2014 was a good year for music. Really, REALLY good. In March, most of us were already greedily devouring records produced by long- absent favourites. By mid-summer I was wondering incredulously how it was possible to keep up such a blistering pace of hits. Yet, here we sit at the end of another year full of heart aching disasters and horrific atrocities in the world around us. The one constant; the soul-repairing crutch of music.
So here are my favourite records of 2014 - once again presented after agonizing consideration that has almost certainly been...unnecessary.
10 - timber timbre - hot dreams
9 - owen pallett - in conflict
I have this fantasy where Owen Pallett is tapped to score the next James Bond film. There are so many songs on In Conflict that are so anthemic, they could have been stolen straight out of those opening dance sequences. Go ahead, listen to On a Path and tell me you can't picture women dancing, psychedelic colours projected over their bodies as the opening titles roll. The thing that always keeps me coming back to Owen Pallett albums, is his talent at creating a highbrow opus that remains incredibly accessible to all music fans. The thought of layered strings on an indie album is enough to make even the most open-minded music fan shudder. Yet, Pallett manages to pull it off in a way that still shows a level of vulnerability others would collapse under.
8 - st. vincent - s/t
Ever wonder what happens when a rapidly developing musical genius starts hanging out with a veteran genius like David Byrne? This. Annie Clake's year with Byrne could be looked at as a fantasy camp for music geeks. In reality it was much, much more important than that. All you need to do is sit and concentrate on everything that is going on AROUND the melodies on these songs and you'll hear that experience shining through. This could easily have been a busy, overly complicated record. Instead it's the perfect next step for St. Vincent. I don't even want to wager a guess of what Clarke will do next. It's becoming increasingly obvious with each album, that one word you'll never be able to use to describe a St. Vincent record is: "predictable."
7 - ty segall - manipulator
I have a vast amount of respect for artists doing their part to keep one of the best eras of rock-and-roll alive. With Manipulator, Ty Segall grabs the 70's by the throat and shakes loose every bit of magic it has to give. All the while, there's a punk attitude giving the record swagger, charm, and decadence. Manipulator is rough and dirty, but somehow remains polished. Kind of like cracking open a giant rock to reveal a geode inside, Ty Segall has made a collection of rock songs that will make you want to burst your speakers while calmly reaching for another beer.
6 - death from above 1979 - the physical world
This could have gone wrong in such a bad way. After so many years away from the writing music together, Sebastian Grainger and Jesse Keeler could have put out a record that burned a lot of faithful fans. Luckily, for those who waited for the last decade (!!!) - those years of touring their previous hits had kept their style intact. This may not be a perfect album, but as it chugs along like a train, it is at its core a Death From Above album. It hits the familiar tones of You're a Woman, I'm a Machine - and still manages to set itself apart. A huge part of me really hopes they don't wait another ten years to produce another album...but a little part of me does. Especially if the result after such a long gestation period is a record like this.
5 - alvvways - s/t
What's this? Bright and cheery songs about heartache? What's that you say? You've been waiting until the summer because that's what those songs are made for? You're right. This is the surf-rock album everyone needs during the middle months. Short and punchy, but still so heavy. Any record that can devote a whole song to matrimonial intentions toward Archie Andrews without being bubblegum pop, deserves accolades. The record that does that AND turns it into a late contender for song of the summer deserves to be blasted. This band seemed to come out of nowhere and managed to wedge themselves in the realm of "what are they going to do next, and more importantly; WHEN." Hopefully next year, just in time for those summer days when love is weighing on your chest as heavily as the shadows of an August sun.
4 - spoon - they want my soul
Shame on me for keeping closed mind with Spoon. After harbouring ill feelings toward their last album Transference and associating it with a lousy ex who loved that record, I was far too quick to write this one off. Then one day I heard a dreamy song called Inside Out. With a tempo that beats like a heart, Spoon won me back by reminding me they can do things others may not be talented - or brave enough to pull off. They Want My Soul has all the elements of a classic Spoon album, the knee slapping rock tunes that make you want to dance and the shoe gazing hypnotic tunes interludes that trap you in a daydream. Never, EVER write-off Spoon.
3 - beck - morning phase
This, simply put, is a beautiful record. I like to think in the big picture when it come to those who write consistently good music. In Beck's case, I'm sure Morning Phase will be remembered as one of the best examples of songwriting in this decade. After a far-too-long hiatus, he returned with a reminder that he's still getting better. I heard some complain that by revisiting his mellow Sea Change style was something to be accepted begrudgingly. But if you listen really close on Morning Phase, not for what's there, but what isn't - you can hear why this was such a good path to go down. On tracks like Blue Moon, Beck finds the missing element to a song - that one important piano crescendo, or on Waking Light's case, a guitar riff just as the song is building to a triumphant crescendo. Instead of repeating them, he lets them appear at the right moment before leaving them to return no more. In many ways, Morning Phase is a like a magic trick showing restraint while remaining spectacular in all the write places.
2 - future islands - singles
I felt pretty lucky a few years back when I found this band. In the middle of watching tv, a song came on that was so powerful, I needed to rewind several times - with my phone next to the speaker just so I could shazam it. It turned out to be Future Islands. I immediately went to my record store and special ordered In Evening Air. Now fast forward to 2014 and they pop up on NPR with a song so powerful it made me want to get up and dance around my office. And there was more - a video of lead singer Samuel T. Herring showing his band's song Seasons was SUPPOSED to make you feel that way. That song and that dance quickly captured everyone's imagination catapulting it into the "song of the summer" realm. Don't believe me? Well somehow I found myself backstage at a festival this summer. When Seasons came on, a good portion of Broken Social Scene started dancing. When you see Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning having the same reaction everyone has to a song - it reminds you that good music is universal. But where other summer tunes can quickly enter the realm of one-hit-wonders, Future Islands backed it all up with an album full of songs that matched that intensity. Put this record on and dance. The sillier, the better.
1 - mac demarco - salad days
"Shit..." breathes an exasperated Mac Demarco before launching into the opening chords of Brother. We've all been there, man. I felt that way several times this year, especially while listening to this record. Mostly because I just couldn't get how good it was. Salad Days always has an element of something you haven't seen quite before while remaining familiar at the same time. Like a dream you can't quite remember after you've woken up, there's something to this record you can never put a finger on. It has the dark drawls of a Lou Reed some places, the heavy, forlorn lyrics of Elliot Smith in others. Salad Days was my biggest surprise of the year; heavily recommended by friends back home, I bought it before listening to any of it. After the 10th straight play-through, I was certain it was one of the best tips I got in a long time.
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