It is easy to forget some of the good moments of the past if you are always looking forward. Given the blistering pace of life these days, and the vast amount of good quality music constantly being released, I wanted to take a few moments to look back over some albums that came into my life during 2014. Now, this is by no means a definitive list of everything great that happened. No, what this is a reminder of albums I heard, that I enjoyed enough to want to dig into again.
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First off was a dusty album by Halfway, called Any Old Love. This is a sentimental treasure focused on the horse racing industry, set in an outback town in the 1970s. With highlights like Honey I like You, Dulcify and Factory Rats, there was something raw about this album. It lacked pretence, but carried plenty of impact and interest. Little wonder it won a 2014 AIR Award for Best Country Album.
Next up, I want to shine a light onto The Growlers. Formed in California, these guys ask you to take them as they are. And luckily for them, what they are is good. They have a number of released recordings, and in 2014 gave the world a cracker in Chinese Fountain. The album is driven by the creative lyrical force of frontman/poet Brooks Nielsen, who is so unique you can't stop listening to him. Playing a drunken kind of surf rock, with hints of psychedelia, these guys may not be for everyone, but they sure are for me.
Another album to really impress this year was The Luxury of Wasted Space, from Holidays On Ice. From the creative mind of Dean Manning of Leonardo's Bride, with the talents of Angie Hart of Frente! and Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint, this album felt like the handiwork of a careful artisan designer. Recorded on an eight-track reel-to-reel, using a minimalist, often looped palette, the album had a sense of togetherness and charm, touched by that little bit of genius.
Other albums worthy of a mention are Ghosts, Choirs and Kings from Megan Cooper, the amazing Closing Forever Sky by Firekites, and Muscle Memory by Scott Spark. I want to conclude, though, with Idyllwild from Mia Dyson. Showcasing her abilities as a guitarist, Dyson let herself experiment with tone on this album and the result is a record that feels abundantly good to listen to. Winner of a J Award for Double J Australian Artist of the Year, the award was partly recognition for Idyllwild, which they called her most accomplished album to date. Get a copy to find out why.
