It’s that time again. What were your favorite new albums released in 2014? Mine are listed below. I enjoy hearing from as many people as possible and learning about new favorite albums. I’m tagging a bunch of random people who I think might be interested in the thread, but anyone is welcome to comment. I think 2014 was a great year for music, due in no small part to the releases from many established, well-known artists. Led by the famous/infamous (depending on your point of view) free iTunes release of Songs of Innocence by U2, a long list of big and medium name acts put out new albums this year, including Robert Plant, Bruce Spingsteen, the Black Keys, Jack White, Drive By Truckers, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Spoon. And those are only the acts whose albums made it into my list of favorites. Big names like Foo Fighters, Tom Petty and Pixies also released albums that I thought were ok, but don’t count among my favorites of the year. However, with this annual Facebook discussion regarding favorite albums I’m always looking to discover something new from someone else’s favorites. In that spirit, I’m going to list my five favorite albums from musical artists that are either completely new, or that I’ve never listened to before this year. But do make sure you check out that Robert Plant album, which is really different stylistically and all-around fantastic. And that new Old Crow is the best. _________________ ● Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music Outlaw country is alive and well in 2014, and Sturgill Simpson is one of the best songwriters you’ll ever encounter. This is not a ranking in order from most favorite to least most favorite, but I think this is my overall favorite album of the year. ● Hozier - Hozier Hozier is new on the scene. Part R&B, part indie rock. Phenomenal album. Favorite track: “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” ● The Kooks - Listen Yes, this is a pretty well-established band, I’ve just never listened to an entire album from them until this year. Brit pop rock, I guess? Lots of killer catchy hooks. “Forgive & Forget” is infectious. ● Shakey Graves - And The War Came Straight up Americana, right in my wheelhouse. Favorite track: “Dearly Departed” ● Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - Dereconstructed Burn down the house rock and roll. Nothing subtle about the sound, but lyrically he has more in common with Bob Dylan than KISS. Not a bad combo. BONUS REC: Dead Man’s Town: A Tribute to Springsteen’s Born In The USA Hard to count a tribute album as “new” music, but the reinterpretations on this record are indeed remarkably new and original. This is one of the greatest albums in rock and roll given a stark reworking. Must listen.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 17:31:45 +0000