Best Music of 2014: Charlie Moonbeam's Recommendations
I donât know how to write music reviews. I have spent the last 10 years of my life dedicated to the daily practice of listening to new music and reading beautifully written pieces about that music. And yet, to this day, I have no idea how to do it, really. But each year, I listen to a truly absurd amount of music in order to find the brightest points, the most enjoyable expressions of recorded music that has been released within the calendar year. And for the past couple of years, Iâve done all the work: listened to boatloads of records, got my relatively well-organized piles together, and read all of the music writing I could. But when it came to actually compiling the list⊠I just failed to be inspired enough!
At the end of each year, all of the lists come out, lists written by the best music writers on the Internet about the music that they Loved this year. And I LOVE IT. To me, Iâm just not nearly as interested in listening to peopleâs perspectives on music that they "kinda liked" as much as I am abut peopleâs perspectives on music that they absolutely Loved. Itâs so often the case that someone will be effortlessly poetic and compelling when expressing their love for a particular record. And thatâs why we do this isnât it?!? Because we all Love music so much! And all we want to do is enjoy it!
So, when I get to the point where I want to compile my own list at the âend of the year,â I am battling between two things: 1. My innate desire to share really good music that Iâve unearthed for the listening pleasure of others and 2. The intensity of trying to throw out my own humble perspective amongst a World Wide Web of great writers with excellent taste. And maybe the latter has gotten the best of me in years past. But this year, I am too damn blessed, too damn happy, and too damn inspired by not only all of the music Iâve been listening to, but all of the people that I Love in my life to let another one go by! So by golly, hereâs my freakinâ list!!!
I donât know how you like to do things, but Iâve laid things out here in a way that I trust is approachable. Consider this a museum of sorts. A virtual museum with a very specific gallery that includes only musical records released in the year 2014 that your buddy Charles was able to listen to and thought were really good. Look at the album covers, click on the links, go on whatever journey awaits. Take a look, I promise thereâs something youâll enjoy :)
(Note: I am an avid user of Spotify and all of this music can be found there. I have compiled a playlist here where you can find each of these albums listed in the same order.)
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Stand-Out Records (or Records I Won't Forget) of 2014
D'Angelo and the Vanguard Black Messiah (RCA Records)
Admittedly, I am incredibly intimidated about writing even this sentence with regards to DâAngeloâs masterpiece Black Messiah. To discuss this record is to open up a discussion about perfection, something that will inevitably complicate the way we listen to this record. Because when the concept of perfection is introduced in regards to something that is perceived subjectively by any and all people, what tends to lead the conversation is the critical eye. And, folks, I wanna be clear here that I am absolutely in no way a critic and my only intention musically is to share my experiences of musical discovery with whoever is interested. So as much as I want to call Black Messiah a perfect record, Iâm going to refrain for the sake of the art piece.
The truth is, you donât really need me to tell you that this record is amazing. In fact, there is so much more meaningful literature out there on the Internet written by much more veteran writers than myself that do wonders as far as contextualizing and bringing meaning to DâAngeloâs follow-up to his last (perfect) album, Voodoo which came out in 2000. They even paint a beautiful picture of how his surprise album release at the end of the year when all of the âBest ofâ lists had been compiled was still incredibly well-timed with regards to the political injustices going on in the black community this year. But you see, I canât really speak to all of that. Because while I can describe it, I canât know it. But what I do know is the way this record feels to me.
OK, Iâll say it, this record feels perfect to me. I have been studying and appreciating not only DâAngeloâs music but the entire neo-soul movement for quite some time now and it is by and large one of my favorite little pockets of the modern musical landscape. I even gave a report in a class in college about the history and significance of funk and neo-soul and I announced to them that âthis next song to me is what sex should sound likeâ and I played them âUntitled (How Does It Feel)â from Voodoo. So myself and many of my music-loving buddies (thank God for those!) have been eagerly and patiently awaiting DâAngeloâs return to the musical conversation, knowing that he was an unsuppressable artistic and musical force, but also knowing that he had left the musical world with a poor taste in his mouth, having been over-sexualized and heralded as a king. A lot of pressure for one guy.
So when I found out that Black Messiah was real and my friends were all listening to it and one after the other was coming back with rave reviews, I knew it was my responsibility to dive in on DâAngeloâs terms and just listen. Thatâs it. Thatâs all it takes. Just listen to Black Messiah and it will reveal greater and greater depths with each listen. Thatâs a guarantee. I donât know what else to tell you.
