2014 is quickly coming to an end and that signals the time to pick my favorite albums of the year. It's a tradition. These are the albums I most enjoyed listening to for various reasons. Some made me happy, some were good background for serious thinking and some brought back good memories. It's been a year of retrospection for me and each of these releases triggers a picture in my mind. It begins with Ty Segall's psycho-pop circa elements of fav past classics twisted with Ty's brilliance and concludes with the outrageous, mysterious Dan'l Boone mind-scape. In between those two are the protein of my musical banquet. But I am getting old and I worry just what will drive me to suddenly play symphony music 24/7. Whatever!And now, Vitamin Fuzz top ten countdown beginning with number 1.
[123 minutes, 118 mb, 128kbps]
mp3 download
00:00 Intro00:27 Ty Segall, The Hand on Manipulator [Drag City]
05:07 Sir Richard Bishop, Hypostasis on Solo Acoustic Volume Eight [VDSQ]
21:39 Kikagaku Mayo, Smoke and Mirrors on Forest of Lost Children
[Beyond Beyond is Beyond]
28:45 Holy Sons, No Self Respect on The Fact Facer [Thrill Jockey]
31:26 Vladislav Delay, Viaton on Visa [Ripatti]
41:14 Swans, Bring The Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture on To Be Kind [Young God Records]
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1:32:23 秘密のミーニーズ - 学校を辞めた女の子 on Guruguru Brain Wash [Guruguru Brain]
1:39:25 Kikagaku Mayo, Can You Imagine Nothing on Guruguru Brain Wash [Guruguru Brain]
1:43:47 Yoshino, Sun and Moon on Guruguru Brain Wash [Guruguru Brain]
1:49:33 The Holydrug Couple, Everyone Knows All on Everyone Knows All/Quetzal
[BYM Records, 7" Single]
1:54:21 Dan'l Boone, Hostage Rock on Dan'l Boone [Drag City]
2:02:23 Exit
Read on to get the 2014 low-down from the crew.
Mindmondo's 2014 Top Ten
1. Ty Segall, Manipulator [Drag City] The first track I heard was FEEL from the Conan broadcast. I imagine a lot of people never knew of Ty Segall before that performance. Manipulator is a perfect record. Every detail of this release was mapped out by Ty. He harmonizes, he woos his guitar, he drums, he flies in the sky with diamonds. I dig this album and usually listen to it straight through. Every track is a gift. At this point Ty Segall can do no wrong. 15 albums/19 Singles/11 comps since 2008.
2. Sir Richard Bishop, Solo Acoustic Volume Eight [VDSQ] Real name Rick Bishop. Way back in 1998 John Fahey hand picked Bishop to be on his Takoma Record record label. Fahey said that Bishop, "played like the devil" and that could not be truer. Sir Richard's 2014 release is number 8 in a series of VDSQ acoustic releases. Perfect for some meditative quiet time.
3. Kikagaku Moyo, Forest of Lost Children [Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records] Kikagaku Moyo released 2 albums in 2014. They also did a U.S. tour which included Denver. It was a great show. I love Kikagaku Moyo's music for 2 reasons. The psychedelic mood is a mix of traditional psych and Japanese folk. Secondly, the band is deep into the psychedelic genre and it really shows in their live performances… KILLER! This past year they have really made an impression on the U.S.A. and Great Britian, besides their Japanese home. [Watashi wa anata ga tsunami o ikinobita kansha shite imasu]
4. Holy Sons, The Fact Facer [Thrill Jockey] Holy Sons is headed up by Emil Amos. You might know Amos as the drummer in Om and Grails but for Holy Sons he is up front on lead guitar singing murky lyrics and placing effects and digital sounds in just the right places. This is Alternative/LoFi at it's best and the 10th album by Holy Sons.
5. Vladislav Delay, Visa [Ripatti] Vladislav Delay is a master of frequency modulation and creative beats. Only he knows what altered samples converse as the mix entwines your brain. According to an article I read the album title refers to the denial of Sasu Ripatti’s visa which prevented him from performing at the UNSOUND Festival. I hope the credit card guys didn't give him shit too!
6. Swans, To Be Kind [Young God Records] Drones, tribal chants, punky and at times funky. This release catches your ear on so many levels. The arrangements are forceful but also give a sense of reverence, especially when the vocals seem to be of some unknown dialect. A few f-bombs are dropped. The highlight of the album is the 35 minute "Bring The Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture."
7. David Shea, Rituals [Room 40] It took David Shea 5 years to assemble the samples and complete the arrangements for this release which is based on Buddhist and Taoist traditions. Shea says, "immersion in the experience of the sound as[is] the focus." The mood is set using traditional instruments, samples and electronic instruments.
