We are now in the sixteenth year of the millennium. There
have been many great new bands and singers to emerge over the past few years
such as Coldplay, Norah Jones, Sharon Jones, Adele, Cousteau, Mando Diao, The
Editors, White Lies, Maximo Parks, Minus The Bear and others. As well as the
new discoveries several longtime super-greats have continued to record and
release some great music over these past years including David Gilmour, Tom
Petty, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta), Jack White (White Stripes), Bjork,
Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Brian Eno, Justin
Hayward, Donna Summer and so many more I can’t name them all.
This list displays what I feel are the 100 best songs from
the years 2000 – 2015. It spans a multitude of genres and artists. My main
musical interests lie with in Modern rock, Alternative rock and jazz (of all
types) therefore the majority on my list will fall with in these categories.
Oddly, though as much as I love jazz very few jazz songs ended up on this list
as most of the jazz albums I enjoy I enjoy as a whole and not as individual
songs.
Now I am happy to present to you my Top 100 songs of the
last sixteen years. At the end of this list the Top Ten songs will each be
reviewed individually as to give more insight to these very special songs.
Enjoy!
100. Far Cry – Rush (2007)
99. Clocks – Coldplay (2002)
98. Pretty Boy – Young Galaxy (2013)
97. Who Killed Tangerine? – Tears For Fears (2004)
96. Electric Rainbow – Minus The Bear (2014)
95. Rumour Has It – Adele (2011)
94. A Tu Lado – Julieta Venegas (2003)
93. We Are All Made Of Stars – Moby (2002)
92. A Man Wakes Up – Brian Eno/Karl Hyde (2014)
91. The Western Sky – Justin Hayward (2013)
90. Sidekick – Walk The Moon (2014)
89. On An Island – David Gilmour (2006)
88. Your Day Will Come – Cousteau (2001)
87. Stop – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (2003)
86. That’s The Way It Is – Donna Summer (2004)
85. Something In The Air – David Bowie (2000)
84. The Grass Is Blue – Dolly Parton (2000)
83. Earth Intruders – Bjork (2007)
82. Ice On The Motorway – Roger Daltrey/Wilko Johnson (2014)
81. The Blackest Lily – Corinne Bailey Rae (2010)
80. Speed Of Sound – Coldplay (2005)
79. If You Call – Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (2010)
78. White Shadows – Coldplay (2005)
77. Don’t Panic – Coldplay (2000)
76. Lonestar – Norah Jones (2002)
75. In This Light – The Editors (2009)
74. Rattle That Lock – David Gilmour (2015)
73. Bottomliners – Brian Eno (2005)
72. In Flight Wave – Beat Spacek (2015)
71. I’m Shakin’ – Jack White (2012)
70. Bells At The Slipstream – Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (2000)
69. Kentucky – Billie Jo Armstrong + Norah Jones (2013)
68. The Party – Ceremony (2015)
67. Lost Weekend – Tiny Victories (2012)
66. I Want Love – Elton John (2001)
65. December – Norah Jones (2009)
64. Heavy Weather – Cousteau (2002)
63. Long Black Train – Liam McKahey (2014)
62. Wall Street – Battles (2011)
61. Televators – The Mars Volta (2003)
60. Since We’ve Been Gone – The Mars Volta (2009)
59. A Whisper – Coldplay (2002)
58. Meet My Friends – Gold Fields (2013)
57. Swimming In Lava – (((s))) (2012)
56. Porushka Paranya – Bering Strait (2003)
55. Our Velocity – Maximo Park (2007)
54. Stamp Your Feet – Donna Summer (2008)
53. Here – Jackson Browne (2014)
52. A Device Imagined To Turn – Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (2009)
51. Black – Dangermouse (featuring Norah Jones) (2011)
50. Dream On – Depeche Mode (2001)
49. It’s Not Over Yet – Klaxons (2007)
48. I Love Music – Donna Summer (2008)
47. Romeo – Mando Diao (2014)
46. Stars – t.A.T.u (2008)
45. To Paris With Love – Donna Summer (2011)
44. For The Good Times – The Little Willies (featuring Norah
Jones)(2012)
43. American Dream – Tommy Petty (2014)
42. Catch The Sun – The Doves (2000)
41. The Whole Enchilada – Keb ‘Mo (2011)
40. Creepin’ In – Norah Jones and Dolly Parton (2004)
39. Firelight – The Thievery Corporation (2014)
38. Lovely Rain – Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (2013)
37. Oz Is Ever Floating – Oysterhead (2001)
36. Cold Cold Heart – Norah Jones (2002)
35. Flaws – Bastille (2013)
34. Lovers and Fools – Liam McKahey (2009)
33. Louder Than Words – Pink Floyd (2014)
32. Conflagration – Massivivid (2002)
31. All Sparks – Editors (2006)
30. Into The Galaxy – Midnight Juggernauts (2008)
29. Where Are You Going? – Dave Matthews Band (2002)
28. Extreme Ways – Moby (2002)
27. Salt Lines – Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (2013)
26. Outer Space – War (2014)
25. Saving Grace – Tom Petty (2006)
24. The Right Effect – Stereo MC’s (2001)
23. Schism – Tool (2001)
22. Bottles – VV Brown (2010)
21. Boomerang – Massivivid (2002)
20. Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae (2006)
19. Airstream Driver – Gomez (2009)
18. Eyes Wide Open – King Crimson (2002)
17. It’s Only Love – Donna Summer (2009)
16. Smile – David Gilmour (2006)
15. Sailor – Twin Danger (2015)
14. Ampersand – Adrian Belew (2005)
13. Last Good Day Of The Year – Cousteau (2001)
12. The Things We Lost In The Fire – Bastille (2013)
11. Rapid Fire Tollbooth – Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (2007)
The Top Ten:
10. My Superman – Santigold (2008)
Featured on the album Santogold
Written by Santi White, J. Hill, W. Penz and Siouxsie and
the Banshees
This song lists Siouxsie and the Banshees as one it’s
co-writers. Santigold (real name Santi White) has commented she based the music
of this song on the Siouxsie and the banshees’ 1980 song “Red Light.” This song
has a great 80’s new wave sound with heavy bass and beat backing. Santigold
gives us her best vocals in this dark goth influenced song.
