Best of 2014: Staff Picks
Who and what we loved in twenty-fourteen.
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Rita Houston | Russ Borris | Corny O'Connell | Carmel Holt | Dennis Elsas | Darren DeVivo | John Platt | Alisa Ali | Eric Holland | Paul Cavalconte | Vin Scelsa | Sarah Wardrop | Kara Manning | Ceol na nGael | Bob Sherman | Laura Fedele | George Evans | Jim O'Hara | Shari Rosen Ascher
Rita Houston
Program Director and Host of The Whole Wide World
Top 10 Songs
1. St. Paul and the Broken Bones "Call Me"
2. Hozier "Take Me to Church"
3. Asgeir "King and Cross"
4. St. Vincent "Digital Witness"
5. Pharrell Williams "Happy"
6. Jungle "Busy Earnin'"
7. Conor Oberst "Hundreds of Ways"
8. Future Islands "Seasons"
9. Jack White "High Ball Stepper"
10. The War on Drugs "Under the Pressure"
Listen on Spotify: Best of 2014: Rita Houston
Top 10 Albums
1. Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour
2. Rosanne Cash The River and The Thread
3. Beck Morning Phase
4. Lake Street Dive Bad Self Portraits
5. Damon Albarn Everyday Robots
6. Elbow The Takeoff and Landing of Everything
7. Lucinda Williams Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone
8. David Gray Mutineers
9. Damien Rice My Favourite Faded Fantasy
10. Kindness Otherness
Discovery of the Year: Bear's Den
Russ Borris
Music Director and Host of The Alternate Side on FUV
Top 10 Songs
1. Future Islands "Seasons (Waiting on You)"
2. Hozier "Take Me to Church"
3. Chromeo "Jealous (I Ain't With It)"
4. Strand of Oaks "Shut In"
5. Bob Mould "I Don't Know You Anymore"
6. The Gaslight Anthem "Get Hurt"
7. Against Me! "Black Me Out"
8. Field Report "Home (Leave the Lights On)"
9. Stars "Trap Door"
10. Perfume Genius "Queen"
Listen on Spotify: Best of 2014: Russ Borris
Top 10 Albums
1. Strand of Oaks HEAL
2. Future Islands Singles
3. Field Report Marigolden
4. St. Vincent St. Vincent
5. The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream
6. Hozier Hozier
7. FREEMAN FREEMAN
8. Caribou Our Love
9. Dum Dum Girls Too True
10. The New Pornographers Brill Bruisers
Discovery of the Year: Hozier
Corny O'Connell
FUV Weekday Host
Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)
1. Charli XCX "Break the Rules"
2. Elbow "New York Morning"
3. Kiesza, Mick Jenkins "Losin' My Mind"
4. Son Little "The River"
5. The Orwells "The Righteous One"
6. The Raveonettes "Killer in the Streets"
7. Seinabo Sey "Hard Time"
8. Temples "Shelter Song"
9. Thievery Corporation, Karina Zeviani "Meu Nego"
10. The War on Drugs "Under the Pressure"
Listen on Spotify: Best of 2014: Corny O'Connell
Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)
1. Ryan Adams Ryan Adams
2. The Black Keys Turn Blue
3. Benjamin Booker Benjamin Booker
4. Ben Howard I Forget Where We Were
5. Hozier Hozier
6. Ray Lamontagne Supernova
7. Spoon They Want My Soul
8. Thievery Corporation Saudade
9. The War on Drugs Lost n the Dream
10. Jack White Lazaretto
Discovery of the Year: Elle King
Carmel Holt
FUV Weekday Host, Assistant Music Director
Top 10 Songs
1. Elbow "New York Morning"
2. Beck "Blue Moon"
3. Damon Albarn "Lonely Press Play"
4. The War On Drugs "Red Eyes"
5. Phantogram "Fall In Love"
6. Asgeir "King and Cross"
7. St. Vincent "Digital Witness"
8. The New Pornographers "Brill Bruisers"
9. Bob Mould "I Don't Know You Anymore"
10. Glass Animals "Gooey"
Listen on Spotify: Best of 2014: Carmel Holt
Top 10 Albums
1. Beck Morning Phase
2. Damon Albarn Everyday Robots
3. Field Report Marigolden
4. Sylvan Esso Sylvan Esso
5. Sharon Van Etten Are We There
6. The New Pornographers Brill Bruisers
7. Ryley Walker All Kinds of You
8. Warpaint Warpaint
9. TV On The Radio Seeds
10. Hiss Golden Messenger The Lateness of Dancers
Honorable Mention
Damien Jurado Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son, Ryan Adams "Ryan Adams", Dum Dum Girls "Too True", Asgeir "In The Silence", Luluc "Passerby", Glass Animals "Zaba"
Discovery of the Year: Asgeir
Dennis Elsas
FUV Weekday Host
Top Songs (Alphabetical)
1. Benjamin Booker "Violent Shiver"
2. Bob Mould "I Don't Know You Anymore"
3. Chrissie Hynde "Dark Sunglasses"
4. Cold War Kids "All This Could Be Yours"
5. David Gray "Back in the World"
6. Field Report "Home"
7. Kongos "Come With Me Now"
