Hello all,
I have been asked to post the results of the Afterword Top Album of 2014 list on here. As the site was down at the time we had to do this on Facebook so the number of entries was drastically down on last year but here are the highest entries:
Lost In The Dream War On Drugs 14
Down Where the Spirit Meets The Bone Lucinda Williams 7
Hendra Ben Watt 5
Morning Phase Beck 5
Everyday Robots Damon Albarn 5
Going Back Home Wilko Johnson / Roger Daltrey 4
Atlas Real Estate 4
The Silver Globe Jane Weaver 4
Rave Tapes Mogwai 4
Benji Sun Kill Moon 4
The River And The Thread Rosanne Cash 4
Ryan Adams Ryan Adams 3
Indian Ocean Frazey Ford 3
Endless River Pink Floyd 3
Colfax The Delines 3
Hypnotic Eye Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 3
Sukirae Tweedy 3
Basement Tapes Bob Dylan 3
Singles Future Islands 3
Manipulator Ty Segall 3
It’s Album Time Todd Terje 3
LP1 FKA Twigs 3
http://youtu.be/dQFQfNzxo_Y
Have to say, I love the War on Drugs album.
I don’t listen to as much music as I perhaps should, but I’m very happy I took the plunge on this one. Tremendous stuff.
They’re on tour soon too.
Thanks for doing this; very interesting and probably a very fair reflection of the year (although I would say that, with most of my favourites being there).
This came too late (for me) to put it in my list but I really, really wish I had heard it earlier- ‘Bones + Longing’ by Gemma Hayes, which now trumps all my other choices.
Pointless comment really (it’s good to be back!) but just thought I would flag it for anyone who missed it. (Thanks to the user formerly knows as (still known as?) @rosbif)
I’m on that! Well, some pledgers including me (and Smudge, wherever he’s got to) had a day in the studio this time last year, with her and producer, recording various (very low key) backing vocals (on the track now called Iona), handclaps etc. Top day out. She’s utterly lovely, as you’d expect.
Good shout, Ruby, re Gemma. I too missed it in 2014 but it’s been my second most-played of Jan/Feb (only behind “I can’t believe how awful ‘Bob Sings Frank’ is”)
On the strength of this, I’ve just listened to Bones+Longing on Spotify – wonderful stuff!
@mike-hull Yay! I love it more than is healthy. I’d really recommend her other stuff too- I went on a buying binge and haven’t regretted it for a second.
Great work Joe! It makes the new place feel a bit more like home!
Uncertain whether 7 from that list renders me part of the gang, but I register little surprise at having the first 4, as they were all crackers. Pity it all goes tits up as Nobend Albarn enters the fray. And Sun Kil Moon? Now that is crackers, but the adjective rather than a plural noun. Awful self-indulgent tosh, pleasant enough over the novelty of on or two tracks, but a whole LP?
Having but sipped at the cup of Faecebook rather than partaking fully, is it, I wonder, re-running for those like me? Will send in my list later when I have interrogated my laptop. Would hate to see AW’s repute diminished otherwise π
Also have 7 from the list, and I’m glad there is a fellow Sun Kil Moon doubter. I have many of his previous albums but Benji really was unlistenable self-indulgent tosh, as you say. Call me old-fashioned, but I also thought his public verbal vendetta against The War On Drugs was infantile in the extreme. Puts him right up there with the aforementioned Nobend for me.
I’ve got three of that list. And think one of them is very over-rated (Beck). The War on Drugs came top in at least two magazine end of year polls as well as this list, so I’m willing to accept it’s me and they are not in fact boring derivative dull shite.
I’m not the only one then who thinks War on Drugs is boring & derivative??
Nope.
Nope, and I’m going to see them this weekend….
Did you do films or tv? Or are you f*cebook slackers all too busy posting photos of yourselves to do the proper “Top 5 Kate Bush leotards”-style graft we have come to associate with this fine establishment..?
No didn’t do films or TV, however my best TV find last year was Peaky Blinders – what a super series.
