Top 5 Records 2014

5. Weird Al Yankovic - Mandatory Fun

Weird Al Yankovic - Mandatory Fun

RCA Records

Released: July 15, 2014

Weird Al must have a painting in his attic of himself looking REALLY ugly, because the dude doesn't seem to age. He's also just as funny now as he was when I was a kid.

This album beat out a lot of worthy competition for the #5 spot, just because it is so darn fun... and I had "Foil" stuck in my head for about half the year.

4. Braid - No Coast

Braid - No Coast

Top Shelf Records

Released: July 8, 2014

Another classic 90s band reunites for a new album. This one is aaalmost as good as the old stuff. Bob Nanna has always been the crooner, and Chris Broach the shouter, but Chris does his share of crooning on this album. The rhythms are still tight and angular, if a little more polished and soft-edged than 15 years ago.

I discovered my 3 and 5 year olds awake at 6 AM cranking this album in their room and dancing. It's a good album for that.

3. Temper and Hold - self-titled

Temper and Hold

Grafton Records

Released: September, 2014

This one took me by surprise. When I talked with Andi Camp at her show at Possum House last January, she mentioned she was working on a new project. I assumed it was some more shimmery piano pop like she has been making off and on for the last few years. Instead, I got this CD in the mail. Beautifully packaged, as has been the tradition with Andi's releases, this one hit my stereo hard.

Instead of twinkly piano pop, I have angry, angular rock that seems more at home in 1995 than 2015. Not that that's a bad thing. Andi Camp has switched back to bass, and the sound hearkens back to her first bands, Stella, and Ribbon fix. Stop-start post-rock rhythms, unexpected guitar figures, and Andi's keening wail make for a heart-stopping 8 songs. Pick this up today. You will love it.

if that embed doesn't work, here's the link to hear some songs. And here's a link to buy the CD.

 2. Man... or Astro-Man? - Defcon 5...4...3...2...1

Man...or Astro-Man? - Defcon 5...4...3...2...1

WARM Recordings

Released: May, 2013

Just like Braid, Man or Astro-Man reunite and release an album that stacks up with the best releases of their prime. This album doesn't just sound like their 90s output, it sounds like a natural continuation of the direction of their last few albums. It's as if the intervening 10 years never happened.

One difference is that there are more and more vocal tracks on this album. At least half the songs have vocals, which, again, continues MOAM's transition from a purely instrumental surf band to something better and stranger. For fans of the surf rock, Defcon 5 and Defcon 1 bookend the album with classic surf. Everything in the middle is great, too. The album was recorded by Steve Albini, which makes my ears and heart glow as well.

..and yes, this album was released LAST year, but I'm not such a high-profile journalist or rich enough to pick up EVERYTHING in its production year, so this counts. Besides, I meant to get this at their show in Eugene last summer, but their Van...or Astro-Van? broke down causing them to cancel the show and leaving me with nothing but a bad pun. So I caught them in Eugene this summer, and I'm certainly glad I did.

 1. The Lowest Pair - 36¢

The Lowest Pair - 36¢
Team Love Records

Released: May, 2014

Ahhh -- this was first place by a mile. This album has received more plays on our turntable and all our CD players than any two albums this year. The Lowest Pair is a banjo duo featuring Kendl Winter (who has records on K records) that I happened to see at Level B Theatre Pub here in town. I came in late, and I was blown away-- this was perfect music. Two banjos, or banjo and guitar, sparse harmonies. Perfect, heartaching songs. My wife mentioned that Kendl and Palmer have voices similar to Kenny and Dolly, and that may be why I like them so much. Whatever the reason, the entire family agrees with this album. Even the kids love it. Why don't you give a listen yourself?

 

 

Top 5 New Discoveries 2014

Without further ado, the best 5 albums that I've heard this year that aren't new:

5. Kye Alfred Hillig - Aurora (2012)

Kye Alfred Hillig - Aurora

Self-released

Released: April 8, 2012

Former frontman of Destruction Island, winner of my best new discovery LAST year, Kye Alfred Hillig has been incredibly prolific since going solo in 2012. He's released 4 albums in the last 3 years, including two in 2014 alone. For my money, though, the best is his first, Aurora, released in 2012.

In this album, Kye gives us 11 more of his folk-songs-as-character-studies, but keeps the arrangements always fresh and different so the songs don't sound the same. At times, he's got a full-band, multiple guitar approach (see "cloaked figure"), but when he needs to (see "trapdoor"), he can dial the other instruments back and deliver an emotional punch to the gut.

Mr. Hillig played a very fun solo show at the Possum House in January of last year, and we hope to have him back for another visit to his native Salem.



...and if that bandcamp embed isn't working, listen to the album AND DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE here.


4. The Thermals - More Parts Per Million (2003)

The Thermals - More Parts Per Million

Sub Pop Records

Released: March 4, 2003

I saw the Thermals back in the day when this album was new. They put on a great show. I saw them again in 2014 at Level B here in Salem, and they STILL put on a great show. So why didn't I own any of their albums? I fixed that, and picked this one up. This is their first album, and it was supposedly recorded for $60. I can imagine the band picking up their instruments, hitting record, and rocking through the entire 28 minutes of the album non-stop. The band is that tight, and they sound that good.

