Original art by Ava Trembath, age 9
The years just seem to fly by a little too damn quick, don’t they? Each December I find myself thinking, “Wow, it’s end of year list time already?”. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a single year can pass before I even realize it. And it also never ceases to amaze me just how much great music I manage to get my greedy little hands on. Some of the wonderful artists I have gotten to know over the years, if only digitally, have turned out to be some pretty amazing folks who I am honored to even just have a few “1’s” and “0’s” that make up a digital conversation with them. And each and every year somebody the list just grows longer as I discover new amazing artists that make their way into the usual lineup here at Trainwreck’d Society (this year’s #1 and #2 spots are prime examples!).
2014 was a great year for music (I know, I say that every year). It was a brilliant blend of indie rock sensations, wonderful crafted hip hop lyricists, old favorites, revisited classics, and so much more. As I mentioned in our Top 40 Songs of 2014, it would behoove me to disclaim that Trainwreck’d Society took a bit of detour (a “derailment” if you will) from the music scene, and steered harder towards the world of film. While we always claim to be an “entertainment blog” to justify such madness, it’s no secret that we started mostly as a place to highlight some of the finest acts in independent music. And although we managed to branch out into the “mainstream” more and more each year, the heart of Trainwreck’d Society will always be with the sweet children of mercy from the world of independent music.
So, with all that being said and done, let’s get to the list! Thank you to all the fine reader(s) out there, and to the wonderful folks featured on this list that made our ears happy throughout 2014. Enjoy!
37.5 Bodi – The Ratatat EP
37. Blue Skies For Black Hearts – Blue Skies For Black Hearts
36. The Valery Trails – Buffalo Speedway
35. Weird Al Yankovic – Mandatory Fun
34. Leonard Cohen – Popular Problems
33. The Evangenitals – Moby Dick (or, The Album)
32. Electric Needle Room – It’s Getting Personal
31. Sage Francis – Copper Gone
30. Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
29. Brianne Kathleen – How The Rain Goes
28. Atmosphere – Southsiders
27. Cracker – Berkeley To Bakersfield
26. Rocket 3 – Burn
25. Spoon – They Want My Soul
24. Drowners – Drowners
23. Toni Braxton & Babyface – Love, Marriage, & Divorce
22. Wu-Tang Clan – A Better Tomorrow
21. Childbirth – It’s A Girl
20. The Droge & Summers Blend – Volume Two
19. Kool Stuff Katie – Kool Stuff Katie
18. Bike Thief – Stuck In A Dream
17. Cowboy Mouth – Go!
16. Infidelix – Nomadic
15. Simple Steven – Abandon All Anchors
14. Sterile Jets – Liquor Store
13. Beck – Morning Phase
12. Pawns or Kings – Pomme De Terre
11. Andy B – Those Were the Days
10. Sadistik – Ultraviolet
9. Ronnie Fauss – Built To Break
8. The Verve Pipe – Overboard
7. Cariad Harmon – Cariad Harmon
6. Grynch – Street Lights
5. Tacocat – NVM
4. Ormonde – Cartographer/Explorer
3. Robin Grey – More Than Today
2. Violent Psalms – Slow To Speak
1. Sam Cregger – Tell Me Something Different
Filed under: Exclusive!