Best of 2014

So here is my best of 2014, all subjective and based on what I actually heard this year. Overall, I feel this was a pretty good year for music overall. Here goes!

15. Big Wreck - "Ghosts"

Ian Thornley and co. return with their 2nd reunion album after 2012's "Albatross". I personally feel the song Control off "Albatross" opened up a new door for the band. The extended guitar outro on that song proved that a) Ian Thornley is an amazing guitarist and b) the band was back to putting solid musicianship first. I always thought the band Thornley (Thornley's post-Big Wreck band) was too radio friendly and less about taking risks so Control was a real welcome return to the old Big Wreck days. "Ghosts" continues this musical freedom - with most songs clocking in at the 5+ minute mark - and it rewards listeners with solid guitar jams without sacrificing melody.

Key Tracks: Ghosts, Diamonds, My Life

14. Bruce Springsteen - "High Hopes"

I love Bruce Springsteen. Huge fan. Mega-excited that he still releases vital music. His "surprise" 2014 effort "High Hopes" was a nice New Year's gift 11 months ago and it still gets some spins from me today. Although it is more of an 'odds and sods' record, with some covers, re-works and new songs, it still holds together quite cohesively. Plus, Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine plays on 8 of the 12 tracks, adding some explosive fills and in the case of The Ghost Of Tom Joad, an electrifying solo.

Key Tracks: High Hopes, Just Like Fire Would, Hunter Of Invisible Game, Dream Baby Dream

13. U2 - "Songs Of Innocence"

Yes, there was huge backlash that this album was gifted to pretty much everyone in the world. It was kind of arrogant. So delete it if you don't like it! I'm about the music and to me, this is U2's most consistent and cohesive effort since 2000's "All That You Can't Leave Behind". While the first 5 songs shoot for the rafters and I prefer the back-half of the album, no one really does stadium rock like U2.

Key Tracks: Cedarwood Road, The Troubles, Sleep Like A Baby Tonight

12. Foo Fighters - "Sonic Highways"

I still haven't seen Dave Grohl's series of the same name as I don't get TMN, but I've heard it's in many ways better than the album. I have heard the album and it sounds like Foo Fighters to me, which is a great thing. It's a concise 8 song blast of rock and Foos, slowing down only for the last 2 tracks. There hasn't really been a more consistent band over the last 20 years than the Foos and they continue to deliver here.

Key Tracks: Something From Nothing, Congregation, Outside

11. Arkells - "High Noon"

I have all 3 Arkells albums and I've never met one of their songs that I truly dislike. They are the only band I know that have ever name checked Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville in the same song (Cynical Bastards) and that is clearly amazing. The songs Come To Light, Leather Jacket and 11:11 combine '80's stylings, soul and rock, plus they are great live act. Also a plus, they wrote and sing the Hamilton TiCats' (CFL people!) anthem TiCats Are Hummin'.

Key Tracks: Cynical Bastards, Come To Light, Leather Jacket

10. TV On The Radio - "Seeds"

I made fun of my colleague Catherine for liking this album as the first time I heard it, I was put off by its "simplicity". When I was painting one day I re-visited it and wow was I wrong. Yes, it is more of a straightforward effort than previous albums but it is layered and contains probably the best melodies the band have put to tape. So maybe I should give an album more than one listen before I open my big mouth.

Key Tracks: Seeds, Happy Idiot, Test Pilot

9. St. Vincent - "St. Vincent (S/T)"

When I first heard St. Vincent on Indie 88, I was intrigued. She definitely was getting a lot of buzz but I wasn't at all familiar with her previous albums. So I went into Sunrise Records at Yonge and Bloor (RIP Sunrise in Toronto), saw the CD staring at me and decided, what the hell? I was pleasantly surprised and this record has been spun quite a few times. I can't even describe it except as an eclectic mix of music that is held together by a strong sense of melody. There you go, the writer in me has spoken!

