Top 10 Albums of 2014 – #9: Xen by Arca

15 Dec

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Not all music is easy to listen to. Sometimes the most inaccessible music is made with the most talent and emotion behind it. I have been hanging onto Xen by Arca for some time, mulling it over and even considering it for a best track of 2014 spot with “Theivery.” Ultimately, I decided that to honor one track from this 15 song epic would be unfair; the entire album deserves recognition, and has thusly been named one of our top ten albums at the Music Court.

WARNING: This video is mildly NSFW.

This album is brief, but for once I’m not complaining. Before you are even fully aware of the electro-noise, the song is over, and you are whisked off to the next sound, playing catch-up after each track. “Failed” is the intermission, a sad, slow melody that gives us a moment to reflect. We are lead back into the cacophony with the very next track, “Family Violence,” which is eerily similar to the score of Psycho. Though the sharp electronic beats are not consistent, I consider them the lyrics of the tracks, giving each one personality amid all the other musical elements. The perk of hearing a short album is the desire it leaves with you to replay it, which is something I highly recommend for any first timers. You won’t be able to comprehend the stories told on this album unless you give it a few more spins.

Xen is out now. Find more information on Arca on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud. For further reading on Xen, I highly recommend this review.

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Top 10 Albums of 2014 – #10: After the Disco by Broken Bells

15 Dec

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There was a time, I figure, in the wee morning hours of a Saturday in the 1970s when the last remaining bell-bottomed disco dancers stumbled onto the street, tired and bedraggled with sweat and the last remnants of a Donna Summers song, when the disco was physically empty but still bulging with the swollen heat of the night. In that small gap before the clean-up crew cleansed the disco in advance of another night of musical debauchery is where I picture Broken Bells’ second LP release, After the Disco, set and recorded. I have this image of band members James Mercer and Brian Burton climbing onto the weary stage and playing a few tracks to a crowd of memories; the music, a delightful mix of spacey modern disco tracks mixed with an alternative rock groove 20-30 years before its time. This thought exhilarates me, so much so that After the Disco is #10 on the list of top albums of 2014.

After the success of its eponymous debut in 2010 and follow-up EP in 2011, Broken Bells, a super-group made up of Shins’ frontman Mercer and revered producer Burton, was urged to release a follow-up, and After the Disco is that, a wildly entertaining, drawn-out, alt/space/rock agglutination of musical influences and decades. The album was recorded with a 4-piece choir and the 17-piece Angel City String Orchestra, which was conducted by Daniele Luppi, Danger Mouse’s partner on the 2011 album Rome. The album met with much praise, reaching the top spot on the Billboard Top Rock Album and Alternative Album chart and #3 on the Top 200 Albums list. It is an 11-track ode to music in the late 70s and early 80s, a depiction of a difficult musical transition that featured fizzling disco and incipient punk.

“Holding on for Life” is the top track on the album. It features the airy voice of Mercer in front of a tamed disco-like beat that shines like a slowed disco ball, almost like a disco track slowed down to a steady but unhurried pace. It is a song that just needs to be listened to, so I will let it do the talking.

You can check out the rest of the album on Broken Bells’ website. Make sure to follow the band on Facebook and Twitter

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Top 10 Songs of 2014 – #1: “Got It” by Banoffee

12 Dec

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I’ll be honest, choosing the best song this year was not hard for me. This was the first track I had ever heard from Banoffee, and it made a great first impression. “Got It” is our number one song of 2014.

It starts out with a realization: “I don’t think I know you at all.” Gently, the beat weaves between Banoffee’s airy, but fierce vocals, and carries into the refrain. “When I look at you I see this picture of how we could be, cuz I know what you got. I got it.” It is repetitive, but avoids being overbearing and annoying- this is one earworm I am happy to hum all day.

There are two elements of this track that stood out when I listened to it on repeat for hours. First, I noticed the brilliance of the artificially deep backing vocals. I haven’t heard a version without the altered backup vocals, but I imagine that it would sound sweet, yet untethered. Then there’s the soft electric sighs that sound like air. I know it’s probably just some kind of muted percussion, but if anyone were to actually use air as an instrument and make it flow as well as it does, it would be Banoffee. Homegirl’s a genius.

Please spend five measly dollars on Banoffee’s debut EP, all the cool kids are doing it. I’m told there’s an album in the works slated for release late next year. For more information, check her out on Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

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Top 10 Songs of 2014 – #2: “Mess is Mine” by Vance Joy

10 Dec

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Vance Joy (James Keogh) is not afraid of messes. A veteran of the Victorian Football League (before he left behind is football career to pursue music), Vance Joy, I’m sure, experienced many messy situations on the field. Heck, the mess might have been his, but the #2 song of 2014 is tinged with a bit of irony, because there is nothing messy about “Mess is Mine,” and there lies the draw of Vance Joy’s delightful tunes.

Since the release of “Riptide” in 2013, Vance Joy has taken the singer-songwriter genre by the storm; he has even received a good amount of mainstream radio play from the song, which peaked in the Top 10 on music charts in five countries. That was 2013, though, and this is a 2014 list. Vance Joy did release his first studio LP Dream Your Life Away in July, however, and with the album came the single “Mess is Mine.”

What makes this song good? The opening riff is inviting like a warm home or cup of hot cacao. Vance Joy’s conversational vocal turns him into a polish troubadour, and he sings with an effortless quality that is refreshing. The percussion varies from what sounds like a muted snare hit to organized hand claps, much in the vein of a less produced Phillip Phillips song. An old man river lead-in culminates into an ardent chorus followed by an agglutination of instruments and a Ritter-like howl. The song combines so many influences into a sprawling piece of vocal and instrumental beauty; it is pastoral in its simplicity, and the string-laden bridge is wonderful. Excellent song from a tremendous new artist – expect a whole lot more from Vance Joy.

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Top 10 Songs of 2014 – #3: “Take Me To Church” by Hozier

9 Dec

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I’m going to go out on a limb and proclaim that Hozier had the best year of any Irish musician. That’s not a big limb to go out on though because Hozier has transcended the realms of internet popularity and has entered into the homes of a diverse range of music lovers. His sweet croon, lugubrious lyric, and rough-around-the-edges tint creates an aura of pious music with a hint of melancholy and malevolence. In that, Hozier creates an almost mystical persona that is all the more attractive to his listeners.

Hozier released debut EP Take Me To Church with the eponymous title track in tow back in 2013, but, like one other song on the countdown, I am taking into account when the song jumped in popularity, and that was during 2014. Since then, Hozier has performed on Saturday Night Live and is currently on an international tour with a slew of sold-out dates. The song and its singer have taken off into the stratosphere of music, and Hozier is well deserving of the accolades he has received.

Usually I avoid songs with 40 million YouTube views, but Hozier’s piece “Take Me To Church” is popular for good reason. His sultry vocal carries over drawn-out keys like a dirge. The song carries a dark overtone; Hozier knows the song is downcast and he is proud of it. This leads to Hozier’s unmistakeable chants of “amen,” which is untraditional in a pop song, but carries with sardonicism that is refreshing. It is almost anthemic in its darkness, and that is impressive. Excellent song that is a great #3 on the list!

Check out Hozier’s Website, Facebook, and Twitter

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