15. Fujiya & Miyagi

15. Fujiya & Miyagi - Artificial Sweeteners

These guys hail from Brighton England and this is their fifth studio album. The band consists of Steve Lewis, David Best, Matt Hainsby, and Lee Adams. Their name is derived from a type of record player and, of course, Mr. Miyagi from the movie, The Karate Kid. An electronic based band with an excellent groove. They cite their influence as Krautrock and the band, Can. These guys are always one of my go to electronic vibe bands.




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16. London Grammar

16. London Grammar - If You Wait

London Grammar is based out of Nottingham, but Hannah Reid (vocalist) and Dan Rothman (guitarist) met while attending school in London. In fact, they started playing when Rothman saw Reid's avatar holding a guitar on Facebook and messaged her to play with him. It sounds creepy, I know, but an album and EP later and they are making big waves. They've been a three piece since 2009 (Dominic Major (keyboard, drums) filling out the roster) and started the usual way by playing small clubs and such. However, with a voice like Hannah's, they have catapulted to chart topping singles in just a few years. The breadth and depth of these songs reminds me of a cross between Daughter and Florence and the Machine.





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17. Warpaint

17. Warpaint - Warpaint

Another great example of an eponymous album title. This is Warpaint's second album and it came out of collaborative songwriting from this Los Angeles based all girl quartet. Warpaint is Emily Kokal (vocals, guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitar, vocals) and Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass, backing vocals). Stella Mozgawa (drums) joined the band in 2009. Emily and Theresa were childhood friends who had some songs already worked up and Jenny and her sister, Shannyn (who is no longer with the band) had some songs they had already worked up which became their first album The Fool. On this album, they started from the ground up writing as a cohesive unit, which is why they feel this is a true representation of their identity. It's a new direction for them, but this prog based, shoegaze album is perfect in every way.





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18. The Rural Alberta Advantage

18. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Mended With Gold

This is the third time this band has hit the Top 20. That's everything they've produced, previous entries were both here, and here. I don't know what else I can say about these Canadian natives. These guys have forever imprinted themselves on my ears and I just think what they do gets more and more amazing.

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19. Wild Beasts

19. Wild Beasts - Present Tense

Wild Beasts made the Top 50 back in 2011 here. I love these guys. Dark, indie pop laced with a dance vibe. They hail from England and while they make it to the big festivals here, I wish they'd hit our little town. Until then, pick up this album, pick up all their albums, they are a fun listen and I love having them on the juke here at the house.





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20. alt-J

20. alt-J - This Is All Yours

This band got so many accolades for this album this year, and they were well deserved. alt-J are out of Leeds, England and consist of Gwil Sainsbury :guitar/bass, Joe Newman:guitar/lead vocals, Gus Unger-Hamilton:keyboards/vocals and Thom Green:drums. This is their Sophomore album and their debut made a big splash as well, but this album is really fantastic. Because they were in school when the band started and couldn't use bass drums or bass guitar to keep the noise down, they have a very unique sound.





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21. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

21. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Wig Out At JagBags

This band formed out of the ashes of notorious band, Pavement. Stephen Malkmus was, of course, the lead singer of Pavement. The Jicks are Joanna Bolme, Mike Clark, Jake Morris. This is their sixth album and while you can certainly hear old Pavement in there, the 60's psychedelia is what attracted me to this album. There are several Grateful Dead references in the album and I think a couple songs certainly bear this influence. This is a really fun album to listen to and may be my favorite of theirs. They are based out of Portland, Oregon.






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22. Kishi Bashi

22. Kishi Bashi - Lighght

Kishi Bashi is Kaoru Ishibashi, born in Seattle, Washington and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. He is a touring member of Of Montreal and Regina Spektor. In addition, he formed the band, Jupiter One, which explains why I like that band so much. We, here in OKC, had the good fortune to see him at the Bricktown Music Hall earlier this year and he put on a stellar show. He plays a lot of layered tunes, much like Andrew Bird and tUnE-YaRdS. He is an incredibly accomplished violinist and songwriter. From delicate, sweet melodies to rousing anthems, this album has it all.





