Best albums of 2014 (1 Viewer)

[Kenny Powers]

Never heard of them before, but I was on npr today and stumbled on to a free d/l section and found The Black Hollies. Listened to it a couple times today, really good album that gets better as it goes. Psych pop/rock, pretty spacey.

Wake Me When Its Over

When Its Time To Come Down

I'm the 4th view on that first link. Even the shuke/GM videos had about a hundred views.

I noticed that but that video was posted today, sooo...also probably a reason why Ive never heard of them.

Listened to their previous albums later today, but I think this new one Somewhere Between Here and Nowhere is easily their best.

 

[JZilla]

Sun Structures by Temples should generate some talk. It's solid.

This is pretty good. They've certainly tamed the impala.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Sun Structures by Temples should generate some talk. It's solid.

This is pretty good. They've certainly tamed the impala.

Did this leak? All that Ive found says it wont be released for almost another month.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

That dude who wrote the mean/funny review about "Reflekkkkktor" was in Q And Not U.

Got through about half of the new Against Me!, and was kind of disappointed. Agree with zirra that you can't really tell about the sex change, but after the first tune, everything just left me a little flat. Meh.

 

[JZilla]

Sun Structures by Temples should generate some talk. It's solid.

This is pretty good. They've certainly tamed the impala.

Did this leak? All that Ive found says it wont be released for almost another month.

yeah it's around..

That dude who wrote the mean/funny review about "Reflekkkkktor" was in Q And Not U.

Got through about half of the new Against Me!, and was kind of disappointed. Agree with zirra that you can't really tell about the sex change, but after the first tune, everything just left me a little flat. Meh.

Hmm I like some of the stuff in the middle.. Drinking With The Jocks, the Osama Bin Laden one.. the first couple tracks about the sex change make ME feel kinda like Rick Perry

My expectations were low, anyway

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Yeah, I don't like it. And not for anything relating to The Chop, the songs just don't hit me right. I keep thinking the lyrics and the music are mis-matched, or one hand doesn't know what the other's doing.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

That dude who wrote the mean/funny review about "Reflekkkkktor" was in Q And Not U.

Got through about half of the new Against Me!, and was kind of disappointed. Agree with zirra that you can't really tell about the sex change, but after the first tune, everything just left me a little flat. Meh.

Hmm I like some of the stuff in the middle.. Drinking With The Jocks, the Osama Bin Laden one.. the first couple tracks about the sex change make ME feel kinda like Rick Perry

My expectations were low, anyway

I've only heard True Trans Soul Rebel, but that sounds like it was cut from Hedwig and the Angry Inch for being too corny.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

That dude who wrote the mean/funny review about "Reflekkkkktor" was in Q And Not U.

Got through about half of the new Against Me!, and was kind of disappointed. Agree with zirra that you can't really tell about the sex change, but after the first tune, everything just left me a little flat. Meh.

Hmm I like some of the stuff in the middle.. Drinking With The Jocks, the Osama Bin Laden one.. the first couple tracks about the sex change make ME feel kinda like Rick Perry

My expectations were low, anyway

I've only heard True Trans Soul Rebel, but that sounds like it was cut from Hedwig and the Angry Inch for being too corny.

Some of their old stuff is really great. Against Me! As The Eternal Cowboy is solid, and even New Wave has some great tunes.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

That dude who wrote the mean/funny review about "Reflekkkkktor" was in Q And Not U.

Got through about half of the new Against Me!, and was kind of disappointed. Agree with zirra that you can't really tell about the sex change, but after the first tune, everything just left me a little flat. Meh.

Hmm I like some of the stuff in the middle.. Drinking With The Jocks, the Osama Bin Laden one.. the first couple tracks about the sex change make ME feel kinda like Rick Perry

My expectations were low, anyway

I've only heard True Trans Soul Rebel, but that sounds like it was cut from Hedwig and the Angry Inch for being too corny.

