The Well-Played List Best of 2014 Round-Up: from Hookworms to Wye Oak to Alt-J & more

It’s been a rather diverse and frankly great year in music, and we've had our ears to the ground to report back to you about it here for the ongoing listening series otherwise known as The Well-Played List. For the final edition of WPL for 2014, my rotating crew of tastemakers — local music promoters, record store and venue owners, music fans and scenesters, DJs, musicians, and a radio personality or two — weigh in on their favorite releases of the year.

I will be posting my own picks of 2014 early next week, but in the meantime, check out what some folks in the know have to say about their faves below, with a Spotify playlist included. And on that note, what are some of your faves from this year? Tell us in the comments…

ADAM KUHN | Music fan and scenester with discerning taste | Front End Designer, Big Sea Design & Development

Cloud Nothings, Here and Nowhere Else Likely the best live band I saw this year, sophomore follow-up ups the energy quotient, arriving at the sweet spot between indie pop and '90s melodic punk.

The Body, I Shall Die Here Blackened doom metal band from Rhode Island teams up with Haxan Cloak to explore more electronic textures. Results still creepy as hell.

Ryan Adams, 1984 7" Alt-country popster Adams takes a swing at late '80s Midwestern-style punk pop, pretty much nails it.

The New Pornographers, Brill Bruisers Canadian indie pop supergroup returns with some of their catchiest, best-paced songs since Twin Cinema. Members have released tons of well-received solo output, but this record proves the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The Reigning Sound, Shattered Greg Cartwright settles in nicely to his new "mature" garage sound, still knows how to rock it like a teenager.

Protomartyr, Under Color of Official Right The new sound of Detroit, dour depressive post-punk garage but not without an incisive sense of self-deprecating humor and a strong pop sensibility.

Gold-Bears, Dalliance Power pop from Atlanta, frantic upbeat energy offset with tales of heartbreak and love gone wrong.

The Fresh and Onlys, House of Spirits Baroque indie garage band moves away from their San Francisco contemporaries, taking a few cues from the Smiths and the Cure.

Hookworms, The Hum Leeds psych band's follow-up to their excellent debut offers more of the same intensity, an ebb and flow of Hammond-style organs over fuzz drenched guitars with a frontman who wails like a maniac through a wall of reverb, never leaving a spare moment to catch one's breath.

Iceage, Plowing into the Field of Love Danish punk rock kids decide to adopt Nick Cave's gothic snarl, end up making their best record to date.

The Gooch Palms, NOVO's Sparse two-piece Australian male-female garage pop. Such solid songwriters you'll quickly forgive the fact that they're pretty sucky at playing instruments. Pretty sure they're having more fun than any band I know right now.

Institute, Salt 7" Discordant '80s style post-punk, like a lost Dischord or SST release. Makes me want to start a circle pit in my living room and knock over all my shit.

Thigh Master, Head of the Witch Jangley garage pop from Australia, right in line with the current crop of amazing bands from the area (Twerps, Bitch Prefect, UV Race, Dick Diver, etc). Lo fi, hi energy.

Honorable Mentions: King Tuff, Black Moon Spell; The Futures League, Don't Be a Drag; Tijuana Panthers, Wayne Interest; Sonic Avenues, Mistakes; The Ukiah Drag, In the Reaper's Quarters; The Hold Steady, Teeth Dreams; Angel Olsen, Burn Your Fire for No Witness; Parquet Courts, Sunbathing Animal; 31Ø8, S/T; Gino and the Goons, Shake It!; Trap Them, Blissfucker.

NICOLE aka ELAWGRRL | Photographer, Only Music Has the Answer
1. Tim Barry, Lost & Rootless & Raising Hell + Living Cheap, Live in Richmond (tie)
2. Cory Branan, No Hit Wonder
3. The Front Bottoms, Rose EP 
4. Lucero, Live from Atlanta
5. Matt Woods, With Love From Brushy Mountain 
6. Möngöl Hörde, Self Titled 
7. The Menzingers, Rented World
8. Restorations, LP3
9. The Smith Street Band, Throw Me In The River 
10. You Blew It!, Keep Doing What You're Doing 

ANDY WARRENER | freelance writer, CL & TBT.