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23. Angel Olsen

23. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness

This is Angel's second full length album and the first with a full band. She is from St. Louis, Missouri and has done backup for several bands in the past, including Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. This album is pure genius. The styles range from grunge, punk, blues, shoegaze and rock and are all complemented by her forlorn, smoky vocals. My goal in the next month is to get this on vinyl with the deluxe edition she just released, which has five more tracks on it.

High & Wild from A.O. on Vimeo.

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24. Jenny Lewis

24. Jenny Lewis - Voyager

Jenny Lewis is an amazing songwriter. Her solo career began while she was in the band, Rilo Kiley, with Rabbit Fur Coat, an album in which she collaborated with The Watson Twins. It is a pretty folk album, with a little electronic influence involved. Then, Rilo Kiley put out Under The Blacklight a year later. It was to be their last album. In addition, it got beat up by the critics. It's interesting going back and listening to that album after listening to her new album, Voyager. I now know her and Pierre's solo work really well and Under the Blacklight sounds disjointed, like two different people writing for the same album, which, now, looking back, I think is the case. The Voyager has a lot of hallmarks of that previous album. It sounds like where Rilo Kiley was going sonically and several of the songs on this album certainly lend themselves to this argument. Ryan Adams helped produce this album and Beck helped a little as well. She just got off tour opening for Ryan Adams and that was pretty great. She sings backing vocals in The Postal Service, Bright Eyes and M. Ward's stuff. I had the good fortune of seeing her play with both M. Ward and Conor Oberst a few years back.





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25. Bahamas

25. Bahamas - Bahamas Is Afie

A musician friend of mine introduced me to Bahamas and it's one of the best things I've heard all year. Afie Jurvansen is a Canadian born and bred singer/songwriter. This is his third album and I'm incredibly disappointed I am just now finding out about him. I'm currently trying to get him to come play on the radio show next month. He has a concert at The Kessler in Dallas and my girlfriend was completely awesome and got me tickets to see this. I really think this should be in my top ten, but I'll leave it here for now at the bottom of the 25 and strongly encourage checking this out.





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26. Beck

26. Beck - Morning Phase

You had to know this was going to make the list, right? Beck is an incredible musician and this album is beautiful. This is his twelfth album and is considered to be Sea Change Part Two. It's dark and melancholy, just like Sea Change and many of the musicians who recorded on Sea Change also recorded on this album as well. It's certainly the best album he's done since Guero, but Guero was in such a different vein than either Sea Change or Mutations, I have a difficult time placing them in the same category. Needless to say, if you somehow missed listening to this, this year, stop what you're doing right now, sit back and enjoy.





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27. Augustines

27. Augustines - Augustines

I discussed in an earlier post the import of an eponymous album, and I think this is no exception. Previously named 'We Are Augustines', I prefer the shortened moniker. While their previous album was excellent, I feel this album really makes a mark for them as a solid band. All the stars have aligned for them with this album and it is an amazing listen from beginning to end. They're a really great band to see live and I highly encourage seeking out a live show of their. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, the band consists of Billy McCarthy: guitar, Eric Sanderson: man of all instruments and Rob Allen on drums. Augustines have risen from the ashes of the band Pela. The name comes from McCarthy and Sanderson both being Leo's.





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28. Stars

28. Stars - No One Is Lost

It is no surprise to see this Canadian band on my list. They have been a favorite of mine for at least ten years. Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan craft their usual dancy, melancholy pop songs. They are no strangers to the Top 50 appearing both here and here. This particular album has an amazing disco vibe running throughout, which apparently is a thing now.





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29. Little Dragon

29. Little Dragon - Nabuma Rubberband

Yakami Nagano is the brains behind Little Dragon. They have seen the Top 50 before back in 2010 here. This album was created in their home of Gothenberg, Sweden and finds them collaborating some with the Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra. A beautiful tapestry of electronic work, this, their fourth album, finds the influence of 90's era Janet Jackson with some slow R&B beats. The band consists of Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion), Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Källgren Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards).