As for films Jimi was good to watch.
http://youtu.be/0YoW1hBRb5I
Glad to see so much love for ‘Bones + Longing’ which would have completely passed me by, otherwise. Another reason to be happy to be back here.
Aspects of the lyrics are becoming ‘meaningful’ which is very drippy of me, but never mind.
Bob, you met her! Lucky, lucky you.
Worth every pledging penny.
And just reminds a good old left brain dominant chap like me what it must be like to be a musician, and be able to play all sorts of things, and sing in tune, and write songs etc etc. You lucky, lucky right brain people.
But, as the sweet shop owner said, it takes allsorts…
PS – I’m not sure which way round the brain thing is, but I’m the literal, analytical, can-barely-draw-the-curtains-let-alone-sketch-a-Brussel-sprout type.
I didn’t interact with the AW on Facebook, so imagine my disappointment on finding out that St Vincent isn’t on this list. Best of 2014!
(Whither Spoon too?)
I remember her making an horrible snoud and having terrifyingly scary thin legs on that show with the Boogie Woogie Gimpβ’ at the piano.
don’t recall the snood, but I like her – woulda had her on my top list, Lana Del Rey too and the mighty MIGHTY James King and the Lone Wolves album – for which I am wholly indebted to El Hombre Malo.
Tin hat on, I think that War on Drugs record sounds like Arcade Fire.
Arcade Fire dream of being half as good WOD.
I’m not convinced by that at all. I bought an Arcade Fire album and wasn’t overly impressed whereas I also bought War On Drugs which is a marvellous album.
I just don’t hear any similarity, other than they use musical scales and English lyrics.
That’s what I describe it as if anyone asks. “A bit like Arcade Fire”
I think I contributed to this, before The Fall, but that was before I heard War On Drugs and Frazey Ford, both of which are magnificent albums. Where they would stand in the overall rating, I’m not sure.
I saw them in Liverpool on Monday night. Excellent gig and some genuinely spine tingling moments that I don’t think the album can recreate ( usually when the massive big sax thing came in!)
It was one of those gigs that was infinitely better than an already good album would have indicated was in store…see White Denim for the definitive example.
I can understand the accusations of it being derivative but it’s derivative of some wonderful bands which I can kinda live with.
By ‘them’ I mean War on Drugs….couldn’t find how to edit comment.
Just finding my feet a bit.
Thank you, bungalowjoe, good work. I own 12/22 but I only voted for two of them in my top ten. WOD won by a street, didn’t they. I can’t say I’m convinced.
There was a very late release in 2014, D’Angelo’s Black Messiah. The critics drooled over it & I think it’s excellent. It is soul music as interpreted by a blessed out alien. Anyone else impressed?
I tried, I tried with d’angelo but a resounding nope from me…
I really tried too – couldn’t get it. The tracks seemed to ramble around without a core tune/groove – happy to be convinced otherwise
Black Messiah is absolutely fantastic. Definitely one of the records of 2014.
Yep I’m with you Tiggs. A superb record, even if it was apparently”rushed out” (after a decade long break π ). Love the slightly murky sound, which is fantastically refreshing, to my ears at least.
Another nope, I thought it was one of the dullest things I’d heard in ages. Even though I rather liked their previous one.
Oops, that should have gone underneath the comment from henpetsgi. Which I thought I’d done! Oh well.
I see that none of my top five got any votes from the facebookers, but I can’t say I’m surprised this year (my favourites were all a bit odd and/or Swedish…)
I’ve only heard three or four tracks off the WOD album, but I found them frightfully dull I’m afraid. And to Bruce-y for my taste.
Can I ask, Locust, as a non-facebooker, what was your top ten of the year? I’d love to know.
I found it extremely difficult to rank them, as usual. So I think I’ll just put them in random order if you don’t mind!
