End Of Year Thread

Just had another less rushed read of your top 20 and seen that there's only one vaguely shoe-gaze album in it. Probably best to ignore me.

Have you heard the Swans record? I'm guessing not. Think you might like it

Thanks Karl. BTW I think I'll stick to last years formula and count up to 30 from each list.

Yeah I've tried the past two Swans records & whilst both had moments that I enjoyed I found the pair of them a bit of a chore to get through.

I think it's a thing of monstrous epic beauty- after a quick listen to your no.1 thought it might resonate.

The Seer is an absolutely wonderful record but To Be Kind just hasn't connected with me at all.

Live they are something else. Actually dangerously loud.

Loads of great recommendations in this thread already tbh. Once again, I'll be listening to 2014 albums for all of 2015.

ALBUMS:

1. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
Enough has been written about this and everything it sounds like/references/rips off, but it's still comfortably my favourite from this year. It made me download their whole back catalogue within about a week, which can only be a good thing.
2. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags
Like Karl, I reckon this is amongst Malkmus' best work. To me, it's almost got an Exile on Main Street vibe - you can hear it was a really fun record to make. The last track does my dick in a little though: THE RACLETTE IS SO SPLENDID.
3. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
Thought this was incredibly dull and Albarn by numbers the first few times I listened to it, but it's a real grower. Shame I didn't see him live.
4. The Horrors - Luminous
I've heard a few people slate this, but I think it manages to take their Skying sound and go slightly poppier without compromising them too much. The outro to "I See You" is one of my favourite things they've done. I'm worried that they'll start to make the same record over and over from here though.
5. Randolph's Leap - Clumsy Knot
I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this, as so many of the tunes had been on previous releases and I felt Adam's songs had tailed off/been rushed since they started hanging about with Fence Records types and chucking synths at songs. Thankfully, it surpassed my expectations and, while not as good as the brilliant As Fast as a Man, a solid official debut with the right mix of low key and full band songs.

GIGS:

1. Suede, Royal Albert Hall, March
2. Franz Ferdinand, Roundhouse, March
3. The Chills, Tufnell Park Dome, July
4. The Yawns, Glasgow ICA, April
5. Eels, Royal Albert Hall, June

TUNES:

1. The Jesus Abyss - Owl on a Skateboard

Top 20 Gigs of 2014

This year has been amazing for me and gig going. I’ve managed to tick quite a few bands off my list of must sees and got to see a few acts I never thought I’d ever get to see. On top of this I’ve seen great sets from some of my favourite acts who I have seen before. The only thing that’s missing really was a breakthrough performance by a young upcoming band. The Fat White Family at Latitude were probably the closest thing but unfortunately not quite enough to make my top 20. One thing I have noticed though is that all of my favourite gigs have been by white men with guitars which is a bit UKIP of me. Sorry.

1, The Cure at The Royal Albert Hall TCOTU

I’d never really classify myself as a huge fan of The Cure. I enjoy their stuff but rarely find myself listening to them and I’m by no means an expert on their back catalogue. Whilst I was looking forward to seeing them live I was definitely a bit hesitant about their 3 hour plus set yet this proved to be my gig of the year. It was one of those gigs where you forget just how many big hits they have. The band has obviously changed personnel over the years but they were tight as you could hope for and Robert Smith still sang like he was in his early 20s. Puked up in my Travelodge bed this night too so all in all a great time was had.

2, The Hold Steady at Epic Studios Norwich

The Hold Steady have been one of the consistently best bands of the last ten years in my opinion and had been fantastic the three times I’d seen them in the past. My interest in them was reinvigorated this year when their new album dropped and was superb and at the same time I became obsessed with middle aged American men playing Springsteen influenced stuff in general. Got right on the barrier for these which is something I don’t tend to do too often nowadays and just had a really fucking good fun time. You don’t get any of the standing around trying to look cool at a Hold Steady it’s pure fist in the air, beer being spilled everywhere singlong fun and the set flew by. I could happily watch this band live every week.

3, Morrissey at 02 Arena TCOTU

It has been a few years since I’d last seen Morrissey live and I’d forgotten how special a night in his company is. Only Morrissey could make the entire 02 Arena go vegetarian for the evening, play the biggest gig he’s done in years and do pretty much his entire new album with very few Smiths songs and still pull it off. His voice sounded better than ever and the version of Asleep he played was jawdropping.

4, The Jesus and Mary Chain at Troxy TCOTU

This year I managed to tick off quite a few bands who were at the top of my “never seen before but want to see” list and The Jesus and Mary Chain had been at the very top of that list. My hype for this gig was increased further by the fact they were playing Psychocandy in full – easily one of my top 5 albums of all time. They started with a short set of other tracks which was good but it was Psychocandy where things turned up several notches. The power and noise of hearing those tunes live was superb, I think the only thing that prevented this gig being higher was that the crowd were a bit still. I’m seeing it again in Norwich in February and hopefully that gig will be even better and is bound to be one of my favourites in 2015.

5, Pixies at Field Day TCOTU

It had been 10 years since I last saw Pixies. Yeah Kim Deal has left and the newer material has a few howlers (amongst some excellent tunes too) but all this didn’t really seem to matter, this was an excellent gig. It definitely helped getting involved down in the mosh pit, something I don’t do quite so often these days. The hits were brought out and so were my elbows. Great night.

6, Neutral Milk Hotel at Camden Roundhouse TCOTU

Like The Stone Roses a couple of years prior this was one of those gigs I never thought I’d get to see. They’re a bit of a marmite band but I fucking love them and hearing those songs performed live was an amazing experience. Sam and I became Facebook friends again this night too, a special evening all round.

