Best of 2014

The end of the year is coming, so it’s time for the inevitable end of the year list. What a year! I had to leave out a lot of great albums, both in the regular list and in the list of reissues.

1.Ode To The Quiet – Ode To The Quiet
From impressive soundscapes to hypnotic piano lines to Debussy to post punk to danceable electro-pop, this is easily the most impressive and adventurous pop music I’ve heard in years.

2.Billy Childs – Map To The Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro
Jazz and Renée Fleming or Alison Krauss or Susan Tedeschi or Shawn Colvin sounds like an odd combination. But it works. An amazing ambitious but beautiful jazz album.

3.Sofia Dragt – I See You
The Netherlands’ own Agnes Obel? I’ve never been so enchanted by piano playing ever since I first heard Agnes Obel’s Philharmonics. A beautiful album of piano-based songs that gets better with every listen.

4.Larkin Poe – Kin
More rock then their previous EPs, but their full length debut remains as much fun as americana can be. Slightly overproduced compared to their live shows, but the quality of the songs and the sisters’ harmonies always remains high.

5.The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream
The one that topped everybody else’s 2014 list. It reminds me of Springsteen, Dylan, Porcupine Tree, Led Zeppelin but also Editors and Coldplay. A weird mix that leads to a dreamy, very enjoyable rock album.

6.Joan As Police Woman – The Classic
Just as intense but more soulful and varied than ever before. When it comes to white soul there really isn’t anybody quite like Joan As Police Woman. Up there with her very best work.

7.Damien Jurado – Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Son
Someone I had never heard of when a girl at a record store suggested I should listen to this album. Apparently it’s already his 11th album. Think of Neil Young and Warren Zevon with some psychedelic influences.

8.Suzanne Vega – Tales From The Realm Of The Queen Of Pentacles
Her best album since 1990’s Days Of Open Hand. Just as adventurous as her previous album, but with more conventional instrumentation it sounds more like a Suzanne Vega album.

9.Robert Plant – Lullaby And The Ceaseless Roar
Great songs with influences from world music, folk music, roots music. Led Zeppelin fans may complain this sounds nothing like “Stairway To Heaven” or “Whole Lotta Love”, but in the end that’s just what makes this album so interesting.

10.Rosanne Cash – The River & The Thread
Her fist self written album in 8 years is also her best since her masterpiece The Wheel. Great band, lovely voice, some of her best songs. Her dad would have been proud.

11.Marianne Trudel featuring Ingrid Jensen – La Vie Commence Ici
Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen has collaborated with lots of piano players over the years, but the pairing with Marianne Trudel just clicks. Simple but very beautiful jazz music.

12.Beck – Morning Phase
Those who call this album boring may be hearing the music, but they are not really listening. Similar in mood to his 2002 masterpiece Sea Change and nearly as good. Beautiful lush arrangements and lovely songs.

13.Richard Thompson – Acoustic Classics
One of the best guitarists in the world finally delivers an album that does his skills as an acoustic guitarist justice. If you’ve seen him perform live acoustically you’ve been waiting for this as long as I was. If you haven’t, be prepared to be blown away,

14.Martina McBride – Everlasting
A side-step into classic soul from one of country music’s best voices. It’s just as enjoyable as Timeless, her side-step into 50s country music, and easily her best album since then.

15.Tineke Postma & Greg Osby – Sonic Halo
As a Tineke Postma fan I had my doubts when I first read about the album last year. 2 Saxophonists? Where’s her quartet? It turned out I was completely wrong. Yet another highlight in the career of one of today’s finest jazz musicians.

16.Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams
Tindersticks or Willard Grant Conspiracy with vibraphone, mellotron and electronic effects added? Certainly one of the most intersting albums of the year, perfect music for saturday night in between your Nick Cave and Chet Baker albums.

17.Neil Young – Storytone
Most welcome after the pointless cover album A Letter Home. Neil Young can still deliver some good songs and the orchestrations fit in with his music instead of being overpowering.

18.Wallis Bird – Architect
Paul Page’s review for entertainment.ie put it best: “Architect demonstrates that Wallis Bird is not prepared to stand still – it is the sound of an artist striving to change and grow and have a little fun along the way.”

19.Temples – Sun Structures
Very enjoyable indie-rock that sounds just as much like Blur and Queens Of The Stone Age as early Pink Floyd and Small Faces. Complete with Byrds-like guitars and mellotron samples.

20.Eliza Gilkyson – The Nocturne Diaries
Strong come back after the not entirely convincing Roses At The End Of Time. With “No Tomorrow”, “The Ark” and “Not My Home” and “Where No Monument Stands” she adds a few new classics to her impressive catalogue, while that voice remains one of the best things americana has to offer.

