Best Albums of The Year
- The Lonely Forest - Adding UP The Wasted Hours.
My top pest tip for jangly indie stardom in 2015. - Ought - More Than Any Other Day
My favorite early Sonic Youth inspired record of the year. - FKATwigs
One of quite a few much hyped acts that lived up to their publicity. Great pop record - Kevin Drew - Darlings
As the leader of one of my all time favorites, Broken Social Scene, he cannot do much wrong. This excelled. - The Front Bottoms - Talon Of The Hawk
More like a late 2013 one, but I found them late. A wordsmith who squeezes a lot of words into his catchy americana rock. Crazy fun live. - Eno & Hyde - Someday World.
Masterly combination and one which impresses then grows steadily. Eno - Roxt Music 1973 to this via a million other things. A legend. - Fucked Up - Glass Boys
This crowd can not be classified. You either love them or hate them. I love them. - Foxygen - …and Star Power
Great manic record. - Together Pangea - Badillac
The band played in the Hurley Studio, so managed to catch a few live versions of this pinky rock classic. - Jonathan Wilson - Slide By EP
When will the world wake up to the genius of this man’s geeetar and voice. Should have been a sixties star. - Wye Oak - Shriek
The album that Wye Oak find keyboards on. Stunning - The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
Dan Bejar and AC Newman create their masterpiece.
Top Three
- Against Me - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Laura Jane Grace has a voice and a lyric to die for. - Future Islands - Singles
Yes I know, but when this first came out it sounded magical. Eroded a bit as it is Carol’s favorite band now and she only has 200 songs on her iPod and a fifth of them are songs by this lot. So it is constant muzak at home. - The Cheap Girls - Famous Graves
I would imagine they listed to the Husker Du a few times. Best guitar band of the year.
and I must admit it, The War On Drugs album is probably my most played vinyl of the year. Classic.
Best old albums you listened to most.
This year I listened to more older stuff than ever before.
The Rolling Stones/Rod Stewart and The Faces/The Who/The Kinks
Also belatedly fell in love with Belle and Sebastian and have been buying up their entire catalogue, which is huge.
Single favorite older album - Mott by Mott The Hoople
Best movie/tv show/book of your year.
TV - Peaky Blinders/The BLacklist
Book - The New Middle East. The World After The Arab Spring - Paul Danahar
Movie - Guardian Of the Galaxy/St Vincent
Best Live acts - who and where?
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Observatory Santa Ana
Future Island - The Observatory Santa Ana
San Fermin - Latitide 30 Austin
Bo Ningen - Latitide 30 Austin ( undoubtedly the weirdest live show ever - gouge this crowd!! Staright after San Fermin too so from the sublime to the crazy ridiculous)
Worst Show of the year
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ the Theatre at the Ace Hotel.
An intimate venue. A rowdy crowd. Crap Seats ( second back row of steeply banked upper balcony) and a selection of his worst ballads from every album. I left after 50 minutes. I will put it down to a perfect storm aberration.
Favourite photo you took in 2014
This is Findlay.
Best bar/restaurant/store you visited
Probably all the bars on Rainey Street south of the convention centre in Austin.
The Website you go to most often.
ESPN for College Football. The Guardian UK for football and news.
Tip For The Top - any classification you want
Did it already The Lonely Forest
Your New Years Resolution that you wish you could keep but will absolutely fail to achieve
Become an active runner!! Tried now about 15 times.