A Round of Sound: 2014 Mixtape

January 16, 2015

BW 2014

Now we come to my annual playlist that caps off my list. I find it way to difficult to do a ranking of songs, so this is my way to capture the tracks that defined the year. As always, I try to make a concise playlist that fits on a standard CD-R, so a bit outdated, but DEAL WITH IT. Keep in mind these aren’t necessarily my favorite songs of the year, but rather a mix that I think is a good look at what 2014 had to offer. Also, the order is based on how the songs show up on their respective albums, and is in no way an order of a rank.

This year’s mix consists of 20 songs, which has been typical the last few years, but is a little more varied from year’s past. Seven of the songs come from albums in my top 10, with seven songs from albums in my 11-25 range, leaving the remaining six from those outside my top 25. The lowest ranked album to have a song featured is I Never Learn from Lykke Li, which despite some great moments was an album I found a little too melodramatic for my liking, rendering it 51st in my rankings.

Below, you’ll see the tracklist as well as the Spotify playlist. I’ve also created Rdio playlist if that’s more your bag. And finally, this is the 7th straight year Amy Boyd Runner has provided my album art for the mix. It really is a highlight for me every year having her help out, and this year is no different. Great stuff.

2015 is already off to a fast start, and promises to be a freaking HUGE year for music. I can’t wait.

1) “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” – Against Me! :: Transgender Dysphora Blues
2) “Seasons (Waiting On You)” – Future Islands :: Singles
3) “Goshen ’97” – Strand of Oaks :: HEAL
4) “No Rest For The Wicked” – Lykke Li :: I Never Learn
5) “Water Fountain” – Tune-Yards :: Nicki Nack
6) “Archie, Marry Me” – Alvvays :: Alvvays
7) “Murmurs” – Hundred Waters :: The Moon Rang Like A Bell
8) “Queen” – Perfume Genius :: Too Bright
9) “Red Eyes” – The War On Drugs :: Lost In The Dream
10) “Just One Of The Guys” – Jenny Lewis :: Voyager
11) “Two Weeks” – FKA twigs :: LP1
12) “Alexandra” – Hamilton Leithauser :: Black Hours
13) “Your Love Is Killing Me” – Sharon Van Etten :: Are We There
14) “Do You” – Spoon :: They Want My Soul
15) “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” – Run The Jewels :: Run The Jewels 2
16) “War On The East Coast” – The New Pornographers :: Brill Bruisers
17) “Digital Witness” – St. Vincent :: St. Vincent
18) “Words I Don’t Remember” – How To Dress Well :: “What Is This Heart?”
19) “Coffee” – Sylvan Esso :: Sylvan Esso
20) “I’m Not Me”  – Cloud Nothings :: Here And Nowhere Else

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Top Albums of 2014: #11 thru #25

January 14, 2015

#25) Wild Beasts – Present Tense

The second time these English rockers have found themselves at #25 on my list, with their singular experimental rock sound that can be mistaken for no other band. Present Tense is an album that was largely forgotten by the time the end of the year came around but was indeed one of the year’s best. Perhaps no 2014 release had better bookend tracks than “Wanderlust and “Palace”.

#24) Tune-Yards – Nicki Nack

Merrill Garbus remains one of the most creative artists today with her follow up to 2011’s excellent Whokill. This album doesn’t quite reach the heights of that release, but Nicki Nack still exudes the eccentric songwriting techniques that make Tune-Yards such a unique an adventurous listen.

#23) The Hotelier – Home, Like Noplace Is There

The sophomore album from the Massachusetts quartet is the best we’ve gotten from any so-called emo revivalist to this point. Home, Like Noplace Is There is 9 hook-laden, energetic, and yes, emotional tracks with not a wasted moment to be found.

#22) Jenny Lewis – Voyager

Her best work since her Rilo Kiley days, Lewis has crafted a collection of lush pop songs that shows mastery of an assortment of styles, from classic-rock to alt-country, all the while showcasing some of the most personal lyrics of her career. Also, my favorite album art of 2014.

#21) A Sunny Day In Glasgow – Sea When Absent

As hard to classify as any album in 2014, the genre busting Sea When Absent contains 11 songs of experimental pop that despite their unconventional structures are still accessible and create a captivating listen.

