And now, it's time for Shake Appeal's best albums of 2014. Evan Minsker shares his favorite garage, punk, psychedelic, power pop, hardcore, screaming, fuzzy, uncouth, burnout, drop-out, balls-out, weirdo, scumbag, loudmouth records of the year. If you don’t like his choices, just remember that you’re a different person than he is and that you can’t tell him what to do because you’re not his dad. [The previous sentence does not apply to my actual dad. Hey dad!]
It’s December and I’ve spent 12 months with this nonsense, so what the hell, I made a list. These are the records I’ve listened to and enjoyed the most this year—the ones I enthusiastically pushed at my music critic friends so they could enthusiastically reply "you made that band name up, didn't you?". These are the ones I'd tell my father-in-law about, and he'd say, "Lumpy and the Dumpers? Is this what passes for discourse with your generation?"
Now here’s the million dollar question: Where, exactly, do you draw the line that decides what doesn’t belong in a “garage and garage-adjacent” year-end list? I’m not sure I’ve got a good answer for that. Both Protomartyr and Total Control, based on their label affiliations and previous histories, could’ve easily topped this list. But while both have understandably been lauded by the scummy rock’n’roll set (and definitely topped my personal list), neither quite seem to belong on a list that documents the year in garage. (Total Control's James Vinciguerra has talked about how much he hates to hear the words "garage rock" used to describe Total Control.)
Albums by Spray Paint, Good Throb, Purling Hiss, Connections, Ultimate Painting, and Unholy Two were also considered, but for various reasons, none of them felt quite like they'd fit here. (All those records, by the way, are awesome and need to be heard.) Arbitrary lines gotta be drawn somewhere, ya know?
Oh yeah, and don’t forget to look at the billion year-end lists that were very kindly provided by a bunch of great bands. Some excellent records were near-misses for this list, but here's the top 50:
50. Generation Loss: Generation Loss [Cut-Rate]
49. The People's Temple: Musical Garden [HoZac]
48. The Coathangers: Suck My Shirt [Suicide Squeeze]
47. Wand: Ganglion Reef [God?]
46. The #1s: The #1s [Deranged]
45. Cellphone: Excellent Condition [Telephone Explosion]
44. No Bails: Epyx Shredder [Pelican Pow Wow]
43. So Cow: The Long Con [Goner]
42. Ex-Cult: Midnight Passenger [Goner]
41. Useless Eaters: Bleeding Moon [Castle Face]
40. Gino and the Goons: Shake It! [Slovenly]
39. Yi: Crying [self-released]
38. Aquarian Blood: Aquarian Blood [Zap Cassettes]
37. Bad Indians: Keep Losin' [CQ]
36. Zig Zags: Zig Zags [In the Red]
35. Human Abfall: Tantzee von Unten [Sounds of Subterrania]
34. Beastman: Beastman [Jelly Music]
33. Dinos Boys: Last Ones [Oops Baby]
32. Hobocop: Half Man Half Cop [Slovenly]
31. Ghetto Ghouls: Ghetto Ghouls [Monofonus]
30. Flesh Wounds: Flesh Wounds [Snot Releases]
29. Apache Dropout: Heavy Window [Magnetic South]
28. Ty Segall: Manipulator [Drag City]
27. Cretin Stompers: Looking Forward to Being Attacked [HoZac]
26. The Ar-Kaics: The Ar-Kaics [Windian]
25. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: I’m in Your Mind Fuzz [Castle Face] / Oddments [Flightless]
Whether you knew it or you didn't, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard had an amazing 2014. They came out the gate swingin' with Oddments, and despite what its title might imply, the thing's loads more interesting than just a throwaway pile of discarded scraps. It's definitely not predictable music: They sound like Woods ("Sleepwalker"), deliver some catchy and disorienting psych pop ("Vegemite"), and seal the deal with some Hammond organ-infused soul ("Alluda Majaka"). Everything's delivered with confidence and swagger, which they kept for the banger-after-banger pacing of I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (which I reviewed, if you want to read more about that one). These seven Australians are shapeshifters—adept with a harmonica, thoroughly maximal, never scattered.