Written by Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn and Paul Mastelotto
Fractured perfection is how I best describe this song. This
is one of those songs that keeps my ears perked up. With it’s dark harmonies,
understated vocals and soaring guitar chords the song threatens to fall into
chaos yet in the end delivers a melodic resonance that makes it irresistible to
my ears. It is more than a song but an experience in adventure and experimentalism
in a slice of seven minutes. Other bands become mellower and more commercial as
they age but it seems that King Crimson has taken a different route with louder
guitars and a deeper dive into experimentalism than ever before. What I love
most about this song is the odd time shifts throughout the entire song and
Adrian Belew’s always-recognizable guitar solo. Probably the most intriguing
feature of the song is the opening where Robert Fripp (or maybe it’s Adrian
Belew) goes up the guitar scale and the other goes down the scale
simultaneously… what a musically mesmerizing effect.
The lyrics of the song examine the condition of life how we
grow and experience life but in the end we’re right back where we began.
8. Rockin’ Alone In An Old Rockin’ Chair – Billie Joe
Armstrong & Norah Jones (2013)
Featured on the album Foreverly
Written by Bob Miller
Norah Jones and Green Day front man teamed together to
record the 2013 album “Foreverly” which was a remake of the Everly Brothers’
1958 album “Songs Our Dady Taught Us.” Billie Joe and Norah recorded the album
true to the genre with great acoustic guitars and wonderful harmonic vocals.
The album is full of gem after gem. Every song is great
though “Rockin’ Alone In An Old Rockin’ Chair” stands out amongst the bunch
primarily due to it’s emotionally charged lyrics. The song is about an old
silver haired mother that is neglected sitting alone in an old rocking chair. Every
time I hear this song it touches my heart and brings a mist to my eyes.
Rockin' Alone In An Old Rockin' Chair by Billie Joe Armstrong + Norah Jones
7. Moves – Gold Fields (2013)
Featured on the album: Black Sun
Written by: Vinci Andanar, Rob Clifton, Ryan D'Sylva, Mark Fuller, Luke Peldys
This song starts out with an infectious percussive rhythm
and electronic bass line. Every time I hear this song I become energized. It’s
simply a great synth-rock tune with a dance beat that never ends. I primarily
enjoy the lyrics that talk about a person named Ashley who breaks her arm… and
then about a person named Ashley who broke his arm. It’s sort of confusing to
figure out what they meant in this lyric by changing the sex of Ashley as they
mention this person.
6. Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo – Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (2009)
Featured on the album Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo
Written by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
It’s the mysterious sounds that attract me to this song. The
dark sci-fi synth work combined with Omar’s thick, crunchy, distorted guitar
work which is accented with heavy treble that brings the song into a fourth
dimension of sound. It’s hard to give a description that gives this song its
proper justice. This is one of those must listen to songs. It’s a work in
guitar and electronic soundscape experimentalism.
Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
5. Haifisch – Rammstein (2009)
Featured on the album: Liebe Ist Alle Da
Written by Rammstein
Rammstein is an industrial metal band from Germany. Their
sound is hard hitting and guttural. The word haifisch translated to English
means shark. The song takes a different look at the shark of which many people
are afraid. On their website Rammstein says about the song “Haifisch,” "the
shark not only has teeth – he's got tears as well. But since it lives in the
briny deep, no one sees them. A shame. After all, this cartilaginous fish is
one of the oldest of the world's many misunderstood creatures. A bit more
sympathy couldn't hurt!"
I have always had this curious interest in this dark and foreboding song.
4. The Satellites – Brian Eno and Karl Hyde (2014)
Featured on the album: Someday World
Written by Brian Eno and Karl Hyde
When I heard that Brian Eno was releasing a new album (that
featured his vocals) I was so ecstatic. I am such a huge fan of his music…
predominantly his 70’s solo albums and his early 70’s work with Roxy Music.
Brian Eno is one of the most exciting producers, arrangers and musicians ever
in the history of music. Everything he does has several layers of depth and
experimentalism.
This collaboration with Karl Hyde is no exception the entire
album “Someday World” is great from beginning to end. Though I love every track
it is “The Satellites” that first caught my interest and remains my favorite
song from the album with it’s electronic beats and slick guitar grooves.
