"Of Death & Panera Bread": My Favorite Music of 2014!

I highly recommend listening to this video as you read. If you don't like reading, you need to watch it.

Future Islands TV debut  on Letterman

2014 was interesting year in music. This was my first entire year with spotify, so I listened to everything and anything I wanted. I went to two Twilight Concert Series shows, one where Future Islands opened for Beck. They performed their perfect songwriter's single "Seasons (Waiting on You)" which was easily one of the year's best songs and I got to see their singer do the classic dance to it (see video above).
It's hard to say what my favorite song of the year was, but "Seasons" is up there alongside the jazz-rap-electronica-fusion masterpiece "Never Catch Me" by Flying Lotus (ft Kendrick Lamar). The two big singles from Ariel Pink went beyond my high expectations: "Put Your Number In My Phone" was in my head for months; a lyrically friendly and stupid reminder of crappy poetry that sensitive 14 year-old boys think of when they ask a girl for their number the first time. "Picture Me Gone" is a personal modernized eulogy for a man whose always been behind the times. I was also a fan of the copy+paste singles "Can't Do Without You" by Caribou and Spoon's "Do You."

Flying Lotus (ft Kendrick Lamar) "Never Catch Me" video

Anyways, I'm an albums guy. I've been adding up top 25 lists all year for songs and albums. Problem is, I don't listen to every album in the world and I only came up with 23 I loved a lot (although Beyonce, Future Islands and Schoolboy Q had respectable releases). As for my songs list, most every song on there were from albums I listened to a lot, so it seemed unfair (didn't like the new Timber Timbre record, but "Hot Dreams" is great track). This year's list approach is different.
My favorite albums of 2014 include:
Beck Morning Phase (sunny, folky, 70s singer-songwriting)
Dean Blunt Black Metal (really weird, psychedelic, storytelling song blips)
Aphex Twin Syro (well though-out electronica)
#20 A Sunny Day In Glaglow Sea When Absent (light, poppy shoegaze)
#19 Ought More Than Any Other Day (lo-fi prog rock with post-punk influences)
#18 Open Mike Eagle Dark Comedy (comical rap; smooth beats)
#17 Caribou Our Love (fun, dinky EDM)
#16 Have A Nice Life The Unnatural World (abrasive, heavy, gorgeous, lo-fi shoegaze)
#15 Todd Terje It's Album Time! (synth-driven disco with tropicalia and Quincy Jones pit-stops)
#14 Spoon They Want My Soul (shiny bare-bones rock'n'roll)
#13 Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Pinata (great sampling, great verses, expansive hip-hop flavors)
#12 Perfume Genius Too Bright (piano ballads and assorted Bowie-esque flamboyance)
#11 St. Vincent St. Vincent (kinky pop and zany guitars)
#10 Grouper Ruins (whispers)
#9 Thee Silver Mt. Zion F*** Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything (epic Canadian indie)
#8 Flying Lotus You're Dead! (an accessible, modern Bitches Brew... about death)
(my top 7 deserve some extra press...I have a hard time finding any fault in these albums)
#7 Ariel Pink pom pom

Ariel Pink used to be some underground hero that I never listened to or heard of. Since 2010, indie followers can't escape his name. So he comes out with pom pom in 2014. Looks terrible. The singles border between terrible and genius. I assure you, the entire album walks the same border. It's his most refined work yet and it still sounds hokey. This album is long and has lots of Zappa-esque moments. A guy who sings tracks like "Dinosaur Carebears," "Jell-O" and "Exile on Frog Street" can't be taken seriously. But "Not Enough Violence" and "Picture Me Gone" change that tone. "Put Your Number In My Phone" and "One Summer Night" is a cute combo. Both in and out of the studio, the guy's just jokin' around.

