A lot of great music was released in 2014. Many powerful sounds provided the soundtrack to my life, keeping me grounded, inspiring me when all seemed lost or simply keeping me company on the road while I brought pedals to the people. I really wanted to include the Bedhead and Unwound reissues from Numero Group or the Fugazi demos but hardly a week passes that those original albums aren’t playing in my brain or on the stereo. So I decided to keep with new music for this list. These 10 releases, the 9 albums and 1 e.p. were the ones I kept going back to or stopped me in my tracks. All blended artistic integrity with complexity of emotion. They embraced stylistic reinvention, combining elements and influences beyond the superficial hallmarks of any particular genre.
- Emma Ruth Rundle Some Heavy Ocean Sargent House
- +/- (Plus/Minus) Jumping the Tracks Teen Beat
- Boris Noise Sargent House
- Proselyte Our Vessel’s in Need GypsyBlood Records
- Mono The Last Dawn Temporary Residence
- Ryan Lee Crosby Busker on the Broad Highway Jellyfant
- Helms Alee Sleepwalking Sailors Sargent House
- The Monsieurs The Monsieurs Slovenly Recordings
- Ginger Baker Why? Motema Records
- Edvard Graham Lewis All Under Editions Mego
Links below grouped by platform (ie. Bandcamp, Soundcloud, etc)