8. Lake Street Dive "You Go Down Smooth"
9. Minor Alps I "Don't Know What To Do With My Hands"
10. New Pornographers "Dancehall Domine"
11. Nada Surf "I Wanna Take You Home"
12. Old 97's "Longer Than You've Been Alive"
13. Phish "The Line"
14. Tweedy "Low Key"
Listen on Spotify: Best of 2014: Dennis Elsas
Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)
1. Black Keys Turn Blue
2. Chrissie Hynde Stockholm
3. New Pornographers Brill Bruisers
4. Nicole Atkins Slow Phaser
5. Ray Lamontagne Supernova
6. Robert Plant Lullaby...And the Ceaseless Roar
7. Spoon They Want My Soul
8 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Hypnotic Eye
9. Trigger Hippy Trigger Hippy
10. U2 Songs of Innocence
Discovery of the Year: Strypes
Darren DeVivo
FUV Weekday and FUV Music Weekend Host
Top Ten Songs (Alphabetical)
1. Jackson Browne "Which Side?" Standing In The Breach
2. Eric Clapton "Call Me The Breeze" The Breeze An Appreciation Of JJ Cale
3. (Brian) Eno - (Karl) Hyde "Daddy's Car" Someday World
4. Future Islands "Seasons (Waiting On You)" Singles
5. The Hold Steady "Spinners" Teeth Dreams
6. Old 97s "Longer Than You've Been Alive" Most Messed Up
7. Phantogram "Fall In Love" Voices
8. Strand Of Oaks "Goshen '97" Heal
9. TV On The Radio "Happy Idiot" Seeds
10. Jack White "Lazaretto" Lazaretto
Listen on Spotify: Best of 2014: Darren DeVivo
Top Ten Albums (Alphabetical)
1. Asia Gravitas
2. The Autumn Defense Fifth
3. Eric Johnson and Mike Stern Eclectic
4. Pat Metheny Unity Group Kin
5. Bob Mould Beauty & Ruin
6. Pink Floyd The Endless River
7. Robert Plant Lullaby And...The Ceaseless Roar
8. Real Estate Atlas
9. Trigger Hippy Trigger Hippy
10. The War On Drugs Lost In The Dream
Albums Just Under My Top 10 But Still Worthy Of Mention, Including Three Live Albums From The Archives (live albums marked with a *) (Alphabetical)
1 Jack Bruce Silver Rails
2. Eric Clapton And Friends The Breeze An Appreciation Of JJ Cale
3. Leonard Cohen Popular Problems
4. John Coltrane Offering Live At Temple University *
5. David Crosby Croz
6. Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young CSNY 1974 *
7. R.E.M. Unplugged 1991 2001 The Complete Sessions *
8. Strand Of Oaks Heal
9. TV On The Radio Seeds
10 Yes Heaven & Earth
Discovery of the Year: Syd Arthur
John Platt
Sunday Breakfast Host
Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)
1. Field Report "Home (Leave the Lights On)"
2. John Fullbright "When You're Here"
3. Hozier "Take Me to Church"
4. Lake Street Dive "You Go Down Smooth"
5. Willie Nile "American Ride"
6. Ellis Paul "Kick Out the Lights" (Johnny Cash)
7. Danny Schnidt & Carrie Elkin "Company of Friends"
8. The Sea The Sea "Love We Are We Love"
9. Trigger Hippy "Rise Up Singing"
10. Jesse Winchester "All We Have Is Now"
Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)
1. Jackson Browne Standing in the Breach - His best in years, with songs about our lives and our world
2. Rosanne Cash The River and the Thread - Tracing her Southern roots with her usual well-crafted songs
3. Billy Childs Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro - Creative homage to a true icon, with vocals crossing genres, from Renee Fleming to Rickie Lee Jones to Dianne Reeves to Alison Krauss
4. John Fullbright Songs - One of America's premier young songwriters continues to develop
5. Lake Street Dive Bad Self-Portraits - Start with their songs and instrumental chops, then top them off with Rachel Price's incredible vocals
6. Natalie Merchant Natalie Merchant - Her first album of original material in 13 years was well worth the wait
7. Raul Midon Don't Hestitate - Beautiful flowing songs and help from Marcus Miller, Richard Bona, and Dianne Reeves
8. Louise Mosrie Louise Mosrie - An authentic voice of the South finds the perfect producer in Cliff Eberhardt
9. The New Basement Tapes Lost on the River - Dylan hands over unreleased lyrics to T Bone Burnett, who recruits Elivs Costello, Marcus Mumford, Jim James, Tayor Goldsmith and Rhiannon Giddens to create the music
10. Thompson Family - Teddy Thompson engineers a multi-generational reunion (reconciliation?) of the talented Thompson clan
Discovery of the Year: Matt Nakoa, a supremely gifted singer-songwriter-guitarist-pianist from Brooklyn by way of Boston
