At its core, college radio is about artist discovery and supporting unknown and emerging musicians. So who better to ask for their favorites of 2014 than people in the trenches at college stations? With over 70 people sending us their picks, as well as what they are looking forward to in 2015, we ended up with a diverse collection of curiosities. Some albums made appearances on many lists here and others only popped up once; some picks overlap with CMJ’s favorite albums of the year and others we overlooked or missed out on until now. Either way, these lists are a true testament to the diversity of tastes that college radio represents.
Bri Aab – Radio Promotion, Team Clermont:
Favorite Non-Team Clermont affiliates:
0. PJ Harvey’s Book Announcement
1. Ava Luna Electric Balloon
2. St. Vincent – St. Vincent
3. Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal
4. Wye Oak – Shriek
5. Alvvays – Alvvays
5. Grouper – Ruins
5. Protomartyr – Under the Color of Official Right
5. TOPS – Picture You Staring
5. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness
5. Hundred Waters – The Moon Rang Like a Bell
5. Mitski – Bury Me at Makeout Creek
HM to Cibo Matto, Taylor Swift, Courtney Barnett, White Lung, Warpaint and Radiator Hospital for helping me to dance in the kitchen and fall in love with shoulder swaying.
What album I’m most looking forward to in the year of my friend, Jesus 2k15:
PJ Harvey’s book of poetry, The Hollow and the Hand. But also Sleater-Kinney, Krill, Bjork and Belle and Sebastian.
Your New Year’s resolution:
Marry Chris Rogo*
*psych
I would like to fall in love with someone who will do my dishes and write letters to my friends more often. I would also like to get Hardly Art to put out a live recording of my crying on whatever non-digital medium they’d prefer.
Nick Acquisto – Music Director, KDHX:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
1. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire for No Witness (Jagjaguwar)
2. St. Vincent – St. Vincent (Loma Vista)
3. New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers (Matador)
4. Hospitality – Trouble (Merge)
5. Alvvays – Alvvays (Polyvinyl)
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Belle and Sebastian – Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance (Matador)
Your New Year’s resolution:
Carve up time for sleeping and eating.
Bonus info:Top 5 Most-Spun Albums on KDHX in 2014
1. New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers (Matador)
2. Beck – Morning Phase (Capitol)
3. Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings – Give The People What They Want (Daptone)
4. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar)
5. Spoon – They Want My Soul (Loma Vista)
Allan Benedict – Radio Promoter, The Syndicate:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
1. Modern Baseball – You’re Gonna Miss It All (Run For Cover)
2. Death From Above 1979 – The Physical World (Warner Bros)
3. Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal (What’s Your Rupture?)
4. La Dispute – Rooms of the House (Better Living)
5. Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else (Carpark/Mom+Pop)
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
I’m most looking forward to the new Modest Mouse record.
Your New Year’s resolution:
My resolution is to spend more time listening to records I’m not working with.
Bill Benson – COO, Team Clermont:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Wye Oak – Shriek
Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
Augie March – Haven’s Dumb
Phantom Band – Strange Friend
The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
The Wrens
Your New Year’s resolution:
Start a college fund for my daughter
Douglas Blake – Radio Promoter, Pirate!:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
1) Ex Hex
2) Against Me
3) The Bots
4) Run the Jewels
5) Taylor Swift
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Modest Mouse
Your New Year’s resolution:
Drink more wine.
Patrick Bryant – Co- Music Director, WMBR:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Francis Bebey – Psychedelic Sanza 1982-1984 (Born Bad)
Peter Broderick and Gabriel Saloman – Split (Beacon Sound)
Bill Callahan – Have Fun With God (Drag City)
Myriam Gendron – Not So Deep As A Well (Feeding Tube)
His Name Is Alive – Tecuciztecatl (London London)
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Elephant Micah – Where in Our Woods?
Your New Year’s resolution:
Eat more treats.
Henry Carges – Head Music Director, KWCW:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
White Fence – For The Recently Found Innocent
King Tuff – Black Moon Spell
Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – I’m In Your Mind Fuzz
Ex Hex – Rips
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
The new Panda Bear album
Your New Year’s resolution:
Listen to more music louder.
