Listing To Starboard: Favorite Albums 2014

TOP 25: 2014

It's almost a shame to close the door on 2014, another phenomenal year for music. So much greatness out there, and non-list honorable mentions go out to White Lung, Flying Lotus, EMA, Shabazz Palaces, Hiss Golden Messenger, Bob Mould, Woods, Wye Oak, Reigning Sound, and Curtis Harding--all LP's well worth following up on. The entries here run the gamut, leaning heavily on first timers, and showing my usual noisy biases. Geographically, it wanders further afield than my usual diet of US/Canadian/UK indie-noise, with Australia (Courtney Barnett and Mere Women) and Costa Rica (Las Robertas) represented. One interesting trend is a number of tuneful and melodic (for me) records, (Peaking Lights, Fear Of Men, La Sera), that, back in the pre-internet radio days, would have yielded a number of singles. With the usual caveat, (favorite vs. best), here's the 25 that kept me going through the year, turntable-wise and otherwise, the guests that wouldn't leave...

25) SOME EMBER: Some Ember (Dream Recordings)

24)SHARON VAN ETTEN: Are We There (Jagjaguwar)

23) CHASMS: Subtle Bodies (Sleep Genius)

22) PAWS: Youth Culture Forever (Fat Cat)

21) PRIESTS:  Bodies and Control and Money and Power (Sister Polygon/Don Giovanni)

 20) MITSKI: bury me at makeout creek (Double Double Whammy)

19) MERE WOMEN: Your Town (Poison City Records)

18) tUnE-yArDs: Nikki Nack (4AD)


17) LAS ROBERTAS: Days Unmade (Arts and Crafts/Dead Labour)


16) FEAR OF MEN: Loom (Kanine)


15) LA SERA: Hour Of The Dawn (Hardly Art)


14) PEAKING LIGHTS: Cosmic Logic (Weird World)


13) SPOON: They Want My Soul (Loma Vista)


12) ORENDA FINK: Blue Dream (Saddle Creek)


11) BABY GHOSTS: Maybe Ghosts (Lost Cat Records)

10) GIRLPOOL: Girlpool EP (Big Joy/Wichita)


9) CHEATAHS: Cheatahs (Wichita)


8) PERFECT PUSSY: Say Yes To Love (Captured Tracks)

7) TACOCAT: NVM (Hardly Art)

6) ANGEL OLSEN: Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar)

5) RUN THE JEWELS: Run The Jewels II (Mass Appeal)
As initially announced, Run The Jewels was a curious endeavor. The combination of Killer Mike and El-P leveraged years of good will amongst the heads, and dropped an LP that showcased an amazing chemistry, and it was no surprise when they went back to the well. Sharpened by touring, Run The Jewels II tears up the modern Hip Hop template, kicking in the door and demanding a place at the table for two 39 year olds. Delving into both the personal and political, while not sacrificing the fun that got them there, Run The Jewels has struck a chord as an unlikely conscience. High points abound, but the summit of the record is the closing combo of "Crown" and "Angel Dusted", with the 'Monk on acid' keyboard lines of the latter proving to be one of the final recorded testaments of the late Ikey Owens.

4) AFGHAN WHIGS: Do to the Beast (Sub Pop)
 The only surprise about Do to the Beast was that it could be recorded in secret in this day and age. Stoked on by a reunion tour, the band hunkered down and knocked out a classic, their first LP in sixteen years standing comfortably next to their classic titles Gentlemen and Black Love. It's an older and wiser, but no less lethal Greg Dulli, and he's kept his ear close to the ground, utilizing beats and symphonics to buttress the classic Afghan Whigs sonic template. Thematically, there's never a doubt as to what's coming at you, just Dulli's method of delivery, and his control is the key, heightening the suspense to increase the payoff when he hits full howl. "Lost In The Woods" stands with any of the band's songs, and opener

3) COURTNEY BARNETT: A Sea Of Split Peas (Milk! Records/Mom and Pop)
Billed as "The Double EP", Courtney Barnett's first stateside release is a compilation of two Australian EP's, I've Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris and How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose, serving as the perfect introduction to a singular talent. Lyrically and musically, you drift along with her shaggy dog stories through unexpected twists and turns, until an unexpected blitz of feedback or a caustic turn of phrase makes you realize she had the whole thing mapped out. "Avant Gardener" and "History Eraser" are the best places to jump in, but it's the encapsulated yearning of "Anonymous Club" and "Porcelain" that will keep you coming back.

2) CLOUD NOTHINGS: Here And Nowhere Else (Carpark/Mom and Pop)
With Here And Nowhere Else, Cloud Nothings trimmed down to a trio, and went even further down the noisy trail, thickening the arrangements and compressing multiple songs worth of hooks into one. It's not just that no punk record this year came close to this one-comets like this only appear every few years on the horizon, (Husker Du's New Day Rising and ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead's Source Tags and Codes leap to mind), records that start at eleven, and somehow seem to push further out.

