60 Albums 2014

2014 was a great year for music with lots of wonderful releases all year long. I thought it was an especially good year for women artists and for neo-psychedelic garage rock. I've made quite a few end of the year mixes highlighting my favorite music and several in my categories of Ladies Night mixes and Orgone Bliss mixes which focuses on psychedelic, krautrock, shoegaze and garage rock. Lots of great freak folk this year too. Here are 60 albums that I had on heavy rotation throughout the year.

Here is a collection of mixes using songs from the albums on this list.

• Songs 2014 Vol. 1 - Night Tripper (Orgone Bliss) - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 2 - Teenage Wasteland - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 3 - Down On The Bottom - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 4 - Waking Light - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 5 - Always Going - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 6 - Kaleidoscoped (Orgone Bliss) - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 7 - How Am I Supposed To Let Go - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 8 - Where Has My Easy Gone - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 9 - I Never Wear White (Ladies Night) - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 10 - Night Vision (Ladies Night) - List 
• Songs 2014 Vol. 11 - Murmurs (Ladies Night) - List 

The list of albums...

1. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
2. The War On Drugs - Lost In A Dream
3. Beck - Morning Phase
4. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
5. Ray LaMontagne - Supernova
6. Lost On The River - The New Basement Tapes
7. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
8. Hozier - Hozier
9. Spoon - They Want My Soul
10. Trigger Hippy - Trigger Hippy
11. Jolie Holland - Wine Dark Sea
12. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
13. Elephant Stone - Three Poisons
14. Temples - Sun Structures
15. Alvvays - Alvvays
16. Smoke Fairies - Smoke Faires
17. Woods - With Light and With Love
18. Damien Jurado - Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son
19. Amen Dunes - Love
20. Hiss Golden Messengers - Lateness Of Dancers
21. Reigning Sound - Shattered
22. Allah-Las - Worship The Sun
23. Weyes Blood - The Outside Room
24. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
25. Wussy - Attica
26. Empty Hearts - The Empty Hearts
27. Tweedy - Sukierae
28. J Mascis - Tied To A Star
29. Interpol - El Pintor
30. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
31. Caribou - Our Love
32. The Black Keys - Turn Blue
33. Hollis Brown - Gets Loaded
34. Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain
35. Quilt - Held In Splendor
36. Marissa Nadler - July
37. Dum Dum Girls - Too True
38. Leonard Cohen - Popular Problems
39. Lykke Li - I Never Learn
40. Winterpills - Echolalia
41. Future Islands - Singles
42. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Give The People What They Want
43. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
44. Eels - The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett
45. Jack White - Lazerotto
46. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Revelation
47. Sloan - Commonwealth
48. Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
49. Wye Oak - Shriek
50. Real Estate - Atlas
51. You+Me - Rose Ave.
52. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
53. Broken Bells - After The Disco
54. Mary Gauthier - Trouble and Love
55. Foxygen - And The Star Power
56. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
57. Afghan Whigs - Do To The Beast
58. Strand of Oaks - Heal
59. The Raveonettes - Pe'ahi
60. Lake Street Dive - Bad Self Portraits

OK, I couldn't stop at 60 so here are more albums I played a lot this year.

More good neo-psychedelic, shoegaze, garage rock, etc.:

• Sleepy Sun - Maui Tears
• The Ghost Of A Sabre Tooth Tiger - Midnight Sun 
• The Shivas - You Know What To Do
• Syd Arthur - Sound Mirror
• Magic Castles - Sky Sounds
• Joy - Under The Spell Of Joy
• Holy Wave - Relax
• Goat - Commune
• The Fresh & Onlys - House of Spirits
• The Vaselines - V For Vaselines
• Van der Vous - La Fuga
• The Dark Horses - Hail Lucid State
• Doug Tuttle - Doug Tuttle
• Vaniish - Memory Work
• The Vickers - Ghosts
• The Orgone Box - Centaur
• The Young Sinclairs - This Is The Young Sinclairs

Some more old friends:

• Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes
• Dave & Phil Alvin - Common Ground
• Dr. John - Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch
• Roseanne Cash - The River & The Thread
• Lydia Lunch - A Fistful of Desert Blues
• Robyn Hitchcock - The Man Uptairs
• David Crosby - Croz
• Bryan Ferry - Avonmore
• Jackson Brown - Standing In The Breach
• Marianne Faithful - Give My Love To London
• Ani DiFranco - Allergic To Water
• Neil Young - Storytone
• U2 - Songs of Innocense
• Yusuf - Tell 'Em I'm Gone
• Neil Young - A Letter Home
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye
• Rodney Crowell - Tarpaper Sky
• John Hiatt - Terms Of My Surrender
• Eliza Gilkyson - The Nocturne Diaries
• Eric Clapton & Friends - The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale
• Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In The End
• Chuck Prophet - Night Surfer

And let's not forget...

• Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers
• Nicole Atkins - Slow Phaser
• Peggy Sue - Choir of Echoes
• Black Prairie - Fortune
• Old Crow Medicine Show - Remedy
• James Vincent McMorrow - Post Tropical
• Zola Jesus - Taiga
• Passenger - Whispers
• The Lions - This Generation in Dub
• Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour
• Parker Milsap - Parker Milsap
• Miranda Lambert - Platinum
• Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
• Chad Vangaalen - Shrink Dust
• Water Liars - Water Liars
• Stars - No One Is Lost
• The Autumn Defense - Fifth
• We Are Catchers - We Are Catchers
• Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
• Dawn Golden - Still Life
• Stars - No One Is Lost
• The Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt
• The Swans - To Be Kind
• Coldplay - Ghost Stories
• The Soft Hills - Departure
• Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy
• 2:54 - The Other I
• Spain - Sargent Place
• Angus & Julia Stone - Angus & Julia Stone
• Timbre Timbre - Hot Dreams
• Peaking Lights - Cosmic Logic
• Shakey Graves - And The War Came
• Minnie Driver - Ask Me To Dance
• Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear
• Aphex Twin - Syro
• The Both - The Both
• Wake Owl - The Private World of Paradise
• Shakey Knees - 7 Years
• The Black Swans - Don't Blame The Stars
• Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like A Bell
• Iamamiwhoiam - Blue
• AgesandAges - Diversionary
• Orenda Fink - Blue Dream
• Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso
• Stone Jack Jones - Ancestor
• Jessie Ware - Tough Love
• Simone Felice - Strangers
• Allo Darlin - We Come From The Same Place
• School of Language - Old Fears
• Ought - More Than Any Other Day
• Joseph Arthur - Lou
• Nick Waterhouse - Holly
• TV On The Radio - Seeds
• Johnnyswim - Diamonds
• Lack of Afro - Music For Adverts
• Jeremy Jay - Ab
• Ingrid Michaelson - Lights Out
• Hurray For The Riff Raff - Small Town Heroes
• Carla Bozulich - Boy
• Ava Luna - Electric Balloon

Compilations, Reissues, Live

• David Bowie - Nothing Has Changed: The Best of David Bowie
• Wilco - What's Your 20: Essential Tracks 1994-2014
• Sly Stone - It's Just Like You Say:Sly Stone's Flower 1969-1970
• Michael Bloomfield - From His Head To His Heart To His Hands
• Various Artists - Farewell Transmissions: The Music of Jason Molina
• Songs Ohia - Journey On: The Collected Singles
• Big Star - Live In Memphis
• TV Eyes - TV Eyes
• Scruffy The Cat - Time Never Forgets:The Anthology 1986-88
• Various Artists - Beck Song Reader
• LCD Soundsystem - The Long Goodbye

My Way Back Home - Late Night

A late night mix of folk, rock and pop from some of my favorite albums of the past few years.

1. Dawes - My Way Back Home (Nothing Is Wrong, 2011)
2. Mark Olson & Gary Louris - Doves and Stones (Ready For The Flood, 2009)
3. Sharon Van  Etten - Don't Do It (Epic, 2010)
4. J. Mascis - Listen To Me (Several Shades of Why, 2011)
5. Darker My Love - June Bloom (Alive As You Are, 2010)
6. Tom Petty - The Trip To Pirate's Cove (Mojo, 2010)
7. Jonathan Wilson - Magic Everywhere (Gentle Spirit, 2011)
8. Dean & Britta - I'll Keep With Mine (13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol's Screen Tests, 2010)
9. Jolie Holland - Tender Mirror (Pint Of Blood, 2011)
10. Kurt Vile - Baby's Arms (Smoke Ring For My Halo, 2011)
11. The Low Anthem - To Ohio (Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, 2009)
12. Oakley Hall - I'll Follow You (I'll Follow You, 2007)
13. Tift Merritt - Feel Of The World (See You On The Moon, 2010)
14. The Civil Wars - Poison & Wine (Barton Hollow, 2011)
15. Girls - Ghostmouth (Album, 2009)
16. The War On Drugs - I Was There (Slave Ambient, 2011)

