I’ve been trying to get into some good new music recently, and I’ve been combing through many “best of” lists and many of the same albums keep coming up:
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
Marc Demarco - Salad Days
Caribou - Our Love
Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
Many varied styles there, but I’m interested in trying something new. Can’t say really I’m impressed with anything I’ve listened to so far. . . but, I’m willing to give something an extended chance. . . any specific recommendations from 2014?
St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Bob Mould - Beauty & Ruin
Real Estate - Atlas
Future Islands - Singles
Kelis - Food
Eagulls - Eagulls
The Paul & John - Inner Sunset
Sloan - Commonwealth
Ex Hex - Rips
Wussy - Attica
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Cheatahs - Cheatahs
I don’t think I’ve listened to one entire album that was released this year. It’s interesting how the shift in technology towards digital distribution is having the exact opposite effect today that tech shift from 45s to LPs had in the '60s; singles are becoming the dominant form of popular music again, while albums are going by the waste-side.
FWIW, here’s a list of the albums that reached #1 on the Billboard 200 in 2014;
Beyoncé - Beyoncé
film soundtrack - Frozen
Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes
Various Artists - Now That’s What I Call Music! 49
Eric Church - The Outsiders
Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
Rick Ross - Mastermind
Various Artists - Now That’s What I Call Music! 50
The Black Keys - Turn Blue
Coldplay - Ghost Stories
Miranda Lambert - Platinum
Jack White - Lazaretto
Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
Ed Sheeran - x
Trey Songz - Trigga
Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear
Weird Al Yankovic - Mandatory Fun
5 Seconds of Summer - 5 Seconds of Summer
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye
film soundtrack - Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1
Here’s a list of albums I picked up in 2014. I don’t think I duplicated anyone coming before, but apologies if so.
Oz - Missy Higgins
Different Shades of Blue - Joe Bonamassa
Half the City - St. Paul and the Broken Bones
Hozier - Hozier
After the Disco - Broken Bells
Flesh and Blood - John Butler Trio
Bad Self Portraits - Lake Street Dive
No Sound Without Silence - the Script
Diamonds - Johnnyswim
Dream Your Life Away - Vance Joy
Language and Perspective - Bad Suns
Disclaimer: I don’t listen to country, house music, hip hop or rap, so none of that is included.
Run The Jewels 2 was my favorite album, but it was the only album I listened to that was released in 2014. Just a weird occurrence of being a long-time fan of people who team up and reach a different level of notice. There are a few acts I will get anything they put out, and not much of anything else. The last album I bought was The National in 2013.
I mostly listen to non-commercial hip-hop and “alternative.” I like the songs I have heard from “War on Drugs”, even if that one semi-famous guy calls it “beer commercial rock.”
Scanning the list of the top songs of 2014 from my local alternative station, while I didn’t listen to any albums, I liked some music from: Cold War Kids, Cage the Elephant (they have a lot of songs; I might like their albums), Arctic Monkeys, Jack White, Portugal the Man, Beck, Meg Myers, Royal Blood, Queens Of The Stone Age, Jagwar Ma, J. Roddy Walston, and… that’s about it. Not much new that interested me.
If you or anyone else is looking for new music, I urge you to participate in the SDMB Music Appreciation Society. But PLEASE, before you post read the OP and follow the rules! Thanks!