I have long been a fan of Joy Division and was thrilled
several years back when I discovered Moby’s intensely excellent cover of “New
Dawn Fades,” after that I searched for other covers of Joy Division songs but
really did not find anything that interested me. This was back in 1998 and
Complot Bronwick had yet to record “Transmission. At that I still hadn’t even
discovered Complot. I came to discover Complot Bronswick back in 2007 as I was
doing an internet search to discover new wave related bands from the 80’s. Of
course I knew all the known bands such as U2, Tears For Fears, The Fixx, etc. I
was looking for some lesser-known bands. I did several searches over a span of
2 years and I found Complot Bronwick on youtube.I downloaded a few of their songs and forgot about them for
a few years. In 2010 I began listening to one of their songs from 1985 called
“Born In A Cage” and that spurred my interest in them again. I came across a
tribute album to Joy Division recorded by French recording artists called“30 Years With(out) Ian Curtis, which
contained their recording of “Transmission” and I was blown away from what I
heard. I played this song maybe three or four times in a row and soaked in all
the nuance and sounds. I fell in love with the electronic (there’s that word
again… you see a pattern here) sounds and the dark vocals. To this day I still
play this song from time to time.
Transmission by Complot Bronswick
2. Big TV – White Lies (2013)
Featured on the album Big TV
Written by Charles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown and Harry McVeigh
I came across this group in 2014… several months after the
release of the album “Big TV.” I found them on Amazon. com and I very much
enjoyed the snippets I heard. I ended up buying the album and of course loved
it as much as I knew I would. The title track “Big TV” is the song that
captured my attention most. Such a great post punk tune with a synth undertone.
The song has a drive that moves so fantastically well. This is one of those
songs that is equally at home in a dance club or on a sunny day at the beach. I
hear elements of David Bowie meets U@ with a huge 80’s influence in this song
and all the songs on the album. I am completely stuck on this song and will be
for years and decades to come.
This is the song that has touched me the most in these past
15+ years. It’s everything from David Gilmour’s vocals to his guitar work to
the lyrics and the ever so smooth music. This is one of the most beautiful and dreamy songs that sends me to heaven every time I hear it. The recently
deceased Richard Wright lends his backing vocals to this song which gives the
song a bit of a Pink Floyd touch. The song is ethereally textured and full of
space-age sonics that bring a sort of an ambient feel of restoration, revival
and refreshment.
Here we are again the end of the year is close at hand and I am counting down my favorite 15 albums of 2014. Most of these albums were released in 2014 but there are a few from 2013 that really made an impact with me in 2014. As always there is a nice blend of different genres such as jazz, R&B, acoustic, synth-pop, prog, country and several doses of alternative rock.
This list is my fourth annual year end countdown. Here are the links to the previous countdowns:
Album Chart Positions: #1 Sweden, #6 Netherlands, #8
Switzerland, #14 Austria
Singles: Black Saturday
Mando Diao is one of those
bands whose music is constantly evolving with new dimensions and layers of
sound, melody and rhythm. Each album they release is a new adventure to the
fans that listen. Mando Diao is a Swedish band that formed in 1999 and released
their first album in 2002. From their first album they achieved success
throughout much of Europe and since then have achieved worldwide acclaim. Mando Diao’s albums have been diverse
ranging from 2009’s “Give Me Fire” a straight forward alternative rock set with
fiery guitars and heavy rhythmic drums to 2012’s acoustic melancholic
“Infruset” completely sung in the Swedish language blends poetry and ballad to
the finest degree. Finally “Aelita” is Mando Diao’s most recent triumph of
experimentation in music.
“Aelita” showcases a fresh outlook for Mando Diao. The music is both
melancholic and uplifting.Mando
Diao produces a retro 80’s synth-pop new wave styled electronic dance album.
The title “Aelita” was taken from the name of an old Russian synthesizer the
band found in a second hand store in Sweden and is the basis for the sound of
the album. The single “Black Saturday” is the album’s biggest hit single and
one of Mando Daio’s biggest hits in their entire output of music. My favorite
tracks from the album are “Romeo,” Black Saturday” and “Rooftop.”
Burnt Belief is a duo consisting of Bassist Colin Edwin and
guitarist Jon Durant. Colin Edwin is best known as the bass player for the
critically acclaimed prog-rock band Porcupine Tree and Jon Durant is the
founder of the record label alchemy Records.The duo first paired together for Durant’s 2011 album “Dance
of the Shadow Planets.” In 2012 they recorded their first album as a duo titled
“Burnt Belief.” 2014’s “Etymology” is a jazz fusion meets prog-rock album that brings
Burnt Belief full circle with a sound completely shaped and developed with
contributing factors perfectly meshed from both Edwin and Durant.”
Jon Durant’s lead guitar contains dreamscape impulses with
atmospheric ambient textures. Colin Edwin’s aggressive bass lines bring the
music to the forefront with metallic harmonic rhythms. Vinny Sabatino, Dean
McCormick and Jose Duque, a trio of fantastic drummers, and mulit-percussionist
Jerry Leake, accent the electronic mechanized synth beats with eclectic
movement. Jon Durant and Colin
Edwins were born to create music together. Their talents combined create the
perfect blend of dark ethos and electronic metal rhythms.
I do not have one favorite track on this album because this album was meant to
be listened to as an entire entity. I give this one an A+ in every aspect of
musicianship and creativity.
Etymology Trailer
Colin Edwin and Jon Durant (Burnt Belief)
13. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Give The People What
They Want
Album Chart Positions: #22 US, #27 Belgium, #28 Netherlands,
#43 Canada, #47 Austria, #79 Germany, #116 France
Singles:
“Give The People What They Want” is the fifth studio album
released by Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings and like their first four albums this
one reflects the true essence of classic soul music. In the current day soul
music is defined with synthesized beat box hip-hop beat and heavy bass rhythms.