7, British Sea Power at Cambridge Junction

I’ve seen British Sea Power fucking loads over the last 12 years. You’re always guaranteed a top night in their company but this gig felt that bit extra special. With no record to be promoted it was a proper greatest hits set and the band seemed to be really enjoying themselves. It felt like the perfect combination between the band being at the top of their game musically whilst still having fun with the stage set up/dancing bears and everything else. BSP forever.

8, The War on Drugs at Latitude Festival

I’d seen these at the same festival a few years prior and remember then thinking they were very impressive live. Since then they’ve released an absolute belter of an album this year so I was looking forward to hearing those tunes live. I was slightly apprehensive that their set wouldn’t really work in this environment due to them having a fairly short timeslot and all their songs being about 10 minutes long but it was just so good that time seemed to stand still.

9, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Cambridge Portland Arms

This was the gig I’d wanted to see them play back in 2008/2009 when I was properly obsessed with the early singles and debut album. Right at the front in a tiny pub back room watching the band smash it. The line up changes have definitely improved the band musically and even though the newer material has been somewhat divisive I think it really worked in the live setting.

10, Damon Albarn at Latitude Festival

I’m a big fan of his solo album but had my concerns as to how it would translate live after seeing Albarn bore the crowd to tears in this same headline spot with The Good The Bad and The Queen a few years prior. Luckily the sound was beefed up brilliantly and Albarn seemed proper up for it. The main set was very good but it was really the encore that propelled this so high up in my list. Bringing out Coxon for Tender whilst thunder and lightning smashed it down created a brilliant atmosphere and then Clint Eastwood with Kano was superb too. It’s a clichéd term but it was a proper festival moment that you could never recreate in an indoor venue.

11, Ryan Adams at Shepherd’s Bush Empire TCOTU

So as I’ve alluded to in this post elsewhere I became pretty obsessed by Ryan Adams for a sizeable portion of this year and this gig happened to fall right in the middle of that. I’d heard that his gigs could be fairly hit and miss but this one was great throughout and there was no sign of the slightly unhinged Adams you often hear about. The set was predominately made up of the new album which was fine by me as I genuinely think it’s the best thing he’s ever put out but the rest of the tunes were great too and it was especially nice hearing some Love is Hell tracks which I wasn’t expecting at all. The fact we were in the seating section is probably the main reason this isn’t higher. Hopefully when I see him in early 2015 it will be an even better experience.

12, Bob Mould at Village Underground TCOTU

I’ve always been a big Husker Du fan but never bothered much with Mould’s solo stuff until this years effort from him really grabbed me. It was only when I started reading up more on him that I realised his live sets are still packed full with loads of Husker Du and Sugar tunes too so thought I should check him out live. The gig reminded me of a more polished and professional Lemonheads gig in that the band rattled through about 30 brilliant pop songs in about 90 minutes and didn’t stop for breath once. The band he has playing with him now is tight as fuck and Bob’s voice is as powerful as always.

13, Suede at Royal Albert Hall TCOTU

I was never massively into Suede back in the day but had really enjoyed exploring their back catalogue over the last couple of years. This venue really suited the theatrical nature of Brett Anderson and the sound was great. They played Dog Man Star in full before then doing a massive greatest hits encore. I saw them again later in the year at Thetford Forest which was also very good but it’s this performance that tops it as events at the Albert Hall always have that special feeling about them.

14, The Raveonettes at Heaven TCOTU

The Raveonettes really clicked with me properly after the release of Lust Lust Lust back in 2007 however the few times I’d seen them live had all been prior to that back in 2004/2005 so I was never that taken by them. This gig was loud as fuck and featured tune after tune with a good mix from across their back catalogue. Recharge and Revolt in the encore was one my favourite live tunes of the year.

15,The Libertines at Hyde Park TCOTU

With a lineup featuring so much testosterone it was hard to go wrong with this day really. The Rifles, The Twang and I am Kloot warmed things up nicely before The Libertines got onstage and reminded us just what a vital and important band they are. The crowd was one of the funniest I’ve ever seen at a gig letting off coloured smoke canisters and getting naked and climbing up the sound towers. Enjoyed this day a lot.

16, Neil Young and the Crazy Horse supported by The National at Hyde Park TCOTU

I was initially a bit disappointed with this gig simply because it wasn’t as good as the Neil Young performance I’d seen the year before at the 02 which is possibly my favourite gig of all time, however I’ve grown to appreciate this more in hindsight. I love The National and they put in a great performance in support and seem to really be growing into playing these big venues which they so deserve. Neil Young didn’t play for as long as when I saw him last year, didn’t play as many of my favourite songs and did one his at the time unreleased new tunes that went on for what felt like forever. Despite this he is probably my all-time favourite person in music and this is one of the very many reasons so many love him. We were Neil Younged by Neil Young and I’d much rather that than a safe artist who plays the same boring setlist year in year out and has all the crowd swaying. There were still some great moments (I think both me and Mahoney have video footage of our wonderful renditions of Down by the River and Rockin’ in the Free World) and I will always try and be there every time I get the chance to see Neil Young, what a legend.

17, The Flaming Lips at Brixton Academy TCOTU

I was beginning to think I’d never get to see The Flaming Lips live. I’d had tickets previously but had to sell them and various other circumstances meant I could never make it when they toured the UK. I think due to this I was maybe a bit too overhyped for this gig so no matter how good they were it wouldn’t have quite lived up to expecations. The show was everything I’d hoped for in terms of great music, interesting visuals and elaborate stage show however there was one thing that slightly grated on me and meant that this gig isn’t higher up my list and that was Wayne Coyne. I just found his preachiness and come on motherfuckers! Every 5 minutes a bit too much and it did begin to annoy me after a while. However for the most part I could overlook that and appreciate The Flaming Lips for the excellent live band that they are.