8. Various Artists, Guruguru Brain Wash [Guruguru Brain] This is a comp of Japanese Psych put together by the Kikagaku Moyo gang and includes the gamut of the Japanese Psych on a single album. One listen indicates there are plenty of Japanese artists giving Kikagaku Moyo a run for their money in the Japanese music scene. Groovy. Available for free download at http://active-listener.blogspot.com/2014/06/free-download-roundup-guruguru-brain.html
9. The Holydrug Couple, Everyone Knows All/Quetzal [7" single, BYM Records] For some reason Chile has a Psychedelic scene and The Holydrug Couple are part of it. With 3 album releases since 2011 Ives Sepulveda and Manuel Parra are now known outside Chilli and toured the US in 2013 with a stop at Austin Psych Fest. Trippy, lucid vocals and harmonious waves… but pay attention for monstrous riffs and squalling feedback within their performances. Hopefully 2015 with bring a full album of new music.
10. Dan'l Boone, Dan'l Boone [Drag City] Just what kind of music is this? Is it Neal Casssady's dreamscape soundtrack? I'm thinking, "what is going on?" and this album is that question in a musical format. It's like it was dragged from the alley still oozing with street juice and honking misfits tripping through a lifetime of memories. Crazy. I love it. Is it in the background or foreground? Each time I listen I hear different things. What I mean is the sound conjures up different thoughts and reactions. Modern Musique Concrète.
ALMOSTs:
Juju & Jordash, Clean Cut [Dekmantel Conor sent this one to me for a listen. He told me it was Doper music just to fool me into listening. After the shock of being fooled wore off I must say it is an interesting group of music. I like how the beats change up. Favorite track is Deadwood with suddle hints of circa 50's electronic tinkering. Thanks Bardos!
Eleh, Circle Three: Full Moon At 35hz [Important Records] Frequency studies, beats and drones. What could be better?
Pond [Modular] I so wanted Pond to release an 2014 album, but it did not materialize. Their latest one entitled Hobo Rocket was an awesome group of indie songs. Pond is hooked at the hip with Tame Impala. They will be on my 2015 list.
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Conor
This year I decided to cut off the fat. Here's twelve records from 2014 that inspired a haiku.
ACTRESS - GHETTOVILLE [WERKDISCS]
dire london fog in
thickets of soiled sockets
“don’t stop the music”
SCOTT WALKER + SUNN O))) - SOUSED [4AD]
guns & roses lick
sadomasochism in
your bed & heart
OMAR S - NELSON COUNTY [FXHE]
detroit shit whitey
regulation 3 inches
cold afro lake breeze
KAREN GWYER - NEW ROOF [NO PAIN IN POP]
“lay claim to my grub”
nosh it ’til moisture spills
grrrrl that 6-0-6
WOLD - POSTSOCIAL [PROFOUND LORE]
5 points to the sky
missing my denver heshers
fortress crooked jaw
JUJU & JORDASH - CLEAN CUT [DEKMANTEL]
“clean cut” cleaning wing
utopia digital choir
winter/summer bleed
AnD - COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND [ELECTRIC DELUX]
ulcer techno ooze
tinted espresso shits
slut for your stiff kick
LEE GAMBLE - KOCH [PAN]
“motor system” iced
hand me my bed pan & cloth
pixel urine stone
CONTAINER - ADHESIVE [LIBERATION TECHNOLOGIES]
more for the masses
clutching cinderblocks & nails
broken on the curb
KMFH - THE BOAT PARTY [WILD OATS]
young blood pushing like
ayler’s operation switch
“measure 2 measure”
APHEX TWIN - SYRO [WARP]
you silky sly slag
fatigued & entranced grin &
another wet dream
LEYLAND KIRBY - INTRIGUE & STUFF VOL. 1-4 [HAFTW]
live for the future
stuffy grass at the hedges yawn
long for the past pasts
Theo Parrish - American Intelligence [Sound Signatures]
dry signal embers
levitating sphinx rotate
fanning fire music
Vladislav Delay - Visa - it's the best ambient release of the year. Expect a haiku soon.
