So I plan on finally releasing these golden podcasts that I’ve been sitting on for months (seriously, they’re awesome) relatively soon, but in the meantime I suppose I’ll post my year-end list here since it’s as good a place as any.
These are the “honorable mentions” not because they’re any less good but because they don’t exactly fit the criteria of “original album released this year.”
You may find that some of the choices I’ve made are from people I know personally, but that’s only because I just coincidentally happen to know some of the best musicians on the planet, not because of any sort of “bias” or anything like that. All picks made here are 100% objectively the correct choices and if you disagree then you’re just wrong.
So without further ado…
LCD Soundsystem – The Long Goodbye
Live albums aren’t really much of a thing anymore. When “Shut Up and Play the Hits” came out on DVD without an accompanying CD of the full concert, I was afraid I would have to listen to my low quality audio rip from the poorly mixed livestream of the final concert at MSG forever. Thankfully, that’s not the case. The emotional quality of this performance almost makes up for losing maybe the best band of the last decade. I hope they never get back together.
Funny story: I went to watch the documentary screening at the Jacob Burns with my friends. Right as he started to sing “New York, I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down,” the movie completely stopped. That was when we found out we were watching a stream over the internet rather than a film print or even a DVD. The feed came back after the song was over, but the profound sense of disappointment never left. Only now do I appreciate how perfectly appropriate that feeling was.
Old table – SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT
all these people keep asking me, “war on drugs” or “sun kil moon”?
but i always say Old table
Will Moloney, one of the best punk rock songwriters from Westchester, doesn’t have a job and lives with his parents and has never made any money from his music because he doesn’t believe in capitalism. Despite this fact, he has put out an enormous amount of often brilliant music under the name “Old table” over the past 10 years, inspiring the likes of Aaron Maine and Steve Yankou, and has only been getting better. Yet, he still hasn’t been plucked from obscurity by the cruel Gods of the music industry, cursing him instead to a career of “cult” admiration.
So, to change his fate, he is now attempting what everyone else is doing now: an indiegogo campaign to fund his new album. (It’s already been successfully funded but you should still check out the page, especially his “commercial.”) This does not make him any less of an indie punk rock artist. He just wants to move out of his parents’ house while saving the environment, both equally noble and ambitious causes. He has also threatened to stop writing songs because he feels like he doesn’t get enough appreciation for his hard work. I love him and I know the album will be brilliant so please buy it when it comes out, or just Vote Green Party.
Back when Maxo was still only making jazz inspired fantasy video game soundtracks, I told him I can’t wait until he sells out and makes hip-hop and dance music because it’s going to be amazing, so I like to imagine I had a hand in his transformation into rising Soundcloud superstar. But I didn’t know it would be THIS amazing. This dude is basically helping to create a whole new genre. When DJ/Producer Ryan Hemsworth declared June the “Month of Maxo,” he was being conservative.
Maxo didn’t put out an album proper, but his slew of remixes and singles, especially “Honeybell,” (and the theme song to my podcast!) are seriously as good or better than anything I’ve heard all year. Watch out for him next year.
My man Dylan (full disclosure: he was my best man at my wedding this year) has been honing his excellent songwriting and piano skills over the past few years, and now I can finally listen to him whenever I want to thanks to his debut EP on Bandcamp. If you don’t know him, he’s basically a young Randy Newman with a better voice and if you don’t like Randy Newman you can fuck off.
Only two tracks out of the dozens of great songs I’ve heard him play, but you can hear some others on the first episode of the Friends! Podcast.
iiii and Hiatus Kaiyote – Tawk Tomahawk
Every year there’s some album that I would have included on last year’s list if I hadn’t found out about it one year too late, and it’s usually from some genre I don’t pay much attention to anymore like jazz. This year there were two such records. The debut self-titled album by virtually ungoogleable, unpronounceable iiii (four eyes?) and Tawk Tomahawk by Hiatus Kaiyote both prove how excellent the results can be when J Dilla fans become jazz majors. Jazz has long been a strong influence on hip-hop, but not until recently has hip-hop elevated to a level of respect in the jazz world where you really see the reverse, and these two records are some of the best examples of this trend.
Long live neo-jazz fusion.
Childish Gambino – because the internet
“Is he trying to be the best?” my wife asked me when we saw him live at Governor’s Ball. Yes he is. And he’s doing a damn good job.
Released at the end of last year, I didn’t initially give this album much consideration either. The truth is, it was just too weird, even for me. Then I kept listening, and those weird sounds slowly turned into some of the hottest beats I ever heard. Then I paid attention to the rhymes and damn if he isn’t honestly one of the best new rappers out there. Intensely clever with great delivery, even insightful from time to time. Anyone who says he can’t rap is now telling a bad joke to themselves. And now that we have Kauai, we know he’s a great singer too.
So basically Fuck Drake.
Burial’s yet to be released 2014 EP
Ever the recluse, Burial (I think we finally found out his identity this year and he is not an alter ego of Four Tet as many have suspected) has for the past three years released a 2-3 track EP at the very end of each year just to fuck with music critics’ year-end lists because he doesn’t give a single fuck and I love him for it. Each one has been better than the last and has a specific, almost sonata-like theme-and-variations structure to it.
Last year’s Rival Dealer came out on December 11 and if he doesn’t put one out this year I’m gonna be real sad.
Friends! Podcast 