hfb - 12.5.14 -- 12.31.14 - Flatland twins lit by fire
Jan 4, 2015 at 12:18 PM Post #48 of 85
My first experience with electronic music was on N.P.R. it was harts of space.
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Jan 4, 2015 at 4:09 PM Post #49 of 85
Unfortunately I haven't found time to compile a best of year list so far. Part of the albums I liked have already been mentioned though.
However, here are two lesser known ones that easily rank among my very favorites of 2014:
 
Johannes Berauer - The Vienna Chamber Diaries
 
A highly melodic and romantic, but at the same time complex and demanding jazz / classical crossover album by an incredibly gifted young fellow Austrian. Though officially released in 2013, I didn't become aware of it until 2014, which just goes to show how little known Johannes Berauer is, even in his home country.
 
Expect this to take some time until you get into it... it certainly took me several listens, but over time developed into one of my best loved albums of 2014.
 

 
Teaser:

 
"Free Fall" (track #4):

 
MP3 download @Amazon US: link
CD @Amazon UK: link
 
 
 
Natalia Sikora - BWB Experience (Bezludna Wyspa Bluesa / Desert Island Blues)
 
This is not a joke... I don't speak / understand a word of Polish. And I'm usually not much of a blues fan. Yet still, Natalia Sikora's album "BWB Experience" ended up ranking among my most played albums of 2014. And her track "Insomnia" is probably my favorite song of the year.
 
Let me explain: I simply love artists who pour their very heart and soul, their very self into their music. From Maria Callas to Cecilia Bartoli, from Janis Joplin to Jeffrey Lee Pierce to... Natalia Sikora. The first thing you'll find when googling her is a slightly accent-ridden, but vocally stunning rendition of Joplin's "Cry Baby". She won a talent show in 2013, but make no mistake, this isn't your usual short-lived talent show "wonder", this is an amazingly accomplished artist in her late twenties who's able to master virtually everything from chanson to hard rock with near-perfection. There's just one catch, she seems to be much more at ease with her native language than English, and that's probably the main reason why you haven't already heard of her before.
 
I won't deny that the Polish vocals on "Bezludna Wyspa Bluesa" took me some time getting used to, but in the end the album turned out to be an incredibly rewarding listen, an exceptionally well-recorded tour de force, featuring a tight-playing band and... dat voice!
 

 
"Insomnia"

 
"BWB Experience" (entire album)

 
CD @Amazon US: link
CD @Amazon UK: link
 
Bonus: Natalia Sikora clips worth watching...
 
"Cry Baby" (Janis Joplin cover - not on the album)

 
"Tomaszów" (see spoiler below - not on the album)

 
This is a sad chanson about the Polish town Tomaszow, where thousands of Jews were driven from their homes and subsequently executed by the Nazis during WWII.

(Translation by Katarzyna Skonieczna)
 
Would you consider, my darling
To go to Tomaszow for a day?
Maybe that very same September silence,
Still can be found there, in the golden dusk…
In that white house, in that room,  
Which strangers filled up with their furniture,
We have to finish our conversation,
That from the past, sadly uncompleted…
It's there where at the round table, still
We are sitting very still, like bewitched!
Who will rescue us from that spell?
Who will shake us awake out of cruel oblivion?
The salty little drop is still flowing
To my lips from my fair eyes,
And you answering me nothing
And you are eating white grapes…
And yet, my eyes are signing to you:
'Du holde Kunst…', and my heart is cracking!
And I have to go, so you are saying goodbye,
But your hand doesn't tremble in mine…
And I went, I left
That conversation broke like a dream,
And I blessed and cursed you:
'Du holde Kunst! So - without a word?'
That white house, that dead room
Even today is surprised, doesn't believe…
The strangers had put their furniture there,
And they were leaving it in thoughtful sadness…
But - everything has been left there!
Even that very same September silence…
So, would you consider, my dearest,
To go to Tomaszow for a day again?
 
Jan 5, 2015 at 9:11 AM Post #50 of 85
This is no very constructive, unless you say what you like. But being constructive was not your point was it.

 
 
 
So, you're saying he doesn't have the right to dislike something unless he says what he likes? 
 
Jan 5, 2015 at 10:32 AM Post #51 of 85
So, you're saying he doesn't have the right to dislike something unless he says what he likes? 
Oh come man make an effort. Someone who is the thread starter and a huge contributor painstakingly takes time to list of hundreds of her favorite albums, other members add their contributions and all this guy finds to say is I like none of it. If you do not see how that is not constructive I cannot do anything for you. But I will help you nonetheless. It adds no value, gives no info. Except that this guy does not like any of these albums. And we do not even know him, who he is, his tastes. So that gives us NOTHING.
 
