Our Top Records of 2014

Happy New Year! No, we didn’t get too carried away with New Year’s Eve parties to publish our Best of list, you just never know who may release a surprise album on New Year’s Eve and steal the thunder of everyone else who made music over the course of the year that was. Of course, that didn’t happen, but it’s better to wait and be sure than to scramble and edit. So, with that said, here is our list of favorite records of 2014. In typical fashion, our list is in no order, other than alphabetical, because it’s difficult enough to list just a few albums that we’ve loved. Trying to list them in order of favorites seems an impossible task. 2014 was a phenomenal year for music, what were some of your favorite records?

Alvvays ~ Alvvays The album most likely to feature prominently in
The Perks of Being a Wallflower were it written today, this record is what would happen if Belle & Sebastian and Camera Obscura had a musical baby. It’s beauteous, wistful pop from beginning to end and I’m fairly certain if you listen closely you can hear Molly Rankin’s heart actually breaking during ‘Dives’.

Catfish and the Bottlemen ~ The Balcony People are always complaining that the days of good ol’ rock n’ roll are over, dead, and buried. Those people don’t look very hard for music. Those people have also, very obviously, not heard Catfish and the Bottlemen. As is often the case, the band had traction in the UK before the US got wise to them. Thankfully, their track Kathleen is starting to see pretty big radio play in Chicago and other major markets in America as well.

Deru ~ 1979 Deru, oh how we love thee. Released as an accompanying part of his multimedia project/experiment on music and memories, this album is only a small part of the wonder that is 1979. Each of the record’s tracks is mood evoking and thought-provoking and for anyone new to Deru’s work, it’ll make you want to seek out every song he’s ever made.

Emily Danger ~ Peace Arch The year brought a new release from one of our favorites; Emily Danger! I was fortunate enough to listen to this prior to its release and it brought me to tears. Not only are the lyrics powerful and the music moving, but I was so very proud of how far Emily Danger have come since they were first introduced to me what seems like so many moons ago. This is an EP with more soul than most acts can muster in 12 or more songs and it makes you wonder if anyone’s speakers can withstand an entire LP worth of Emily Nicholas’ vocal power.

Foster the People ~ Supermodel I’m not sure if this album made me a fan of Foster the People, if I just really like concept albums, or if it’s simply Paul Epworth working his magic. Perhaps it’s a combination of the three? Regardless, this is a damn fine record. Dealing with consumerism and the societal obsession with pop culture and all things superficial, Supermodel succeeds at pointing out the glaringly obvious without trying to wax profound. It sets a soundtrack to our own bad habits and gives us a mirror into things each of us are guilty of in one way or another. And it’s really fun to listen to!

Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman ~ Winds of Samsara Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman worked with over 120 musicians on Winds of Samsara and the result is a global masterpiece that spent weeks atop the Billboard charts and is now nominated for a Grammy Award. If you’re looking for an album to bring tranquility and harmony to your hectic life, this is the one.

Daniel Lanois ~ Flesh and Machine Musical genius and producer extraordinaire Daniel Lanois can do virtually no wrong in my book and Flesh and Machine is no exception. Being entirely electronic and a bit ambient, this is a bit different to Lanois’ previous material but it’s every bit the high standard affair and aural wonderment we’ve come to expect from Lanois, be he performer or producer.

Sbtrkt ~ Wonder Where We Land If this album featured no song other than Look Away it would probably still make our list for top records of 2014. Fortunately, it does, and the rest of the record is fabulous. New Dorp, New York seems to cement the theory that I’m a huge fan of everything Ezra Koenig does as long as it doesn’t involve his own band.

Greg Spero ~ Electric Our favorite find of the past year was, without question, Greg Spero. a fellow Chicago native and a man whose talent is nothing if not awe-inspiring, Spero’s track Raga was perhaps the most played track around our office last year. He also became a favorite at The VT!

St. Vincent ~ St. Vincent This record is on pretty much every Best of list, and with good reason. Ms. Annie Clark made an incredible album and one that serves as proof that pop can be masterful. When you take your stage name from a Nick Cave song and cut your professional teeth with Sufjan Stevens and The Polyphonic Spree you’re setting a pretty high bar for yourself. Fortunately for all of us St. Vincent more than measures up.

The War on Drugs ~ Lost in the Dream Another darling of 2014, Lost in the Dream is a gorgeous record. Remnants of classic singer/songwriters of the 60s and 70s combined with elements of their own give The War on Drugs a sound that is both unique and warmly familiar.

Thom Yorke ~ Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes When a photo of a mysterious white album was shared on Twitter, the internet went crazy assuming it was a Radiohead album that was on the verge of release (even though the band had just began recording). Surprise, surprise, it was a new solo record by frontman Thom Yorke…and it was in-cred-ible! Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, produced by usual suspect and partner in crime Nigel Godrich, is a logical next step from Yorke’s first solo effort The Eraser, and offers the abstract lyrics, electronic mayhem, and sonic mastery that fans have grown to expect from Yorke (and Godrich). The album sounds a bit more human than Yorke’s other work, and perhaps even more than the last Radiohead offering, The King of Limbs.