21.Sarah McLachlan – Shine On
Another singer/songwriter making a strong come back. That voice still sounds amazing, especially on ballads such as “Broken Heart”, “Surrender And Certainty” and “Song For My Father”.

22.Jackson Browne – Standing In The Breach
One of my favourite Jackson Browne songs “The Birds Of St. Marks”, performed live for years, finally finds a home on a studio album. “The Long Way Around”, “Leaving Winslow” and “Which Side?” prove he still has some great new songs to offer as well.

23.Beth Nielsen Chapman – UnCovered
An underrated songwriter delivers a collection of songs that she’s written for others but never recorded herself. On this album she proves she can perform them all a lot more convincingly than anyone else.

24.Bryan Ferry – Avanmore
Bryan Ferry continues on the same path he started with 1982’s Avalon. The mood remains as magical as ever. No, this doesn’t offer anything new, but since there’s nobody else doing what Ferry does I’m not complaining.

25.Jonatha Brooke – My Mother Has Four Noses
It’s long time since her last album, but it was worth the wait. As soon as you hear that voice, those melodies, those arrangements, life is good again.

26.Jolie Holland – Wine Dark Sea
Jolie Holland sounds like a cross between PJ Harvey, Tom Waits and Billie Holiday on her most intense and difficult album to date. It all sounds as impressive on CD as it did live in Amsterdam last October.

27.Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Hypnotic Eye
After a series of disappointing albums released during the last 15 years, it’s fun again to listen to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. This is easily their best since 1999’s Echo.

28.Krista Detor – Flat Earth Diary
“Ferryman’s Dream”, “Just Because”, “Bridges”, “Marietta” and “Honey Down A String” are the kind of breathtaking ballads only Krista Detor can write. Keep them coming!

29.Rumer – Into Colour
Since we now know exactly what we’re going to get, this is not as surprising as her first 2 albums. But also certainly not any less beautiful. This generation’s Karen Carpenter still has some wonderful Bacharach-like songs to sing.

30.Sharon Van Etten – Are We There?
Sharon Van Etten sounds more confident than before on her best collection of songs to date. Thanks to her lovely vocal harmonies this still sounds as magical as ever, but musically much more interesting than ever before.

Reissues:
1.Bob Dylan & The Band – The Basement Tapes Complete
The volume in the bootleg series that I’ve always been waiting for. Better sound than the bootlegs and several previously uncirculating beauties.

2.Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – Vaulturnal Vol. 1
The best live band in the world finally releases its first live album. And it’s very good, a full 2013 show. More please!

3.King Crimson – Starless
Finally, the full 1973 Glasgow, Zürich and Amsterdam shows in perfect quality for non-KCCC members. A collection of spring 1974 shows as a nice bonus.

4.Crosby Stills Nash & Young – CSNY 1974
These wonderful 1974 live recordings remind us how good they once were. An inspired band runs through all the classics and their harmonies sound as lovely as ever.

5.XTC – Drums & Wires
After King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes, Steven Wilson now applies his magic to the music of XTC. Great new mixes with wonderful clarity and tons of interesting bonus stuff.

6.The Kinks – Anthology 1964-1971
Even with its poor packaging and uneven sound quality, this still remains the best overview of this period of the band’s career. A period most would regard as their best.

7.REM – Unplugged 1991 & 2001
The 1991 Unplugged performance is really as good as everybody always told you. The 2001 show is much better than expected with a wonderful “Find The River”. Recommended.

8.Billy Joel – A Matter Of Trust: A Bridge To Russia
A major improvement over the original KOHUEPT live album. Both the live album and the video are much longer than before, it’s obvious most of the best material ended on the cutting room floor the first time round.

9.Toto – 35th Anniversary Tour Live In Poland
It took them quite a few failed attempts, but thankfully we now finally have a great Toto live album.

10.Miles Davis – Bootleg Series Vol. 3: Miles At The Fillmore
The poor sister to The Cellar Door Sessions and It’s About That Time? Maybe, but below average Miles is still better than most jazz that’s out there.

Best concert: Larkin Poe, Zaandam, July 10 2014
Most disappointing album: Marike Jager – The Silent Song
Best classical album: J.S. Bach, Art Of The Fugue, Angela Hewitt, Hyperion Records
Best old album discovered in 2014: Ann Peebles – I Can’t Stand The Rain
Looking forward to in 2015: Seeing Steven Wilson, Rumer and Toto live. New albums by the Decemberists, Laura Marling, Toto, Steven Wilson.