells, Disgraceland – As long as there are bands still making music like this, the world has not gone completely to shit.

TV on the Radio, Seeds – I heard some music reviewers criticize Seeds for not being as experimental as their earlier albums. It might not be. Instead, it’s an album full of sonically fresh anthemic rock – not an easy task. I’ll agree this isn’t the most innovative album TV on the Radio have done, but it’s one that felt natural and hard to say no to.

The War on Drugs, Lost in the Dream – From the first airy guitar riffs of track one, I knew I loved this album.  Almost everything has reverb. There’s driving beats, slightly tempered to create a touch of tension.  Guitar lines that sweep back and forth like waves.  And lyrics that come in and out of focus like the music.  A lot has been written about his Dylan-esque vocals on certain tracks.  To me, this album has a sound like something from my past.  Thinking about now, I’d almost say it’s a purified version of what late 80’s rock wanted to be when it matured.

Honorable Mention

St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Half the City – I couldn’t finish my 2014 list without these guys on there.  I saw Paul and the Bones back in March with my friend Henry and it had to be one of the most captivating shows I’ve ever seen.  With an insane wealth of charisma, sincerity and raw energy, Paul Janeway fronts this band channeling the Blues Brothers and Southern Soul.  If you ever have the chance to see them live, do not pass it up.