Hannah Carlen- Radio Director, Secretly Group:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Alphabetical Top 5 of 2014 (* Does not include Secretly Group releases)
Steve Gunn – Way Out Weather
Jungle – Jungle
Ought – More Than Any Other Day
Run the Jewels – RTJ2
See Through Dresses – See Through Dresses
The albums I’m most looking forward to are: new Father John Misty, new Rihanna and new Purity Ring.
My New Year’s Resolution is to leave ten minutes earlier for everything.
Sean Carolan – Music Director, Altrok 90.5:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Dum Dum Girls – Too True
Johnny Marr – Playground
Eagulls – Eagulls
Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
Nicole Atkins – Slow Phaser
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
In 2015, I think I’m only mostly looking forward to the Belle And Sebastian album because we’re playing the lead track so heavily, but beyond that, I’m looking forward to whichever sparkly objects draw my attention.
Your New Year’s resolution:
As for resolutions? More live shows! (And, actually, more of ‘em when they actually happen in my Jersey Shore backyard. Nothing against NYC, I just oughta support our Asbury, Long Branch, Red Bank and even New Brunswick-based purveyors of excellence more than I do.)
Mike Caulo – Publicity, Merge:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Chad VanGaalen – Shrink Dust
Warehouse – Tesseract
Radiator Hospital – Torch Song
Frankie Cosmos – Zentropy
Young Mammals – Alto Seco
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Jeez… Ava Luna’s? Krill’s? Viet Cong’s? Leapling’s? How about all of the above.
Your New Year’s resolution:
I promise not to eat all the pizza left over from company meetings.
Rachel Corson – Radio Promoter, The Syndicate:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
St. Vincent – St. Vincent
Eternal Summers – The Drop Beneath
Mitski – Bury Me at Makeout Creek
Spoon – They Want My Soul
Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Fa Bonx
Your New Year’s resolution:
Floss more.
Rob Daves – WNCW:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
1&2) Tie:
Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
Benjamin Booker – Benjamin Booker
3)Pixies – Indie Cindy
4)Goat – Commune
5)Old 97′s – Most Messed Up
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Sleater-Kinney.
Your New Year’s resolution:
As I’m mostly tired of the old mistakes, I resolve to make exciting new mistakes in 2015. I don’t really make resolutions.
Kaity Davie – Social Media Strategist, The Syndicate:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
You know how hard it was just give the Top 5? (said the girl who also has a 10 album Honorable Mention list. Ha ha).
1. The Hotelier, Home Like Noplace Is There (Tiny Engines)
2. Restorations, LP3 (SideOneDummy)
3. St. Vincent, St Vincent (Loma Vista)
4. Modern Baseball, You’re Gonna Miss It All (Run For Cover)
5. Banks, Goddess (Harvest)
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
My most anticipated record of 2015 is the theoretical Brand New record that is currently being recorded (but really, we’ve been saying that since 2010 or so). Also, the Cloakroom and Lady Lamb & the Beekeeper records.
Your New Year’s resolution:
New Year’s Resolution, huh? More shows, more poetry, more adventures across the country!
Chloe Doyle – Music Director, WMUA:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Alvvays – Alvvays
Warpaint – Warpaint
Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Panda Bear – Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
Your New Year’s resolution:
To procrastinate way less and see way more concerts!
Allison Drexler – Music Director WHRW:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Parkay Quarts//Parquet Courts – Content Nausea & Sunbathing Animal
Alex G – DSU
Twin Peaks – Wild Onion
Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
Real Estate – Atlas
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Panda Bear
Your New Year’s resolution:
Make my parents proud.
Andy Dunn – Station Manager, WCYT:
Favorite albums of 2014:
1) FKA twigs – LP1
2) Makthaverskan – II(tech. 2013, but 2014 in the US!)
3) Wild Beasts – Present Tense
4) Hundred Waters – The Moon Rang Like a Bell
5) Sharon van Etten – Are We There
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Chromatics – Dear Tommy
Your New Year’s resolution:
New Year’s Resolution is to not make a New Year’s Resolution.
Michelle Feghali – Music Director, WDBM:
Top 5 albums:
1. Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
2. Mitski – Bury Me At Makeout Creek
3. Jessica Lea Mayfield – Make My Head Sing
4. Real Estate – Atlas
5. Modern Baseball – You’re Gonna Miss It All
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
What I’m most looking forward to in 2015 is finally being done with school and beginning the life of a real person, you know, cooking for yourself and budgeting your money, that stuff. I am very stoked to move to New York and get a job there in the music world.