Believe me I am not criticizing the current trend of hip-hop soul Sharon Jones
and The Dap-Kings have taken a different route and have decided to preserve the
tradition of soul music by extending and evolving the classic 60’s soul sound
with their own blend of horn heavy deep funk soul sounds. Sharon Jones’ vocals
are every bit as powerful and soulful as time honored songstresses such as
Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan. Listening to a Sharon Jones
album brings about reminiscences of those great 60’s and 70’s groups such as the Marvelettes,
Martha and the Vandellas, Diana Ross and The Supremes and Gladys Knight and The
Pips.
“Give The People What They Want” is a great soul party full of instant grooves
that makes you moves. My favorite tracks are the upbeat “Stranger To My
Happiness,” “You’ll Be Lonely,” which has a strong and dark funk back beat
similar to the Temptations “Papa Was A rolling Stone” and the smooth groove
“Slow Down Love.”
Release Date: Digital Release - Summer 2014, CD Release –
October 28, 2014
Record Label: Magna Republic
Album Chart Positions:
Singles:
Australian resident Liam McKahey first came to prominence in
2000 as the lead singer of the London based band Cousteau. The song “The Last
good Day Of The Year,” featuring Mckahey’s deep and dark vocals was featured in
television commercials, shows, films and documentaries and catapulted
Cousteau’s debut album to worldwide success.
Recorded in Australia during the early part of 2014 McKahey
released “Black Vinyl Heart,” his second album with The Bodies, a full five
years after the release of “Lonely Road,” first album. “Black Vinyl Heart” shows
a more fierce vocal approach from Mckahey than his past effort displaying a
growling sound in some of his songs. His vocal presentations are somewhere
between Johnny Cash meets David Bowie with a bit of a growl. The entire album
is solid and several of the songs include Spanish horns and Latin rhythms. My
favorite track is “Long Black Train” a great rhythmic rollicking rock tune with
which Johnny Cash would have been right at home.
Liam McKahey & The Bodies - Long Black Train (Live)
Liam McKahey & The The Bodies photo by Konrad Lenz
Album Chart Positions: #123 US, #37 US R&B/Hip-Hop, #19
US R&B
Singles: “That LA Sunshine”
The last time we saw a new album by War was in 1994 with the
album “Peace Sign.” Throughout the70’s War was one of the most loved bands of
the decade with classic soul-pop hits such as “Why Can’t We Be Friends?,” “Low
Rider,” “Cisco Kid,” “Summer,” “All Day Music” and “The World Is A Ghetto.”
They earned eleven gold and platinum albums. Their musical style was classified
as funk and soul with hints of jazz and pop.
After a 20-year hiatus War reformed with only one original
member Lonnie Jordan. The other members have been with the band from as early
as 1990 to as recent as 2011. “Evolutionary” was released as a two disc set,
the first disc is the new album and the second disc is a greatest hits
collection. A special three disc edition was released exclusively through Best
Buy including a DVD disc of War performing their great hits live.
“Evolutionary” has ended up being one of the surprise albums
of 2014. I wasn’t really expecting much from this. I originally bought it for
the remastered Greatest Hits disc but was more than pleasantly surprised when I
took a listen to the new music on disc one. “Mamacita” has a Latin/Reggae
appeal which is almost as affecting as their classics “East LA” or “Angel.” Joe
Walsh’s excellent guitar work and the brassy horn section by Tower of Power
make “Mamacita” a definite highlight of the album. The ballad “Just Like Us”
contains a somber harmonica performed by Stanley Behrens that is very
reminiscent of the master Lee Oskar.“That LA Sunshine” is one of those feel good songs that just grooves
with a certain sort of sunny feel that is out of this world irresistible. The
album’s first single “That LA Sunshine” is a smooth jazz funk tune with an easy
breezy feel with some great chunky bass lines that power the song beyond
greatness. My personal favorite track is “Outer space” with it’s smooth groove
moves and a great lead vocal by Lonnie Jordan and some seamlessly perfect
harmony vocals gives the same feel as some of the great smooth grooves of the
70’s such as Bloodstone’s classic “Natural High” or The Dramatics’ “In The
Rain.”
Album Chart Positions: #15 US, #28 Japan, #31 UK, #31
Scotland, #32 Netherlands, #43 Belgium, #70 Italy, #77 Ireland, #212 France, #22
United World Chart
Singles: “The Birds of St. Marks” #67 Japan
From the very first few seconds of hearing his voice on this
new album feelings of reminiscence swoop over my mind and take me back to an
era long gone. His voice is still the same as on those classic 70’s and 80’s
hits that I loved so much. Songs like “Doctor My Eyes,” “Stay,” “Here Come
Those Tears Again,” “Running On Empty,” “The Pretender” and “Somebody’s Baby”
all come rushing back to me. Jackson Browne was always known for quality and
message in his songs. His new album “Standing In The Breach” is no different.
This album brings him back to his roots and great music, meaningful lyrics and
some very fine acoustic guitar.
“Standing In The Breach” is a reflective album mirroring Browne’s thoughts and
desires for a life of equality and peace in the world. “Walls and Doors” is
Browne’s English language rendition of Carlos Varela’s “Las Paredas y Puertas”
is tender ballad in which Browne reflects on those who want to unite and those
who want to divide. The opening lyric tells it all, “Ever since the world’s beginning, there’s one thing that is certain,
there are those who build walls and those who open doors.” “Which Side Are
You On,” is a song Browne first debuted in 2011 during an Occupy Wall Street
rally in 2011. Browne is direct in his political beliefs speaking about how the
system is set up to benefit the wealthy and the most powerful in the world. He
is completely upfront in his lyrics as he sings, “Take the money out of politics and maybe we might see this country turn
back into something more like democracy.” That line really hit home. He
sings these lyrics with a softly spoken conviction. My favorite song from the album is a lovely ballad called
“Here.” The song opens ever so wistfully with a dreamy acoustic guitar as
Browne sings these words of heartbreak and longing. Jackson Browne hits his
stride with this album. This is his 14th studio album in a career
that has spanned more then 40 years and he is right back on top making music
that is just as affecting as his very best from his heyday of the 70’s. The
songs are simple yet carry a lot of powerful emotion.
Release Date: September 9, 2014 (Digital release) October
13, 2014 (CD release)
Record Label: Interscope Records/Island
Album Chart Positions: #1 Croatia, Czechoslavakia, Holland,
France, Italy, Poland, Spain, #2 Austria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Singapore,
South Korea (Deluxe Edition), Sweden, #3 Argentina, Japan, Switzerland, Denmark
#4 Scotland, #5 Canada, Israel, #6 New Zealand, Norway, South Korea (standard
release), UK, #7 Australia, Brazil, Estonia, #9 Iceland, US, #10 Finland, #12
Taiwan, #13 Hungary
Singles: “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)”
“Songs Of Innocence” was first released on iTunes as a free
download. Initially the album was made available to 500 million iTunes
customers and was downloaded 26 million times. This alone makes “Songs of
Innocence” one of the most popular albums of all-time. Though, what would be
the incentive to purchase the physical release of the album if 26 million
people have already downloaded the free edition from iTunes? The CD version was
released bundled with 10 additional tracks, including six acoustic versions and
four all-new songs. In it’s first week millions of people around the world
purchased the new U2 album, though in the major music markets such as the US,
Japan and UK sales suffered due to it’s digital release. In the US the album
peaked at #9, their lowest peak position for an album since 1984’s
“Unforgettable Fire,” which reached #14 in the US. In the UK the album made it
to #6 again their lowest charting UK album since 1981’s “October.” Was the free
download release a bad idea? The answer is yes and no. Yes, because it did hurt
sales and chart positions of the album. No, because it increased sales of their
back catalog by a huge amount. The sales U2 lost for their new album was more
than made up for by hugely increased sales of their older albums.
I first ventured into the album with caution. U2’s last five
studio albums fell short of their glory days of the 80’s. Their last truly
great album was 1991’s “Achtung Baby.” I wasn’t sure I would care much for the
album. I first attained “Songs of Innocence” as a free download from iTunes. I
listened to it once and was not all that impressed. Regardless, when the
physical CD was released I went out and bought it. Being an avid U2 fan since
1982 I had to get the deluxe edition. It was at this point that I realized what
a great album this was. I played it a few times and came to love it. Every song
is a U2 masterpiece. “Songs of Innocence” contains a personal feel to it. The
songs seem to tell a personal story and have a heart and soul that really grabs
you as you listen. It’s that heart and soul that had been missing from their
music over the past 20 years. “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” is a great tribute
to the major influence that got Bono to start singing. Right from the start of
the song you feel like you’re being kicked right back into the early 80’s with
those great U2 harmonies and Bono sings his lyrics with a sense of meaning and
appreciation. In the song “Iris (Hold Me Close)” Bono remembers his mom who
died when he was 14. This song holds the same sort of intensity as “New Year’s
Day” or “Sunday Bloody Sunday” with a softer, still emotional edge. “California
There Is No End To Love” is my personal favorite. I love California and this
song is personal for me. The song has a nice mellow edge that makes me feel
good like lounging in the California sun. “Cedarwood Road” is the song that
packs to most emotional punch. It is aggressive with chunky guitar chords through
the song giving it a dark rock club sound. Bono’s vocals border on Tom Petty
meets Lou Reed as he conveys memories of his childhood residing on Cedarwood
Road. “I was looking for a soul that’s
real
then I ran into you.”
Album Chart Positions: #1 UK, #2 Australia, Belgium, Canada,
#3 Switzerland, #4 US, Ireland, #5 France, New Zealand, #6 Netherlands, #7 Denmark,
Austria, #8 Germany, #13 Norway, #24 Italy, #28 Hungary, #55 Sweden, #3 United
World Chart
Singles: “Hunger of The Pine,” “Left Hand Free,” “Every
Other Freckle”
Alt-J is a British rock band that formed in 2007 and has
achieved a good amount of success worldwide with two studio albums and several
singles. I bought this album on faith as I very much enjoyed their first album
2012’s “An Awesome Wave.” I realized this being only their second album that it
could be a letdown as many times a new band fails to live up to a great debut
album. This was not the case with alt-J, I was more than pleased with “This Is
All Yours.” The songs are highly textured with melancholy layers of music and
voice. Many of the songs for the album were written while they were on tour
promoting their first album “An Awesome Wave.” The majority of those written on
tour were actually written during their time in Nara, Japan.
The song “Hunger of The Pine” includes a sample of Miley Cyrus’ “4x4.” It
samples the words "I'm a female rebel" from Miley's 2013 song "4x4".
