2014 was a pretty good year for music. I enjoyed a lot of records and was disappointed by some but it was overall a pretty good one. I even had the chance to see quite a few of my favourites live! So here is a year roundup of my favourite albums of 2014.
1. Sun Structures - Temples
Channel your inner 60's / 70's child, fringe jacket and all listening to psych / glam rock band Temples. After forming just over a year and a half ago, they've released their debut album Sun Structures. Before these guys even released a full album, only having a couple songs online under their belts, I was in love. Their sound is right up my alley and they execute it perfectly. The lead singer is a dead ringer for T-Rex's, Marc Bolan, hair and all. This album allows you to step into a time machine, every song is a journey to somewhere new.
The dreamy quality on songs like, Move With The Season, bring you to a distant time where magic exists, with the added imagery from the lyrics about crystal quills and the like. The opening on Sand Dance, the albums longest track and personal favourite, brings you to the streets of Morocco and the ending instrumental piece sends you through its intricate bazaar-ridden streets. I had the pleasure of seeing them twice this year and their live show is just as tight as on the record with some added jams like on the track Sand Dance. If you're into throwback music and bands like Tame Impala circa Antares, Mira, Sun EP and Innerspreaker and White Fence you'll definitely have to give this record a listen and it's earned its place as my favourite album of 2014.
2. Salad Days - Mac Demarco
One of my favourites, Mac Demarco, released his second album, Salad Days. With an ode to Shakespeare as the LP's title it was already shaping up to be a step forward for him. The record featured a lot cleaner sounding production than 2 and Rock and Roll Nightclub but without compromising his signature style and sound.
He shows maturity and his deeper side on tracks like Brother and Let My Baby Stay. Through these tracks and throughout the album as a whole I got to see Mac's more introspective side, which I really enjoyed. At the end of Jonny's Odyssey there are a few seconds of silence till Mac comes on again, thanking the fans for listening to the record. It was a definite nice touch and made fans, myself included, feel special. This year I had the pleasure of seeing him live twice and it blew me away each time. Aside from being one of the biggest personalities in music, Mac puts on a really fun show, and took part in one of the most epic crowd surf's I've seen to date. Definitely a must see!
3. Atlas - Real Estate
Picture a group of quiet, dreamy Californian teens on a beach destination road trip seen through the lens of a grainy film camera, that's what listening to Real Estate always reminds me of. Their sound has always been about warm vibes and Atlas is no exception.
A little louder and more mature than Days, Atlas makes my wanderlust for that easy going California life grow. I especially loved the instrumental jam, April's Song, a nice touch to the album and such a beautiful piece. Listen to this album when you're lazing around on a summer's day or taking a trip somewhere reclusive; the perfect soundtrack.
4. Manipulator - Ty Segall
It seems as if Ty Segall took his time in releasing Manipulator, as he's notorious for turning out albums every year. Coming in at 17 tracks long this is Ty's longest album, and probably why he took more time with it.
The album is more mature and a little more toned down on the fuzz than albums like, Melted, but still holding onto that signature Ty sound with the loud guitars and screeching vocals. Ty can always make a good raw rock record but it seems as if he was a little more experimental on this one, branching out into different genres, please note the intricate guitar work on the opening of The Clock and slowing it down on songs like The Singer. Hopefully his next release won't take too long because one can never have too much Ty in their life.
5. Drowners - Drowners
Probably the shortest full length LP I've ever listened to, Drowners by Drowners is the first album from this band. Fronted by model and ultimate bae, Matt Hitt, this record is guaranteed to get you in the mood for a good time.
With the lo-fi loud and fast guitar sounds and straightforward lyrics this record wears its post-punk revival patch blatantly on its sleeve. I feel as if this band has mastered the art of the catchy chorus especially on songs like, and obvious fav, Long Hair and even on Shell Across Her Tongue. I often found myself humming and singing, "All the girls had long hair / And all the boys had long hair / And you were missing out" throughout this year. Hopefully these guys are able to make it a city near me soon as I'd love to see these songs transmitted into a live setting. It'd be a fun show no doubt!
6. Four - One Direction
In 2014 I finally got on that One Direction train. My sister, a self-proclaimed fan girl, was my first introduction to the band and after much resistance I finally gave them a shot.
Upon listening to their previous albums it was obvious that Four, was definitely a more mature step for the boys from not only their songs and sound but also their image (Harry Styles is bae, nuff said). From the slow songs like, Once In A Lifetime and 18 to the more upbeat jams, No Control and Act My Age, One Direction's, Four, is definitely an album that I'll continue to play into much of 2015. And I can't wait to see them on their On The Road Again tour.
