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: