Started this fella off and got side-tracked in The Pixies. I mean, I’d apologise, but.
Anyway…here’s 5-1. 10-6 is here.
five. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
As soon as someone thrust “Red Eyes” at me on Twitter or through Pitchfork or something, I looked forward to this Lost in the Dream being unleashed on us in 2014. Largely a rumination on suffering (well, there is a track named that after all) and loss, the album really did embody the title, and it wasn’t without its 2am listens in my humble abode.
four. Caribou – Our Love
Though Liminal and Syro really did do it for me electronically this year, it was Dan Snaith’s Caribou that stole the show. “Can’t Do Without You” infected the mind for way longer than it should have, and when the full album hit the digital shelves, I made my purchase and lost myself for a good couple of days to rhythms, beats and bars; evoking enthusiasm and positivity in that most precarious and fragile of feelings.
three. Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow
There’s a reason why I’ve seen this band four times this year. It lies in every song you hear along the way in So Long, See You Tomorrow. From the triumphant, confident, jubilant opening of “Overcome” to the closing title track, Bombay have done it again. A perfect choice to close Earls Court, and a night not quickly forgotten. And it’s safe to say, a strong future lies ahead of this foursome (…and Lucy Rose).
two. Jungle – Jungle
They came out of absolute nowhere. They played on dry ice-filled stages to hide their identity. They were simply ‘J’ and ‘T’. And they owned Glastonbury 2014 from the John Peel Stage.
I saw them again in the tiniest of venues, and – somehow fitting seven people onto a stage not much bigger than a shoebox – they owned that too. Jungle is a delight to hear; genreless perfection, and I predict they’ll only explode further this year. (Even my mom likes them.)
one. Future Islands – Singles
…was it going to be anything else? Was it going to be a band whose lead singer has t h e m o v e s ? It wasn’t. It never was. Future Islands came into their own in 2014. I hadn’t heard of them, despite a not unreasonable back catalogue, and I’d inadvertently been recommended “Back in the Tall Grass” – but that Letterman performance. That song. The rest of the album. Quite frankly, superb. And if you don’t like a bit of goth screaming with your synthpop, you’re not human.
So, there you have it. Hope you liked. More to come this year, guys. So hold onto your hats.
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