These were the ten that I played the most, and came back to over and over again:
Christopher Owens – A New Testament
Micah P. Hinson – Micah P. Hinson and the Nothing
Les Big Byrd – They Worshipped Cats
Noura Mint Seymali – Tzenni
Thus Owls – Turning Rocks
Timbuktu – FΓΆr Livet Till DΓΆden
Alice Boman – EP II
Hurray for the Riff Raff – Small Town Heroes
Markus KrunegΓ₯rd – RastlΓΆst Blod
and because you asked for ten and not five:
Tweedy – Sukierae (boosted by a wonderful gig I saw him do in Stockholm just after the site got hacked)
PS I wasn’t on Facebook either, so I never got to vote this year. Not that it would have made a difference!
So – what’s your ten?
That’s much more interesting than the collective ten. The joy of the year end poll is reading each individual’s favourites. I love the Riff Raff and Thus Owls.
My list was posted on Facebook by the very wonderful Carolina. Here it is:
1. Melanie De Biasio – No Deal
Smouldering, ruminative vocal jazz that stops time. A worthy companion piece to its atmospheric inspiration, In A Silent Way.
2. Flying Lotus – You’re Dead
A clattering, dreamy masterpiece addressing everything that matters; life, the after-life, darkness and light.
3. Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels 2
Smart, withering, witty rap, bristling with righteous indignation at The State Of The American Nation, a nation where it now appears to be legal for the Police to kill unarmed black people.
4. Deadbeat & Paul St. Hilaire – The Infinity Dub Sessions
Music baked in the Jamaican sun, drenched in Red Stripe, flavoured with the heaviest ganja, then precision-tooled in Germany.
5. Frazey Ford – Indian Ocean
Eccentric, swooping vocals weave their way through creamy, spacious soul music and get lost for days.
6. Matthew Halsall and The Godwana Orchestra – When The World Was One
Averting his gaze from Manchester and looking to the East for inspiration, Halsall and his colleagues serve up gorgeous ensemble jazz packed with delicious tensions and exquisite releases.
7. David Greilsammer – Scarlatti And Cage Sonatas
The music of two very different mavericks, who lived two centuries apart, played with passion, personality and imagination.
8. FKA Twigs – LP1
A convention defying album, written in a strange sensual musical language.
9. Clark – Clark
Seven albums and thirteen years into his career, Clark releases his definitive album, finding magic in the flaws in his machines, in the cracks in the casings, the broken screws and the coding errors.
10. Swans – To Be Kind
Bludgeoning its way into the end of year top ten, this is rock that is ‘heavy’ in every sense. A real test of endurance but well worth the effort.
If I had the chance again, Spoon and D’Angelo might well usurp Clark and Swans.
Melanie De Biasio: I tried Tiggs, really I did. Like the Riff Raff though.
Re: the Noura Mint Seymali album.
Hmmm … I’ve heard a lot of good things about that record. And now it has the Locust stamp of approval too. I must investigate. I like me a bit of Mauritanian musical magic, oh yes.
Les Big Byrd’s They Worshipped Cats was my album of the year – can you recommend anything else along those lines I should check out?
I would have said Goat – but I see it’s on your list already!
(I saw Les Big Byrd open for Goat in the same week as the Tweedy gig BTW. Fantastic – but unfortunately not as great as it could have been if the sound hadn’t been so bad during LBB’s part of the show…)
Not Swedish, but if psych rock floats your boat aussie band Pond could be for you. I hear good things about their new album “Man It Feels Like Space Again”, but I haven’t heard it myself yet, it’s on its way as we speak.
Thanks – I saw LBB twice in a week last year – at the Liverpool Psyk Fest, then opening for Goat at the Roundhouse – that was a fantastic line up, with Lay Llamas as well.
Had a little listen to Pond and wasn’t very excited by them, but a friend has just passed the album on to me, so I’ll give it another go.
Most excitingly he’s also passed me a pre-release copy of the new Public Service Broadcasting album – GO!
I find it very difficult to hear what genre any music belongs to and I’m certainly no expert on everything “psych” (for the longest time I didn’t even know quite what it meant).
