Favorite Music: 2014

boris noise cover

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.

  1. Emma Ruth Rundle         Some Heavy Ocean                          Sargent House
  2. +/- (Plus/Minus)             Jumping the Tracks                         Teen Beat
  3. Boris                                   Noise                                                   Sargent House
  4. Proselyte                           Our Vessel’s in Need                        GypsyBlood Records
  5. Mono                                  The Last Dawn                                  Temporary Residence
  6. Ryan Lee Crosby              Busker on the Broad Highway        Jellyfant
  7. Helms Alee                        Sleepwalking Sailors                         Sargent House
  8. The Monsieurs                  The Monsieurs                                  Slovenly Recordings
  9. Ginger Baker                     Why?                                                  Motema Records
  10. Edvard Graham Lewis     All Under                                           Editions Mego

Links below grouped by platform (ie. Bandcamp, Soundcloud, etc)