Some of their old stuff is really great. Against Me! As The Eternal Cowboy is solid, and even New Wave has some great tunes.

I've heard other stuff from them. Thrash Unreal, at least, is an awesome song.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

This is a fun garage pop track by some band called Tweens.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Guster (the band - not one of our favorite FFA guys) is recording a new album. One cool thing they are doing is putting out a Studio Journal (see Guster.com) where they go over the processes of their making the record. I'm sure others have done this, still cool.

 

[Guster]

Guster (the band - not one of our favorite FFA guys) is recording a new album. One cool thing they are doing is putting out a Studio Journal (see Guster.com) where they go over the processes of their making the record. I'm sure others have done this, still cool.

That's kinda cool. Interesting to hear that a song that they though might help carry the album didn't feel right when recorded and might just get scrapped

 

[Ilov80s]

The new Springsteen is good, a lot of different sounds for him, some new versions of older songs, lots of Tom Morello. If you like 60s Motown style girl groups, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings nails the sound.

 

[JZilla]

I like the new Malkmus. I did not like the last Malkmus but I liked Real Emotional Trash. I have never been able to get into Pavement at all so I'm not even sure why I keep checking these out. But this new one has some sweet tunes on it..

 

[JZilla]

This is a fun garage pop track by some band called Tweens.

This is good.. they do a pretty good cover of "Beat Your Heart Out" by The Zeros if you can find it - I see it on spotify but not youtube

 

[Kenny Powers]

I like the new Malkmus. I did not like the last Malkmus but I liked Real Emotional Trash. I have never been able to get into Pavement at all so I'm not even sure why I keep checking these out. But this new one has some sweet tunes on it..

I love Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, but overall I think I like Malkmus' solo stuff more. I love his album Pig Lib as well, so I guess if that and CRCR cancel each other out, Id probably lean Malkmus.

If he had one between RETrash and this new one, not even sure Ive listened to it...hmmm

 

[El Floppo]

I like the new Malkmus. I did not like the last Malkmus but I liked Real Emotional Trash. I have never been able to get into Pavement at all so I'm not even sure why I keep checking these out. But this new one has some sweet tunes on it..

I love Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, but overall I think I like Malkmus' solo stuff more. I love his album Pig Lib as well, so I guess if that and CRCR cancel each other out, Id probably lean Malkmus.

If he had one between RETrash and this new one, not even sure Ive listened to it...hmmm

Slanted and Enchanted or Wowee Zowee? No?

I'm a fan of Pavement and also really liked RETrash. Also don't remember one since then, but will keep an ear out for the new one. Never got into the Silver Jews.

 

[Disco Stu]

"Mirror Traffic" was his 2011 release. I think maybe Jack Black was in a video? I listened to it some but it got nowhere near the play of "Real Emotional Trash", which I loved.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

This is a fun garage pop track by some band called Tweens.

This is good.. they do a pretty good cover of "Beat Your Heart Out" by The Zeros if you can find it - I see it on spotify but not youtube

Thanks for the heads up, although spotify doesn't work in Canada for some dumb reason. I'll keep my eye out for it.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Here's some fun electro-pop-dance kinda thing from some group called The Derevolutions. I quite dig the grooove.

 

[Premier]

The new Springsteen is good, a lot of different sounds for him, some new versions of older songs, lots of Tom Morello. If you like 60s Motown style girl groups, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings nails the sound.

I liked it more than I thought I would. They nailed Tom Joad and Dream Baby Dream. The Wall is great too.

Pretty good album.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

This is a fun garage pop track by some band called Tweens.

This is good.. they do a pretty good cover of "Beat Your Heart Out" by The Zeros if you can find it - I see it on spotify but not youtube

There are some nice throwback guitar bands with chick singers out there these days.

 

[dal_boys_phan]

The new Springsteen is good, a lot of different sounds for him, some new versions of older songs, lots of Tom Morello. If you like 60s Motown style girl groups, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings nails the sound.

