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Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2014. Our next list is from DJ and Assistant Music Director Austin (The Liquid Diet).
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#1Sea When Absent by A Sunny Day In Glasgow (Lefse) |
#2Black Messiah by D'Angelo & The Vanguard (RCA) |
#3II by Makthaverskan (Run for Cover) |
#4Attica! by Wussy (Shake It) |
#5St. Vincent by St. Vincent (Loma Vista) |
#6Hierarchy by Lightfoils (Saint Marie) |
#7Under Color of Official Right by Protomartyr (Hardly Art) |
#8Syro by Aphex Twin (Warp) |
#9Piñata by Freddie Gibbs and Madlib (Madlib Invazion) |
#10To Be Kind by Swans (Young God) |
Honorable Mentions: 11. Spoon / They Want My Soul / Loma Vista Seven years removed from what had been their best record, Spoon offer another record that marries the spacious mini-symphonies of 2002’s Kill the Moonlight with the rock splendor of 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The highlight, “Outlier”, perhaps their best-ever song, is a brutal kiss-off track, with sinister handclaps, foreboding organ, and a lyrical tale that makes up for a lack of detail with the simple question, “What happened to you, kid?” Spoon have been one of America’s best and most consistent bands for over decade, and they prove it again here. 12. Connections / Into Sixes / Anyway The Columbus band returns with another set of slapdash bar-rock anthems. Earworms for those who don't really need to keep a tune. 13. Alvvays / Alvvays / Polyvinyl From Toronto, Alvvays take cues from cutesy indie bands of the past like The Aislers Set, Camera Obscura, and Belle & Sebastian. However, their ace-in-the-hole is a shoegaze-y mix of vintage keyboard and a raucous Jazzmaster. So, when Molly Rankin belts out “Hey, hey / Marry me, Archie”, you won’t be drowning out the stereo when you sing along. 14. Liars / Mess / Mute Liars bring the beats, bleeps, and bloops of “Mr. Your On Fire Mr.” to their usual experimental post-punk melange. The first half of Mess is the French house record we’ve been begging for since Daft Punk and Justice have both recently missed the mark significantly, the second half is the weirdest chillout record you’ve ever heard. 15. Todd Terje / It's Album Time / OlsenNorwegian space-disco jester Todd Terje builds an album that incorporates Tropicalia, 80's balladry, and jazz into the mix. The trick achieved here is convincing you it's mindless fun. It's certainly fun, but it's all intentional. 16. Angel Olsen / Burn Your Fire For No Witness / Jagjaguwar Chicago singer-songwriter burns her torch beautifully for the heartbroken and determined. Indie takes on folk-rock have gotten ridiculously boring over the past few years, and Olsen rages against such indifference with a record that forces one to pay attention, no matter the volume. 17. Klaus Johann Grobe / Im Sinne Der Zeit / Trouble In Mind Swiss krautrock duo release a great record based around liquid basslines, vintage keyboards, and insistent beats. 18. A Silver Mt. Zion / Hang On To Each Other EP / Constellation Post-rock legends decide to remix their own track twice, showing us a side of their brooding, intense music that had barely lurked in the background, let alone existed. Giant step forward for the band. 19. Ex Hex / Rips / Merge Mary Timony leaves Wild Flag in her wake with a good old-fashioned rock record. All fun, no crap. 20. Run The Jewels / Run The Jewels 2 / Mass Appeal El-P and Killer Mike bring the noise just a year after their breakthrough debut. Major props for bringing Zack de la Rocha back into the public consciousness. 21. Literature / Chorus / Slumberland Philly foursome get as close to The Smiths as you can without at all sounding maudlin. Echo-y guitars and super-catchy melodies. 22. The Men / Tomorrow’s Hits / Sacred Bones The Men had been making the move from their hardcore punk roots to a more classic, bar-rock vibe ever since their first album. On Tomorrow’s Hits they go full Sticky Fingers, throwing horns, harmonica, and banging piano into the mix for a hilariously glorious rock-n-roll stew. 23. The Afghan Whigs / Do to the Beast / Sub Pop The soul-inflected alt-rock band that never got the attention they deserved back in the 90's released another bruising album. Greg Dulli's voice is in all its former glory, sinister and marvelous. REISSUE OF THE YEAR:The Aislers Set's albums on Slumberland and Suicide Squeeze – Twee pop from San Francisco that's decidedly lo-fi, incredibly melodic, and hugely influential. Best music of this sort to not come from Scotland during the 90's and early 00's. |
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