Amen Dunes Love (Sacred Bones Records)
I spent one night in an extended melancholic state this year when someone very dear to me who Iâd been living with for what seemed like forever was finally due for her departure from Chicago. It was one of those nights where the city was turning to summer, it was sweater weather warm, and she left just as the sun was setting. Weâd both known it was coming, we hadnât been denying it or anything, and when it finally came there were no tears, just this subtle melancholia. And as a feelings kinda guy, I was absolutely content to sit in that feeling and let it be with me for as long as it wanted. So I sat there, with my dear friend Jove close by, sitting on the couch next to my cat Ganymede, sinking deeper into the present moment. And for whatever reason I was guided to choose Amen Dunesâ Love as my soundtrack for those feelings, for that moment.
I tried not to lose sight of that record, but that night I also sought refuge in Kevin Morbyâs Harlem River and Sylvan Essoâs self-titled debut (see below), so Iâd sort of wrapped that whole experience in those records as a collective. It wasnât until a recent drive from my home in Onomea to Hilo Town for the farmerâs market with my dear friends Evan and Ella when I put on Love and the effect was immediate and deep. We all stepped into this wonderful feeling, unknown to our naturally delighted Hawaiian flow, it was that feeling of subtle melancholy. And yet there was this understanding that this wasnât an experience of sadness, but rather an opportunity to become aware of a different shade of blue. All the while, we were giving a ride to our neighbor Sage who was in the back of the truck and I picked up a girl he would definitely have found attractive further down the road. We sat there, in our peaceful sadness, dreaming that these two star-crossed loversâ how-we-met story would be in the back of my truck that day.
Although it felt like forever, and our truck bed lovers parted ways upon arrival to Hilo, that 15 minute ride into town that day made it clear that this record by Amen Dunes was deeper and more meaningful as a singular piece than I could have possibly known. That whole day, Ella celebrated the joys of music knowing we had more of the record to listen to as we drove home. We ended up listening to the record at least twice more in its entirety that day. And every time I listen, even now as I write this, the same wonderful realization comes to light each time: Love Is. Love Is in all forms, all feelings, all experiences. Love IS. And thatâs why I am forever grateful that Love is as well. So that we always have a portal to that feeling.
Ian William Craig A Turn of Breath (Recital Program)
Beautiful music. Beautiful music will always have a space in my he(art). Because beautiful music is willing to address what we know, deep down inside, exists everywhere all the time, but what we often struggle to connect to. So much of music subverts the presence of beauty in our world because it functions as the Artistâs attempt to expand what we can perceive or experience as beautiful. But so rarely does an artist attempt to be simply beautiful. And thatâs the trick: being beautiful is in no way simple. Those that work too closely within the known realms of beauty end up with something predictable, something pleasant maybe, but something that lacks depth.
When someone is carving their unique path and happens upon beauty, and isnât afraid to let that beauty flow through their work, thatâs when youâve found something that holds up. There in an inherent beauty, an inherent depth that in itself IS beautiful and that you simply cannot take away. A modelâs beautiful appearance may be stripped from him or her in a single instant, but his or her spiritual depth transcends the physical. Understanding this, understanding that True Beauty is predicated on a depth unattainable by purely physical or tangible means, will open your he(art) to a world of music that will inspire you to recognize a depth of beauty within yourself.
Ian William Craigâs A Turn of Breath was the most beautiful record I heard all year. It is deep, it is original, it answers only to God. It is an album that inspires reverence, inspires awe, and is invaluable. It is the music of angels, as filtered through the found-sound tape hiss, warm organ whir, and celestial vocals of a humble vessel named Ian William Craig. This is music from Higher Realms filtered through Craig for the listening-pleasure of the people of Earth. Treat it well, brothers and sisters, for it is a gift.
The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream (Secretly Canadian)
Iâm always willing to let bands come into my world through a myriad of avenues, and Iâll never forget the day I chose to watch The War On Drugs perform in-studio on Seattleâs KEXP. Iâd heard of them (I read a lot about music), and once I cleaned my car Stinky while listening to their Slave Ambient from 2011, but sometimes nostalgia can make listening a bit difficult. As I began to watch, the host, 20-year KEXP veteran Cheryl Waters was absolutely beside herself with excitement for their performance and she was raving about this new record theyâd put out. I didnât quite know what to think but I kept my mind open and kept watching. And boy did I FEEL it! They grabbed me by the collar from the get go, and slowly tightened their grip as we were free-falling through the sky towards God knows where and Granduciel, somewhere about halfway into their 3rd song âRed Eyesâ lets out a powerful âWhew!â and the shredding of guitar solos that make this music what it is makes itself known.
Needless to say, I was sold on diving further into this world and I was ready to listen to their record and give it an honest go. I was living with my sweetheart Kristen at the time and I was constantly biking from the west side of Logan Square up to North Center where my band rehearsed, so I got a lot of music time in during that period. I remember putting on Lost in the Dream for the first time, right as Iâm throwing my leg over my bike (one of my favorite feelings in the world), and I was captivted, lost, and in Love. It was like a recurring dream, each day Iâd lock up Kristenâs place, hop on my bike, and somehow Iâd chosen Lost in the Dream again. It was almost like Iâd found this record covered in dust in someoneâs attic and I was mesmerized by the singularity of someoneâs vision, someoneâs aesthetic, someoneâs pain. Each day I just kept wanting to unpack this thing, dive deeper.
