Best of 2014 Part 7

We're here at last! Somehow the year has come and gone. I haven't done nearly as many awesome things as I would have liked, but there were a few highlights. Silent disco at FollyFest was great, the weekend in TO, and I had all kinds of fancy new craft beers. I'm guessing this coming year will be a little more eventful, if only because there's so much I didn't get done this time.

Only one EP ended up getting finished this year, which is slightly annoying considering I've got a few that are really close to done. Think I'm just gonna sneak them out instead of promising dates that don't happen. Some changes in store for the blog as well, nothing revolutionary but it might make it a little more interesting to random observers.

Anyway here's my top 3 albums of the year, all loads of fun, and a great EP worth digging into. Hope your evening is swell, I'm sure mine will be hazy. 

#3

Mariachi El Bronx

III

Is it really that hard to pick a name for an album? Come one guys. Seriously. Urgh. So this one had a bit of hype behind it, or maybe just from me, because I love these guys, I think even more than their hardcore identity, The Bronx, but I'll probably change my mind again tomorrow. 

So this is actually what it should be. Mariachi rock. At its best. The first album from 2009 was great, the second three years ago wasn't quite as flash, this one takes the cake. Every song stands on its own, with a dash of epic tossed around liberally. It's upbeat and cynical at the same time, but a total blast throughout its 37 minutes, which is really my only complaint. I want more. Hell ya!

Wildfires

High Tide

New Beat

#2

Jungle

Jungle

I give up. Album titles are out. Disco is in. Remember their EP? It was my runaway favorite of last year. Soon as this album was announced I knew it would be the business. I've read complaints that they're just rehashed Bee-Gee's. And...? Who cares, they've done it so, so well, how can you complain? Their videos are the best of the year, and they've done a very commendable job on their live show. Needs a little work, but it's a great start.

It was a little disappointing to see all four tracks from the EP on this album, but they're all killer tracks so I guess it was inevitable. For me the most pleasing aspect was that the songs that aren't dance floor smashers are also great, if not my favorites. I can't say enough good things about this record. Go check it out and have yourself a good time.

Busy Earnin'

Julia

Crumbler

#1

La Roux

Trouble In Paradise

Finally! A proper album title, and with it go the spoils. Yesterday I said that any of the top 6 or so albums could be put in any order, and I stand by that, sorta. To be fair this was definitely my favorite of the year, even against stiff competition. It wasn't mind blowing, but it was really, really good. The whole disc has an unmistakably 80's feel to it, but in a good way, with just enough edge to keep it fresh. I loved the first single, "Let Me Down Slowly", and the opening track, "Uptight Downtown", is surely the best dance track of the year. How is there no video to that song?

That's really the gist of it. Eight tracks are just the type you want to play over, and over, and over. It's flighty and vibrant without sounding too pretentious. I also like that Elly has put substance in her songs, they're not 3-minute radio buzzer beaters. My biggest complaint is that the 9th track sounds like it was just thrown on, like it's not finished. It just doesn't belong, but the first 8 are so good it doesn't matter. Discounting that final letdown, it's 38 of the most engaging minutes of audio you'll find anywhere from the last 12 months. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Cruel Sexuality

Kiss And Not Tell

Tropical Chancer

EP #1

Black Milk

Glitches In The Break

Thought it would be something bouncy, didn't you? Nope, gotta hand it to one of the best hip hop artists in the biz. Curtis Cross kills it every time, and this EP is right up there with his best work. Phat beats, dope lyrics, and one of my favorites of the year, "Cold Day". Good one to end with.

G

1 For Dam

Cold Day

Catch ya on the flipside.

Best of 2014 Part 4

Slept in today. Still tired. Soldiering on. 

#12

Brock Berrigan

Four Walls And An Amplifier

36 minutes of the dopest beats you've heard all year, no doubt. This guy is arguably the most prolific basement dweller of the modern age. He describes himself as "beat maker, music enthusiast, multi instrumentalist, sample hunter, town drunk". He forgot inspirational guru. 

Old school soul samples and old blaxploitation clips sliced over the phattest hip hop grooves on the east coast. Apparently he's got hordes of unreleased material he doesn't want to release, occasionally dropping one on his SoundCloud page. Put this guy in the ring with any of the world's best lyricists and you've got yourself a chune. I wonder if he wears that chicken mask at home?

Reading Rambo

Clockwork

Why The Funk Not

#11

Beck

Morning Phase

Is the old Beck gone? The funky dude who thought he was a loser? If he is, we'll understand, but hopefully he's just on hiatus. In the meantime, we have a return to the "Sea Change" sound, only this time it's more ethereal and, frankly, much better.

He's definitely not breaking any new ground on this one, but it doesn't seem like he's pretending to. It just sounds like he wanted to chill out for a while, and we've been let in on a few minutes of his thoughts. It's an easy listen, one you'll likely repeat several times once you give it a shot. I'm not really sure it gets better with time, because it's good on the first go. Thumbs up from me.

Say Goodbye

Heart Is A Drum

Blue Moon

#10

Wild Beasts

Present Tense

As soon as I heard the opening track on this one I knew it would be a winner. I haven't really given them much time before, but they got plenty of it this year. It's kind of hard to put a finger on why it's such an engrossing album. It's largely a synth-heavy melancholy sound, but the production is really well done, it's nice and crisp but at the same time buttery smooth.

They all seem to be talented multi-instrumentalists, with Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming adding the lyrics in an interesting, kind of semi-falsetto muddy-tenor mix that has a nice contrast. The songwriting is pretty good, a step up from their older stuff, and it sounds like they have higher places to reach for in the future. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Daughters

Sweet Spot

Mecca

EP #4

Wigbert

This And That

Minimal tech house leaning more towards techno than house, this is the best of that genre I've heard all year. It's not overly complicated, pretty straight forward stuff, but subtle and really, really tight. This isn't big-room blast your ears off, it's late night vampire keep that brain moving and those toes tapping. The lost art of simplicity done right. 

Okapi

This And That

Head Machine

Into the best of the best, starting tomorrow!

Jon Hopkins - Abandon Window

And even more contemporary, and let's get rid of vocals altogether.