By this time I’m sure you’ve browsed many other best of the
year lists. I look forward to this time of year. Not only do my kids get to
experience Santa Clause and all that excitement, but daddy gets to dig into
even more great albums from other people’s lists that he may have missed out
on. Not only am I a list junkie, but 2014 welcomed me into the kingdom of vinyl
obsession, which only fuels the list fire. Take that for what it’s worth, I try
and buy the records that I like the sound of and started out doing it without
even owning a turntable. I didn’t get a turntable until months after I began
collecting online from the good folks at Ripple Music, STB Records, Easy Rider
Records, various bandcamp stores, and numerous other, mostly independent,
record labels and outlets online. It’s probably a good thing my city doesn’t
have a decent record shop cause I would have probably spent even more hard
earned money essentially stealing from my children’s dinner plates. Little do
they know, I am actually doing it all for them. At this rate, by the time I’m
dead and gone they will have one bad ass inheritance of records to cherish or
sell off for drug money. I even thought about buying them records for Christmas
this year, they are 2 and 5 years old, straight from daddy’s wish list. Anybody
else get it that bad? Of course, I would take very good care of them until they
were old enough to know how awesome their dad is. Anyhow, I decided against
that and just bought more records for myself and some stuffed animals for the
kids. And who am I joking, the second a square cardboard box arrives inside my
house it gets opened up and admired. No way would I actually have the patience
to wrap it up and wait it out until Christmas to watch my kids open it up and
hand it straight back to dad as if they got it for me. All joking aside, 2014
was a tremendous year for music in my opinion and I had a blast discovering
record amounts of records throughout.
Each and every year since I started doing lists for music it
seems they keep getting better. I think my first list was back in 2010 so it’s
only been a few years. Since then the amount of music has increased each year,
as has the quality and enjoyment I’ve found in the music being released.
This year I estimate I listened to close to 1,000 new albums, based on my play
counts, bandcamp streams and last.fm tallies. So it was a tough run leaving off
literally hundreds of albums that I adore immensely. I was able to whittle it
down to ten albums that I felt strong enough about sharing to call them my “Top
Ten of 2014”. Here goes ranked from best to best:
10.
Truckfighters - Universe
Universe came out very early in the year and wasted no time
in grabbing my attention. It sat at #1 on my charts well into mid-year. The
progression and diversity the 3 piece displayed on Universe really caught my
attention. I’ve heard a lot of people expressing their dissatisfaction with the
album but I just don’t buy it. It is a bit more of a controlled output from an
auditory production standpoint, straying a little bit from the straight up
fuzzed out desert riffs they are known for and into progressive rock territory
at times. Seeing their live show completely blew my mind and hands down, if I
were to make a list of favorite live shows I attended number one would easily be the
Truckfighters early in the Spring. I’ve never seen anything like the way the 3
dudes shook the stage with a riveting wall of fuzzy riffs and crystal clear
vocals. They played practically the entire Universe record and it was immense!!
Bought the vinyl along with the 3 disc box set they had available, which turns
out was one of my smartest buys of the year.
9. Biblical – Monsoon
Season
Biblical came onto my radar from an online friend of mine
who knows I like the psychedelic stoner jams. Sure enough I was hooked after
just hearing a preview of the debut record coming out on
http://www.biblicalband.com/monsoon-season-now-available-for-preorder/
8. Mothership –
Mothership II
After being somewhat late to the game on Mothership’s debut
album, I finally came around and was able to know enough about them to know I
couldn’t miss their live show in my hometown of Reno, NV back in 2013. Totally
blown away, one of the most intense live rock shows I’ve ever witnessed. I was
within arm’s reach of Kelley Juett, the shirtless lead guitarist the entire
show, sneaking a toke right up front of an intimate dive bar named “Jub Jub’s
Thirst Parlor”. The anticipation for the new album was peaked when I got word
that none other than Ripple Music was putting out the new one in 2014. I
contributed early to the kickstarter which scored me one of the stunning
blue/white swirl limited editions. The record is rock n’ roll and compared to
the first one, it’s an improvement to an already skilled game. The diversity of
the album is what pushes the envelope with multiple instrumental jammers placed
in just the right places, and the riffs are hard and heavy through and through
as expected. I was bummed I missed their 2014 tour and the new album is surely
not to miss. Highlights include Hot Smoke and Heavy Blues and the instrumental
scorcher Tamu Massif. I don’t know what Paul Rote wrote on the bandcamp page
linked below, but he couldn’t be further from the truth. I think he’s been
spending too much time on Instagram under the hashtag for #mothership…..
(Go look and you’ll know what I’m talking
about)
7. Slow Season –
Mountains
I still don’t think I’ve been as impressed out of nowhere as
I was after discovering Slow Season’s debut album a couple years back with a free download on their website.