That was in April of this year and Iâve been revisiting that record ever since. Itâs still amazing every time. Because thereâs one reality that will be forever true about recorded music. If there was magic in the studio, thereâs magic forever. The War on Drugs made a masterpiece of magical music that is more than the shallow definitions youâll read elsewhere. Music can sound like something we can categorize, just like anyone can look like something we can categorize, but the he(art) of that thing cannot be denied no matter what form it takes.
Damien Jurado Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son (Secretly Canadian)
I was sitting in my chosen seat in the 7-seat tour van, the one in the middle of a way back (Iâm not a martyr, Iâm just an advocate for ease and comfort amongst the group), and I took a rare moment along the long and dusty road from Jasper, Alabama to Athens, Georgia to put on my headphones and put on any odd album that felt right. It was March and at that early part of the year, I like to check out albums by artists whose names Iâve come across many times over the years but who I hadnât yet listened to. In this particular instance, I put on the new record by a name Iâd seen a few times: Damien Jurado.
I donât exactly know what I thought Damien Juradoâs music would be like⊠I feel as though I may have sub-consciously roped him in with Alejandro Escovedo in the latin-named-singer-songwriters-I-havenât-checked-out-yet category. I tend to do that with artists whose name has come up a lot but I donât know what my âinâ will be: group them with other other artists I have yet to approach and leave them in that categorized little box until I choose to open that up. And boy am I glad I put on Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son.
From the gentle acoustic guitar picking/chime intro that drops into a washed-out groove pumping deliberately through a dusty Western soundscape, I was instantly hooked. Juradoâs voice is haunting yet inviting, and his songs are each unique patches in the quilt of silver and sand he has constructed. The production work by Richard Swift unify the vibe into something cohesively big, airy, psychedelic, and yet tight and in the pocket.Â
This is the kind of album that begs for solitude and the open road, one that invites you into a world you feel as though you already know, but are learning anew. It begs to be listened to multiple times. And once you feel as though you have a grasp, it begs to be shared :)
Twin Peaks Wild Onion (Grand Jury Music)
The whole concept of asking someone âwhat kind of music do you like?â has become a bit of a joke and a frustration with most people, as most people have developed eclectic tastes through the availability of music. So Iâve taken to asking people more specific questions about the music they listen to and when. For example, I have recently been really interested in asking people what album they listen to on a bright warm sunny summery day in their best mood when theyâre about to step out the door and into the world. Itâs a particular moment when you feel at one with the Sun Gods and you are ready to play with your day! And on the whole, the kid inside you loves that moment and you have an album.
Well, that record for me this year goes to Wild Onion by Twin Peaks. I have been a longtime fan of sun-blasted punk music and while I was living in Chicago, I was always thirsty for a record that perfectly complements my mood as I pushed off on my bike on a warm sunny day and I felt that the whole city was mine. Well, this Chicago quartet has created a record that is solid sunny smash from beginning to end. Alternating singers (and Iâm guessing songwriters) helps to keep this psychedelic beachball in the air throughout the course of this record. I have listened to this so many times now enjoying the warm regenerative feeling of direct sunlight and each time, I feel it sinks deeper and deeper within me. Easily one of my favorite takeaways from 2014.
Do yourself a favor and jam out to this record on your best, sunniest day :)
Grouper Ruins (Kranky Records)
One of the best times to listen to certain music is right as youâre about to go to bed. Now this is a bit of a tricky time as well. Often times, we go to bed when weâre tired and we fall asleep soon after laying down. But on rare but blessed occasions, we find ourselves naturally drifting towards bed but still buzzing with a subtle vitality that is taking sleep out of your immediate future. And there you are, lying in bed, your body tired but your spirit astir, and you donât quite know what to do. Well, my brothers and sisters, this is the golden hour for nocturnal musical vibrations.
This year, my go to record on full moon nights like these was Grouperâs Ruins. Grouper is Liz Harris, a solo artist who appears perpetually unfazed by the critical praise she receives time and time again for each of her records. Normally employing more electronic sounds and drones, Harris has been exploring the depth of space and sound for nearly a decade and her tendency to expand her soundsphere has worked well in her favor. Ruins, however, is the result of Harrisâ work as part of an artistâs residency in Aljezur, Portugal where she lived alone for a period of time. Equipped with only an upright piano, a 4-track cassette recorder, and plenty of time and solitude, Harris poured forth 2014âs most remarkably subtle record.
With eyes closed and in the solitude of your headspace, this album has the capacity to launch you into a world of whispers, shadows, spirits⊠the stuffs of a subtler reality where our heart gently sighs at all of the tragic beauty of the world, good and bad, big and small⊠this record is a gift. A gift from a talented artist given the time and space to create something that is simple, timeless, and perfect.
