A couple of years ago, a friend of mine dropped my email address onto an annual listserv created by his buddy Michael, who works in the music industry. Every year around Christmas, Michael starts up the email chain with a 5,000 word essay on the year in music from his perspective. He tends to go on about specific concerts he attended that impacted his music selection or altered his view on the direction of certain genres and sub-genres. Eventually he runs through a Top 10 list of albums and a Top 10 list of songs, along with a brief synopsis on each. The descriptions are incredibly detailed and have this depth of information that few of us could match because, frankly, we have better things to do. I love music and I spend a great deal of my time listening to it. At the same time, I really do not have an interest in playing Six Degrees of Separation with members of Rhye. But I digress...
Ever since I started receiving the email chain 5 or 6 years ago, Ive really looked forward to it as the year comes to a close. It serves as this incredible information cache for various musicians that I wouldnt otherwise be exposed to. The people who contribute vary in interests and overall time commitment to (potentially) expanding their musical horizons. More than 50% of contributors seem to fall in line with what major industry media outlets list as the more influential artists of the year, which tends to feel a bit contrived to me. Im already bracing myself for the inevitable flood of David Bowie and FKA Twigs love. The other 50% are a mixture of people with different tastes — metal or country, for instance, which are notoriously underrepresented. Nonetheless, this growing list of varying selections gives me a few months worth of albums and artists to listen to on Spotify during periods at work where I can throw on my headphones.
Every year around this time I read Rolling Stones and Pitchforks Year in Review articles (and largely disagree with them). My wife and I always enjoy listening to NPRs All Songs Considered End of Year Top 25 Albums List. Regardless, I have already made up my mind by the time these lists have come out.
So where am I going with this? I thought it would be great to start a similar list here to see what other artists and albums people on TKP really loved this year. If albums arent your thing - because lets be honest, we live in an on-demand world where the single is top currency - a list of singles is great too. Here is the only rule:
The album or single had to be released in 2014.
The truth of the matter is my list is generated more from overall listenability and replayability, from start-to-finish. I am not a music critic, nor do I pretend to be. These are my own personal reflections on music and nothing more. That is one of the many reasons that I am interested in others lists. That is the beauty of music; it is in the [ear] of the beholder.
To keep things brief, here are my top five favorite albums this year:
5. Pretty Lights : The Hidden Shades
To put it simply, Pretty Lights The Hidden Shades sounds like the love child of a late night bender between RJD2 and Ratatat. An E.P. composed of B-Sides from the Grammy-nominated album A Color Map of the Sun, it seamlessly melds samples of guitar riffs with glitchy backbeats to create beautiful soundscapes that constantly toe the line between upbeat and chill without feeling overly-contrived. What I appreciate most is despite how progressive it is, The Hidden Shades doesnt try to hide its continual nods to 2000s-era electro-hip-hop like The Avalanches Frontier Psychiatrist. If youre looking for something to rock out to during a long road trip, look elsewhere. If youre looking for true electronic music that ignores todays 1-and-2-and-3-and-4 EDM chorus tempos, Shades is for you.
4. Rodrigo y Gabriela 9 Dead Alive
Ive always been captivated by latin guitar music, which probably explains why I really enjoy listening to 9 Dead Alive. At times it brings me back to the old Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds live acoustic albums, where the two would transition from melodic DMB tracks into full-on jam sessions. Reynolds would throw down a series of incredible riffs on his twelve-string and Matthews would simply groove along in the background before they segued back into the friendly confines of Two Step or Tripping Billies.
On 9 Dead Alive, Rodrigo y Gabriela utilize their incredible talent to create a stunning synthesis of traditional latin guitar and rock-and-roll. All of it is accomplished without vocals, because lets be honest, it would only muddy the sound. So thats two consecutive instrumental albumsapparently 2014 was the year where I moved away from vocals. Ill blame it on Iggy Azalea.
3. Jenny Lewis : The Voyager
Maybe its because Ive always enjoyed Rilo Kileys music. Maybe its because Ryan Adams produced the album. Or maybe its because I had a huge crush on her in the movie The Wizard. Whatever the reason, I always enjoy listening to Lewis most recent work (though Im admittedly a bit sick of the albums first single, Just One of the Guys).
