2014 Favorites: Music

Well, it's been awhile but I've been pretty busy so, to begin wrapping up the year, here is my list of musical favorites for 2014.  Once again, I want to emphasize that this is my favorites, it is not an objective best of the year.  For example, Get Hurt was by no means a groundbreaking, earth shaking record; I just really happened to like it.

Honorable Mentions: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- Hypnotic Eye 

Just a good rock album by a good rock band.  Sometimes simple works.

Weird Al Yankovic- Mandatory Fun

Sure,  All has done more ingenius sets of comedy songs, even in recent years, but the ambitious promotion of 'a video a day for a week' combined with his first ever number one album (sure, it's with an * due to generally sluggish record sales... but still...) makes this well worth noting.



 

10.  Jack White - Lazzaretto

I wasn't feeling this one as much as previous Jack White projects, but it is still one of the musically more interesting albums of the year.  

9. Future Islands - Singles

These guys came out of nowhere.... it's pop music for grown-ups. 



8. Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes

For what is basically an odds and ends collection, this manages to sound fresh and hold together nicely.  The rocked out version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and "American Skin" had both been around as live versions for years but the proper studio recordings serve them well. 


7. Tweedy- Sukierae

A pleasant surprise for old-school Wilco fans.  Jeff Tweedy makes an album that harkens back to the days of Being There and Summerteeth.


6. U2 - Songs of Innocence 

Despite the controversy of its release, it's still a pretty good album.  Far from their best but still pretty far from terrible.  "Raised By Wolves" and "The Troubles" make up for the mediocrity of the lesser tracks. (seriously, though, that cover is totally creepy)


5. The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams

An early contender for my favorite album this year, the early-Springsteen lyrics/vocals over Alt-rock/metal guitars delivers a unique punch.  They might be the world's best bar band.

4. The Black Keys - Turn Blue

New Wave and Disco infused Blues Rock?  Sure! Why Not!  I'm not a big Black Keys fan in general but this is my favorite thing they've done so far. 

3. Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In the End

Is it as good as The Blue Album? No. Of course not. Is it as bad as The Red Album? No. Far from it. It might actually be the best album they've done since regrouping in 2001.... it's as least as good as The Green Album. And the "Return to Ithaca" guitar-symphony might be my favorite musical moment of 2014. 


2. The Gaslight Anthem- Get Hurt
 
Sure, Brian Fallon might be a hokey lyricist but, like his idol Bruce Springsteen (no stranger to the occasional bit of hokiness himself) he sings with enough conviction that it's mostly forgivable.


1. Foo Fighters- Sonic Highways

Some people complained that after the city-to-city roots exploration of the accompanying documentary series, Dave Grohl simply went and made another Foo Fighters album.... and that's kind of what I most want when I buy a Foo Fighters album.  Sure, while the album might not be filled with the local flavors that many were expecting, the journey did provide a certain amount of inspiration for the band in delivering a kick-ass set of tunes.


Top Tunes:

 5. "The Troubles"- U2
4. "What Did I Do?/God As My Witness"- Foo Fighters
3. "Rollin' and Tumblin" - The Gaslight Anthem
2. "Seasons (Waiting On You)"- Future Islands
1. "Low Key"- Tweedy