The Fashionably Late Top 60 of 2014 #28: The Blind Shake

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: The Blind Shake

WHAT: Breakfast of Failures

WHEN: October 2014

WHERE: Goner Records

WHY: Upon hearing Breakfast of Failures for the first time, my initial thought was to wonder how in hell I hadn't really listened to The Blind Shake before. After all, this is a tempestuous, ballsy rock record, full of gritty, grimy, scuzzed to the great beyond sturm und drang. And y'all know that's definitely my speed. From the hellhound-chased opener "Old Lake" to the towering, masterful menace of "Nobody Else," this record is thing of brutal, bruising beauty.   

My jams: “Old Lake,” “Dots In The Fog,” “Breakfast Of Failures,” “Go Lie,” “Pollen,” “In A Trance,” “Mildew,” “Nobody Else”







[posted 4.26.15]