Let's give it up for the new year...
Well hello everybody! Welcome to my favorite post of the year.
If you follow the blog (and really, why wouldn't you?), you know that each month I like to post a collage of album covers that shows the 50 albums with the most plays over the last 30 days. Honestly, I have no idea why I enjoy doing those posts so much and even less of an idea why anybody would read them, but it's my blog and you get what you pay for.
Continuing a tradition from last year, I'm eschewing the album cover collage for the 50 Most Played Albums of the year and giving each album cover its own spot. In addition, I'm going to write a 140 character blurb about each album because nobody reads anything that's over 140 characters anymore.
Without boring you with too much of my personal life, 2014 was a pretty alright year. Yes, a lot of things that I wanted to do this year didn't work out, but some of them did, and that's a dramatic improvement from the flaming ball of disappointment that was 2013. So... good times!
Anyway, let's get to this list. Obviously most of the albums on this list have been written about on the blog before as most of them were Album Of The Week at one point or another. For those who don't know, when I name an album AOTW I listen to it every day for seven days straight. I also do a little write-up about it here on the blog and, if I dig it, make a point to play something from the album on the Flatbasset Radio podcast. As such, when you see the title of an album highlighted you can follow that link to my original AOTW post (because who doesn't want to spend a Sunday evening reading nine month old posts about albums you might not care about.
As always, these stats come courtesy of the website Last.fm. If you're ever curious what's in heavy rotation at Planet New Basset you can check out my account here. You should also start your own account. Last.fm is the best.
Alright, let's get to it.
01. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots (158 plays): Blur frontman's first proper solo album. An absolutely perfect adult album rich with confusion, disappointment, concern, & moments of bliss.
02. The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams (149 plays): Craig Finn & the boys eased into their second (or third?) act with guitars flying high. Five albums deep & each one's absolutely essential.
03. Atmosphere - Southsiders (135 plays): Slug & Ant step away from the live band sound & back to their roots. Slug's raps grow wiser & funnier with age. Hip-hop aging gracefully.
04. Human Kindness - You Are So Loud That I Want To Die (115 plays): Maybe my favorite of 2014. Post-punk, bar rock, & emo mashed together brilliantly. Couldn't be more excited to see where HK goes from here. (Bonus link to my review of YASLTIWTD)
05. MaLLy - The Colors Of Black (110 plays): An angry, personal album MaLLy. TCOB is the sound of a man making the most of his time in the spotlight rather than just reveling in it.
06. The Starfolk - The Starfolk (109 plays): Stellar indie-pop album from these Twin Cities' vets. Catchy, clever, & perfectly crafted. A precious, slow-burn of an album.
07. Morrissey - World Peace Is None Of Your Business (108 plays): A middling album from a middling year in Moz's life. Yet... I'll be a fan forever. Not his best work, but we're all better for its existence.
08. The Person & The People - What A Drag (108 plays): A late entry, What A Drag pulls everything great about TP&TP together seamlessly. They continue StP's reputation for tremendous power-pop.
09. MK Ultra - MK Ultra (107 plays): A random Amazon purchase. John Vanderslice's old band's debut album. Great jams from the era of Alternative Nation. I'm old, so that's great!
10. Edison - No Three Men Make A Tiger (107 plays): Follow up to last year's Most Played Album. More aggressive than No Sun No Food, Edison is firing on all cylinders here. Classic beats.
11. The Cloak Ox - Shoot The Dog (104 plays): Another classic from another group of TC vets. STD finds Andrew Broder straddling the line between Thom Yorke & Ted Leo. Think about that.
12. Howler - World Of Joy (103 plays): The same year Paul Westerberg got the band back together Howler released the best 'Mats album since Pleased To Meet Me. The future is bright.
13. Marijuana Deathsquads - Oh My Sexy Lord (101 plays): MDS's best effort yet at a coherent, full-length statement. So dense that when it all locks into place it lifts OMSL to another place.
14. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2 (96 plays): Killer Mike & El-P return more angry, more boastful, more personal, & more relevant than ever. Nothing is left unsaid yet it's all essential.
15. Hall & Oates - Abandoned Luncheonette (94 plays): 2014 ushered in what I'm calling my "soft rock phase." Hall & Oates' second album got a lot of plays as I embraced this phase. Fuck you.
16. The Rakes - Pass The Lies (93 plays): Scrappy garage rock from MPLS almost certainly seemed average when it came out, sounds like heaven now. Again: I'm old & the 90's were great.
17. Moonlight Grammar - Lies, Cages & Sharks (93 plays): Another bit of Twin Cities hip-hop. Great MC name, great album running the gambit of concerns from the party to the country as a whole.
18. Manny Phesto - Southside Looking In (93 plays): A thoughtful, soulful, throwback of an album. Both Manny Phesto & Mike The Martyr make their case as players in the future of TC hip-hop.
19. Franz Diego - Float (92 plays): The scene that birthed Moonlight Grammar & Manny Phesto was built by vets like Franz Diego. Still mixing stoned-out wisdom & party vibes.
20. Rogue Valley - Crater Lake (90 plays): Been spending the year with Rogue Valley's "seasonal" albums. Crater Lake's optimistic pop takes me back to spring. Seems like yesterday...
21. P. Morris - Debut (90 plays): Don't remember how I found this album, but love it to death. All instrumental, great for strolling, great for dozing. Vibes for days.
22. TheStandr4d - The Stand4rd (88 plays): TC hip-hop was built on doing things DIY & different & this is both. A confounding record that stakes its claim in the future of the Cities.
23. Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (86 plays): I love Steely Dan & do not feel obligated to defend these plays. My Most Anticipated Album of 2015? Buying more old Steely Dan albums.
24. Sebadoh - Harmacy (85 plays): Fell back in love with Sebadoh after seeing them at the Turf Club in late 2013. Couldn't stop playing Harmacy for about three months.
25. The Ashtray Hearts - Old Numbers (85 plays): An album I've owned for years that I finally spent some time with. Soothing, heartbreaking Americana from this now-veteran Twin Cities band.
26. Rogue Valley - Geese In The Flyway (85 plays): RV's "Autumn Album" is their most seasonally appropriate. An album perfectly crafted album about transition.
27. Allan Kingdom - Future Memoirs (84 plays): In hindsight, FM is the bridge from Kingdom's breakthrough Talk To Strangers & the confusing, anything goes TheStand4rd album.
28. Dichotomy - Subterranean (84 plays): Mostly instrumental album combining live instruments & computers. An easy album to get lost in.
29. Suzie - Born Single (81 plays): No Problem Records had an incredible 2014, peaking with this psyched out masterpiece. Mark Ritsema trades grit for glam to great reward.
30. The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone (79 plays): Seeing how beloved The Walkmen were when they broke up I made the conscious decision to find out why. Started here. Understanding quickly.
31. Rogue Valley - The Bookseller's House (79 plays): And the "Summer" album. Y'know what? Instead of reading this one, just go to their Bandcamp page & get it.
32. The Lemonheads - The Lemonheads (78 plays): Evan Dando backed by Karl & Bill from ALL?!? 1998 me is so angry 2014 me slept on this one for 8 years. Another classic Lemonheads LP.
33. Sebadoh - III (77 plays): I told you I was on a Sebadoh kick this year. Lou Barlow is an American treasure.
34. Warm Thrills - Warm Thrills (77 plays): Now known as Plums, Warm Thrills lives on with one classic album. Imagine Stuart Murdoch trying to write like Pete Shelley. Bingo.
35. DJ Shadow - The Private Press (73 plays): His post-Entroducing... work takes a lot of heat & I wanted to find out why. After playing. The Private Press I still have no idea. Loved it.
36. Psymun - Heartsick (73 plays): The man behind TheStand4rd's sound, I understand Psymun's music best when it stands alone (or with K.Raydio gracing the mic). Great EP.
37. Some Pulp - Some Pulp (72 plays): Power-pop at its power-est & poppie-st. Opening three tracks were one of my favorite recorded moments of 2014.
38. The Dust Brothers - Fight Club (70 plays): Picked up this film score on a whim. The Dust Brothers deserve credit for Paul's Boutique & Odelay, but here they stand tall on their own.
39. Oaks - Field Beat (68 plays): A punky/shoegaze EP from a husband & wife duo. Drum machines & guitar squalls are cut in half by Erica Krumm's strong, clear vocals. Good stuff.
40. Big Pauper - Beyond My Means (66 plays): More than a beat tape, but not technically an album Beyond My Means was my public transit soundtrack for early 2014.
41. The Van Gobots - Guantanamo Beach Party (65 plays): Found out about TVG via their album backing rapper Homeless. Local guys sound like Minus The Bear, but a bit rougher around the edges.
42. The Miami Dolphins - Capri Sun (65 plays): A wonky "punk" album in the loosest sense of the word. Odd time signatures, schizo vocals, & bursts where it all fires together.
43. Ras Dude - Well Red (65 plays): An absolutely stoned-out beat tape that happens to double as one of my absolute favorites. Dusty, dub-style beats.
44. Flagland - Tireda Fightin (64 plays): High energy, deeply bitter indie punk. Not afraid to go sweet, not afraid to go vulgar, not afraid to leave ideas half-finished.
45. Dee Dee Mayo - Dee Dee Mayo Sweats It Out (64 plays): Ian Nygaard takes a break from playing guitar with Howler to put out this bizarro album about a beach, a jungle, & a guitar hero. It rules.
46. Girl Talk & Freeway - Broken Ankles (63 plays): Bridging the gap from Pittsburgh to Philly, Broken Ankles injects new life into a couple of artists who often struggle to surprise us.
47. The Persian Leaps - Drive Drive Delay (63 plays): St. Paul's finest power-poppers follow up their debut EP with an EP that's both deeper & more raw without sacrificing the hooks.
48. Mrs. - Cave (61 plays): Mrs. is a curious local act. Blues guitar riffs, mathematically precise rhythm, howling vocals, and all at the speed of the Ramones.
49. Frankie Teardrop - Raiders (61 plays): No Problem Records kicked off their year with this EP. Better hooks, more personal lyrics, & tighter production made this FT's best work yet.
50. R.E.M. - Eponymous (60 plays): The year that gave way to my soft rock phase began with a new appreciation for R.E.M. These things may be related.
Well that's it, everybody. Another year in the books.
Stay tuned to Flatbasset Radio over the next couple of weeks as I have a ton of "Best Of 2014" podcasts cooking up. Until then, stop over to the Facebook page & give us a "Like" if you have the time and, y'know, like what we do here.
Remember, we're always up for taking requests & submissions on the podcast. Just hit me up via Twitter or on the Facebook page or, um... in person? Please don't request songs in person.
Until then, spay & neuter your pets and keep your fucking bike off the sidewalk.
For more of my rantings you can give me a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page. Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.