1) RADIATOR HOSPITAL: Torch Songs (Salinas)
Sam Cook-Parrott's Radiator Hospital project transcended becoming the name he slapped on his varying whims with last year's Something Wild. Putting together a full band as well as drawing on his circle of friends, Torch Songs ups the ante, drawing you in song by song, sometimes cryptic, sometimes bitingly universal. "Cut Your Bangs" is the most perfect, concentrated blast of "what the hell was that" since Pavement's "Zurich Is Stained". Everyone I know seems to have a different song for a favorite, always a good sign, and while in interviews, Sam Cook-Parrott has noted the influence of Willie DeVille on "Venus Of The Avenue", for me, the connection was made when I realized that it has the grace and lift of a classic Drifters song. The crowning glory and unifier of the record is the dual versions of "Fireworks, a song that stays with you long after the record ends.

When A House Is A Home...

RADIATOR HOSPITAL

UPSET

BENNY THE JET RODRIGUEZ

GIRLPOOL

ROGIE'S HOUSE, BOYLE HEIGHTS, EAST LA

20 SEPTEMBER, 2014

your host, calling a point of order...

Memorable house parties seems to be a recurring theme this year, and last weekend's was a corker. Rogie opened up his house in Boyle Heights on a steamy Saturday night, and Eloy Lugo upped the ante on his previous All Dogs/Upset booking to welcome Philadelphia's Radiator Hospital, as well as locals Upset, Benny The Jet Rodriguez, and Girlpool. The 'bandstand' stood at the foot of the driveway, penned in by guest houses and a fence, and one was hard pressed to make a people count, but jam-packed will suffice. Shooting from next to, and at times underneath a teetering speaker pole, lit only by the security light on the back of the house, it was worth every second of drama, and hopefully the energy of the evening comes through. Cultural/generational note: the boys at the check-in table seemed taken aback, then thrilled when i dropped a case of beer with a weighty ch-chunk on the table. Have the unwritten rules of house shows have gone the same way as paying for music? Interesting... A long ways away from the College Rock days, but once the bands kicked in, it was as ever... Settling into the scene, i caught up with my usual suspects, then staked out a spot.

"A stacked bill" was an observation that stood up, as the night started with Girlpool. With the recent double-barreled blast of signing to Wichita Records and getting their song "Jane" pimped by Pitchfork, Girlpool is stepping into the deep end. As evidenced, their live show is the converter, and the passion is infectious. They covered most of their self-released EP, (reappearing in November through Wichita), including "Blah Blah Blah", (below), "Jane", and "Slutmouth". Their spiky, confrontational songs are matched only by their ability to put them over. Next up for Girlpool is a strong dose of the road, along with a pending UK/Euro tour. The Long Beach punk trio known as Benny The Jet Rodriguez hit the afterburners and came out flying, repping last year's LP Home.Run hard out of the gates. Spearheaded by Lauren Freeman on guitar, (she also pulled double duty as the new recruit in Upset), "Alley Cat" was the number that got the bodies flying. As noted at their last appearance, LA's Upset is in a period of transition, and based on this rough and ready set, things are starting to come to fruition. The chemistry with relatively new Rachel (Slutever) and very new Lauren (Benny The Jet Rodriguez) is gelling, and the band previewed new material that plays to their strengths. Even after a kazillion listens, "Oxfords and Wingtips" retains its otherworldly power, and served as the anchor of the set.

The scary part is, that only a few albums in, it seems like a Radiator Hospital set is jammed with 'hits', and one rues what isn't played, unlike most bands at that point who play everything and some hastily organized covers. Band is the operative word here, as Radiator Hospital is Sam Cook-Parrott, and on record, an ever-evolving cast of cohorts. On this tour he's brought that cast to life, in the form of a crack band, and they added a savage edge to Torch Songs live, crashing through the tunes with a raucous joy, pausing only to verify the safety of the audience on a comfortingly consistent basis. Kicking off with "Cut Your Bangs", there was no looking back, just a full throttle blitz that included a rousing take on "Our Song" from last year's Something Wild that threatened to push things over the edge. "Fireworks" brought brought it down with a bittersweet romp, and provided an unexpected high point for the evening, as the bodies stopped churning long enough to make an emotional connection. And that was the beauty of the night, to take these songs that are heard almost as a private vice, and give them a new life.

