The 14 of 2014

The Top 14 Records of 2014

Because you love 100% subjective countdown lists, especially at the year’s end, here are a few of my favorite releases. Agree, disagree, or make a list of your own — that’s what makes this end-of-the-year-countdown business so fun anyway. (To be sure, I’m not holding as tightly to the order this year. Picking a #1 was a lot harder than it was last time.)

I don’t think I gave you my self-imposed rules for selection last year:

1) These are my personal picks from the records that I actually added to my collection this year. If I didn’t purchase/download the album in the last 12 months, it’s not making the list. If it’s really good, and I purchase it on or after January 1 of next year, it’ll probably make the other list. I’ve made that the theme of a post every year so far.

2) No EP’s or singles. Exceptions may apply, but the odds are unlikely.

14) Drive-By Truckers

English Oceans

Back in September, a friend of mine told me that Drive-By Truckers were playing a show within driving distance from our town. I lept at the chance, and we saw them play the next month. The experience was everything I wanted it to be and more. They played a few singles from the new record, as well as some deeper cuts from older records, as well as the full extended intro to 18 Wheels of Love. Great show.

I bought the record there, and while it is distinctly a Drive-By Truckers record in every aspect, it didn’t resonate with me the same way as their earlier records did. English Oceans is a really good record, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a starting place for discovering Drive-By Truckers.

13) Propaganda

Crimson Cord

To tell you the truth, Propaganda is singlehandedly responsible for turning this white boy into a hip hop fan. I know Lecrae made a big splash on the scene, and got a lot of attention this year too, but I find myself more drawn to Propaganda’s style. Crimson Cord is his highly anticipated follow up to 2012's Excellent. While it’s still true that I’m not that well versed in the genre, I think that this album is a great example of what hip hop needs to be — timely, provocative lyrics that challenge the listener to take an honest look at the world and oneself. Whether or not you consider yourself a hip hop fan, you ought to listen to the single “Bored of Education” or “I Ain’t Gave Up On You Yet.” Propaganda weaves in and out of rap and philosophical spoken word poetry while Beautiful Eulogy provides the background music.

Best of all, you can download all of his records, in their entirety FREE at noisetrade.com.

12) NEEDTOBREATHE

Rivers In The Wasteland

A lot of people have a lot of strong opinions about music that is in any way associated with the “Christian” market. Whether you have a steak in that fight or not, there are a few artists who manage to successfully straddle the fence and make some good art for anyone who cares to listen. Christian radio airplay or not, NEEDTOBREATHE released a quality album full of rootsy, foot stomping, North Carolina flavored americana rock and roll. To be clear, they sing about God from time to time, but every songwriter writes about what is most important to them. I say it’s a good thing to have a well crafted song on the subject. Good for them.

11) The Afghan Whigs

Do To The Beast

I’ll be honest with you — I haven’t even heard of The Afghan Whigs until this year, and it was their album artwork that got my attention (that, and the significant buzz generated by certain independent taste curating publications). Turns out, they’ve been around since the mid 80's, and this is their first release in 16 years. They were originally billed as a grunge act, but Do To The Beast is a more polished alt rock record. Probably something to be said for all that experience under their belts. In any case, it’s a good sounding record.

10) Jack White

Lazaretto

Ok, so I’ll concede that to date, Jack White’s best music collaboration was The Raconteurs. Unfortunately, as best as anyone can tell, he hung up that hat years ago. That’s not to say, though, that he’s not still making great music. Honestly, I’m a big fan of his solo work. Lazaretto picks up where 2012's Blunderbuss left off, and is a great follow up record — but it would probably be wrong to call it a sophomore effort. Regardless of your feelings about White, he’s got this to his credit: he sells more vinyl than anybody these days, and it’s not just because he owns Third Man Records.

9) Band of Skulls

Himalayan

I discovered Band of Skulls while listening to the Relevant Podcast, and was motivated to go do some further research. This three piece rock band from England simply blew me away. Here’s how others have described their sound: “gritty, ferociously heavy indie rock & roll out of the mist of blues history,” and “scuzzy garage rock sound.” If that’s not enough to peak your interest, I don’t know what is. Go check them out, you may just find that you keep them on a heavy rotation.