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30. Phantogram

30. Phantogram - Voices

I dare not say this is Phantogram's best album, because they are both so good, but once this was plugged in, it was difficult to stop listening. Phantogram are Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter and were previously known as Charlie Everywhere. They currently reside in Greenwich, New York. This album really has a lot of punch to it and I think they do a great job of putting forth their sound.





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31. tUnE-yArDs

31. tUnE-yArDs - Nikki Nack

Merrill Garbus is the inspiration behind the highly stylized tUnE-yArDs, who have been featured in the Top 10 of 2011 here. She makes her music by layering her sounds and rhythms one on top of the other with amazing precision. Saw her open for Arcade Fire earlier this year and really want to see these guys in a small venue. Truly remarkable music.





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32. Doug Seegers

32. Doug Seegers - Going Down To The River

This has to be one of the coolest music stories ever. Doug Seegers made his way playing music in New York and Austin, got married and started to raise two children, but fell on hard times and ended up homeless in Nashville. He worked some blue collar jobs, but couldn't keep a house, struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction. He sobered up, an act which he attributes to God, and was busking at the shelter in Nashville, when a Swedish record label trying to find an undiscovered musician on the streets of Nashville came across him. He became a huge hit in Sweden and Norway and just released an album here to much acclaim. I typically don't like country, but two alt-country artists made the list this year. I heard him in an interview on NPR and was blown away by the honesty of his songs. His background, of course, touches my heart as I am an advocate for ending homelessness. The first track on the album is about his girlfriend while he was homeless who died on the streets. He burst into tears talking about her on the radio. The second song on the album is what brought him his fame, which is featured below. Emmylou Harris joins him on 'She'.





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33. Childhood

33. Childhood - Lacuna

Saw a friend recommend this one day as I was driving down the road, switched over to Spotify and a love affair with this album began. Based out of South London, Childhood consists of Ben Romans-Hopcraft, Leo Dobsen, Daniel Salamons, Jonny Williams. A fuzzed-out, shoegaze album with plenty of synths and kicks. Since I have a penchant for shoegaze, this has been my breakout album of the year and I hope I get to see these guys next Spring. Click on the website link below and get a free download.





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34. Tinariwen

34. Tinariwen - Emmaar

Tinariwen's name means 'deserts' and they are from Mali, West Africa. They have been a group since 1979 and their last few albums have been spectacular. The founder of the group, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, witnessed his father executed at the age of four. He built his own guitar and started learning music. Much like Fela Kuti, Bob Marley and Mulatu Astatke, Tinariwen is the music of revolution and freedom. The group were all trained as soldiers under Qaddafi and again under the Tuareg Resistance movement, where they all met. They wrote songs about the trials of the Tuareg people and distributed their music freely throughout the Sahara.





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35. Elbow

35. Elbow - The Take-off and Landing of Everything

Elbow is one of my favorite bands ever, so it is no surprise that they made this list. They made the Top 10 in 2011 here. This particular album escaped me at the beginning of the year, but multiple listens have placed it as one of the stellar albums of 2014. I find Take-off to be a much more cerebral album than album's past and that automatically makes me like it more.





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36. Fanfarlo

36. Fanfarlo - Let's Go Extinct

So, this is London based Fanfarlo's third album and the third time they have made the Top 50. Their debut made the Top 10 in 2009 here and their sophomore album made it here. This album is much more developed than the previous two, I believe. Current lineup includes Cathy Lucas on violin, keys, mandolin, glockenspiel, vocals, and musical saw; Justin Finch on bass and vocals; Leon Beckenham on trumpet, keyboards, glockenspiel, melodica, and vocals; Simon Balthazar on vocals, guitar, keyboards, mandolin, saxophone, and clarinet; and Valentina Magaletti on drums and percussion. This album follows an EP that they described as part space opera and part space opera about science fiction. An animated, psychedelic video to boot.