GIRLPOOL:

BENNY THE JET RODRIGUEZ:

UPSET:

RADIATOR HOSPITAL:

misc.

meeting of the minds: Sam (Radiator Hospital) and Eloy

All Dogs Go To...Oakland: Live At 1234Go! Records

ALL DOGS

1234GO! RECORDS

OAKLAND, CA

09 AUGUST, 2014

When we stop to look back, this space in time will live on in infamy as: "The Week Of No Effing Around". Starting in Orange County, the trail wound up to Big Sur, down to LA, over to Joshua Tree, and now up to the Bay Area. Which is to say, a hyper-compressed version of the year. The timing of the Desert to the Bay run was fortuitous, landing me in Oakland with time to spare Saturday evening to check in on Columbus, Ohio's All Dogs, fresh from an appearance in LA days before.
1234Go! Records is both a shop and a label, keeping things punk in the Bay Area, and well worth a trip over the bridge if you're visiting SF. It only took 10 minutes shopping to make a convert of me. They've recently expanded, and their performance area was, for a record store, well laid out, with a good sound mix. Furious promoters of all ages shows, a quick peek at their impressive event schedule will give you an idea of how they do business.
As part of a four band bill, All Dogs once again occupied the third slot, and the space quickly filled as they set up. Once again, they were the perfect mix of bittersweet personal songs pinned to tunes given to dynamic shifts, every song an emotional rollercoaster, and it was sweet to see people singing every word back at them. Two choice outtakes below sum up the proceedings..."Farm" from Split Tape With Slouch opened with ringing chords, a burst of feedback that didn't faze the band, and when they kicked in, the song took off skywards. Having seen the impact of the live version of "Say" on the audience in LA, I made a point to have my head in the game, and won't waste words on it, simply a must see, and encapsulates all the virtues of the band in one neat little package. Simply, one of my favorite bands at the moment, and recording on a new LP is taking place. Yay! From here, All Dogs crossed the Bay to SF for a show the next night, then wound their way home to the Midwest for a well earned break.

This Is Our Music: Waxahatchee/Swearin'/Upset live

WAXAHATCHEE

SWEARIN'

UPSET

EAGLE ROCK CENTER FOR THE ARTS

05 DECEMBER, 2013

Waxahatchee

Swearin'

Upset

In a welcome change of pace, December, usually a run-off month for shows at best, has spawned some monsters. In what could very well be the best value-per-dollar bill of the year, the Center For The Arts Eagle Rock welcomed an FYF presentation of Waxahatchee, Swearin', and LA's Upset on Thursday night. More than most bills, it was a uniform presentation, unfolding neatly over the night as a movement in three acts: Confrontation, Abandon, and Catharsis.

Upset has been on our radar lately, with October and November slots at the Echoplex, and it was up to them to kick things off, betraying a certain nervousness in stage manner, but certainly not in execution. Perhaps it was the gravity of the lineup, but they had nothing to fear, as the audience could certainly be considered a home crowd. Once they started playing, everything fell into place, and went accordingly. This evening's twist was a reversion to the Mark I lineup that recorded the LP, with Katie Goodman (Vivian Girls, La Sera, Kickball Katie) carving out time from her hella busy schedule to rejoin the fold. They maintained their core set from the debut album, and aside from running order, the cool change up was a blistering 7 Seconds cover. Taking it head on, Upset emerged victorious.

Swearin' filled the middle slot, and proceeded to lay waste to the proceedings. Fronted by Allison Crutchfield, (sister of Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield), and Kyle Gilbride (Producer of Upset's She's Gone), they parlayed ragged but right harmonies, (reminiscent of X's John Doe and Exene Cervanka), and an electrifying band into a short but brutal set, drawing in equal measures from their two studio albums. The unstoppable "Kenosha", from their debut, was an early highlight, and the set took flight with "Echo Locate" from November's Surfing Strange. and built to a fiery climax with "Young", "Crashing", and "Dust In The Gold Sack".

NYC by way of Alabama-Waxahatchee is Katie Crutchfield, the solo project that spawned last years American Weekend, now fleshed into a full band. Crutchfield undersold the set as "...ready for a bunch of sad songs?", then proceeded to turn what on lp are lullabies of grief into projectiles of pain and anger. Working tightly with the band, it was expected that the acoustic songs from American Weekend would be transformed, but even the tunes from this year's winning Cerulean Salt were goosed up hard in intensity. It was difficult to imagine anyone topping the full frontal assault of Swearin', but with a neat sidestep and a healthy clutch of songs from one of the year's best albums, Waxahatchee cut deep.

Scenes of the night that will stay with me for a long time were seeing Alison Crutchfield front and center in the audience for Upset, watching Ali Koehler air-drumming and singing during Waxahatchee, and seeing Kyle Gilbride singing along nowhere near a mic during Swearin'. Unlike the vibes of many multi-band shows, this was family, a well-matched night of musical and emotional connections.