18, The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Norwich Waterfront

Another of those bands who I’d wanted to see for years but had never gotten round to and also another of those bands who I’d heard could be massively hit and miss live who were actually remarkably professional. Their more recent albums might be fairly hit and miss but luckily they seem to play a real mix of tracks from their extensive back catalogue and it was just great hearing some of my favourite tunes live. Top night.

19, Slowdive at Latitude Festival

I’m a big sucker for shoegaze so was excited for these to reform and their Latitude set was one of my most anticipated bits of the festival. Whilst it was excellent I can’t help but think I’d have enjoyed them even more in a dark dingy venue in winter rather than in a field in the middle of summer. The other thing that left a sour taste in my mouth was that they didn’t get time to play Alison which is by far my favourite tune of theirs. I really enjoyed the set up until the realisation that Alison wasn’t being played but I can’t help but look back on this set with a tinge of disappointment because of that now though.

20, Andrew WK at Visions Festival TCOTU

This was one of the funniest sets I’ve ever seen. Andrew WK and a keyboard with a hype man shouting stuff and geeing up the crowd. Ended in a massive stage invasion with the backdrop getting ripped down and punches flying. Jen Long off the radio did a huge set of pop punk classics before he came on too which was good fun.



Top 8 Older Albums I Got Into In 2014

1, Big Star – Radio City (1974)

I’ve obviously been aware of Big Star for donkey’s years and bought the Big Star’s Biggest greatest hits album in my late teens and always thought it was fairly enjoyable even though I rarely listened to them. I can’t even remember what it was this year that made me revisit them but I’m so glad I did as I’ve ended up being quite obsessed with their back catalogue this year before really enjoying the movie that came out about them recently. This is probably my favourite of their studio albums just edging out the generally more popular Number 1 Record. There’s a real nice mix of good sing along power pop like September Gurls and Way out West to beautiful ballads like I’m In Love With a Girl. This has gone straight into my favourite albums of the 70s.

2, Ryan Adams – 48 Hours (2002)

Yeah I became obsessed with Ryan Adams and listened to all his albums I’d never heard before. This was the best of the lot. Featuring a load of Demolition era demos apparently this has some of my favourite songs from his entire career and it’s a shame a lot of people won’t have heard this.

3, The Last Poets – The Last Poets (1970)

This really blew my mind on first listen. It’s quite a difficult listen so not what you could just stick on and enjoy at any time, definitely one to be in the right mood for. Sparse percussion with powerful spoken word lyrics over the top doesn’t sound the most exciting thing in the world but I found this catchy as fuck too.

4, Blake Babies – Suburn (1990)

I can’t even remember how I first heard the tune “Out There” but it’s probably one of my favourite pop tunes of all time and sounds more 90s than anything else I’ve ever heard. Despite that I’d never checked out this, the album it came from. There’s nothing else quite as insanely catchy and brilliant as “Out There” on this but there is loads of early 90s indie numbers with THAT SOUND that I love so much.

5, Gil Scott Heron – Pieces of a Man (1971)

Like a lot of people I only really got into Gil Scott Heron due to the excellent I’m New Here album of a few years ago. I’d been meaning to discover his back catalogue since then but hadn’t got round to it for some reason, in fact I still haven’t really. The one album I did check out though was this one and it is excellent. A real soulful poppy album but one with superb lyrics and meaning.

6, Greg Sage – Straight Ahead (1985)

I’d gotten into Wipers several years ago when all the bands I was into around that time (Vivian Girls, No Age etc) were citing them as a big influence. I had no idea though until recently that main member Greg Sage had released some solo stuff. This album whilst having elements of Wipers sound about it is a lot more melodic and almost slightly Mark Lanegan in places. Well worth checking out.

7, The Leaving Trains – Fuck (1987)

For much of late summer/early autumn I was obsessed with Ryan Adams. Whilst reading some interviews with him I saw that he name dropped this album a couple of times so I thought I’d check it out. Now a lot of what Ryan Adams is into isn’t stuff I’d normally listen to – there’s a lot of metal and that sort of thing but this is really good. Short sharp punky songs but with melody and a sense of fun.

8, The Rolling Stones – Goat’s Head Soup

I like The Stones and have grown to like them a little bit more as each year goes by but I’ve never truly clicked with them like most of the other classic bands. As such I’d only really heard the stone cold classic albums by them and never checked this one out before. Having listened to it I’d have to say I rate it up there with just about anything else they’ve ever released. Jagger sounds great on this and it just seems packed with attitude.

Top 40 albums of the year

It’s been a solid year for albums I think. Some of the albums I expected to be high up on my favourites list haven’t featured at all and were quite disappointing such as Foxygen, How to Dress Well, Mac Demarco, Ariel Pink and The Horrors. However to counteract this we’ve had some albums smash into the upper echelons of my list by bands I’d never expected to be there. I found the year to be a bit disappointing in terms of hip hop and electronica – 2 genres I’m normally very much into and are well represented in my list, however that may be more down to me spending a large part of the year obsessed with middle aged American men with guitars playing middle of the road rock anthems, I’m not sure. Anyway onto the list…

40, Future Islands – Singles

Like a lot of people it was the ubiquitous Letterman performance that got me hooked on these. The truth is the album has 3 massive standout songs and the rest is decent whilst nothing spectacular. It’s Herring’s voice that lifts these tracks to that next level though as musically this remains pedestrian for the most part. Whilst it sits at the bottom of my top 40 it will still be an album I return to and has ousted albums by more established favourites of mine so good work.

