Year-End Critics' Polls 2014

i admire the future islands singer, that letterman video is pretty great, he has passion and heart. but he needs a different band, i am sick of the same 80s peter hook/new order sound that indie has been aping for decades now

(speaking of the #1 p4k track of 2014, i wasn't clear about that)

Just discovered Jessica Pratt at the moment, really my thing. End of year lists are the best.

Only problem I have with Future Islands backing band is that they win the most bored looking band of 2014. And I have to assume it's because they think it looks cool to appear bored.

i know! it's such a contrast with their singer, their boredom is very jarring next to him

they think it looks cool to appear bored.

or just that they have little to no stage presence (especially compared to the dynamo of weirdness he is) - like a fair amount of dudes in indie bands

I don't feel like defending that band in particular, but is it a problem to look bored on stage? I just assume no musician truly is, just hyper focused or extremely nervous.

^ someone who likes boring indie music.

i find it hard to believe that these dudes who just like a year before were playing fucking warehouse shows and weeknight half full club gigs were going on the david letterman show and purposefully being "bored" or blase

is it a problem to look bored on stage?

doesn't bother me that much in bands within that wheelhouse, long as the music's good.

Not a big deal to me, just something I noticed in all the live clips I've seen at this point.

i don't think they are trying to look bored or blase. they just look bored and blase

i almost think it would too much honestly if the other guys were super animated anyway with the leader singer as he is, would be overkill imo

That was just me guessing based on the intensity of their blasé. And I'm not saying they need to be super animated, it's just I wasn't seeing them grooving AT ALL.

they could at least have the decency to groove

Their facial expressions, too.

i dunno i feel like shy ppl tend to shut down

that's probably all it is

yeah taylor's made eoy lists due to individual contributors putting her on their ballots, but p4k refusing to acknowledge her existence otherwise and deign her with a review at this point looks hopelessly out of touch. wonder if they'll do an about-turn come lp6 now she's more socially acceptable amongst their readership.

― prolego, Monday, 15 December 2014 16:30 (5 hours ago) Permalink

Agree completely. In what universe does an artist have two of the year's 100 best songs in two different years and still not have an album worthy of review? They review 1,250 albums a year.

Thing that surprised me most on the p4k list is how many of those tracks are self-released / unreleased. Just trying to find the songs in the top 25 that I'd never heard before, there were like 7 or 8 that I had to go to youtube or soundcloud to hear. That either says something about p4k's strive for curated content or the democratization of the industry as a whole; yet many of these songs are by big artists, e.g., Nicki Minaj, Drake.

is it a problem to look bored on stage?

imagine Bernard Sumner attempting what Future Islands dude did

Suspect that pitchfork not reviewing taylor is more akin to politicians wanting to avoid wedge issues than actual disdain.

The problems with Future Islands are multiple: the singer is wank, the backing behind him is rote and weak as fuck and the songwriting isn't up to snuff.

other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?

Like, the only thing that amazes me about Future Islands is the fact that something so incredibly piss-poor in every possible way has had so many having jizzgasms over it.

something so incredibly piss-poor in every possible way has had so many having jizzgasms over it.

Objection, your honor!

(I was listening to the J. Cole an hour ago and thinking, man, why the fuck are my students so excited by the Sheena Easton of Kanye-influenced hip hop?)

irl lols at that description

tbf he's more aggressively mediocre/boring and overpraised than actively bad.

http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2014/12/15/magnets-top-25-albums-of-2014/

WINNER: Ex Hex!

i almost think it would too much honestly if the other guys were super animated anyway with the leader singer as he is, would be overkill imo

― you say tomato/i say imago (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, December 15, 2014 8:38 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OTM. It stops the whole thing becoming a clownshow. Let the other guys just get on with making the music.

One thing that always puzzled me - if there are only three members, who plays drums?

p sure most of their drums are programmed, but maybe they have a touring drummer?

yup and touring drummer is a somewhat recent addition they used to just use a drum machine for shows

21 Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence

This kind of sticks out like a sore thumb on that MetalSucks list. I did not know that metal dudes were into Lana Del Rey.

people who dug happy hardcore, chiptunes, electroclash and stuff like Tatu back in the day

is this supposed to be one group of people?

Shamir comin with the "212" of 2014

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, December 15, 2014 11:58 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

They don't actually sound similar at all, not sure what's the deal with everyone (i.e. you + a thousand or so youtube commenters) saying this, is there a subtext going on here we should be aware of?

Have always disliked Sophie but Hey QT is giving me full-on red mist.

― Re-Make/Re-Model, Tuesday, December 16, 2014 1:18 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Know we all care about music, but jesus, this better be hyperbole, surely there are better things to get angry about?

people who dug happy hardcore, chiptunes, electroclash and stuff like Tatu back in the day

is this supposed to be one group of people?

Why judge music on its own merits when you can make assumptions about an imagined target audience, eh?

I have enjoyed all these things in my time

xp Um, yeah, it's hyperbole. I don't actually get enraged by a pop song.

i can assure you my rage was real tho :)

Pc music is rubbish but no worse than anything else on the list

So you think all 100 songs on the list are equally bad? Wow.

It was a flippant and uncalled for remark - I haven't heard all 100 songs and ive only heard one pc music song

oh.

Resident Advisor top mixes and compilations of 2014:
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?2335

Xgau's list of albums of 2014 has been online for a couple of days:

https://medium.com/cuepoint/robert-christgau-expert-witness-790131a548da

xp This is a serious infraction. There is no room for flippant and uncalled-for remarks on ILX, sir.

music is so PC these days, you can't say anything anymore!

irl loooools

*rimshots*