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.
The final piece of my countdown puzzle is as always, my annual mixtape. Coming up with a songs of the year list is just too overhwhelming (hell, I have a hard enough time with the albums), so I like to put out a mix of the songs that defined the year in music for me. This year I managed to fit 18 songs into my 80 minute CD-R, but these are not necessarily my favorite 18 songs of the year. As a matter of fact, this was an especially tough year to figure out my mixtape because some of my favorite songs were just way too long and took up too much space. That’s the reason you won’t see any Titus Andronicus, Joanna Newsom, Sufjan, or LCD Soundsystem songs. There’s also some great songs I left off because the band had previously been on a mixtape and I wanted to get some new blood on to the mix this year.
Anyway, to the stats: As I already said, there’s 18 songs on this year’s mix. Only 5 of the songs come from albums that made my top 10, and 6 from 11 thru 25 albums. That means only 11 of the 18 songs come from albums in my top 25. That certainly has something to do with all the great tracks this year, but is also because, as I stated, I wanted to mix it up a little this year. (Pun intended? Yes.) The lowest ranked album with a song on the mix is “July Flame” from Laura Veirs’s album of the same name, which chimed in at #59 in my final rankings. I don’t have any songs from EPs, which is a rarity for my mixes.
So there you go. Below you can find the songs that will be spinning around my car’s cd player for the next few weeks, whenever I forget to bring my ipod with me. As I always remind people, this is not a ranking. The songs are listed in order of how they appeared on their respective albums. If you want to see my entire top 25 albums list in one easy place, head on over to my Amazon.com list and check it out (as well as all my lists for the past 10 years). Last, but not least, for the 3rd year in a row Amy Boyd has created my Mixtape album art for me. I’m taking care of her cat, so, it’s the least she could do. If you know her or ever happen to randomly meet her, tell her what an awesome job she did, once again.
[“World Sick” – Broken Social Scene :: Forgiveness Rock Record]
———-
[“Floating Vibes” – Surfer Blood :: Astro Coast]
———-
[“Go do” – Jónsi :: Go]
———-
[“Excuses” – The Morning Benders :: Big Echo]
———-
[“July Flame” – Laura Veirs :: July Flame]
———-
[“Airplanes” – Local Natives :: Gorilla Manor]
———-
[“Crash Years” – The New Pornographers :: Together]
So now the countdown can begin with the 15 albums that make up #11 through #25. The only albums you’ll see a little blurb for here are the albums that fall in this range that I’ve yet to do a write up for on the blog. For the rest of the albums, you can click on the band name to link to the post where they were mentioned.
#25) Wolf Parade – Expo 86
The third release (and possibly last) from the Montreal group still doesn’t quite reach the heights of their wonderful 2005 debut, but Expo 86 does get back to what made that album so good, while ridding themselves of the over-ambition and 2008’s decent, but disappointing At Mount Zoomer. Spencer Krug is one of my favorite indie rock artists, and I always liked his stuff more than co-founder Dan Boeckner, however, on this album Boeckner is the star, although the album’s best moment does come from Krug in “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)”.
[“What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” – Expo 86]
#24) The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt
It’s pretty much impossible to listen to The Tallest Man on Earth (aka, Kristian Matsson) and not get a Dylan-esque vibe. It’s a comparison that has followed Matsson to this point in his career, and certainly won’t stop if he continues down the path of The Wild Hunt, the 2nd full-length album from the Swedish singer-songwriter. Mattson’s folk is masterfully done and incredibly soulful and heartfelt in not only the music, but especially the lyrics.
[“The Wild Hunt” – The Wild Hunt]
#23) The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
Montreal’s The Besnard Lakes follow up their breakout 2007 release, The Besnard Lakes are The Dark Horse, by picking up right where they left off with another set of eerie post-rock tracks that do nothing but validate the brilliance of this quartet. The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night is more of the atmospheric physchadelic rock that made Dark Horse so intriguing, and while many bands try to accomplish this sound, few are able to with such majesty. It’s a beautiful album, creating numerous soundscapes, while not sacrificing melody.