Key Tracks: Birth In Reverse, Prince Johnny, Huey Newton

8. Milky Chance - "Sadnecessary"

Another band that I discovered through Indie 88, my gateway to Milky Chance was through the song Stolen Dance. I felt this was a pretty good tune. A few months later I was in HMV in Pickering (the only record store in the town I live in, ridiculous) and saw the album for $9.99 so I decided again what the hell? I'm glad I made this purchase as this is a warm record filled with off-kilter beats but ultimately very accessible songs that get under your skin.

Key Tracks: Flashed Junk Mind, Stunner, Sweet Sun

7. Jack White - "Lazaretto"

Who else releases tricked out vinyl? I don't know anyone other artist who respects the vinyl medium these days more than Jack White. It would be one thing if he released the tricked out vinyl and the music didn't deliver, but it's Jack White, so of course it does. From rockers like the title track to more mellow fare such as Alone In My Home and Temporary Ground, the album is very diverse. Plus, the vinyl generates a hologram when you play it!

Key Tracks: Lazaretto, High Ball Stepper, Alone In My Home

6. Damon Albarn - "Everyday Robots"

I've been a Blur fan since "Parklife" in '94, so naturally I also like Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad & The Queen. I was pretty excited when I heard Damon Albarn was coming out with his first proper solo album in 2014. It's a mellow affair but filled with many melodic surprises and introspective lyrics. Hoping for a Blur reunion record but failing that, another Damon Albarn solo album would work just fine for me!

Key Tracks: You And Me, The Selfish Giant, Heavy Seas Of Love

5. Royal Blood - "Royal Blood"

My friend Josh sent me a youtube link of a Royal Blood concert in England and then I happened to be in Sunrise (again, RIP Sunrise) and saw the album in the new release section. Again, I thought what the hell and picked it up. This is a barn-burner of a debut, 30 minutes of drum, bass and vocals wrapped up in tight melodies. Hopefully these guys have a long future ahead of them.

Key Tracks: Out Of The Black, Blood Hands, Come On Over

4. Counting Crows - "Somewhere Under Wonderland"

Almost as shocking as seeing this album on the new release rack is the fact that it is so good. Not that the Counting Crows haven't been good before ("August And Everything After", Recovering The Satellites", "This Desert Life"), it's just been a really long time since they have been. The album starts with the 8+ minute Palisades Park, which has shades of the 1999 epic Mrs. Potter's Lullaby. The remaining 8 tracks are loose, filled with lyrical and instrumental excursions that make you think it's the 90's all over again but are modern at the same time. A great return to form.

Key Tracks: Earthquake Driver, Dislocation, Possibility Days

3. Spoon - "They Want My Soul"

"Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" may be in my top 10 albums of all time. Definitely top 15. So 2010's "Transference" was good but didn't live up to the previous album for me. "They Want My Soul" is filled with tight, minimalist rock that still somehow manages to be loose and melodic. I really enjoy Brit Daniel's rasp and his lyrics. This is definitely my 2nd favourite Spoon record.

Key Tracks: Inside Out, Let Me Be Mine, New York Kiss, Do You 

2. Weezer - "Everything Will Be Alright In The End"

I wrote a blog about this album, so won't spend a lot of time on this one. I would say, if it wasn't for this year's #1, Weezer would have their 2nd #1 album of the year for me ("The Blue Album" in 1994 was my #1!).

Key Tracks: Da Vinci, The British Are Coming, Foolish Father, The Futurescope Trilogy

1. Against Me! - "Transgender Dysphoria Blues"

This is a 29 minute blast of emotion from Laura Jane Grace and co. as she deals with coming out as a transgendered woman. Make no mistake, the blood is all over the page but each song is sturdy, filled with contained rage and sharp melodies. I've had this album since last January and still play it at least once a week. I also had the privilege of seeing the band open for Gaslight Anthem in September and they brought the same emotion to the stage as on the record. A great rebirth of both person and band and an easy choice for best album of the year for me.

Key Tracks: Black Me Out, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, Two Coffins, Paralytic States

Honorable Mention: The War On Drugs - "Lost In The Dream", Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "Hypnotic Eye", Ryan Adams - "Ryan Adams", Interpol - "El Pintor", Vance Joy - "Dream Your Life Away"

Most Disappointing:

The Black Keys - "Turn Blue". Please step away from the Danger Mouse and locate the guitar and drums again. Thank you.