Favourite track: Seasons (Waiting on You)

39, Beck – Morning Phase

This was billed as Sea Change mark 2 which excited me as whilst I’m a big fan of Beck in all his different guises I’ve always thought his acoustic side was one that could be explored further. This has ended up being one of those albums where if I listen to any song from it individually I really really like it but as a whole album I just find it a little too samey and one paced. The quality of songwriting is great and there’s not a bad track here, I just find it takes a bit of effort to listen to as a whole and doesn’t quite have the same emotional pull as Sea Change.

Favourite Track: Morning

38, Gruff Rhys – American Interior

Gruff was always going to struggle to match Hotel Shampoo which in my book was up there with his finest work ever. Whilst this doesn’t live up to those heights, this album inspired by Welsh explorer John Evans is worth spending time with and reveals more and more with each listen.

Favourite track: American Interior

37, Steven James Adams – House Music

I was a massive Broken Family Band fan and this follows on nicely from their work. It’s more of a return to the BFB sound than his Singing Adams efforts were and the humorous lyrics matched with a mixture of upbeat rockers and touching ballads. Whilst there’s nothing here that touches BFB’s finest moments this is a good effort from one of Britain’s unsung talents.

Favourite track: Get Over Yourself


36, Perfect Pussy – Say Yes to Love

I genuinely think Meredith Graves could go on to be one of the most influential people in music over the next few years taking the mantle from the likes of Kathleen Hanna. This, Perfect Pussy’s debut full length is an exhilarating ride through noise punk but unlike some of their peers the noise doesn’t come at the expense of melody or interesting lyrics.

Favourite track: Big Stars

35, Allo Darlin – We Come from the Same Place

This album isn’t quite as poppy or catchy as their previous work but Elizabeth Morris’ vocals are as beautiful as ever and whilst lyrically Allo Darlin’ can border on too twee/cringeworthy I really like them for the most part. This album doesn’t have any obvious big hitters like past albums did with Dreaming, Europe and Capricornia however is consistently solid and features one of their most beautiful yet understated songs in History Lessons. Certainly not an album to start out with for this band but one that fans will no doubt enjoy.

Favourite track: History Lessons


34, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Wigout at Jagbags

Malkmus has been on somewhat of a run with his last few albums and this keeps the momentum going. You know he’s never going to quite match the level of Pavement but lets face it not many bands have ever. As long as he keeps releasing albums of fun pop tunes like these though I’ll be happy.

Favourite track: Lariat

33, Guided by Voices – Motivational Jumpsuit

My end of year list wouldn’t be complete without at least one entry from Robert Pollard. Unfortunately it seems this year will be the last for Guided by Voices, at least for a while anyway. I preferred this to Cool Planet their other release from 2014. This doesn’t contain any shocks or surprises but is another solid addition to the back catalogue of one of my favourite bands of all time.

Favourite track: Save the Company

32, Black Lips – Underneath the Rainbow

At first I wasn’t that convinced by this album however it’s one I’ve found myself coming back to time and time again as the years gone by. They may have lost a bit of the punk edge they used to have but they can still write a catchy tune and some of these songs have been stuck in my head for large parts of the year.

Favourite track: Funny

31, Ryley Walker – All Kinds of You

There’s not many new musicians (that I’m aware of anyway) who channel the old school folk sounds of Bert Jansch and Jackson C Frank so when I first heard this album it really made me sit up and take notice. The guitar playing is beautiful and the vocals have a timeless quality. If you’d told me this was a rare record recorded in the early 70s I’d have believed you.

Favourite track: Clear the Sky

30, Honeyblood – Honeyblood

I first caught these girls after seeing them support Courtney Barnett early in the year and they were one of the most enjoyable support acts I saw all year with their Throwing Muses/Juliana Hatfield influenced indie rock. The album has some really fucking great moments that are up there with my songs of the year with the likes of Fall Forever and No Spare Key however the album as a whole suffers from a few clangers that whilst aren’t terrible stop the album from being a really truly great debut that it sometimes threatens. This has been one of my most difficult albums to place in my list this year as when it is good it ticks all my boxes however there’s just one too many songs that don’t quite reach those heights for it to be any higher up than this.

Favourite track: No Spare Key

29, Morrissey – World Peace is None of Your Business

The first album from Morrissey in what feels like forever is a bit of a grower. On the first couple of listens I found it quite hard work, there’s no obvious massive singles and it features Morrissey at his most confrontational, political and antagonistic with some quite heavy going tunes with big production. With repeated listens though this album opens itself up to reveal some excellent tunes. Song of the lyrics and song titles do almost seem a bit like what someone doing a parody of Morrissey would come up with however let’s face it, the bordering on ridiculous and self-parody is part of the reason we all love him. I’m Not a Man really stands out for me as a highlight but my absolute favourite track is the 2 minute popsong The Bullfighter Dies. It really stands out on the album due to its short poppy nature and feels like a breath of fresh air in what otherwise is an album that whilst very good can be a bit of a heavy going experience at times.

Favourite track: The Bullfighter Dies

28, Wild Beasts – Present Tense

Wild Beasts are one of the most consistent British bands of the last ten years for me. This is another solid addition to their back catalogue and for me feels like their most complete piece of work. I remember hearing them debut A Dog’s Life live last year and being blown away by it. That song remains my favourite on this new album however tunes like Sweet Spot and Pregnant Pause are right up there too.