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37. The Belle Brigade

37. The Belle Brigade - Just Because

I wrote about these guys briefly here for their 2011 debut. I am absolutely in love with this brother/sister duo. I've had the chance to see them live and meet them in 2012 and will do so as much as humanly possible in the future. Lyrically, musically, Barbara and Ethan produce something akin to magic. This album moves them out of the folk category and more into the indie rock genre and it's a good move indeed. Please do yourself a favor and buy this album and see these two live. You can thank me later.






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38. Alvvays

38. Alvvays - Alvvays

This is Alvvays (pronounced Always) debut and is the result of two childhood friends, Molly Rankin and Kerri MacLellan, from Toronto making some music. If you've followed this blog in the past, you know that this album making the list is really no surprise. Fuzzed out beach rock is one of my favorite genres and this album is no exception in its beauty and grace. At least they didn't put 'beach' in their band title. Chad VanGaalen produced this album and you'll be hearing from him later in this blog. The band also includes members of 'Two Hours Traffic' as well. A nice first start for a well-deserved band.





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39. Kevin Drew

39. Kevin Drew - Darlings

This is Kevin Drew's second solo album. His first one, Spirit If... was listened to excessively by me. Not using his band, Broken Social Scene to front him and standing on his own this time, he has put out a solid piece of work. I like listening to Kevin and Brendan Canning's solo works, because you really get to see how they influence Broken Social Scene. Kevin also formed another band called KC Accidental, a little more experimental band. I like this album in the background quite a lot, and I have always loved his lyrical interplay with the electronic elements in his music. Best video of the year so far with Leslie Feist and Zach Galifianakis making much welcome guest appearances.

Kevin Drew - You In Your Were from Arts & Crafts on Vimeo.

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40. The New Pornographers

40. The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers

Brainchild of Neko Case and A.C. Newman, this band continues to produce amazing music. I've written about them before here. I'm hoping to get to see The New Pornographers again, because the sound was bad last time they played. While this record does not deviate from their formulaic power pop, it certainly does not disappoint and will go into my archives as another heavily listened to album of theirs. As I mentioned in the last post, check out the solo works of these artists, they are quite amazing as well.





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41. Crosses

41. Crosses (†††) - Crosses (†††)

††† is the side project of Deftones lead, Chino Moreno, Far guitarist, Shaun Lopez and a guy with the best name ever...Chuck Doom. They are based out of Los Angeles and both Chino and Shaun are old childhood chums, now neighbors. In addition to The Deftones and this, Chris also produced another side project this year with members of Isis called Palms. This is heavy electronica at its best. Great hooks, dark lyrics and swirling synthesizers create one of my favorite electronic albums of the year.





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42. The Drums

42. The Drums - Encyclopedia

After founding member Connor Hanwick left the group in late 2012, I didn't think The Drums would survive and probably almost didn't. Remaining members Johnathon Pierce and Jacob Graham were just going to work on solo projects, but then at the last minute, went in the studio and produced this beauty. Rather than being their linear style of songwriting, I think they have branched out in the proper direction and created their best album to date. This just barely made it in the Top 50 because of its late release date, but it came on strong and didn't quit. Portamento made the Top 50 back in 2011 here.





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43. Bombay Bicycle Club

43. Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow

This is an English band and they consist of Jack Steadman (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Jamie MacColl (guitar), Suren de Saram (drums) and Ed Nash (bass). I have loved everything they have put out to date and in my humble opinion, this is their best album yet. This is also their first appearance in the Top 50, but a lot of factors, mostly timing, contribute to an album making this list, so that is no surprise. Sometimes I write very cold facts about the bands in the top 50, but truth be known, I wouldn't be posting any of these bands if I didn't think you needed to check them out right now. If you have not listened to these guys yet, do it now. I was fortunate enough to see them in Austin a few years back and look forward to seeing them again. This is their fourth studio album.