Alisa Ali
The Alternate Side Host, Producer & On-Air Interviewer for WFUV
Top 10 Songs
1. Sylvan Esso "H.S.K.T"
2. Real Estate "Talking Backwards"
3. Ex Hex "Don't Wanna Lose"
4. Bob Mould "I Don't Know You Anymore"
5. Foxygen "How Can You Really"
6. Chet Faker "1998"
7. Hospitality "Going Out"
8. The Orwells "Who Needs You"
9. Ty Segall "Manipulator"
10. My Brightest Diamond "Pressure"
Listen on Spotify: Best of 2014: Alisa Ali
Top 10 Albums
1. The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream
2. Kevin Morby Still Life
3. Cloud Nothings Here and Nowhere Else
4. Spoon They Want My Soul
5. Ty Segall Manipulator
6. Beck Morning Phase
7. Hospitality Trouble
8. Purling Hiss Weirdon
9. William Onyeabor World Psychedelic Classics 5
10. The Orwells Disgraceland
Discovery of the Year: Kevin Morby
Eric Holland
Host, WFUV, FUV Music Weekend and The Alternate Side
Top 10 Songs
1. Phox "Slow Motion"
2. Alt J "Left Hand Free"
3. Greylag "Yours to Shake"
4. Nada Surf "I Wanna Take You Home"
5. Thurston Moore "The Best Day"
6. Lana Del Ray "Brooklyn Baby"
7. Leonard Cohen "Almost Like The Blues"
8. The Apache Relay "Katie: Queen of Tennessee"
9. Cloud Nothings "I'm Not Part of Me"
10. Bob Mould "I Don't Know You Anymore"
Top 10 Albums
1. Old 97s Most Messed Up
2. Hurray For The Riff Raff Small Town Heroes
3. Spoon They Want My Soul
4. The Hold Steady Teeth Dreams
5. Jack White Lazaretto
6. Kooks Listen
7. Beck Morning Phase
8. Kenny Garrett Pushing The World Away
9. Autumn Defense Fifth
10. Thievery Corporation Saudade
Discovery of the Year: Trigger Hippy
Concerts
1 Replacements/Deer Tick/Hold Steady 9/19 Forest Hills Stadium
2 Dr Lonnie Smith 9/14 Jazz Standard
3 Petty/Winwood 9/10 MSG
4 Tony Bennett 7/1 Salle Wilfrid Pelletier, Montreal
5 Robert Plant 9/27 BAM
6 Dinosaur Jr 7/12 South Street Seaport
7 Sharon Van Etten 5/22 Rockwood Music Hall
8 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 2/6 Beacon Theater
9 The Orwells 10/15 Irving Plaza
10 Eric Johnson & Mike Stern 11/9 Webster Hall
Best Reissue
Uncle Tupelo No Depression
Paul Cavalconte
WFUV Guest Host
Top 10 Songs
1. Black Keys "Gotta Get Away" - The best driving song since "Running Down A Dream."
2. Future Islands "Seasons" - Synth pop with heart and soul
3. Elbow "New York Morning" - Enigmatic, elegant, hopeful, real. Like our city. Except for those Brooklyn poseurs (cough)
4. Kongos "Walk" - OK, it's 4 years old. And its a re-write of theIr dads greatest hits. Newsflash: IT ROCKS.
5. Jeremy Messersmith "Ghost" - Sweet haunting tune from another sad midwesterner--but with an edge.
6. Lake Street Dive "You Go Down Smooth" - All aged-in-the-cask rock does, my little ones...
7. Conor Oberst "Hundreds Of Ways" - Catchy as heck, if a tad menacing in spots. Is he giving himself a good talking to on this one?
8. Spoon "Do You" - One to play on the jukebox over and over till you get kicked out
9. Temples "Shelter Song" - If Lenny Kaye put together Nuggets today he'd have to include this psychedelic lollypop.
10. Robert Plant "Rainbow" - The 800 million dollar kid with the oh, at least 1 million dollar voice. Still got it.