Jan 5, 2015 at 1:22 PM Post #53 of 85
Oh come man make an effort. Someone who is the thread starter and a huge contributor painstakingly takes time to list of hundreds of her favorite albums, other members add their contributions and all this guy finds to say is I like none of it. If you do not see how that is not constructive I cannot do anything for you. But I will help you nonetheless. It adds no value, gives no info. Except that this guy does not like any of these albums. And we do not even know him, who he is, his tastes. So that gives us NOTHING.

 
 
You made it sound as if he had to give his own list of music, otherwise him not liking this is not relevant. It has nothing to do with people who put up their lists and put a lot of effort into creating them. But I am with him in a way, I also find majority of music on this list to be too similar, and only found a few albums so far that I like (I checked the top 40 on youtube/soundcloud until now), most of the stuff is just not very enjoyable to listen to for me, but we all have a different taste. I guess if you don't like electronica, then you can't like most of the stuff here.
 
Jan 6, 2015 at 8:47 AM Post #55 of 85
  Geez I'm getting old. Of the performers in the Top 100, exactly one rings a bell with me.
 
I have some 'xploring to do.
 
Thanks for the list, Muppetface.


Ditto. I recognized Brian Eno that was somewhere on the list. I think that was the only one. But I noticed my local library has a few on the list so I need to check them out.
 
Jan 6, 2015 at 1:27 PM Post #56 of 85
   
I guess if you don't like electronica, then you can't like most of the stuff here.

 
 
Huh..?
 
Here is my top 100 list with electronica and hip hop with electronic production removed:
 
099. Cymbals Eat Guitar  -  Lose
098. Zackey Force Funk  -  Money Green Vipers
097. Jennifer Castle  -  Pink City
095. Anaal Nathrakh  -  Desideratum
094. Septicflesh  -  Titan
091. Khost  -  Copper Lock Hell 
090. Mr. Dream - Ultimate In Luxury
088. Slim Twig  -  A Hound At the Helms
087. Gridlink  -  Longhena
083. Ex Hex  -  Ripa
082. OBNOX  -  The Juke That Sat In the Corner
080. Have A Nice Life  -  Deathconsciousness
077. People Skills  -  Tricephalic Head
076. Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts: Red Classroom
073. Silk Rhodes  -  Silk Rhodes
069. B'tchin' Bajas  -  B'tchin' Bajas
068. Shintaro Sakamoto  -  Let's Dance Raw
067. 1349  -  Massive Cauldron of Chaos
066. Gum Takes Tooth  -  Mirrors Fold
065. Alcest  -  Shelter
063. Glorior Belli  -  Gators Rumble, Chaos Unfurls
062. Adult Jazz - Gist Is
061. Mount Eerie  -  Pre-Human Ideas
058. Current 93  -  I Am the Last of All the Field That Fell (A Channel)
057. Alice Gerrard  -  Follow The Music
053. Haikai No Ku  -  Ultra High Dimensionality
052. Wovenhand  -  Refractory Obdurate
051. Pallbearer  -  Foundations of Burden
050. Ariel Pink  -  Pom Pom
047. Panopticon  -  Roads To the North
045. A Sunny Day In Glassgow  -  Sea When Absent
043. Skullflower  -  Draconis
040. Badbadnotgood  -  III
035. Grouper  -  Ruins
032. Jordan De La Sierra  -  Gymnosphere: Song of the Rose
031.   Scott Walker + 
Sunn O)))  
-  Soused

030. Taurus  -  No/Thing
028. Encoffination  -  III: Hear Me, O' Death (Sing Thy Wretched Choirs)
027. Sharon Van Etten  -  Are We There
024. Alexander Turnquist  -  Flying Fantasy
023. Sonido Gallo Negro - Sendero Mistico
021. Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks  -  Enter the Slasher House
018. Perfume Genius  -  Too Bright
016. Kemialliset Ystavat  -  Alas Rattoisaa Virtaa
014. Protomartyr  -  Under Color of Official Right
012. Damaged Bug  -  Hubba Bubba
010. Fossil Aerosol Mining Project  -  17 Years In Ektachrome
009. Helms Alee  -  Sleepwalking Sailors
006. Khun Narin Electric Phin Band
004, Swans  -  To Be Kind
002. D'Angelo & the Vanguard  -  Black Messiah
001. Orchestra of the Upper Atmosphere  -  O2
 
 
Rock, prog, punk, jazz, R&B, metal, ambient, piano minimalism, folk.
 
 
   
 
You made it sound as if he had to give his own list of music, otherwise him not liking this is not relevant.