8) The Dirty Guv’nahs

Hearts On Fire

I first discovered The Dirty Guv’nahs two or three years ago as a free download from noisetrade.com. (I can’t recommend noisetrade enough, so go check it out. Here is a list of some of my favorite discoveries.) For a limited time, they posted their first and second albums as free downloads, and loved every second of them. Their third album, Hearts On Fire, keeps right in step with their previous releases. They mix old fashioned rock and roll, and the appropriate amount of blues and country influence to create a sound that feels like home. If you enjoy music that has a quintessential americana sound, than you’ve got to start listening to The Dirty Guv’nahs.

The best thing about this record is that, for an undisclosed amount of time, you can still download it for free.

7) St. Paul & The Broken Bones

Half The City

It does my music loving heart good to know that music like this is still being made. I sometimes get concerned that no-talent clowns like Rebecca Black get so popular, but then I remember that not even Hendrix or Zeppelin ever won a grammy, and somehow, ironically, it makes me feel better. St. Paul & The Broken Bones may not make the top 40 pop charts any time soon, but their very existence gives me hope for the future. Their ability to create a significant following for music influnenced by 60's era Motown, gospel and soul is especially noteworthy. I recommend you get more soul music in your life, and this record is a good place to start.

6) J. Roddy Walston & The Business

Essential Tremors

I discovered J. Roddy Walston & The Business from a free noisetrade ep released earlier this year. The single Heavy Bells is simultaneously rough and catchy, catchier still is the song Take It As It Comes, which conjures for me images of summertime road trips driving with the windows down and the music loud. I ended up getting the full length record, Essential Tremors, later on, and it’s full of rootsy, lo-fi, garage rock blues. That is a recipe for success if ever there was one. This is the sort of music that never gets old.

5) Johnny Cash

Out Among The Stars

This is easily Cash’s best posthumous record. With all due respect to The American Recordings series, which got a lot of press after Johnny’s death, Out Among The Stars is just more fun. I like The American IV and V as much as the next guy, but let’s be honest, they were depressing. How many times can you sing about lonliness, regret, and death before it starts to wear on you? This album, on the other hand, is not only happier in general, but shows why he got so popular in the first place. This music shows why he’s one of the very few artists to make it into the Country Music AND Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It’s just good.

4) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Hypnotic Eye

When you’ve got a long, storied career in the music business, full of accolades and awards spanning over four decades, no one expects you to do anything, because you’ve already done it all. Even so, if you do decide to hit the studio, chances are the final project will be so polished, so refined, so perfect, that even if the songs are well written, they won’t have that rugged honesty of your earlier career. Well, Petty and company didn’t succumb to that temptation. This is a great record, full of the sort of southern grit that has been attracting fans since the mid 70's. Instant classic.

3) Manchester Orchestra

Cope

Manchester Orchestra are not from Manchester, and are not particularly orchestral, but they are the new faces of modern alternative rock and roll. I’ll try not to get jealous at the success of younger kids living out my rock and roll dreams. But enough about me. Passionate and hard hitting, Cope is the band’s fourth full length studio album (all of which are solid offerings). If you’ve not gotten aboard the Manchester Orchestra bandwagon yet, I submit that now is as good of a time as any.

2) Wovenhand

Refractory Obdurate

So until a few months ago, I thought that David Eugene Edwards’ project, Wovenhand, called it quits years ago. Sometimes it makes me really happy to be wrong — this is one of those times. Mixing elements of gospel, folk, alt country, post-rock, punk, industrial, and old-time bluegrass, Wovenhand can not be compared to anyone (except for 16 Horsepower, which was Edwards’ old band). I had their first three records — the most recent, Mosaic, was released in 2006. I don’t know why, but for some reason I didn’t know about the four albums they released since then. Refractory Obdurate is more of that signature sound that, for me, never gets old. Thundering like an Old Testament prophet set in the wild west, this music is an experience to behold.

1) Spoon

They Want My Soul

Spoon has already done enough to forever belong a part of the indie rock pantheon. While the thought of them not releasing more music after Transference made me sad, their discography was already quite extensive. The truth was that they didn’t NEED to release anything. But then they released They Want My Soul, and it’s as hip and rad as any of the youngsters these days could ask for. Listen to it.