So here it is, the end product of a year spent listening to lots of brilliant new music.
In 1997 I began putting together compilations of my favourite songs of the year, and it’s a tradition that I’ve kept up ever since. And if that wasn’t enough, for the last four years I have also published my top 50 Albums Of The Year on the RW/FF website. A very busy time of year for me.
My favourite tracks of the year, compiled into two highly enjoyable compilations. To hear truly great new music in 2014, you often had to dig very deep for it. While the mainstream missed out, those lucky enough to hear this year’s finest sounds enjoyed a bumper year. RW/FF managed to find so many amazing records over the past year, that it was incredibly hard to narrow it all down to a simple two part compilation.
While part 1 journeys through psychedelica, dance, Krautrock and electronica, the 2nd part takes a more indie-based route. There’s some very interesting stuff in here many won’t have had the chance to hear before, so listen and enjoy.
Both parts can be played via Mixcloud below.
RW/FF’s top 50 Albums Of 2014 can be seen below, and are all profiled in an article that can be found HERE.
and an expanded 2014 playlist featuring over 100 tracks can be found HERE on Spotify:
THE PHANTOM BAND – THE WIND THAT CRIED THE WORLD
DAMON ALBARN – LONELY PRESS PLAY
THE HORRORS – IN AND OUT OF SIGHT
CAMERA – SYNCHRON
PLANK! – GRASSHOPPERS FROM MARS
JUPITER LION – DOPPELGANGER
KINKAJOUS – LIMB
PLAID – TETHER
EAST INDIA YOUTH – HINTERLAND
D-PULSE – WALTZ ON THE RUN
ECHASKECH – SOVEREIGN SYSTEM
ANTENNA HAPPY – PINTO
THE JUAN MACLEAN – GET DOWN (WITH MY LOVE)
HORSEMAN – COMPUTER
STEPHEN JONES – MANCHESTER I’M SORRY
THE HOSTS – WOULD YOU BE BLUE?
THE BLACK KEYS – FEVER
TEMPLES – SUN STRUCTURES
GULP – VAST SPACE
MANIC STREET PREACHERS – NEXT JET TO LEAVE MOSCOW
SUPERFOOD – RIGHT ON SATELLITE
CHERRY GHOST – CLEAR SKIES EVER CLOSER
FIRST AID KIT – MY SILVER LINING
MAT MOTTE AND THE PEOPLE THAT HATE HIM – SUMMER SONG
THE WATANABES – THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG
TOWNS – GONE ARE THE DAYS
INSPIRAL CARPETS – SPITFIRE
TAPE WAVES – LOOKING AT THE SUN
PIXIES – GREENS AND BLUES
THE CROOKES – HOWL
THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND – TURN IT ON
BECK – WAKING LIGHT
MARK MORRISS – SLEEP SONG
EELS – WHERE I’M GOING
Albums Of 2014
49. i! – ‘i!’ (Gothedelic Records)
48. Neville Skelly – ‘Carousel’ (Skeleton Key Records)
47. Aphex Twin – ‘Syro’ (Warp Records)
46. First Aid Kit – ‘Stay Gold’ (Columbia Records)
45. The Juan MacLean – ‘In A Dream’ (DFA Records)
44. La Roux – ‘Trouble In Paradise’
43. Martin Carr – ‘The Breaks’ (Tapete Records)
42. Ziguri – ‘Kölsch, Schickert, Erdenreich’ (Bureau B Records)
41. St. Vincent – ‘St. Vincent’ (Loma Vista/Republic Records)
40. Mark Chadwick – ‘Moment’ (On The Fiddle Recordings)
39. Sophie Ellis Bextor – ‘Wanderlust’ (EBGB’s Records)
38. Headman/Robi Insinna – ‘6’ (Relish Recordings)
37. Gulp – ‘Season Sun’
36. Dark Horses – ‘Hail Lucid State’
35. Cherry Ghost – ‘Herd Runners’ (Heavenly Recordings)
34. Camera – ‘Remember I Was Carbon Dioxide’ (Bureau B Records)
33. Jimi Goodwin – ‘Odludek’ (Heavenly Records)
32. NLF3 – ‘Pink Renaissance’ (Prohibited Records)
31. Trucker – ‘Songs To Truck To’ (Self Released, Bandcamp)
30. Mogwai – ‘Rave Tapes’ (Rock Action Records)
29. Further Reductions – ‘Woodwork’ (Cititrax Records)
28. Pixies – ‘Indie Cindy’ (Pixiesmusic Records)
27. Bell Gardens – ‘Slow Dawns For Lost Conclusions’ (Rocket Girl Records)
26. The Asteroid #4 – ‘The Asteroid #4’ (Bad Vibrations Records)
25. Eels – ‘The Cautionary Tales Of Mark Oliver Everett’ (PIAS/ EWorks Records)
24. The Hobbes Fanclub – ‘Up At Lagrange’ (Shelflife Records)
23. Horse Party – ‘Cover Your Eyes’ (Integrity Records)
22. Merrymouth – ‘Wenlock Hill’ (Navigator Records)
21. Towns – ‘Get By’ (Howling Owl Records)
20. Jupiter Lion – ‘Brighter’ (B-Core Discs)
19. The Hosts – ‘Softly Softly’ (Fierce Panda Records)
18. Beck – ‘Morning Phase’ (Capitol Records)
17. The Crookes – ‘Soapbox’ (Fierce Panda Records)
16. The Diaphanoids – ‘LSME’ (Tirk Recordings)
15. Manic Street Preachers – ‘Futurology’ (Sony Records)
14. Plaid – ‘Reachy Prints’ (Warp Records)
13. Horseman – ‘Dawn Of The Dread’ (Mr Bongo Records)
12. The Horrors – ‘Luminous’ (XL Recordings)
11. Superfood – ‘Don’t Say That’ (Infectious Records)
10. The Black Keys – ‘Turn Blue’
9. Plank – ‘Aphidelity’ (Akoustik Anarkhy Records)
8. D-Pulse – ‘Consequenced’ (Vernal Records)
7. Mark Morriss – ‘A Flash Of Darkness’ (Acid Jazz Records)
6. Damon Albarn – ‘Everyday Robots’ (XL Recordings)
5. East India Youth – ‘Total Strife Forever’ (The Quietus Phonographic Corporation)
4. James – ‘La Petite Mort’ (Cooking Vinyl Records)
3. The Phantom Band – ‘Strange Friend’ (Chemikal Underground Records)
2. Stephen Jones – ‘Ambition Expired’ (Bandcamp, Self Released)
1. Temples – ‘Sun Structures’ (Heavenly Recordings)
