Creating this kind of list always proves to be a more difficult task than expected. For one, I often wonder if I’m qualified to make this list at all. I’m not really a music critic, even though I listen to a lot of music. And anyway, shouldn’t a list like this exist to help introduce people to music they might have missed throughout the chaotic early months of 2014? I fear that, especially as I’ve gotten older, my tastes have solidified, become predictable and boring. I’m not tracking emerging trends and seeking out what is happening in the shadows.
The other, and maybe more obvious reason, is that my listening tastes are so scattered that even thinking of what is the best music of 2014 ends up including music that was recorded sometimes decades earlier. Reissue culture is maybe the most exciting thing happening in music right now, and I could have (more easily) made an entire list of the best reissue releases of the year. But what is compiled below is a combination, of the new and the not so new, all released on some sort of physical format (with one exception) in 2014. This is also, of course, a partial list. There are many artists — Flying Lotus, Kanye West, Shellac — that are reportedly releasing albums in the next couple of months and that I will surly devour. For now, this what we have, a diary of my listening habits over the first three quarters of 2014. Enjoy.
FKA Twigs – “LP1”
The plainly titled “LP 1” is a delirious set of loopy and hypnotic rumbling R&B tunes from the UK-based FKA Twigs. This one has been majorly hyped over the past few months and, almost shockingly, lives up to the pre-release chatter. Her previous EP’s have been on heavy rotation in my headphones all year, and the new one will certainly be for the rest.
Madlib – “Rock Konducta Vols. 1&2” & “Piñata Beats”
One of the most baffling things to me is how people continuously sleep on everything Madlib does. I know he has a cult following, and his stuff is madly respected in underground rap circles, but everything that comes out of his chaotic and brilliant mind is undoubtedly better than most of what else is being released in that year, 2014 being no exception. So far, he has dropped two volumes of his “Rock Konducta” series — a sidebar to his longstanding classic “Beat Konducta” series — featuring a dense collage of rock music samples from all over the globe. Beat digging doesn’t get better than this. He also released “Piñata,” a collaboration with the rapper Freddie Gibbs, and then released an instrumental version of the album which is just as listenable. Some of the most pleasurable listening experiences of the year, for sure.
White Lung — “Deep Fantasy”
Ferocious punk from Canada, this one is a little more polished than their previous two albums — “It’s The Evil” and “Sorry,” both worth checking out — but still holds the same intensity. It’s a quick one at 10 songs in 22 minutes, which is part of its greatness.
Todd Terje — “It’s Album Time”
Todd Terje’s singles were at the top of my 2013 end-of-the-year list, and his album, released in April, was something totally unexpected. Instead of wall-to-wall space-disco thump, the album sees Terje expanding his sound, from the suspenseful Bryan Ferry-guested “Johnny and Mary” to the lounge-like “Alfonso Muskedunder.” All the songs incorporate Terje’s use of vintage analog synthesizers, but as a collection you never feel like you’re listening to the same song over and over again.
Evian Christ — “Waterfall” (EP)
I first heard about Evian Christ when he worked with Kanye West on last year’s “Yeezus.” Their collaboration led to one of the album’s most profane and pleasurable songs, “I’m In It,” which sounded like a porn soundtrack slowed down and played through a sound system in a subway tunnel. Needless to say, his next batch of songs matched the weirdness of his “Yeezus” appearance, and I’m looking forward to whatever he does next.
Jamie xx — “All Under One Roof Raving”
Jamie is a member of the xx, a band I don’t really like. Thankfully his solo recordings are much more engaging, and built more for the club than the dorm room. My only wish is that he would collaborate with more forward-thinking artists (imagine if he got in a room with Kanye West?) and leave those dour bandmates behind.