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Charles
My list
Actress-Ghettoville
Oneohtrix Point Never-Commissions (Record Store Day EP)
Dean Blunt-Black Metal
Bitchin' Bajas-S/t
Various Artist: Wheele's Grove-Seattle Funk, Modern Soul, Boogie Volume II 1972-1987
Vladislav Delay-Visa
Aphex Twin-Syro
Tim and Eric- Bedtime Stories
Neil Hambuger- Endless Roll
Legowelt- Memphis Witchcraft
Holly Herndon-Chorus EP
Naplian-Incursio
SFV Acid- The Dwell
also, honorable mention to the Multicast guys for their track on Die Welt Ist Klang
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Henry Peach
Merry Christmas! Here's what I came up with. All LPs...
1. Swans-To Be Kind-Young God-3LP
I was sorta worried that this band was gonna go long form instrumental on my ass after seeing Swans twice in the last couple of years. I missed the last show, so maybe that IS what’s happening. Whatever. The point is, this new record has Gira’s vocals all over it. Fierce at times, and bizarre at others, this baby is way more cohesive than the last record, The Seer. Mainly, there’s nothing to disrupt the flow of things like that erectile dysfunction-inducing song with Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Another bonus- I saw Gira do a solo show several years back, and he performed this intense song called Oxygen, where he gives off the vibe that he is having trouble breathing. It appears on this new one, but the instrumentation is completely different and the lyrics are unrecognizable from before. I love how this dude never lets songs go, and instead keeps picking at them like a scab.
2. Alexis Zoumbas-A Lament for Epirus 1926 to 1928-Angry Mom-LP
The only reissue of the list; I feel so youthful! Attention drone heads (dronevil666-BTW…who are you?), Greek Americans (Charles “Endless Roll” Ballas) and fans of old time music (say Uncle!). This one starts out with bowed bass and the wailing string lamentations of violin player Alexis Zoumbas. This opener is kind of an oddball for the record, as the rest of it is more at a dance tempo with masterful violin soloing. Zombas will win you over through the 78 hiss.
3. Panabrite-Pavilion-Immune-LP
Jeff and Ballas, thank you for making me appreciate Seattle more! Charles and I went to see Panabrite when he came up here two summers ago. Charles knew of him. I did not. Then, on the phone a while ago, Jeff asks me if I had heard this new one. I said no. Jeff said, “Do your homework.” I did. It is electronic music with some guitar and other gestural elements thrown into the mix. I love the humanity! When I was playing it at the radio station that I volunteer at, someone told me that it reminded him of classic horror film instrumentals. This is out of my knowledge area, is it true?
4. Ty Segall-Manipulator-Drag City-LP
Jay “Tibetan Bowls” Nemo has got it right, everybody. This sounds good in my apartment, this sounds good on KEXP at work, and this sounds good down the street at Bimbos Burritos with beers. I tried to resist Nemo’s enthusiasm, but I can’t do it, dudes (I’ll be a contrary motherfucker until I die, but I can’t resist the tractor beam!).
Seeing this guy live four or five years ago was great. He jumped into the audience to take a solo, and 10 or 15 of us put our hands over his head as he soloed to the Godz! An offering! Then, some dude broke through our circle and started slamming the neck of Segall’s guitar with his fist! Segall told him to fuck off, smacked him in the chest, and then went back on stage. Start shit, get hit!
5. Amps for Christ-Canyons Cars and Crows-Shrimper-LP
Amps for Christ always runs the perfect amount of ragged for me. It’s hippy folk music with odd electronic accompaniment from homemade electronics. Maybe he’s changed his approach since I’ve talked to him from the 1190 days, but it doesn’t sound like it. AFC doesn’t worry about the electric guitar sounding sappy and sentimental as fuck; I’ve always enjoyed that. Huh??…Shrimper is STILL putting shit out? Apparently so!
6. Scott Walker & Sunn 0)))-Soused-4AD-2LP
I am still a little confused as to why this record is only attributed to Sunn 0))) and Walker when there are significant contributions from Mark Warman and Peter Walsh on Keyboards, in addition to several other players. Unlike when Julian Cope sang on that old Sunn O))) track (the best Sunn O))) track ever!), Scott Walker does not sound like a guest on a Sunn O))) song anywhere on this release. Quite to the contrary, Walker sounds like the puppetmaster on this one. In fact, I was actually surprised at how quiet the Sunn drone is in the mix at times. Walker only let’s those guys off the leash once or twice. Confession: I had to turn the lights back on in my apartment when I was listening to the track Lullaby in the dark. Walker’s vocals are so high, and the note choices are too sinister to let your imagination run around.
7. Lejscolea & Freund-Mold on Canvas-Mie-1 Sided LP
(A ONE SIDER…….perhaps a tribute to Shrat, Mr. Allen?? Who knows!)