I have albums by Swedish bands Oholics, Hills and perhaps even Syket that could fit into that (quite broad) genre, but they lack the punch of Les Big Byrd most of the time – at least on the albums I own, dating a few years back.
For anyone who likes strange music in general, difficult to fit into a genre, I would recommend the new album by Wildbirds & Peacedrums; “Rhythm”. If it hadn’t been such a late release in 2014 it could perhaps have made my top ten.
Drums and voice, and the title describes it perfectly.
The husband-and-wife duo of Andreas Werliin and Mariam Wallentin seems to be playing/singing (seperately or together) on half the albums released in Sweden every year…the quality albums at least!
One of the albums I’ve ordered now for exemple is a vinyl from new female trio Nuiversum, where Mariam is the singer.
I love her voice, but I have a hunch that she could fall into the marmite/Joanna Newsom category of voices…give “Rhythm” a spin and see how you feel about it!
Well, the defining feature of the L’pool Psyk Fest for me was the marked absence of psychedelic music – but that’s a whole other thread.
Those things all sound worthy of casting an ear over – thank you.
Most of my favourites aren’t there – possibly because Facebook made my head hurt and I didn’t vote. In particular:
Withered Hand – New Gods
The Bombay Royale – The island of Dr Electrico
Matthew Halsall – When the World Was One
King Creosote – From Scotland With Love.
Liked the Roseanne Cash though.
I’m with the sceptics on War on Drugs. Liked Williams ( though she’s done better) Ford, Cash and the sublime Delines record. St Vincent should have made the list. And am I the only person who really liked Neil Finn’s album? ‘Recluse’ was one of the best songs of the year for me.
And I forgot to mention Sharon Van Etten and Tom Hickox
Can I recommend Peggy Seeger’s Everything Changes album from last year. I was cooking tea one Wednesday in September and listening to Mark Radcliffe’s Folk programme when an interview with PS came on. Apparently Peggy had never written a song before this album and now 10 of the 11 songs are original compositions. She’s 79. I was arrested by the music and ordered a copy from the tax dodgers then and there. It’s cheaper in HMV by the way.
Anyway, I was not disappointed and love this album to bits. Maybe my favourite of 2014. Basement Tapes deluxe excepted of course.
I gave the Neil Finn one a listen and wanted to like it, but there was just nothing there for me. Depressing really. He hasn’t really caught my attention since the Everyone is Here album, which is over ten years ago now.
No Jenny Lewis or Lydia Loveless in that Premier League?? Shocking
If the site Admins are prepared to help – by way of a form submission or poll page – I would be happy to re-do the Album of The Year list. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.
Cheers – Joe
I think that’s a really good idea, not so much because of the missed votes but because I think all polls like this should be done in March in order for us to not only take in the albums we came to late in the year but to give a bit of distance to the ones we’ve enjoyed for longer. It also, by definition means we can’t pick anything that’s come out in the last couple of months which is often something that skews music poll results.
I’m actually in favour of doing every “Best Year” in the following spring rather than rush out one’s opinions before year end ( a good example would be Natalie Prass – definitely in my top ten in December but, for me, it simply has not stood up to repeated listenings)…..
I only liked one released in 2014 and that was the exceptionally melodic ‘Owl John’
Just listened to the Ben Watt one for the first time today. Am now on my fourth listen. So I think that means I’m liking it. I don’t think we’re talking vintage here, but the music suggests pleasing background notes of Bill Fay, Josh Rouse and Neil Finn. Tick. Tick. Tick. Best of all though is Ben Watts’s imperfect voice, and the determined yet vulnerable picture it presents of an artist hard at work.