Top 10 Albums
1. Jack White Lazaretto - Boy can he make a record. And then press it himself. Jack of all trades strikes again
2. Beck Morning Phase - Moody, deep and real. Love Beck when he ditches the schtick
3. Damon Albarn Everyday Robots - Arty and fine, an unexpected gem from an always evolving artist. Bravo.
4. David Bowie Nothing Has Changed - That it hasn't. Still a vital, relevant, growing artist. A world treasure.
5. Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour - One to watch.
6. The War On Drugs Lost In The Dream - State of the art middle aged indie rock. Only targets the grey.
7. Conor Oberst Upside Down Mountain - Melodies sweet enough to make the wildly mixed metaphors of his lyrics go down smoother
8. Tom Petty Hypnotic Eye - New rules: When you finally do wake up Tom Petty--watchout!
9. Broken Bells After The Disco - Made me race to the Salvation Army and demand my polyester back.
10. Annie Lennox Nostalgia - Exquisite, and she has the chops for the material.
Discovery of the Year: Hozier - Take him to church, and watch everyone stare.
Vin Scelsa
Host of Idiot's Delight
Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)
1 Ani Difranco "Rainy Parade" - "You just got to take your lemons / And make your lemonade ... " - Ani Difranco
2 Harry Dean Stanton "Everybody's Talking" -"Straight ahead. This is a heroin song, by the way, written by Fred Neil." - Harry Dean Stanton
3 Jackson Browne "Yeah Yeah" - From "Standing In The Breach".
4 Jonny Two Bags "One Foot In The Gutter" - A blip-kickin' Anthem! With a capital A.
5 Kris Delmhorst "92nd St" - See note below.
6 Lucinda Williams "Compassion" - See note below on Leonard Cohen and apply here.
7 Mike Mattison "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" - Inspired Buzzcocks cover; on "You Can't Fight Love".
8 Parsonsfield "Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me" - Fun Mississippi John Hurt cover on their "Afterparty EP".
9 Prince & 3rdeyegirl "Wow" - Wow, indeed! On "Plectrum Electrum".
10 Simone Felice "Molly-O" - Always makes me smile.
Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)
1 Ataloft Ataloft - Frogholler frontman Darren Schlappich's latest project.
2 Bahamas Bahamas Is Afie - Such sweet melodies.
3 Barb Jungr Hard Rain - The Songs Of Bob Dylan & Leonard Cohen My favorite cabaret-style song interpreter; she always "does" Dylan in unique fashion.
4 Beck Morning Phase - My favorite album for radio segues this year.
5 Bill Frisell Guitars In The Space Age! - Delightful take on the origin of twang. Does this man ever rest?
5 David Poe God & The Girl - He's my link back to Tim Hardin. No one does the battle of the sexes better.
7 Dean Wareham Dean Wareham - He continues to live up to the promises of Galaxie 500 and Luna. Keeps getting better.
8 Desert Noises 27 Ways - It's time for the world to catch on to this band.
9 Good Luck Mountain too - Tandy frontman Mike Ferrio's latest sad and beautiful collection of songs.
10 Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction - The soundtrack to the doc film of the same name.
