Best of 2014 Part 5

Movin' right along...

#9

Big Wreck

Ghosts

I was super excited when I heard a new album from these guys was on the way, and it delivered in spades. For me this is their best work, in either incarnation (i.e. Thornley), since their first album way back in '97. The crunchy guitars, soaring choruses, and epic harmonies are all over this release. Ian's singing sounds great, the song writing is there, and don't forget his signature guitar solos. 

Thankfully they've eschewed radio hits for longer, more meaty songs, with only one clocking in under four minutes, and only two others under five. There are some truly memorable moments on this record, not least in the terrific album closer, "War Baby". It's crazy that these guys still aren't bigger than they are. In a world full of indie alternative experimental glitch step, decent rock bands are fewer and farther between. Here's to one of the very best.

Hey Mama

Come What May

Ghosts

#8

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Give The People What They Want

So what do you do when you get bile duct cancer, have half your digestive system removed, and lose all your hair from god-awful chemo treatments? Well, you kick cancer's ass and get back on the damn road pronto, of course. At least that's what Sharon Jones did. She delayed the release of this album until she got better so she could tour properly, and man did she do it right.

This is a super album, comparable to her excellent 2010 release "I Learned The Hard Way", absolutely stuffed with modern Motown masterpieces. Of course it helps that she has the best backing band in the business, but why not? The music suits them to a tee. Check out these clips, and this video, and tell me you wouldn't love to see their live show. Two thumbs way up.

Stranger To My Happiness

Now I See

Get Up And Get Out

#7

Todd Terje

It's Album Time

It's been a long time coming, and well worth the wait. Terje Olsen has been around the disco house scene for the best part of a decade, and this is his first full length release. It's hardly a surprise that he knocked it out of the park. Every note in every song seems charted to perfection, and his crazy keyboard licks keep it just that little bit unpredictable.

Upbeat, fresh, funky, bouncy, mesmerising. It makes you want to get up and go for a jog in the middle of the night. Or dance down the cheese aisle at the supermarket. Vocal samples are used fleetingly, mostly indiscernible from the other blips and bloops, and only one song features actual singing of any kind. Amazingly Terje has found a way to take his act to the live stage, and the performance of "Inspector Norse" seen below is just awesome. 

Delorean Dynamite

Inspector Norse

Leisure Suit Preben

EP #3

Vulfpeck

Fugue State

What a refreshingly bright sound these cats have. It's just so much funk, so much jazz. I'm sure you're familiar with their big hit by now. If not, you should be. I mean it's physically impossible to listen to this stuff without a smile on your face and your head nod on. Got a classy house gathering coming up? Here's yer guys. FollyFest? Hey... you know what... now we're on to something!

First Place

Sky Mall

Fugue State

Hot diggity, just two days to go in 2014!

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Retreat!

...and I was doing so well... It was a busy weekend, and there'll be a few more on the way but I'll try to get this done every day anyway. Crazy news about Jian, big evening in store for Toronto, and I just ate a mango. I think we'll skip the metal today and go straight for the soul.

Best of 2010 Part 1

Well here we are at the end of the year, and after more than 300 posts and somewhere close to 400 different songs posted, it's time for me to reveal my top 21 albums of the year. Originally this was going to be a top 7 list, but upon reflection there were simply too many really good albums this year. Keep in mind that although I've ranked them numerically, I could easily change my mind on any given day. For the sake of the next week, however, we'll go with these. Also realise that these aren't necessarily the best albums of the year, just the ones that I liked the most. There are lots out there that I haven't even heard yet that I'm sure will be even better than the ones already here, but them's the breaks.

There were also lots that other people really loved that I didn't really get into that much. Broken Bells, for instance, was good, but not great for me. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs was amazing, but it was just a four track EP, so I couldn't really qualify it. Eminem was decent, but I didn''t really like the Arcade Fire at all. Chromeo came close, but didn't quite make it in the end, which says something because I'm a big fan of those guys.

Kanye West scored a perfect 10 score from Pitchfork, but I have to admit that I don't really dig the album. Not that I was a huge Kanye fan to begin with, but I do enjoy some of his earlier stuff. This new one, however, just doesn't do it for me. I try not to put too much stock into lyrics and I felt the production was poor. Meh. Maybe it's just me.

So here's my list. To use my absolute least favourite quote of 2010: it is what it is. ;)

#21

Shit Robot

From The Cradle To The Rave

Shit Robot, real name Marcus Lambkin from DFA, has been around for a long time and has produced some awesome remixes, and even some great original works, but has never really ventured into the full-on production scene until now. This was a highly anticipated album among fans of the electronic album and, while it didn't quite rip the door down, it was an excellent album with some really cool sounding beats and featured lots of other great artists on vocals.

Previously released tracks like "Simple Things (Work It Out)" and "Triumph" (see below) were included, but tightened up a little here and there to go with seven other groovy tracks spanning exactly one hour in total length. Visions of early Chemical Brothers and the Flaming Lips are conjured, but Lambkin stays true to his heavy synth and arpeggiator roots in his debut LP. This isn't a rocking out album, it's for grooving through the night skies with some trippy beats to light the way.

Take 'Em Up

Grim Receiver

Triumph

#20

Bag Raiders

Bag Raiders

Bag Raiders are the Australian DJ duo Chris Stracey and Jack Glass. These guys have been around for a relatively short amount of time, and first came to my attention with the track "Fun Punch", that I featured in my post a month ago. This album also features "Shooting Stars" which is in that post. They combine a nu-disco synth sound with some really funky beats and have increasingly used vocals which feature fairly prominently on this album.

Daft Punk and Mylo are certainly influences and of course '80s synth pop, which seems to be experiencing somewhat of a revival these days. I'm loving it and you can be sure this won't be the only album to feature that sound on this list. This album has a great party funk feel to it and any time you combine partying and funk you have a winner. Give this album a shot, I bet you won't regret it. Let's start with their brand new video that came out about four days ago.

Sunlight

Snake Charmer

Gone Away

#19

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

I Learned The Hard Way

I first posted about Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings in October, when I first heard about them. Since then I've had a chance to listen to a couple albums and I have delightfully discovered that they are a first class modern soul revival group. Think Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Dusty Springfield. Sharon Jones maybe isn't quite in that esteemed group just yet, but she's pretty darn good and her band is awesome.

This is some seriously great evening groovin' tunes, maybe at a dinner party or just chillin' with the homies. Some of the sounds are so slick I half expect to hear them on a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack in the near future. Aside from the previously posted "If You Call", here are three choice tracks to help show you what's what.

I'll Still Be True

Window Shopping

Better Things

BONUS BEATS!

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - That One

Tomorrow, part 2.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - If You Call

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. New to me too. I found this three minutes ago, and thought "yup, that's good". So here ya go. Enjoy.

Now to find more.