Came in this weekend to post both of these. Digging both after a few listens, but neither blew me away on the first listen.

 

[El Floppo]

Our friend's son is the trombone player in the Dap Kings. LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Disco Stu]

There are some nice throwback guitar bands with chick singers out there these days.

Check out The Skins. These kids rock. Three girls, two guys, ages 15-21. I'm hoping for a 2014 debut full length.

http://theskinsband.bandcamp.com/album/ep

 

[Kenny Powers]

I like the new Malkmus. I did not like the last Malkmus but I liked Real Emotional Trash. I have never been able to get into Pavement at all so I'm not even sure why I keep checking these out. But this new one has some sweet tunes on it..

I love Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, but overall I think I like Malkmus' solo stuff more. I love his album Pig Lib as well, so I guess if that and CRCR cancel each other out, Id probably lean Malkmus.

If he had one between RETrash and this new one, not even sure Ive listened to it...hmmm

Slanted and Enchanted or Wowee Zowee? No?

I'm a fan of Pavement and also really liked RETrash. Also don't remember one since then, but will keep an ear out for the new one. Never got into the Silver Jews.

I like all of Pavement's albums, but Crooked Rain Crooked Rain just hits me differently. Whenever I want to listen to Malkmus or Pavement, 90% of the time I end up putting on CRCR or Pig Lib (aside from when a new Malkmus album comes out).

I'll probably throw on his new mp3 folder today.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

CRCR is 20 years old next month. I enjoyed this read.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

I think all of Malkmus's albums are worthwhile, but not particularly essential. Each has several playlistable tunes. I find myself cringing at some of his wordplay he got away with in his 20s on this one, but it's still fun.

 

[ericttspikes]

I like the new Malkmus. I did not like the last Malkmus but I liked Real Emotional Trash. I have never been able to get into Pavement at all so I'm not even sure why I keep checking these out. But this new one has some sweet tunes on it..

I love Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, but overall I think I like Malkmus' solo stuff more. I love his album Pig Lib as well, so I guess if that and CRCR cancel each other out, Id probably lean Malkmus.

If he had one between RETrash and this new one, not even sure Ive listened to it...hmmm

Slanted and Enchanted or Wowee Zowee? No?

I'm a fan of Pavement and also really liked RETrash. Also don't remember one since then, but will keep an ear out for the new one. Never got into the Silver Jews.

American Water is a classic album.

 

[wazoo11]

Quilt - Arctic Shark

Psychedelic/Folk Rock band from Boston.

 

[Kenny Powers]

CRCR is 20 years old next month. I enjoyed this read.

Awesome read. Took me like an hour and a half to read, but awesome nonetheless

Amazing with how off the wall the recording of the album was based on this article, yet it sounds so smooth and perfect.

Also...

Then fanzines started to become bigger and become actual publications and there was a lot of coverage of Pavement and a lot of people interested in Pavement, so Gary thought that that must translate into dollars. It really didn’t. I always thought it was interesting that Rolling Stonehas two or three Pavement records in the top 500 best albums of all time. And it has to be the two or three worst-selling records on that list.

I remember also that there was that one Stone Temple Pilots “elegant bachelors” line [on "Range Life"] that I told them they should leave in and later on they got mad at me because he said they didn’t get on a Lollapalooza tour because of that. So I shaped their career in a negative way.

Album titles are hard, and I came up with [

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain] somehow. I don’t really know. It’s kind of like “Purple rain, purple rain” in my mind. And it rhymes in a really ridiculous way, a double rhyme. I don’t know. “Crooked rain” is kind of poetic sounding, and then just doubling it with an absurdity double and the veiled Prince reference, at least in my mind. [sings: "Crooked rain, crooked rain."]

