Best of 2014 #1: Future Islands - Singles (4AD)

North Carolina's Future Islands third album, Singles, is a singularly unique album. It's an odd mix of 80s style synth-pop and new wave, with a crooning, melodramatic and powerful lead singer, Samuel T. Herring. It's a weird album, but it's also oddly catchy. One can't help but be pulled along with Herring's enthusiastic vocal presence. He's earnest and seems very excited to do what he's doing. The music behind it is oddly soothing, sometimes lilting and sometimes jarring. Their odd juxtaposition of the music and Herring's odd vocal approach comes to a head on the song “Fall from Grace”, with Herring building a howling, almost screaming crescendo while the band crafts a Julee Cruise style dirge in the background. It's a compelling album, startlingly and unapologetically unique, like a 2010s version of Pere Ubu.

Best of 2014 #2: Lower - Seek Warmer Climes (Matador)

Now we get to brass tacks. I seriously considered this album for my #1 of the year. Lower hail from Denmark. Scandanavia recently seems to have become a hotbed for interesting post-punk. Like their country-mates Iceage (who also put out a great album in 2014, Plowing Into the Fields of Love), Lower play blistering and obtuse post-punk. Iceage are much louder and confronational, Lower take a much more melodic take on post-punk. Seek Warmer Climes is their debut and they already show deep maturity with their sound, which evokes a more guitar-heavy Joy Division. Their future looks bright and hopefully we'll see more of the same for their sophomore effort.

Best of 2014 #3: High Tension - Death Beat (Cooking Vinyl)

When I first heard this album, it was a revelation. Everyone has that moment when music gives you a visceral reaction. This album put a rock inside my stomach, then made my head swim. I'm a fan of mixing genres. Hardcore punk hasn't interested me since my early college days. I find it sloppy, directionless and full of pathos. It's pure emotion. High Tension take that pathos and the energy and mix it with razor precise post-punk guitar. The result is something that grows with the combination of parts, something that reveals more depth on each listen.

When this album came out in the spring of 2014, I thought I was hearing the album of the year. Even after the first cursory listen, I knew I was hearing something special. High Tensions music section is direct, pointed and loud. They insist you listen to what they have to play, and they tell you with every note. Their singer is a Malaysian screamer named Karima Utomo, who is just as good at screams as she is at death metal growls. Someone, these two styles work together, and work together extremely well.

Watch this band. They might very well disappear into the sludge and obscurity they came out of, but they'll still be there somewhere.

Best of 2014 #4: Caribou - Our Love (Merge)

Another artist whose work I love, Caribou was finally back in 2014 with new music. Dan Snaith, the musician and mathematician behind Caribou gave is a nice slab of electronic in his brief hiatus from the Caribou name, under the name of Daphni in 2012. Caribou's last album, Swim, was one of my favourites back in 2010, and it was a psychedelic-splash pop-electronica album. Our Love is much in the poppy electronic style, but there's more of a deliberate attempt at pushing into spacy electronics on this album. The pop styles are still there, with most of the songs being quite short. No long meanderings on this album. The first single off this album was released in the summer, months before the album, and it quickly became an anthem of 2014. Here's that single, "Can't Do Without You":

Best of 2014 #5 - The Pixies - Indie Cindy (PixiesMusic)

I was incredibly habit to finally hear new music coming out from the legendary noise-pop band The Pixies. After years of touring, the band finally gave its fans some new music to chew on. And it was good, but not without controversy (I've already written about this, so I won't go into it in detail.) Could there be a Pixies without Kim Deal. Yes, there could be, and they made a damned fine album. This is not Doolittle, and nor should it be. This is the 2014 Pixies and they're just about as good as they can be. Indie Cindy was a very solid effort of noisy, melodic post-punk with Frank Black's odd lyrics intact. No idea if the band will continue with new music, but no matter. This holds up well to the Pixies' legacy and is a nice kick off to a possible future.

Best of 2014 #6: Eagulls - Eagulls (Partisan)

Eagulls are a rough-knuckled band from Northern UK who put out an impressive debut this year. Eagulls' pedigree is more on the lo-fi side of indie rock, but their post-punk and garage influences are readily apparent. Their self-titled debut is a bruising, raucous and punk-tinged romp through post-punk territories. More and more bands like this seem to be coming out of Europe (see last years Savages, this years Lower (up at #2 on my list, we'll get to it)), and it's a pleasant surprise to see a less nihilistic noise coming out. It's also interesting to see the Partisan label branching out to less rootsy fare in the past couple of years.

