Best of 2014

Anything music related. Latest songs, good new bands, and blasts from the past.

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numbersix
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Re: Best of 2014

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SONG #3

Viet Cong - Continental Shelf



A great start to a hopefully promising career. Already having released a cassette this year, this single from their debut album (out next month) is a highlight of the year. A perfect combination of melody and intensity, and in many ways not unlike fellow Canadians Wolf Parade when they were young and hungry.

ALBUM #3

Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness



Introduced to me by one of her tour managers, I was blown away by Angel's third album. I shouldn't have been to surprised, considering she was somewhat discovered by the great Bonnie Prince Billy. On this record her country sound is expanded extensively. White Fire sounds like the greatest song Leonard Cohen never wrote, Forgiven/Forgotten and Stars see her break out her rock which sounds a little Pixies-ish, and songs like Dance Slow Decades are simply unbelievably beautiful. Lyrically she's one of the best of the year as well, all adding to a varied, exciting, and moving record.

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numbersix
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Re: Best of 2014

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TRACK #2

Wild Beasts - Wanderlust



While the 4th album from Wild Beasts didn't quite blow me away like the previous two did, it did start with a bang. This lead single marks their move deeper into synth-based music, and this almost has a Krautrock feel with its pounding beat and looping sounds. The lyrics are more biting than ever, taking down the romanticism of being an artist, particularly those who revere poverty from positions of wealth.


ALBUM #2

Swans - To Be Kind



Michael Gira is on a roll. After the gradual disintegration of Swans in the 90s and early 00s, he bounced back with a superb 2010 record. This is now the third album of this revival era, and it's the best yet. While the previous album, The Seer, was loved by the critics I found that the long songs often only had brief bursts of pure genius. Here, he has rectified that by zeroing in on those great moments and making full songs out of them, ranging from 5 to 34 minutes. It's a droning, moody, and at times explosive record, with an amazing rhythm section and an overall atmosphere as intense as you can get.

What a year for music that this album is not the best of the year. That goes to....

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Leestu
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Re: Best of 2014

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I was sure Swans was going to be your number one.

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JohnErle
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Re: Best of 2014

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I haven't had time to listen to everything you guys have posted, but I've sampled most of it. The Meatbodies track was a fun little blast of old-school punk, and FKA Twigs is the sort of thing that might grow on me given enough time or if it catches me in the right mood. Of course there's lots of brickwall limiting in the tracks you guys are posting, and that sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me, so most of it will never wind up in my collection because of the way it was produced, regardless of what the artist is capable of.

My final post is up on the DRR site, including my top 3 picks, if anyone wants to read those. My #3 is the same as something Six just posted, Wild Beasts, so there's no need to re-post it here since it seems like most of you already know the band.

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Leestu
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Re: Best of 2014

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Song #3. EAGULLS "Possessed"

My favourite song from their solid debut album, although I wish they were all as awesome as their debut single, Council Flat Blues and the even better b-side Acrostical.
Eagulls - Possessed: http://youtu.be/kk7gwWbvdpA

Album #3. THE LOVE JUNKIES "Blowing on the Devil's Strumpet"
My favourite local band follow up a string of great singles and an awesome b-side, Black Sheep Blues, (why do I often like the b-sides better?), and a decent debut album, with this, their second album. Branching out more from their 90's alternative grunge rock influences this is a more varied album full of great songs, from their grungy power riff driven opener Mausoleum, noise pop single Television, mournful instrumental The Grieving Song, the thrash punk of When I'm Lookin' in the Mirror, and sweet crooning of album closer Goodnight Ellen.
The Love Junkies // Television (official clip): http://youtu.be/NahwpJp6wsc

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numbersix
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Re: Best of 2014

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JohnErle wrote:I haven't had time to listen to everything you guys have posted, but I've sampled most of it. The Meatbodies track was a fun little blast of old-school punk, and FKA Twigs is the sort of thing that might grow on me given enough time or if it catches me in the right mood. Of course there's lots of brickwall limiting in the tracks you guys are posting, and that sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me, so most of it will never wind up in my collection because of the way it was produced, regardless of what the artist is capable of.

My final post is up on the DRR site, including my top 3 picks, if anyone wants to read those. My #3 is the same as something Six just posted, Wild Beasts, so there's no need to re-post it here since it seems like most of you already know the band.
Good to see some crossover going on! If you haven't gotten your hands on the last 2 Wild Beasts albums, I'd recommend them too.

What's brickwall limiting?