I read about this group before I bought it. I was charmed concerning how modest they were about what they had created. Something to the effect of, “Look, we made a half an LP’s worth of music, we hope it enriches your life in some way.” It is classic sounding with strings and ambient piano, along with light electronic manipulations. The LP reminds me of something that could be on Kranky, although it might move around too much for that. A total amnesia record every time; I can never remember what is sounded like, but I know that I enjoyed it. Ever have one of those?
8. Blank Realm-“Grassed Inn”-Fire-LP
Australian rock! Vocals like this are why everyone wants to sing in a rock and roll band. The music has hooks all over it, but they also do a fantastic, slow, dirgy number called Bell Tower. Did I mention why I love doing these Top 10 lists??? I’m listening to this record for the first time in months! Shit, I’m pulling this bad boy with me into 2015!
9. Sax Ruins-Blimmguass-Skin Graft-LP
Splattered cream-purple vinyl. Dig it, Ed “is a portal” Post!
I almost feel obligated to put a nasty as fuck horn record on this top ten list every year. Old habits die hard. This record is so overdubbed, and sharply edited that I wouldn’t call it a free jazz record in the slightest. You probably know classic bass and drums Ruins. This is sax and drums ruins. Lots of thoughts crammed into tiny little boxes! That last sentence is as close as I get to a haiku, suckers!
10. J Spaceman & Kid Millions-Live at Le Poisson Rouge-Northern Spy-LP w/ bonus 7”
Recorded in September of last year, and released this year, Spirtualized does two side-long improves with the guy from Oneida. Psychedelic and jazz at the same time! Since hearing that Spring Heel Jack material with Jason Pierce, I’ve always liked the non-pop side to his playing. Here, it comes out in spades.
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Tyler
Here is my list (in no particular order) which contains a lot of releases by close friends. I hope all of you above the age of 30 can appreciate the uglier sounds of the bunch.
Kikagaku Moyo - Mammatus Clouds (Cassette, sky lantern records) Favorite band. Period.
Culprit - Culprit (Cassette, obsolete Future) I Probably have listened to this tape 20 times since Conor sent it my way a month ago. Thank you Charles!
The war on drugs - Lost in the Dream (secretly Canadian) Guilty pleasure, totally derivative pop/rock but a great record nonetheless
vermin womb - Permanence Crushing Crust/Grind from the mile high city, total fucking agony through sound
Electric Funeral - Total funeral (southern lord) The one impostor on my list, new release of collected older material on Southern Lord. Blistering blown out Swedish punk on a double record.
electric wizard - time to die. This should also fall under the guilty pleasure category at this point. The wizard are not exactly innovators anymore but they still churn out doom like an old wooden wheel of war.
baxter roy long - Palms on the Setting Stone (self Released) Acid Folk and introspective oddity from my good bud out in Buffalo, NY
xothist - dwarfer (Cassette, Bleak environment) Somber, unsettling, they call it black metal but this is moving away from black metal like light from the sun
wwc - alienself (Obsolete Future) Again, Conor's keen ear keeps my veins pulsing with WWC.
primitive man/hexis split 10" (halo of flies) I had to include some Primitive Man, who in many ways give definition to my dismal and futile existence. The hexis side does not interest me nearly as much as these Denver warlords who give no quarter.
Happy new year, stay punk or at least throw your life away listening to techno
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Dave Alex
I can play at this game too, as long as the rules are bent. Multimedia posting up for your pleasure at http://davealex.com
Enjoy!
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Uncle Jeff
Subject: Re: 2014 Best of Lists Commenced - Uncle Jeff Reports In Finally
"Say Uncle, What *was* that track you played?"- 2014 Top Ten (Based on listening spins per enjoyment, divided by maximum pleasure)
1. The Delines - Colfax (El Cortez) (see: "Colfax Avenue) Memphis country soul & adult themes written by Willy Vlautin, sung by Amy Boone, this one surprised even me, a longtime Richmond Fontaine fan. There are many great melodies and the playing is sussinct and sublime, mixing a jazzy late-night feel with timeless classic structure. I remember walking down Colfax late one night with Willy after a RF gig at the Lion's Lair years ago...
2. Panabrite - Pavilion (Immune Recordings) (see: "Balsam") All blissed out with nowhere to go... Norm Chambers aka Panabrite mixes Grandchester Meadows era Pink Floyd guitar strummings with long washes of pure analog heaven. His quality keeps getting better with every release. Pound for pound this one has more great melodies than any other electronica release this year. Pearly Gates music for sure! (Smoked translucent pale green vinyl, for those keeping score)
3. Tweedy - Tweedy (dBpm Records) (see: "Summer Noon") Here's one that almost slipped through the cracks, another Wilco sorta release... but it is great! The songwriting is warm and tight, with lots of original inventive melodies & hooks. Somehow Jeff Tweedy manages to combine Kraut era rhythms with Tusk era Fleetwood Mac, all the while keeping it his own. Best song of the year is Summer Noon, which on first listen I musta played over and over a dozen times in the car. Yummy!
