Twenty-fourteen
was not one of the all-time great rock and roll years. Not like 1965
or 1980 or even 2011.
There were a passel of good releases plus some noteworthy boxed sets and archival live albums. But nothing I played to the exclusion of sleep or even leaving for work on time.
There were a passel of good releases plus some noteworthy boxed sets and archival live albums. But nothing I played to the exclusion of sleep or even leaving for work on time.
On
the other hand, maybe I'm just getting old. Or more responsible.
Being that sixty is closer than fifty, one of these is a distinct
possibility.
OK.
On to 2014.
First, the box sets.
First, the box sets.
I'm
taking the road less-traveled and choosing the three-disc Michael
Bloomfield collection From His Head to His Heart to His Hands.
The
careers of other sixties guitar gods were certainly more celebrated
and more thoroughly-chronicled than Bloomfield's. But I can't imagine
they were any more deserving than that of this Chicago kid with the
unruly hair.
His
stinging leads informed some of the sixties most indelible albums,
and helped usher the guitar into new and unimagined realms. This
collection shines a much-needed light on the career of one of rock's
unacknowledged masters.
Every
once in a while, a tour attains legendary status. Such tours
represent a watershed moment in the career of a band or artist.
Examples would be the Rolling Stones in 1972. Bob Dylan in 1966. Or
the Talking Heads in 1983.
Another
would be Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1978. The uniform
intensity of the band's performances (all 111 of them) was
staggering. I've never heard a band play so hard so often. They were
relentless.
Fortunately
for us, several shows were simulcast on radio. And one of them, the
August 9th date at the Agora Theater in Cleveland,
recently received an official release by LeftField media on Bruce
Springsteen.net.
The
sound quality is excellent, as is the performance. Cleveland was an
early stronghold for Springsteen, and suitably enlivened, he and the
E Street Band turn in a charged performance worthy of release.
Now
for 2014's favorites:
1. Hookworms
– The Hum On their second album, Hookworms don't just
confront the so-called sophomore jinx, they assault and batter it
until it's the consistency of porridge. (Which isn't to be construed
as an endorsement of senseless violence, but as the Square Peg's way
of saying The Hum is really good.)
Dark,
aggressive, eerie—The Hum might be how The Doors would've
sounded had it been recorded today, rather than a half-century ago. Most amazing of all is that Hookworms are able to infuse the
proceedings with melody and, well, hooks.
Who
knows—I might just be late for work one of these days.
Check
“The Impasse” and “Retreat”.
2. Mogwai
– Rave Tapes The spare and austere beauty of Scotland
oozes from this collection, a continuation of the work featured on
last year's brilliant Les Revenants soundtrack. Call it Mogwai
2.0.
The
rock-inspired crunch continues to give way to a subtler, more-nuanced
music that is as resonant as it is unhurried.
Only a labored spoken word piece mars the glorious mood. On planet LPG, Rave Tapes was the grower of the year.
Only a labored spoken word piece mars the glorious mood. On planet LPG, Rave Tapes was the grower of the year.
Check
“No Medicine for Regret” and “Heard About You Last Night”.
3. Jenny
Lewis – The Voyager I wasn't cool-enough to tap into Rilo
Kiley until Under the Blacklight, and by then it was
pretty much over with. Thankfully, Lewis' solo career has been a
fruitful one.
The
Voyager finds Lewis grappling with the questions biological
clocks and boyfriends who won't take off their
headphones pose. Paradoxically, it's all cloaked in a warm pop sheen, burnished
by Lewis' oh-so-charismatic voice.
However
deeply you choose to listen, The Voyager is a trip worth
taking.
Check
“Aloha & the Three Johns” and “Slippery Slopes”.
4. Hamish
Kilgour – All of It
and Nothing Brother
David is better-known, but Hamish's solo debut is a smack dab doozy.
In
that way a certain generation of Flying Nun alumni have, Kilgour's
spare, talk-sung epics have an appealing understatement which is
unlike anything out there. The shambling melodies and Kilgour's
modest voice imparts an intimate, homemade feel.
Odd
bits of instrumentation shine like stars in All
of It and Nothing's
vast sky, cementing its appeal.
Check
“Crazy Radiance” and “Smile”.
5. Temples
– Sun Structures Temples
hit all the right notes on this, their debut album.
Inhabiting a sweet spot somewhere between early Pink Floyd, mid-sixties Byrds and a bit of the Walker Brothers, they fashion a hook-laden nugget that's one of the freshest-sounding releases of the year.
Inhabiting a sweet spot somewhere between early Pink Floyd, mid-sixties Byrds and a bit of the Walker Brothers, they fashion a hook-laden nugget that's one of the freshest-sounding releases of the year.
6. Sharon
Van Etten – Are We There When Van Etten asks if we're
'there', she's not referring to a vacation destination. 'There' is a
place where, if you're really lucky, it might stop raining
long-enough for sunlight to animate the particle of color in her endless night.
But
with light comes shadows, and the haunted Van
Etten can't help but wonder what romantic devilment lies
within.
A
snippet of lighthearted studio chatter closes Are We There,
suggesting the possibility of a happy ending. Which is fine—as long
as it doesn't preclude her master's thesis on the dark side of love.
Check
“Our Love” and “Every Time the Sun Comes Up”.
7. Gary
Clark, Jr. – Live Were it not for the smoldering, electric
guitar goodness of this album, I'd be concerned this release masks a
case writer's block, coming as it does two years after his last
studio release and with no plans for another one anytime soon.
But
when you have a talent like Clark who can sing like Marvin and play
like Jimi, it's best to just enjoy the music however and whenever it
comes. So what if it doesn't follow the prescribed path to success?
Being on hold never sounded so good.
Being on hold never sounded so good.
Check
“Catfish Blues” and “If Trouble Was Money”.
8. The
Faint – Doom Abuse I'd lost track of this Omaha, Nebraska
outfit after 2004's Wet from Birth. Turns out it wasn't
very hard, as following a year-long tour for Fasciinatiion
they essentially disbanded.
Doom
Abuse isn't the rusty release you could rightfully fear after so
much time off, but a hit-the-ground-running collection that sounds
like it came straight from the kinetic aftermath of a hot tour.
Check
“Your Stranger” and the
would-have-been Max Headroom favorite “Dress Code”.
On
the other, that would be damming him with faint praise.
Albums
like Tarpaper Sky are the reason Crowell isn't appearing at
your local casino alongside Eddie Rabbit and the Oak
Ridge Boys on those generic, pre-packaged oldies tours.
His
remains a fresh and vital talent.
Check
“Grandma Loved That Old Man” and “I Wouldn't Be Me Without
You”.
Art
Official Age isn't anything you
haven't heard before, and it isn't going to replace Dirty
Mind or Sign of the
Times in your Prince pantheon.
But
all of that's forgotten the first time you get up and pop n' lock.
Check
“Breakfast Can Wait” and “Art Official Cage”.
Honorable
mentions:
Wussy
– Attica!
The
Black Keys – Turn Blue
Jack
White – Lazaretto
