Hello again, and apologies for the long absence. I've been otherwise occupied, as they say. Seriously though, things have been busy. I have a few things lined up, and hope to put up another post or two over the next few weeks.
I wanted to record here my selections for favourite albums of 2014. My taste in music is rather limited - I tend to prefer 90's indie, emo and rock above anything else. A lot of it is a bit obscure. Sometimes I branch out into more mainstream stuff, though.
The list is in no particular order, and I also list some close runners-up at the end. I have reviewed some of them more fully elsewhere and included excerpts of my comments here also. I rated each of the following five records as 5 stars.
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Grant Nicholas - Yorktown Heights
Comments:
Very impressed. This is an excellent record full of thoughful positivity, a bit of a departure from the heavy rock sound of early Feeder records, but you can still tell it has Grant's trademark touch. One of the best albums I've heard so far this year. Great to put on repeat as it has no real fillers or weak tracks. Highly recommended.
Favourite tracks: Robots, Vampires, Joan of Arc, Isolation
Buy Here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yorktown-Heights-Grant-Nicholas/dp/B00KTQLEPA/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1418501398&sr=1-1&keywords=grant+nicholas
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You Me At Six - Cavalier Youth
Comments:
Punchy, thoughtful emo rock from one of the best current British bands in my opinion.
Favourite tracks: Lived A Lie, Fresh Start Fever, Forgive And Forget, Win Some Lose Some
Buy Here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cavalier-Youth-You-Me-Six/dp/B00GNGZGB8/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1418501493&sr=1-1&keywords=you+me+at+six
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Honeyblood - Honeyblood
Comments:
So cool, and destined to be a classic.
Honeyblood are Stina Tweeddale and Shona McVicar a female duo from Glasgow
This band have come out of nowhere for me as someone who doesn't keep up with the latest music much. I only heard about them by chance and was blown away by the awesome single "Killer Bangs". It is a major pop anthem. And if you like that, you'll love this.
Apart from this standout track, here I can detect elements of 90's American college rock amongst the punchy punk beats and classy singer songwriter sensibilities. Talk about crunchy guitars!
They've put together an eclectic and diverse range of songs with one thing in common : all are awesome. We have the mesmerically smooth flowing "Biro" to the chirpy, countrified "Bud" and sweet, heady "Joey" all the way through to the in-your-face, almost bile-fuelled "All Dragged Up" and "Super Rat".
And I haven't even mentioned how good "Choker" and "Fall Forever" are! There are no fillers here. Just a gorgeously crafted range of songs with some very clever, thoughtful lyrics ("No Spare Key", "Biro" in particular) giving a hugely impressive debut album, and an album of the year no doubt. They may just be the saviours of what I call awesome music! It's a brilliant record on many levels and highly recommended!
Favourite tracks: Fall Forever, Killer Bangs, Super Rat, Bud, Choker
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Sister Sin - Black Lotus
Comments:
Heavy, Epic and overall, pretty Sensational.
This is my favourite Sister Sin album yet. I've been a fan since the days of "Switchblade Serenade" and whilst this may not be their best record technically (depending on who you ask), with tracks of such forceful conviction, musical skill and vocal power, any rock fan would be missing out not to hear it at least a few times.
The first five tracks may be the finest openers I've heard on a record this year.
Every one of "Food for Worms", "Chaos Royale", "Au Revoir", "Desert Queen" and "Count Me Out" blast you off your feet, each a heavy rock anthem entirely of its own. Singer Liv Jagrell's vocals are simply awesome. Her ability to sound in-your-face and aggressive without actually resorting to screaming is remarkable.
Highly recommended.
Favourite tracks: Desert Queen, Chaos Royale, Food for Worms, Au Revoir
Buy Here:
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Die So Fluid - Opposites of Light
Comments:
Hard rock with a classy edge. Catchy riffs, beautiful compositions, excellent lyrics and sweeping choruses make for an epic record.
Favourite tracks: Comets, Anubis, Carnival, Crime Scene, Transition
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Other very good "4 Star" records from 2014, which I would also highly recommend:
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First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is
Fear of Men - Loom
Shelley Segal - An Easy Escape
Embrace - Embrace