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44. Lost In The Trees

44. Lost In The Trees - Past Life

A five piece out of Chapel Hill, North Carolna, Lost In The Trees delivers haunting, avant garde pop. Ari Picker is the band leader and pulled in musicians from the orchestral scene in Chapel Hill. He writes lyrics trying to deal with his mother's suicide and the video below certainly highlights this. This album has depth and complexity and is worthy of numerous plays on a cloudy evening. They performed a small leg of their tour this year with The Head and the Heart.





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45. The Casket Girls

45. The Casket Girls - True Love Kills The Fairy Tale

This has to be one of my favorite rock and roll stories of all time. Ryan Graveface (Graveface Records, Black Moth Super Rainbow) discovered Phaedra and Elsa Greene under a tree one day playing autoharp and singing bizarre songs. They put out an album together in 2012 (which I missed) and he dropped a off a slew of songs at their apartment for this new one. When he came back to check on them, he found Elsa crying and reciting poetry and Phaedra catatonic writing it all down. He didn't know if they dropped acid or what. The next day they handed him a CD and said they didn't know what was on it. He listened to it and started crying, got them in the studio to learn it note for note. They didn't remember a single thing. So, this entire album is produced in some sort of ethereal realm. I tried to see them twice at SXSW this last March to no avail and they played Opolis in August. A quite remarkable album genesis and an incredible listen.





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46. Slow Club

46. Slow Club - Complete Surrender

Slow Club are the musical duo, Charles Watson & Rebecca Taylor out of Sheffield, England. This is their first appearance in the top 50, but had I been doing this in 2009, they most assuredly would have been here before. While their past efforts have been more English folk oriented, this album lends itself to a much more soulful sound. Without losing what makes this such a dynamic pair of musicians, they have struck new ground with Complete Surrender, much more involved song-writing with the same knack for beautiful lyrics. I love the interplay of their vocals and while I loved the sound of Yeah So, I am ecstatic over the new direction. What a fun video to boot.





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47. Gardens & Villa

47. Gardens & Villa - Dunes

Gardens & Villa reside in Santa Barbara, California. Originally a 3 piece, the band now consists of Chris Lynch, Adam Rasmussen, Shane McKillop, Levi Hayden and Dustin Ineman. Their sophomore album finds them looking at the world through a disco lens for this go around. Heavy, synth-driven pop, but not just the usual fare. I really liked their last album and this album has stayed in heavy rotation throughout the year. They put on a great live show and often tour around here, so keep your eyes open.





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48. Ryan Adams

48. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams

It is said that an artist sometimes chooses an eponymous album title because that is the album they believe best represents themselves. This certainly seems the case in Ryan Adam's latest release, for he has been a prolific songwriter covering several genres in the past decade plus. I find this album to square Ryan Adams at the top of his game and had it come out earlier in the year, I believe it would have been higher in my charts. I really look forward to seeing him live next weekend in Tulsa.






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49. John Fullbright

49. John Fullbright - Songs

Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to feature an Oklahoma artist on this list. In fact, he is one of two. I have been listening to John Fullbright for quite awhile now and thought he was gold then. I am so grateful that Greg Johnson of the Blue Door thought so as well. His rapid rise includes being nominated for a Grammy for his first album and playing on David Letterman earlier this year. Songs is an amazing album and highlights both his guitar and piano work. His songwriting skills are second to none and the minute I listen to his music, I listen to it all day in my head. If you haven't had the luxury of listening to John Fullbright till now, please, please do yourself a favor and go purchase his album right now.





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50. Hollow & Akimbo

50. Hollow & Akimbo - Hollow & Akimbo

Really, this is one of my favorite finds this year. Ann Arbor, Michigan based duo, Jonathon Visger and Brian Konicek, have debuted an infectious, elaborately entwined electronic pop album. From the opening song, "Trunk of a Dead Tree", it starts you on a whirlwind of layered, textured cavalcade of music. After giving this another listen, I'm picking up their EP's right now off their Bandcamp page. This is a great way to kick off the top 50.