I interviewed those guys and wrote a pretty big feature around the release of that record, just before it came out. We were in New York. Most of the band lived there at the time, so we met at a bar or cafe or whatever. I remember that interview very well. Even though I had known those guys for a while, it was still a difficult interview. [Malkmus] has always been a difficult interview, and when you get them all together it’s even worse. At the time he was smoking so much pot. He was always stoned…

They were so into Scrabble. That was the only thing they cared about on tour. I can just remember them calling around, like, “We’re having a Scrabble tournament! You wanna come down?” I’m like, “Jesus, no thanks, but that sounds like fun.” “Thurston’s gonna referee!” I don’t care. It’s still Scrabble.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Mac DeMarco's slacker/psych rock debut single from his upcoming album is pretty great imo: Passing Out Pieces

 

[Kenny Powers]

Listened to that new Malkmus yesterday, but after I was listening to Pavement all day, so I figured it would be best to give it another fresh listen today. Pretty much came away with the same feeling - starts off solid, sags in the middle, and has some good tunes over the last 4 tracks. Also listened to his previous one, Mirror Traffic yesterday and today.

I dont think either is near as good as Real Emotional Trash, and like I said before thats not even my favorite album of his. Not bad though, and he should be early leader in the clubhouse for best album title with Wig Out At Jagbags.

 

[Banger]

Surprised Foster the Poeples album didn't make the list. Looking forward to that one. Love Spoon and looking forward to the Hold Steady.

 

[Kenny Powers]

A band Ive been listening to for the last year or so just had a new album released today, The McLovins (yeah, the name is dumb but their original guitarist literally looked like McLovin and they named the band when they were like 15-16 years old). Anyhow, new album is pretty good. Most FBGs probably wont be into them, too jam bandy if you will, but theyre still just like 21-22 yrs old now and making pretty good tunes and are very good musicians.

Birthday

Flavor of the Week

...and if youre interested enough, they have a live show streaming now here.

 

[Bogart]

 

[Tick]

Surprised Foster the Poeples album didn't make the list. Looking forward to that one. Love Spoon and looking forward to the Hold Steady.

I think I might subscribe to your newsletter - 3 bands I like.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

together PANGEA's got somethin' I think.

 

[rockaction]

A band Ive been listening to for the last year or so just had a new album released today, The McLovins (yeah, the name is dumb but their original guitarist literally looked like McLovin and they named the band when they were like 15-16 years old). Anyhow, new album is pretty good. Most FBGs probably wont be into them, too jam bandy if you will, but theyre still just like 21-22 yrs old now and making pretty good tunes and are very good musicians.

Birthday

Flavor of the Week

...and if youre interested enough, they have a live show streaming now here.

They're actually from my area -- We're talking measured in terms of ten minutes, and I've never heard a thing by them, though they're pretty big on the jam set.

Come to think of it, that's kind of a useless post. But it does kind of mean I wouldn't walk across the street to hear a jam band these days, so there's that.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

A band Ive been listening to for the last year or so just had a new album released today, The McLovins (yeah, the name is dumb but their original guitarist literally looked like McLovin and they named the band when they were like 15-16 years old). Anyhow, new album is pretty good. Most FBGs probably wont be into them, too jam bandy if you will, but theyre still just like 21-22 yrs old now and making pretty good tunes and are very good musicians.

Birthday

Flavor of the Week

...and if youre interested enough, they have a live show streaming now here.

They're actually from my area -- We're talking measured in terms of ten minutes, and I've never heard a thing by them, though they're pretty big on the jam set.

Come to think of it, that's kind of a useless post. But it does kind of mean I wouldn't walk across the street to hear a jam band these days, so there's that.

This is a perfectly reasonable stance to have.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

You know that site The Talkhouse? Where musicians review other musicians' albums? Are any of the reviews ever negative?

 

[Kenny Powers]

A band Ive been listening to for the last year or so just had a new album released today, The McLovins (yeah, the name is dumb but their original guitarist literally looked like McLovin and they named the band when they were like 15-16 years old). Anyhow, new album is pretty good. Most FBGs probably wont be into them, too jam bandy if you will, but theyre still just like 21-22 yrs old now and making pretty good tunes and are very good musicians.