DNTTA Playlist for January 23, 2015 - Best of 2014 Part 2

Artist - Song - Album (Label)
* indicates Canadian Content 

Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca 

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The Unicorns - Tuff Ghost* - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? (Alien8)
Hana Lulu - Message to the Sea* - Keepsake (Independent)
Silkken Lauman - Giving You Up* - Not Forever Enough (Independent)
Vogue Dots - Skinny Thing* - Toska (Indica)
Skim Milk - For Dimitri* - Skim Milk (Independent)
Vampires - There's No Kissing Anymore* - Every Kind of Light (Independent)
Pop Crimes - The Fly* - Split Single (Bonzer)
Ducktails - Tie-Dye - Wish Hotel (Domino)
The Mants - Friends to None* - The Mants (Shake!)
Gravenhurst - Underfoot - Trust (Warp)
Nash the Slash - Who Do You Love?* - American Bandages (Quality)
Devo - Monsterman - Something Else For Everybody (Booji Boy)
Weird Al Yankovic - First World Problems - Mandatory Fun (Volcano)

Best of 2014 #7: Brian Eno and Karl Hyde - Someday World (Warp)

Like Bob Mould, I've been a fan of Brian Eno for a long time. In his long, innovative career, he's released many great solo albums. But, when he teams up with another talented musician, either as a collaborator or as a producer, he seems to make magic. Eno released two albums with Karl Hyde this year, Hyde being the frontman for the pioneering electronic band Underworld. Someday World was a step ahead of High Life, in my opinion, and it's reminiscent of Eno's work with John Cale: lush, melodic, spacy electro-pop. Hyde's contributions bring a harder, dancier edge to the music.

DNTTA Playlist for January 16, 105 - Best of 2014 Part I

Artist - Song - Album (Label)
* indicates Canadian Content 

Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca 

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The Horrors - First Day of Spring - Luminous (XL)
Trust - Capitol* - Joyland (Arts and Crafts)
Bob Mould - I Don't Know You Anymore - Beauty and Ruin (Merge)
Brian Eno and Karl Hyde - Witness - Someday World (Warp)
Eagulls - Tough Luck - Eagulls (Partisan)
The Pixies - Bagboy - Indie Cindy (Pixiesmusic)
Caribou - Can't Do Without You* - Our Love (Merge)
High Tension - High Risk, High Rewards - Death Beat (New Damage)
Lower - Unkempt and Uncaring - Seek Warmer Climes (Matador)
Future Islands - Sun in the Morning - Singles (4AD)
Future Islands - Doves - Singles (4AD)

Best of 2014 #8: Bob Mould - Beauty and Ruin (Merge)

It's no secret I'm a fan of Bob Mould. But his work lately has lacked something. Or rather, had something extra in it that was distracting. Going back to his 2002 album, Modulate, which was a fascinating look at electronic music from a rock standpoint, Mould has been experimenting. Sometimes it worked, like with Modulate, sometimes it didn't, like with 2008's scattered District Line. You can't fault the guy for trying something new. Beauty and Ruin found him going back to his bread and butter, the ringing, chunky, punky, melodic guitar he's known for, and the pointed lyrics. Mould had been remaster his seminal early 90s work with Sugar and the experience rubbed off on him. This album sounds like an updated, more vicious Sugar, and Mould is more focused that he has been in years. Excellent album overall.

Best of 2014 #9: Trust - Joyland (Arts and Crafts)

Trust made a huge splash with their first album, 2011's TRST. It also had more than a few people scratching their heads, trying to figure out if the band was sincere or not. Their sound was dark, depressing and firmly set in the 80s. Think Joy Division with more electronics. Their follow up, this year's Joyland, was miles better than their first album, which almost sounded like a parody of the style they were worshipping. Joyland finds Trust embracing their pop side, digging out the Madonna and Debbie Gibson albums, and dancing around a bit, but just a bit. They're still pretty much dressed in black with heavy eyeliner. My first Canadian band on the Top 10 too.

Best of 2014 #10: The Horrors - Luminous (XL)

Kicking off this years countdown at $10 is the fourth album from UK band The Horrors. I've always liked this band. Back in 2009, their second album, Primary Colours, was at #2 (behind the mighty Sonic Youth). Their sound was always rooted in the rough edges of new wave and the muscle of post punk. Their third album, Skying, was a remarkable album, but a bit too mired in spacy electronics to be satisfying to my ears. Luminous saw the band splitting the divide, adding in some post-punk grittiness to the spacy exploration of Skying. Very nice effort.

Best Albums of 2014

Reviews coming soon

1) Future Islands - Singles (4AD)
2) Lower - Seek Warmer Climes (Matador)
3) High Tension - Death Beat (Cooking Vinyl)
4) Caribou - Our Love (Merge)
5) The Pixies - Indy Cindy (Independent)
6) Eagulls - Eagulls (Partisan)
7) Brian Eno and Karl Hyde - Someday World (Warp)
8) Bob Mould - Beauty and Ruin (Merge)
9) Trust - Joyland (Arts and Crafts)
10) The Horrors - Luminous (4AD)

Honourable Mentions: Mozart's Sister - Being (Paper Bag), The Wytches - Annabel Dream Reader (Partisan), Gazelle Twin - Unflesh (Last Gang), Single Mothers - Negative Qualities (Dine Alone), Jungle - Jungle (XL)