35 – “The Top 29 Songs of 2014”

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No. 29
How to Dress Well – “Repeat Pleasure”

No.s 28-21

The Bird and the Bee – “Undone”

Ex Hex – “Don’t Wanna Lose”

Wimps – “Secret Message”

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – “Coming Down”

Tennis – “Never Work for Free”

Cloud Nothings – “I’m Not Part of Me”

Parquet Courts – “Ducking & Dodging”

Tennis – “Cured of Youth” 

No.s 20-11

Lucius – “Turn It Around”

St. Vincent – “Birth in Reverse”

Neko Case – “Man”

Lydia Loveless – “Head”

Bob Mould – “Hey Mr. Grey”

Noah and the Whale – “All Through the Night”

The Bamboos – “Helpless Blues”

Twin Peaks – “I Found a New Way”

Lake Street Dive – “Bad Self-Portraits”

Bob Mould – “I Don’t Know You Anymore”

No.s 10-2

Jetta – “Feel Like Coming Home”

Poliça – “Chain My Name”

The Pack A.D. – “Big Shot”

Los Campesinos! – “What Death Leaves Behind”

Bleached – “For the Feel”

Haim – “The Wire”

St. Paul and the Broken Bones – “Call Me”

Johnny Marr – “Easy Money”

Benjamin Booker – “Violent Shiver”

No. 1

Sugar Stems - "We Only Come Out at Night"

Autumn and the Rest of 2014

Nude Beach - "Yesterday"
Ex Hex - "Don't Wanna Lose"
AC/DC - "Rock or Bust"
Wormburner - "Somewhere Else to Be"
Pony Boy - "The Devil in Me"
TV on the Radio - "Lazerray"
The New Pornographers - "Dancehall Domine"
Johnny Marr - "Easy Money"
The Rural Alberta Advantage - "Terrified"
Jessica Hernandez And The Deltas - "Caught Up"
Robert Plant - "Rainbow"
Makthaverskan - "Asleep"
Bleached - "For the Feel"
Bob Mould - "I Don't Know You Anymore"
Twin Peaks - "I Found a New Way"
The Bird and the Bee - "Undone"
The Pharmacy - "Masten Lake Lagoon"
Fool's Gold - "I'm in Love"
SW/MM/NG - "Some Dreams Come True"
Angus & Julia Stone - "Grizzly Bear"
Self - "Runaway"
How to Dress Well - "Repeat Pleasure (Radio Edit)"
Hamilton Leithauser - "Alexandra"
Mariachi El Bronx - "Wildfire"
Rubblebucket - "Carousel Ride"
Foxygen - "How Can You Really"
Little Racer - "Dancing"
Brass Bed - "Be Anything"
Old Crow Medicine Show - "Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer"
So Cow - "Get Down off That Thing"
The Vaselines - "Last Half Hour"
Pete Molinari feat. Barrie Cadogan - "Hang My Head in Shame"
Caroline Rose - "Blood on Your Bootheels"
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - "MTLOV (Minor Keys)"
The Young Evils - "Renegades"
Yusuf (Cat Stevens) - "Gold Man"
Pert Near Sandstone - "You're No Good to Me"
Bleachers - "Roller Coaster"
Wampire - "Bad Attitude"
Saint Saviour - "Nobody Died"
Hookworms - "Radio Tokyo"
Generationals - "Black Lemon"
Future Islands - "Seasons (Waiting on You)"

Albums
Ex Hex - Rips
AC/DC - Rock or Bust
Johnny Marr - Playland
The Raveonettes -Pe'ahi
The Pack A.D. - Do Not Engage
Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
Broncho - Just Enough Hip to Be Woman
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Days of Abandon
TV on the Radio - Seeds
Sarah Mclachlan - Shine On
Courtney Barnett - The Double E.P.: A Sea of Split Peas
Tennis - Ritual in Repeat

34 – “Half a Decade in Review”

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The Vaccines – “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – “Where Was My Brain?”

Grinderman – “Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man”

Amanda Palmer featuring the Grand Theft Orchestra – “Want It Back”

The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”

Yeasayer – “Ambling Alp”

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Belong”

The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”

Superchunk – “FOH”

We Are Augustines – “Philadelphia”

Sweet Apple – “Do You Remember”

Sea Monsters – “These Days”

Bad Sports – “Can’t Just Be Friends”

Royal Headache – “Surprise”

Livids – “(Some of Us Have) Adrenalized Hearts”

Oblivians – “Run for Cover”

JD McPherson – “North Side Gal”

Step Rockets – “Kisser”

The Heavy – “Curse Me Good”

The Hold Steady – “The Weekenders”

The Dickies @ Bowery Electric

The Dickies; Nancy; Atlantic Thrills
@ Bowery Electric
December 20, 2014 - New York, NY

"Is this your first time seeing the Dickies? This is my first time, I've been waiting my whole life" she said. She couldn't have been more than her early 20's, baby faced and innocent. Sounded like a California native, not a phony one like the kind who've taken over this town but a true laid back Golden Stater still not acclimated to our challenges below 40 degrees Farenheit.

I was honest about it - I had never even heard a Dickies recording until about a month ago. Sure I knew the band name in the index of West Coast Punk Rock History. But there hadn't been the right time for a listen. Then one night, while focused on finally taking in U.K. Subs and Cockney Rejects, I flipped the atlas back and got the stunner of the year. Dawn of the Dickies and the Incredible Shrinking Dickies (with bonus singles of course). I haven't stopped playing them since. And by astounding coincidence that same week I bought my first pair of Dickies pants. And by more astounding coincidence the following week I noticed the Dickies band were coming to town. So here I was. With innocent young displaced angels and old punk cranks getting into faux mosh pits and chivalrous misunderstandings that portended fisticuffs but instead brought gentlemanly apologies. Also older drunk punk ladies in cat eye glasses causing trouble by the stage.

In a way I'm surprised I like this band so much. I had my fill of La La La childlike escapism a long time ago. I also don't go for suburbany late 80's pop punk (Bad Religion gets a big pass, Rancid gets a limited pass). The Dickies came from the former and clearly helped spawn the latter. As the nexus, they make it work. Especially live. With all the instigating antics of Leonard Graves Phillips to boot. It's Stan Lee's licks above all that's the root of this.

Nancy went on after a 40 minute gap and played for 15 minutes. I think they are going for King Khan and BBQ but it's coming off like a Portlandia sketch. It's up to you if you take this description as a negative critique. You don't have to.

Atlantic Thrills from up Providence made a point of playing no two songs that sounded alike. The surf rock worked. So did the one that reminded me of the Soledad Brothers. Come back.

33 – “Winter Holiday Spectacular Part 2 – All Right Let’s Play Along”

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Run-DMC – “Christmas in Hollis”

The Ramones – “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)”

New Bomb Turks – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”

Julian Casablancas – “I Wish It Was Christmas Today”

The White Stripes – “Candy Cane Children”

The Come Ons – “Christmas Lights of Blue”

The Dickies – “Silent Night”

Shonen Knife – “All I Want for Christmas”

The Darkness – “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)”

JD McPherson – “Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights)”

Camera Obscura – “The Blizzard”

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – “Christmas All Over”

George Thorogood & the Destroyers – “Rock and Roll Christmas”

Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters – “White Christmas”

Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys – “Santa’s on His Way”

Bob Dylan – “Must Be Santa”

Augie Rios – “Donde Esta Santa Claus”

The Waitresses – “Christmas Wrapping”

Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song”

Tom Waits – “New Year’s Eve”