Thom Green, the band's drummer, had produced a remix of "4x4" for
Cyrus, and incorporated the vocal sample into the song; according to lead
singer Joe Newman, Cyrus was "cool" with the band using the sample
and has been really supportive of the band, and she's a fan of alt-J. To be
honest I thought I would never own anything with Miley Cyrus’ name on it, but
this is the exception and I’m okay with that because alt-J is one exceptional
band. For the most part the album is atmospheric and there’s a good amount of
instrumental and poetry included. The album is mostly categorized as ambient pop
or electronica. “Every Other Freckle” is a spacey tune with a strong rhythmic
under current. “Left Hand Free” incorporates aspect of ghetto and electric
percussive vibrations with awesome guitar licks. I am especially attracted to
“The Gospel Of John Hurt,” as I am a huge fan of John Hurt, he is one
phenomenal actor and I love the multi-textures and movements of the song. My
favorite song from the album is the atmospheric “Choice Kingdom,” this song has
elements of Pink Floyd meets Moby meets alt-J.
Since the year 2000 Neil Young has been extremely prolific
having released 22 albums including studio albums, live albums, compilations
and archival releases (13 of these releases were new studio albums). Why is he
recording so much in these past 15 years? Who knows, but I’m not complaining.
As a diehard Neil Young fan I love it. Each album is a masterpiece and “Storytone”
is one of his best in the past 20 years.
“Storytone” is Neil Young’s 35th studio album and
his second released in 2014. I bought this album immediately on the day it was
released. Though, I am partial to Young’s music “Storytone” is one of his best.
The songs are heartfelt and personal. Young is in good vocal shape (or anyway
for Neil Young). Of course (as with all my favorites) I purchased the deluxe
edition that includes the standard solo acoustic renditions of each song along with
orchestral and big band renditions of each song. It’s interesting listening to
different recordings of each song. I love the orchestral renditions of each
song as the orchestration is thrilling and at some points reminds me the
musicianship in the Beatles song “A Day In The Life.” The Big Band renditions
of the songs are fantastic. It’s great to hear Neil’s voice accompanied with a
little of the big band swing jazz style. Surprisingly (or maybe not) Neil’s
voice fits well with the varying musical styles featured on this album. In the song "Who's gonna Stand Up," Young shares his feelings about what we are doing to our planet. He shares his concern for the environment. In the song he sings, "who's gonna stand up and save the Earth," these lyrics are simplistic and straight forward, therefore there isn't any confusion of what he is singing. This song has quickly become an anthem for the anti-fracking community. I love
every song on this album; though “Tumbleweed,” “Say Hello To Chicago,” “Plastic
Flowers,” “ Glimmer” and “All Those Dreams” really capture me. “All Those
Dreams” is especially poignant with its essence of recounting a time of love
and life and beautiful times.
Album Chart Positions: #13 Iceland, #16 Switzerland, #19 US,
Canada, #20 Croatia, #29 Austria, #37 Ireland, #40 Denmark, #48 Italy, #59
Belgium, #62 Japan, Spain, #63 UK, #77 Germany, #80 Netherlands, #176 France,
#279 South Korea Singles: "Long Time Gone"
On my year-end chart for 2013 this album was in the “worthy
mentions” list and I noted that there was a good possibility it would be on
this years list. “Foreverly” by Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) and Norah
Jones has stuck with me through the entire year of 2014. I am still listening
to this album on a regular basis. The music is pristine and the harmonies are
rich and stirring. Who would have thought Billie Joe and Norah would be such an
outstanding combination? Not me. Billie Joe impressed me with the fact that the
guy actually has a decent voice. Norah Jones’ silky tones are the perfect
opposite to Billie Joe’s ragged voice. As Stephen Thomas Erlewine from allmusic
said, “he gives her grit while she lends him grace.”
“Foreverly” is a reinterpretation of The Everly Brothers’ classic 1958 album
“Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.” Billie Joe and Norah do a faithful re-creation of
the original Everly Brothers album with hints and bits of today’s technology
and instruments such as electric guitar added into the mix. The most surprising
aspect of the album is pop-punk rocker Billie Joe Armstrong proves he’s right
at home as a traditional country music crooner. The bulk of these songs are
traditional folk tunes from the 1890’s through the 1930’s. The idea of working
with Norah Jones came to Billie Joe way back in 2005 when he met her when they
sang the Beatles song “Across The Universe” along with Stevie Wonder, Allison
Krause, Bono, Steven Tyler (and others) for the 47th Grammy Awards
show. Billie Joe stumbled upon the Everly Brothers albums years ago and became
obsessed with it. He began listening to it every day and decided he wanted to
do a remake of the album as he felt more people should know this music. His
vision was to record the songs with a female vocalist and his wife suggested
Norah Jones. The album has an especially personal touch as Norah and Billie Joe
actually recorded these songs together inside the same vocal booth. This was
very much a joint effort. The song “Long Time Gone” contains an infectious rollin’
bass rhythm that keeps the song movin’ along. “Rockin’ alone (In An Old Rockin’
Chair)” is an album highlight and is even more impressive with Norah Jones
taking the lead giving it her smooth touch. My personal favorite on the album
is “Kentucky” a nice flowing song with some nice understated guitar and
keyboard parts.
I have been buying Tom
Petty’s music consistently since 1979 when I first purchased his classic album
“Damn The Torpedoes” it was love from first listen. I now own all sixteen of
his studio albums (Petty solo and Petty with the heartbreakers). I love every
single one of them.
