Best Albums of 2014

Well I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas. I'm just catching my breath after all of the festivities and while everyone else seems to be at the sales, I at last have time to sit and ponder on the best new album releases of 2014.

I have to say, for my money it hasn't been a year of outstanding album releases. For a start there were a few disappointments which included a lacklustre album from Bruce Springsteen with the ironic title 'High Hopes'. Neil Young released not one but two albums but neither quite hit the heights of his best work. 'A Letter Home' featured some fine cover versions but was recorded in such a lo-fi way as to drastically reduce any enjoyment one might have had of listening to it. The other, 'Storytone' did feature Young's original material but sadly fell well short of what we have come to expect from him. The fact that we were presented with two versions of each song, one performed solo and the other performed in front of an orchestra or band, did little to alleviate the disappointment with the material.

Goat were a band I had high hopes for after their 2012 debut 'World Music'. Despite plaudits from a number of critics, I found the follow-up, 'Communion' to be just more of the same. I was also disappointed with '... And Star Power' from Foxygen who had impressed me greatly with last year's 'We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic'. Shame, but that gets the disappointments out of the way so we can move onto the good stuff.

The early part of the year saw the release of 'English Oceans' by the Drive-By Truckers. As I asked at the time, have they ever released a duff record? OK this may not be quite up there with their finest work but it is good to see Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley equally sharing the songwriting credits again. For some time it looked as though it might make it into my top slot.

The album 'Benji' by Mark Kozelek who operates under the moniker Sun Kil Moon was another early contender. Pitchfork were even daring enough to declare it one of the best albums of the decade so far. Heavy praise indeed! The subject matter of the album tends to be mortality so there are a few deaths to deal with but there is humour in there also. All in all it is a very fine album though fans of Sun Kil Moon don't need me to tell them that.

I was impressed with the return to form of Jack Bruce with his album 'Silver Rails' on which he was supported by several family members and friends. It was almost as if Jack was saying his goodbye and although he sounded strong on the album itself I watched a documentary about the making of the album and I thought he looked vary frail. Of course as we now know, he did not have long left with us which makes this album all the more poignant.

Another elder statesman, Leonard Cohen also returned with another fine album 'Popular Problems'. Full of bluesy themes and witty lyrics, the album carries on from where 'Old Ideas' left off which isn't a bad thing.  

Two British bands that are forging quite a reputation in the melodic jazz style are the Neil Cowley Trio and Gogo Penguin, Their respective 2014 albums, 'Touch & Flee' and 'V2.0' were very much on my playlist in a year when I have been absorbing myself in an awful lot of jazz music both old and new. Of course Ginger Baker also produced a very jazz influenced album this year with 'Why'.

I have already commented on the releases from Lucinda Williams, Jack White, Jolie Holland, Royal Blood, Robert Plant, Pere Ubu, Opeth, Ryan Adams and Anais Mitchell. Clicking any of these links will take you to my original thoughts.
They are all very enjoyable albums but you may be surprised to hear that none have made it into my own personal top 3 this year.

To find out what has, I suggest you check back here in the next few days.


 

Best Albums of 2013 - My Top Six

It has been quite a difficult task coming up with my absolute favourite albums of 2013; it truly has been a wonderful year for new (and reissued) music. Now it has finally come to the point where tradition dictates I should name the ones that come top of the pile, the deciding criteria being which new albums have occupied most of my listening time this year. In the end it comes down to the following six.

To place these six albums into some kind of order is also difficult for I am sure that whatever sequence I come up with today, I may disagree with tomorrow and to quote David Bowie, 'and the next day and the day after that'.

Anyway, this is the White Room top six (in reverse order) for 2013. 

6. 'Haw' by Hiss Golden Messenger.
I wrote about this album in May and you can read my thoughts here.

5. '[Awayland]' by The Villagers.
This was written about way back in January and my prediction that it would feature among my favourites was accurate. Read my thoughts here.

4. 'We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic' by Foxygen.
My thoughts on this work appeared on these pages in July. Read them here.

3. 'VII' by Blitzen Trapper.
One of my favourite bands of the past ten years didn't disappoint with this offering. Yes, of course you can read my opinions here.


2. 'The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)' by Steven Wilson.
It was a very close run thing for first place this year. I love this album and on any other day it may have clinched the top spot. If you wish, feel free to read more here.
1. 'Field Of Reeds' by These New Puritans.
I don't see this album finishing top of any other list this year, though to be fair it has featured in the lower extremes of some magazine lists. There is no doubt that this is less accessible than other albums in my own list, yet it is for that very reason that I have decided to award it first prize this year. The band are not seeking any commercial route to stardom but are bravely ploughing their own furrow, creating music which is challenging yet immensely rewarding for those prepared to stick with it. This is an album that will stick with me for many years and which one day may be looked back on as a true classic.

You can of course read my original thoughts here.

That's all until after Christmas but here's wishing you a very happy holiday.
Cheers!

Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic

This Californian duo apparently came up with their name while still at high school so let's forgive them for choosing Foxygen. What they were thinking of with the title of their latest album, I shudder to think. The best I can say about the album title is that it harks back to The Kinks' 'We Are The Village Green Preservation Society', and curiously, so does some of the music.



Some critics have condemned the band as a clone of the Rolling Stones, and while I can see similarities especially the Jagger vocal mannerisms adopted on the title track, the music extends beyond the limits of 1960's R&B. Indeed this album is almost an aural version of painting by numbers.

The very opening notes conjure up memories of The Beatles ('Hello Goodbye') but then they mix in elements of mid to late 1960's Kinks. Fancy a wash of Velvet Underground? Then 'No Destruction' fits the bill, yet when Sam France sings the words 'the door of consciousness isn't open any more', he morphs into the sneering 'Blonde on Blonde' era Dylan. Why I swear the song even has that thin wild mercury sounding organ and ends with a blast of Dylanesque harmonica.

Hey guys let's have a little splash of 'Under My Thumb' followed by a deft line from 'Suspicious Minds' OK, no problem and how about a delicate shade of Prince for good measure? It's all there in song number three, 'On Blue Mountain'.

'San Francisco' features a catchy pop melody that could have appeared on any of The Kinks late 60's offerings. France sings 'I left my love in San Francisco' and is answered by the female love interest, 'That's OK, I was born in LA'. More lovely melodies occur in 'Shuggie' which goes through a number of tempo changes and features more Lou Reed and a brief soul funk section. This is followed by 'Oh Yeah' which is how a collaboration between Prince, Mick Jagger and John Lennon might have sounded. I also detect a good helping of Lennon plastered across the dream sequence of album closer, 'Oh No 2'. When France chants 'Oh No', it could almost be 'Ono'.

The title track somehow manages to span three decades with doses of late 50's rock'n'roll, mid 60's R&B and a touch of 70's punk. Then it ends with a psychedelic sequence. It's frantic, wild and wonderful stuff.

It's a lot of fun listening to this album trying to identify the various influences and dare I say homages. However, there is a lot more to this wonderfully produced album (by Richard Swift) than merely paying homage to the masters of the past. In truth, this is a damn fine album in it's own right. One that has already been added to the ever growing list entitled, 'Best of 2013'