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silversurfer19
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Re: Best of 2014

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3. Ty Segall, 'Manipulator'
Ty Segall has for a number of years been the king of psychadelic fuzz in my eyes (and ears), with 'Slaughterhouse' being a firm favourite of mine. But with Manipulator, I think we may finally have found Segall at his most pop yet, as he finds a way to combine his obsession with nostalgia, reverb and guitar solos with much more accessible songwriting. And at 17 tracks, its astonishing that it somehow all remains completely necessary. One of the most pleasurable listens you will hear all year, nostalgia and modern rock have never been married quite so well.

Ty Segall, 'The Faker'

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silversurfer19
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Re: Best of 2014

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2. Sharon Van Etten, 'Are We There'
For a good few months I thought nothing would top this record as my favourite release of 2014, an agonising and poignant insight into the turmoils of a relationship. Growing in confidence since her breakout on Tramp a couple of years ago, Are We There is an exhaustive record that pours its heart out right in front of you, with Van Etten's voice at times feeling spent in itself. That's not to suggest her voice is weak, indeed it's never been more powerful. But it's delicate when it needs to be, and when such agony is drained from her voice, you feel like she has nothing left at all to give. Musically, the record has also moved on from Tramp. Taking hints from The National, their is a brooding majesty that sweeps throughout the album, expansive yet never at the expense of Van Etten's vocals. Infinitely listenable, I don't think I've heard an album more this year than this, and it all the more heartwrenching each time.

Sharon Van Etten, 'I Love You But I'm Lost'

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JohnErle
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Re: Best of 2014

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numbersix wrote: What's brickwall limiting?
Brickwall limiting is the difference between what music used to sound like in 1983 or 1991 versus 1999 in this handy image:

Image

See how the music of today has the volume maxed out to the point where the audio wave seems to be hitting a brick wall? This produces an unnatural, unpleasant, and for many people, unlistenable sound, which is one of the main reasons music sales have plummeted while vinyl is making a comeback. Vinyl, despite its many flaws, doesn't allow for brickwall limiting because there'd be nothing for the needle to latch onto without the peaks and valleys of a natural audio wave.

The irony is that digital formats are capable of much better dynamic range than vinyl, because when the grooves are too deep on a record the needle will skip, but that's not a problem with digital systems. Sadly, most modern music employs the 1999 approach on CD or digital downloads, which is a chief reason why I spend so little time listening to new music and DRR is slowly morphing into an oldies station. We live in a world were Justin Bieber and Katy Perry now sound louder than The Sex Pistols or Motorhead, and I want none of it.

End of rant.

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Re: Best of 2014

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#2 - First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit are another modern band that wears their influences on their loose-fitting, elaborately embroidered sleeves.



These Swedish sisters got their first taste of international fame before either one of them had graduated high school by posting a cover of a Fleet Foxes song on YouTube. Robin Peckold himself, frontman for Fleet Foxes, discovered the video and posted it on the band's official website, exposing First Aid Kit to a wide audience pre-disposed to appreciate their music.



The band has never strayed far from that Fleet Foxes sound, but the distinctive vocals, sharp songwriting, and gorgeous harmonies that only siblings can hope for help First Aid Kit stand out from the plethora of beard-farming neo-hippies clamouring to be the next Mumford & Sons. And now that they've managed to avoid the sophomore slump with Stay Gold, it looks like First Aid Kit will be around for a long time to come.

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Re: Best of 2014

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Song #2. HAMJAM "Club Going Up On a Tuesday"

I first heard this song announced on the radio as a cover of a 2014 song by trap artist iLoveMakonnen, which had already also been remixed by Drake. Not a very promising intro....I'm no fan of Drake, had never heard of iLoveMakonnen, and didn't even know what trap was. After some research I'm still not sure what trap is! Anyway I gotta admit upon listening my first reaction was wtf was that godawful shit! The radio station kept playing it and by the second listen I was singing along to the silly lyrics mockingly. It is catchy afterall. By about the third or fourth time I heard it I realised I was no longer singing along mockingly...I was enjoying this shit. After that there was no going back....every time it came on it would instantly lift my mood....I was hooked on the slacker vocal delivery and the swirling, offkey(?) music and it is now surprisingly one of my favourite songs of the year.
CLUB GOING UP ON A TUESDAY - HAMJAM (ILOVEMAKONNE…: http://youtu.be/Wn_bVjicRFY

Album #2. BENJAMIN BOOKER "Benjamin Booker"

What a great debut album! This album just blew me away and there is probably only one album I have listened to more times than this one this year. Fantastic music which seems to be heavily New Orleans blues influenced but with a garage punk rock twist. His rough gruff voice is awesome and perfectly suited to the music, both the upbeat tempo songs and the slower ones. Coming from a journalistic background the lyrics are decent too. He knows how to write good songs. I am honestly surprised that this album is not more widely highly regarded. I would have selected Kids Never Growing Older but can only find live versions which don't do it justice.
Benjamin Booker - Have You Seen My Son? (Official…: http://youtu.be/hkUIknxbg6Y although I prefer the album version with it's noisy coda.