24. Mordecai: Neil's Generator [Richie/TestosterTunes]
There's a warmth and immediacy to Mordecai's third album Neil's Generator, but there's also a ragged, uneasy quality that just sounds off. On the Montana band's song "Morning", for example, the vocals are never quite in the right key (though "singing" would be a strong word to describe what's happening here—it's more like assertive, melodic talking), and there's a guitar in there that occasionally adds an undercurrent of sour notes. That's part of why this is such a riveting record: The melodies and songs are undeniably catchy, even beautiful, but there's something a little ugly to keeps things interesting.
23. Fire Retarded: Scroggz Manor [Big Neck]
In late 2012, Bobby Hussy (of the Hussy) saw Fire Retarded play a show near their hometown of Madison. After their set ended, he asked to join the band—they were good, and with a second guitarist, he thought they'd sound even better. Apparently, he was right. Scroggz Manor is a testament to how huge their guitars sound these days, and it's also extremely strong evidence of Tyler Fassnacht's knack for both songwriting and screaming. This band was initially pitched to me as "Motörhead meets the Gun Club", which makes a lot of sense. It's fast, loud, and ferocious rock'n'roll out of Madison, and it isn't to be ignored.
22. MUSK: MUSK [Holy Mountain]
There's a lot of talk about dying and rotting on MUSK's debut album MUSK, which is appropriate given the concoction of noise that's been put together here. This is blues rock at it's most ballsy and vicious; the Oakland band have delivered a pigfuck basher that refuses to relent. Frontman Rob Fletcher sounds deranged. Drummer Brendan Leonard provides one of the band's most vital ingredients: its overwhelming thwack. The whole thing was helmed by Chris Woodhouse, the Bay Area studio wizard responsible for massive-sounding records by Ty Segall Band and Thee Oh Sees. But they're not just good because they're working with a strong engineer. MUSK rule. In the vein of Slayer, you should probably start referring to them as "fucking MUSK".
21. The Yolks: Kings of Awesome! [Randy]
Late in Kings of Awesome!, there's a cover of Ray Charles' legendary track "What'd I Say". It's an astonishingly reverent and straightforward cover. It's a pretty telling indication of what kind of album the Yolks have delivered five years after their self-titled debut—they're not the loudest voice in the room (especially when stacked next to most of the other records on this list), but they've got tightly written songs that are performed well and delivered with authority. The restrained kiss-off of "You Don't Live Here No More", for example, is what would happen if Don & Phil Everly stopped writing "I miss you" songs and learned to say "good riddance". As they close the album with "Stewed Tomatoes"—one of 2014's great soulful struts—it becomes clear that the Yolks have been pilfering musty old records for most of their lives. In 2014, they came back with something awesome. And they're kings...of...that.
20. Mac Blackout Band: MBB [Pelican Pow Wow]
Mac Blackout Band released a ripping rock'n'roll album where synthesizers add the ominous air of old sci-fi movies, vocals bite, and lyrics occasionally wander onto prog rock's thematic turf. This record is comfort food, and it fills a need in my listening rotation that I didn't know was there. Somehow, the Chicago band managed to meld the best parts of John Carpenter's They Live soundtrack with some of the most exciting Lost Sounds songs. Then, they added narratives about galloping into battle and lurking in the shadows at night (the path illuminated only by alien neon lights). Blackout's about to ramp things back up with his higher profile power pop band Mickey, but do not sleep on the Blackout Band. (I guess this would've been a really good opportunity to say "do not black out on the Blackout Band", huh?)