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The Top 50 of 2014

Holy smokes, it's that time already. I didn't think I listened to enough music to justify a top 50, but in true form, while it's less than previous years, there was more than 50 noteworthy albums I listened to this year. Lots of return guests made the list this year as well as a lot of first timers. As always, there were quite a few bands on here that I have only discovered this year. This list is only a listing of my top 50 listened to albums, not necessarily who I think had the most artistic album, which I think is indicative of how my listening has changed. As in years past, I will be listing these one by one as opposed to a long list. Two reasons for this. One, I enjoy focusing on each band and getting back into their album again for a couple hours each day. Two, if there is an issue with a post, I don't have to figure out who the offender is out of a long list, I only have to correct one offending post. There was an amazing amount of great music that came out this year, so sit back and enjoy.

Honeylark

My goal with this blog is to post sporadically, but life keeps getting in my way. I had a minute to come up for air and thought I'd talk about this great band here in Oklahoma City. They are called Honeylark and they have a new(ish) record called Heavy and it is definitely that. They released their first LP back in December. If you like Eastern European folk, then this is the album for you. Think Beirut and Brown Bird, they even invoke some Squirrel Nut Zippers on a couple tracks. The blend of Eastern European folk with Appalachian folk with rock make for an irresistible listen. It is currently my number one LP in rotation and I find myself singing their songs as I'm driving down the road. I had the good fortune to have them come on the show for our birthday party and they just killed it, in addition to getting to watch the band play along with a mandolin and guitar to Noah & the Whale's Yacht Remix of Blue Skies. They will be playing the Bluebonnet stage at Norman Music Festival this Saturday night at 8:00PM before the main event. This is the sunset show and is always magical, plus it gives you plenty of time to make the main event. If you haven't had a chance to check this band out yet, get their new LP and catch their live show at either NMF or Schwartzstock. You will not be disappointed. You can pick up their album at their website linked below.

Honeylark + Fiawna Forte - "Afternoon" (Official Music Video) from Nathan Poppe on Vimeo.

Learn how to get a song on itunes at ReverbNation.com

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Top 10 Bands That Should Have Made The Top 50 But Didn't

This is without a doubt my favorite section of this blog that I do. Mostly, because these are the albums I need to be listening to right now before 2014 begins in full swing. Fifty albums is a lot to evaluate and I listen to a lot more. These albums below made an impact on me this year, but, for whatever reason, didn't make it into the top 50. They are in no particular order and I hope you find something you like.

1. Joy Kills Sorrow - Wide Awake

This Boston based Bluegrass band actually just put out an EP this year, but it's seven songs long, so I'm throwing it in here. They are a delightful band and if you haven't heard them before, you should check out their other offerings. I've played them on the show a few times this year. The fact that they do a bluegrass cover of a Postal Service song is just a bonus.





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2. Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe

These guys are out of Glasgow, Scotland and produce electronic pop. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, and Martin Doherty. This has probably been my favorite electronic band of the year and falls into the, "why wasn't I listening to this earlier this year?" category.





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3. Hanni El Khatib - Head In The Dirt

Hanni is a skateboarder by trade, but his music, obviously drew me to him. Sort of a blues, garage rock sound with punk and psychedelia thrown in. I just love this album. He grew up in San Francisco, but now resides in LA. Dan Auerbach produced this album and you can hear the influence.





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4. The Paper Kites - States

This is this Melbourne, Australia band's first full length and if this is any indication of what is to come from them, I am excited. An indie folk band, they formed in 2009 and have released two EP's prior to this year. I look forward to seeing them live.





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5. Guards - In Guards We Trust

Guards is a New York based three piece that make catchy rock and roll. The band consists of Richie Follin, Loren Humphrey and Kaylie Church and this is their debut album.





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6. Ex Cops - True Hallucinations

Brian Harding and Amalie Bruun comprise this Brooklyn based outfit. This is their debut as well and I would classify them as dream pop, but there is a lot more going on in this record. It's a great debut and shows that the band has a lot of promise in the future.