The Gaslight Anthem - "Get Hurt". Sure, I understand that divorcing your wife of 10 years is difficult and one needs an outlet to deal with it. And some of these songs are good, but after listening to 15 songs about divorce, it becomes somewhat depressing.

Best Re-Issues

1. Oasis - "Definitely Maybe" & "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?"

This should not be shocking to anyone who has kept up with this blog. Some people on Oasis fan sites have complained about the content on these re-issues, that they don't offer enough rarities, etc. To me, they celebrate the albums proper, all the great b-sides and have enough unreleased and live material to satisfy my needs as a collector. All of the music is top-notch; documents of a band at the top of their game.

2. David Bowie - "Nothing Has Changed" (3 CD Version)

Another Bowie comp, but this one I dig because it gives some props to his '90's and more recent output. I didn't have a blog in 2013 but if I did, David Bowie's "The Next Day" would have easily been in the top 5 albums of the year. And some of those tracks make it to this comp. It goes in reverse chronological order, so you get a new song Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), all the hits and misses, and then it closes with Liza Jane from the '60's. While I still can't listen to Dancing In The Street with Mick Jagger and some of his '80's output is dated, you can't argue with what is included in this comp. Extensive and exciting.

3. Wilco - "What's Your 20? Essential Tracks 1994-2014"

This was kind of a shocking discovery while I was browsing amazon about a month ago. Wilco was releasing a greatest hits comp though they didn't really have any hits. So a retrospective. I have to admit, I enjoy a good greatest hits or retrospective (Crowded House's "Recurring Dream - The Very Best Of" is one of the best out there). Don't get me wrong, listening to full albums is awesome and rewarding but sometimes I want to listen to all of the songs in one place. Like the Bowie comp, it's interesting to hear where bands started and how they evolve. Wilco's double disc comp covers off "AM", "Being There", "Summerteeth" and the excellent "Mermaid Avenue" albums on Disc 1. Disc 2 starts with 7 cuts from "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and then moves into the experimental "A Ghost Is Born", "Sky Blue Sky", "Wilco (The Album)" and closes out with "The Whole Love". You trace a band moving from scrappy, almost garage rock to art rock auteurs. But the consistent force is melody. This compilation is essential.


I'm hoping to post again before the holidays but if not, hope everyone has a safe and relaxing break!

Don't Call It A Comeback

Long time, no post. The first 4 posts admittedly were already written in my head before they were put down, so these next few have required more thought. So here we go.

I'm going to try to explain my love of 90's alt rock bands, but not the Nirvana's, Pearl Jam's, Soundgarden's, Alice In Chains, STP's etc (though I do like these bands). Instead I'm going to focus on the "little guys", the underdogs, bands people may have forgotten or dismissed as one hit wonders. I can tell you from experience, these bands have more than 1 good song and still get some heavy spins from me. I don't feel it's nostalgia, rather it's music I enjoy listening to that happens to be 15-20 years old!

Gin Blossoms

Most probably know Hey Jealousy and Til I Hear It From You. Maybe also Follow You Down. And they only had 2 albums before disappearing for a very long time. I have always enjoyed the Gin Blossoms. Their straight ahead, catchy jangle pop spoke to me as did their love lorn lyrics. I discovered them in high school and I want to say I purchased "New Miserable Experience" on a family trip to Florida in 1993. When I put the CD in my discman, I remember not being blown away with Lost Horizons, the first track. It's still not my favourite. But then Hey Jealousy rattled off a string of 11 great songs (especially Hold Me Down), save maybe for the country pastiche Cheatin'. Still 10 out of 12 good tunes on a debut album is a pretty good hit rate. I bought some of their CD singles, which included songs that apparently appeared on an earlier EP "Up & Crumbling" (which I still don't have - what is wrong with the completist in me?). Friends and I also ventured to Kingswood Music Theatre at Canada's Wonderland to see them open, yes open (along with the excellent Cracker) for Spin Doctors. I felt a bit bad for the Spin Doctors as most people took off after they played Two Princes 3 or 4 songs into their set. But I guess I didn't feel that bad, because we were included in those people hitting the exit gates. Gin Blossoms were good live. Nothing phenomenal like light shows or anything of the like but solid, meat and potatoes rock. Front man Robin Wilson interacted well with the crowd. I felt the Gin Blossoms were a band on the rise and I was excited to take that ride with them.