[“Albatross” – The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night]
#22) Vampire Weekend – Contra
Released all the way back in January, it’s easy to overlook Contra, Vampire Weekend’s 2nd full-length album, as one of the bigger releases of the year. Following up their very successful and highly hyped debut album was no easy task, and while I don’t think Contra pops quite as well as their debut, it does accentuate all the tendencies that made their debut a “love it, or hate it” release. And I respect the hell out of that. Contra is Vampire Weekend putting their feet to the gas pedal and emphasizing all their eccentricities to the max, and not taking the time to look back at what people are saying…because they just don’t care.
#20) Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Frightened Rabbit’s 2008 release, The Midnight Organ Fight, was so immensely emotional that trying to follow it up would be no easy task. The Winter of Mixed Drinks only comes up slightly short of Organ Fight‘s granduer due to a more arena rock and polished sound rather than the raw folksiness that added to Organ Fight‘s charm. That’s not to say this album isn’t still packed with emotionally devastating ballads, because it most certainly is, thanks in large part to the vulnerability found in the Scottish vocals. As long as those vocals continue to find their way to the forefront, and these guys continue to write some impressive personal tunes, I don’t see there ever being too big of a drop off from album to album.
[“Swim Until You Can’t See Land” – The Winter of Mixed Drinks]
Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg is the latest prodigy Sub Pop records is hoping to strike gold with. Well, if the 19 year old’s self-titled debut album as Avi Buffalo is any indication, they may have done just that. Based in Long Beach, Avi Buffalo combines the west coast sound with the northwest indie rock sound seen in many of his current and former labelmates. Lyrically, Avi writes about what you expect every 19 year old to write about: sex. So there’s still some growing up to do there, but the earnestness and confidence in his lyrics can not be denied. There is a sweetness to this music that makes it very likable, but the songwriting techniques for a group of teenagers is the most impressive thing.
#13) Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m not a rap/hip-hop guy. At all. However, in the last couple years I have given into opening my mind a bit to the genre. So, the fact that I have a rap album this high, should show you just how much I think of it. Everyone knows about Kanye. We all know how self-absorbed and narcissistic he is, as well as pretty much any other synonym for self-indulgent you can come up with. But honestly, it’s something he’s embraced and it’s become part of his songwriting, to the point of being self-deprecating. That feeling is captured perfectly on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in some of the most deeply personal artwork you’re going to find as all of the experiences he’s gone through in the last couple years come forward in cathartic effect. Oh, and the album consists of some very fine hip-hop songs as well.
[“Dark Fantasy” – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy]
#12) Jónsi – Go
The debut album from Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi starts off with a series of bleeps and bloops on song “Go Do” before fading into the more majestic soundscape and vocals you’d come to expect from the Icelandic artist. It’s barely one minute in and your ears have already been given a treat unlike anything else you will hear this year. The Nico Muhly arrangements only add to the gigantic scope of Jónsi’s music, while Jónsi’s naivety and sweetness make this an exhilarating listen. At times Go is as vibrant and emotionally stirring as the best work of Sigur Rós and makes their “indefinite hiatus” a little bit easier to deal with.
Here we are in April, so it’s time to recap the first quarter of 2010 and pick out some of the albums that highlighted the first three months. I reviewed a couple albums here and here, so I’ll leave those out for this recap and just focus on a few standout albums that I have yet to mention on the blog. (There’s a lot of them…I’ve been lazy) So lets get to it…in order of release date.
Laura Veirs – July Flame
January was a very busy month for album releases and one of the more under the radar records that unfortunately didn’t quite get the hype of some others was July Flame, the seventh release from the Portland based folk singer-songwriter Laura Veirs. Granted, it’s a bit hard for a singer-songwriter to break free of the pack, much less a soft spoken folk singer from Portland, but on July Flame, Veirs does her best to set herself apart with her songwriting, and she does it quite well. She has to be one of the more under-appreciated artists in her genre, but with a release like this, maybe she’ll start to get a bit more love.