What I probably respect most about the album is how strong it is from start to finish, culminating with the title track, which reflects on the poor fate of a much beloved theater in Lewis hometown. What made me appreciate the song more was its origin story. Apparently Lewis was suffering from a pretty severe case of writers block as she tried to wrap up the album. Adams sat her down in his office, amidst the antique pinball machines and Star Wars memorabilia, and told her to go home and teach herself how to play Oasis Wonderwall. This assignment was particularly ridiculous because Adams, himself, won a Grammy for his cover of the song. Confused, Lewis went home, taught herself the song and eventually found herself in an emotional place that ultimately led to the conception of The Voyager. She sat Adams down the next day, played the song and broke into tears. Adams only response? That wasnt Wonderwall... Lewis still isnt sure Adams has even heard the title track.
2. Ryan Adams - "Ryan Adams"
Ive thoroughly enjoyed listening to Ryan Adams for the better part of 15 years, which is amazing when you consider both the shelf life of modern musicians and the difficulty most find in continuing to push the musical envelope. One of my favorite things to do is look back on specific artists careers and examine how they got from Album #1 to the present day. How has Artist X progressed throughout their career? Have they been instrumental (no pun intended) in the evolution of the genre, or did they fall in line and cash in on proven sounds?
Ryan Adams self-titled release not only builds on a remarkable career, but it melds all of the different sounds we have heard from him throughout his career. From the folk/country/rock hybrid sounds of Gold and his time with Whiskeytown and The Cardinals, to his harder albums like Demolition and Rock N Roll, his most recent release builds on all of those sounds to create arguably his most cohesive solo record ever. Adams not only reflects on his own journey as a musician and as a person, but the compositions pay homage to strong influences like The Smiths and The Replacements. The album builds off of his more recent releases and proves what most already knew about Adams: Equal parts compulsive and ethereal, sometimes the dudes best work comes when he just picks up his guitar, presses record and jams.
1. Logic - "Under Pressure"
Listen, I am quite up-front about my love/hate relationship with hip-hop. It has not been my genre of choice and I seriously doubt it ever will be. However, every now and then certain artists sounds — including their lyrics and their backbeats — catch my ear. Hip-hop is a fascinating genre to me, if only because the genre has evolved so much over its short history (arguably more so than any other genre over the same period). And maybe thats why the most recent iteration of hip-hop is so intriguing to me. Its almost poetic, spoken word-like lyrics are so unreliant on the backbeat — sort of the opposite of anything PDiddy has produced in his career — that I find myself gravitating toward certain artists more and more. One of my favorite albums of 2012 was Kendrick Lamars Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. Two years later, another hip-hop album discussing such a similar-yet-entirely-different upbringing was arguably my favorite of the year.
Logics newest album, "Under Pressure," epitomizes everything I look for in a great album: It is rock-solid from the first track to the last; it is constantly exploring different constructs while retaining the same overarching theme; and it is wholly his own, without a need to pull in guest artists to help carry songs. Sure, there are moments where I could do without the weird segues and fun facts brought to us by the disembodied voice of the mysterious Thalia. But at the same time, they almost humanize Logic. In a genre that has been historically rife with blunts, bitches and forties, it is refreshing to hear him rap about how the album was created, how far he has come and how he is obsessed with Tarantino flicks. Rather than fall in line, I feel like "Under Pressure" continues to push the genre further into the truly artistic realm and away from the backbeats and hooks that masque lesser talents.
Comments
When I clicked on this thread I was gonna recommend Logic's album since I believe it was by far the best hip-hop album of 2014... then got to the end and got excited
Fun fact: when Logic performed on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, his DJ was a 2013 Virginia Tech grad. I was a communication major with him, and he is now touring as DJ Rhetorik. In this terrible-quality video he's the guy on the far right.
yup DJ Rhetorik made it! He used to DJ all the parties in blacksburg, it's cool to see him getting some shine. He not only tours with Logic, he helps in his creative process with beats and production and he was also one of the head DJs on Childish Gambino's newest mixtape STN MTN (http://youtu.be/9eMLWKbRZF4?t=2m57s).
Haven't listened to Logic's album yet, but I'm definitely feeling '2014 Forest Hill Drive' by J Cole
I think that would get my vote
Gov't Mule: Dark Side of The Mule.
The album was recorded from the live show on Halloween Night in 2008 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, Mass. I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan, and a pretty avid listener to Gov't Mule; this album is a perfect blend of classic Floyd psychedelic rock, and the improvised jam of Mule.
Heck yes. I had this at #7. Listening to them play the record makes me feel like they were the perfect band to cover "Dark Side."
Have you checked out Pink Floyd's new album? I haven't heard anything
about it so far.
