Running a label makes creating a year-end album list quite
difficult. When I sat down, a large part of me wanted to load this up with all
the albums we released this year on Swan City Sounds because really, I love
everything we put out. BUT I figured that would come off snarky so to avoid
feeling/looking like a self-aggrandizing asshole I decided to leave them all
out (although I still encourage you to give them a listen). So, the list: this
is really in no particular order, was very hard to narrow down, and the numbers
are here for no other reason than to make the list a little more listy.
1. OFF! – Wasted Years (Vice Records)
This album
just rips. The longest track clocks in at a little over two minutes and the majority of them never reach the minute
and a half mark. If you are looking
for some quality stripped-down hardcore punk to destroy your eardrums with, this is a good place to
start. Favorite track: “Death Trip on the Party
Train”
2. Mac DeMarco – Salad Days (Captured Tracks)
My wife
isn’t a fan of a lot of the music I listen to, but this was one of a handful of albums dropped out this
year that both of us can agree on. I
have talked to some other people
who burned out on Salad Days after a number of listens
but for me, this album gets better every time. This is bedroom pop for people who don’t really get down on most
bedroom pop. The guitar tone is killer
and DeMarco’s gap-toothed croon shines. I love everything about it. Plus, judging from interviews and live
performances I have seen, DeMarco may
very well be the coolest dude in rock music today. Favorite track: “Let Her Go”
3. Supervixens – Nature and Culture
My
introduction to Supervixens came with the video for Loud Loud Loud!, a live recording of the band working
in what I think is the studio but may just be
their practice space, I don’t know. Either way, I was pretty blown away. Supervixens mesh beat driven guitar
and bass riffs with straight noise so seamlessly
that I have a hard time classifying just what kind of music it is. Loud Loud Loud is most definitely
the stand out track and shifts back and forth
from some of the most aggressive minutes of music I heard all year to some of the most haunting bits of
ambience/noise I may ever hear in my life. These
dudes incorporate hammers, chains and even power saws into their jams. What more do you need to know? Go
listen to it. Favorite track: “Loud Loud
Loud/Split Head”
4. Big Waves of Pretty – It Is a Sight He Never Forgets
(Bridgetown Records)
I met these
guys when they played in the kitchen of my buddy Sam Martin’s (Three-Brained Robot) house last year when they
were on tour with Kevin Greenspon
taking on 100 dates in four months (seriously, holy shit). Not only were they both just super sweet guys, they
absolutely tore it up to a crowd of maybe
20 or so people, which leads me to believe that the track “If You’re Not Going to Sparkle What the Fuck Did
You Come For?” is more than just a song title
– it’s words these dudes live by. BWOP is tapping into something real special on this album. They have
managed to break into some kind of hyperactive
spirit world and come out on the other side with six out of control yet controlled freak out sessions
to share with the masses. Favorite Track:
“If You’re Not Going to Sparkle What the Fuck Did You Come For?”
5. Spooky Black – Black Silk (Self-released)
What can I
say about this? I admit, the first time I saw the video for “Without You” I thought I was being trolled.
Who is this white dude in a doo rag and turtleneck?
How old is he? Is he wearing a FUBU jersey? What the hell am I watching? But I kept watching, over
and over again, and I soon realized Spooky
Black is not only legit, but has quickly become one of my favorite R&B singers to date. The production on
this album (album? mixtape?) is crucial – lo-fi
spacy synthy beats that you can’t help but want to make babies to – and Spooky Black’s laid back and really just
beautiful vocals make for the perfect compliment.
Oh, and did I mention he is SIXTEEN!! Favorite track: “Without You”
6. NOTHING – Guilty of Everything (Relapse)
Before this
album came out I heard the first single, “Dig,” and I already knew it was going to be in my top ten, top
five, and maybe even be my favorite album
of the year period. It is. This album is, in my opinion, perfect. The hyper-present elements of shoegaze
combined with the aggression of punk and
near-anthemic riffs littered throughout create something completely fresh and well-worthy of all the praise
this band has received so far this year. The
way the album crashes in, a minute and a half into the opening track “Hymn to the Pillory,” give me goosebumps
every time. The mixing is spot on and
every tone is given just the right amount of room to burn through. Yeah, this is my favorite album of the year.
And seriously, Guilty of Everything? Can you
think of a more bad ass name for an album? Favorite Track: “Bent Nail”
7. Avishai Cohen’s Triveni – Dark Nights (Anzic Records)
In many
ways this was the year of jazz for me. For some reason I felt myself dragged towards Mingus, Coltrane, Davis, The
Dave Brubeck Quartet, and a slew
of other old-school dudes that changed the face of music as we know it. As I dug deeper into the older stuff I got to
wondering if any contemporary cats
were keeping those traditions alive and continue to push the envelope in the jazz-realm. Then I found Avishai
Cohen. Cohen knows his way around a trumpet
and, from what I have heard from him in interviews, is staying true to the improvisational and
experimental motives of his predecessors. This album
was recorded in one day with only two takes of each track laid down – the best of both was then chosen for the
record. Cohen’s sister pops in for a track
and a couple other guest appearances round out the ever present bass-trumpet-drums trio. This album burns
at the perfect speed and Cohen seems to
know just when to drop in the flourishes. This is soul. Favorite track: “Dark Nights, Darker Days”
8. Mantar – Death By Burning (Svart)
So yeah, in
many ways this was the year of jazz for me, but I also found myself gravitating towards the heavier
stuff. Out of all the metal I treated my ears
to this year, Mantar are the stand-outs. I listened to this album four or five times before I started doing a
little research on the band and couldn’t believe
when I found out it was just two guys. Seriously, this shit is soooo thick; I figured there were two guitars and
a bass but no – just a drummer and
guitarist. If you are looking for a little something special to bang your head to, check this album out. This
guys are the future of the genre. Favorite track:
“Cult Witness”
9. Kairon; IRSE! – Ujubasajuba (Self-Released)
2014 was an
amazing year for shoegaze and while bands like NOTHING and Whirr seem to be leading the charge,
Kairon; IRSE! are by no means brining up
the rear. This Finnish quartet, like their contemporaries, owes a debt of gratitude to the late 80’s/early 90’s ‘gazers
but, again, like their contemporaries,
are taking the genre and putting their own spin on it. The Kairon; IRSE! spin comes in the form of
saxophone and clarinet. What? Sax and
clarinet in a shoegaze track? Yes. Exactly. It’s awesome. Listen to it. Favorite track: “Valorians”
10. Clearance – Catologue Nos. (Unsatisfied Records)
Somehow
this band flew under my radar in 2013 and I never caught wind of either of the two 7”s they released
in that time. That’s okay though because now
I know, and Catalogue Nos. puts both of those first 7”, some digital singles, and a couple unreleased tracks all
in one place. This is quintessential 90’s
slacker rock a-la everybody’s favorite band Pavement. If you love Crooked Rain you will love Catalogue
Nos. Simple as that. Favorite track: “She’s a Peach”
Honorable Mentions:
Man Watching the Stars – “Dusk”
Kvulthammer – “Kvulthammer”
Whirr – “Sway”
Whirr/Nothing – Split
Flying Lotus – “You’re Dead!”
Iron Regan – “The Tyranny of Will”
Pup – “Pup”
thestand4rd – “thestand4rd”
Perfect Pussy – “Say Yes To Love”
Aphex Twin – “Syro”
