RJD's Best Albums of 2014

11. Wovenhand - "Refractory Obdurate" (4/29/14, Deathwish)

Sounds like: Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, The The, Uncle Tupelo
Choice cuts: Good Shepherd, Field Of Hedon, Corsicana Clip



10. Shakey Graves - "And The War Came" (10/7/14, Dualtone)

Sounds like: William Elliott Whitmore, The Tallest Man On Earth, Johnny Cash
Choice cuts: If Not For You, Big Time Nashville Star, Dearly Departed



9. Sean Rowe - "Madman" (9/9/2014, Anti-)

Sounds like: Greg Brown, Tom Waits, Otis Redding
Choice cuts: Shine My Diamond Ring, Done Calling You, My Little Man



8. Sun Kil Moon - "Benji" (2/11/14, Caldo Verde)

Sounds like: Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Smog, Chad VanGaalen
Choice cuts: Dogs, Jim Wise, Pray For Newtown



7. Opeth - "Pale Communion" (8/28/14, Roadrunner)

Sounds like: King Crimson, ELP, Porcupine Tree
Choice cuts: Moon Above, Sun Below, River, Goblin



6. Giant Squid - "Minoans" (10/28/14, Translation Loss)

Sounds like: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Baroness, Pallbearer
Choice cuts: Sixty Foot Waves, Mycenaens, Phaistos Disc



5. Horrendous - "Ecdysis" (10/28/14, Dark Descent)

Sounds like: Death, Carcass, Gorguts
Choice cuts: Monarch, Weeping Relic, Nepenthe



4. The Budos Band - "Burnt Offering" (10/21/14, Daptone)

Sounds like: Any Blaxploitation movie score, Fela Kuti, El Michels Affair
Choice cuts: Magus Mountain, Tomahawk, Into The Fog



3. Spoon - "They Want My Soul" (8/5/14, Loma Vista)

Sounds like: Spoon
Choice cuts: Let Me Be Mine, Rainy Taxi, They Want My Soul, Knock Knock Knock



2. Blues Pills - "Blues Pills" (7/25/14, Nuclear Blast)

Sounds like: Graveyard, Janis Joplin, Blood Ceremony
Choice cuts: Black Smoke, No Hope Left For Me, River, Ain't No Change



1. Ty Segall - "Manipulator" (8/26/14, Drag City)

Sounds like: The Kinks, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Who
Choice cuts: The Hand, Feel, The Singer, The Clock, Mister Main

Best of 2014 - ZH

This year was easy. So much good stuff. The hardest part was trimming it down to 10 and deciding the order. I only got to catch half of them in person, but since they all deliver amazing live sets I decided instead of album covers I'd show them doing what they do best.

10. Black Keys - Turn Blue

9. Jack White - Lararetto

8. Shakey Graves - And the War Came

7. Spoon - They Want My Soul

6. Cibo Matto - Hotel Valentine

5. St. Vincent - s/t

4. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

3. TV on the Radio - Seeds

2. Ty Segall - Manipulator

1. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags

Best of 2013 - ZH

I admit I had a hard time coming up with a top 10 again this year. I dread to say it, but I think it's because life has been so busy in 2013. I hate that as an excuse, but it's true. I found myself with considerably less time to sift through the new releases. That being said, I did listen to a lot of amazing music and after reflecting on the last 12 months I ironically came up with a list that includes 15 albums. I'll start with five, then five more interesting album pairings that share common characteristics and were all enjoyed frequently in the year that was.

Tango Alpha Tango - Black Cloud

I was introduced to these guys at Octoberfest at Widmer Brewery two summers ago when RJD was in town for Musicfest Northwest. I was floored by Nathan Trueb's guitar prowess as he played to an undeserving, meandering, oblivious crowd under the influence of too many hoppy beers. Still the band gave it everything they had and it seemed like they played for hours. It was a no-brainer to buy their four song EP and I was glad to learn as soon as I popped it into the CD player in the Subaru that Trueb's songwriting chops are on par with his technical skill. Their familiar style of garage blues is, I dare say, on par with the mighty Black Keys at the early point in each of their careers. This album delivers on the promise of that EP. My only criticism is that there are a few tracks that feel a bit like filler and a few that don't feel completely fleshed out. The strength of the remaining tracks, particularly Kill and Haight, Black Cloud and Ain't Gonna Be Your Dog, still easily elevate it to one of my favorite albums of the year. Look for this band to gain national attention in the next few years.