My albums of 2014 – slightly in order:
Les Big Byrd – They Worshipped Cats
Mogwai – Rave Tapes
Temples – Sun Structures
Eat Lights Become Lights – Into Forever (and the remix album that came with early copies is, unusually for such things, even better)
Goat – Commune
Nope – Walker
Kosmischer LΓ€ufer – The Secret Cosmic Music of The East German Olympic Program 1972β83 Volume 2
Jagwar Ma – Howlin
Motorpsycho – Behind The Sun
Toy – Join The Dots
Sadly, I don’t think many of these bands get much love in the AW massive
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Mogwai and Goat are much loved for starters.
Jolly good show!
Have 7 of these & one of the others was recently recommended to me on FB (You?)
So who are Nope & Les Big Byrd?
If the recommendation was Eat Lights, then yes, it was me.
Nope are an adjunct to Hookworms – the drummer being in both bands – it’s kind of a rock jam album (but considerably more enjoyable than that makes it sound) http://www.justsaynope.co.uk – their first album is available as a pay-what-you-like download
Les Big Byrd are Swedish and I enthuse about them and post lots of videos here https://charltonfuncity.wordpress.com/2015/01/14/les-big-byrd-my-everything-of-the-year/ and elsewhere on this thread
You might like this?
That’s rather beautiful and very affecting once the penny dropped about what he was describing
Love the Motorpsycho! Made me dig into their earlier albums..some gems there
I’m quite new to them – their gig at the Jazz Cafe last spring was an absolute cracker
Yes to goat.
How do you post a video? I tried to add a Les Big Byrd one to my last post, but it didn’t appear – I’ll try again http://youtu.be/9wlp2CJpMD4
That’s weird – it should work automatically if you paste the YouTube link in – it doesn’t seem to work so well from mobile, so that may be it.
I’m on my desk top – embed got lost and the usual one came up as a link to youtube I’ll try again
That worked, but I don’t know what I did differently
And whilst I’m here – not strictly 2014 – but yes to Stealing Sheep
Indeed – only got into their album last year after seeing them live, although it came out in 2012
As promised, bit late as been Decembering, but in no particular:
War on Drugs/Lost in the Dream
Vikesh Kapoor/Ballad of Willy Robbins
Roseanne Cash/River and the Tread
Salsa Celtica/The Tall Islands
Roddy Frame/Seven Dials
Robert Plant etc/Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar
King Creosote/From Scotland with Love
Frazey Ford/Indian Ocean
Kathryn Tickell/and the Side
Hiss Golden Messenger/Bad Debt.
My favourite? Kenny “King Creosote” Anderson
I just re-read the OP. As it was done on Facebook I couldn’t have voted, but I did vote in the No Depression poll
http://nodepression.com/top-10-albums-list/possibly-not-all-americana
Just to throw some different names in there, here’s the list (in no particular order) that I posted over on Facebook.
“Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave” – The Twilight Sad
“Blank Project” – Neneh Cherry
“Strange Friend” – The Phantom Band
“Process” – Yvette
“Angels and Devils” – The Bug
“Dude Incredible” – Shellac
“Reverse Proceed” – Slam
“The Future’s Void” – EMA
“Pinata” – Freddie Gibson and Madlib
“LP1” – FKA Twigs
Hadn’t heard the Honeyblood or Gazelle Twin albums at the time, and both would now be serious contenders for a place if I could be bothered to re-think the list!
this is what I put on the Facebook poll. It’d probably be mostly the same now, although I would try to find room for R. Sailing’s In Hz, and Kinoko Teikoku’s Fake World Wonder Land, neither of which I had heard then
Bob Mould – Beauty & Ruin
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band – Intensity Ghost
Ty Segall – The Manipulator
Black Rain – Dark Pool
Deadbeat & Paul St Hilaire – Infinity Dub Sessions
Jane Weaver – Silver Globe
La Dispute – Rooms Of The House
Strand Of Oaks – Heal
New Model Army – Between Wine & Blood
Warpaint – Warpaint
SEILIOG. Sooner we get this edit thing sorted, the better….
Oh wow, I’d missed that Kinoko Teikoku album, I’ve only heard the “Long Good Bye” EP which I absolutely love, so thanks for the heads up!