4. Peter Rowan - Dharma Blues (Omnivore Recordings) (see "A Grain of Sand") Speaking of yummy, the new Peter Rowan release was a big surprise. There are 5 or so classic songs equal to his best writing (over a span of many great LPs). This one has a distinctly Eastern feel, combining Indian sarod & tamboura, banjo, Native American rhythms, guitar and flute & pedal steel. And it sounds effortless, timeless and inventive all at once. I sure hope there are other mature artists out there that get the message and try something like this. Beautiful!
5. Tycho - Awake (Ghostly International) (see: "Plains") Deep-tremolo shimmering surf-inspired guitar lines drive this instrumental electronica band, and it is a band in the real sense. Live, I was surprised to see only a bit of drum sequencing and keyboard arpeggios being triggered, the rest was live! None of that boring laptop knob twiddling... There are tons of memorable melodies (you hear that Aphex?) and a timeless modern feel to these epic tracks. Movies in your head.
6. Kikagaku Moyo - Forest of Lost Children (Beyond) (see: "White Moon") Electric sitar, well played... Need I say more? This agglomeration of Japanese folk & psyche was picked up on by many folks, including WFMU & a breakout performance at Austin's Psychfest this summer. Go Kurosowa and company dose us with an inventive & original mix of heavy AND soft, with solid songwriting and krautish moves under the guise of a metal sheen.
7. Bob Dylan and the Band - The Basement Tapes RAW (Columbia) (see: "Wild Wolf") Yeah, someone will probably jump on me for including a reissue, but there *are* 20 recordings that even an archivist troll like myself has never gotten ahold of, and I've had the 5 CD "Genuine Basement Tapes set for years... Columbia got this one right, as they have with most of the "Bootleg Series". There is a very clean, but still raw sound, with that right/left/center stereo separation that Garth hudson recorded these impromptu sessions with. Ah, the wonder of it all-- still the finest mess of Americana ever, and I'm not the only one that feels this way. There is a 2 CD set for regular folks, and a 6 CD one for guys like me. I downloaded it though, since it has a hefty pricetag. So many rewards, this is too much to be taken in one dose!
8. Aaron Sheppard - Solo Acoustic Volume Nine (VDSQ) (see: "Comfort in the Cold") This is the best of a batch of new limited VDSQ releases on LP this year. Mine's on virgin white vinyl, where do they get the virgins? Aaron Sheppard plays a clean modern acoustic style uniquely his own. This is not your father's Takoma, though the aesthetic and quality of these recordings harken back to the days of Fahey and Basho. One well worth tracking down.
9. Look Again to the Wind - Various Artists (Sony Masterworks) (see: "As Long As the Grass Shall Grow", then play the reprise!) Ah that rarity of rarities, a comp with 'various artists' that hangs together like a real project! Of course the hand of Gillain Welch & David Rawlings probably had something to do with it. This CD loosely covers the LP Johnny Cash made in 1964 called "Bitter Tears", which cited the plight of the Native American Indian in many great songs, including 'The Ballad of Ira Hayes". Hard to believe that was 50 years ago. My respect for the man continues to grow, and this release was clearly a labor of love by all the artists involved.
10. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds In Country Music (Thirty Tigers) (see: "Turtles All the Way Down") Who woulda thought that somebody sounding like a young Waylon Jennings, crossed with Strawberry Fields era John Lennon, would take the hipster set by storm? Two sold out shows at the Bluebird, there's something going on here. That something includes backwards masking, DMT references and solid songcraft. A batch of great songs played with in inventively in the studio, with searing slide (forwards AND backwards) when called for, or soft balladeering, its all there.
Honorable mentions go to a number of great concerts this year, including Tame Impala (omg, with an audience of kids singing every word), Tycho (playing lose *live* electronica with Floydworthy visuals), Cut Copy (the '80s will never die!), The Dave Rawlings Machine (with John Paul Jones soaring on mandolin on the 10 minute "Going to California" encore), and best of all-- a mindbendingly awesome Foxygen show at the Bluebird which restored my faith in rock and roll again. "Kids these days!"
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Ed Post
I only listen to experimental fruit now, sorry.
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get ready for 2015!!!
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