#20) How To Dress Well – “What Is This Heart?”

A surprisingly divisive album among fans and critics, Tom Krell’s third album is another example of the burgeoning indie-R&B scene with this collection of slow jams highlighted by “Words I Don’t Remember”, one of 2014’s finest tracks.

#19) Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else

Follow up to 2012’s breakout is a continuation of that album’s raw melodic rock leanings, but at an even more intense pace, largely thanks to a rejuvenated rhythm section which takes the energy to an even greater level.

#18) Owen Pallett – In Conflict

When he wasn’t explaining the genius of pop music using music theory, Pallett was busy releasing another excellent collection of his patented chamber-pop  songs, which, as usual, is accessible while being intelligently crafted.

#17) Angel Olsen- Burn Your Fire For No Witness

One of my most listened to albums in the early part of the year that got shuffled to the back as the year went on, Olsen’s second album eschews the folk singer songwriter stigma for a more inspired sound that places her in more rarefied air.

#16) The Antlers – Familiars

Long since one of my favorite bands, what Silberman has done with Familiars is partner the band’s pop stylings of Burst Apart with the intimacy and atmospherics that the trio has always done so well. The album is a grower, but it’s as textured and stirring as anything they’ve produced.

#15) Future Islands – Singles

Breakout album from the Baltimore synth-pop band – largely thanks to song of the year contender “Seasons (Waiting On You)” and their performance on Letterman – is a dark, cathartic album hidden beneath a plethora of pop hooks. As unassuming of an album as the artists behind it.

#14) FKA twigs – LP1

This is the debut album from the mysterious British artist formerly known as twigs (hence the FKA) and it features a masterwork of minimalistic R&B using experimentation, all the while displaying a confident intimacy and fragility that makes this the year’s best debut.

#13) Perfume Genius – Too Bright

The powerful third album from the Seattle singer-songwriter is an absolute gorgeous collection of subtle pop songs that reminds me in spirit of Antony and The Johnson’s The Crying Light, a similarly themed look at LGBT culture, and is just as vulnerable and majestic.

#12) Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds In Country Music

I wouldn’t expect a country album to ever have reached this high on my list, but this isn’t the radio friendly pop-country you’ll find on one of the 19 country music award shows (heck, even the Grammy’s call this Americana), but rather the country that fits along side that of the Highwaymen. Simpson’s style includes a bit of experimentation, but even when he doesn’t, this is country music I can get behind.

#11) White Lung – Deep Fantasy

A fist-pumping and heart-pounding release from the Canadian quartet is 22 minutes of passionate, catchy as hell punk rock songs that leave no time to relax.  Perfect Pussy was this year’s punk darlings, but if you ask me, it’s White Lung and the exhilarating Deep Fantasy that deserve the praise.

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A Round of Sound: 2012 Mixtape

January 23, 2013

robot1e

Finally, it’s time for the annual playlist that caps off my countdown. Rather than do a ranking of favorite songs, I choose to compile what I think is a good representation for the year in music, all on an 80 minute CD-R. This year, many of my favorite songs were just too long to fit on this mix, (“Pyramids”, “Wasted Days”, “Hey Jane”, “Nothin’ But Time”, etc…) and of course I always have to leave off some of my favorites because of dead time in the track due to production techniques of its respective album.

Other notes: I managed to squeeze 20 tracks onto this years mix, up one from 2011. The lowest ranked album that has a song appear on the mix comes from an album I didn’t really care for, Port of Morrow by The Shins which was my #63 album of the year. In addition to that track, there are 3 other songs coming from albums outside my top 25. There are nine tracks representing my #11-#25 albums, and 7 tracks from my top 10 albums. As usual, the order of the Mixtape is not a ranking, but rather an order based on how the song appears on its respective album.

Below, you’ll see the tracklist, and after the jump you can listen to every track if you so choose. If you happen to be a  Spotify user, I’ve also created a Spotify playlist of my Mixtape (not including “Wildest Moments” and “Tallulah” due to them not being available on Spotify), which you can link to below. Also included is a link to my Amazon.com list which has my entire top 25 albums of the year, nice and neat in a one page form (as well as access to my all my lists since 2001). And finally, for the 5th straight year I give thanks to Amy Boyd for providing me with the album art for my Mixtape. She’s now a Pentagram employee, making this album art the most legit thing on my blog right now.