Got over-excited there, forgot about “Eureka”, the other album π
and Uzu Ni Naru, the other other album…
I think it might have been your Velvet CD that turned me on to them, actually, so thanks for that. The new one is less shoegazey and bit more of a direct rock record, which has upset some people, judging from Youtube comments, but I like it. I haven’t been able to stop playing the last two tracks this week.
The singer Sato also has an acoustic-y solo project called Kagatsuhascome, which is very hard to track down – there’s one song on YouTube which is very appetising, but I haven’t turned up anything else yet.
Ah, it’s you π
I did wonder if you’d had a name change after I saw you mentioning NMA, R Seiliog and La Dispute in the same post, and the VCD reference seals it.
Have just bought the Chris Forsyth and the Solar Motel Band album.
It is indeed very fine. If you ever wondered what a cross between Television and the Grateful Dead would sound like – wonder no more.
Hozier. It’s very, very good indeed.
Greetings Ruby! Always glad to turn someone on to a new artist. Bones & Longing was just about my favourite of last year too.
Thank you again, for about the twentieth time. π
Late again. In no particular order:
Carmen Lundy – Soul to soul
Jazzy and heartfelt – one of the songs of the year
Kenny Barron and Dave Holland – The art of conversation
Sublime and telepathic piano/bass duo
Billy Childs – Maps to the Treasure: reimaging Laura Nyro
Just magnificent – re-working Laura’s genius via Rickie Lee Jones, Susan Tedeschi, Alison Krauss and Ledisi
Emilia Martensen – Ana
Folky/jazzy/pretty – played this over and over this year
Jarrod Lawson
Naff lyrics but no one is doing this kind of blue-eyed funky soulfulness right now – and a very good piano player
Smokie Norful β In the meantime
Terrible if I’m honest but for one sparkling soulful modern classic “I’ve got what you need” – track of the year – and on Motown
Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden Last Dance
As per the Kenny Barron – wonderfully lyrical stuff
Norma Winstone – Dance without answer
Great voice and quiet setting and some interesting song choices
Marcin Wasilewski Trio – Spark of life
Finest European jazz trio of the moment continue to deliver agile, sublime jazz
Mary Chapin Carpenter β Songs from the move
Played more than any other record this year – you’ve got to love Vince Mendoza’s epic soundtrack like orchestration – and Mary’s slightly broken voice. The version of “Come on, come on” is a real choker.
Sure there were others – and a great year to reissues.
Huge double-take there as Marcin Wasilewski to me refers to Leicester’s psychotic cult-hero centreback
There was supposed to be a picture there, let’s try again
I give up π
Yeah, love the Marcin Wasilewski album.
It was a nice idea to bring in Joakim Milder – broadened the sound palette a bit. Lovely stuff.
Meant to drop this in – Carmen Lundy: Grace
A quick mention for the Guardian readers’ album of the year, HMHB’s “Urge for Offal”. With kudos to the Grauniad for admitting they didn’t even bother to review it:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/dec/17/readers-10-best-albums-of-2014-war-on-drugs-half-man-half-biscuit
At first I considered it to be not quite up to the previous “90 Bisodol” (musically it’s more route 1), but it has definitely grown on me. As always, the lyrics are the thing: this one’s about avoiding dangerous activities being the key to longevity. Remember – abseil for no-one!
Personally I find it heartening that I’ve only heard of a dozen or so of these mentioned, and heard less… I do wonder where anyone gets the time to find and listen to so much.
For myself (in reverse order):
Alvvays
Leonard Cohen
St Vincent
Franz Ferdinand
Surprised at the limited (none?) love for the Manics “Futurology” – what a terrific record that is. Bold, exciting and inventive.
Proper, proper, proper tin hat on here…………..but did anyone else really enjoy Simple Minds “Big Music”? No??, Just me…………
I’ll get me coat….
Try it, it’s great!!!
Futurology was definitely n the running for me, one of the best things they’ve done in years. Simple Minds….not so much.