Another year ends. A lake-worth of albums have been released. We may have listened to 0.000348% of them but in the grand scope of things, that's a massive heap of releases we put our ears to! Halifax Collect's contributors and friends have started submitting their lists.
Please submit your list in the comment section or start a conversation regarding our picks. What ought to be on there? What did we miss out on? Is one or more of our picks horrid and inconsequential?
This is Kolli's (Kolbeinn Þór Þorgeirsson) list. He's been sporadically contributing to this blog over the years, supplying us with some of the most eloquently put conclusions, to-the-point approach, pull-no-punches reviews on Halifax Collect. Yes, many of his reviews have been scathing, but that's because most music is turd. Let's hope he'll bless us with stuff to read in 2015.
I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention to Ryan Adams after the whole 'I want to play black metal' nonsense but this album - his first in over three years - completely caught me off guard. Wearing his influences firmly on his sleeve, he swings steadily between laid back, Neil Young-esque folk-rock and street-savvy, Springsteen riffing. This is an album almost entirely made up of mix-tape worthy songs.
2. Scott Walker + SunnO))) - Soused
"I'm sorry, Scott Walker and who?!" I am certain I wasn't the only one raising an eyebrow when the news broke. Remarkably, the outcome is both interesting and, dare i say it, fun. It feels fresh to hear SunnO))) genuinely collaborate with a vocalist instead of merely swallowing them in sound and there are actually hints of a song structure here. Shocking, I know. Make no mistake, they stick to what they know best: they are a monstrous tank, ploughing through the field, crushing both men and beasts. The difference is that here they do so with a crooning weirdo perched atop, clutching the megaphone… and it's great!
3. Pallbearer - Foundation Of Burden
Even though this is only their second album, I feel like Pallbearer have already become somewhat of a household name. This album is patient in the way it lurches to and fro, never trying to get too clever but instead mastering the basics in agonisingly slow build ups. The full spectrum of sadness is present; from every day melancholia to crying-at-your-child's-funeral despair, making it a worthy contender for club banger of the year.
4. James Vincent McMorrow - Post Tropical (photos and concert review)
I was so relieved to discover some sort of a progression on this album. His first album, as much as I love it, had all the makings of a one trick pony but on Post Tropical he proved me wrong and then some. McMorrow has dropped much of his folky twang and replaced it with subtle synthesisers and soulful falsettos; the opening track wouldn't be out of place on a Frank Ocean album. Through this evolution, however, he manages to sidestep some of the pitfalls other similar artists have fallen into, like over-producing or auto-tune. Justin Vernon, take note.
5. Earth - Primitive and Deadly
Earth's progression from '80s drone pioneers to desert dune riff-cowboys has been nothing if not impressive. Always improving, always evolving, they are a band I have been able to consistently rely on to deliver. So what happens when they start marrying their old style with new? Riffs upon riffs upon riffs. Hearing Earth excavate their former selves, even if only partially, is as heartwarming as it is majestic.
6. Teitanblood - Death (review)
As I stated earlier this year: "Death is drenched in unrelenting, unstoppable darkness. It is distant and suffocating, full and vacant at the same time, like drowning in a void. It sounds - and feels - like old evil."
7. Sun Kil Moon - Benji (concert review)
I have to be honest, I subscribe to Mark Kozelek, and as such this pick might feel slightly non-deserving, seeing as I had almost decided I liked this album before I even heard it. I would, however, challenge anyone to deny the emotional pull Benji has. Comprehensive songwriting, heavily painted in melancholy-blue and accompanied by his signature heart-to-heart storytelling vocals, Kozelek has me sitting silent from start to finish.
8. The Body - I Shall Die Here
The Body seem to have a pretty keen eye for collaborators who can give an interesting slant to their work. I already liked the projects with Whitehorse and Thou so when I heard that Bobby Krilc (The Haxan Cloak) was mixing their album, I was more than thrilled. And wouldn't you know it, the outcome is just as brooding, heavy and nightmarish as I expected. There are parts that sink to Gnaw Their Tongues-levels of audible horror, the vocals shrieking through a veil of distortion while industrial hammers smash your eardrums. Brilliant stuff.
9.Total Control - Typical System
There is a strange emptiness to Total Control that I can't quite place. Typical System has a lot of familiar elements: playful new wave synths, catchy post-punk guitar hooks, lethargic vocals, but it's all done without a shred of humour. On my initial listen, I thought this album sounded lighter than 2011's Henge Beat but with every spin I gave it, the more I realised how hollow it sounds. It gives an eerie tone to what is essentially a catchy post-punk album, and it's that cold touch that sets it apart.
10. The War On Drugs - Lost In A Dream
I had avoided this band for a while because I thought their name was stupid (solid logic, I know) but when I accidentally heard this album I was hooked. Incredible slacker rock with cheeky synths thrown in the mix. I feel like I should own a convertible to drive aimlessly through the night.
Axel Björnsson, the curator of this list, also plays guitar and sings for The Pink Street Boys. A band that is easily the most talked about newcomer of last year. For a good reason. They rule. Their 2014 long player Trash From the Boys has already found itself on a lot of this years' yearend lists, ours included. Because it fucking rules. Find them on shitbook.
2. White Fence - For the Recently Found Innocence
3. Mr. Ozio - Wrong Cops [ost]
4. Al Lover - Goat Remixes
5. Singapore Sling - The Tower of Foronocity
6. Sick Thoughts - Fat Kid with a 10 inch
7. Thee Oh Sees - Drop
8. Russian Girls - Old Stories 2
9. Godchilla - Cosmatos (review)
10. Ty Segall - Manipulator
Below you'll find my brother's list. Yes, we have the same mom. His name is Andri Freyr, a true music connoisseur. He produces stuff for the national t.v. and radio. His main gig is being a morning radio show host. We used to play together in Bisund (good stuff). A fine man, good brother, and a friend. And yes, Atlas is great.
2. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
3. Real Estate - Atlas
4. Spoon - They want my soul
5. The War on Drugs - Lost in the dream
6. Beck - Morning Phase
7. Ty Segall - Manipulator
8. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
9. Mark Lanegan - Phantom Radio
10. Neil Young - A letter Home
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