I haven't listened to it all yet, however, I hear that most of the songs are instrumentals. Should be an interesting listen
I'll be brief:
Album
War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
Track
Ryn Weaver - Octahate
I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO OCTAHATE
The Horrors - Luminous - Dudes just picked up where they left off on "Skying"... If it ain't broke don't fix it.
The Black Keys - Turn Blue These guys are growing up and looking good.
I also second that emotion on "Lost in the Dream". Nice, vivid listen.
I don't know about album, but I do know Nikki Minaj's Anaconda is definitely my favorite music video of the year.
I watched the HBO doc on Foo Fighters' Sonic Highways. I thought it interesting and pretty awesome how they traveled to different cities and tried to incorporate and implement elements of the region's history and culture into their songs. The only one I missed was the Austin episode. Congregations is probably my fave in part because Zac Brown is on that track for guitar and vocals (Nashville episode).
The Sonic Highways docs were great. Really cool to have grown up in the DC area and been around Grohl's home base and so many great music venues and recording studios
I haven't seen the Sonic Highways docs yet (I'm gonna binge watch em all one of these post football weekends), but Dave Grohl has another documentary out that airs on Palladia a lot, called Sound City about the famed studio in LA. Definitely worth a watch
Just saw that one! Yeah he put it out after "Wasting Light" about the famed studio in LA. One of the greatest collab efforts out there.
The Sonic Highways docs were really cool, but that album was so disappointing.
How so? What were your expectations (just curious)?
Twin Atlantic's Great Divide was really good. They're Scottish and have a pretty cool sound.
One of the most underrated bands in music is Nico Vega. The lead singer is married to Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons and she is unbelievably talented. They had their first kid sometime recently and they take him on tour and he's pretty cute. They released their second full length album this year and it was amazing.
And if you're into post-hardcore/metalcore Issues from Atlanta put out their self-titled album. Tyler Carter, formerly of Woe Is Me, is the lead vocalist and has some serious pipes.
Sonic highways was really good even if it didn't live up to their last album (which in my opinion is one of the top 10 rock albums in the last twenty years), still deserves to be on this list especially with the monumental effort and game changing way it was recorded.
I will always +1 the Foo Fighters. They are my absolute favorite band
Yes mine too (at least in the modern rock genre). Idk if anyone ever expected David Grohl to breakout of Kurt Cobains shadow so successfully.the first Foo Fighters album that he did by himself is phenomenal, some of their stuff wasn't great in the early 2000s but lately he's gone back to his roots and it is a thing of beauty.
Fourth of July in DC! Be there! But really I love all of the foo fighters stuff. Every CD has at least a few songs that I absolutely love
can't wait for the 4th of July show!! It's gonna be awesome. I saw them at Firefly last year and it's easily one of the best live shows I've ever been to. They did all their hits of course, then played some covers as a cover band called The Holy Shits. Can't wait to see them again! Gary Clark is a nice touch too.
Hey, have you heard what Brockie said about Grohl? Absolutely freaking hi-larious. Grohl gave a shoutout to Gwar when the Foos came to Richmond and played at the National so it's all good. RIP Lothar.
Have you read "This Is A Call", Paul Brannigan's biography of Dave Grohl? He talked a lot about the aftermath of Nirvana, and how he ended up recording that first Foo Fighter album solo. And a whole lotta other things. Very interesting guy.
Great question. My musical interests are all over the place, but I'll offer these two albums.
Rivers In The Wasteland -- needtobreathe. This South Carolina band just keeps getting better, and this is some powerful stuff, probably their strongest songwriting to date. Several strong tracks, but my favorites are "Brother" and "More Heart, Less Attack". These guys are incredible in concert, too. I wore my HOAT tee shirt this year -- in Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum -- which has nothing to do with their music; it was just fun. But I digress.
Fading West -- Switchfoot. These guys have been around awhile, and to be honest, when I first heard the lead single, out of context, I thought maybe they'd finally lost their touch. But the album overall is solid, and rather than be dominated by one or two songs, all the tracks flow seamlessly to create an overall experience that doesn't come along every day. The closest comparison I can think of is, oddly enough, Springsteen's "Born To Run". I can just listen to those albums over and over, yet by far my favorite songs from both artists come from other albums. Hard to explain.
By the way, love the concept, and thanks for posting. I'll be sure and check out some other favorites posted here.
N2B and Switchfoot are always good. In fact, I heartell Jon Foreman is gonna be putting out a new EP.