Readings 2014 - Nonfiction

This year I've divided my annual reading list into two separate list. One for fiction and the other for non-fiction which includes biographies and memoirs. On Paper was my favorite nonfiction book this year followed closely by The Monuments Men. I finally got started on the Rick Atkinson WWII trilogy. His writing about the war is amazing and reads like a novel.

I read several books on soccer this year and especially liked The Ball is Round. History, geography and politics as usual but also some science this year. Music too of course.

The Civil War as told by people in letters and journals was fascinating and in particular it was amazing to see how well people wrote at that time. Letter writing was one of the most basic forms of communication in the 19th century.

I also really loved reading the biography of Duke Ellington'

1. On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History, 2013 -  Nicholas Basbanes
2. The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, 2009 - Robert Edsel
3. An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, 2002 - Rick Atkinson
4. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, 2014 - Elizabeth Kolbert
5. The Battle For America: The Story of an Extraordinary Election, 2009 - Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson
6. The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate, 2012 - Robert D. Kaplan
7. The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer, 2008 - David Goldblatt
8. Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific, 2014 - Robert D. Kaplan
9. The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs, 2014 - Greil Marcus
10. To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918, 2011 - Adam Hochschild
11. The Civil War: The First Year Told by Those Who Lived It, 2011 - Brooks Simpson
12. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective, 2008 - Kate Summerscale
13. Duke: A Life, 2013 - Terry Teachout
14. The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind, Michio Kaku
15. A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006, 2007- Clemente Lisi
16. Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite: The Science of Monsters, 2012 - Matt Kaplan

I also spent a lot of time this year reading the biography of William Burroughs which I have not finished yet. I had to take it in small doses but I really love reading it when I am in the mood but I really do need to take some significant breaks. I will try to finish it by the end of next month and it will go on next year's list but it deserves mentioning here.

Call Me Burroughs: A Life, 2014 - Barry Miles

Readings 2014 - Fiction

The second part of my annual reading list is the fiction and as usual I have my mix of literary novels, detective stories, and science fiction. This year I also read some spy novels and some really trashy end of the world stuff.

I discovered the Irish writer Tana French and read three of her Dublin Murder Squad series of crime novels. They got me interested in reading James Joyce's Dubliners which I actually had never read. Also went back and read several Elmore Leonard crime novels from the 1970's. 

1. Faithful Place - Tana French, 2010
2. The Nearest Exit - Olen Steinhauer, 2010
3. Prayer - Philip Kerr, 2014
4. The Blazing World - Siri Hustvedt, 2014
5. In The Woods - Tana French, 2007
6. The Tourist - Olen Steinhauer, 2009
7. The Likeness - Tana French, 2008
8. Dubliners - James Joyce, 1914
9. Tree of Smoke - Denis Johnson, 2007
10. The Commissariat of Enlightenment - Ken Kalfus, 2003
11. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman, 2003
12. Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness, 2012
13. Life After Life - Kate Atkinson, 2013
14. Wool Omnibus - Hugh Howey, 2012
15. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman, 2013
16. The Little Friend - Donna Tartt, 2003
17. Death of an Unsigned Band - Tim Thornton, 2010
18. Katabasis - Joseph Brassey, 2013
19. Fobbit - David Abrams, 2012
20. 52 Pick-Up - Elmore Leonard, 1974
21. Swag - Elmore Leonard, 1976
22. Unknown Man No. 89 - Elmore Leonard, 1977
23. Origins: Spinward Fringe - Randolph Lalonde, 2010
24. The Leftovers - Tom Perotta, 2011
25. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke, 2006
26. Zombie Apocalypse - Stephen Jones, 2010
27. Zombie Apocalypse Fightback - Stephen Jones, 2012
28. Life As We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer, 2006
29. The Dead and the Gone - Susan Beth Pfeffer, 2008

Murmurs - Songs 2014

Songs 2014 - Ladies Night
The third hour of ladies only music from some of my favorite albums released in 2014.