Man Man - On Oni Pond

Man Man finally made it onto my best of the year list. If I were to go back and redo them, every one of their previous albums would retrospectively make the top 10 in the year each was released - which is the beauty of this band because each of those previous albums was such a slow grower on me that it wasn't until much later that I fully appreciated its brilliance. This album sees them continuing in a slightly different direction away from the frenetic chaos of Six Demon Bag toward more traditional pop songs, a trend they started with Life Fantastic a couple years ago. I was admittedly a little leery about this creative shift on the first few listens, but as always, the live experience elevated these songs to a new level for me. Deep Cover, Pyramids and Loot My Body were highlights. And of course seeing the Wolf Blitzer tunic live during End Boss was a treat. Extra points for the CDMC blogger reference in the title Paul's Grotesque. He sure is.

Tomahawk - Oddfellows

I can't believe how wrong I was about this band. I've known of them since their debut and have owned each album as it was released, but for some reason I dismissed each of them fairly quickly. I think maybe I wanted them to sound more like Faith No More. Or maybe more like Mr. Bungle. The truth is, they're somewhere in the middle, yet completely different than both. This album grabbed me right from the start and White Hats/Black Hats is one of my favorite songs of the year. This is more Patton gold and I'm glad I paid attention this time as Oddfellows has led me to discover the genius of the band's back catalog. Seeing Mr. Patton live for the first time in my life this year was probably the highlight of 2014.

Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends

I've said it in lists from years past, but every time these guys release an album it's likely to show up high on my year end review. Danger Mouse brought his Midas touch to the party this time and the the production value is stellar. This album has a thread running through it from the first to the last track. It's subtle, but it's there and the more you listen the more you hear it. It truly is an album that gets better with every spin. The title track, Sea of Air and Smile are great songs, but as stated, the album flows from front to back and is best appreciated in its entirety.

Nick Cave - Push The Sky Away

I love this album. I love the subdued tone after the bombast of Lazarus and the two Grinderman albums. I love the silly wordplay of Higgs Boson Blues. I love the story (and video) for Jubilee Street. I love that there's a song about writing another song on the album (the excellent Finishing Jubilee Street, probably my favorite track). I love the dirtiness of Mermaids. I love the lovely Wide Lovely Eyes. I love the bonus gift of the Live at KRCW record. I love Nick Cave.

Eleanor Friedberger - Personal Record & Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt

Two female singer/songwriters. Two women singing very personal songs. Two very different styles. Two albums that are infectious and incredible....and I guess the obvious, two album covers with women underwater.

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories & Darkside - Psychic

RAM came out relatively early in the year. I loved it from the beginning, as did the rest of the world. Electronic music doesn't typically draw much mainstream attention, but this was clearly the album that broke that rule. Completely accessible and ridiculously catchy, I'm not ashamed to have it on my list. Anyone who says they don't like this album is a liar. Darkside, on the other hand, came our later in the year and I didn't discover it until December, but I liked it too from the start. It's eclectic and catchy and very different than anything I've heard before. On a related note, one might suspect Random Access Memories Memories by Daftside would be mind-blowingly good, but in this case the sum is not greater that the individual parts.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II & Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Music

This was a good year for psychedelic albums. Unknown Mortal Orchestra delivered on it's follow up to 2011's self titled album. The vintage sound remains, but the fidelity has been turned up about half a notch, with excellent results. Foxygen could be their more produced and traditional 1960s-loving cousins. The Beatles and Stones and VU influences are obvious, but in the best way possible.

Patrick Sweany - Close To The Floor & Bombino - Nomad

The common thread here is Mr. Dan Auerbach, who is conspicuously otherwise absent from this year's list. The Black Key produced Sweany's 2007 album Every Hour is a Dollar Gone and while Auerbach had no hand in this album, the hard-edged blues sound here makes it obvious how these two ended up together. Sweany's voice is low and raw and actually reminds me of the low-fi version of Auerbach's on The Big Come Up and Thickfreakness. It's his guitar, however that takes center stage and songs like Working For You and Every Night Every Day are unstoppable. Speaking of guitars, Bombino plays his well too. Another Tuareg album to make my best of lists (see Tinariwen from 2011), Nomad was produced by Auerbach and his influence is felt. The desert blues never sounded so good.

Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks & Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt

These albums make my list for important and varied reasons. First and foremost, they both deserve a CDMC lifetime achievement award for their impressive bodies of work that have been with me, on and off, for more than 20 years. Second of all, they are both great albums. Both were albums I wasn't honestly expecting much from, but both proved that each band is still more than relevant after all these years. Third, I was fortunate enough to see both bands live, at the same venue, about a week apart. Let me tell you, these nearly 50-year-olds can still bring it. Stage production for NIN was breathtaking and more than delivered on my hopes and expectations. Pearl Jam's stage show is much simpler, but all about the music and the experience. I need to further expound in a separate post sometime, but I think that show was probably in the top 5 I've seen in my life. To sum it all up in this format, though, Pearl Jam, plain and simple, made me feel like I was lucky to be witnessing that particular show on that particular night. It felt important and historic (even without the Sleater-Kinney reunion, which in itself was a very big deal). What blows my mind about that is that they probably play that way and have that effect on audiences every night of their tour. To be able to deliver that kind of energy and freshness consistently is awe-inspiring. The fourth and most important reason these albums are on my list, however, is again because of the awesome power of music. Walking into the arena for each of these shows transported me back to high school. These bands created the soundtrack to my coming of age. To sing along to Alive with an arena full of people all singing along or to hear Terrible Lie and see my 17-year-old self bearing witness to the mighty Trent Reznor at the Sioux Falls arena is as good as it gets. While the above albums are impressive, I accept the fact that they, nor any other album either band could ever create, will equal the impact of Ten or Broken. It is the transformative and transportive power of live music that keeps these bands alive for me. 

RJD's Best Albums of 2013

2013 had its ups (see the list below) and its downs (namely Megadeth's megaturd "Super Collider") when it comes to music.  Here is my "Best of 2013."  Na Zdrowie.


13. Kavinsky - "OutRun" (2/26/2013, Mercury [France])

For fans of Daft Punk, Justice, 80s Sega games

Premium cuts: Nightcall, Rampage, Testarossa Autodrive

12. Man Man - "On Oni Pond" (9/10/13, Anti- [USA])

For fans of Tim Fite, Tom Waits and circus folk

Premium cuts: Deep Cover, Head On, Paul's Grotesque

11. The Dillinger Escape Plan - "One Of Us Is The Killer" (5/14/2013, Party Smasher Inc. [USA])

For fans of Faith No More, Every Time I Die, Converge

Premium cuts: One Of Us Is The Killer, Nothing's Funny, Paranoid Shields

10. Tomahawk - "Oddfellows" (1/29/13, Ipecac [USA])

For fans of Mike Patton

Premium cuts: South Paw, Oddfellows, I.O.U.

9. Leprous - "Coal" (5/20/13, Inside Out [Norway])

For fans of Opeth, The Mars Volta, Muse

Premium cuts: The Valley, Chronic, The Cloak

8. Matt Elliott - "Only Myocardial Infarction Can Break Your Heart" (10/28/13, Ici d'ailleurs [UK/France])

For fans of Tindersticks, Gustavo Santaolalla, William Elliott Whitmore

Premium cuts: The Right To Cry, Again, Reap What You Sow

7. Parquet Courts - "Light Up Gold/Tally All The Things That You Broke" (1/15/2013,10/8/13, What's Your Rupture? [USA])

For fans of The Ramones, Chuck Mosley-era Faith No More, early Kings Of Leon

Premium cuts: Master Of My Craft, Borrowed Time, Disney P.T.

6. Earthless - "From The Ages" (10/8/13, Tee Pee Records [USA])

Isaiah Mitchell has been busy.  Last year, he helped create my second favorite song of the year; Howlin' Rain's 'Phantom In The Valley'.  This year he accomplished the same feat (see "Best Songs of 2013" list below) with his other band Earthless.  Touted as "California's loudest band", Earthless jam like they are the last rock group on the planet.  Mitchell seems to be channeling Jimi Hendrix on the tracks 'Violence Of The Red Sea' and 'From The Ages'.  Each song sounds as if it can't quit with the first two clocking in over 14 minutes and the final self-titled epic tracking 30+ minutes.  No vocals can be found on the record, but Mitchell makes his Fender Stratocaster sing. Classic, unadulterated rock.

For fans of Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band, The Outlaws

Premium cuts: Violence Of The Red Sea, From The Ages, Uluru Rock

5. Gorguts - "Colored Sands" (9/3/12, Season In Mist [Canada])

An epic band name and one any gastroenterologist with a penchant for John Carpenter films would undoubtedly adore. The heaviest band in the world (or at least Canada) returns with their first album in 12 years.  Leading the charge, Luc Lemay has crafted a Death metal concept masterpiece about the struggle between Tibet and China.  "Colored Sands" has been getting an abundance of positive press and not only from the metal community [see The New York Times review from Sept. 2. The crossword puzzle is on the same page, 66 Across is 'fecalith'.]  Lemay has incorporated his classical music training to bring new life into music commonly associated with large hairy men and tattoo artists.  May Buddha shed his belly moshing to this terrorizing, face-melting METAL!