Kevin Morby Harlem River (Woodsist)/Still Life (Woodsist)
Sometimes, when I play my friends music, I just put something on, look around the room and say âgood vibes.â This generally means that this isnât music that grabs you and begs you to listen. This isnât music that is in your face or is demanding that you dissect each and every line of its poetry. Itâs a good vibes record, a record that creates a good, warm vibrational climate for a good olâ fashioned hang-out. And this canât just be any odd record. This record has to follow an even keel, can never become too brash, too immediate, or too alternative. The good vibes record is a record that enhances the chill, providing the sonic backdrop that serves as a canvas for lifelong memory-making.
This year, I was fortunate enough to discover an artist who released two excellent good vibe records within a year of each other. His name is Kevin Morby and his records are Harlem River and Still Life. This is shambly sun-kissed woodsy Big Sur garage rock and it is all the things I want my garage rock music to sound like. Itâs warm, groovy and melodic, like that friend that is so easy to hang out with you donât even need to talk to have an amazing time. Morbyâs world was a welcome guest in my musical world this year because he never asked for much and gave and gave and gave. And I Loved him for that.
And sometimes, like with any good vibes record, there was that moment when everything got quiet and all there was was Kevin, singing to himself. And youâd hear what he had to say. And it was beautiful. And it was deep. And it was oh so good. And thatâs when you knew Kevin was a damn good friend. Thanks Kevin. Thanks for taking us on the Slow Train. Thanks more than I can thank you.
Wildbirds & Peacedrums Rhythmn (The Leaf Label)
Being a twin, I was born into this world as a collaborator and Iâve had the opportunity to collaborate in all forms. And while working with different amounts of collaborators makes for some interesting dynamics, there is nothing quite like two people coming together as a duo. Two different worlds working to create harmony through some sort of artistic expression. Itâs a powerful process and it has the capacity to result with profound effects.
Such is the case with Wildbirds & Peacedrums. A married couple from Sweden, this pair is the perfect example of complementary collaboration. Andreas Werliln (husband) plays percussion, Mariam Wallentin (wife) sings, and together they make music that comprises of entirely drums and vocals. And itâs awesome. Like, really really awesome. Andreas is incredibly capable at captivating you rhythmically (and thatâs especially evident on this record appropriately titled Rhythmn) and Mariamâs vocal stylings are strong, dynamic, and reel you into their world effortlessly.Â
This is music that is visceral, tribal, and yet so very modern that it would be a difficult album not to dig. Two lovers, expressing together from the core of their humanity, and with their powers combined, it somehow achieves the ability to sound like âEverything All The Time.â
Aphex Twin Syro (WARP Records)
Growing up in Alabama, my exposure to music was undoubtedly one of the most formative experiences that I had. As soon as my tastes started to expand beyond the immediately available musics I was absorbing through music video programs on VH1 or that I was hearing on the radio, I immediately began to gravitate towards music that was weird. I realized that my world of Fastball, Smash Mouth, and âWeird Alâ Yankovic was pretty vanilla compared to the truly bizzaro stuff that the cool older kids in my life were listening to. I remember Dylan Hunter showed me Mr. Bungle and David Bowie. My cousin Malcolm showed me the Flaming Lips and The Twilight Singers. And Jake Rudolph showed me Aphex Twin.
I remember first hearing about/learning about Aphex Twin because of a Chris Cunningham music video compilation DVD that Jake had at his house. We all got together and watched a bunch of these videos together and this was music unlike that which Iâd come across. It was spastic, it was irreverently electric, and it was totally non-sequential. And yet it worked, something about it had the ability to draw you right into this world. As with many things, my appreciation for the work of the Aphex Twin project deepened as I started to explore the more ambient outings and the more simply beautiful works.
Syro is the first Aphex Twin record since the infinitely compelling Drukqs, and it is a warmly approachable return to the energized electronic energy that had defined his musical output in the past. Unlike so much electronic dance music, which can tend to be dulled by gratuitous use of loops and samples, Syro is an exercise in through-compostion, a truly orchestrated electronic effort. Itâs music with an intention. I listened to this music while journaling and I recall having a euphoric experience while diving deeper into the record, almost throwing my hands up in celebration at moments⊠and Iâve only done that a few times since it first happened to me with The Flaming Lipsâ Clouds Taste Metallic while I was writing a paper in middle school.
Thereâs just something about this musicâŠ
Lewis L'Amour (Light in the Attic)
Part of the (read: my) fascination with the endless pursuit of new (to me) music is the thrill of finding music that expands your concept of what music is and can be. And often times, you'll find that the story behind the record can be equally as compelling as the music itself, functioning as an expansion of the context of the record, giving it a more knowable tangible realness that can be forgotten just listening to a record as is, no story. This contextualization plays a major of what makes my journey into the musical realm so damn enjoyable. One of this year's greatest treasures was Lewis.
