The Fashionably Late Top 60 of 2014 #15: Mystic Braves

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: Mystic Braves

WHAT: Desert Island

WHEN: April 2014

WHERE: Self-released

WHY: I just can't get enough of Mystic Braves, y'all. Desert Island is, dare I even say it, a record I wouldn't mind being stuck on a desert island with. Weak puns aside, Desert Island is a dandy of a record, filled with Zombies (the band, not actual zombies) gone to the desert to hang out with Ennio Morricone 60s-esque spaghetti psych pop, and it's all sorts of wonderful. It's technicolor fuzzery, and so very easy to get hooked on. 

My jams: "Bright Blue Day Haze," "Coyote Blood," "Desert Island," "Valley Rat," "You Take the Dark Out of Me," "I Want You Back," "In The Past," "Earthshake"





[posted 5.10.15]