For fans of Death, Carcass, Voivod

Premium cuts: An Ocean Of Wisdom, Reduced To Silence, The Battle Of Chamdo

4. In Solitude - "Sister" (10/1/2013, Metal Blade [Sweden]) 

Pure evil; the best way to describe In Solitude and their sound.  "Sister" is the third album for the Swedish metal band.  Pelle Ahman and Co. find themselves expanding on the esthetic created with their self-titled album and 2011's master craft "The World. The Flesh. The Devil."  Comparisons to Mercyful Fate and Iron Maiden have been made in regards to their first two albums, but "Sister" continues to detail a howl entirely their own.  In Solitude have unfurled their black wings and found a niche within the metal community.  Occult themes are much more obscure and the music is less grandiose than on their previous releases, however, with the more straight forward songs like "Death Knows Where" and "Horses In The Ground" the music seems more accessible but far from safe.  Pray after listening.

For fans of Mercyful Fate, Iron Maiden, Danzig
Premium cuts: Sister, Death Knows Where, Horses In The Ground

3. Purson - "The Circle & The Blue Door" (4/30/13, Metal Blade [UK])

Occult rock has quickly become a new trend in the metal/rock community over the past couple years.  Among the top of the pack is Purson.  Rosalie Cunningham is the heart and soul of the group and she brings a mysterious, seductive quality to this British rock quintet.  Drawing upon equal parts Coven, Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull, a nod to the 1970s London music scene is ever so present.  Despite these obvious comparisons, Purson are able to create there own sound, in part due to the gorgeous vocals by Ms. Cunningham and the stellar supporting cast including prominent Mellotron theatrics by Sam Shove.  Included in the throwback sound are danceable funk rhythms ('Spiderwood Farm') and folk picking ('Tempest And The Tide.') This is truly another blast from the past which should be served amongst mass quantities of incense and lava lamps.

For fans of Blood Ceremony, Fleetwood Mac, Electric Wizard
Premium cuts: Spiderwood Farm, Tragic Catastrophe, Leaning On A Bear

2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Push The Sky Away/Live from KCRW" (2/19/13, 11/29/13, Bad Seeds Ltd. [UK/Australia])

Nick Cave can do no wrong.  He is like a bottle of good barleywine, only getting better with age.  The Aussie has been making music since the late 70s, however his best material has been created over the past 10 years; Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus (2004), Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008) and Grinderman 2 (2010).  The singer, songwriter, author, poet, screenwriter, showman, is the only performer who can put more smut into his lyrics and still come off sounding like a gentleman.  The man oozes badassery rivaling that of Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris and Snake Plissken (another John Carpenter reference) combined.  And his stage presence needs to be experienced by all music lovers.  "Push The Sky Away" continues his trajectory of creating unbelievable music as he lengthens in the tooth.  The music here is much more docile than his aforementioned albums but retains his trademark swagger.  With lyrics like "She was a catch, we were a match, I was the match that would fire up her snatch", he hasn't lost any of his Catholic appeal.  Sick bastard.  Brilliant album(s).

For fans of Tom Waits, Joy Division, Echo And The Bunnymen
Premium cuts: Jubilee Street, Wide Lovely Eyes, Mermaids

1. Sammal - "Sammal" (1/15/13, Svart Records [Finland])

I have never been a person who focuses on lyrics.  Honestly, I rarely know (or care) what the vocalist is actually saying.  For me, music has always been about the riff, the groove and the way it makes you feel.  Sammal sing entirely in their native Finnish tongue (Sammal translated means "moss") and the music is so good the words don't matter.  Bands such as Sigor Ros and Rammstein have proven a non-English album can succeed in the US.  That being said, Sammal has put together my favorite foreign language record… ever.  Sammal has a progressive rock sound which harks back to the days of Moby Grape and Genesis (Peter Gabriel era) but they also incorporate an early metal influence like that passed down from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.  Huge atmospheric sound, wailing guitars and anthemic keyboards can be heard throughout the album and frequently within a single song.  No need for a Finnish to English manual as the mood will be set shortly after the play button is hit. Despite the lack of Finn vernacular, I guarantee you will be singing along to songs like 'Esox Lucius' and 'Kaikki Kortit' after only a couple spins.  Enjoy the trip.  Ladies and gentleman, the best album of 2013.

For fans of all things 70s ROCK.
Premium cuts: Esox Lucius, Kaikki Kortit, Lehtipuiden Alle

Best songs of 2013:

1. Matt Elliott - "The Right To Cry" (the best song of the past 5+ years!)
2. Earthless - "Violence Of The Red Sea" (easily the second best song of the past 5+ years. Rivaling only the #1 on this list!)

3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "Jubilee Street"
4. Ghost B.C. - "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen"
5. Sammal - "Esox Lucius"
6. Parquet Courts - "Master Of My Craft/Borrowed Time"

7. Man Man - "Head On"

8. Kurt Vile - "Wakin On A Pretty Day"

9. Purson - " Spiderwood Farm"

10. Tomahawk - "South Paw"

11. In Solitude - "Sister"

12. Jake Bugg - "What Doesn't Kill You"
13. Clutch - "D.C. Sound Attack!"