[“July Flame” – July Flame]
———-
Owen Pallett – Heartland
Previously known as Final Fantasy, Heartland is Pallett’s first album under his own name and I found myself enjoying this album much more than I expected. I was never much of a Final Fantasy fan, mainly because when the last FF release came out 4 years ago, experimental music wasn’t something I was quite ready to…uhh…experiment with. Since then, I’ve opened my mind up a bit and after hearing great things upon Heartland‘s release, I decided to give it a shot. It is such a well crafted album and listening to Heartland, you just get a sense of Pallett’s songwriting ability and musicianship in his compositions. It’s not something that will immediately grab you, but if you’re will to put in the effort, it’s quite easy to appreciate.
[“Lewis Takes Off His Shirt” – Heartland]
———-
Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
After garnering loads of praise from their single “Swim” released in 2009, Astro Coast was one of the more highly anticipated debut albums in the first part of 2010, and the record displays plenty of the 90s era alternative/indie rock that made “Swim” so intriguing. Surfer Blood is a five-piece from Florida and their brand of high energy rock-pop has been compared to early Weezer and other 90s indie groups, and a few of the tracks on Astro Coast even have a bit of Vampire Weekend feel as well. It’s an immensely fun listen of straightforward rock complete with some awesome melodies…an impressive batch of tightly written pop songs indeed. (And fyi, I had a hell of a time choosing which song to feature here…”Floating Vibes” or “Swim”. The tiebreaker is always handclaps, so “Floating Vibes” it is.)
[“Floating Vibes” – Astro Coast]
———-
Los Campesinos! – Romance is Boring
I debated leaving this one off this post because I feel like I’m always talking about these guys, but then I realized I actually don’t have one post on here about my beloved Los Campesinos! It has been so much fun watching this group of youngsters from Wales grow up through their first three albums, and while I don’t think I can say Romance is Boring is their best album, it is their most mature and shows how they’ve grown as songwriters. It’s still packs the energy of their early releases when they burst onto the scene back in 2007 with the internet sensation “You! Me! Dancing!” (absolutely one of my favorite songs of the decade), but displays a little more depth in the songwriting, and the lyrics…oh my lord, the lyrics. Gareth Campesinos! was never one to hold back and he sure as hell doesn’t on this release. The confidence of this group is mind blowing.
[“There are Listed Buildings” – Romance is Boring]
———-
Beach House – Teen Dream
Many people’s clubhouse leader for album of the year comes from Baltimore’s dream-poppers Beach House and their third album Teen Dream, their first on Sub Pop Records. I’ve always thought Beach House was a bit overrated, and a bit boring. They always seem to have that one song that sticks out on their releases that gets a huge amount of hype from indie-pop lovers everywhere, and then the rest of the album is just kinda, there. So while Teen Dream was certainly on my radar, I didn’t have huge hopes for it. But man, from start to finish it is easily their strongest and most consistent release yet, and when thinking of the best albums from the first quarter of 2010, Teen Dream is always one of the first that comes to mind. Is it my clubhouse leader for album of the year?…I’ll never tell.
[“Zebra” – Teen Dream]
———-
Phantogram – Eyelid Movies
The debut album from New York’s Phantogram is a bit hit or miss, but it has enough hits to make it one of the most beautiful records of the year, thanks in part to it’s very fine production. The duo makes a brand of electro-pop that borrows hip hop beats but manages to create a very atmospheric listen. It’s a fusion of multiple genres and Eyelid Movies manages to pull it off almost seamlessly. As I said, it is a debut album so there’s still room to grow and improve but it’s a fine introduction to where Phantogram is headed and very well could set them up for much greater success in the future.
