2014 Music

[Damon_3388]

Not 'new' music as such, but a 2014 performance of note:



"After 30 years, it would literally be like starting over."

Considering the circumstances, this may be one of the great live performances you'll ever see.

After the death of guitarist and chief songwriter Jeff Hanneman, and the permanent departure of founding member and drumming icon Dave Lombardo, and with the future of the band in serious jeopardy, 53-year-old Tom Araya and 50-year-old Kerry F*ckin' King regroup with old friends and fellow quinquagenarians Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph to headline Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany on August 1st, 2014.

Conjuring the power of beards and the power of Satan, the reborn Slayer rip through twelve muscular cuts spanning their three-decade career, performing a variety of tracks lifted from seven of their ten original studio albums.

I grew up listening to Slayer, and understand that their sound and lyrical content can be an acquired taste. To me though, this performance defies genre and individual musical preferences, and is just universally great, both aurally and visually. Even if you're not a fan of the band, or metal music in general, it's hard not to appreciate the skill and the spectacle on display here.

If you can't find something among these 50-odd minutes that even mildly excites you, you might just not have a pulse.

 

[Juke]

I'm convinced there won't be a better album this year than Burn Your Fire for No Witness by Angel Olsen. Excellent, excellent songwriting.

 

[kangaspurs]

Loving the new Lower Than Atlantis album. Their last one disappointed after World Record which is just about my favourite album of all time, but the self titled is a real return to form.

Completely agree. Far Q and World Record are two of my favourites but Changing Tune was so disappointing. New one is good without completely being a return to form.

 

[HARKER]

 

[The Passenger]

A few of this years albums I've listed to recently that have been impressive

IQ - The Road of Bones
Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun
Lunatic Soul - Walking on a Flashlight Beam

 

[Silent Alarm]

I don't know if I've posted about these guys. I want to hate the Brisbane music scene because they're all about a year or three older than me but better at art. And the girls wear nice clothes and Ruby (Nouj, Go Violets, Jonny and the Fembots) is about the cutest girl I know through friends of friends. The singer in this one goes out with the Creases who I also should hate for totally conning the system. Nonetheless. This is really cool and I can't wait for their album, love the atmosphere and those guitar sounds

 

[Damon_3388]

I don't know if I've posted about these guys. I want to hate the Brisbane music scene because they're all about a year or three older than me but better at art. And the girls wear nice clothes and Ruby (Nouj, Go Violets, Jonny and the Fembots) is about the cutest girl I know through friends of friends. The singer in this one goes out with the Creases who I also should hate for totally conning the system. Nonetheless. This is really cool and I can't wait for their album, love the atmosphere and those guitar sounds

Clothes and look of the video reminds me of every second Australian band circa 1992.

Decent song though. Was expecting standard jangle-pop based on the opening, but evolved into something a bit more.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Started getting hype two or so years ago, but her new album's out in a fortnight – Charli XCX?

Will no doubt get shouted down for being on a major label or commercialist or something but she's just a bigger Sky Ferriera or just a better version of whatever synth band's doing the rounds now. I like the way she constructs songs, how the lyrics are always so continuous. Rivers Cuomo did it a lot for his first two albums and I always thought that was so cool, whenever I think of melodies in my head that's where I naturally go as well – it's almost using rap as a template, using sounds and vocal rhythms to make a melody while also having another rhythm or pattern or something on top. It's very cool.


The lyric about "You're my favourite drug / I smoke you in the club" is some pretty funny s**t. I like that one where she talks about some dudes salard and proceeds to admit how she likes it... I can't believe how little that comes up in music – surely everyone likes someone, but there's two or three fixable things they hate... their bad shoes, a rank jacket they still trot out, they'd look better with a shorter cut... The way she follows it up with "what do you think about me?" is some kind of self-awareness I really cannot ever begrudge


This song reminds me of Drake in every term. Such a cool atmosphere




No shame about any of this either. She has more personality than the other pricks who copped BNMs on P4K and has shown way more progression in two albums than a lot of bands are willing to show. She also reminds me of this girl I went to uni with this year, who would continually set next to me in lectures despite the plethora of empty seats, and who'd listen to the s**t-boring indulgences of this one lecture while shopping on Asos. So maybe I'm just expressing that through Charli XCX?

Who knows. Great songs and I can't wait for the new one to leak

 

[sojthebest]

Loving the new Ariel Pink album. The guy just knows how to make really interesting pop music.

 

[bombermick]

Just got the new AVA album. Huge NIN influence (Ilan Rubin is a member) and excellent songwriting. Good change of direction.

 

[Juke]

Started getting hype two or so years ago, but her new album's out in a fortnight – Charli XCX?

Will no doubt get shouted down for being on a major label or commercialist or something but she's just a bigger Sky Ferriera or just a better version of whatever synth band's doing the rounds now. I like the way she constructs songs, how the lyrics are always so continuous. Rivers Cuomo did it a lot for his first two albums and I always thought that was so cool, whenever I think of melodies in my head that's where I naturally go as well – it's almost using rap as a template, using sounds and vocal rhythms to make a melody while also having another rhythm or pattern or something on top. It's very cool.