The story of this record is simple: Someone found a record in a thrift store (or something) and it had very little information, but they sent it to some people and eventually the good, discerning tastes of the folks at Light in the Attic Records found it and decided to reissue it. That's it. Sounds like a simple enough story, except for one thing. That's really all that they knew. Here was this record of music that everyone agreed was well and good, but nobody knew anything about the artist! It was this recorded moment in history that people found beautiful to listen to, but had no context with which to make sense of it! That's fascinating! And although the story has been figured out over time (you can find it by doing a quick Internet search), the ambiguity of this record's place in the world was what made it so compelling.
Upon first listen, there is something deeper than just the story itself happening within the music. It's gentle, breezy music that isn't quite sure of itself, but is whispering along nonetheless. It's the kind of music that almost couldn't exist in today's world, it's too vulnerable, too fragile. And yet it feels so smooth flowing through your sonic environment that you may find yourself playing this record over and over. I know I did.
Sturgill Simpson Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (High Top Mountain)
Every year I listen to more and more music that I Love, and I often find myself drawn to the warm, emotional qualities of the music of the American South. And although there are lots of ways to describe this music that helps to clarify what youâre getting into, so often artists labeled âcountryâ get ruled out before they ever get a moment of someoneâs time. Country music has seemed to exist exclusively for country music fans and that just ainât everybody. Until, my friends, someone like Sturgill Simpson comes along.
Metamodern Sounds of Country Music is a grand statement by a man with one foot firmly in the traditions of country music and the other foot taking a confident step towards unprecedented realms of metamodernism. And all the while heâs got a glass of whiskey in one hand, a joint in the other, and a lovable carefree baritone that wonât let you down. At times he talks about killing his ego because it isnât serving him, but heâs not afraid to mention in the first song that thereâs âa gateway in our minds where reptile aliens made of light cut you open and pull out all your pain.â Itâs honest, itâs subversive, itâs real. And it just might be your new favorite country record.
John Luther Adams (feat. The Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Conducted by Ludovic Morlot) Become Ocean (Cantaloupe Music)
I highly recommend listening to this piece done by the whipsmart do-no-wrongs at Radiolab about contemporary composer John Luther Adams. Adams is a man with a seemingly unquenchable curiosity and he has gone to great lenghts, to the ends of the Earth you might say, in order to find inspirational source material for his compositions. And this is because John Luther Adams composes pieces that attempt to capture the majesty of the unspeakable and the awesome.Â
While the piece in the Radiolab episode was about the Alaskan tundra, this particular composition deals with, well, Becoming Ocean. I honestly donât feel as though much more ought to be said about it. Just put it on and see where it takes you!
P.S. This is the composition that was awarded 2014âs Pulitzer Prize in Music, for what itâs worth.
Giant Claw Dark Web (Orange Milk Records)
One of my favorite sources for musical inspiration is a website called TinyMixTapes. The reason I enjoy TinyMixTapes so much in relation to all of the other sources of musical inspiration that I intake is that the staff of TMT are vehement supporters of outsider music, music that exists on the fringes, and in some cases, music that exists well beyond the fringes of what we perceive as normal. So when I am interested in a juicy dose of âout there,â I turn to my dear friends at TMT for support. Not only do they advocate for artists who may not be received as Lovingly from other media sources, but, much like the music they like to write about, they break down the barriers and break all the rules of what it means to review a record, and I Love watching them do so.
So I was listening to a bunch of records that theyâd recommended and this one in particular stuck out to me. Giant Clawâs undeniably bizarro world of samples, synthetic clavier stabs, and other-Earthly beats become clear from the beginning. And instead of let up for the sake of letting a groove actualize itself, the sounds continue to morph into and out of themselves like a series of funhouse mirrors. Dark Web is like opening a door in the dream state behind which lies a world filled with color-blasted cartoons, anachronistic footage of old-skool PSAs, and psychedelic camera filters, all floating in an ever-imploding abyss⊠and choosing to listen is like choosing to enter that doorway. And yet, over the course of the listening experience, everything becomes oddly familiar, and you feel compelled to surrender to this netherworld.
I donât expect too many of yâall to resonate with this one, itâs definitely a challenging record to sell others on, but this is a record that expanded my appreciation for the world of recorded sound in 2014. Maybe it can be that for you as well.
Kenny Barron & Dave Holland The Art of Conversation (Impulse Records)
One of the most important times of day for a good soundtrack is the morning time, from when youâre waking up to when you get started on your day. This is particularly important because, first of all, youâre competing with the undeniably beautiful sounds of the natural world (if youâre fortunate enough to live near nature), but also because this is a time when we are delicate, where our spirits are reentering a conscious human experience and we are a little vulnerable. The little kids in us are still rubbing the sleep out of our eyes.