In the summer of 1995, they started playing a new Gin Blossoms tune on the radio from an upcoming film titled "Empire Records". The soundtrack actually came out before the movie. Til I Hear It From You was that tune and it was quite engaging. Bittersweet but solid jangle pop. I felt if the movie was as good as the song, it would be amazing. The soundtrack was solid also, but then the movie only got a limited release and one of the markets it got dumped in certainly wasn't Burlington. My friends did pick it up on video and it is a good movie, one that should have been given a wide release. Rex Manning Day, "Damn the man, save the Empire", Ethan Embry, Johnny Whitworth, Rory Cochrane, Anthony LaPaglia, Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger, need I say more?

Anyway, Gin Blossoms had a new album coming out but this didn't surface until early 1996, preceded by the lead single Follow You Down. This was a good song also. The rise was continuing. In February 1996, I took the bus to Stone Road Mall to get the new Gin Blossoms, called "Congratulations, I'm Sorry". I got back to the dorm room and popped the CD in. I enjoyed the first 5 songs and felt we were well on our way to another winner. But then the wheels fell off a bit and the remaining 7 weren't fantastic. I found out later that one of the key songwriters on the first record got fired after the first album came out and ended up succumbing to his addictions. So they were like a new band starting over again for the 2nd record. And the songs weren't as sharp. The band seemed to realize this also as they broke-up in 1997, not to be heard from again until 2006 on "Major Lodge Victory". I picked this album up on new release day (I really had to look hard for it, but found it at a Music World in Pickering. Music World RIP) and when I spun it, found it to be enjoyable. Better than "Congratulations". The Gin Blossoms were back on the touring circuit and put out another album called "No Chocolate Cake" in 2010. This album was only okay, but still contained some melodic gems such as first single Miss Disarray.

My greatest late era Gin Blossoms memory is when I was in Montreal doing research a few years back and my colleagues and I closed down a bar (literally we were locked in) and the bar tender allowed us to commandeer his iPod and of course he had some Gin Blossoms! It was Hey Jealousy so we rocked that shit forsure and the 5 people in the bar really enjoyed it.

Semisonic

Known for the last call anthem Closing Time and nothing else, my appreciation for Semisonic has grown over the past couple of years. I did and still do like Closing Time and at one point I did own the album it came from ("Feeling Strangely Fine"), but I couldn't really remember any other song from them off the top of my head except Secret Smile, which was a minor hit in '98. Somehow I read somewhere that Semisonic's drummer had written a funny memoir about being a drummer in a semi-famous alt-rock band. It took me a year and a bit but I finally purchased this book off amazon and it was pretty funny. It's called "So You Wanna Be A Rock and Roll Star" by Jacob Slichter. Honest and funny. But this got me thinking, Gin Blossoms have a greatest hits based off two albums (it came out before the 2000's re-birth), so surely Semisonic has one. Jacob's tales made it sound like they made some smart rock music and were maybe known for the wrong song, like Blur are known in North America for Song 2. Don't even get me started on this.

Sure enough on amazon, they were selling Semisonic's Best Of 20th Century Masters for $12 so I ordered that and their greatest hits are pretty good, specifically Singing In My Sleep and Chemistry. Again, solid, straight forward pop-rock. And their lead singer Dan Wilson is co-writing some of pop's greatest hits these days (Dixie Chicks, Adele). So he clearly was onto something. Plus, his duet with Bic Runga on the first American Pie soundtrack, Good Morning Baby, is amazing.

Blues Traveler

The hook brings you back and that is all you need to know.