11 Jeffrey Dean Foster The Arrow - The long-awaited followup to "Million Star Hotel" ... and worth the wait.
12 Jonny Two Bags Salvation Town - A rollicking solo album from Jonny Wickersham of Social Distortion.
13 Kris Delmhorst Blood Test - "Sweetest sounds ever heard / Coming through a broken speaker." - from "92nd St"
14 Laura Cantrell No Way There From Here - The Radio Thrift Shop lives on in her wonderful songs.
15 Leonard Cohen Popular Problems - The man is a true saint ... as only an exquisite sinner can be. He is my lifetime Role Model.
16 Lucinda Williams Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone - 2 CDs of great songs and nary a throwaway to be found. Brilliant!
17 Maggie Björklund Shaken - She plays haunting pedal steel guitar; sings, too,
18 Neil Diamond Melody Road - Brand new, yes, but already essential!
19 Richard Thompson Acoustic Classics - So nice to hear these songs with the guitar front and center!
20 Simone Felice Strangers - Still haunted, but not so unhappy anymore.
Discoveries of the Year
I have two: Agnes Obel and Maggie Björklund - both from Denmark.
Sarah Wardrop
Assistant Program Director, FUV Music Weekend Host
Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)
1. Damon Albarn, "Lonely Press Play"
2. Bahamas, "All The Time"
3. Bob Mould, "I Don't Know You Anymore"
4. Amy Ray, "Duane Allman"
5. Real Estate, "Talking Backwards"
6. St. Vincent, "Digital Witness"
7. Stars, "Trap Door"
8. Sylvan Esso, "H.S.K.T."
9. tUnE-yArDs, "Water Fountain"
10. Tweedy, "Low Key"
Listen on Spotify: Best of 2014: Sarah Wardrop
Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)
1. Ryan Adams, Ryan Adams
2. Beck, Morning Phase
3. Hurray For The Riff Raff, Small Town Heroes
4. The New Pornographers, Brill Bruisers
5. Sharon Van Etten, Are We There
6. Spoon, They Want My Soul
7. St. Vincent, St. Vincent
8. Stars, No One Is Lost
9. Strand of Oaks, HEAL
10. TV On The Radio, Seeds
Discovery of the Year: Son Little
Kara Manning
UKNY Host, Digital Editor and On-Air Interviewer
Top 10 Songs
1. M + A "When" - This London-based Italian duo included this breezy track on their 2013 album, but it wasn't until 2014 that they received Glastonbury's emerging artist kudos and this became my favorite summer single.
2. St. Vincent "Digital Witness" - Can't get tired of this and always want to do Annie Clark's hand-to-arm choreography and right-to-left head snaps whenever I hear it.
3. Bob Mould "I Don't Know You Anymore" - Makes me want to return to the '90s and wear floral dresses, fuzzy cardigans and Doc Martens.
4. Tiny Ruins "Reasonable Man" - Gorgeous, fragile and exquisitely simple.
5. Ben Watt "Spring" - A sweetly crafted song, slightly reminiscent of All Things Must Pass-era George Harrison, that sheds sadness for the blush of budding hope.
6. East India Youth "Heaven, How Long" - Three of the finest singles this year came from East India Youth's William Doyle. It was tough to choose between "Looking For Someone," "Dripping Down" and "Heaven, How Long," but the build of whispery tension and then galloping release on the latter track is exhilarating.
7. Jimi Goodwin "Oh Whiskey" - Doves vocalist Jimi Goodwin's beautiful, husky, booze-soaked lament takes unexpected twists and turns.
8. Fold "Blinding Light" - An astutely sampled song crafted in grief, swollen with goodbyes and empathy, and it makes me cry.
9. GoGo Penguin - "Hopopono" - Exquisite. A shimmering, piano-driven idyll from this Mercury Prize-nominated jazz group.
10. Sylvan Esso "H.S.K.T." - How perfect is this little disco-meets-nursery rhyme gem? Absolutely perfect.
11 LoneLady "Groove It Out" - It was impossible to leave my end-of-year song crush off the list: a snaky, funky, sexy dance gem.
