Tag Archives: Broken Bells

The 55 Best Albums of 2014 (1-11)

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At the end of the day, the top albums came down to the ones I found myself listening to the most.  There were albums I respected but I never had the urge to play, so they ended up lower on the list.  These were the albums that kept finding themselves in my heavy rotation.  These albums deserve top billing.

Probably the biggest surprise here is the U2 album.  I have no idea why so many people criticized its delivery method.  People have been complaining that the old system doesn’t work anymore; labels and bands need to try new things.  U2 did. They gave the fans exactly what they asked for and the people still complained.  People didn’t complain this much about Zooropa (which deserved it). My favorite criticism of the band is now they’re corporate.  I hate to break it to you all, any band on a record label is corporate. U2 took a risk and I commend them for it. I’d rather a band take a risk and fail then play it safe and be ordinary.  If people stopped complaining and listened, they might actually be surprised.

Here are the 55 Best Albums of 2014 (1-11):

1.  Broken Bells - After the Disco
2.  Antemasque - Antemasque
3.  Eagulls - Eagulls
4.  TV On The Radio - Seeds
5.  White Sea - White Sea
6.  Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
7.  Cheatahs - Cheatahs
8.  Jack White - Lazaretto
9.  James Vincent McMorrow - Post-Tropical
10. Run The Jewels - RTJ2
11. U2 - Songs of Innocence

 
Buy all of these albums and more…now!!

 

My 11 Favorite Albums of 2014 (so far)

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It’s been a weird year in music.  There’s actually been a lot of great music…but nothing that has yet to stand above the rest.  There’s been no real consensus on what albums are 2014’s calling card.  From site to site, it seems there’s a lot more variety than most years.  And my top 11 is no different.  While there seems to some shared love for James Vincent McMorrow, Against Me!, Cloud Nothings, and The War On Drugs, my favorite album of the year (the infectious Broken Bells) is nowhere to be found on any list.  The Jack White peaks into a couple lists but has been widely slammed, probably because the album was made for vinyl and listening to any other way takes it down a notch. Strangely, it happens to be my favorite non-White Stripes Jack White recording to date.  I’ve seen Pure X and Conor Oberst get a couple mentions (albeit low on lists).  White Sea and First Aid Kit are two budding artists hitting their strides, yet fail to get mentions.  Last on my list is the addictive EP by the band Movement.  Everyone’s raving about How To Dress Well (which is another good album) but I feel like Movement is doing the same thing but is already leaps and bounds ahead.  But this is the great thing about music…there’s something for everyone to love.

Happy 4th!  Enjoy songs from the albums below…plus a few other good tracks from this year.

Here are my 11 favorite albums of 2014 (so far):

  1. Broken Bells – After The Disco
  2. James Vincent McMorrow – Post-Tropical
  3. Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
  4. Jack White – Lazaretto
  5. Conor Oberst – Upside Down Mountain
  6. Cloud Nothings – Here And Nowhere Else
  7. Pure X – Angel
  8. First Aid Kit – Stay Gold
  9. White Sea – White Sea
  10. The War on Drugs – Lost In the Dream
  11. Movement – Movement EP

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The Unknown: Broken Bells

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It’s a stretch to call the Broken Bells an unknown act but with only one other album and a 4-song EP, there’s barely enough songs to do a top 11 list without it being purely comprised of the debut album’s tracklist.  This album has been on repeat in my car for the past month.  It’s fantastic even though it’s getting mediocre reviews.  I think the critics are just idiots…or basketball referees…same difference.  Since everyone knows who they are then I don’t need to explain to you why the lead singer of the Shins and Danger Mouse making music together is an all encompassing great duo.  Instead, I’m going to pimp myself out.  Currently, my book The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s is available on Kindle for 99 cents.  That’s less than a dollar (for all you readers who ditched math).  But it will only be 99 cents for another week before it goes back up to its normal $2.99.  So get it now, and always have something to read on your phone, or tablet, or laptop.

Buy The 111 Best Music Lists of The 2000s…now!!

Buy Broken Bells, After The Disco…now!!

The 11 Best Bands at Coachella…each day

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Incredible line-up this year.  Impossible to do one list for the whole festival…so here’s three lists! One for each day.  These are by no means the only good bands playing, just the ones that I’m most excited about.  And Saturday is easily the most packed day.

The 11 Best Bands at Coachella on Friday:

  1. Outkast
  2. Girl Talk
  3. Broken Bells
  4. The Replacements
  5. HAIM
  6. A$AP Ferg
  7. Ellie Goulding
  8. Waxahatchee
  9. Bryan Ferry
  10. Grouplove
  11. Zedd

The 11 Best Bands at Coachella on Saturday:

  1. Foster The People
  2. Empire Of The Sun
  3. Cage The Elephant
  4. Nas
  5. Muse
  6. Pet Shop Boys
  7. Skrillex
  8. MGMT
  9. CHVRCHES
  10. Blood Orange
  11. The Head and The Heart

The 11 Best Bands at Coachella on Sunday:

  1. Arcade Fire
  2. Neutral Milk Hotel
  3. Beck
  4. Superchunk
  5. Lana Del Rey
  6. STRFKR
  7. Calvin Harris
  8. Disclosure
  9. Preservation Hall Jazz Band
  10. Chance The Rapper
  11. Bad Manners

 

 

 

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Winter 2014

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 Tonight, Florida State beat Auburn in the last BS (I mean BCS…actually, I really do mean bullshit) NCAA football championship game.  In 2014, we get the first ever college football playoff.  It’s only 4 teams…but it’s a start.  But college football isn’t the only thing we have to look forward to.  Here’s a look at the best new releases of the next three months.

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Winter 2014:

  1. Broken Bells – After The Disco ( Feb 4)
  2. Beck – Morning Phase (Feb 25)
  3. Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Jan 21)
  4. Young the Giant – Mind Over Matter (Jan 21)
  5. Drive-By Truckers – English Oceans (Mar 4)
  6. The Crystal Method – The Crystal Method (Jan 14)
  7. Cibo Matto – Hotel Valentine (Feb 11)
  8. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Wig Out at Jagbags (Jan 7)
  9. Warpaint – Warpaint (Jan 21)
  10. Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes (Jan 14)
  11. Johnny Cash – Out Among The Stars (Mar 25)