The best albums of 2014

That time again and it went by so so fast. Top albums as picked by me and in no real order.

Mary Gauthier, Trouble and Love

Got a few of her albums and always loved them but this one really sounds amazing to my ears. Nothing that great here in production or recording and proves all you need is great songs but her voice and guitar playing just works so well together. Placed in the country section in many websites and stores really is unfair as the music really will appeal to all music fans. And I mean music fans as many people will just not get the tone of the album. As her stories are very close and personal and I do believe totally true. But starting to make music in your mid 30 can really make music this good as experience in the bank of life really does mean so much more. My album of the year.

Swans, To Be Kind

It is pretty hard to get into my albums of the year but to do it twice is pretty amazing. I really can't not have this here it is simply amazing and just a little baw hair better than the last album (2012-The Seer). Saw them live again and still simply fantastic music, pushing boundaries even with a format like CD they really intended the album to be out on a digital file so there was no break between tracks and CD.

Imperial State Electric, Reptile Brain Music

This band came out of the ashes of the Hellacopters and loved all the output the band have done but this is right back to the best of the Hellacopters era. Great old rock n roll, not too loud or dirty so all can get into this album. It was out at the end of 2013 but I did not get the LP till the start of January so it makes my list for this year.

Honeyblood, Honeyblood

Local band who have done a great debut, just a drummer and guitar player but the songs sound so much fuller. They really do sound like great pop songs and for the untrained ear they may get confused to feel the pop here. but it is there and once you get it this album is a real addiction.

Gong, I See You

Classic prog band from the 70s and this one is yet another line up I really do not know. But the music is so full of hooks and little passages of noise into branches of other songs. Honestly check it out if you like exciting music.


Triptykon, Melana Chasmata

Two in one year, this band have also made my best off and again I really have looked to not put it here and if anything that means it is better than the last album. Thomas Gabriel Fischer is a legend in heavy music circles and the evidence is that this album and the last two he has done were in my albums of the year.

Disconnect, Planned Obsolescence

Luckily got this online somewhere and I know nothing of this artist/s. In a real old style 70s prog makeup but done really well. The music is way more relaxed and very much not in the stuck up nose style that many bands like Yes and Pink Floyd done. It is way more fun and entertaining that those overrated mince. Again no idea where or how I got it but in my top albums so must be great.

Bremen, Second Launch

Great mix of Krautrock and psychedelic, there is quite a bit going on here and needs a good few listens to really like it. Much more of an instrumental album it never sounds too long or too underdone or repetitive. Really an album for people who like any art rock or noise stuff. But if curious of what else is there give it a go.

Taake, Stridens Hus

Had my eye on this artist for a while and as I belive it is simply a solo artist. They play all instruments and write all the music. But the time has been taken to make this a great black metal album. Sounds like the new Darkthrone crust punk style mixed with classic black metal. Sharp buzz saw guitars and old school vocals.


Teitanblood, Death

Yeah a death/black metal band with an album called Death. Come on it must be shit I hear you ask. But no this fucking rules. It is a real mix of the two style but riffs all over the place. Each song really gets the neck going due to the relentless guitar sound. Well produced the band have very little info out there in music land. But one for the true metal fans as most will simply not get the crushing mix of styles here.

Earth, Primitive and Deadly

Most years I need a nice chill out album, read a book or even just sit back and relax. This one makes you relax that much it was on the 3rd play and that was in work. How I still have a job is shocking. But it is a great album and some really nice minimal styling contained here.

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, Primitive and Deadly

Ha a do like a joke as well as a good tune. Not one for diva pop music at all but I am up for a laugh. The band are a kind of alt punk pop style band and I liked the previous stuff they done. This is simply a covers album but of many female pop singers like Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Madonna... you get my drift. But as much as they can they have faithfully made a good cover but with a hint of sarcasm thrown in. You need a sense of humor for this.

Monster Magnet, Milking the Stars: A Re-Imagining of Last Patrol

Still love this album, it was out last year as "Last Patrol" but the band made it more 60s sounding and went into the studio and redone quite a bit of the album. It is still classic Magnet and I like the 're-imaging of the album.

Review, Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Premium WITH Ortofon 2M RED Turntable

Review, Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Premium Turntable WITH Ortofon 2M RED

After having a turntable for all of my adult life and also for nearly all of my teen years I was a little devastated my classic and reliable Goodmans was causing some problems. 21 years of usage had taken it's toll. I did get it fixed but the sound was not the same. I did contemplate not having a turntable but I am one of those rare people who have always purchased records. Ok nothing like I used to but the odd one or two now and then. Mostly albums I really like. And also I do love the sound of records mostly as much of the so called remastered release thing is a load of crap. No record company will ever dish out master tapes for a remix. They may give out copies of the master so then you are buying a mix of a copy of a master. But anyhow the original mix tends to be the best. I decided to let my record collection live on.