Your New Year’s resolution:
My New Year’s resolution for 2015 is to step out of my comfort zone even more. Life is going to throw a lot of new stuff at me and I want to be ready and excited for what changes are to come.
Erik Felix – Radio Promoter, A Man A Plan A Canal:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib – Piñata
Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
Marissa Nadler – July
Dean Blunt – Black Metal
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Wild Nothing
Your New Year’s resolution:
Visit a new state in America
Kelly Fitzpatrick – Radio Promotion, Capitol:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
1. Beck – Morning Phase
2. The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream
3. ODESZA – In Return
4. Meatbodies – Meatbodies
5. Hundred Waters – The Moon Rang Like A Bell
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Badbadnotgood + Ghostface Killah & The Wrens
Your New Year’s resolution:
Pet more animals.
Canada M. Fox – Radio Promoter, Pirate!:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Alphabetical-ish order
Liars – Mess – Mute
Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2 – Mass Appeal
Rural Alberta Advantage – Mended With Gold – Saddle Creek
Tinariwen – Emmaar – Anti-
Various Artists – Only Lovers Left Alive (soundtrack) – ATP
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Big Walnuts Yonder – TBA – Sargent House
Your New Year’s resolution:
This year I resolve to give a name to every raccoon.
Max Freedman – Head Music Director, RLC “The Core”:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
5) Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire for No Witness
4) Makthaverskan – II
3) Ava Luna – Electric Balloom
2) Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else
1) St. Vincent – St. Vincent
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
The new Bjork album! It’s not confirmed yet, but Arca says they’re in the studio together. And if a Beach House album pops up too, I’m 100% on board.
Your New Year’s resolution:
Hopefully listen to more hip-hop! I need to delve into the modern classics, but also the new stuff. My expanded top albums list this year only has one hip-hop album, so I need to expand my taste. Also, catching Bjork, Dirty Projectors and/or Beach House, if any of them tour next year, is a priority.
Tyler Freese – Radio Promoter, Co-Sign:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
1) The Hotelier – Home, Like Noplace There Is
2) Hundred Waters – The Moon Rang Like A Bell
3) Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels 2
4) Foxing – The Albatross
5) Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Tie between Motion City Soundtracks LP6 and Fall Out Boy American Beauty/American Psycho (DON’T JUDGE:))
Your New Year’s resolution:
Listen to more music. SERIOUSLY. Making my top albums list made me realize how few albums I was really able to dig into this year.
Kari Gaffney – Kari-On Productions:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Sam Boshnack Quintet – Exploding Syndrome (shnack)
Beat Funktion – Voodooland (Do Music)
Ulysses Owens – Onward and Upward (D-clef records)
Matija Dedic – Sentiana (Blue Bamboo Music)
Ian O’Beirne – Glasswork (self-released)
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Art Lillard – Certain Relationships (Summitt Records)
Your New Year’s resolution:
To launch a new system that has been in the making for over 10 months, we hope this system will be a more useful and powerful tool for MDs and DJs to interface with our company to cut down on the countless hours of previewing music for playlists.
Dan Grasso- Radio Promoter, AAM:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Future Islands – Singles (4AD)
Ty Segall – Manipulator (Drag City)
Together Pangea – Badillac (Harvest)
Gardens and Villa – Dunes (Secretly Canadian)
Twin Peaks – Wild Onion (Grand Jury)
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Young Buffalo – House (Votiv)
Your New Year’s resolution:
Buy a suit!
Tenni Gharakhanian – Radio Promoter, AAM:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Allah-Las – Worship The Sun (Innovative Leisure)
Jesus Sons – Jesus Sons (Mock)
Nick Waterhouse – Holly (Innovative Leisure)
Ty Segall – Manipulator (Drag City)
Young Jessie – Don’t Happen No More (Jazzman)
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster’s The Best of The Best Show on Numero Group
Your New Year’s resolution:
Wear more skirts
Erik Gilbert – CEO, CV America:
Your five favorite albums of 2014:
Rokkurro – Innra
Your most anticipated album for 2015:
Young Ejecta
Your New Year’s resolution:
Do less work!
The post What College Radio Liked In 2014 appeared first on CMJ.