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7. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II

This band has reached worldwide acclaim in a very short time. Part of them reside in Portland, Oregon and the other part in Auckland, New Zealand. The lineup is singer, guitarist and songwriter Ruban Nielson, bassist Jake Portrait and drummer Riley Geare. Uniquely haunting and utterly just brilliant, these guys produce music that borrows from 60's psychedelia.





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8. Gold Fields - Black Sun

Australia is putting out some great electronic pop bands and this one is no exception. This is the third attempt at producing a full length album for this quintet and I'm glad it was a charm as opposed to a strike. Lots of new wave influence on this album, just try to sit still. These guys are like The Naked and Famous, Fiery Furnaces and Empire of the Sun.





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9. The White Buffalo - Shadows, Greys, and Evil Ways

The White Buffalo is Jake Smith. Oregon born and southern California raised, his influences are punk,(seriously, why is this a thing?), Tom Waits and Waylon Jennings. His lyrics hit home just like Frank Turner and the string instruments with his smoky voice are just heaven. And he has an animated video, so it's all win.





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10. Rose Windows - The Sun Dogs

Part psych, part folk, part pop, these Seattle rockers have quite an extensive lineup. The band consists of: Chris Cheveyo – lead guitar/composer, Rabia Shaheen Qazi – lead vocalist, Richie Rekow – bass/ 1st male vocalist, Nils Petersen – rhythm guitar/2nd male vocalist, Pat Schowe – drums, David Davila – piano/organ, Veronica Dye – flute. They were in Norman this year and did a Vdub session.





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2013 Top 50 Recap

Here is a summary of the Top 50 of 2013, click on any link below to go to that specific blog post. Enjoy.

1. Night Beds - Country Sleep

2. Foals - Holy Fire

3. Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle

4. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

5. Little Green Cars - Absolute Zero

6. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

7. Yo La Tengo - Fade

8. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

9. Shout Out Louds - Optica

10. Lucius - Wildewoman

11. The Lone Bellow - The Lone Bellow

12. Telekinesis - Dormarion

13. Samantha Crain - Kid Face

14. The Octopus Project - Fever Forms

15. Valerie June - Pushin' Against A Stone

16. The Head And The Heart - Let's Be Still

17. Gregory Alan Isakov - The Weatherman

18. Thao And The Get Down Stay Down - We The Common

19. Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth

20. Indians - Somewhere Else

21. Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love

22. Houndmouth - From The Hills Below The City

23. Atoms For Peace - Amok

24. The Boxer Rebellion - Promises

25. Bare Mutants - The Affliction

26. Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart

27. Eels - Wonderful, Glorious

28. Phosphorescent - Muchaco

29. ON AN ON - Give In

30. Classixx - Hanging Gardens

31. Young Galaxy - Ultramarine

32. The Horse's Ha - Waterdrawn

33. Majikal Cloudz - Impersonator

34. Okkervil River - The Silver Gymnasium

35. Villagers - (Awayland)

36. Golden Suits - Golden Suits

37. Wild Belle - Isles

38. Ivan & Alyosha - All The Times We Had

39. Jim James - Regions Of Light And Sound Of God

40. Palma Violets - 180

41. Brown Bird - Fits Of Reason

42. Daughter - If You Leave

43. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away

44. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City

45. High Highs - Open Season

46. Camera Obscura - Desire Lines

47. Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace And Magic

48. Fossil Collective - Tell Where I Lie

49. Caveman - Caveman

50. Washed Out - Paracosm

1. Night Beds

1. Night Beds - Country Sleep

I have been raving about this album all year long. The brain child of Winston Yellen, originally from Colorado Springs. He wrote this album predominately in bed late at night while renting out Johnny & June Cash's former home in Nashville (hence the name of the album and band). This album is gut-wrenching in its beauty. He performed this live with his band at Opolis earlier this year and it was just as incredible as I imagined. He started the show the same way the album starts out and it just got better from there. I haven't had an album move me this way in a long time. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have listened to this album. Please buy this album, you will not be disappointed and I want this young man to continue writing music.







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