Ash

This is a three-piece (was a 3-piece, than a 4-piece and now a 3-piece again if they are even still together - I just checked and Wikipedia says that they are!) from Northern Ireland who I discovered via the "Angus" movie soundtrack in the mid-90's. Their songs Jack Names The Planets and Kung Fu were featured and right away, I felt this was a good band. Again, short, catchy pop-punk blasts. In 1996, they released "1977", which is the year they were born (a year after me and they already had 2 albums to their credit!) and it contained the gem Goldfinger. I picked this album up but then lost track of the band until I was browsing in an HMV around 2003 or 2004 and found their first singles collection "Intergalactic Sonic 7"'s". This is a great compilation, where every song is good and there are 19 in total. So I went back and got "Free All Angels", which I guess was a comeback record for the band - about 5 of the singles on the compilation are from this album so that makes sense.

In 2009, they released a new single once every 2 weeks, eventually putting out the compilation albums A-Z Volumes 1 and 2 (I only have Vol. 1 and it is solid).

I still listen to "Intergalactic Sonic 7"'s" quite frequently.

Canadian Content - The Watchmen and Lowest Of The Low

I love both of these bands, although neither has put out any new music since at least 2004. The Watchmen's All Uncovered is one of my favourite songs of all-time, ditto Lowest Of The Low's Bleed A Little While Tonight. I still listen to LOTTL's "Shakespeare...My Butt" a lot (even have it on vinyl). It's a pretty flawless debut album. And one of these years I will make it to the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto for one of The Watchmen's annual shows.

Third Eye Blind

I was swept into Third Eye Blind's world, like everyone else with Semi-Charmed Life in 1997. I think I didn't even initially own their album, my friend Matt picked it up and we just listened to that in the car that summer, constantly. But outside of SCL, they also had "official" hits with Jumper and How's It Going To Be and unofficial hits with Graduate and Losing A Whole Year from their self-titled debut. I like all of these songs as well as I Want You and Thanks A Lot, but the last 3 songs, Motorcyle Drive By, The Background and God Of Wine may be the best 3 end songs (or Side D) on any album. Yes, this is crazy but it really might be true. The crazier thing is that save for The Background, I didn't really listen to the other two songs until I picked up their "greatest hits" comp "A Collection" in 2006. But now I do all the time.

I was quite excited when "Blue" emerged in 1999 and though I think the lead single Anything is right up there with all else the band has done, it certainly is not the most obvious choice for a lead single. But I was into it. "Blue" certainly does contain some radio friendly gems such as 10 Days Late and Never Let You Go, but also some bold experimentation. The song Slow Motion didn't have verses included until "A Collection" due to the album's release proximity with the Columbine shootings and the verses touching on this, among many other, topics. It's a pretty dark tune.

We then had to wait until 2003 for "Out Of The Vein". I remember I was in Vancouver doing focus groups at the time and hit the Virgin Megastore during some downtime and found this album in the racks. I picked it up and immediately popped it into my discman. At first, I wasn't sold on this record, but I did keep listening to it for the duration of that trip and before long, I found it had some great songs. Forget Myself, Crystal Baller, Palm Reader and the hidden song Good Man are all stand-outs. Like most '90's alt-bands that had that one big hit, commercial reception to "Blue" and "Out Of The Vein" followed the trend of diminishing returns, but this didn't phase me.

There was then a 6 year break between "Out Of The Vein" and "Ursa Major". During this time, the band toured fairly relentlessly, mostly in US College towns, where they developed quite a cult following. But promises of new music in 2007 and 2008 disappeared (save for the digital-only 3 track "Red Star" EP) and only came true in August of 2009. "Ursa Major" is my least favourite 3EB album but it still has merit. Bonfire is a great tune that holds up well in relation to their classics.

The fact of the matter is Stephan Jenkins is a pretty damn good songwriter and if it takes him 4 to 6 years to write new tunes, than so be it. It takes me on average of 4 years to write a new short story, so I hear you Stephan! Of course, they keep firing guitarists, bassists, etc. so this doesn't help. But their songs speak to me and even 17 years after S/T dropped they still do. There is some depth to the lyrics for sure. They say they are mixing their new album so that will be another 6 years between albums if it actually comes out in 2015...here's hoping so.