i must apologise for dropping the ball on Mid Week Distraction this week, it pained me to do it – but things have been too crazy round here. there are only 7 working days left of the year in my personal calendar, and of course EVERYONE wants their projects finished before people go on leave. not to mention social commitments like seeing family and friends and attending christmas parties (and buying gifts!) and the whole toot. so needless to say i haven’t even glanced over the internet this past week, so there are actually no distractions to be had…
but i have been listening to a lot of music while working away at my desk, especially making an effort to wrap my head around what my personal favourite albums of 2014 were. so, here’s my list!
if you felt like i really missed out on some pearlers, please voice them in the comments. some albums i know got a lot of great press but perhaps i missed out – or just, well, didn’t like ’em. i’ll keep an open mind.
click on the albums to buy them in iTunes or wherever they might be available.
[two_columns_one]Future Islands – Singles
HAERTS – Haerts
The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream
Wye Oak – Shriek
Tennis – Ritual In Repeat
Real Estate – Atlas
Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
Jessie Ware – Tough Love
Beck – Morning Phase
First Aid Kit – Stay Gold
Generationals – Alix
Mr Little Jeans – Pocketknife
Sia – 1000 Forms of Fear
Lykke Li – I Never Learn
Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness
TV Girl – French Exit
Yumi Zouma – Yumi Zouma
Mac De Marco – Salad Days
Yay!! great list! My top 10 in no particular order: War On drugs – Lost in the dream (so amazing), Courtney Barnett (she’s so awesome), Real Estate – Atlas (How great is primitive??), Hailu Mergia – Tche Belew (re-release on awesome tapes from Africa), Bob Dylan’s basement tapes vol. 11, Sinkane – mean love (also know for his work with David Byrne and William Onyeabor), Jane Weaver – silver globe (check out ‘Don’t take my soul’), Future Islands – Singles, Ariel Pink – pom pom and The Growlers – Chinese Fountain! plus bonus Mac demarco and angel olsen <3
oh my god how could i forget future islands!!!!! mac demarco totally just got bumped.
Haha and number 1 now, good one!
Love this post! I’m always on the hunt for new music (I’m guilty of listening to the same stuff over and over again!) so thanks for this :-)
Sarah
Yay, Salad Days! You have listened to Mozart’s Sister right?
Great selection! Brings a smile to my face that some of your 2014 favorites were my favorites as well! I recommend DIANA – Perpetual Surrender, perhaps a lesser known Canadian artist.
any person / band called Diana is good in my books.
Amazing list! A couple other albums you should check out are Zaba by Glass Animals and Jungle by Jungle! <3
haven’t heard of those, thanks!
great selection! perhaps the new alt-j album?
not the HUGEST fan, but there are some tracks on it that i like.
i haven’t realized how much I’ve neglected until I started listening to these. Thank you for pulling me out of my music-less rut. Jessie ware for the win. Everything she does is magic.
Xo, Courtney
LP1 by FKA Twigs // Twin Sister (s/t) // Museum of Love (s/t) // Psychedelic Sanza by Francis Bebey // Joyland by Trust // Wild Onion by Twin Peaks // Nabuma Rubberband by Little Dragon
i’ve got some listening to do… (i did enjoy Little Dragon but not as much as their previous albums)
Great post for a cool music moment
Have you listened to the album Zentropy by Frankie Cosmos? Pure magic
no! it’s going on my list.
So many of my favourites are here, great choices! I absolutely adore the Real Estate album, it’s so lovely.
Great list! there are a few albums you listed that I have been meaning to listen to properly *taking mental note*. I made my list back in September because I was so insanely excited about how many good albums came out this year, haha – here is my list http://www.marginandcolumn.com/music/7-albums-i-have-had-on-repeat-in-2014/
thanks for the introduction to Jessie Ware! After listening to a bit of your clip above I bought the album you mentioned and her earlier one, Devotion and am loving them! She makes me think you might enjoy Kelela – kind of a cross between FKA Twigs and Jessie Ware, maybe, kinda? Good nighttime driving/chillout music. Anyway, thanks again :)
Happy to see a few of my favorites of the year on your list; War on Drugs, First Aid Kit and the new Beck have been in repeated rotation for me, and I’m now excited to explore others new to me on your list. Thank you!
Agree with so many of these. Might I also suggest Sharon Van Etten – Are We There? Magical.
Bleachers- Strange Desire has some gems on it. Love your list too – Beck, Future Islands, War on Drugs, YES. But I love that there are others on here that I will love getting to know – thanks for sharing!
I JUST LOVE THIS. Everything about your blog !! Top notch … xxx