Nick Manna will host a weekly program called Roadrunner beginning January 2015. Here are his favorite albums of the year from bottom to top:
20. Brown Rainbow – Lucifer
Brown Rainbow is Sean Reilly on guitar and vocals, and Kevin Paschall on drums. Lucifer is effectively Reilly’s autobiography, detailing the life and thoughts of a 23-year old in living in Philly. The lyrics are specific, but he is at a point in his life that we have all paralleled, so the listener can connect.
Brown Rainbow flirts with existentialism while mixing subtle and clear lyricism. “Bananus” starts with blunt discussion about the inevitable death of friends, and there is no way to massage it. Reilly continues to ponder the transient nature of life throughout the song and album. “Cops” details a clueless adult with an uninteresting job, but he is not interested in anything else either. He skips work to listen to Pavement, and plays in a band nobody likes. He considers joining the police force “because cops get to shoot anyone they want to,” a rattling chorus following recent events.
Lucifer is one of the best fuzz albums of the year. Brown Rainbow does not stray far from the sounds of Mumblr, but the duo takes a more all-or-nothing approach. They mix aggressive highs with calming lows to create a surreal listening environment, and an album unlike any other in 2014.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=737738341 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
19. New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhhtSXk1c70]
18. Martha – Courting Strong
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=721s0o_0Cvc]
17. Allison Crutchfield – Lean Into It
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3480811647 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]
16. PUP – PUP
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=4065065531 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]
15. Bellows – Blue Breath
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1613070366 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]
14. Sheer Mag – 7”
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=353879665 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]
13. Ex Hex – Rips
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZVn1UrCvjc]
12. Steve Gunn – Way Out Weather
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSY12Dmw8Q]
11. Real Estate – Atlas
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTOCxexzEAQ]
10. Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74TP8QhupLU]
9. Alex G – DSU
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1010096860 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]
8. Frankie Cosmos – Zentropy
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1794713294 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]
7. Cayetana – Nervous Like Me
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=240447975 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]
6. Mitski – Bury Me at Makeout Creek
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=833938324 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]
5. Mumblr – Full of Snakes
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=362224255 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
4. War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LmX5c7HoUw?list=PLZqsyBiYZFQ2zWQNnDpo7mud9SNB4W5wc]
3. Saintseneca – Dark Arc
[bandcamp width=400 height=120 album=4261086602 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
2. LVL UP – Hoodwink’d
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS72AzJ4HlI]
1. Radiator Hospital – Torch Song
Torch Song is Radiator Hospital’s best album yet. Sam-Cook Parrot is one of the best songwriters and recruiters, bringing in friends Allison and Katie Crutchfield and Maryn Jones to sing. Jones’s “Fireworks” was the only song I cried to all year, and while most songs are sad lyrically, Radiator Hospital still picks me up when I need it. Torch Song played when I was lonely, with friends, studying, and more. No other album in 2014 was there for me as often.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RygFuz_6xc?list=PLiMnxJG53R0ZG56UgH0cDK7tmWJHVmfpg]