19. Sick Thoughts: Fat Kid With a 10 inch [Slovenly]
"Not really on this tip anymore," wrote Baltimore's Drew Owen when he talked about his Slovenly 10"—he called it his LiveFastDie homage that sounded like "straight up '70s punk shit". Sick Thoughts will probably never be a project known for its steadfast nature; the guy released over a dozen records this year, and each one taps into a different mutant strain of breakneck punk. But even if Owen's done with Fat Kid, I'm definitely not. The eight-song/12-minute EP has tons of replay value. Like all of his best stuff, it isn't the attack that matters as much as the actual songs behind the noise. Owen oozes greasy, juvenile lust and pairs his rat boy sentiments with some perfect hooks. Perfect, I say. Dude's got hooks for days.
18. Meatbodies: Meatbodies [In the Red]
Chad Ubovich rules. He proved that as a powerhouse at Fuzz and Mikal Cronin shows, and with Meatbodies, he's become even more powerful still. Meatbodies, with its all-power garage rock assault, was recorded with the Bay Area production power team of Chris Woodhouse, Eric Bauer, and Bob Marshall. It's an album where every ever-ascending ripper is followed by another ever-ascending ripper. When the time comes to slow it down, he slows things down like a champion. It's an impressive, dexterous, and diverse opening statement from Meatbodies; a strong argument that Ubovich is on the come-up. (Now that you're done with this blurb—and thank you for reading it, by the way, that was very nice of you—you should read my whole review of this.)
17. The Achtungs: Full of Hate [Going Underground]
More like Full of Great! (I'm so sorry.) The Finnish trio of young punks fully capitalize on the promise of their great Total Punk single "Full of Hate" (which, for some reason, doesn't appear on its album of the same name) and their perfect song titles ("City of Dicks", "You're Worthless", "I Hate You") with 10 stellar, buzzsaw budget rock rippers. It's telling that one of the album's high points isn't the loudest or most aggressive track, but "Lies", a track where the vocals are largely toned down and the melody toes the line between power chord punk elation and minor chord punk paranoia. Frontman Joni Ekman screams the chorus in frustration. For a screaming, searing lo-fi LP, it's got a pretty nuanced narrative and sound.
16. Pookie & the Poodlez: The Last Thing I Did As a Teenager EP [Rubber Vomit]
Trevor Straub graduated from the Hunx and Nobunny School of Dirt-Caked Power Pop at the head of his class—valedictorian, dean's list every semester. His band Pookie & the Poodlez aren't just noteworthy because they go shirtless at their notoriously fun live show or because their EP sounds aesthetically similar to Seth Bogart's Gay Singles. No, what's important on The Last Thing I Did As a Teenager (originally given a limited release by Burger in 2012) is that the songs—which, yes, are catchy as fuck—are imbued with both romance and that oh-so-essential "fuck off" attitude. "I don't hate boys, I just hate you," Straub sings. If you like dancing and laughing at the same time, reach for Pookie.
15. Lumpy & the Dumpers: Collection [Erste Theke Tonträger]
You use a lot of violence-based adjectives and verbs when you write about this sort of music, but rarely do they feel more relevant than they do when you talk about the St. Louis destroyers Lumpy & the Dumpers. "Unhinged", for example, becomes an obsolete word for pretty much every other band once you've heard Lumpy's screams. These songs, in all their "ONE, TWO, FUCK YOU" glory, are as delightedly threatening as the art to the left implies. It almost feels like cheating to include this on an albums list—it's a singles collection of tracks released between 2012 and 2014—but these songs thrive in comp form. It's shot-after-shot of hardcore bile, and it's an excellent document to demonstrate why heads can't get enough of this terrifying shit.
14. Manateees: Sit n Spin [Pelican Pow Wow]
Manateees are the Memphis gutter punk trio of Abe White, Charlotte Watson, and Keith Hall, and the songs on Sit n Spin are tough as hell. Also, they're really funny. On "Shitwolf", they're haunted by a creature—the shitwolf, natch—who isn't really violent so much as he's obnoxious. He keeps leaving the oven on, spreading mean rumors, and stinking up the place. ("I smell you, shitwolf! Where are you, you dirty motherfucker?!") At their post-Gonerfest show at the Buccaneer this year, somebody got in White's face and screamed "FUCK OFF". White responded by closing his eyes, leaning into the mic, and blowing a raspberry before diving into the next song. It's heavy music—muffled, galloping, and fuzzy in its attack—delivered by some ace absurdists.