The lyric about "You're my favourite drug / I smoke you in the club" is some pretty funny s**t. I like that one where she talks about some dudes salard and proceeds to admit how she likes it... I can't believe how little that comes up in music – surely everyone likes someone, but there's two or three fixable things they hate... their bad shoes, a rank jacket they still trot out, they'd look better with a shorter cut... The way she follows it up with "what do you think about me?" is some kind of self-awareness I really cannot ever begrudge


This song reminds me of Drake in every term. Such a cool atmosphere




No shame about any of this either. She has more personality than the other pricks who copped BNMs on P4K and has shown way more progression in two albums than a lot of bands are willing to show. She also reminds me of this girl I went to uni with this year, who would continually set next to me in lectures despite the plethora of empty seats, and who'd listen to the s**t-boring indulgences of this one lecture while shopping on Asos. So maybe I'm just expressing that through Charli XCX?

Who knows. Great songs and I can't wait for the new one to leak

I loved her earlier work, especially this song:

P4k just released a review of Sucker, and while I don't think they have very good reviews any more, I've found that albums that fall within the 6 to 8 range are the ones that I like the most. I'm looking forward to getting my paws on a copy.

 

[WALDENPOND]

Shellac 'Dude Incredible' LP

End of year approaching. Album of the year I'd say.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Literature's Chorus is really good.




I have no idea why I didn't give this album a spin sooner. Their first one was something I really dug, just 10 straight-out tunes in about 25 minutes. They've done everything they should've with a second album: kept their best traits and changed up their worst ones. They're still fast and melodic and sound like springtime or 4pm in summer. But they ditched the Sarah Records and C86 sounds for post-punk twinkle and stop-starts. Plus the drumming sounds like that last Beach Fossils album (those drums were so angry maaaaaan).

Slumberland Records still killin it in the 2010s

 

[Richard Cranium]

That Charli XCX album has some really cool tunes on it. Worth a listen, even if you're not really into pop music.

 

[Silent Alarm]

I NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE LIVING IN THE USA
DOING THINGS THE AMERICAN WAY AY AY
I NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE LIVING IN THE USA
LIVING THE DREAM LIKE A LONDON QUEEN!

 

[Silent Alarm]

Sucker is the most singable LP all year. Great songs about good topics and she's got such an interesting way of saying pretty obvious things without being corny. I like the comic book "boom, clap!" etc motifs in it, too.

I like the song about living the dream in the US and the idea of persistence and art and not giving up. And the one where she sings about how when you're absolutely cooked at 2am and having the most fun you've ever had, you have those literal thoughts of "I could die here and be alright with it." It's a pity SuperLove wasn't on there for whatever reason, but whatevs.

The song with Rostam Batmanglij is incredible as well and shows how good of a producer Rostam's becoming. Such a distinctive sound he's growing that he's been able to spread into plenty of genres.

She seems a pretty cool girl as well and I've become a massive sucker for short girls with thick, heavy dark hair lately. What a couple.

 

[Richard Cranium]

But seriously, Famous is such a jam. Late contender for my favourite track of the year (if I were do that sort of thing...).

 

[BILC]

No love for the new Modest Mouse single?

 

[Silent Alarm]

Anyone else digging this? Makonnen is my favourite rapper of the year, obviously. I dig Ezra's verse and it's interesting to note the type of lyrics he's singing these days, everything's still interested in class and history, but he's changed his way with words... definitely becoming far more interested in the sound of words and casual vernacular – and pop culture references.

That line about his best friends being Makonne and Despot, and Mary Kate Olsen dissing his Warby Parkers is so rap.

 

[WALDENPOND]

No love for the new Modest Mouse single?

It's OK. I prefer the more raw, early MM stuff.

 

[Juke]

No love for the new Modest Mouse single?

I've never really been a fan tbh.

 

[Silent Alarm]

My favourite Modest Mouse song is 3rd Planet, I remember hearing it on a Rodney Mullen comp.

"And it's how the world began, and it's how the world... will end..."

 

[BILC]

My favourite Modest Mouse song is 3rd Planet, I remember hearing it on a Rodney Mullen comp.

"And it's how the world began, and it's how the world... will end..."

The Moon & Antarctica is one of my favourite albums of all time.

 

[Silent Alarm]

http://www.stereogum.com/1726044/the-101-most-anticipated-albums-of-2015/list/

Without mentioning Earl, Tyler, King Krule, Rejjie Snow, reportedly Haim, maybe Discovery or Rostam Batmanglij's first solo LP, The Creases, some Damon Albarn thing, Danny Brown, Beach Fossils, Hannah Diamond, Makonnen, Disclosure (not that it'll be any good, it'll suck nurries, and I reckon it'll come out in 2016), plus The Drums are back in the studio already as well as Jonny having a solo thing not yet out... next year is going to be so sick.