The GOASTT - Midnight Sun
16 years after his debut record, Sean Lennon finally feels comfortable. Whether it was feeling the weight of his parents' enormous shadows, or a tumultuous love life (which lead to his Friendly Fire album), Lennon never quite got his sea legs. He wrote a lot of catchy songs, but never stuck with a genre for long. Then he met Charlotte Kemp Muhl, his (now) longtime girlfriend and musical comrade, with whom he formed The Ghost of a Sabre-Toothed Tiger. After their quiet, chamber folk debut (Acoustic Sessions), Lennon and Muhl broadened their horizons and beefed up their sound, culminating in the brilliant, 60's psych-rock record Midnight Sun. THIS is what Lennon should be doing, creating catchy, unexpected melodies with lush accompaniment. Fantastic musicianship top to bottom.
2.
Felice Brothers - Favorite Waitress
The Felice Brothers were a band I was always aware of, but never really invested much time in, and after the many bad reviews of Celebration, Florida, didn't think I'd every really pursue. But when their new record came out, and there was talk of "return to form", etc., I gave it a shot. The thing that struck (and continues to strike) me about this album is its ability to surprise. Track to track, you never see whats coming. After setting you up with upbeat, jangly numbers "Bird on Broken Wing" and "Cherry Licorice", who's expecting a song like "Constituents"? How do you have a Whiskeytown-inspired "No Trouble" lead into the Bowie-esque "Alien"? This is one of the few albums from 2014 that I can listen to multiple times in a day.
3.
Israel Nash - Israel Nash's Rain Plans
Describe this album to me and I'm sure I'll hate it. An unknown guy aping Neil Young's style? Disaster, right? But even though I can sing Young's lyrics along to Nash's songs, those songs are just so damn good, I don't care. Fabulous musicianship, fantastic production, and great arrangements had me hook, line and sinker.
4.
Shovels N' Rope - Swimmin' Time
This was one of my most anticipated albums of the year, after playing the shit out of "O' Be Joyful". SnR really stretched their legs on this record, expanding into different styles and wearing their influences on their sleeves. This record is more collaborative than their last as well, with Cary Ann and Michael sharing the vocals on most songs. Standout tracks include "Evil", with some Patterson-esque lyrics (Every now and then I get evil/I feel ashamed in the shadow of a steeple/I'm a lunatic looking through the peephole/I hit my kids but I don't mean to ) and the gorgeous "After the Storm".
5.
Wussy - Attica
This album wasn't even on my radar three weeks ago, but cracked my top 5. There's so much to love about this record, it's tough to know where to start. It's quirky, it's timeless, it's gorgeous, it's catchy, it's heartbreaking. Sometimes it rocks ("Rainbows and Butterflies"), sometimes it whispers ("Acetylene"), sometimes it soars ("Beautiful"). Can't wait to dig and dig and dig
6.
Shakey Graves - And the War Came
Shakey Graves (nee Alejandro Rose-Garcia) is an Austin musician who is starting to make a name for himself. After his 2011 debut Roll the Bones, Graves has hit the road hard, playing every bar and festival that will have him. He can perform solo with just his guitar and homemade suitcase drum, or with a drummer and slide guitar player. His new album is catchy, charming (especially the tracks with Esme Patterson), and full of passion. "Dearly Departed" is a candidate for song of the year.
7.
Water Liars - Water Liars
It took a little while for me to warm up to the latest Water Liars album, mostly because of how much I loved "Wyoming." While I don't think the self-titled record has the emotional gravity of their previous record, it is still an excellent rock record from a criminally underrated band.
8.
Woods - With Light and With Love
My source for new music is generally here on 3DD, or in the "discover" section of Spotify. Woods comes from the latter. Their sound is tough to describe; kinda psychedelic, kinda pop, mostly weird, but terribly catchy. I'm probably missing out on some level of this band by NOT doing drugs while listening.
9.
Drive-By Truckers - English Oceans
This was a music year for me that was defined by the word "surprise". "English Oceans" was the opposite of surprise; it was comfort and familiarity. The album is rock-solid, and even though I didn't take a shine to some of the songs that others found so great, it's a reliably great record to keep returning to.
10.
Quilt - Held in Splendor
Quilt (along with Shakey Graves) was a discovery from this year's Nelsonville Music Festival. This is another psych-rock band, with a sound layered in reverb and harmony. The lyrics are kind of cheesy, but they have the sound down to a tee.
11. Temples - Sun Structures - Oh look, another throwback 60's band, this time from the UK. Love these guys' sound, but the songs aren't quite as diverse as others higher on the list.
12. Ray LaMontagne - Supernova - LaMontagne joins up with Dan Auerbach to try his hand at a more retro, AM radio vibe.
13.Reverend Horton Heat - Rev - One of my favorite bands of the 90's seemed to be out of good songs, going a decade since their last good album. Luckily "Rev" is a complete return to form.
14. Tweedy - Sukierae - Everything a solo album should be. Like Patterson's "Heat Lightning", the album is both distinctly in the writer's style, yet distinctly not in his band's style. This record is the most likely to climb my list moving forward.
15. Trampled By Turtles - Wild Animals - Didn't take to this one right away, but it's been a steady grower since its release. Looking forward to seeing them live again this summer.
16. Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy - Rice is a very underrated songwriter in the US. I really love his "O" album from a few years back, and his new one continues to expand his arrangements. His lyrics are a little overwrought at times, but he's very much a "heart on his sleeve" lyricist.
17. Natural Child - Dancin’ With Wolves - So much has been said about these guys that I don't have much to add. They're The Dexateens' stoned musical cousins.
18. Ryan Adams - s/t - A solid (if not spectacular) effort from Adams. It's uneven, and not as good as "Ashes and Fire", but a good listen.
19. Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain - Nothing unexpected from this record. Oberst does what he does best.
20. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music - Great record when I'm in the mood for it.
!! A terrific album, which is resonating with me a great deal at the moment, for various reasons that don't need further explanation. I won't change my submitted list for fear of pissing off the compiler, but safe to say it'd be very near the top.
