The 55 Best Albums of 2014 (12-22)

Lots of guilty pleasures on the list today.  And I may be the only one on the planet who liked the Foster the People album. Here are the 55 Best Albums of 2014 (12-22):

12.  Foster The People - Supermodel
13. Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain
14. Klaxons - Love Frequency
15. Spoon - They Want My Soul
16. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
17. Gardens & Villas - Dunes
18. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
19. Pure X - Angel
20. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
21. The Sunshine Underground - The Sunshine Underground
22. FKA Twigs - LP1

  Buy these albums and more now!!!  

My 11 Favorite Albums of 2014

It's been a weird year in music.  There's actually been a lot of great music...but nothing that has yet to stand above the rest.  There's been no real consensus on what albums are 2014's calling card.  From site to site, it seems there's a lot more variety than most years.  And my top 11 is no different.  While there seems to some shared love for James Vincent McMorrow, Against Me!, Cloud Nothings, and The War On Drugs, my favorite album of the year (the infectious Broken Bells) is nowhere to be found on any list.  The Jack White peaks into a couple lists but has been widely slammed, probably because the album was made for vinyl and listening to any other way takes it down a notch. Strangely, it happens to be my favorite non-White Stripes Jack White recording to date.  I've seen Pure X and Conor Oberst get a couple mentions (albeit low on lists).  White Sea and First Aid Kit are two budding artists hitting their strides, yet fail to get mentions.  Last on my list is the addictive EP by the band Movement.  Everyone's raving about How To Dress Well (which is another good album) but I feel like Movement is doing the same thing but is already leaps and bounds ahead.  But this is the great thing about music...there's something for everyone to love. Happy 4th!  Enjoy songs from the albums below...plus a few other good tracks from this year. Here are my 11 favorite albums of 2014 (so far):

1. Broken Bells - After The Disco
2. James Vincent McMorrow - Post-Tropical
3. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
4. Jack White - Lazaretto
5. Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain
6. Cloud Nothings - Here And Nowhere Else
7. Pure X - Angel
8. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
9. White Sea - White Sea
10. The War on Drugs - Lost In the Dream
11. Movement - Movement EP

     

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The 11 Best Solo Songs By Conor Oberst

The internet went into an outrage today when a big announcement was unveiled.  Concerthotels.com revealed which rock/pop singers have the greatest recorded vocal ranges.  At the top of the list is the not completely surprising:  Axl Rose. Mariah Carey, Prince, Steven Tyler, and James Brown round out the top five.  Now, the website determined this by looking at the difference between the singer's highest and lowest recorded notes.  It's by no means definitive...but a unique way to create a ranking; and interesting at that.  It's no surprise that Axl's five octave range ranks up at the top...what is surprising is the massive amount of anger and doubt that has spilled out across the internet.  From people screaming that Axl should be no where near the top of the list because he's a terrible singer to people completely doubting the legitimacy of the list's rankings.  How the hell can you be angry at this list?  It's a fun list.  No one is saying this is the only list that matters and the singers at the top are the only great singers out there...but the reaction from the internet is like that's exactly what they are saying.  Why does everyone on the internet have to blow everything that's reported out of proportion?  No one is ranking religions or races but that's how the internet reacts to...everything!  People...calm the fuck down.  It's just a list.  It's just for amusement.  But if you take it so seriously that you have to blast the creator of the list because they got everything wrong...then problem isn't the list...the problem is you.  Trust me...I know.  Step back, take it for what it is...and if you don't have anything nice to say, go eat at Chipolte. Here are the 11 Best Solo Songs By Conor Oberst:

1. I Got A Reason (Outer South)
2. Milk Thistle (Conor Oberst)
3. Kodachrome (One Of My Kind)
4. Lenders in the Temple (Conor Oberst)
5. To All The Lights In the Windows (Outer South)
6. Spoiled (Outer South)
7. Synesthe Song (One Of My Kind)
8. Breezy (One Of My Kind)
9. Souled Out!!! (Conor Oberst)
10. Cape Canaveral (Conor Oberst)
11. Ten Women (Outer South)

Buy Conor Oberst's new album, Upside Down Mountain...now!!    

Don't forget to check out our blog's awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!

The Best Albums of 2012 (23-33):

I dragged my feet on getting the countdown out this year.  The contributions so far have been fairly slim.  I know you all listen to music.  I know you all have your favorites.  So let's hear them.

It's the day before Christmas and I've sat down to spend the next 48 hours watching screeners.  If you guys are good and get your lists in, I'll loan them to you.  You know you want to watch the Hobbit in the comfort of your own home.  So, get shaking.

Here the Best Albums of 2012 (23-33):

23.  Minus The Bear - Infinity Overhead
24.  Bob Dylan - Tempest
25.  Soundgarden - King Animal
26.  The Killers - Battle Born (Bonus Track)
27.  Conor Oberst - One Of My Kind 
28.  Macklemore and Ryan - The Heist
29.  Zedd - Clarity
30.  G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer 
31.  Green Day - Uno/Dos/Tre (Bonus Track)
32.  Cooly G - Playing Me
33.  Big Boi - Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors

Buy these albums and a lot more...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Conor Oberst

The tale of the new Conor Oberst is a great example of how upside-down the music industry is right now.  Maybe the issues are a good thing...or just another of example of its descent into self-destruction.  This B-side/alternative track collection came out in May.  I just discovered its release this weekend.  I discovered it at (of all things) a record store.  I saw the vinyl...thinking it was a vinyl only release.  I did some quick searching and found a CD copy, too.  I was so excited to know this had come out, I didn't give it too much thought why I hadn't heard about this until now.  When I got home, I figured it out quickly.  The album hadn't been released digitally.  It was a physical release only.  And unless it's Record Store Day, in this day of digital music, physical releases are about as important as a new model of rotary dial phone.  Probably less important...