So, there you have it for 2012. I’m already 3 albums into my 2013 releases, so if you’ll excuse me I’ve got some listening to do.

Top Albums of 2012 (Amazon.com link)

2012 Mixtape (Spotify playlist)

1) “45” – The Gaslight Anthem :: Handwritten
2) “Sleeping Ute” – Grizzly Bear :: Shields
3) “Myth” – Beach House :: Bloom
4) “We Can’t Be Beat” – The Walkmen :: Heaven
5) “Thinkin Bout You” – Frank Ocean :: Channel Orange
6) “Simple Song” – The Shins :: Port of Morrow
7) “Wildest Moments” – Jessie Ware :: Devotion
8) “Five Seconds” – Twin Shadow :: Confess
9) “Oblivion” – Grimes :: Visions
10) “Danse Caribe” – Andrew Bird :: Break It Yourself
11) “I Belong In Your Arms” – Chairlift :: Something
12) “Backseat Freestyle” – Kendrick Lamar :: good kid, m.A.A.d. city
13) “Serpents” – Sharon Van Etten :: Tramp
14) “Constant Conversations” – Passion Pit :: Gossamer
15) “Stay Useless” – Cloud Nothings :: Attack On Memory
16) “Laura” – Bat For Lashes :: The Haunted Man
17) “Werewolf” – Fiona Apple :: The Idler Wheel…
18) “In A Big City” – Titus Andronicus :: Local Business
19) “Tallulah” – Allo Darlin’ :: Europe
20) “The House That Heaven Built”  – Japandroids :: Celebration Rock

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Top Albums of 2012: #1 thru #5

January 19, 2013

#5) Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory [Carpark Records; released 1/24/2012]

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“I thought I would be more than this.”

“Wasted Days”

Remember emo? And I mean early 90’s emo, when it was an abrasive almost post-punk genre and before the likes of Dashboard Confessional co-opted it into their own brand of ooey gooey breakup songs. No? Well, considering Dylan Baldi, lead singer of the Cleveland Ohio four-piece Cloud Nothings, is only 20 years old, chances are he doesn’t either. But with Attack on Memory, his sophomore album, he could’ve fooled me. In a year when indie-rock got a nice kick in the ass from noisy, guitar drenched rock, Cloud Nothings started it all off in January when Attack On Memory was released to jaw dropping acclaim with its raw, youthful exuberance and intense darkness. But Attack On Memory isn’t just noisy, it’s damn catchy too, filled to the brim with hooks and melodies that channel some of those early 90’s emo/indie-rock acts like Fugazi, Braid, and Sunny Day Real Estate just to name a few. 90’s revivalism is something we’ve seen a good bit of in the last couple years, and whether intentional or not, Cloud Nothings have created an album that might be the flag bearer for that movement.

[“Wasted Days” – Attack on Memory]

#4) Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel… [Epic; released 6/19/2012]

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“How can I ask anyone to love me when all I do is beg to be alone?”

“Left Alone”

Seven years in the making, Apple’s fourth album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (so yeah, let’s just go with The Idler Wheel…) might be her most striking album yet. The completely acoustic album is full of stripped down tension filled songs which serve her well by conveying a feeling of intimacy almost like she’s playing them just for you. These 10 tracks are a cathartic release for Apple, delving into her psyche in ways that has always characterized her music to this point, but on The Idler Wheel… she’s managed to expose herself in an even greater light by crafting such personal and poetic songs enhanced by idiosyncratic production techniques but certainly not devoid of melody. Apple’s albums are such an emotional release for her that you can understand the amount of time that lapses between releases and while it would be nice to get more Fiona Apple songs on a regular basis, we are all better off by waiting for what her catharsis dictates.

[“Werewolf” – The Idler Wheel]

#3) Japandroids – Celebration Rock [Polyvinyl; released 6/5/2012]

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“When they love you (and they will), tell them all they’ll love in my shadow. And if they try to slow you down, tell them all to go to hell.”