13. OBN IIIs: Third Time to Harm [Tic Tac Totally] / Live in San Francisco [Castle Face]
It was a sparsely attended show at Small's Bar in Detroit and OBN IIIs were wrapping up their headlining set. They'd launched into the Third Time to Harm opener "No Time for the Blues" with its sky-high guitar solos and breakneck pace. Since the one-two punch of "No Time" and "The Rockin' Spins" was one of the best rock album openers of the year, the show had now reached its high point. Halfway in, Orville Bateman Neeley III, ever the showman, intentionally fell face-first off the stage and writhed on the cement two feet below. He finished the song, and before he got back to his feet, he looked dazed, repeating the words, "Where am I?" OBN IIIs are an exciting, unpredictable rock'n'roll entity—a fucking blast to experience live, for sure—and that's perfectly captured on both Third Time and especially their installment of the Live in San Francisco series. (I reviewed both the live LP and Third Time to Harm earlier this year.)
12. Morgan Delt: Morgan Delt [Trouble in Mind]
This one certainly looks out of place on a list long on aggression, but make no mistake: Morgan Delt delivered one of the year's best psych records. Follow the redheaded West Coast longhair down the rabbit hole and explore a record that's overloaded with unpredictable (and beautifully crafted) melodies. But for each heady deep dive into druggy "flower people" uncertainty, there's stuff like "Obstacle Eyes". The song might have some of psychedelia's trademark unsteadiness, but at the core is a surefire earworm. Delt is a good example of an artist who knows that within the realm of psych rock, "editing" and "strong hook writing" are very important tools to have at your behest. (Pitchfork heartthrob Jeremy Gordon reviewed this earlier this year.)
Morgan Delt: "Obstacle Eyes" on SoundCloud.
11. Ruined Fortune: Ruined Fortune [HoZac]
Angie Garrick, perhaps best known as a member of Circle Pit, released music this year with the bands Straight Arrows and Southern Comfort. Last year, she put out the very good Angie album Turning, which was a trudging and excellent rock'n'roll record steeped in darkness. With Ruined Fortune, she goes darker still, collaborating with R.I.P. Society chief/Bed Wettin' Bad Boy Nic Warnock. Their melodies on Ruined Fortune are longform and repetitive, and that's partially where they derive their power. On "Transparent Faces" for example, they open with a series of buzzing, descending, low-end chords. With each repetition, they start shoving more sonic details into the riff's pockets. Their words are rendered largely unintelligible from the noise, but their voices sound excellent together. When Warnock asserts that his interest are "music, visual arts, magic, writing, thinking, and the martial arts" on "Closing Till", it's clear that there's a dry sense of humor pulsing in the darkness somewhere. There's a lot happening here; it's easy to get lost in Ruined Fortune.
Ruined Fortune: "Black and Red" on SoundCloud.
10. Buck Biloxi and the Fucks: Culture Demanufacturer [Total Punk]
Culture Demanufacturer is a Buck Biloxi and the Fucks record, which is to say that it's another collection of the band's go-to minimal and raw budget punk. Buck (or Giorgio Murderer...whatever you want to call him) makes it sound easy—it's not often you find barebones songs that speak directly to that looming "fuck everybody else" feeling that comes with being a teenage punk. Buck and the Fucks are calling out bullshit and laying waste to all that's sacred to "normal" types. (See the cover where a giant knife pierces America's false god, the pigskin.) They threaten to fuck up the phonies, and they refuse to attend church on Sunday with that "bunch of assholes" who think so highly of themselves. It's violent, juvenile, confident, funny, and very few of the songs exceed 90 seconds. Buck Biloxi and the Fucks aren't revolutionizing the form by any means, but they're incredible at what they do.