And so itâs albums like The Art of Conversation by Kenny Barron & Dave Holland that inspire me and will have a guaranteed long term spot on my digital record shelf. This is an album of jazz tunes played entirely by a pianist and an upright bassist. There is a gentleness and a warmth as these two get  started that will welcome you into this sweet-hearted Guaraldian world. Kenny Barron is the standout on piano, exploring tremendously with each solo but both gentlemen do stellar jobs of accompanying the lilting jazz moods and grooves buried within this delightful morning time record. This is artful conversation and the language is jazz. :)
Daniel Lanois Flesh and Machine (ANTI-)
WARNING: This review contains lots of links :)
I was turned onto Daniel Lanois by way of my friend Axl (aka Catchgroove) who had brought him to my attention during a radio show I was hosting with his son (and one of my best friends) Pwelbs in college at Radio DePaul. I recall Axl was really into a record by Lanoisâ new band at the time, Black Dub, (or maybe it was his work on Neil Youngâs Le Noise) and he used that album as an opportunity to enlighten me about Daniel Lanois. I recall Axl telling me that Lanois was famous for producing a bunch of Grammy-winning records by U2. I wasnât impressed, really, because I donât listen to U2. Then I saw he also produced for Ron Sexsmith, Emmylou Harris, and was the producer behind Bob Dylanâs excellent Time Out of Mind, so I figured he had something in him that Iâd dig.Â
Admittedly, I never listened to Black Dub, but when Flesh and Machine, a record of instrumentals from Lanois came out this year, I figured Iâd give this guy a shot. As I started to read about the record, I discovered that Lanois had been in the production chair collaborating with Brian Eno on many of my favorite ambient records of all time! With his name on records like Ambient 4:Â On Land, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks and The Pearl (his name is literally on the cover of this record), I was blown away that this artist had been hiding in plain sight all this time! Iâve listened to each of those records countless times each, diving deeper and deeper into their sonic spheres, and yet there was a voice that was remained unheard.Â
Flesh and Machine kind of functions as an extension of that lineage, an effort in the expansion of atmospheres with grand sweeps and yet confined to the structures of time, as if to distill the Universe into tiny parcels of sound. The music on this record is cosmic, ethereal, and will transport you if you allow it to do so. And it will reward those of you who choose to revisit this record again.
Spoon They Want My Soul (Loma Vista Recordings)
When you grow up Loving a band thatâs active during your childhood, itâs often the case that they are isolated in that time for you. I absolutely Loved Fastballâs All the Pain Money Can Buy, my very first record ever, but I didnât necessarily check back to see how they were doing, I wasnât checking to see if they were releasing anything after that time. Maybe for fear of disappointment that another record by Fastball could ever mean as much to me as that one, I donât know. But as you grow up alongside your favorite artists, some they tend to come and go from your conscious music life, much like old friends in your reality. Some stay close to your heart and some are no longer. Many start carving a different path and you lose sight of them, only for them to return to you years later, more fully realized, with a maturity you canât help but fall in Love with. This is the year my childhood friends Spoon came back in my life.
My earliest and most important years of music listening and adventuring went down between the pages of my older brother Kentâs CD case. I was already kinda figuring things out, but his tastes were a little more refined and outside of the box (he had 5 years on me), so once I found heâd left his CDs instead of bringing them to boarding school, I tore through that thing like it was scripture, falling in love with Eels, Pavement, Mike Doughty, Tom Waits, and so many more. But there was one Spoon record that stuck out to me as so significant: Girls Can Tell. That record got me, I got it, and we were fast friends for life. I listened to that thing a lot, at home alone, in the shower, on the way to soccer practices/games with my buddy Dany. And then the popular television program The OC used one of their songs and I just had to let them goâŠ
Itâs been a long time, and I know theyâve released some good records since (I hear great things about Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga), but it wasnât until this yearâs They Want My Soul that I got to feel that Spoon feeling again. It was all there: tight, warm studio arrangements of well-crafted indie rock songs, Britt Danielâs compelling yawp (I promised myself Iâd use the word yawp once in this blog post), that feeling. Spoon is just a really good band. And this is a really good record. And like a really good friend who has been doing their own thing for a while, I felt like Spoon and I finally had our chance to run back into each others arms and hug long and hard and tell each other we still love each other.
The Soil & The Sun Meridian (Self-Released)
The Soil & the Sun were brought into my life by God, by mere cosmic happenstance, and became one of the most wonderful things that happened to me in 2014. My old band whysowhite had just recorded a live session at Audiotree and a few of them happened to be sitting in the lobby when we got out. I recall wondering who this family of beautiful earthy hippie people was, there was something about them. One thing led to another and we all got to talking, my twin brother and I becoming fast friends with Joanna and Alex. Numbers were exchanged and promises were made to reconnect at SXSW.
