I wasn't anticipating anything new this year. 2014 was full of nice surprises.

1. Shovels & Rope - "Swimmin' Time"

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/cr_masters1/8416cabe-2c2f-45f3-9bbb-fcce9540d1e5_zpsbb35d4be.jpg

There’s something so damn charming about this married couple from South Carolina. Was a skeptic they’d recreate the magic on the last album, but they exceeded it on Swimmin’. And oh, those harmonies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSiq2LGXGx8

2. The Rural Alberta Advantage - "Mended With Gold"

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/cr_masters1/49fc4ab2-db37-4006-9b76-284935ad8a78_zps162a58c8.jpg

The RAA came out of the blue for me this year… great writing, haunting vocals and killer drumming. Best show of the year: saw them play with fellow Canadians July Talk…

1. Low - “The Invisible Way”
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/cr_masters1/c3a7f466-ad7f-4187-afa9-5f122b57231f_zps76a10489.jpg

There’s so much beautiful detail here. A record as chillingly stark and serene as winter in the band’s home in northern Minnesota. Listen with headphones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_X9zXJdZqI
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2. William Tyler - “Impossible Truth”
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/cr_masters1/87d53d42-1eac-4709-bcbc-fdf01f57cefd_zps3ff7063c.jpg

Charting Marc Reisner’s disappearing West through guitar. A sobering realistic apocalypse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH4G6YWYJjU
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3. Jason Isbell - “Southeastern”
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/cr_masters1/bc670232-c189-4411-841a-bef288ed7463_zps6a2b7e27.jpg

Isbell quits drinking. Writes the best folk record of 2013.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClugMhMbrRg
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4. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - “Push the Sky Away”
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/cr_masters1/2dc6da24-95f1-4ab1-b067-87c1f643137e_zpsba8dd677.jpg

A confusing and welcomed change of pace…

Another great year for new music. Interesting note… this year two of my favorite records were Kickstarter projects. So that's neat. I also bought all of these records on vinyl.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/cr_masters1/2012/photo3_zpse84c1f4a.jpg

1. Simon Joyner - “Ghosts”

This fall I spent a couple days with my brother and parents sorting through my grandfather’s house in the small southern Missouri town of Rolla. My grandfather and his wife moved to a nursing home in Dayton, Ohio. My dad was left to sell the house. Sifting through old pictures, letters and belongings that would either find themselves in the trash or…

I’m more predictable than I like to think.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VbXnYPSaL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
1. Thurston Moore – “Demolished Thoughts”

“There’s lots of secrets and lies in these songs that I probably won’t ever be able to talk about.” – Moore talking about "Demolished Thoughts"

I’m a new Sonic Youth fan. Intimidated by its expansive catalog I’ve attempted to get into them a few times since college. But the last two years I’ve immersed myself with their music. I was struck by the anxiety and pain in the lyrics of Demolished Thoughts, reminiscent of Beck’s “Sea Change”… who produced "Demolished…

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41-3VWxRJBL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
1. Marc Ribot – “Silent Movies”

I started following Ribot’s guitar work after I realized how much of Tom Waits’ sound was defined by his playing. Since then I’ve been really taken in by his solo compositions. It hadn’t been since 2001’s “Saints” had he released such a beautiful solo record. The songs are meant to function as music for films: some adaptations of he wrote for films and others inspired by actual silent movies. This is my pick for record of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNtYd5F4yRA
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http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TwslYuibL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
2. Grinderman – “Grinderman 2”

The…

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51UvkmJCPQL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
1. David Bazan - "Curse Your Branches"
After waiting 2 years for this album to come out, it was well worth the wait. Bazan's first full LP took a detour from his Pedro the Lion recording which focused on fictional characters to center on Bazan's falling out of religion. These are some of the most personal lyrics I've heard and it's evident that by taking his time Bazan really did the album justice. I just have to wonder he's going to go from here.

Hard To Be… The album's first track and my favorite off the disc……

So I've been thinking a lot about my music listening habits in the 2000s and what albums really remind me of each year. Nothing profound here, folks… this is what I came up with…

2000
Radiohead-Kid A
This is already topping the best of the 2000s lists already. And what has been said about it for everyone else is what I have to say about it too. I knew Radiohead for The Bends and OK Computer, so this album came as a complete shock. I remember first listening to it and being completely confused. At first I…

1- nick cave & the bad seeds - "dig lazarus dig!!!"
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pZeHlLGyL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
2- mason jennings - "in the ever"
http://www.musicdirect.com/shared/images/products/medium/ldj250.jpg
3- my morning jacket - "evil urges"
http://www.hearya.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/mmj-evil-urges.jpg
4. beck - "modern guilt"
http://www.anthemmagazine.com/files/stories/BECK_MODERN_GUILTY_COVER_A.gif
5- marc ribot's ceramic dog - "party intellectuals"
http://www.turtlekat.hu/pages/mrcd-partyintellectuals.jpg
6- ryan adams & the cardinals - "cardinology"
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Nr7dtcw9L._SL500_AA240_.jpg
7-damien jurado - "caught in trees"
http://www.muzzleofbees.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/caught-in-the-trees.jpg
8-portishead - "third"
http://mescritiques.be/IMG/arton642.jpg
9-jolie holland - "the living and the dead"
http://www.antilabelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/jolie_holland-the_living-cover.jpg
10-neva dinova "you may already…