Top Albums of 2014:
I always have to put a disclaimer here about top lists of the year. There have been many times when I have discovered an album that was released this year after the fact ( as in a year or more later) and that easily fits within this list. We're living in a very interesting time in which there are seemingly millions of bands worldwide who are putting out interesting albums and may be on extremely small labels with very scarce distributions. Sometimes, these albums gain an audience and are re-pressed and I hear about them. Other times, I just don't live in the country where the album is released and therefore miss that particular musical adventure. This is one reason why I enjoy sharing thoughts and ideas about music with people on Flickr, because it's really an international community where I enjoy learning things.
Not surprisingly, most of my top albums of 2014 are psychedelic albums because, well, I love psychedelic music more than any other type of music. It's one of the only things that seems to take all the pain of living away. Here are some of my top albums of 2014:
1. Temples: Sun Structures
The above portrait was actually taken by me at Lolla. I was too nervous initially to ask after Austin Psych Fest because, well, they are really talented and their lead singer, James Edward Bagshaw, looks a little too much like a reincarnated Marc Bolan for me to ever get the words that come out of my mouth even right in my head. I took this photo after telling him how much I love their band and, I must admit, all of the band members were very nice and actually seemed to genuinely appreciate how much I enjoyed their live sets and their music both.
This album is a perfect psychedelic love affair. It has a structural component that keeps the listener engaged as if listening to light hearted pop but it's so much more heavy hitting and earnest than that. The effect is one glorious and flawless creation.
templestheband.com/music
2. Morgan Delt: Obstacle Eyes
Another psychedelic love affair but a little more out there and weird. The strange qualities of this linger with haunted memories. In contrast, the urgency of some of the tracks isn't completely lost and the final effect is an adventure not unlike listening to the best songs by the band The Residents for example. Morgan Delt's record is on one of my favorite record labels, local Trouble in Mind Records, and I hope they create many more records to come.
morgandelt.bandcamp.com/album/morgan-delt-2
3. White Fence: For the Recently Found Innocent
On more of a garage-psychedelic side than the first two albums, White Fence's take on psychedelic music also harkens more clearly back to have even more of a 60s reminiscence. There are tinges of sadness on this one too, including the album's opening track and the lyrics of "Like That" which make me long for everything to be right with the world. I hope this band keeps working with the lovely Welsh Cate Le Bon.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag6Tzsv2RM4
www.facebook.com/pages/White-Fence/109125289153214
4. Thee Silver Mt. Zion: FUGF We Pour Light on Everything
The album starts with a little girl who proudly exclaims the following words: "We live on an island called Montréal and we make a lot of noise because we love eachother!" When Efrim Menuck and Jessica Moss decided to become parents, I was of course happy for them but also worried that we wouldn't see another Thee Silver Mt. Zion album again (or Godspeed You! Black Emperor album as Efrim is the most essential component). It seems they are creating music with a newfound vigor instead in attempts to put more creative music in the world. Those who are used to GY!BE but not TSMZ may be unused to Menuck's voice, which is always a spiraling anguished animal that could either destroy or save the world (perhaps both in the same day). Menuck is talented beyond words and the symphony behind him gives the songs much more than a mere guitar could. Frantic violins are the highlight and each note is sung and played with an intense passion. I would highly recommend all of this band's albums and Constellation as a record label. This album is not for the faint or weak of heart.
www.tra-la-la-band.com/
5. Richard Skelton: Nimrod-The Inward Circles
This album is fragile and beautiful with gorgeous art work and words. It's dark ambient nature may creep up on you slowly but after it has enveloped you, it is really quite effective. This is a very deep feeling orchestration and one that is wholly remarkable and unforgettable. It seems almost brave to make this sort of music as you really have to share something deep from yourself.
richardskelton.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/nimrod-the-inward...
6. Liars: Mess
There is the weird Angus Andrew that we've all come to know and love who rambles about witches and has some bizarre stage antics and then there's the Angus who has recently discovered yarn. Yes, you got that right, yarn. That being said, Mess isn't exactly what the title suggests. It's actually just dance music for people who normally hate dance music. It's pop music for people who think pop music is a sad lie. If you want to train for a marathon and you happen to think Taylor Swift is an abomination, Mess is probably the album for you. Angus always seems to be teetering on the brink of an edge but in this case, it sure is a catchy edge that cuts all the same.
liarsliarsliars.com/
7. Ty Segall: Manipulator
I've always enjoyed Ty's music but I like the more psychedelic direction his songs are headed in lately. Still fun and catchy but with an element of depth, these songs are ones you can rock out to and think introspectively about as well. There's a nice overall sense to the album in terms of the progression of the songs and the journey the listener takes without ever feeling like you're listening to remotely the same song and an unpredictable sense to the album too. Segall's voice seems also better than ever in my opinion.
ty-segall.com/
8. Tiny Ruins: Brightly Painted One
If you like folk music tinged with desolation, you should look into Tiny Ruins as soon as humanly possible. Lead singer Hollie Fullbrook's voice is also very reminiscent of Sibylle Baier's, which alone was enough to make me rush out to see and buy this NZ band's album when they played at Thalia Hall opening up for Sharon Van Etten earlier this year. Sharon Van Etten also put out an album this year but I didn't like it as much overall as I did Tramp, Epic, and Because I was in Love (although it does have a couple of the best singles of the year with "Taking Chances" and "Every Time the Sun Comes Up." The music of Tiny Ruins reminds me of the minimalistic simplicity of SVE's first album, Because I was in Love. There's an innocence and a disarming bare bones sense to it that charms you easily.
tinyruins.bandcamp.com/
9. Fantasmes: Thralls to Strange Witchcraft
This is the kind of album that lingers and lulls both with such lovely melodies in place that it would be the perfect thing to listen to while watching rain slide down a window pane and thinking about the world. I don't often get the chance to hear what is coming out of Puerto Rico but if all the bands sounded like this, I'd consider moving there. There's such a haunted quality with these vocals that sucks you in with enough of a psychedelic sense to it to keep you definitely wanting more. These aren't necessarily pop or rock songs but there's a wonder in them that is very evocative of an introspective mood. Incidentally, my friend and fellow photographer Randy Cremean drove super fast to get us to see their opening set at Austin Psych Fest last year and I'll thank him for this forever. What a guy!
soundcloud.com/looselooseloose/fantasmes-bare-bones?in=lo...
10. Death Blues: Ensemble
Here's another album that sneaks up on you but this one is vastly different to the others on this list in many ways. The twists and turns the songs take and the way they evolve is nothing short of unexpected. There's a very wholesome yet unique and enthralling feeling to the album that often can take you off guard in terms of the instrumentation, which is a times a glorious cacophony. It takes some getting used to (probably more than the others on this list) but, at the same time, has it's definite rewards. In all, it's quite a thrilling adventure.
rhythmplex.bandcamp.com/album/ensemble 