Favourite track: A Dog’s Life

27, Paws – Youth Culture Forever

Paws’ last album was one of my favourite debuts of recent years and an album I became obsessed by for a while with its combination of pop punk riffs and emotionally honest lyrics inspired by his Mum’s death to Cancer. The follow up features more of the same however this time the main theme of the lyrics is the singer getting dumped by his girlfriend (the singer from the aforementioned Honeyblood coincidentally). Whilst this is fine and isn’t exactly a new thing to sing about it does mean that some tunes here come across a bit whingey and teenage angsty at times which means it didn’t quite have the same connection with me that their debut did. Despite this they have a knack for writing a great pop song and this album is full of them. If I was about 19 and just been dumped this would probably be my favourite album in the world. As it stands this is a solid follow up to an outstanding debut.

Favourite track: Owls Talons Clenching My Heart

26, Neil Young – A Letter Home

Cover albums normally end up being a horrible mess. I still have nightmares about Paul Weller covering Wishing on a Star so therefore I wasn’t particularly looking forward to hearing a covers album from Neil Young despite him probably being my favourite musician of all time. It’s really fucking good though. Recorded in a 1940s voice o graph vinyl recording booth the sound is very lo-fi and crackly and for me this really works and adds a great warmth to the album almost reminding me of those early Daniel Johnston tapes. Neil addresses his dead Mum throughout the album with spoken word interludes which could have been annoying and cheesey but again for me somehow work and add a real emotional feeling to the album. Normally cover albums are void of any real connection or emotion as the artist isn’t singing their own words however I think Neil really managers to create a real connection with these songs and it helps that for the most part these are all great tunes originally.

Favourite track: Needle of Death

25, Neil Young – Storytone

In Neil’s second release of the year he released an album of new material called Storytone. The album was released as two versions – one solo acoustic and the other with an orchestra/big band. I must admit I wasn’t particularly interested in the orchestral version but was quite excited to hear the acoustic stripped back stuff. The acoustic version is decent enough but surprisingly it was the orchestral version of this album that really caught my attention and has got this album up into my top 25. At times these tunes sound like they belong on a Disney soundtrack and the strings make it sound like a Van Dyke Parkes album. It really shocked me how much I enjoyed this version of the album but I feel they complement the songs and Young’s voice beautifully.

Favourite track: Plastic Flowers (Orchestral Version)

24, SBTRKT – Wonder Where We Land

The self-titled release from SBTRKT is one of my favourite albums of the past few years and one I imagine will feature high up on my albums of the decade list when the time comes for that. This was therefore one of my most anticipated albums of the year and whilst it doesn’t quite feature as many huge tunes as that album did this is very interesting in its own right.

Favourite track: Temporary View

23, Solids – Blame Confusion

I’m a sucker for 90s American indie and this replicates that sound perfectly. Yeah it’s nothing new but they’ve produced an album full of Dinosaur JR/Pavement style rip offs similar to the debut album from Yuck a few years ago. Haze Away is without doubt one of my songs of the year.

Favourite track: Haze Away

22, Connections – Into Sixes

Talking of ripping off 90s American indie bands, Connections are superb at doing that to one band in particular – Guided by Voices. This follows on nicely from their 2 albums released last year and does more of the same with the GBV formula. This feels slightly poppier than their previous efforts which works nicely for me and they seem to have Pollard’s knack for writing a great melody and turning it into a sub 2 minute pop song nailed to a tee.

Favourite track: Beat the Sky

21, Sun Kil Moon – Benji

Mark Kozelek is a weird cunt. He pissed me off no end with his petty slagging off of The War on Drugs but there’s no denying this is a beautifully intimate album that is one of the highlights of his long and illustrious career.

Favourite track: I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same

20, Perfume Genius – Too Bright

This proved to be quite a departure from the piano ballad sound of his first two albums which caught me by surprise initially. There’s no doubting that personally I prefer the low key ballad side of Perfume Genius it’s great to see him growing in confidence and pushing himself musically into different territories.

Favourite track: All Along

19, Ryan Adams – 1984

As I have mentioned throughout this review of 2014 I got rather obsessed with Ryan Adams this year and this was probably the starting point. I’ve always been a massive fan of the likes of Husker Du and The Replacements so when I’d heard Ryan had released this which is pretty much homage to those acts I knew it would be right up my street. With the longest song still being under 90 seconds long this is a real quick thrash through 10 songs yet they still all manage to be catchy and well developed enough that I’ve had them stuck in my head ever since the release.

Favourite track: Change Your Mind

18, Ought – More Than Any Other Day

Another band who have used the formula or ripping off loads of my favourite bands to create their own sound. This has dollops of LCD Soundsystem, The Fall, Sonic Youth and Pavement and makes for a cracking debut LP.

Favourite track: Today More Than Any Other Day

17, Sharon Van Etten – Are We There

Whilst not as fragile sounding as 2012’s superb Tramp, this follow up is a great piece of work that sees Van Etten producing a polished and confident piece of work that feels like a step towards the big time.

Favourite track: Afraid of Nothing

16, J Mascis – Tied to a Star

Obviously I love Dinosaur Jr and by default had always enjoyed J Mascis’ solo work however I feel this record is a real step up for him in that regard and is a beautiful album. I’d even go as far to say I prefer this over the last few Dinosaur Jr efforts.