Hadn't heard that, but I'm not surprised. Jon Foreman's an incredibly gifted guy, and an insanely prolific songwriter. Between Switchfoot, teaming with Sean Watkins in Fiction Family, and his solo work, he just never stops. Really nice guy, too -- all the Switchfoot guys are. We had the chance to meet them a couple of years ago.
Fading West is really, really good. I fell off the Switchfoot bandwagon there for a while, but that album got me back on it.
I might be out of my league here looking at the music choices, but Jason Aldeans old boots new dirt album was fantastic. Lot of heart and truth, relationship songs on there. Helped me deal w a lot of things I've been going through. Also dwight yoakam did a killer rendition of ccr who will stop the rain. And hip hop fans check out joe budden ols4. It's insane!
Aldean has been touring with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet band.
Any Dwight Yoakum reference gets a leg from me! Love his "Suspicious Minds" cover from several years back.
Yoakam always has been my favorite country singer, he is rumored to have a new album coming out later this year.
For me its
Artists - Pink Floyd
Album - The Endless River
Single - Louder Than Words
I'm a bit of a Pink Floyd nut so nothing released this year can top The Endless River. Its a nice melancholy finale to the Pink Floyd Legacy. And for the single I had to put "Louder Than Words" because it is the only track with lyrics and the only track to receive significant promotion for the album, but my favorite track has to be track 2 " Its What We Do".
I've been wondering about it. Will def check it out.
I must warn you to not go into it thinking its going to be the caliber of Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals or The Wall nothing will come close to those master pieces. It is an endless flow of ambient music. 18 tracks broken down into four different parts.
Years ago, I worked for AC Entertainment, then I moved to Washington DC to help promote my brother's band at the time. By 2006 when that band went kaput, I checked out of the effort to go and find good music (it certainly wasn't easily attainable anymore.) I have been looking at many of the top album lists and very few resonate well with me.
Four that I really did enjoy:
1) Matthew Ryan "Boxers"
2) Ryan Adams "Ryan Adams"
3) Reel Big Fish "Happy Skalidays"
4) Gary Clark Jr "Gary Clark Jr Live"
Ryan Adams kicks ass.
Saw and heard Gary Clarke Jr for the first time when he opened for Dave Matthews a few summers back, and he was impressive, and had the crowd way more into it than most openers I've been at. Followed him ever since, just wish he'd put out new stuff a bit faster. His live album is definitely in my top 5 most played for this year
Agreed, I got to see Gary Clarke Jr. at Bonnaroo a few years ago and he's awesome. Easily one of my favorite new artists.
I have been jonesing for a new band to come out with something cool like Mars Volta (without Cedric's screeching) to get me excited about guitar rock again. I am happy to take recommendations.
I have really quirky tastes. One week I am digging rockabilly like SCOTS, Reverend Payton's Big Damn Band, and Tim Barry. The next I nod my head to folky-punk like Flogging Molly and Frank Turner (even though his last album was a turd.) The next, I swing back to my anglophile days cranking Oasis (Noel Gallgher's High Flying Birds is a good substitute), Travis, The Stone Roses, and The Seahorses. Then I reboot back for the second wave ska of 1996/7. Finally, I could use some good rock, of which we have been woefully lacking. Note, I am that guy who thinks that the Foo Fighters have not made a good album since The Color and The Shape.
If the Mars Volta came out with a progressive new album I would be an extremely happy camper.
How do you feel about thrash metal?
Music on the TKP? Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
I'll preface this by saying hip hop is my genre of choice. I even run a hip hop blog that only highlights good rap with real artists - similar to rappers like Logic, they're out there but the mainstream doesn't market them as much. I grew up on hip hop and as I matured in my tech years, I slowly realized just how much negativity was in the garbage I was listening to so I changed my taste in rap. I hate the typical money, drugs, bitches rap that I think is hurting black america but that's another story. www.HipHopIntellekts.com is the site if anybody at all is interested (it's modest now but improvements are in the works).
Logic's Under Pressure is definitely great but I don't think it was the best rap album of the year, no offense op. I would put it at 4 on the list for rap albums alone. Here's my take:
#1 and #2 is a tossup between J.Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive and Big KRIT's Cadillactica. Op if you liked GKMC then you should like 2014 FHD too. It's GKMC-esque, it's a complete concept album that gives you a glimpse into personal things the rapper went through to get him to where he is now (kinda like Under Pressure too in that sense). Cadillactica is like a modern day Outkast album. All the country themes and soulful aspects that Outkast perfected, Big KRIT keeps them alive with this album. Today's south scene is dominated by dancing rap and trap rap, it's refreshing to hear some down south rap that still has soul and lyrical creativity.
