henke on 26/12/2014 at 17:56
I've been meaning to listen to the Run the Jewels albums all year but never gotten around to it. Listened to the newer one this evening and it is QUITE NICE! :thumb:
doctorfrog on 27/12/2014 at 06:55
Hot damn, I don't listen to much of the genre, but this is good.
Morte on 1/1/2015 at 20:51
I don't know if I've turned into an old fuck or if the internet has ruined me -- having about all the music ever made at your fingertips makes it so easy to disappear into that rather than keeping up with new releases -- but I think the only 2014 music that wasn't a soundtrack I've listened to is the new Aphex Twin and the new Faith No More single.
N'Al on 2/1/2015 at 09:50
For those who (care to) remember, (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142921&p=2227660&viewfull=1#post2227660) I thought 2013 was exceptional wrt music releases, so 2014 was always bound to be a bit of a disappointment for me.
Nevertheless, there were still some surprisingly good releases last year. In no particular order:
Aphex Twin - SyroAlthough I'm a pretty big fan of the Twin I've always found his output very inconsistent and scattershot. Most of the best stuff can be found on compilations or EPs; heck, he doesn't even use the name Aphex Twin for half of his releases.
As such, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this. That it's turned out to be his best
album (bar maybe
...I Care Because You Do, it's a toss-up in my mind) was therefore quite surprising. This is amazing stuff, truly exciting electronic music to listen to.
Röyksopp - The Inevitable EndI've heard this is to be Röyksopp's final album - hence the title, I guess. If so, it's probably for the best, since based on this album they're going out on a high.
If nothing else, it's got this track: (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlCQP4GnpXk) Skulls
Pink Floyd - The Endless RiverOne thing this album has certainly won in 2014 is
Worst Album Cover. I mean, look at this thing:
Inline Image:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Pink_Floyd_-_The_Endless_River_(Artwork).jpgThe music, though, is pretty decent. Bar the final track (and some Stephen Hawking on
Talkin' Hawkin'), this is actually all instrumental music - which makes sense, since it's meant to be a tribute of some sorts to keyboarder Rick Wright. It's a good one.
Smashing Pumpkins - Monuments to an ElegyThis has actually turned out to be one of my most listened albums this year. Whilst it's probably too much to expect a return to (
http://www.allmusic.com/album/siamese-dream-mw0000099414) classic (
http://www.allmusic.com/album/mellon-collie-and-the-infinite-sadness-mw0000645152) SP, with this (and
Oceania before it) they seem to have found a place where every so often they quite simply release excellent rock albums. So it proves with MtaE as well (in fact, I probably prefer it to
Oceania, even.) Recommended.
AC/DC - Rock or BustIf there's one band that's been doing the same thing for going on 40 years now, it's this one. Doesn't matter, though, AC/DC are great.
Rock or Bust is great. Done.
Interpol - El PintorNot much to say on this, tbh. It's not an embarrassment, but neither is it a stand-out album for Interpol. Enjoyable enough.
Judas Priest - Redeemer of SoulsMuch like Black Sabbath in '13, the most I hoped for from this was that they don't embarrass themselves (particularly considering they had just lost founding guitarist K. K. Downing). Turns out they managed to go one better and release one of their best albums in years. Even the five extra tracks included in the Deluxe Edition are excellent, when they quite often are just throwaway tracks.
Jack White - LazarettoI must admit, I've never really listened to the White Stripes, the Raconteurs, or any of JW's other bands, but when he released his (
http://www.allmusic.com/album/blunderbuss-mw0002308308) first solo album in 2012 I picked it up on a whim. I came to enjoy that quite a bit, so I picked up the follow-up last year as well. It's the same sort of stuff he usually does (based on his solo output, at least), and it's very good.
Foo Fighters - Sonic HighwaysLet's put it this way: I did also listen to this album in 2014. Can't really remember much of it, though. For an album where each song was recorded in - and supposedly inspired by - a different recording studio throughout the US, this is surprisingly tame. Then again, I've always found the Foo Fighters kinda boring. Shame, after 2011's
Wasting Light (the only FF album I genuinely enjoy).
Soundgarden - Superunknown (20th Anniversary Edition)A bit of a cheat, but when one of the best albums ever made gets re-released (20 years!) it's worthy of being mentioned again.
Notable soundtracks:
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Gone GirlGuardians of the Galaxy - Awesome Mix Vol. 1Wolfenstein The New Order - (https://soundcloud.com/neumondrecordings) Neumond Recordings