I remember that they gave us a copy of their most recent effort, an EP maybe, but we were too hyped up from our own performance that afternoon that we couldnât dive into what had been described as âspiritual folk music.â But I had felt really connected to them and I just knew weâd see them again. Fast forward a couple of months and we were on tour and in Austin for SXSW. This year, the festival was more of a place to relax, we hadnât booked too many gigs, preferring to just be there seeing shows wandering around and whatnot. Our manager Pwelbs (a music nerd in his own right) texted the band saying the Soil & the Sun was playing at the Audiotree Showcase, and naturally we congregated there.
What transpired was one of the most transcendent live musical experiences Iâd have all year. Thereâs something so special about opportunities to see a band that youâve befriended on an energetic level, but have yet to hear their music. This was that moment for us and I stood there, with the whole whysowhite family (including our sound guru J-Clip), as we all had our minds blown to pieces. This music was not the ethereal lofty mantra music I had anticipated. This was thoroughly composed all-terrain music with energetic wings shooting brilliantly from the auric halo that surrounded these musicians. It was music of earth-bound angels bringing us musics of the Gods. And it was Good.
I was blessed enough to cultivate deeper relationships with Joanna and Alex specifically, caught a few other shows, and was even blessed to get a glimpse into their studio sessions at Audiotree where they played me rough cuts of âSamyazaâ and âHuman/Machine.â This was a rare opportunity to be amongst people capturing brilliant music on record, and these people were humble and welcoming and kind. And what they had created was a masterpiece.
William Tyler Lost Colony (Merge Records)
This is the music that took me back to all of my roadtrips in and out of the American South, where I grew up. Hitting the open road in the dead of summer with the windows down and nothinâ to do, nowhere to be is one of my fondest experiences in this life. And when you pull onto the highway and youâre really out there, lookinâ at all the things as they pass you by, you feel so damn alive.
This record by guitarist William Tyler, a short one to be sure, is his first as a bandleader, and boy does he impress. Just listening to opening cut âWhole New Dudeâ is enough to inspire one to just get out there and do something crazy, something that feels like the open road, something that feels like freedom. The Kerouac in all of us have William Tyler to thank for Lost Colony.
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Albums I Wish I'd Made in 2014
As we consume Art, we are inevitably going to react favorably to the qualities within the piece itself that resonate within us. The little Creator within us gets washed over with excitement when we hear a certain guitar lick, lyrical turn-of-phrase, or production choice, likely because that little Creator loves to hear/see/experience things that It might want to create. So you can imagine that any music that you Love has qualities that you might ultimately aspire to recreate in your own music, right?
Well, these next records take things a little further. These are the records that, on the whole, sound like a record that I would want to make, that I (in my wildest dreams) could be capable of making. When you hear music like that, itâs a special kind of resonance.
Do these records have a common theme? The only one I can think of is the one-man-band aspect, which has always appealed to me. I have always Loved music that sounds like someoneâs imagination laid out in an audio scrapbook. Thereâs an immediacy to it and itâs rough around the edges, not a shot for perfection. Someoneâs freaky inner grooves needing to escape. Thatâs why I so deeply Love homemade music. And thatâs also why I Love these records:
Mndsgn Yawn Zen (Stones Throw Records)
Silk Rhodes Silk Rhodes (Stones Throw Records)
Daedalus The Light Brigade (Brainfeeder Media)
Helado Negro Double Youth (Asthmatic Kitty Records)
Dean Blunt The Redeemer (Hippos in Tanks, 2013) / Black Metal (Rough Trade)
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Music for Moonring Pages (or Instrumental Soundscapes) of 2014
I journal every single day. Iâve done so for the better part of 3.5 years now and it is a morning ritual that has laid the foundation for my growth as a person, as an artist, and as a spirit. And each morning as I journal, I listen to a new album from beginning to end, as an audible reminder of how majestic and gorgeous the world of music is. These albums are often entirely instrumental and they range from ambient to afro-beat to funk fusion to classical and everywhere in between. Anything that will stimulate a focused but beautiful environment for the deepening of my introspection and the journey of laying my story on paper.
Throughout this journey, I have been able to listen to so much music from all over the musical spectrum, and throughout my exploration, Iâve stumbled upon some serious serious gems (Like the Ian William Craig record or the Aphex Twin record listed above). If you want to check out my Moonring Pages masterplaylist (aka The MotherLode), you will find an impossibly large collection of hopefully excellent journaling music. My brother Davis is fond of just pressing shuffle and going on a journey. Iâm personally an album guy. Itâs all there for you.