#3 goes to Lecrae's Anomaly. Lecrae is technically a gospel rapper but he doesn't really preach or rap a whole lot about god, he's more just a righteous man making wholesome music that still thumps. It's the first album ever to reach #1 on the billboard 200 and the Gospel charts. Most of the time, wholesome, conscious rap is kind of boring with basic instrumentals. But that's not the case here, which is one of the reasons I love this album so much. You could play some of these songs at a bar/club and people wouldn't realize it's "gospel rap." That's how diverse Lecrae is. Great all around album.
Logic's Under Pressure is my #4 and Ab-Soul's These Days rounds out my top 5. Ab-Soul is the most "thug" of all these rappers listed but he does a great job of providing both the thug perspective and the conscious persepctive. As he puts it, "I take these gangstas to church."
Some songs to check out from the above albums if you're interested:
J.Cole - Love Yourz
J.Cole - Tale of Two Citiez
Big KRIT - Soul Food
Big KRIT - Third Eye
Lecrae - Welcome to America
Lecrae - Nuthin
Logic - I'm Gone
Logic - Driving Ms. Daisy (ft. Childish Gambino)
Ab-Soul - World Runners (ft. Lupe Fiasco)
Ab-Soul - These Days
I was hoping you'd post here. Looks like a good list!
Not much into hip hop in general but I do like Lecrae. Always looking for music that's positive regardless of genre.
Was actually going to say Anomaly by Lecrae is an excellent album for anyone who cares but Nuthin was by far the best song
The albums I liked most in 2014 were all recorded at least 14 years ago. Some were recorded in the 70's
Now get off my lawn
Damn kids and their music...
In no particular order....
French you're an oasis fan right? Its not this year but noel Gallagher is releasing a new album early next year, I think January/Feb
Taylor Swift 1989
Anberlin - Lowborn
Trip Lee - Rise
Switchfoot - Fading West
And though I'm not much of a mainstream hip-hop fan, I will admit like many others already have that Logic's "Under Pressure" is dope.
Just when I finally discovered Anberlin, they announced they were breaking up.
Right? I'm in the exact same boat. Lowborn is probably my favorite album of theirs, but I'm sure hardcore fans would beg to disagree. Seriously though, that album was my favorite of the year bar none.
RTJ2 - Run the Jewels
We Like it Here - Snarky Puppy
2014 Forest Hills Drive - J. Cole
Turn Blue - The Black Keys
Hypnotic Eye - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
G I R L - Pharrell Williams
Resurrection - New Found Glory
Lowborn - Anberlin
Pierson, I really loved reading your review despite not spending much time with any of the albums on that list aside from Logic and Pretty Lights. I'll have to take a listen to the others that you mentioned.
Based on the thread currently, my tastes hardly intersect with any of y'all. I am allergic to traditional pop and rock song structures and listen to tons of metal, ambient, experimental, and progressive music. But imma post this anyways partly out of the desperate hope that someone else shares even a portion of my taste and partly because I already had this mostly written up.
I won't blame you if you skip this. Had JS not been disabled (which y'all were smart to do), I'd have wrapped it in spoiler tags. So I'll try to put the weirder stuff at the bottom and label things by dominant genre.
I'll also admit that I have a novelty bias. If a band has released a bunch of great albums (I'm looking at you YOB), I'm not as liable to put them up there so high unless they exceed their old work or branch out into new ground. So this list is pretty heavy with comparatively newer bands.
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Go-Go Penguin: v2.0
Dang, do they have some jazzy fun with time signatures in this. I am particularly impressed with the restraint and precision of their drumming. And yet, it's still accessible, which you can't say for most of the stuff that I listen to.
Kausemus: No I
It's a triphoppy blend of atmospheric electronic jazz. Until it drifts into sleepy string ambient tracks. It's completely eclectic and very difficult to sum up - it's a real treat to soak up all the dizzying blends in this doozy.
Sea Oleena: Shallow
Dreamy and ambient. It's easily her strongest album yet, fraught with far more emotional depth than her previous ones.
