Right from the start, it was clear that 2014 was
going to be a remarkable year for music. I was astounded as great album after
great album was released in the first few months of the year. Quite often the
year starts out great and then sputters in the second half, but this year the
hits just kept coming. I’ve spent the last month trying to catch up on all the
great albums people have told me about and I’ve read about on “best of” lists.
That type of listening spree normally doesn’t yield much quality listening, but
I was able to cull out a few gems I would’ve otherwise missed. Without the time
to really spend with that music, however, my list hasn’t changed much in the
past few weeks. With another couple of months, I’m sure my list would look
completely different except for a few that are undoubtedly my very favorite few
albums of the year. So, these are my favorite albums of 2014… for the time being.
1. Lost in the Dream
Artist: The War on Drugs
Label: Secretly Canadian
Release date: Mar. 18, 2014
2. Run the Jewels 2
Artist: Run the Jewels
Label: Mass Appeal Records
Release date: Oct. 27, 2014
3. Sea When Absent
Artist: A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Label: Lefse Records
Release date: June 23, 2014
4. Turkish Leather
Artist: Ritual
Howls
Label: Felte Records
Release date: Sept. 30, 2014
5. Along the Way
Artist: Mark McGuire
Label: Dead Oceans
Release date: Feb. 4, 2014
6. Piñata
Artist: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
Label: Madlib Invazion
Release date: Mar. 18, 2014
7. Burn Your Fire for No Witness
Artist: Angel Olsen
Label: Jagjaguwar
Release date: Feb. 18, 2014
8. Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
Artist: Sturgill Simpson
Label: High Top Mountain Records
Release date: Mar. 18, 2014
9. Blank Project
Artist: Neneh Cherry
Label: Smalltown Supersound
Release date: Feb. 25, 2014
10. Morning Phase
Artist: Beck
Label: Capitol
Release date: Feb. 25, 2014
11. Interstellar: Original Motion
Picture Soundtrack
Artist: Hans Zimmer
Label: WaterTower Music
Release date: Nov. 17, 2014
12. It’s Album Time
Artist: Todd Terje
Label: Redeye Label
Release date: Apr. 8, 2014
13. Alvvays
Artist: Alvvays
Label: Polyvinyl Records
Release date: July 22, 2014
14. Warpaint
Artist: Warpaint
Label: Rough Trade
Release date: Jan. 21, 2014
Each year seems to bring more accessibility to format
lengths beyond the standard LP or Double LP length. I’ve always been fond of
the EP length. I’ve never been much of a singles listener. I always like more
of an experience than just the one song. The EP and mini-LP lengths, however,
allow for a complete listening experience without the commitment of an hour or
so of listening time. With the advent of the streaming revolution, these
shorter formats have become more easily accessible and more prominent part of
an artist’s release arsenal. Ryan Adams had a particularly prolific year due to
the shorter format, releasing not only a self-titled LP, but also four EPs,
including a mini-LP he recorded in 1984. Anyway, for the first time ever, I
consumed enough of these shorter format releases that I’ve compiled a top ten
EP list.
1. The Other Side of Midnight
Artist: Johnny Jewel
Label: Italians Do It Better
2. Jacksonville
Artist: Ryan Adams
Label: Caroline
Release date: Sept. 16, 2014
3. Disco//Very
Artist: Warpaint
Label: Rough Trade
*An extensive search has yet to reveal any current availability of this EP.
4. Noctilucence
Artist: Mark McGuire
Label: Dead Oceans
Release date: Nov. 14, 2014
5. Frostbite
Artist: Kitty
Label: kitty
Release date: Nov. 18, 2014
6. American Beauty
Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Label: Columbia
Release date: Apr. 22, 2014
7. Do You Laugh When You Lie?
Artist: Ryan Adams
Label: PaxAmericana
Release date: Dec. 9, 2014
8. Dissed and Dismissed
Artist: Tony Molina
Label: Slumberland Records
Release date: Mar. 25, 2014
9. The Eliminator EP
Artist: Ruby the Hatchet
Label: Tee Pee Records
Release date: Feb. 25, 2014
10. Knicks Remix
Artist: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
Label: Madlib Medicine Show
Release date: Nov. 18, 2014
It is common among film festival competitions for
judges to award Special Jury Prizes for films they can’t fit into the regular
festival categories. I’ve made it a practice to include this tradition in my “best
of” lists each year. Usually the SJP goes to a piece of art just as deserving
as the others awarded, however, there just weren’t enough prizes to include it.
Sometimes they are awarded to films that distinguish themselves in ways that
make it stand out even if it isn’t the best among the field. This year’s
Special Jury Album was not in the final consideration for my favorites of the
year, although I do find myself coming back to it over and over again.
Pink Floyd made a career out of masterworks until
tension within the group finally lead to the firing of primary songwriter Roger
Waters in the early 80s. Since then, guitarist David Gilmore has put his own
stamp on the group’s infrequent output. It has, however, lacked something
without Waters’ biting lyrics and darker influence to anchor Gilmore’s
sorrowful melodies. This year the group released “their final album” using
unfinished pieces from their previous effort “The Division Bell” some 20 years
hence. Gilmore incorporated a great deal of deceased keyboardist Rick Wright’s
work for those sessions into this new piece.
Although I can see why those who might not be die-hard
fans of Floyd might find this new, nearly lyricless album strange in its
languorous soundscapes, I feel it is a remarkable work amongst all their
efforts while simultaneously acting as tribute to their entire discography. The
album is a celebration of the jam format that distinguishes the band from the
other classic rock bands with which it’s always lumped. It also recalls
impressions—never direct references— of their most memorable melodies throughout
their entire body of work. As a Pink Floyd fan, I find “The Endless River” to
be a fitting goodbye to one of the greatest rock bands of the ages.
Special Jury Album. The Endless River
Artist: The Pink Floyd
Label: Columbia
Release date: Nov. 10, 2014
All titles are available* for streaming on Spotify and for purchase at all fine music outlets.
*except where noted.
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