Favourite track: Me Again

15, Aphex Twin – Syro

The return of Aphex Twin is without doubt one of the highlights of the year however the big question would always be – was it worth the wait? Much like My Bloody Valentine last year Aphex Twin doesn’t disappoint and returns with an album that will please existing fans whilst still innovating and sounding like a 2014 release.

Favourite track: s950tx16wasr10 (Earth Portal Mix)

14, Cayetana – Nervous Like Me

Punk influenced American indie that sounds a bit like Swearin’ and PS Eliot. This is right up my street and even though I can see the vocals not sitting right with everyone I think they’re one of the big selling points for me.

Favourite track: Serious Things are Stupid

13, Frankie Cosmos – Zentropy

Frankie Cosmos is another of those ridiculously prolific artists who releases several albums a year and this is by far her best to date. Full of short lofi 90s influenced indie pop tunes with twee lyrics, I was always going to love this.

Favourite track: Sad 2

12, Jenny Lewis – The Voyager

This was another album I wasn’t 100% sure of on first listen. I knew it was good but at times it just got too close to Shania Twain territory for me to feel totally comfortable listening to it. Thankfully with repeated listens I soon lost that feeling and the strength in the songwriting really started to shine through. You can feel the influence of both Beck and Ryan Adams throughout this album and I think this is the highlight of Jenny Lewis’ career so far.

Favourite track: She’s Not Me

11, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Days of Abandon

We all know what happened with PAINS. After releasing one of the greatest debut albums of the past decade they turned down the guitars, turned up the synths, let us down a bit and then half the band left and here we are. I genuinely feel the band as a whole have improved now and even though I’ll always have a soft spot for the original lineup let’s face it, Peggy Wang couldn’t sing. The use of female vocals so much on this album surprised me a bit at first but really works well I find. Kelly reminds me a bit of Lazy Line Painter Jane. Seeing them live really helped this album click with me and I’ve accepted they won’t be making the debut album over and over again like I’d hoped but this is really a very good album influenced as much by Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura now as they were My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain in those early days.

Favourite track: Art Smock

10, The Twilight Sad – Nobody Wants to be here and Nobody Wants to Leave

Similar to PAINS another band who released a phenomenal debut album and didn’t quite follow it up, The Twilight Sad have returned with their most solid album since the aforementioned debut. This really works well as a whole piece whereas I’ve found their last few albums have peaks and troughs. I still feel this band could be capable of making a really special album one day and this feels like a step in the right direction for that goal.

Favourite track: Last January

9, The Raveonettes – Pe’ahi

Another album that took a while to grow on me. I was initially a bit disappointed by this and thought it to be their worst effort in sometime, however after seeing them perform the bulk of this live it really connected with me and is another fine addition to a superb back catalogue. It sees the band shift away from some of the poppier moments they’ve given us recently and add a bit more noise to proceedings.

Favourite track: Endless Sleeper

8, Bob Mould – Beauty and Ruin

Influenced by the death of his Dad, this is a huge return to form for Bob Mould and is full of fist in the air anthems. For me this is the closest he’s gotten to the Husker Du sound in his solo career and despite the serious subject matter it sounds like he’s having fun with it.

Favourite track: The War

7, Alvvays – Alvvays

The Pains of Being Camera Obscura at Heart! Canadian indie pop that sounds like the perfect combination between those two bands. I love shit like this and every tune on this album is golden. No doubt they’ll discover synths for the follow up and turn crap but nevermind, my debut abum of the year.

Favourite track: Archie, Marry Me

6, Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots

This was a massive surprise. Obviously I love Blur and have found most of Albarn’s other output at least interesting but I was never expecting to love his first ever solo album quite so much. I really like the vibe of this album and the variation in style from upbeat numbers like Mr Tembo and Heavy Seas of Love to more introspective tracks such as Lonely Press Play. The African influence is there throughout but a lot of these tracks wouldn’t be out of place on a Blur album. The excellent live show at Latitude only went further to cement this as one of my favourite albums of the year.

Favourite track: You and Me

5, Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire for No Witness

Until the early part of this year I’d never even heard of Angel Olsen before and still need to get round to checking out her debut lp actually, however this has been one of my favourite things to listen to throughout the year. It almost has a cinematic quality and is one of those albums that stops me in my tracks every time I put it on and ends up demanding my full attention. Not too dissimilar to the likes of Sharon Van Etten this has really led the way for female singer songwriters this year.

Favourite track: Windows

4, The Hold Steady – Teeth Dreams

The Hold Steady are one of my favourite bands. They consistently release high quality albums and Craig Finn is one of my favourite lyricists. This new release doesn’t buck that trend and is maybe one of their best in recent years. There’s not a lot more to say than what has already been said about this band. This release certainly doesn’t cover any new ground and won’t win over any news fans however for those who were already sold on their Springsteen esque fist in the air bar room rock then this will keep them happy until the next release rolls along in a couple of years time.

Favourite track: Spinners

3, Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else

This was sat at the top of my pile for quite a while this year and for a time I thought it was going to top my list. It’s no slight on this album that it’s ended up slipping down to number 3 – just that the two albums that follow are truly exceptional pieces of work in my mind. This however moves on nicely from 2012’s Attack on Memory which caught me by surprise with its shift from indie pop to hardcore influenced punk at first but is now one of my favourites in recent years. This does more of the same but throws in a little bit of the pop side of things again to create a credible pop punk album that sounds like the kind of thing Green Day could have done if they’d not sold out.