#6 FKA Twigs LP1

This album surprised me. I heard her material from last year and it just kinda sounded like someone quietly moaning over echoed beats. This isn't R&B! LP1, however, is. It's arguably the most innovative album released in the "alternative R&B" movement. The production is intense and technical. The hooks bounce between soulful and jerky. The instrumentation is colorful. The rhythms are industrial and experimental. The lyrics are about... sex? This is where the album's true mystery lies. The answer is "yes" on "Two Weeks." But others: "When I trust you we can do it with the lights on." "I came here to get closer." "So lonely trying to be yours." Creativity, mystery and ingenuity combines at last.

#5 The War On Drugs Lost In The Dream

I'm going to talk about Kurt Vile. I love that guy. Wakin' On A Pretty Daze was one of my favorite 203 albums. It was pretty. Kurt's former/rival band covers a missing base from Kurt's field of songwriting: Power. I must admit, I prefer Kurt's lyrical personality and acoustic guitar tone. But Lost In The Dream's best songs are hot and passionate: "Burning," "An Ocean In Between The Waves," "Red Eyes," "Under The Pressure." And yes, even the slower songs here are lovable. Here we have a character trying to find himself amid 80s songwriter instrumentation and ambient synth layovers. While the faux-indie kids are making stupid synthpop songs and wearing faddy sunglasses, this album is full of age and wisdom.

#4 Run The Jewels Run the Jewels 2

El-P and Killer Mike are two 39-year-old rappers. Most rapper's careers or talent will die off by age 27. They officially teamed up as Run the Jewels in 2013. What could possibly go right? Well, these guys actually believe they are the best rap duo alive. Mike and El share equal ground here. So for their sequel, they amplify the message: Being a thug is fun. Only if you're the one running the jewels. Everyone else is a (ahem) "f***boy." But everyone's invited to run the jewels. Girls rap about sexual dominance. Kids chant demanding respect. Zach de la Rocha rises from the dead. They enshrine the golden principles that have influenced rebellious children for years: LIE. CHEAT. STEAL.

#3 Swans To Be Kind

Wait- didn't Swans just release a scary, grandiose double album 2 years ago? The Seer, 2012? Doesn't To Be Kind just rip off of that?
No. With 5 tracks on each disc, this album treats each individual song as a monument. The topics aren't the Second Coming or being a lunatic. They sing about the sun, eternal love, oxygen, Howlin' Wolf, things we do, etc. Which makes this even scarier for me. The dynamic volume in tribute to everyday things is discomforting. Michael Gira's vocal delivery is ridiculous (from squeaking  "I'm just a little boy" to yelling "Your name is f***!"). This album is a symbol of your doom. And oh yeah- Album Cover Of The Year.

#2 Iceage Plowing Into the Field of Love

I don't know where to place this album. Anywhere from #1 to #7 seems appropriate. I remember hearing this for the first time after a long day of constructing and painting a sci-fi toy gun for my props class. It was raining. I was cranky. This hit the spot. Iceage's 2 previous albums contained 2 minutes punk-outs about negativity. This album is a 48-minute post-punk adventure about isolation and alcoholism. Elias Bender Ronnenfelt discovers his own vocal personality, not just and 80s goth-rock impersonator. The bass is staggering. The guitars crunch and slide. The extra instrumentation scattered throughout is marvelous. The lyrics are poetic and dark. "Whatever I do, I don't repent. I keep pissing against the moon."

#1 Sun Kil Moon Benji 

Mark Kozelek has told so many stories in his 47-year life, you think you've heard them all. Here we have one of the greatest storyteller albums of all time. Everything is deep and personal. The dark complexity of romantic relationships. The fear of death. The beauty of life all around you. Telling your mom and dad how much you love them. Seeing people who used to be unknown grow into stars (whether it's for murdering people or being the singer for The Postal Service). Giving Panera Bread to 70-something year olds who are destined for prison. Your dad's flirting issues with the girls at Panera Bread. Remembering movies you watched when you were younger. The death of family members and friends. The mentally handicapped girl down the road. Everybody deserves a song. On Benji, everybody gets one. 

Sun Kil Moon: "I Watched The Film The Song Remains The Same"