Petty and band began working on “Hypnotic Eye” back in 2011 and was finally
completed three years later. Needless to say they took their time on this one
and it is well worth it. The opening track “American Dream Plan B,” starts with
an electronically enhanced lead vocal by Tom Petty that sounds great. The
chunky guitar keeps the song moving. This is Petty’s ode to the dream, Petty is
not giving up on that dream… and neither am I. Much of this album’s sounds and lyrical
themes take Petty and his Heartbreakers back to their earliest days when they
were new to the scene singing about the unrest of the day. Petty’s back at it
again as in the song “Fault Lines” he speaks about broken promises and how he
has faults of his own to deal with. Listening to this album really takes me
back to the mid 70’s with its great guitar work and steady drum patterns. “Full
Grown Boy” offers something a bit different from Petty’s other songs, it has
bits of blues and early Supertramp type ballad sensibility such as in their
song “Poor Boy,” and hints of Steely Dan styled keyboards. “Burnt Out town” is
high on the blues and really rocks with some great harmonica parts and heavy
guitar licks and tasty saloon type piano parts throughout. The closing track
“Shadow People” gives reminisces upon earlier Petty tunes such as “Refugee” and
“Breakdown” with a mellow sense of guitars and angst.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Dream Plan B
Album Chart Positions: #1 UK, #5 Ireland, #6 Belgium, Spain,
#9 Netherlands, #10 Australia, Norway, #11 US, #15 Switzerland, #17 Sweden, #19
Canada, #23 Germany, #28 New Zealand, #30 Portugal, #31 Austria, #33 Italy,
#103 France, #12 World (Chart Positions for Extended release “All This Bad
Blood” #19 New Zealand, #25 Denmark, #27 Finland, #37 Italy, #66 Switzerland)
Singles: “Pompeii,” “Laura Palmer,” “Things We Lost In The
Fire,” “Of The Night,” “Oblivion”
(This review is about the album "Bad Blood" by Bastille, although pictured above is the album "All This Bad Blood," which is the album "Bad Blood" with bonus tracks.)
Bastille is a British band formed in London in 2010. The
band derived its name from Bastille Day, which is celebrated on July 14th,
which is also the birthday of band founder Dan Smith. “Bad Blood” is their
debut studio album and has met with huge success worldwide. Bastille has sold
around 10 million records worldwide in just a year and nine months.
Upon first glance one would expect that Bastille is just
another boy band with generically sounding “American Idol” type perfect voices.
Though with the first listen of their album you quickly come to realize that
Bastille is so much more. Their songs are uniquely crafted; the vocal
arrangements contain wonderful variations of texture and resonance. But the
best part of Bastille is Dan Smith’s lead vocals. Dan sings in a pleasing and
distinctive style. He clearly pronounces all his words and he is adept at the
varying styles of songs on the album. His range is not broad or wide but he
sings with a nice timbre and an engaging vital soul that keeps each song alive. I
really like his accent. Each song
on this album is an experience. The songs are epic and contain layers of sound
and voices. Their songs are revealing and dark. The nature of these songs digs
into the grim and gloomy forbidding experiences of life. In the song “Things We
Lost In The Fire,” Dan Smith so prophetically sings, “Things we lost to the
flames, things we'll never see again. All that we've amassed sits before us,
shattered into ash” which sets the overall emotion of the album a loss of the
things we love. In the ballad “Oblivion,” Dan sings with a scorching soul that
gives the song much meaning. He sings into higher notes taking the song into a
center of oblivion that feels so smooth and reflective. As he sings these words
of introspection and questions the uncertainty of the future and the love he
wants to understand. "Flaws" is another such introspective song in which the lyrics speak of facing your flaws, digging them up and let them be counted. Daniel puts just the right amount of inflection as he
sings the songs on “Bad Blood,” I am looking forward to Bastille’s second album
because this debut album is so much more than just a collection of songs. It’s
an synth-driven experience of choral and chanting proportions; it’s a piece of
my heart.
“All This Bad Blood” is a two-disc extended edition of “Bad Blood” containing
several songs from their EP’s “Other People’s Heartaches…” and “Haunt” and other
previously unreleased tracks.
Record Label: Third Man Records, XL Recordings, Columbia
Album Chart Positions: #1 US, Canada, Denmark, #2 Belgium, Greece,
New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, World Chart, #3 Australia, #4 UK, Ireland,
Croatia, Israel, #5 Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, #7 Scotland, #8 Poland, #9
France, #13 Finland, #15 South Korea, #16 Japan, #21 Sweden, #26 Czechoslovakia,
Hong Kong, #28 Italy
Singles: “Lazaretto,” “Would You Fight For My Love?”
Jack White is back in town with his second solo album and
it’s a grab bag of sounds and fused genres. He blends a multitude of voices and
instruments to create this unique album, which cannot be categorized. He plays
around with fiddles, keyboards, organs, slide guitars, fuzz boxes and an array
of percussive instruments. Many of the songs lyrics are based on some short
stories and one act plays he wrote when he was 19 years old. Jack found the
writings in his attic one day and based some of his lyrics on them. The result
is a deeply thought provoking album of mystery, protection of one’s being, the
building of walls that shut others out and an exhibition of emotions, anger,
courage, disillusionment and attack. Many of the songs carry a modern blues
feel while others have a Led Zeppelin sort of country-rock appeal. The song
“Temporary Ground” most exemplifies the Led Zeppelin country-rock sound. The Zep
song “That’s The Way” comes to mind. “Would You Fight for My Love?” features
some great percussive rhythms in the opening working into some sparse keyboards
and distinctive vocal stylings by Jack White. “Alone In My Home” is one of the
album’s highlights opening with Elton John type piano keys blended with
thumping percussion and sparks of acoustic guitar. White sings, “I’m becoming a
ghost so nobody can know me,” in these lyrics Jack sings about building walls
up around his emotions. He speaks of “lost feelings of love” and how his
emotions have become calloused and jaded. My favorite track is “I Think I Found
The Culprit,” White uses imagery of two birds sitting silently looking at the
two crumbs of bread sitting on his window sill, to get his message across.
