This was a tough year for tunes. I almost didn’t think I would make a top 10 for 2014. For me, the year had some SUPER bright highlights, but was otherwise, pretty dim. I just haven’t been jiving with a lot of what’s been coming out. However, I still managed to put together a Top 10 New (or, New to Me) Albums of 2014.
10. Chromeo- White Women
disco-nouveau:: old leather car interior:: dork-wooing
9. Zola Jesus- Taiga
chicks got pipes:: super-catchy:: solid soph. album
7. Operators- EP1
holy-live-love:: dan boekner:: dark-synth dance tunes
7. Odesza- Summer’s Gone
warm-n-fuzy:: trancelike:: musically accurate album cover
6. Gauntlet Hair- Stills
Depeche Mode meets Wolf Parade by way of Animal Collective
5. Spoon- They Want my Soul
Thanks for just makin more solidly great tunes guys:: reliable:: just, Spoon.
4. War on Drugs- Lost in the Dream
Classic America :: Petty and Dylan
3. Beirut- The Rip Tide
new to me :: catchy tunes mixed with some real special gems :: all tha harmonies!
TIE 1: Future Islands- Singles
Best new artist :: we drove 650 miles to see these guys :: total whackadoo- with the goods.
TIE 1: Of Montreal-Hissing Fauna Are You the Destroyer
New to me best album of the year:: One of the best albums *ever*:: Smart:: epic.
I think for the coming year I'm most looking forward to new offerings from Panda Bear and Modest Mouse. We'll see who else decides to drop a new album, and who else I'll discover from the past!
Check out past lists here: 2013, 2012, 2011
Eh, well I'm half a month late here, so I'll keep it simple:
Best Music: Beirut- The Rip Tide, The War on Drugs- Lost in the Dream, Zola Jesus- Taiga
Best Tube Time: Parks & Rec, Manhattan, True Detective (!)
Best new home feature: This chandelier which I made brass 1st with Rub-n-Buff.
Best Electrician, re: above? KB Electric. He came and hung that thing the day before Thanksgiving, in the snow, in our near 100-year old home.
Best goal achieved: Made it back to the gym 12 times...
Best, best? Successfully hosting my first Thanksgiving.... Complete with Havarti w/Dill and smoked cheddar with crackers to munch on.... then: 13 lb (free!) turkey, traditional stuffing, crock pot mashed potatoes, sauteed fennel with basil and red pepper, butternut squash with sage brown butter, sauteed green beans, cranberry relish with vanilla and clementine, 2 kinds of homemade bread from my in-laws and an apple and pumpkin pie from my parents... plus clementines, grapes, and chocolate mints- as per Car-family tradition.
Living the Good good.