Below is a collection of stuff that really stood out along the way this year:
Nmeshï»ż ï»żDream Sequinsï»ż (AMDISCS)
Kiasmos Kiasmos (Erased Tapes)
Giraffage No Reason (Fool's Gold Records)
ï»żJordan de la Sierraï»ż ï»żGymnosphere: Song of the Roseï»ż (Numero Group)
Takako Minekawa & Dustin Wong Savage Imagination (Thrill Jockey)
ï»żGood Willsmithï»ż ï»żThe Honeymoon Workbookï»ż (Umor Rex Records)
ï»żGolden Retreiverï»ż Seerï»ż (Thrill Jockey)
ï»żLand Observationsï»ż ï»żThe Grand Tourï»ż (Mute Records)
ï»żPanabriteï»ż ï»żPavilionï»ż (Immune Recordings)
ï»żThe Budos Bandï»ż ï»żBurnt Offeringï»ż (Daptone Records)
ï»żThe Danish String Quartetï»ż ï»żWood Worksï»ż (Dacapo Records)
ï»żToumani & Sidiki Diabateï»ż ï»żToumani & Sidikiï»ż (Nonesuch Records)
ï»żFenneszï»ż ï»żBĂ©csï»ż (Editions Mego)
ï»żClap! Clap!ï»ż ï»żTambacounda EPï»ż (Black Acre)
ï»żThe Nels Cline Singersï»ż ï»żMacroscopeï»ż (Mack Avenue)
ï»żBrian Blade & the Fellowship Bandï»ż ï»żLandmarksï»ż (Blue Note)
ï»żCom Truiseï»ż ï»żWave 1ï»ż (Ghostly International)
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Feelings Records (or Records That Reminded Me of the South) of 2014
Neil Young A Letter Home (Third Man Records)
Recorded in a straight-to-vinyl recording booth, this collection of covers performed by (one of my all-time favorite musical voices) Neil Young is simply warm, inviting, and perfect for afternoons when you're makin' dinner.
I have spent the past couple of years diving really deeply into the world of a very specific kind of musical vibration that goes by many names. Some call it American primitive, some call it guitar soleil, some call it finger-picking. But regardless, thereâs been a world developing that is a conglomeration of many aspects surrounding one central element: kick-ass guitar work. Except, this is not the athletic or muscular work of our more rock-leaning cohorts. This is the stuff of acoustic guitar work. 2 hands and 6 strings. relatively unadorned.
Iâve been listening to this music while journaling a lot this year. In fact, Iâll definitely try to do an entire post dedicated to guitarstrumentalism (thatâs my word for it)⊠hold me to it! These are the records that exist relatively within that world. And oh what a world it is!
Hayden Pedigo Five Steps (Debacle Records)
Daniel Bachman Orange Co. Serenade (Bathetic Records)
Mike Cooper & Chris Abrahams Trace (Al Maslakh Records)
And taking it a slight extension from that are artists like these who have created pieces that extend into the world of singing and songwriting with verse. As a singer, I always Love it when an artist will extended their work to include the organic and natural vibration of their own voice. These guys have built records that combine the virtuosic qualities of the guitarstrumentalists, but take their records a step further and write some rather wonderful melodies as well.
Steven Gunn Way Out Weather (Paradise of Bachelors)
Ryley Walker All Kinds of You (Tompkins Square Label)
Nathan Bowles Nansemond (Paradise of Bachelors)
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Albums That Jangled (and Popped) in 2014
Thereâs been a big revival of jangly pop music with strummy guitar vibes, melodic hooks out the wazoo, and plenty of whistles, claps and grooves. This year was no exception and there was lots of itâŠ
Here are some of the stand-outs:
Sloan Commonwealth (Yep Roc Records)
The New Pornographers Brill Bruisers (Matador Records)
The Skygreen Leopards Family Crimes (Woodsist)
Papercuts Life Among the Savages (Memphis Industries)
Ultimate Painting Ultimate Painting (Trouble in Mind)
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Anna Ahnlund Omnejd (Havtorn Records)
Sylvan Esso Sylvan Esso (Partisan Records)
Adult Jazz Gist Is (Spare Thought)
Angel Olsen Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar)
Chris Staples American Soft (Barsuk Records)
Guided By Voices Cool Planet (Fire Records)
The Weather Station What Am I Going To Do With Everyone I Know (You've Changed Records)
Circulatory System Mosaics Within Mosaics (Cloud Recordings)
Caribou Our Love (Merge Records)
ï»żAlela Dianeï»ż ï»żAbout Farewellï»ż (Rusted Blue)
Meshell Ndegeocello ï»żComet, Come To Meï»ż (NaĂŻve)
Chad VanGaalen Shrink Dust (Sub Pop Records)
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My musical exploration takes me all over the World Wide Web, but I am particularly indebted to Aquarium Drunkard, Tiny Mix Tapes, DJ Jeremy Sole, NPR Music, Pitchfork, Cokemachineglow, all my music nerd friends, and a myriad of other sources for turning me on to a lot of really excellent music.
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