Birthday

Flavor of the Week

...and if youre interested enough, they have a live show streaming now here.

They're actually from my area -- We're talking measured in terms of ten minutes, and I've never heard a thing by them, though they're pretty big on the jam set.

Come to think of it, that's kind of a useless post. But it does kind of mean I wouldn't walk across the street to hear a jam band these days, so there's that.

This is a perfectly reasonable stance to have.

I rarely listen to jam bands any more, however, I enjoy it from time to time. Barely even listen to Phish anymore - when they were argubaly my favorite band a decade ago - let alone a band like this, but McLovins played a free show down here in VA Beach a couple weeks ago and I had a great time. 3 hour party and you could tell the band was totally into it despite probably making peanuts for the gig

 

[rockaction]

A band Ive been listening to for the last year or so just had a new album released today, The McLovins (yeah, the name is dumb but their original guitarist literally looked like McLovin and they named the band when they were like 15-16 years old). Anyhow, new album is pretty good. Most FBGs probably wont be into them, too jam bandy if you will, but theyre still just like 21-22 yrs old now and making pretty good tunes and are very good musicians.

Birthday

Flavor of the Week

...and if youre interested enough, they have a live show streaming now here.

They're actually from my area -- We're talking measured in terms of ten minutes, and I've never heard a thing by them, though they're pretty big on the jam set.

Come to think of it, that's kind of a useless post. But it does kind of mean I wouldn't walk across the street to hear a jam band these days, so there's that.

This is a perfectly reasonable stance to have.

I rarely listen to jam bands any more, however, I enjoy it from time to time. Barely even listen to Phish anymore - when they were argubaly my favorite band a decade ago - let alone a band like this, but McLovins played a free show down here in VA Beach a couple weeks ago and I had a great time. 3 hour party and you could tell the band was totally into it despite probably making peanuts for the gig

Yeah, I hear they're great. The guys are literally from my hometown and towns over, and I've never heard them, so I'm kinda useless. It's just kind of funny. I'll drive to Boston to see an obscure punk band, but this band has actually -- I think a bunch of times -- played the local bar where I watch football on Sundays, and I'm still useless with any input.

eta* They've been getting local press since they were like fifteen years old for this band, which is about seven or more years now. They're supposed to be tight as heck.

 

[wazoo11]

Anyone listen to Doug Paisley 's new album Strong Feelings?

Here's a live performance off a song of his new album.

Song My Love Can Sing

 

[Northern Voice]

Got through about half of the new Against Me!, and was kind of disappointed. Agree with zirra that you can't really tell about the sex change, but after the first tune, everything just left me a little flat. Meh.

Agree with this, I wondered if it was the copy I downloaded, the first song sounded like it would fit right in on New Wave and then it seemed to get slow and flat and quieter. I listened to it for the first time at the gym, thinking it would get me going... it didn't.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Really like Quilt.

 

[wazoo11]

For fans of psy. rock

Doug Tuttle's self titled debut album streaming here.

A few months back, Doug Tuttle showed off his guitar prowess with "Turn This Love," a six-minute stunner from his upcoming, self-titled debut album. Due January 28 via Trouble in Mind Records, the 11-track LP is Tuttle's first solo effort — this time last year, he was a top-ranking member of the now-defunct psych-rock outfit MMOSS. But now, Tuttle is free to do his daytripping on his own. The six-string Cat's Cradle found on "Turn This Love" was only the beginning: Expand your consciousness by streaming the hazy, inspired collection below.

I also like Blank Realm.

 

[JZilla]

Together PANGEA is my fav of the year so far. Good work by Nigel as always, mining the reviews and digging out the good stuff.

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

Dot

 

[corpcow]

Broken Bells and Beck leaked. Broken Bells is awesome on first listen. Haven't listened to Beck yet.