The Fashionably Late Top 60 of 2014 #27: Die! Die! Die!

2014 was quite a year. Not the best of years, on a personal level, but a rather good year from a music standpoint. Having given a listen to record after record after record from the year that was, I’ve pulled together a list of favorites, finding it next to impossible to whittle the list down any further beyond 60 (I tried). In this group of 60 you’ll find records from old, faithful friends, upstart newcomers, and even a headscratcher or two. You’ll probably see some records that were a Big Deal not on this list. I either didn’t bite or didn’t buy the hype. I’m pleased as punch with this list, and I hope you’ll come across something that might have otherwise passed you by. And so, without further ado, my favorite records of 2014.

WHO: Die! Die! Die!

WHAT: S W I M

WHEN: August 2014

WHERE: EtCetera Records

WHY: Many years ago, I almost literally had Die! Die! Die! knocked into me. Thankfully the mic stand missed, and I lived to write another day, though I didn't escape without becoming a total fangirl. Undeniably one of the most intense live acts around, New Zealand's Die! Die! Die! doesn’t skimp on the noise on record. Their discordant, wiry sonic diatribes still reign supreme on S W I M, with Andrew Wilson's jittery guitars and petulant, primal angst playing perfectly against a dynamite drumming and bass duo. At their best when agitated and acerbic, the trio proves once more that they're a force to be reckoned with. 

My jams: “SWIM,” “Out Of Mind,” “Best,” “Get Hit,” “Angel,” “She’s Clear,” “Trigger,” “Sister,” “Mirror”






[posted 4.27.15]