09. Gutter Gods: Innersense [Cool Death]
It opens with some spoken word samples about the benefits of lucid dreaming, and each track begins the exact same way—a wavering, whirring bit of feedback. But when the high-pitched noise fades away, in come the barking, gargling, menacing, often unintelligible vocals of Allan Cowie. When Melbourne's Gutter Gods hit full speed, it's tempting to call Innersense a hardcore album. It's not that easy, though—there's the woozy feedback, their space-punk guitars, and they even briefly hint at new wave on "Hang Out". Gutter Gods are apparently no longer together, and Innersense is already an out-of-print collector's item. Seriously, you could easily drop over $100 on a copy of this on Discogs, and if you've got that kind of money set aside for awesome, enigmatic, and aggressive music, you really might want to do that.
08. Endless Bummer: Vol. 1 [In the Red]
Endless Bummer are Lance Bummer, Liz Bummer (the co-founders of Permanent Records), and Greg Bummer (the Spits/MERX). They released their very good "Such a Drag" 7" late last year, and they promised that an album was around the corner. By the time December rolled around, it seemed unlikely to surface in 2014. But then, the same day that D'Angelo returned, Endless Bummer quietly released Vol. 1. Their debut LP, recorded in Ty Segall's now-defunct L.A. garage studio, is easily the best thing they've done thus far. "Bad News" takes the melodic structure of a bubblegum pop song—handclaps and all—but with its buzzing low end and lyrics where they threaten to "end you" if you ever try and cross them, it's absolutely a punk record. It's easy to obsess over some of the guitar work and gang vocals here, like the chorus of "B-Movie". Vol. 1 is a late-year win. Here's hoping that Vol. 2 is around the corner.
07. Coneheads: Canadian Cone [self-released]
Hey, watch this YouTube video; it's proof that there's something phenomenal going on in Northwest Indiana basements. Who are Coneheads exactly? That's hard to say. If Canadian Cone is to be believed, it seems that they're dudes who believe in de-evolution. Throughout their stellar nine-minute tape, their vocals sort of resemble Booji Boy's. They keep the pace quick with frenetic and skittering guitar lines, and they deliver the best damn monotone punk cover of Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" out there. This tape definitely isn't easy to track down, but look for it, and definitely don't take your eye off those NWI punks. (Especially the Cones.)
06. Golden Pelicans: Golden Pelicans [Total Punk]
It makes sense that some of the best punk made in 2014 came out of Orlando, Florida. In a city teeming with corporate-backed tourist attractions, beckoning you to spend too much money to have "happy" and "magical" experiences, there's also Erik Grincewicz, an intense dude whose gravelly screams turn the words "pissin' in a puddle of puke" into a punk rock anthem. And not only do Golden Pelicans offer a peek into the grotesque and violent underground—they do it over aggressive, tightly performed punk songs. They revel in the slovenly, and they made an excellent 12" from their vantage point in the mud.
05. Watery Love: Decorative Feeding [In the Red]
“MOVE OVER ROVER,” shouts Richie Charles on Watery Love’s “Pump the Bimbo”, “LET RICHIE TAKE OVER.” It’s not really a request—the band actively take control with Decorative Feeding. The Philadelphia band's debut LP is persistent, dense, and consistently strong. Over a chugging, fuzzed out riff, Charles shouts about the earth quaking around you just after your teeth have been yanked out. On "Only Love", oft-accepted routines—getting your degree, picking up dog crap, having a drink at the end of the day—are examined under a harsh light. As the album churns onward, the world begins to look a little more grim. Decorative Feeding is more than just "beefy" or "muscular"—it's urgent, and it's questioning your complacency. Oh, uh, and the hooks are good, too.