There was an immediate connection to Led Zeppelin, which I hadn’t heard by any
other band except Led Zeppelin. However
they bring enough modern riffage to elevate them into their own class. Modern
times need a band like Slow Season. Nobody really wants to hear more Led
Zeppelin do they? Plant has his own solo thing going on, and that’s great. We
don’t need more Stairway, it’s cemented in time forever. I bought a copy of
every variant available to the public including the clear limited to 75, blue
limited to 100, and the black. I couldn’t miss out on this as I’ve been complaining
to myself ever since hearing the self-titled that somebody needs to put this
band to wax, and luckily for us Riding Easy Records did just that.
http://5low5ea5on.bandcamp.com/album/mountains-lp-cd
6. Moab – Billow
Scion A/V really hit the nail on the head with this free
download from a Southern California retro doom band called Moab. I listened to
a few songs on their soundcloud stream to know enough to panickly hit the
download button to get the whole thing in my possession and go on to play
repeatedly for days on my ipod. Wicked riffs encased by Ozzy-esque vocal moans
carry Billow deep into an intoxicated state. The cool thing about Billow is
upon pushing play on song 1 your attention is peaked and as the album plays
each song seems to build onto the previous, and gets better and better to where
by the end you are so jacked up that nature runs its course evidenced by the
repeat button being pushed. It grew on me incessantly over the year and I was
able to snag a clear vinyl copy from the band. Fantastic album and available
completely for free on the link below.
5. Jeremy Irons &
The Ratgang Malibus – Spirit Knife
Opening song Fog of the Steep wins the award for biggest set
of chills running down my back upon multiple takes of any song all year. Hell,
I played this record more than almost every record I gathered this year. Here
is the full
review I came up with. Small Stone Records rarely disappoints and I sure am
glad I discovered this band this year. Their back catalogue is fantastic as
well.
4. Stubb – Cry of the
Ocean
You probably think I’m biased at this point including two of
close to 1,000 albums on the Ripple Music roster on the Ripple Music page which
I contribute to? Hell, maybe I am, but let it be known that I am biased to only
the best heavy blues and retro rock the world has to offer. Stubb follow up
their debut with an absolutely mesmerizing release. The opening “Cry of the
Ocean” saga sets the stage for the rest of the masterpiece. The vocals remain
hypnotic, the guitars sail like a breeze across the open sea as the retro fuzz
tickles your mind into an earlier time. It’s hard to pick a favorite song, as
after each song plays I feel like it supersedes the prior. Anyone snubbing this
album as anything short of brilliant must be having a rough time in life, which
I would prescribe they listen to Cry of the Ocean for a cure.
3. Planet of Zeus –
Vigilante
Well, what more can I say about Vigilante? If it weren’t for
the fact that I don’t own this one on vinyl, as it’s not available at this time
that I know of, this may very well be my
#1 album of the year. I haven’t recalled many other lists ranking Vigilante so
high and I don’t care. Clutch’s Earth Rocker was my #1 album of 2013, and
Planet of Zeus reminds me quite a bit of Earth Rocker era Clutch. The singer
has the ability to effectively switch between Neil Fallon-esque party preaching
into a jagged and onerous wail which balances the album out perfectly in my
opinion. Each song has elements of heavy metal to classic stoner rock fuzz,
grit, and straight on good time vibes. The album begs for maximum volume, and
if I were to give it a comparison I couldn’t deny that it has a heavy Clutch
vibe plus the thrashy, sludge soaked chorus runs, which really are the
highlight of the record.
2. Aleph Null –
Nocturnal
(FREE! FREE! FREE!)
It took me a little bit to jump aboard the Aleph Null
bandwagon with their stellar run of Eps back in 2012 and 2013, but Nocturnal
was instant. The wickedest, spookiest, grungiest combination of riffs and
noises one is likely to have heard all year. The groove is eerie as the grungy
vocal chops power amongst gnarly time signatures. Songs 2 and 3 back to back
create hands down the baddest ass pair of back to back songs of the year. Don’t
believe? Listen to Backward Spoken Rhymes and Muzzle of a Sleeping God and tell
me you aren’t completely hypnotized. Luckily Riding Easy Records stepped up to the
plate once again and put this out on a massive 180 gram clear 2LP. The artwork
alone will give you nightmares and you will have to rent a forklift to unload
the vinyl package as it is that heavy!!
No matter how much this guy has blown up over the course of
1 year, don’t fall for the typical story fortune and fame in the music biz, and
believe what you are witnessing. Sturgill Simpson has done what we all have
been dreaming of ever since Rascall Flats came aboard and completely trashed
country music. Actually, it happened sometime before that, but you get the
drift. Sturgill has crafted one of the truest, most genuine albums in the last
decade and it happens to fall into the country music category. I’m not ashamed
to say I listen to a lot of country inspired artists and Sturgill has set the
bar for greatness. Between his classic voice with somewhat of a slurred lyrical
delivery and expertly strummed guitar passages, Sturgill has broken the big
label barrier and given hope that humanity is only marginally idiotic. Give it
a shot, I bet you surprise yourself. Just get one of those big 43 ounce bottles of
mountain dew, jump in the car, and push play, and drive on down the highway.
Until next time my friends. 2015 is already shaping up to be a
big year. I’m expecting some big things. I know there are rumblings in Ripple
camp on the horizon sure to cause some tidal waves. Let us know what you think
and which bands I totally left off. I will not be offended if you tell me how
shitty my taste is. In fact it just makes this stuff that much more fun.
Honorable Mentions:
The
Graviators – Motherload
Wicked
Snakes-Sleep Dance
-The Huntsman
Comments