Best of 2014 Part 3

Running a little late-ish today, but have no fear, I am here! Let's just take a quick minute to assess the final Hobbit movie, The Battle Of The Five Armies, that I watched last night. Quick summary: disappointing. Probably my least favorite of the six Peter Jackson Middle Earth films. It was entertaining, went by fast, but to me it felt sloppy, rushed, just a bit too messy. I liked the Lord of the Rings films. For me the pacing of the Hobbit trilogy was way off. It's a shame. The visuals were stunning as always, but didn't make up for the mediocre writing. Anyway go see it for yourself, at least there's some really cool action scenes. Dain's dwarves were pretty cool.

Music time.

#15

Pharoahe Monch

PTSD

Hip-hop is getting ever more divisive. People pulling in all kinds of different directions, both in terms of production and lyricism, and lots of different sorts getting into it. Even white Australian girls are into it, maybe I'll give it a try some day. My preference is more old-school classic styles. Tight lyrics, solid beats, nothing too whack. A little gangster, but never over the top.  

This album fills all the requirements and more. The Pharoahe is one of those few who can stand with the old school kings. Of course it makes sense since he's been around for more than 20 years, and yet only four solo albums are on his discography. This one might be his best. The production sounds like a Roots album (some of them were in on it) and the lyrics are unmistakably Monch. It's versatile with both big heavy grungy tracks and slower more thoughtful offerings. For me it's one of the best hip hop records of the last five years. 

Broken Again

Damage

Rapid Eye Movement

#14

Swans

To Be Kind

They`ve done it again. Why, god, why? Two years ago these deranged individuals put out a record that I described as "slow torture, a creeping dread, a shrouded evil", and I loved it. In my opinion this one isn't quite as good, but some have argued that it is in fact better. Either way, it's another astonishing adventure into introspective anarchy. You can't listen to this every day, or even once a week, unless your therapist really needs the money.

So why is this here? Look, the world isn't smiles and chocolates. You can't listen to Backstreet Boys all day. If that's you, fine, carry on living the lie. I moved out of the cave a long time ago (the allegory, not necessarily the place). Sometimes you need to expand your mind beyond its comfort zone, and this is the kind of record that does it. In fact let's take that a bit further. There is no other band on the planet who takes you through the metaphysical gauntlet like Swans. Nobody.

Just A Little Boy

Oxygen

To Be Kind

#13

Hey Rosetta!

Second Sight

Close to as completely opposite as it gets from that darkness is the gleaming light of these superb rockers from Newfoundland. It's been three years since their last record and it seems the years have been kind. I liked that last one, but this one is a significant step up in their evolution. The signature strings have largely been set aside for more guitars and a more expansive percussion section, and the rest is a more mature sound and some of their best song writing since "Plan Your Escape".

The first single sounded different at first, and by the time of writing this it's become one of my favorite tracks of the year. There are unmistakable hints of Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon throughout the album, and maybe even a little of The Drones, which is never a bad thing. Pedals and effects have never been overly prevalent, and again they're used sparsely, but they really enhance the ambiance on tracks like "Neon Beyond". It's an excellent album, and again one that could well rank higher on the list after a few more months of reflective absorption.

Kintsukuroi

What Arrows

Harriet

EP #5

Lusine

Arterial

I very nearly moved this up the list at the last second, but I'm going to live with my choices and move on. After hearing the first single from this one I had a feeling it would be there or thereabouts on my list, and sure enough it was a keeper. Jeff McIlwain is an accomplished and industrious producer who has kind of ghosted (pun intended) under the eyes of the mainstream for a while, and though this release is unlikely to change that, it's possibly his most refined work to date. This is more thinking music, glitch-hop IDM at its best. Highly recommended.

Eyes Give In

Quiet Day

Forks

Almost to half time... keep up!