Albums
of the year
2014
Last year my goal was to shorten the reviews in my annual top albums post, but I failed miserably. This year, however, time was more limited – in a good way luckily (maybe because I interviewed two of my favorite bands: Lush, and Slowdive!) – and I’ve finally reached my goal. That’s even with 20 albums reviewed, up four from last year. I think I’ll keep this introductory shorter as well. As you can see, to the left is a playlist of a song from each of the albums that I think represents what makes each album great. Oh, and it’s Spotify, so you may need to have an account or something, not entirely sure how that works. Figure it out, or check out the song titles to find them somewhere else. Lastly, note these are in no particular order. They’re all great in their own individual ways, and thus albums at the bottom are JUST as important as those at the top. Enjoy, and feel free to comment if you want – and thanks for reading! Or not.
10
GL
GL EP
This EP is total perfection and the biggest tease I’ve heard this year. Like when I heard those first few tracks from Chvrches a few years ago and no one knew who they were, if the tracks were a one-off, and if we would never hear from them again. The excitement from those early tracks is the joy I feel listening to this debut EP from Melbourne, Australia-based duo GL. The first time I heard the track ‘Take Me Back’ there was something about the pace of the track – especially in the vocals – that threw me a bit. I thought the song was nearly perfect, but something was off-kilter about it. But I was drawn to it and re-listened a few days late on a proper pair of headphones, and then it came together. It sounds like a pairing of Madonna’s 1983 self-titled debut album, and the breakdance sound of that same era from Ollie & Jerry and their work on the soundtracks for ‘Breakin’ and ‘Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo’. I think though the description on the band’s Soundcloud page says it quite well: “Cruising in glowing synths, gritty drum machines and stratospheric vocals, GL’s music is a cosmic dream-sequence not unlike a lost reel from the mid-80s. Experience the sound of cruise control, dive bars, strobe lights and tape decks with GL.” OK maybe mine is better by using a bit less hyperbole! But they both get to the point. Beautifully gritty, with killer vocals and a beat and sound that transports you right back to the gorgeously awful 1980s, this EP is perfect and will get in your head better more than all the other pop songs released this year. Very highly recommended.