The Longest Road

JBowes is back. So is the music.

[jbowesmusic]

I did a tourist-y thing today. (Pssst: Cali has been fucking gorgeous all week.)

[jbowesmusic]

Hello, MPLS. You're much warmer than I thought you'd be. Sorry I can't stick around. Next time...

[jbowesmusic]

Since I'm sharing it everywhere else, here's a photo taken by my friend Jason (somefuckingpics on Instagram). While I'm at it, for anyone who doesn't know, I've got the same name over there as I do here.

[fuckyeahdidierdrogba]

Long live the king.

Didier Drogba tra-lala-lala! Didier Drogba tra-lala-lala-lalala.

[jbowesmusic]

I'm Still Here//5.8.15

[jbowesmusic]

Most (but not all) of the awesome Locations Department I've worked with for the better part of the entire past year. Whatever happens next, it was a pretty fun ride.

[jbowesmusic]

Snowy Commute//3.5.15 I need winter to end and an actual vacation.

[loljocks]

RUN THEM JEWELS, BOBO

[jbowesmusic]

Doooooope. Would buy a t-shirt.

[jbowesmusic]

#1 The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream

If I hadn't left this list so late, I would write a novel about how much I love this album. I'm not a churchgoing man, but this album is the closest thing I've had to a religious experience that didn't involve sex and/or drugs in many, many years. That's the highest praise I could possibly give, so I'll just shut up and let the album speak for itself.

Thanks to those of you actually taking the time to read this poorly-timed, half-assed excuse for a list. I hope you had a great 2014 and that you have an even better 2015. 

[jbowesmusic]

#2 Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2

Any other year, and this album would have been a sure bet for #1 album of the year. Killer Mike and El-P bring the motherfucking ruckus for the second time with their latest collaborations as Run The Jewels. It was said elsewhere by someone more talented than I, but if RTJ1 was an back-alley knife fight, RTJ2 is walking into your apartment to find someone waiting for you with a baseball bat. It's everything you could want in an album, and if you don't like it, I'm not sure I'd like you. That's how strongly I feel about it and the two gentlemen who created it. 

[jbowesmusic]

#3 Nick Hakim - Where Will We Go (Pts. 1 and 2)

OK, so this is two EPs I've shoved together in a playlist, but it's my list so I make the rules. This Brooklyn-via-DC newcomer to the indie scene earned himself a lot of buzz playing shows around the city this past year and released two separate EPs. He's funny, personable, a great songwriter, and a talented performer. Keep your eyes on him going forward, as good things are surely in store.

[jbowesmusic]

#4 Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso

Slick, catchy, fun-as-fuck pop music mixed with downbeat, grooving earworms. There's really nothing more for me to say. You should just go listen to the album.

[jbowesmusic]

#5 Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World

Last seen destroying each others' equipment and getting into fistfights on stage, these hard rocking French Canadians seem to have settled their differences long enough to get into the studio together and create another album that goes hard from start to finish. At times brutal, straightforward rock and well-composed songwriting and musicianship at others, this one will be in rotation for a while to come.

[jbowesmusic]

#6 Big K.R.I.T. - Cadillactica

This talented rapper from the newest generation of southern MCs has delivered his most ambitious offering yet in the form of Cadillactica. It's not flawless, but it shows great potential while also showcasing his current abilities, which are plentiful. The ambition alone is admirable, and while not an actual concept album, it flows like one and brings back memories of the days when skits were used to bridge together the themes of rap albums. Well worth a listen, and it's worth keeping an eye on K.R.I.T. in the future, as well.

[jbowesmusic]

#7 RAC - Strangers

RAC, or Remix Artist Collective, as it was rumored to be called for a while, is actually (mostly) the work of Andre Anjos, the supremely talented electronic artist responsible for remixes so jaw-dropping that they made people wonder why the originals weren't as good. When news spread that RAC would be releasing an LP of original material, it was highly anticipated, and the effort delivered to the masses did not disappoint. 

[jbowesmusic]

#8 alt-J - This Is All Yours

The standout track from these indie veterans is certainly "Every Other Freckle", but don't sleep on "Left Hand Free" or "Hunger of the Pine", either. I could take or leave the Zeppelin-esque, Middle Earth-inspired interludes, but the rest of the tracks are strong enough to make me overlook the less interesting moments.

[jbowesmusic]

#9 Jungle - Jungle

Another solid debut offering from an artist featuring slick production and catchy tracks. Good music to vibe to and have stuck in your head for days after.