Top 10 Albums (in no particular order)
1. Damon Albarn Everyday Robots - An intimate, thoughtful album, warmly rendered in this chilly tech-obsessed world and startling in Albarn's willingness to be so candid about shattered relationships, childhood, aging and the arrhythmic beat of his heart.
2. Aphex Twin Syro - Richard James took 13 years to release this agile, fever dream of a record under the Aphex Twin moniker; it's a rush of sonic conversations, murmurings, hedgerow mazes and hidden treasures.
3. Happyness Weird Little Birthday - A young London trio that deftly balances hazy roars of perfect, dirty guitar pop with delicate, labyrinthine jams. The icing on their fuzzed-out cake is their surreal sense of humor.
4. St. Vincent St. Vincent - The way Annie Clark attacks these songs in a live setting is breathtaking. A giant leap forward for a great songwriter and guitarist.
5. Caribou Our Love - Dan Snaith's complex, fecund, fragile and unabashedly handsome treatise on love, driven by restless beats, electronic shivers, orgasmic crescendos and an eye to early morning regrets.
6. Slow Club Complete Surrender - Charles Watson and vocal powerhouse Rebecca Taylor mix fierce, emotional ballads, brassy Northern soul, and smart, sophisticated pop on their excellent (and heartbroken) third album.
7. Cymbals The Age of Fracture - A sheer pleasure; this London band renders a cerebral, contemporary spin on ebullient synth pop that makes no apologies for their love of bands like New Order or Talking Heads.
8. Gruff Rhys American Interior - Leave it to a witty, quirky Welshman to record the the year's most interesting record about American history.
9. Kevin Drew Darlings - The second solo release from Broken Social Scene's co-frontman, 'Darlings' is in turns voluptuous, messy, vulnerable, shambolic, funny, weary, tender, despairing, defiant and smart.
10. Underworld dubnobasswithmyheadman (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Remastered box set) - Yes, this is a reissue, but hearing such a rich remastering of this brilliant 1994 album--which meshed electronic, rock and dance music in a groundbreaking way--plus unreleased improvs, bonus tracks and demos is akin to discovering it for the first time (again). Radiohead and Björk were deeply influenced by this album as are emerging bands like Sylvan Esso and Jagwar Ma.
Honorable Mention: Beck, Morning Phase; East India Youth, Total Strife Forever; Eno Hyde, Someday World; The 2 Bears,The Night Is Young; Clark, Clark; Agnes Obel, Aventine; Ibibio Sound Machine, Ibibio Sound Machine; Samaris, Silkidranger; Robert Plant, lullaby and ... the ceaseless roar; Elbow, The Take Off and Landing of Everything; The War on Drugs, Lost in the Dream; Young Fathers, Dead.
Discovery of the Year: Happyness
Ceol na nGael
Music of the Irish
Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)
1. Billy Keenan and Friends "Craic was Ninety in the Isle of Man"
2. Celtic Cross "One Last Party"
3. The Yanks "Corney is Coming/The New Mown Meadow/The Graf Spey"
4. Rose Flanagan & Laura Byrne "Pipers Despair/King of the Clans/Love at the Endings"
5. We Banjo Three "Tell Me Why (Gather the Good)"
6. Ashley Davis "Alone With Me"
7. Runa "The Hunter Set"
8. Cassie and Maggie "Sisters"
9. Declan O'Rourke "Let's Make Big Love"
10. Andy Cooney "Noreen
Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)
1. We Banjo 3 Gather the Good
2. The Yanks Haymaker
3. Celtic Cross Saoirse's Heart
4. Billy Keenan and Friends Believe
5. Rose Flanagan & Laura Byrne Forget Me Not
6. Runa Current Affairs
7. Ashley Davis Night Travels
8. Cassie & Maggie Sterling Road
9. Andy Cooney Bright Brand New Day
10. Luka Bloom Head and Heart
Discovery of the Year: Billy Keenan
Bob Sherman
Woody's Children Host
Best New Song
Peggy Seeger "Everything Changes"
Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)
1. Daniel Boling Sleeping Dogs (Berkalin)
2. Tom Chapin A Light in Your Window (Sundance)
3. Mark Erelli Milltowns (Erelli)
4. Tim Grimm The Turning Point (Cavalier)
5. Michael Johnathon Looking Glass (Poet Man)
6. Johnsmith The Longing Road (Elixir)
7. Mike Laureanno Pushing Back Wintertime (Laureanno)
8. Paul Sachs Survival is the New Success (Sachs)
9. Peggy Seeger Everything Changes
10. Ernest Troost O Love (Troost)
Laura Fedele
New Media Director
Top 10 Songs (Alphabetical)
1. David Gray "Back in the World" Mutineers
2. Elbow "New York Morning" The Take Off and Landing of Everything
3. Field Report "Home (Leave the Lights On)" Marigolden
4. Hozier "Take Me to Church" Hozier
5. Nicole Atkins "Girl You Look Amazing" Slow Phaser
6. Ray Lamontagne "Lavender" Supernova
7. St. Vincent "Digital Witness" St. Vincent
8. tUnE-yArDs "Water Fountain"
9. The New Basement Tapes "Kansas City" Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes
10. The War On Drugs "Under the Pressure" Lost In The Dream
Top 10 Albums (Alphabetical)
1. Beck Morning Phase
2. Damon Albarn Everyday Robots
3. Elbow The Take Off and Landing of Everything
4. Lake Street Dive Bad Self Portraits
5. Lucinda Williams Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone
6. Neil Finn Dizzy Heights
7. Rosanne Cash The River & The Thread
8. Ryan Adams Ryan Adams
9. St. Vincent St. Vincent
10. Tweedy Sukierae
Discovery of the Year: St. Paul & The Broken Bones - see them live!
George Evans
Director of Technical Operations, WFUV Guest Host
Top 10 Songs
1. Real Estate "Talking Backwards"
2. PHOX "Slow Motion"
3. Future Islands "Seasons (Waiting On You)"
4. The Black Keys "Gotta Get Away"
5. Spoon "Do You"
6. Bob Mould "I Don't Know You Anymore"
7. Sylvan Esso "Coffee"
8. Wild Cub "Thunder Clatter"
9. Field Report "Home"
10. Horse Thief "Devil"
11. Ben Howard "Conrad"
12. St. Paul and The Broken Bones "Call Me"
Top 10 Albums
1. Real Estate Atlas
2. The Black Keys Turn Blue
3. Jack White Lazaretto
4. Spoon They Want My Soul
5. Ben Howard I Forget Where We Were
6. Hozier Hozier
7. PHOX PHOX
8. Horse Thief Fear In Bliss
9. Future Islands Singles
10. Damon Albarn Everyday Robots
Discovery of the Year: PHOX (from Wisonsin) or Happyness (cheeky lads from South London)
Jim O'Hara
Associate Director of Technical Operations
Top 10 Songs (in order of awesomeness)
1. Future Islands "Seasons (Waiting On You)"
2. St. Vincent "Digital Witness"
3. Hozier "Take Me To Church"
4. Strand of Oaks "Goshen '97"
5. The War on Drugs "Red Eyes"
6. Timber Timbre "Hot Dreams"
7. Death From Above 1979 "Right On, Frankenstein!"
8. Alt-J "Hunger of the Pine"
9. Field Report "Home (Leave the Lights On)"
10. Mogwai "Remurdered"
Top 10 Albums (in order of awesomeness)
1. Strand of Oaks HEAL
2. St. Vincent St. Vincent
3. Future Islands Singles
4. Hozier Hozier
5. Death From Above 1979 The Physical World
6. Cloud Nothings Here and Nowhere Else
7. Perfect Pussy Say Yes to Love
8. Field Report Marigolden
9. The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream
10. Fucked Up Glass Boys
Discovery of the Year: Happyness
Shari Rosen Ascher
Corporate Underwriting Sales Director
Top Songs
1. Trigger Hippy "Rise Up Singing"
2. Old 97s "Longer than You've Been Alive"
3. Ryan Adams "Gimme Something Good"
4. Sam Smith "I'm Not The Only One"
Top Albums
1. Old 97s Most Messed Up Great Rock n Roll. Pure and Simple. And Rhett Miller's hair! That's all I need.
2. Trigger Hippy Trigger Hippy If it's got Joan Osborne, I'm in! Love her voice and her vibe.
3. Ryan Adams Ryan Adams Also, just great rock and roll. But he might want to get some hair advice from Rhett Miller :)
Discovery of the Year: Benjamin Booker - Can't resist a guy with a guitar.
See: 2014 Releases