KEITH ULREY | owner, Microgroove, New Granada Records
Wye Oak, Shriek
Solids, Blame Confusion
Braid, No Coast
Dum Dum Girls, Too True
Fugazi, Demo
Protomartyr, Under Color of Official Right
Triathalon, Lo-Tide
The Afghan Whigs, Do To The Beast
Hospitality, Trouble
Sinead O'Connor, I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss

Proud papa of these 2014 New Granada Records releases: 
Sunbears!, Future Sounds
Jen Wood, Wilderness
DieAlps!, DieAlps! EP

GABE ECHAZABAL
These are the albums that have rocked my world for the last 12 months…in no particular order:
Neil Finn, Dizzy Heights
Johnny Marr, Playland
Gerard Way, Hesitant Alien
St. Vincent, St. Vincent
Afghan Whigs, Do To The Beast
Jack White, Lazaretto
Manic Street Preachers, Futurology
Morrissey, World Peace Is None Of Your Business
Bryan Ferry, Avonmore
The New Basement Tapes, Lost On The River
Marianne Faithfull, Give My Love To London
The Empty Hearts, The Empty Hearts
Lake Street Dive, Bad Self Portraits
Nick Waterhouse, Holly
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Give The People What They Want

JACK SPATAFORA | Founder, aestheticized presents; DJ, Soft Rock Renegades
Listed alphabetically…
Bear In Heaven, Time Is Over One Day Old
Caribou, Our Love
Cloud Nothings, Here And Nowhere Else
Gardens & Villa, Dunes
Little Dragon, Nabuma Rubberband
Metronomy, Love Letters
Pomo, The Other Day
Survival Knife, Loose Power
Tilts, Cuatro Hombres
Wye Oak, Shriek

DEBORAH RAMOS
Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 2
Spoon, They Want My Soul
Wye Oak, Shriek
Sylvan Esso, Sylvan Esso
Cherub, Year of the Caprese
Mogwai, Rave Tapes
Stars, No One Is Lost
Alt-J, This is All Yours
Cloud Nothings, Here and Nowhere Else
Real Estate, Atlas

ALASTAIR ST. HILL | Local musician, Gentlemen Please & Early Forms; WMNF host, Grand National Championships
Here's my Top 15. It's just based on individual songs, although sometimes it's a choice that represents an album I love. It's based on how I feel today, and will probably change after I hit "send." And I probably forgot a whole bunch. God dammit.
Wye Oak, "Before" — Shriek
Cloud Nothings, "Now Hear In" — Her and Nowhere Else
Vertical Scratchers, "Memory Shards" — Daughter of Everything
Ty Segall, "Feel" — Manipulator
Parquet Courts, "Always Back In Town" — Sunbathing Animal
Aphex Twin, "Minipops 67" — Syro
Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra, "Take Away These Early Grave Blues" — Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything We See
Flying Lotus, "Tesla" — You're Dead!
Luxury Mane, "Where Do You Wait?" — Gold Standard
Dear and Glorious Physician, "Abraham's Poolside" — Live on Grand National Championships
Warpaint, "Keep It Healthy" — Warpaint
The Effects, "Closer" — Closer b/w Eyes to the Light
Solids, "Traces" — Blame Confusion
Ex Hex, "You Fell Apart" — Rips
Permanent Makeup, "Weak In The Knees" — Live on Grand National Championships

CHRIS NADEAU | non-musician, Permanent Makeup
Priests, Bodies and Control and Money and Power 12" EP
Cold Waste, Primitive cassette
Holly Hunt, Prometheus 12" EP 
Kid Aids, Tape cassette
Nude Tayne, Still Nude 
Ex-Breathers, ExBx 7"
Swans, To Be Kind
False Punk, Kick Rocks cassette
Nots, We Are Nots
Damaged Bug, Hubba Bubba
Solids, Blame Confusion
Shellac, Dude Incredible

https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:leilanipolk:playlist:6KrOKVsb3zIrJ2eQPN9kqi

This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2014.