Weyes Blood in the pic.







All albums released in 2014.

1. Hundred Waters - Murmurs (The Moon Rang Like A Bell)
2. Eternal Summers - Keep Me Away (The Drop Beneath)
3. Robyn & Royksopp - Every Little Thing (Do It Again)
4. tUnE-yArDs - Water Fountain (Nikki Nack)
5. Sia - Chandelier (100 Forms Of Fear)
6. 2:54 - Orion (The Other I)
7. Weyes Blood - February Skies (The Outside Room)
8. Sharon Van Etten - Tarifa (Are We There)
9. Mary Gauthier - Trouble and Love (Trouble and Love)
10. Secret Sisters - Black and Blue (Put Down Your Needle)
11. The Delines - I Won't Slip Up (Colfax)
12. Tiny Ruins - Carriages (Brightly Painted One)
13. Amy LaVere - Last Rock N' Roll Boy To Dance (Runaway's Diary)
14. Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Keep Some Hope (Rhythm)
15. The Last Internationale - I'll Be Alright (We Will Reign)
16. The Haden Triplets - Making Believe (The Haden Triplets)
17. Elizabeth & The Catapult - Salt Of The Earth (Like It Never Happened)
18. Dawn Landes - Try To Make A Fire Burn Again (Bluebird)
19. Ruthie Foster - My Kinda Lover (Promise Of A Brand New Day)
20. Kelis - Friday Fish Fry (Food)

Night Vision - Songs 2014

Songs 2014 - Ladies Night
The ladies only mix continues for another hour.

Lydia Lunch in the pic.







All albums released in 2014.

1. Tennis - Night Vision (Ritual In Repeat)
2. Honeyblood - (I'd Rather Be) Anywhere (Honeyblood)
3. My Brightest Diamond - Lover Killer (This Is My Hand)
4. Iamamiwhoami - Chasing Kites (Blue)
5. FKA Twigs - Two Weeks (LP1)
6. Warpaint - Disco/very (Warpaint)
7. Death Vessel - Velvet Antlers (Island Intervals)
8. First Aid Kit - Master Pretender (Stay Gold)
9. I Draw Slow - Don't She Run (White Wave Chapel)
10. Nicole Atkins - Cool People (Slow Phaser)
11. Sinead O'Connor - How About I Be Me (I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss)
12. Lydia Lunch - I'll Be Dammed (A Fistful Of Desert Blues)
13. Minnie Driver - Waltz #2 (Ask Me To Dance)
14. Haley Bonar - No Sensitive Man (Last War)
15. Nina Persson - Animal Heart (Animal Heart)
16. Carla Bozulich - Lazy Crossbones (Boy)
17. Cibo Matto - Deja Vu (Hotel Valentine)
18. Marianne Faithful - Give My Love To London (Give My Love To London)
19. Luluc - Small Window (Passerby)
20. Smoke Fairies - Eclipse Them All (Smoke Fairies)

I Never Wear White - Songs 2014

Songs 2014 - Ladies Night
My collection of mixes celebrating 2014 continues but this time it's ladies only. I started out putting this list together but it kept getting bigger. There was a lot of good music in 2014 coming from female singers and this mix is the first of three. Of course this isn't supposed to be everything and not a best of list either. This is just some songs from my collection what I want to hear at this time.

All albums released in 2014.

1. Suzanne Vega - I Never Wear White (Tales From The Realm Of The Queen Of)
2. Chrissie Hynde - Dark Sunglasses (Stockholm)
3. Lana Del Rey - West Coast (Ultraviolence)
4. Jenny Lewis - Just One Of The Guys (The Voyager)
5. Dum Dum Girls - Cult Of Love (Too True)
6. Alvvays - Party Police (Alvvays)
7. EMA - So Blonde (The Future's Void)
8. Ingrid Michaelson - Girls Chase Boys (Lights Out)
9. Lykke Li - No Rest For The Wicked (I Never Learn)
10. Angel Olsen - High & Wild (Burn Your Fire For No Witness)
11. The Raveonettes - Sisters (Pe'ahi)
12. Sylvan Esso - H.S.K.T. (Sylvan Esso)
13. Zola Jesus - Dangerous Days (Taiga)
14. Gulp - I Want To Dance (Season Sun)
15. St. Vincent - Birth In Reverse (St. Vincent)
16. Jessie Ware - You & I (Forever) (Tough Love)
17. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Get Up and Get Out (Give The People What They Want)
18. Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas - Sorry I Stole Your Man (Secret Evil)
19. Lake Street Dive - You Go Down Smooth (Bad Self Portraits)
20. Jolie Holland - On And On (Wine Dark Sea)

