In 2014, I didn't get to as many records as I would've hoped, but all n all, it was a decent year in music. On any given day the first four listed could be #1

01. Spoon | they want my soul - The band that seems to never disappoint, continues the trend here with a tremendous amount of range, versatility & extensive keyboard usage for the first time. A couple months back I was invited to a 100+ private show at The Grammy Museum in LA which afterwards, cemented its spot at the top of the heap.

02. Reigning Sound | shattered - Guitars are turned down on this one, but the songwriting & production are top notch. Greg ‘effin’ Cartwright.

03. Lydia Loveless | somewhere else – this record deserves every bit of praise it’s received to date.

04. Doug Paisley | strong feelings – Great sense of melody and just plain good. Gordo’s Gold for the 21st Century might be a lazy, scary comparison, but if the shoe fits…

05. Chuck Prophet | night surfer – everything Chuck’s been working on the last few records reaches fruition with Night Surfer, a record that’s hard not to like.

06. The Delines | Colfax – Willy Vlautin’s late night, country neo-soul platter is a welcome addition to his ever expanding oeuvre. Enlisting Amy Boone to sing his songs wasn’t a bad idea, either.

07. Tweedy | sukirae – Best thing Jeff has done since the Jay Bennett days. I love the sparseness & vibe. There’s a lot to like here.

08. Phonograph | vol 1 – recorded in 2001 but released in 2014, this record absorbs the best of 60’s classic pope channeling all the usual suspects; Big Star, Zombies, John Lennon, Badfinger, etc…..It’s a record full of earworms.

09. Jim Noir | finnish line – Not for everyone, this quirky, laid back grower, wreaks of Let It Be period Beatles. This time around, Jim employs an ample amount of guitar which improves his decidedly British songs.

10. The Men | tomorrow’s hits – Fairly derivative, country rock that grew on me over the course of 2014. A couple friends claim they are done with The Men as they prefer the older material. After A/B-ing old shit/new shit, I’ve come to the conclusion that they can keep the old shit and just leave this with me.

11. Wussy | attica – I wish Ass Pony dude Chuck would just hand over the reins to Lisa Walker on a full-time basis, as it’s her songs I keep coming back to. I went so far as to re-sequence this thing. Like me, most people may have missed out on this one as a result of their band name. I need to check out their back catalogue.

12. The New Mendicants | into the lime – Joe Pernice & Norman Blake together for the first time with Joe taking the lead in most of the vox & songwriting duties on this warm, organic affair.

13. Nude Beach | 77 – If Tom Petty were from Brooklyn, this is what he would come up with . Great Rock N Roll record that’s just a tad too long.

14. Nicole Atkins | slow phaser – A bit different than past efforts, but she gets it right with good songs, production and that voice.

15. The Both | the both – Aimee & Ted together for the first time getting the job done with a good vocal blend, decent material and Ted giving Aimee’s material a much needed shot in the arm, and vice-versa.

To a lesser extent, I enjoyed releases from : Joe Henry, Sweet Apple, Woods, Minus 5, Tony Molina, Cheap Star, Angel Olsen, The Legal Matters, White Fence, DBT, Sturgill Simpson, Beck & Real Estate.

That Doug Paisley album was my #1. Just plain good indeed. I didn't know that New Mendicants album even existed. Will have to check that and the Tweedy album out.

I didn't know that Vlautin and Pernice had other bands. I'll have to check those out--thanks for the heads up.

You're right about us both having a ton of overlap, and these two didn't miss my list by much. "Halloween" might be the best song Wussy's ever done.

Here ya' go Marco-

The Delines


The New Mendicants

That Paisley record is a keeper. It was one of the first records I heard in 2014 so it's had plenty of time to sink in.


New Mendicants-


Tweedy-

I left that Chuck Prophet album off my list. Totally on the fence with it. I can't bring myself to delete it, but neither does it keep my attention. I think I just want to like it more than I actually do.

Sort of agree about Tweedy. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the song "Low Key" - it's immediately more likeable than the last few years of Wilco - but the album seemed to get mired in the same repetitive sluggish tempo which made the songs sonically indistinguishable, to my ears.

And I'm totally with you about the Men. Not quite there yet, but I like where they seem to be going much better than where they've been.

Just about every song Tweedy has released in the last 10 years is within a 10BPM (beats per minute) of the last. Not much in the way of tempo changes. I can certainly agree with you on that.

I always look to your lists for an overlooked power pop gem. Looks like I'll be checking out Phonograph this year.....

Thanks Derris.
I wouldn't necessarily call it power pop, but it's a good record nonetheless.