I'm mixed about this.  It's a sad state that an artist as important and respected as Conor Oberst can put out a new record (albeit b-sides) but it goes completely unnoticed because it didn't come out digitally.  To the music industry not coming out digitally is practically the same as not existing at all.  At the same time, it's kinda cool.  It's been years since I've discovered a new release by one of my favorites artists by sifting through CD racks instead of seeing the torrent thread.  It made the purchase exciting.  It made it more relevant.  And it made the music more interesting.  Sometimes it's the hunt for the music...the hurdles you have to go to get it...that's as important as the music itself.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Conor Oberst:

1. I Got The Reason (Outer South)
2. Spoiled (Outer South)
3. Lenders in The Temple (Conor Oberst)
4. Moab  (Conor Oberst)
5. Danny Callahan (Conor Oberst)
6. To All the Lights In The Window (Outer South)
7. White Shoes  (Outer South)
8. Sausalito (Conor Oberst)
9. Roosevelt Room (Outer South)
10. Gentlemen's Pact (Gentlemen's Pact EP)
11. Cape Canaveral (Conor Oberst)

Buy Conor Oberst B-Side Collection, One Of My Kind...now!!!

The Unknown: An Evening with Conor Oberst, Jim James, and M. Ward (Part 2)

Here's part 2 to the show...

Make sure you go out and buy the indie supergroup's new album...Monsters of Folk. for this week only...$4 on my store.

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Here is part 2 of An Evening with Conor Oberst, Jim James and M. Ward:

Conor Oberst's set

17. Train Under Water

18. Going For Gold

19. Soon You Will Be Leaving Your Mom

20. A Celebration Upon Completion

21. We Are Nowhere and It's Now

22. One Foot In Front Of Another

23. Lua

24. Waste of Paint

All three together

25. Seashell Tale

26. Always on My Mind

27. Laura Laurant

28. At Dawn

29. At The Bottom of Everything

30. Girl From North Country

Buy The Monsters of Folk...this week only for less than $4.

The Unknown: An Evening with Conor Oberst, Jim James, and M. Ward

In 2004, three icons of the indie rock movement (Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and M. Ward) got together and performed an intimate folk concert. Who knew that 5 years later, the three (four including Mike Mogis) would get together to put out one of the most anticipated albums of 2009? Well, today's the day that the album finally lands on our computer. To celebrate its arrival...here's part one of that show that started it all. Thanks to Captain's Dead for the original post on it...one of our favorite sites on the net.

Make sure you go out and buy the new album...Monsters of Folk. This week only, it's available for a measly $3.99 from our store.

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An Evening with Conor Oberst, Jim James, and Conor Oberst:

M. Ward's Performance

1. Fuel For Fire

2. Deut For Guitars #3

3. Let's Dance (Bowie)

4. Undertaker

5. Helocopter

6. O'Brien/O'Brien's Nocturn

7. Vincent O'Brien

8. Outta My Head

Jim James' performance

9. One in the Same

10. Unknown Song

11. I Can't Wait

12. Where To Begin

13. How Could I Know

14. The Bear

15. Bermuda Highway

16. Golden

Buy the Monsters of Folk for only $3.99 ...for this week only.

The 11 Conor Oberst Songs

Since the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction...a full month ago...the thoughts of weighing current artists musical merit has been big topic on my mind. Doing a blog like this, it's hard not to look at each artist and consider their impact in the bigger scheme of things. Especially this week. Three very strong music artists...each with distinct musical voices...but are any of them RNRHOF material? Between Ben Harper, Cracker and Bright Eyes/Conor...only BEC has the best shot at making it. Conor has played on stage with legendary artistis like Bruce Springsteen and the Stones...so the respect is there. Conor has a legion of diehard fans...just take a look at Toby Maguire's hair in the third Spiderman movie. So the fanbase is there. But the one thing that's missing is true commercial crossover. Maybe that's why he ditched his Bright Eyes moniker for a new start...even though Bright Eyes is really just Conor with an interchanging cast of musicians. But perception is everything. Will mainstream success be the one thing that alludes Conor from RNR hall glory in 15 years? At the end of the day...I think he's a shoe-in...not just because of his musical talent...but the lack of competition from his contemporaries. It's not about being the best...it's just about being better than the guy next to you.

Here are the 11 Conor Oberst Songs:

1. The Happiest Place on Earth (Desaparecidos - Read Music)

2. Moab (Conor Oberst)

3. Man and Wife, The Latter (Desaparecidos - Read Music)

4. Souled Out!!! (Conor Oberst)

5. Lenders in the Temple (Conor Oberst)

6. Breezy (Gentlemen's Pact)

7. Milk Thistle (Conor Oberst)

8. Sausalito (Conor Oberst)

9. $$$$ (Desaparecidos - Read Music)

10. Synesthete Song (Gentlemen's Pact)

11. Cape Canaveral (Conor Oberst)

Buy Conor Oberst's new album, Outer South.

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 4)

With Obama set to take office in a little over a month...it's like we can't get out of 2008 fast enough. But before we sprint to the finish...let's not forget what good stuff did come out along the way.

And DON'T FORGET...to send me your lists!!! Just through them in the comment section and I'll make a full tally of 111 albums.

Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 4):

12. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
13. The Mars Volta - Bedlam in Goliath (Memories - bonus track)
14. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
15. Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
16. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement (My Mistakes - Jools Holland)
17. Metallica - Death Magnetic (Get album for $5.00)
18. Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life (No Epiphany - Daytrotter)
19. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
20. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
21. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
22. Q-Tip - The Renassaince (get album for $5.00)

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