Where Has My Easy Gone - Songs 2014

More music from albums released in 2014. This is the second hour of a set of music I put together in one sitting. Lots of favorites here and a few that are showing up in the Songs 2014 series for the first time.

This hour continues from the previous one but towards the end it mellows out with a set of covers.

All albums released in 2014.

1. Ray Bonneville - Where Has My Easy Gone (Easy Gone)
2. Jolie Holland - Dark Days  (Wine Dark Sea)
3. Weyes Blood - Hang On (The Innocents)
4. Afghan Whigs - Algiers (Do To The Beast)
5. Smoke Fairies - We've Seen Birds (Smoke Fairies)
6. Sharon Van Etten - Taking Chances (Are We There)
7. Beck - Blue Moon (Morning Phase)
8. Lykke Li - Never Gonna Love Again (I Never Learn)
9. Hozier - Someone New  (Hozier)
10. Leonard Cohen - Almost Like The Blues (Popular Problems)
11. First Aid Kit - Shattered & Hollow (Stay Gold)
12. The Civil Wars - Sour Times (Between the Bars)
13. Minnie Driver - Close To Me (Ask Me To Dance)
14. Bryan Ferry - Johnny & Mary (Avonmore)
15. Robyn Hitchcock - To Turn You On (The Man Upstairs)
16. Joseph Arthur - Satellite Of Love (Lou)
17. Hollis Brown - I Found A Reason (Gets Loaded)
18. Winterpills - One Day (Echolalia)

How Am I Supposed To Let Go - Songs 2014

Getting back to making mixes for the new year by looking back again at 2014 with another set of music from albums released last year. It was a good year and this mix like some of the previous ones in my Songs 2014 series are full of garage rock, freak folk and neo-psychedelic songs with lots of quirky female singers.

Another hour long sets follows this one. Both mixes were done in one sitting from a long playlist.

Title of the mix comes from the first line of the first song.
All albums released in 2014.

1. Woods - Full Moon (With  Light and With Love)
2. Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me (Alvvays)
3. Reigning Sound - Baby, It's Too Late (Shattered)
4. Sloan - You've Got A Lot On Your Mind (Commonwealth)
5. Mac Demarco - Let Her Go (Salad Days)
6. Allah-Las - Follow You Down (Worship The Sun)
7. Ray LaMontagne - Supernova (Supernova)
8. Angel Olsen - Forgiven/Forgotten (Burn Your Fire For No Witness)
9. Strand Of Oaks - For Me (Heal)
10. Future Islands - Doves (Singles)
11. The Black Keys - Gotta Get Away (Turn Blue)
12. Haunted Hearts - Initiate Me (Initiate Me)
13. The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers (Brill Bruisers)
14. Ava Luna - Daydream (Electric Balloon)
15. The Red Plastic Buddha - Girl Like You (Songs For Mara)
16. Full Ugly - Hanging Around (On Fire)
17. Black Prairie - The 84 (Fortune)
18. The Young Sinclairs - You're Tired (This Is The Young Sinclairs)
19. Shakey Graves - Dearly Departed (And The War Came)
20. Trigger Hippy - Rise Up Singing (Trigger Hippy)

Station Eleven

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, 2014

I started this book in mid December 2014 and finished it in early January 2015.

I really enjoyed this well written and interesting take on the end of the world dystopian novel of which I've read a few over the years. This one had plenty of plot twist, character developments and time shifts that ensured the reader needed to pay attention but the reward was an amazing story.

It takes place twenty years after 99% of the world's population is killed off in a pandemic virus and civilization has collapsed. The story centers around a group of entertainers traveling and performing for small groups of survivors throughout the wasteland. The story also shifts to the time of the outbreak of the plague and the earlier careers of some of the characters that tie them together in the future. The various threads all come together in the end.

This is one of the more interesting and thoughtful dystopian novels I've come across.