“The House That Heaven Built”

The power of rock ‘n roll, man, that’s what this album is about. In a year searching for music that reaffirms the saving grace of rock music, Celebration Rock is it. And to think, this album almost didn’t even happen. In 2008, after a couple EP releases, Japandroids had just about given up and decided to release their debut LP Post Nothing and call it quits. What they didn’t expect was the amount of critical acclaim that album would garner (including a spot in my top 25 in 2009) which in turn lead to a renewed enthusiasm which is evident all throughout Celebration Rock. The Canadian duo produces in your face rock anthems with a celebratory spirit so palpable, you’d be hard pressed not to fistpump and sing-along to every “whoa ohhh ohhhh!” even at your most mundane moments. This is such a powerful and affecting listen with lyrics that in other hands might come across cheesy (“We don’t cry for those nights to arrive / We yell like hell to the heavens!”), but with these guys come across as inspirational. Celebration Rock, indeed.

[“The House That Heaven Built” – Celebration Rock]

#2) Grizzly Bear – Shields [Warp; released 9/18/2012]

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“But I can’t help myself.”

“Sleeping Ute”

A few months ago a friend of mine asked me for some music recommendations and I told her about the new Grizzly Bear album. She made the point that she gets nervous when a great band releases a new album because she’s worried of a let down. I reassured her that in this case, she had nothing to worry about. With Shields, not only has Grizzly Bear wonderfully followed up their magnificent album Veckatimest (my 2009 album of the year), but they have one-upped it by crafting the best album of their career. There’s just something to be said for a band on top of their game, and right now I don’t know if there is another band on the level of this Brooklyn four-piece. Every single member contributes in ways we haven’t really seen before, and it’s in that synergy that Shields excels in its cohesiveness and sheer compositional beauty. Songwriters Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen seem to have peaked in a way that compliments each other perfectly, and at times Christopher Bear absolutely steals the show with his percussion (See “Sleeping Ute” and “Yet Again”), but at no time does any of this sound like it’s all thrown together, a testament to producer (and bassist) Chris Taylor. This is exquisite chamber pop produced in meticulous detail but completely natural, a remarkable album that shows Grizzly Bear has become the kind of band where you shouldn’t be nervous about a let down, but rather anxious for what they can accomplish next.

[“Yet Again” – Shields]

#1) Frank Ocean – Channel Orange [Def Jam; released 7/17/2012]

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“Do you not think so far ahead? Cause I been thinkin bout forever.”

“Thinkin Bout You”

A few weeks prior to the release of his first proper album, Frank Ocean posted the liner notes of Channel Orange on his tumlbr, including a letter detailing his first love, which just happened to be an unrequited relationship with a man. This was a way to get out in front of all the questions that would undoubtedly surface once Channel Orange dropped and the lyrical analysis would begin. (Most specifically on emotional juggernaut “Bad Religion”, which details the aforementioned unrequited love in stunning fashion.) Keeping in mind Frank Ocean is part of a hip-hop community unfortunately known for its homophobia, his declaration of sexual preference was as significant as any moment that happened in the music industry in 2012. It’s in this intimacy and bravery that takes Channel Orange from a very good R&B album to a timeless classic.

The personal nature of Ocean’s songwriting is seen throughout all of Channel Orange in songs that capture his honesty, but are also some of the finest examples of alternative R&B, with their smooth yet unconventional structures. One of my favorite moments on any album this year comes not during a song, but during the transition between tracks. After a surprisingly bearable John Mayer solo that closes out my song of the year “Pyramids”, we’ve just been put through the ringer by the album’s 10-minute centerpiece, but not to be left off the hook, we’re directly led into the catchy beats of “Lost” and immediately re-immersed in this world Ocean has created. The wittiness and pure talent is in no short supply on Channel Orange (his voice on “Thinkin Bout You” is an absolute revelation), and while for the most part these are complex tunes not really built for radio play, their heart and power is something that can’t be ignored. Channel Orange feels like more than just an album, it feels like a groundbreaking moment in music history, not only a career defining masterpiece for Frank Ocean, but a genre defining work of art.

[“Pyramids” – Channel Orange]

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Posted by Hawkins