3. Goldcard - self-titled (2003)

Goldcard - Self-titled

Off Records

Released: 2003

So, Mick from the radio show Northwest Notes came to my house one evening this spring with a CD-R. "You HAVE to listen to this". Goldcard is the solo project of Charlie Campbell, guitar player and one of the songwriters from the band Pond. This album is stuff that was meant for the never-happened 4th Pond album, and some solo stuff. It's FANTASTIC. Within a week I promptly ordered a physical copy (because I'm a nerd) and was rewarded by getting free stuff from the label, and really intriguing liner notes. Goldcard has an interesting story, which you should read about, but I'm not going to try to duplicate it. Suffice it to say, this was worth the visit. Listen to Mick. He knows....

2. Superchunk - (tie) Foolish (1994) / Here's Where the Strings Come In (1995)

Superchunk - Foolish / Here's Where the Strings Come In
Merge Records

Released: 1994/1995

I feel a little ...erm.. foolish... posting this, as I do a radio show of 90s indie rock, and I think Superchunk is probably the most quintessential 90s indie band, but I'm still catching up to all the thousands of good 90s releases, okay? Anyway, I saw Superchunk back in 2001, and they were of course amazing, and I've been aware of these records and songs for a long time, but I finally scraped together the dough to pick them up. 

I'd always thought of Superchunk as a solid, if boring, outfit, but these songs are varied, and pack a real emotional punch. I miss the days when all it took was a RAT pedal and some raw emotions to make good music. These are great singalongs, and I can see where The Thermals got a lot of their influence. Anyway I can't say anything really new about these records other than if you don't for some reason have them in your collection, you need them.

I remember loving this video on 120 minutes, and I've spent years racking my brain to remember what band or song it was... now I know. This is what I picture when I think of punk rock in its truest sense:

1. Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express (1977)

Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
Capitol / Kling Klang Recordds

Released: 1977

German robot music so futuristic it sounds current. Synthesizers were a radical thing in the 70s. This album certainly prefigures everything from electronica to hip hop to electroclash to whatever's on the radio today. The rhythms are so perfect, it's hard to imagine they're not being played by machines, but then again, it's hard to imagine machines making something so transcendent.

Although I was exposed to Kraftwerk in high school, I finally caved and bought this album this year (my wife thought I was buying a Rammstein album), and discovered what an experience this album is end-to-end. This is (IMO) unquestionably the apex of Kraftwerk's career. I've been listening to other kraftwerk albums on youtube, and some are quite good, but none are as good as this:

Top 5 Miscellaneous Songs 2014

"Miscellaneous Songs" -- songs that aren't on albums in one of the other top 5 lists. "2014" - encountered by me in 2014, regardless of release year.

5. Eric Lovre - Knucklehead City (2014)

Eric Lovre - Knucklehead City

Midnight Son

self-released

Released October 4, 2014

Eric Lovre, former guitar whiz for northwest legends the Dharma Bums, and a good personal friend of mine....cranks out a great new organ/guitar stomper about our hometown, the dreary Salem, Oregon. Catchy and singable for sure. The version on the record features the late Mike Davis from the legendary MC5 on the bass guitar. Apparently, it's his last recorded appearance. Pick up the album, Midnight Son, at your local record store.

I couldn't find anything to embed, but I did discover that you can listen to the full song on Myspace (!) but only if you login.... Oh well, get the album.

4. The Van Pelt - Three People Wide at All Times (2014)

The Van Pelt - Three People Wide at All Times

Imaginary Third

La Castanya Records
Released April 19, 2014

Recorded in 1997, released in 2014. Woo! 90s time capsule! The Van Pelt broke up during the sessions for their third album, and some of them reformed as The Lapse and rerecorded and released most of these songs. For my money, the Van Pelt versions sound fresher and more fun. Nowhere is this found more than this track. HUGE guitar sound. A sister to the legendary "The Speeding Train".

[note: bandcamp embeds seem to be not working today. Hear it HERE on bandcamp]


3. Damien Jurado - Now You're Swimming (2004)

Damien Jurado - Now You're Swimming

Holding His Breath

Acuarela Records
Released 2004

Discovered this 10-year-old Damien Jurado EP with a FANTASTIC 764-HERO cover. First of all, thanks to Damien Jurado, you can actually understand John Atkins' lyrics, and they're pretty good. What really makes this version, though, is the arrangement. Damien's quiet, calm delivery in the verses, with another track of him shouting the same words buried in the mix... just gives the whole thing a menace and creep factor missing in the original.


2. Modest Mouse - White Lies, Yellow Teeth (2014)

Modest Mouse - White Lies, Yellow Teeth

White Lies, Yellow Teeth / Buttons to Push the Buttons 7"

Glacial Pace Recordings

Released November 4, 2014

Modest Mouse re-released their first two albums on vinyl in 2014, and released two bonus 7"s of extra material. I think this song is the best of the bunch, although all 4 songs are very, very good. White Lies, Yellow Teeth was recorded for the Long Drive album, although for my money, it would've sounded at home on Moon and Antarctica. Maybe it's because they ended up recycling some of the lyrics into "Willful Suspension of Disbelief". Either way, it's a great song. Shout-out to their new song "Lampshades on Fire"-- I chose "White Lies" over "Lampshades" because I think everyone in the world is hearing "Lampshades" right now, and I don't need to add my voice.

1. Whiskey Priest - Fill (2014)

Noah Hall and Whiskey Priest - Fill

Almost Satisfied

Raven's Flight Creative

Released May 3, 2014

While the album just narrowly missed my top 5 (sorry!), this standout track could not be ignored. Whiskey Priest (Noah Hall) delivered his second solo album in 2014, and this is far and away my favorite song on it. I've included a live video from the album release show, but I think the EQ on the video removes all of the really fun drums that were going on. Anyway, a beautiful song with just a hint of menace. Buy the album.