04. Ausmuteants: Order of Operation [Goner/Aarght]
Ausmuteants' album Amusements features a song called "Piss Myself Twice"—a ballad with a bummer synthesizer melody where they lament...pissing themselves twice. It was an entertaining record, for sure, and while they definitely haven't lost their sense of humor, Order of Operation sounds significantly more vital. They've got an aggressive punk basher called "We're Cops" where they insist "we are the pigs that beat on the kids!"—as 2014 rolled to a close, that one felt especially poignant here in the U.S. Suddenly, the Geelong band were using their sense of humor not just to talk about their own fecal matter, but also to point out the vapid way we use the internet ("Freedom of Information"/"Publicity Stunts"). As performers, they made strides too, using the synthesizer to perfectly match the urgency of a song's lyrics ("Boiling Point"). They closed 2014 with some unstoppable buzzsaw punk tracks ("Felix"). As human beings, you want to root for Ausmuteants—dudes who released a ton of music this year and shouted out Three 6 Mafia at Gonerfest while wearing black and white NWO T-shirts. It helps that they also delivered their strongest album yet.
03. Obnox: Louder Space [12XU]
Bim Thomas' Obnox records are exciting because they're never just one thing. Louder Space is packed with the beyond-fried mutant guitars that you'd expect from Timmy Vulgar's records, and meanwhile, Thomas' vocals shift from rapping to rock frontman belting to velvety crooning. His voice either helps to double down on a song's aggressive structure or it provides a sharp contrast. It's a record that keeps you on your toes as Thomas continues to dart in new directions. He tells stories about making his own luck, and on a record this dense and complex, there's a semi-inspirational lesson to be gleaned there—to never compromise, to create something you believe in, to stay on your grind. Just remember: You probably won't make anything as good as Louder Space. (Marc Masters knows what's up.)
02. Nots: We Are Nots [Goner]
Nots put on a live show to be envied. Charlotte Watson, Natalie Hoffmann, Madison Farmer, and Alexandra Eastburn are, undeniably, incredible performers. At the end of 2014, they followed through on the promise of their live show and the two great singles "Dust Red" and "Fix". With We Are Nots, the Memphis band have written some excellent songs and delivered their best recorded performances yet. They shout with one voice, and having filled out their sound with Eastburn's synthesizer, they implement a newfound sprawl for their best song to date ("Reactor"). Their singles might have hinted as much, but their debut album seals it: Nots are one of the best new bands going. (Reviewed this one, too.)
01. Hank Wood & the Hammerheads: Stay Home [Toxic State]
Hank Wood & the Hammerheads are embedded in New York's underground punk scene, which means that unless you've got boots on the ground and have actively sought out the band's live show, you're not going to learn a whole lot about them. Neither the band nor the New York punk label Toxic State have an Internet presence. They don't have a publicist, and they sure as shit don't have Facebook pages. As a resident of Michigan, the only reason I know anything about Stay Home is because it's distributed by Katorga Works, where it's billed as "the best record of the year". That's not hyperbole, either. Hank and the Hammers' new one is a total AOTY contender.
Yeah yeah, it's got all the stuff you'd expect from a solid garage punk record—breakneck pacing, huge guitar solos, drums that launch forward so fast that you wonder if it's actually a real human person behind them. Really, though, Stay Home doesn't sound like anything else in 2014. "These Chains" comes loaded with point-perfect Tom Verlaine guitar lines, and the whole album is made especially tense by its proficient use of cowbell. (Pretty sure it's cowbell, anyway.)
Ultimately, though, the best way to experience Stay Home is to get the physical copy, which comes with a typed up lyrics sheet. Without it, it's tough to tell what Hank's yammering on about—his vocals are frenetic and often half-buried beneath the far-more-prominent guitars and keys. As it turns out, these are stories about the isolation of prison, about wandering the streets alone, about having a key to a home where you're no longer welcome, about being haunted by The Ghost, about the nihilistic desire to exist in a nebulous and lifeless place. As you listen, these stories make for a fantastic read, especially when the words "Yo Henry, what's a matter? Don't you love me? Don't I matter?" jump out sounding like "YO HENRY, WHASSAMATTAH, DOHN YA LUHME? DOHN I MATTAH?". This holiday season, let the ghost whisper in your ear. Experience the dark, nihilistic paranoia of a truly exciting band.