Looking about the world in turntables has changed so much in the years. The big names seem to be gone. Well not so much gone but they are now fairly equal in terms of what they offer. All the budget models offer a USB connection, this is NOT what I want at all. I have no interest in connecting to a computer and recording as I have all my music digitally anyhow. Also the music quality of these turntables in the budget area are really bad.

Looking about the internet and Pro-Ject seem to be a big well respected brand. Reviews are all very good but do the magazines just opt for the ones who pay more for adverts? Chat to Hi Fi store and a quick listen. Ok I am interested. £300 on the credit card. Is it worth it?

Well for £300 you get a great solid base made of wood, three adjustable feet, a carbon fiber tone arm and the usual weights and belt tools. But this one has the Ortofon 2M RED cart as well. From my reading online it is a well respected cart. The carbon fiber tone arm shows how technology has come on, back in the 90s that was easily £1000+ for a deck with that. I love how the phono leads are not connected but you have the option of what leads to connect as the phono output is provided (many turntables have leads built in). Set up is a doddle and 10 min later I am browsing my records.

This deck has many things missing from my old one, it is not an automatic as in the record will never stop and then return the arm. Reasons are simple, to keep down noise and extra cost. But a simple and easy switch is placed at the side for the platter on/off. You get used very quickly to this. Also no speed switch! you have to remove the platter and switch the belt by hand. But I am a big album fan so it is not a real big problem. And I do find you tend to play singles one after another anyhow.

Choosing an album I have on CD and Vinyl for comparison*... AC DC and Back in Black. It is a handy one as I can play much of the guitar and bass on this album so I have a great idea of the tone the band use. The records sounds very much alive and loud, big difference is in the bass and mostly the drums. You can feel all the drum hits, CD sounds great but just a little missing in the rhythm area. Not so much loudness but that little push you can give on a drum stick or bass line. The songs on the album that are a little less loud like Rock n roll... sound very much the same on both formats. But this was a rock album and the songs that need the sound have it. The record is a 1980 German press with A2,B2 stampers so nothing as near as a UK or US first press. The bell at the start of Hells Bells feels far more vibrant and the echo could make rats turn there heads 20 miles away. Again the CD lacks that sound.

Shoot to thrill finally feels like it's title, nice chugging bass sounds from Cliff, you do not always hear this mans playing but it is vital to the band, the riff on Give the Dog a Bone sounds fantastic, big bold and as like nothing I have heard from this album before. Vocals also sound way brighter, less treble and more of a fatter sound to them. The stereo sound on this feels way more instant as well, just a little bit here and there to keep you on your toes, again I have never noticed that.

Other albums again come over very well, Pretenders first album sounds way better to me, again more help is given to the bass and vocals. I have never heard Chrissie like that before! A newer album in Nick Cave and Push the Sky Away one of my favorite albums of 2013. I have had about a year to listen to this album and it has never sounded as good as this. The intro to the first rack genuinely makes me jump, the clarity is immense. His voice sounds so clear, as does the music. With a nice ensemble of instruments it is a great album to test the turntable, all the music sounds fantastic.

I have some classic albums from first pressings as well, first up is Bruce Springsteen, Darkness on the Edge of Town. This album does not sound as loud as others but it is perfectly balanced. I did not have to turn it up as I feel this is how the album was made to be enjoyed. As the melodies come in on Badlands you feel a little more of the volume from the extra vocals. Guitars do sound far better on this turntable and it does help this album, Candy's Room has a nice little solo/interlude part that fills the room.

All in for £300 a great turntable and well worth the money. Great quality and much room for upgrades if and when you want to. A new platter or cartridge could easily improve it even more. But that is really for the big budget of an audiophile. For nearly all music fans after a great deck then this is it. Out of the box it works really great. There are even a set of good leads thrown in. Negatives are very few, the slip mat is really pitiful, I have my own so suggest buying a new one off e bay (£10 or so), sound wise it is really great, bass is rich and vocals are clear as a bell.

My set up is Cambridge Audio A300 amp, Cambridge Audio 640p phono stage and Eltax Millennium Speakers (non bi wireable). Good interconnects and speaker wire throughout.

Twitter: 29xthefun

*The CD vs Vinyl debate is one I find fun to do, but it is not for all albums as all are recorded, mastered and mixed completely differently.