Favourite track: I’m Not Part of Me

2, The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream

I’d quite enjoyed this bands previous work but never thought they’d produce something this good. On the first few listens I knew this album was a step up but it was after seeing them perform large chunks of it at Latitude that this really connected with me and shot up my list. Yeah it’s fairly middle of the road and I could see why some wouldn’t like it but what they do they pull off so fucking well. With several fairly lengthy tracks this could have potentially had the danger of being a bit dull and noodly but similar to Kurt Vile’s Walkin’ on a Pretty Daze it actually works superbly and simply has the effect of losing me in the music in an almost hypnotic state. Everything here seems to have upped its game from their previous work, the lyrics are better, the songwriting is better, the musicianship is better and the pacing of the album is spot on. I’m really excited to see where they go from here.

Favourite track: Eyes to the Wind

1, Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams

I’ve always enjoyed Ryan’s work but not as much as a lot of people seem to. For me he was an artist who had a number of superb songs but had never really managed a classic album. Until now. As mentioned earlier from August onwards this year I became OBSESSED with Ryan Adams and it was mostly down to this album. Just about every track from this release has been my favourite track on the album at some point and it’s one of those where I genuinely feel every track could be a single. It sees Adams taking influence from the likes of Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and to be fair even Bryan Adams a little bit. It could have been terrible but the quality of Adams’ songwriting ability shines through and he has produced an album of 11 ANTHEMS that would be worthy of filling stadiums. Fuck Gold, fuck Heartbreaker and fuck Love is Hell. This is Ryan Adams masterpiece.

Favourite track: Am I Safe

It appears I'm the only other person on the forum who has heard Karl's number one album of the year.

Got it off exy a few months back and was disappointed with it, it's not a bad record just not the record I was expecting to hear when I downloaded it so gave it a listen and then never listened to it again, will have to give it another go.

That one would have been on my list, but I couldn't be bothered sifting through the rather big number of alright 3* records. Really liked it at first but became a bit bored with it after more listens, and didn't bother with it anymore after that. Suppose you have to be in the mood for it. For me it drags on a bit with all the slow paced heavy plodding and that. Fantastic artwork though.

Albums that I didn't hate, but didn't make the top 50:

Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks - Enter the Slasher House
Gruff Rhys - American Interior
Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
My Brightest Diamond - This is My Hand
East India Youth - Total Strife Together
First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
Temples - Sun Structures
Hospitality- Trouble
The Lucid Dream - Songs of Lies and Deceit
Eagulls - Eagulls
Teleman - Breakfast
Tood Terje - It's Album Time
White Lung - Deep Fantasy
Iceage- Plowing into The Field of Love
Wovenhand - Refractory Obdurate

Albums that I had high-ish hopes for, but were ultimately gash:

Future Islands - Singles
Foxygen - and Star Power
Jungle - Jungle

Albums that made me want to harm innocents:

The War on Drugs- Lost in the Dream
Alvvays - Alvvays
Alt J - This is All Yours

Older albums that I heard for the first time in 2014 and now love:

Low - The Invisible Way 2013
Six Organs of Admittance- For Octavio Paz 2003
Fat White Family- Champagne Holocaust 2013
Kelley Stoltz - Double Exposure 2013
Broadcast - Tender Buttons 2005
Cate Le Bon - Mug Museum 2013
Cate Le Bon - CYRK 2012
Majical Cloudz - Impersonator 2013
Ornette Coleman - Change of the Century 1960
Charles Mingus - AH UM 1959

Albums of the Year 50-41

50 St Paul & The Broken Bones- Half the City
49 Tom Hickox - War, Peace & Diplomacy
48 Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
47 Real Estate - Atlas
46 Ty Segall - Singles 2
45 Lykke Li - I Never Learn
44 TuneYards - Nikki Nack
43 Ariel Pink - Pom Pom
42 Mogwai - Rave Tapes
41 Isaiah Rashad - Cilvia Demo

Albums of the Year 40-31

40 Mad Lib & Freddie Gibbs - Pinata
39 Mirah - Changing Light
38 Scott Walker & Sunn 0))) - Soused
37 Grouper - Ruins
36 Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
35 Hiss Golden Messenger - Lateness of Dancers
34 Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
33 Jack White - Lazaretto
32 Sleaford Mods - Divide & Exit
31 Avi Buffalo - At Best Cuckold

Albums of the Year 30-21

30 Meatbodies - Meatbodies
29 Wild Beasts - Present Tense
28 St Vincent - St Vincent
27 John Southworth - Niagara
26 Frazey Ford - Indian Ocean
25 Lana Del Ray - Ultraviolence
24 Mac De Marco - Salad Days
23 Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
22 Morgan Delt - Morgan Delt
21 Beck - Morning Phase

Albums of the Year 20-11

20 Thee Oh Sees- Drop
19 Bonnie Prince Billy- Singers Grave a Sea of Tongues
18 Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
17 Sun Ra Arkestra - In The Orbit of Ra
16 Vikesh Kapoor - The Ballad of Willy Robbins
15 FKA Twigs - LP1
14 The Soundcarriers - Entropicalia
13 Tweedy - Sukierae
12 Amy Lavere - Runaway's Diary
11 Ned Collette - Networking in Purgatory

I think it's been a genuinely vintage year for new music. Not too many truly outstanding records, but tons of very good ones.

As is always the case with these things, with more time with different records the top 10 could look quite different- only my top 2 would be guaranteed I think.



10. Courtney Barnett- The Double EP; A Sea of Split Peas

Controversial in terms of this list as it’s arguably an EP and arguably released last year. But, it’s a double EP released as an LP and plays on 33, so it’s a fucking LP. And, some websites say released last year, some say this. I think it might have got a low key release in Australia last year on her own label (might be wrong) but the UK release, I’m pretty sure was this year.

