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.
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