White speaks about the ironies of right and wrong. One does what is right the
other does wrong. In his story it’s the one who does wrong that is always under
pressure, maybe always looking back over his shoulder.
“Lazaretto” is one of the
biggest selling albums of 2014 having reached the Top 5 in more than 16
countries around the world. He recorded the album at the same time he was
producing Olivia Jean’s album “Bathtub Love Killers,” in which you can clearly
hear White’s influence. “Lazaretto” is album that leaves one with a great deal
of contemplation and reflection. It’s a thinking person’s album.
Album Chart Positions: #1 UK, Austria, Canada, France,
Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Belgium, Croatia,
Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Sweden, Turkey, #2 Russia, #3 US, Australia, Hungary, #4 Finland, Korea,
Estonia, Brazil, #5 Taiwan, South Korea, #6 Greece, Spain, #7 Japan, #1 World
Chart
Singles: “Louder Than Words”
“The Endless River” is quite possibly the biggest selling
album of 2014 throughout the world. The album reached #1 in more than 20
countries worldwide along with reaching the Top Five in another ten or more
countries. This album has been phenomenally successful.
The recordings from “The Endless River” are primarily from
the 1993 sessions of “The Division Bell,” with some re-recording and added
parts done in 2013-2014. The song “Autumn ‘68” features a recording of Richard
Wright playing the Royal Albert Hall’s organ in 1969. The album has been
described by Nick Mason as a tribute to Richard Wright, who died of cancer on
September 15, 2008. Predominantly an ambient and instrumental album the music
features the smoother introspective side of Pink Floyd. Derived from 20 hours
of music “The Endless River” is composed into four 14-minute movements in which
only one song contains a lead vocal, the final track “Louder Than Words” with
lyrics written by David Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson. Gilmour has said this is
the final Pink Floyd album.
The album is beautifully sonic featuring some of the most beautiful music to be
released this year and to ever be recorded by Pink Floyd. It’s meant to be
listened to as a whole and not as a collection of songs. “The Endless River” is
a welcome and wonderful addition to the musical output of Pink Floyd.The wonderful aspects of Pink Floyd
make their appearance throughout the album, Gilmour’s mesmerizing swirling
guitar riffs, Wright’s dreamy synthesized keyboard parts and Mason’s
ever-hypnotic percussive rhythms. My only wish is that Roger Waters would have
been participated to give the album one more layer of introspection. As it is
this is a great album and will find a place amongst my all-time favorites.
Album Chart Positions: #46 UK, #72 Belgium,#86 Germany, #194 US
Singles: "Witness," “Daddy’s Car”
Brian Eno is one of the world’s most successful
producers/musicians. He has produced and/or recorded with some of the all-time
greats including Roxy Music, U2, Coldplay, Talking Heads, Devo, Jane Siberry,
David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Grace Jones and others. Eno also composed the
Microsoft sound for the Windows 95 project. The result was the six-second
start-up music-sound of the Windows 95 operating system.
Eno is also the world’s foremost innovator of ambient music.
Eno’s first foray into ambient music was in 1973 when he recorded the album “No
Pussyfooting” with King Crimson leader Robert Fripp. This album was largely a
collection of movements created from electronic tape delays. In 1975 he dabbled
a bit more with ambient sounds on his album “Antoher Green World” which also
featured his standard rock compositions. Finally later in 1975 he released “Discreet
Music,” which was his first of 20 or more ambient albums.
“Someday World” got its start when Eno invited Karl Hyde to
listen to a series of compositions he never finished. These compositions never
got any further than intros. Together Eno and Hyde worked these intros into
full-length songs, some rock songs with vocals and other ambient type pieces.
Eno employed 22 year old unknown, Fred Gibson to co-produce the album. Eno must
have been looking for a fresh untapped vision for the album in Gibson. Eno
invited many of his friends to participate in the album; Roxy Music’s Andy
Mackay and Will Champion from Coldplay were both prominently featured. Eno’s
daughter Darla added her voice to the mix.
The album is heavy in beats and rhythms with its share of ambient
electronicities (I like making up new words). The song “Daddy’s Car,” features
an Afro-funk rhythm, which is reminiscent of Eno’s work with Talking Heads on their
classic 1980 album “Remain In Light.”Many of the songs on “Someday World” incorporate sounds and rhythms used
in the many genres of African music such as Juju music. There is a nice array
of bass lines, horns, organs and keyboards mixed with ethereal synthesized
accents and tones. It’s easy to get lost in the many layers and depths of the
music. Beyond the Afro sounds there are other influences including Middle
Eastern, Ambient, euro-pop, electronic and jazz-rock.
Like many of the albums on this countdown, “Someday World” is
meant to be listened to as a whole, though I am quite partial to the track “The
Satellites.” Critics have been split on this album with some giving it lukewarm
reviews while other giving it high praise. I am of the latter and include this
album as one of my all-time favorites.
Eno • Hyde - The Satellites
Brian Eno & Karl Hyde
The following albums get a worthy mention:
Talking Is Hard by Walk The Moon
Forever For Now by LP
Forever Robots by Damon Albarn
Nostalgia by Annie Lennox
Three Hearts by Alex Clare
La Isla Bonita by Deerhoof
Ixora by Copeland
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