Wolves in the Throne Room: Celestite
I've always thought Wolves in the Throne Room was stronger with lush and gorgeous atmospherics than they were at their traditional black metal. With this album, they abandoned most pretenses of metal and just made an ambient album. The last of a three-album series, it incorporates many of the melodies and themes of its two predecessor albums, turning the black metal riffs into electronic blips and woodwind trills. It's just so pretty.
Planning for Burial: Desideratum
Desideratum finally bring some proper production to Planning for Burials staticy, droney shoegaze. It falls short of Quietly in some of its arrangements, but makes up for it with its desperately pleading sound. It evokes a profound feeling of discomfort, thick with resignation.
Swans: To Be Kind
Normally the Swans are loud, loud, and louder. And creepy; the Seer was a harrowing, haunting, monolith of an album. But as much as I loved The Seer, I'm really pleased with how sharp of a departure they took from that album. The manic and psychedelic feel is really well executed. Don't get me wrong, this album still has its terrifying moments of unleashed and uncompromising rage, but its to a far less overwhelming effect. Instead, the album is playful and cajoling between dragging you down to its depths.
Animals as Leaders: The Joy of Motion
Oh my; I never knew prog math could be so beautiful. Toscin is a genius and also a robot because I don't know how he possibly pulls off this instrumentation. Everytime I listen to this album, my calves ends up cramping by the end since I'm unconsciously trying to tap my feet to the everchanging beat.
Interarma: The Cavern
We're pretty firmly into metal at this point. This progressive doom release is a colossal 45 minute song and it's tremendous. You can catch some riffs repeated from previous albums, but it's hard to notice since they blend it all so seamlessly. The pace is glacial, but relentless and there are so many pretty riffs. In a year with a lot of great doom releases (sorry Yob, Thou, and Pallbearer), this still takes the cake.
Thantifaxath: Sacred White Noise
This black metal album is so wild. Thantifaxath has really painted out an identity; aggressive, bitter, and clearly pained. They very clearly flirt with progressive and death metal concepts, but the core of the album is in the raspy atmospherics. I'm not always a fan of the cassette hiss style of production that black metal bands love, but then again, it isn't always this well done.
Sunwolf: Beholden to Nothing and No One
Just a fantastic blend of drone, doom, sludge, and ambient. I love it most during its chilling and ethereal vocal tracks, but the raw doomy pieces act as claustrophobic pressure to carry you to the next moment of silence. It's a journey. AoY.
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New(ish) bands
I'm splitting this category so I can highlight of the best new albums from unsigned bands. Since I live in NYC, they're all bands that I've seen live there. I've met all of them, they're great folks who deserve some recognition for the awesome music they've been putting out.
Glitch Cake: Calculated Crash
A two person mathy jazz act that I saw at a show in Brooklyn. They're incredibly soulful and so complex. I wish all longue music was like this.
Slim Charles: Small Improvements in Life and in Light
Mathy prog rock with a strong indie bent. Full disclosure, I'm friends with the lead singer. That said, they completely deserve a shoutout on their own merits. The creativity they have with progressive concepts and time signatures is just boggling.
You Bred Raptors!: Grant
They advertise as prehistoric post rock. Their lineup is a cellist, a drummer/glockenspieler, and an eight string bassist. They wear masks love dinosaurs and are unapologetically weird. oh, and they primarily play in the subway. But dang, do they have some great trip hoppy melodic material.
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And that's all. Thank you for putting up with me.
Best album of 2014? They're still making albums? I had no idea.
If y'all are into a weird, Swedish singer with self esteem issues who writes slightly off, low key pop music, I have become addicted to Hello Saferide. Thank you, Jaddams and Kyle Conrad.
"The Fox, The Hunter and Hello Saferide" just came out this year, but I like all of her stuff, really. Mellows me out while I'm working.
I'm late to the game, but I'll play.
My favorite rock album of the year was: The Menzinger's Rented World. They incorporated a ton of 90's rock alternative influence in a pretty amazing way. Here's a really fun video that'll give you a taste of the record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQBG7wAVWAA.
The rest of my year was dominated by: The Gaslight Anthem, Foo Fighters, Andrew McMahon, Anberlin, and Prawn.
Even though I'm a year late, I'm itching to say who my favorites were because there were so many good albums in 2014!
In no particular order, standouts for me that I don't believe have already been discussed would be:
You+Me - Rose Ave
Jon Bellion - The Definition
K. Michelle - Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart
Jamestown Revival - Utah
Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were
Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy
Dierks Bentley - Riser
Betty Who - Take Me When You Go
Steffany Gretzinger - The Undoing
Lights - Little Machines