Top Ten Albums of 2014 - 5 through 1

5. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else - This got my attention in the middle of the year.  She is slotting into the Lucinda Williams genre, but with a little more rock to her country and not as world weary.  I enjoy women doing original country rock with a bit of an edge.

4. Bob Mould - Beauty & Ruin - On first listen, I thought, "Look, it's another Bob Mould album." And I wrote it off because there is nothing new here.  Except, at the end of the year, I don't think anyone is playing this type of music with this much passion.  He's not as angry as he used to be, but, he is still able to play as hard as he always has.

3. The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams - One of the two best bar bands in the country (and Lucero put out a live album this year), their previous release was not up to snuff and they admit it now.  They are back, doing that Springsteen/Replacements thing that they do.  But mostly, they are still making you believe in the old fashioned rock and roll show.






2. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music -Most of the time, I enjoy my country music traditional.  I saw this on a bunch of best of lists at the end of the year and I decided to chase it down.  It sounds like traditional country music, but the songs have elements that place them in modern times.  Plus, it is just good music.

1. Elbow - The Take Off and Landing of Everything - I don't know how they do it.  The last three albums have all been different and all been great.  I originally thought this album was too quiet and slow.  It's not.  It just doesn't feel the need to hit you over the head to get your attention.  As always, with Elbow, great melodies, excellent song construction, just enough meaning in the lyrics to get your attention. And, at the end of it all is Guy Garvey's voice, probably the best in the business.

Top Ten Albums of 2014 - 10 through 6

I know, it's actually 11 this year.  I just couldn't decide between the two number tens.

10 (tie). St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Half the City - I first hear this and thought, "Who in their right mind would recreate Booker T and the MGs back Otis Redding?"  Then I saw the video and it is a bunch of awkward, white guys, very respectfully doing their version of Memphis soul.  The passion they bring to is makes it fresh again.

10 (tie). James Bay - Hold Back the River - I know, I am a sucker for anthemic rock and this album hit right in the middle of everything I love.  It is new and different and I enjoyed it.

9. Real Estate - Atlas - While we are on the topic of things I love, I really enjoy these guys.  They play a quiet, ambient form of music that I find really calm and relaxing.  I originally though that my copy of The Meadowlands would be enough, but I needed this one too.

8. Jessie Ware - Tough Love - I love Jessie Ware's voice and her approach to music.  Everything I read refers to her as a dubstep singer.  I don't really understand what dubstep is.  I just thinks she has a great voice and does a great job projecting the emotion in her songs.

7. Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Common Ground (Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy) - It's the Alvin brothers doing Americana and doing it better than anyone else.  These are traditional folk/blues songs and they do it with the proper respect while bringing them to life.

6. Sam Smith - In the Lonely Hour - It's actual pop music that is actually played on the radio and it is actually on my list.  This was the go to album of the summer when we sat outside.  It is difficult to find something that everyone enjoys and this was it.  I know it was everywhere, but, fortunately, I only listen to those stations when my children are in the car.

Introduction to This Year's Top 10 Albums

As I mentioned last year, it gets harder for me to find albums that I want to listen to.  This year, I ended up buying about 25 new albums.  I stream more than I used to (and I pay for my streaming), but I find I really want to support the artists that make the albums that I really enjoy.  All the albums on the list are albums that I purchased.

Here are the honorable mentions for this year:

Robert Plant - Lullaby and ... The Ceaseless Roar - He should retire, but he keeps finding new guys to go out on the road and make new music with.  I liked this album, but I think I enjoyed the Led Zeppelin covers from Glastonbury that I saw on Palladia more.

Taylor Swift - 1989 - This was purchased as a gift for my children, therefore, it qualifies.  I have to listen to a lot of this genre.  It is the radio station of choice when my kids are in the car. (They are 21 and 17, are they really kids"?) I'm not wild about this album and I don't listen to it if I don't have to. That said, she is the best, by far, in this genre.  She is highly skilled and her songs really reach 15 to 23 year old girls/women.

Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer - This is from 2011.  I just heard it this year.  I was  listening to Iggy Pop's BBC6 show and he played the first track from the album.  I loved it and this became my go to album for my summer vacation. She makes fresh music from a very world weary point of view. I can't recommend this enough.

Thompson - Family - Teddy Thompson gathered his family and made an album.  He didn't get everyone in the room at the same time, but, he did put together a really interesting collection of songs by the extremely talented members of his family.

2014 Playlist

As I mentioned in last year's post, I am starting to listen to music mostly in playlists.  The change from last year to this year is the influence of listening to BBC6 in the morning from 5 AM to 7 AM weekdays (I have a difficult time falling back to sleep in the morning) and from 6 AM to 10 AM on Sundays.  For a great portion of the last year this was the domain of Guy Garvey, then Iggy Pop.  It has been great radio and has really expanded what I have been listening to.

Here are the links to the Rdio and Spotify playlists.

Rdio - 2014 Playlist
Spotify - 2014 Playlist


Here is the list.  As always, it is in the order I like to listen to it, not the order of my favorite songs.

Name - Artist - Album

Happy - Pharrell Williams - Happy (from Despicable Me 2)
Who Needs You - The Orwells - Disgraceland
Spinners - The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams
Possessed - Eagulls - Eagulls
I Don't Know You Anymore - Bob Mould - Beauty & Ruin
New York Morning - Elbow - The Take Off And Landing Of Everything
Skeleton Dance - Teleman - Breakfast
Call Me - St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Half the City
Left My Woman - The Wild Feathers - The Wild Feathers
Rainbow - Robert Plant - Lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar
Long White Line - Sturgill SImpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
Really Wanna See You - Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
Lighthouse - Diane Birch - Speak A Little Louder
She's Not Me - Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
Hold Back The River - James Bay - Hold Back The River
Mr Tembo - Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
Istanbul - Morrissey - World Peace Is None Of Your Business
See A Girl - Andy Burrows - Fall Together Again
Seasons (Waiting On You) - Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)
Red Eyes - The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
Stay With Me - Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour
Tough Love - Jessie Ware - Tough Love
Uptight Downtown - La Roux - Trouble In Paradise
The Man - Aloe Blacc - Lift Your Spirit
Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - Uptown Special

Don't put this on your list.  

One of my great pleasures of the last year was the week the Foo Fighters were on Letterman promoting Sonic Highways.  Each of the shows was great.  This was my favorite.  War Pigs performed with Zac Brown.

War Pigs - Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters Live on Letterman