Fennesz — “Becs”
This is strictly for nighttime, and might be an acquired taste. It is not music to throw on when your friends are over. It is headphone music for walking home from a bar, or to left drift over you as you sleep. Christian Fennesz does things with noise I never thought possible, and every album he puts out always makes me fundamentally challenge my preconceptions about what makes music listenable. I know some noise fanatics can probably point me in the direction of more challenging or difficult stuff (please do), but for now, this is my soundtrack for the fading hours.
Shabazz Palaces — “Lese Majesty”
This is another very recent one (I picked it up less than two weeks ago) but I’m finding myself listening more and more to the leftfield future-hip-hop sound coming from Shabazz Palaces. I’m not going to even pretend I know what he’s talking about most of the time, but I enjoy falling deep within the web of abstract rhymes and obscure, swirling beats.
Cultures of Soul (record label) — “Bombay Disco” & “Tropical Disco Hustle”
If I’m being honest, this is what I’ve listened to more than anything else this year. Cultures of Soul, a small label based out of Boston, has released two of the most listenable compilations of the year. “Bombay Disco” features songs from Bollywood films of the ’80s, whose soundtracks were clearly influenced by the success of “Saturday Night Fever.” The label’s other major release, “Tropical Disco Hustle,” features a smattering of disco-influenced tracks that came out of the Caribbean during the late-’70s and early ’80s. I’m so in love with these records that I’ve made it a personal goal this year to turn people on to this music, so this, of course, is an extension of that.
Red Bull Music Academy — Hardcore Activity in Progress
Here is the one exception I mentioned earlier. Although the music played during the Red Bull Academy’s “Hardcore Activity in Progress” event was not recorded, to my knowledge, and has never been released in any kind of format, physical or digital, it was the most intense musical experience of the year for me and so I felt it deserved a place on this list. The general idea was for the event to explore the many sonic varieties of the term “hardcore,” and featured so many acts on so many different stages, all playing inside a giant warehouse at the same time, that the effect was like being in a boxing ring getting pummeled from every angle. Exhausting and thrilling in equal measure.
The Clean — “Anthology” (reissue)
Legendary New Zealand band finally getting the recognition they deserve. Merge Records reissued their “Anthology,” an essential collection of most of their (best) recorded content. All the music that came out on the Flying Nun label is having a bit of a renaissance in the last few years, and the Clean are the best of those bands. Listen to this entire thing and try to imagine a world of lo-fi indie music existing without them. One more thing: it sounds better than most, if not all, of the people who ripped them off.
Furthur Reductions — “Woodwork”
This is one I don’t know much about but purchased at a record store on a whim. Mid-temple dance music, infused with dub delays, and the type of music that manages to work in a variety of settings. I’ve gone on marathon writing sessions listening to this record over and over again, and I’ve thrown it on during a party and let it drift over the chatter and drinks.
Copeland — “Beacause I’m Worth It”
This is another record I bought on whim, based on the recommendation of somebody at the local record store where I shop and because the album cover is strangely appealing. I knew that Inga Copeland was part of the mysterious group called Hype Williams with the musician Dean Blunt. There is no easy way to describe what this record sounds like. The beats throb, noises emerge out of nowhere, sometimes grating and other times sensual, and then disappear just as quickly. Sometimes the songs sound sinister, other times they have an innocent, almost sweet quality to them. Nothing predictable about this one here, which is part of the reason why I keep listening to it.
Punk 45 — Vols. 1-3 (compilations)
These compilations, released by the estimable Soul Jazz label out of the UK, are non-stop fun. Most of the songs are not that obscure if you’re a fan of punk music from the late ’70s and early ’80s, but just having them all in one place, sounding great, is enough for me. And if you’re not well-versed in the music of the period, these serve as the perfect introductions.
Fluxion — “Broadwalk Tales”
This is another one that I picked up randomly at a record store (starting to notice a trend here?) without any clue of what it sounded like. It’s another late-night record for me, and to my ears it sounds like Kingston-born dub or lover’s rock filtered through the swirl of modern electronic hiss. It’s relaxed in a way most records are not, especially in the world of electronic music.