 
 
Nah, it's not particularly relevant. It's being a tiny raincloud that comes by to rain a bit before going on its way. I've had people show up in the past to proclaim there's no good music being made anymore, that all modern music is soulless, that so-in-so has "hipster" taste or whatever empty terms people use to discredit. Absolute terms like this are a general indicator that someone isn't going to be open minded or receptive. What these critiques all have in common is that they never offer anything as an alternative, never put the poster's own taste up for scrutiny in turn (when everyone else does). That's because these single hit and run statements are more about grinding axes or personal insecurity than anything else.
 
If someone doesn't like what I'm posting, I get that. Not everyone shares my taste in things, plus I do have a somewhat unfortunate tendency of getting stuck in cycles (a few years ago for instance I mostly listened to black metal, bossa nova, and South American rock from the 60s/70s). However I'm inviting people to post their own favorites list because I genuinely encourage keeping an open mind in the discovery of new music. If someone doesn't like what I've posted, maybe they'd like what someone else posted --- especially if that someone else didn't like my selections either.
 
Jan 6, 2015 at 11:19 PM Post #57 of 85
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide this list MuppetFace. I have now got a lot of exploring to do.
 
Standout albums of 2014 for me were:
 
30. Scott Walker + Sun 0))) - Soussed
29. Glen Porter - The Open Road and the Smell of Blood
28. Arca - Xen
27. Clap! Clap! - Tayi Bebba
26. VHS Head - Persistence of Vision
25. SBTRKT - Wonder Where We Land
24. Total Control - Typical System
23. Tipper - Forward Escape
22. Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts : Red Classroom
21. Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden
20. Fennesz - Mahler Remixed
19. Moody Black - Nausea
18. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for No Witness
17. Earth - Primitive and Deadly
16. Apex Twin - Syro
15. Hans Zimmer - Interstellar OST
14. D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah
13. Black Knights - Medieval Chamber
12. YOB - Clearing the Path to Ascend
11. Venetian Snares - My Love is a Bulldozer
10. Tapage - Eight
9. Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers
8. Actress - Ghetoville
7. Clark - Clark
6. Glass Animals - Zaba
5. Vessel - Punish, Honey
4. Fatima Al Qadiri - Asiatisch
3. Swans - To Be Kind
2. Ben Frost - Aurora
1. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
 
 
Favourite tracks (not in order):
Vessel - Red Sex
Venetian Snares - 10th Circle of Winnipeg
Sun Kil Moon - Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes
Fatima Al Qadiri - Szechuan
Glass Animals - Black Mambo
D'Angelo and The Vanguard - 1000 Deaths
Swans - Screen Shot
 
 
Musings:
- From the above list it's obvious that me and hip hop are going through a rough patch - Doom's album this year was a disappointment, and RTJ isn't bad but I am left wanting El-P Fan Dam era, CLPPNG was good but not enough to get many repeat listens, didn't really connect with 2014's Death Grips release either 
- Disappointment of the year was Caribou's Our Love (I think my ears are hearing a different album to everyone else)
- I was hoping for a little more from Andy Stott's Faith in Strangers (which is still very good) after the impact Luxury Problems had on me
- Sun Kil Moon's Benji really dug itself deep into my brain for a while
- Swans are on FIRE
 
Jan 7, 2015 at 8:09 AM Post #58 of 85
You guys/gals and your "weirdo" lists!!!! I did not know all of these existed...
I spent most of yesterday listening to some tracks via YouTube. Some I didn't care about, too obscure, too boring for me personally (I'm more of a pop/punk/hardcore/merengue/salsa guy) but some I loved (like Swans... might end up getting some releases!).
 
 
Thanks.
 
Jan 7, 2015 at 8:57 AM Post #59 of 85
You guys/gals and your "weirdo" lists!!!! I did not know all of these existed...
I spent most of yesterday listening to some tracks via YouTube. Some I didn't care about, too obscure, too boring for me personally (I'm more of a pop/punk/hardcore/merengue/salsa guy) but some I loved (like Swans... might end up getting some releases!).


Thanks.
It's interesting how some people like punk and Merengue :D
 
Jan 7, 2015 at 9:19 AM Post #60 of 85
MuppetFace, hats off to you, that's some list you've compiled there... I missed the Sleaford Mods inclusion in the compilations list when I scanned it yesterday, only to see Chubbed Up on the list today, good to see they are there.
 
I'm not going to post a top 10/20/30, many of my own favourites are included in your own list, but I would just like to draw attention to a few that were absent from your own that I think are well worthy of folks' attention (predominantly experimental electronic) :
 
Giant Claw - Dark Web
Valerio Tricoli - Miseri Lares
Jar Moff - Commercial Mouth & Financial Glam
HTRK - Psychic 9-5 Club
Sculpture - Membrane Pop
Ben Frost - A U R O R A
Plaid - Reachy Prints
Fennesz - Bécs
copeland - Because I'm Worth It
Oren Ambarchi - Quixotism
 
Thanks for list(en)ing
swab
 

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