[“When I’m Small” – Eyelid Movies]
———-
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
I remember hearing a Local Natives track back in December (I think it was “Sun Hands”) on another blog and came away impressed, but then completely forgot about them despite the hype leading up to the release of their debut album Gorilla Manor. The Los Angeles five-piece has drawn comparisons to Fleet Foxes mainly due to the three part harmonies, but that’s really where the comparison ends as Local Natives is much more of a rock band and has none of the folksiness that characterizes Fleet Foxes. They actually remind me of an little known defunct emo band in the early 2000s named Lewis that I always thought was immensely underrated. So for me Local Natives is a bit of a nostalgic trip and gives me an idea of what Lewis would sound like today if they were still around. Gorilla Manor is a very impressive debut, and the excitement leading up to this album (thanks in part to it’s successful UK release in ’09) doesn’t hurt it’s appeal one bit as it’s a release that shows they are worthy of the hype.
[“Wide Eyes” – Gorilla Manor]
———-
Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me
Coming into 2010, a new Joanna Newsom release wasn’t really on my radar as there hadn’t much talk of a new album, but then just a few weeks prior to the release of Have One On Me, Newsom and her label started to drop hints of…well…a new album. Then news came that it was a triple LP, and my excitement grew even more. Have One On Me is the follow up to the brilliant Ys (my #5 album in 2006), and features 18 songs broken into three separate albums for grand total of 2 hours of her harp playing freak-folksiness. While Ys was a masterpiece, it was much more of an entire composition broken into 5 movements, so it was hard to really jump into and immediately grasp. Have One On Me is much more accessible and you can actually listen to a song here or there without feeling like you’re missing something. For Have One On Me, Newsom also branches out from just her harp playing to employ the various other instruments in her arsenal. We already knew Newsom was one of the best songwriters in the business, and Have One On Me does nothing to dispel that fact.
[“Good Intentions Paving Co.” – Have One On Me]
———-
Fang Island – Fang Island
It’s pretty hard to resist any band that describes their sound as “everyone high-fiving everyone”, and after listening to the self-titled debut full-length from Fang Island, I’d say that’s a pretty legit descriptor. The Brooklyn by way of Rhode Island five piece plays highly energetic and infectious indie-pop with a flare for prog-rock and the tunes are guitar hooks galore. The songs are short on vocals as the guitars absolutely dominate the album, but when vocals do come in they bring the same great excitement and instant joyfulness as the rest of the music. It’s only 10 tracks long and just over half and hour, but with the amount of energy these guys put into this release, I don’t know if would have been possible to make it any longer without them passing out during the recording process. It’s as exhilarating of a listen that you’re going to find in 2010.
[“Daisy” – Fang Island]
———-
These New Puritans – Hidden
The second album from the British art rockers is a complex and bold, but overall stunning achievement of some of the most densely packed compositions you’re going to find. Listening to Hidden is nothing to be taken lightly as it transports you into it’s dark, eerie universe and leaves you contemplating what you’ve just heard even after it’s 45 minutes are up. It’s like going to a movie that you’re not exactly sure what’s going on as your watching it, but afterwards you can’t get it off your mind and eventually realize what you’ve just experienced is a pretty extraordinary work of art. I don’t know if I can find another way to describe Hidden, other than saying it’s unique and demanding and goes without saying that it’s not for everyone.
[“Orion” – Hidden]
———-
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
The most epic release so far in 2010 comes from New Jersey rockers Titus Andronicus and their second album The Monitor. It’s so refreshing to hear a straight up rock record with this much intelligence, a la The Hold Steady, and at 65 minutes you’d think it would be an exhausting listen, but it’s not…at least not for me. The Monitor is a loose concept album based on the Civil War, hence some of the song titles, and those themes really carry the album from being just another energetic and rocking release to a stunning effort of 10 heartfelt and smart tracks that Springsteen himself would appreciate. The hooks are killer, and the songs pack some amazing sing along choruses and recurring themes. It’s an ambitious and remarkable achievement that at its heart is evidence of the power of true rock ‘n’ roll.
Posted by Hawkins 
A Round of Sound 