December 5, 2014
Here are QRO’s top-rated album reviews of the year (plus some special stocking stuffers):
Albums:
| Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues Laura Jane Grace has managed her transformation with grace, culminating in Transgender Dysphoria Blues, a record that is not only meaningful and powerful, but also catchy and enjoyable. Read more… |
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| Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots Everyday Robots is as touching and effective as so much in today’s world isn’t. Read more… |
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| Bear Hands – Distraction Bear Hands are clawing their way to the top of the pile. Read more… |
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| Beck – Morning Phase It’s pretty exciting that Beck has burst back on the scene after six years. Read more… |
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| The Black Angels – Clear Lake Forest The Black Angel’s Clear Lake Forest invokes a ‘60s influence previous albums showed, but embracing it even more. Read more… |
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| Camper Van Beethoven – El Camino Real If you want a contemporary soundtrack to northern California of yesteryear, you can find it in El Camino Real. Read more… |
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| S. Carey – Range of Light You might know Sean Carey best as the drummer from Bon Iver, but he is slowly and surely making a name for himself as a solo artist. Read more… |
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| Chromeo – White Women Chromeo turn sleaze into sweet on the unabashedly disco White Women. Read more… |
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| Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else Here and Nowhere Else can’t be the same revelation Attack On Memory was, but is still strong. Read more… |
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| Coldplay – Ghost Stories Albums like Ghost Stories are necessary entries in any band’s overall body of work and it is especially essential to Coldplay’s. Read more… |
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| Death From Above 1979 – The Physical World DFA1979 put their name back on the dance-punk map. Read more… |
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| Deep Cut – Versions Remix If we are to accept that the tracks and albums released by artists can almost be recognized as their offspring then the ‘remix’ album is almost certainly the bastard of the flock. Read more… |
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| Kevin Drew – Darlings Darlings is Kevin Drew stripped down and bare, for the whole world to see and feel. Read more… |
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| Eels – The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett There is much hope in The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett. Read more… |
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| Elbow – The Take Off and Landing of Everything Elbow further hone their excellent intimate/grand emotional mix. Read more… |
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| Fanfarlo – Let’s Go Extinct Fanfarlo have kept it fresh, now back on their own label, with Let’s Go Extinct. Read more… |
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| The Felice Brothers – Favorite Waitress The Felice Brothers are authentic and appealing on Favorite Waitress. Read more… |
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| Finch – What It Is To Burn – X What It Is To Burn – X showcases live Finch’s songs from the first record that was originally released ten years ago. Read more… |
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| Christopher Gold – When the Buzzards Leave the Bones On the surface, Christopher Gold does not look like your typical folk singer. Read more… |
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| The Great Whiskey Project – There Will Be Music When We’re Dead Big, honking slices of Irish-inflected, middle-Americana awaits in the latest album from Chicago’s The Great Whiskey Project. Read more… |
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| Hooray For Earth – Racy It’s a bright ‘art-package’. Read more… |
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| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Give the People What They Want Give the People What They Want is a completely solid entry into the already-fabulous catalogue of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Read more… |
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| Hamilton Leithauser – Black Hours Hamilton Leithauser’s Black Hours keeps up The Walkmen’s finer points, but also a little more wry. Read more… |
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| Live Revolution What really defines the epitome of long-lived cool is what record label you are on. Read more… |
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| The Mary Onettes – Portico Just a year after Hit the Waves, The Mary Onettes has released a very nice seven-track mini-album, Portico. Read more… |
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| J Mascis – Tied To a Star In Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis is expected to churn out the fast free flowing guitar. Read more… |
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| Mimicking Birds – EONS Nate Lacy takes you on a journey that feels something akin to déjà vu with his songwriting. Read more… |
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| MONEY – Shadow of Heaven When one is aware and intelligent enough to comprehend the depth and complexity of the grandiose questions, then surely taking the option not to address this cerebral mosaic is an artistic transgression. Read more… |
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| Bob Mould – Beauty & Ruin Bob Mould ages like fine wine. Read more… |
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| Bob Mould – Workbook 25 Twenty-five years ago, eighties punk rock legend Bob Mould emerged from the dissolution of his acclaimed Hüsker Dü with Workbook, his first post-Hüsker release. Read more… |
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| The New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers The Vancouver collective/super-group get back together on Brill Bruisers, which brings the power-pop you have been looking for. Read more… |
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| Scorpions – MTV Unplugged In Athens Overall, this is one of the best live albums from Scorpions. Read more… |
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| Sinking Feeling – Sinking Gadget Sinking Feeling packs a lot of durrty drum n’ bass into 17 tracks. Read more… |
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| Sleaford Mods – Austerity Dogs The fucking bands is fucking great. Read more… |
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| Split Single – Fragmented World While he fronted his own group, Verbow, back in the nineties, Jason Narducy has come into view these days via his work in other people’s bands. Read more… |
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| Spoon – They Want My Soul Spoon confidently deliver a confident record. Read more… |
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| St. Vincent – St. Vincent St. Vincent has gotten big & stayed great. Read more… |
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| Tycho – Awake Every so often, if you are lucky, a record will swoop down seemingly out of nowhere and grab hold of you. Read more… |
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| Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright In the End Oh Weezer, Everything Will Be Alright In the End. Read more… |
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| Youngteam – Fading Into Night This album should almost carry a government health warning, “The sonic journey you are about to take, will seek out and find the darkest reaches of your psyche.” Read more… |
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& more:
| David Bowie Is… (Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago: Exhibition Catalogues The Thin White Duke’s entire career in artistic form. Buy here… |
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| Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster Get your guitar from the guitar god J Mascis. Buy here… |
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| Prince Beach Towel Take the artist once again known as Prince with you to the beach. Buy here… |
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| Spinal Tap Pencil Set Turn it up to eleven and have a good time all the time. Buy here… |
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| UHF (25th Anniversary Edition) Weird Al Yankovic at his finest. Buy here… |
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