Anyway, it’s great.

I hate trying to describe an artist musically and always seem to end up using the same adjectives (‘Folky’, Psych’, Woozy’, Slacker’, ‘Jangly’, ‘Witty’, ‘Smart’, ‘Sweet’). Well, she’s some of those things, but not all of them. If you haven’t already, then listen to ‘Avant Gardener’ as it acts as the perfect microcosm for the rest of the album. I adore her and her deadpan vocal delivery and want to marry her do fuck all with her all day every day.



9. Kate Tempest – Everybody Down

It’s hip hop Jim but not as we know it. I guess the closest obvious reference point is The Streets which pains me to say cos I hate them. But, she’s a south TCOTU poet and smart/savvy as fuck. It’s a concept album with a continuous narrative running through the whole album essentially about a young couple getting by in TCOTU. The narrative itself is cleverly written but it’s her flow and the production that make it stand out. The nuances of her delivery render the whole thing completely believable and make it impossible to stop listening til the end. The production is very clever in the way little musical flourishes complement and stress points in the story- a little bit like a cinema or TV score. If Jamie T and The Streets had more to them they might sound something like this.



8. Quilt – Held in Splendor

Yet another excellent folky, psychy, 60’s/70’s sounding record released this year. I love this kind of slightly stoned, pretty, melodical kind of psych. This is smart as hell though, with interesting guitars, harmonies, often clever (but sometimes too obtuse) lyrics and a gorgeous female vocal lead. Produced by the geezer from Woods.



7. Steve Gunn- Way Out Weather

Another, impossible to nail down record. And another artist that I’m new to this year. I’ve only had this for about a month so am still digesting it, but it’s immediately beautiful and addictive. Lots of guitar, very American, terrific vocal. Think with time this will become an all-time favourite.



6. Swans- To Be Kind

I’ve always been aware of Swans without ever listening to them, but I’d read so much about this record this year that I couldn’t ignore it. At first listen I got about three songs in and gave up, just wasn’t in the right mood I guess- but a few weeks later I was walking home from work (about an hour and a half walk) and with nothing in mind other than not getting run over I stuck it on again and it totally blew me away- I had to ignore the missus for half an hour when I got home just so I could finish it. It’s far too dense, sprawling and involved to try and describe it musically except to say that there’s not much musically that doesn’t feature. I’ve only given it two full listens through and it’ll take a lot more to get anywhere near fully appreciating it but I’m thinking it’ll be the perfect companion piece to a family Christmas dinner.



5. Woods- With Light & With Love

I adore this band and for me (like the National, but nothing like them musically) they get better and better with each record. They’re unashamedly backward looking- 60’s/70’s west coast psych-folk-rock and this album, a bit like the last is part sweet pop melodies, part long guitar solos, all beautiful and evocative. I want to sit in the long-grass by a lake in the woods somewhere, with a group of mates stoned, perhaps with some mushrooms and these fellers playing for me and I don’t ever want to leave.



4. Sun Kil Moon – Benji

I don’t think much needs saying about this, because there’s not a great deal to it. It’s a bloke opening up emotionally and poetically in an utterly affecting way about death (yet there’s moments of genuine humour too…particularly the ‘Nels Cline’ thing) The music inevitably takes a back seat because the vocal/lyrical style is so direct, but is in itself beautiful.



3. Dean Blunt- Black Metal

Immediately reminded me of Ariel Pink’s early bedroom tapes but without the almost impenetrable low-fi-ness .Loads of crazy ideas, none of which seem quite fully formed, but with the feeling they’ve been deliberately left that way to leave you wanting more. Regardless, it’s an album overflowing with little moments of pop genius & ethereal beauty (strings, picked guitars and pop samples on the first half) and then when you least expect it tough beats and grime on the second half. Impossible to pigeon hole - which I reckon is the point of the deliberately misleading title. Reckon this guy has a massive future as a producer and an artist.



2. Kan Wakan – Moving On

It still baffles me how under the radar this album has gone. I read most end of year lists and this hasn’t appeared on a single one despite being pretty much a perfect debut. It doesn’t seem to have been promoted, surprisingly as it’s produced by guys that have worked with Beck, Radiohead, Gnarls Barkley, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Arcade Fire (Darrell Thorp and Tom Elmhirst- Grammy winners apparently). It’s essentially lush, cinematic, orchestral (orchestra used) pop with a tinge of psych darkness; stuffed full of utterly beautiful, woozy, smoky late night vocals and big tunes. In the current climate I would have thought this would have been a nailed on pop smash, but it’s gone by largely unnoticed. Perhaps because they’ve only toured a little in the states (I pray they get over here next year). There’s obvious influences and references (Ennio Morricone, David Axelrod, Scott Walker, Winehouse and even a bit of Bacharach & David) but it all adds up to stunning whole. I think it’ll be one of those albums that people will look back on in 12 months’ time and wonder how they missed it first time round. The closing tracks; Midnight Moon Pt1 and Midnight Moon Pt 2 are 12 minutes of pop perfection.



1.Ty Segall – Manipulator
Pure, foot to the floor rock and roll. The best and most accessible Ty Segall album so far. It's an hour long without a moment of filler and I would argue that pretty much every one of the seventeen tracks could be released on their own. It feels like it's a lesson in the history of rock and roll that touches every decade since the 50's (especially the 70's) but never feels derivative or clichéd. It has much richer production than any of his previous efforts but somehow still maintains the raw and ramshackle chaotic feel. It has huge sound that seen/heard live is mind-blowing and big old choruses to boot. And it's fucking fun. Stone-cold classic.