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Re: Best of 2014

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#1 Ray LaMontagne

Ray LaMontagne’s fifth studio album, released ten years after his debut, was a bit of a departure for him, but Supernova wound up being the new album I spent the most time listening to in 2014.



Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Supernova is the heaviest sound I’ve ever heard from LaMontagne, with a couple of tracks that are bluesy stompers which basically sound like Black Keys songs with a guest vocalist.

The rest of the album offers the kind of variety that’s sorely lacking on most modern albums. Supernova features variations of many different sounds prevalent on AM/FM radio in the 60s and 70s. You get trippy psychedelica on tracks like Lavender and Smashing, while a song like Ojai sounds like CCR jamming around a campfire with Jack Johnson, and then there’s the title track and lead single Supernova which draws heavily from Van Morrison.



The album never focuses on any one mood, tempo, or style for too long, so the way Supernova is sequenced makes it the only album I heard all year that I can listen to from beginning to end without getting bored and feeling the urge to skip a track.

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numbersix
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Re: Best of 2014

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Gonna catch up on all the other tracks this weekend.

But here's the moment you've all been waiting for

TRACK AND ALBUM #1

ICEAGE
Plowing Into the Fields of Love

"Forever"


"Let It Vanish"


These young Danes have become the act of the decade for me. Having blasted onto the scene with their hardcore energy in 2011's New Brigade album, I was instantly hooked. Their next album, You're Nothing, took their punk harshness and explored and expanded it somewhat. But I was not expecting what they would do with their third record. First single The Lord's Favourite was almost out of character with its marachi guitar and country twang. Only singer Elias's vocals were the only recognisable. But upon delving into the album I heard a band that wasn't desperately trying to find a new identity, but one that were continue to expand and experiment. Indeed, I couldn't help but think of Nick Cave's early solo albums, which also took a rootsy look at post-punk. Indeed the whole sub-genre of cowpunk (The Gun Club, The Violent Femmes, etc) could be attributed to this record. On songs like Abundant Living new instruments (fiddles, mandolines, etc) are utilised to create a Celtic punk sound (think a more guitar-heavy Pogues). Other songs, like Let It Vanish, continue to develop their original sound in more assured ways. And then there's Forever, and utterly intoxicating piece of music, my song of the year. Droney violin breaks up the stumbling, swaggering song that takes a Lacanian look at identity, digging deep to find a sense of unease with oneself and a desire to dive into the other part of a self split in two, "like it was an ocean". Despite its rawness it's rather beautiful.

This record is a monumental achievement, not just the best of the year but one of my all-time favourites, a record I always rely on when nothing else springs immediately to mind. And they're all under 25. Bastards.
Last edited by numbersix on January 10th, 2015, 9:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Leestu
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Re: Best of 2014

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Song #1. PERFUME GENIUS "Queen"

Perfume Genius - 'Queen' (Official Video): http://youtu.be/Z7OSSUwPVM4

Album #1. PARQUET COURTS "Sunbathing Animal"

Parquet Courts - "Sunbathing Animal" (Official Vi…: http://youtu.be/mhPOZXLmTKA
Parquet Courts - Ducking & Dodging (Live on KEXP): http://youtu.be/y4IY1myXvBc
Parquet Courts - Instant Disassembly: http://youtu.be/S-Q5kJBRfG4

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Re: Best of 2014

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1. Perfume Genius, 'Too Bright'
Twice in the space of three years Mike Hadreas has topped my favourite record of the year chart, and with Too Bright he may have even improved on the intimate and unflinching beauty displayed on Learning and Put Yr Back N 2 It. With an album that now matches the bile in his lyrics with an eerie musical production that unsettles and terrifies, Hadreas has matured and blossomed in this new sound. This is no doubt aided by the support of Portishead's Adrian Utley and PJ Harvey's John Parish, and indeed much of the record parallels the spirit of Harvey's Rid Of Me. As the record oscillates between the biting electronica and striking ballads, Hadreas has never been better, more powerful or confident in his abilities. Too Bright is my absolute favourite of the year, and one which will continue to astound me on each listen.

Perfume Genius, 'Don't Let Them In'

Perfume Genius, 'Longpig'

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