Throughout December we at PT:HQ are bringing you end of year lists from bands, labels and promoters. We’ll have a new one for you everyday so keep your eyes peeled for them! See all the lists here.
Jamie Coletta (Side One Dummy)
Top 3 Albums of 2014
I couldn’t possibly narrow down my favorites to a Top 3 because they would ALL be SideOneDummy releases. I’ve been honored to work with some of my favorite bands this year on some truly unforgettable albums, but we’ll save that hype for a Facebook post or something.
1. Modern Baseball – You’re Gonna Miss It All
This is the soundtrack to being in your early 20s. Life is changing… FAST. Responsibilities are looming, college is winding down, opportunities are starting to come up and it all feels like one big fucking cyclone of confusion. Modern Baseball know how to take that feeling and turn it into an album filled with undeniably relatable songs that are also super fun to sing along to. I can’t wait to see what this band comes up with next.
2. Cayetena – Nervous Like Me
Easily one of the best albums, front-to-back, of the entire year. Not a single song bores me. The sequencing is spot on, too, which can be hard to find in our little music scene. I love that these girls just went for it and wrote the debut of their lives. I also recently found out that “Black Hills” is somewhat inspired by The Office and therefore it’s no doubt one of my favorites of the year, if not all time.
3. Microwave – Stovall
Randomly found these guys through a friend of mine and haven’t stopped listening since. This album was self-released but I have no doubts that they’ll go on to do bigger things in the future. They’ve figured out how to take the Manchester Orchestra vibe and apply it to the better parts of pop punk, not the chuggy bullshit stuff. The songs deal with actual interesting subject matter and not just being bore in your hometown. Pay attention now.
Hard Girls – A Thousand Surfaces
While at times this album might feel like it doesn’t make any sense, that’s kind of what makes it such a beautiful record. These songs are pretty daring at times. The dudes dabble in some weird shit on this one; from psychedelic elements that make “Flying Dream” sound like the sonic equivalent of a lava lamp to the scream-in-your-face sing alongs of album standout “Thenar Space,” A Thousand Surfaces makes an art out of never quite fitting in.
Top 3 Songs
1. The Smith Street Band – Surrey Dive
I don’t care if it’s a S1D release, this song fucking rules. I actually fell apart when I first heard it. That moment where Wil slows it down and he’s “running scared, running scared, running scared…” – my heart breaks every time. And the line “Why don’t you just FUCK OFF, stop bringing hate into our lives” is basically my new mantra. This band is one of the most important things in my life and way more people need to hear what they’re saying. Easily my favorite song of the entire year.
2. Colombian Necktie – Kevin’s Song
Last summer, I lost a good pal named Kevin. He passed away unexpectedly and it’s been a weird thing to deal with ever since. Your friends should never die. Anyway, he used to play fill-in bass for Colombian Necktie, a band that my husband is in. The dudes went into the studio to record their debut full-length earlier this year and this 10 minute journey was something that really came to life while recording. It’s like Kevin was there with them in the studio, as cheesy as that may seem. This song crushes me every time, between the hard-hitting riffs to the spacey noise effects laced throughout. It’s the perfect dedication to a life lost way too fucking soon.
3. The Hotelier – The Scope Of All This Rebuilding
When I was thinking about what to choose for this section, I went back and listened to The Hotelier’s entire new album Home, Like No Place Is There. When I first got really into this record, I was living my normal life in Los Angeles trying to pretend like my grandmother wasn’t dying 3,000 miles away. I tuned out what I knew was inevitable and let myself sink deeply into the music instead. This album and song defined those couple months for me and somehow or another, helped me find that stupid light at the end of the shitty dark tunnel I felt stuck in for so long. I’ll always respect musicians and artists more than other people because they give themselves fully into their art – the best ones really go for it and unload into the lyrics and subtle nuances that only the keenest of listeners will pay attention to. Long story short, The Hotelier are fucking artists and this song is a freaking masterpiece.
Top Pick for 2015
The new Jeff Rosenstock album that S1D is putting out is going to redefine indie-pop entirely. Get ready for that. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to seeing what bands like Iron Chic, Rozwell Kid, Milk Teeth, Timeshares and Spraynard come up with next.