The Sifting Pan

Helping you find those Indie Gems!

Category Archives: 2014

Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow


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Best Albums of 2014 #2.) Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow

Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow

released in February 2014 via Island Records (UK)/Vagrant Records (US)

Here’s where predisposition starts entering the mix of things. Since their 2007 debut, Bombay Bicycle Club has solidified itself as my favorite band in all of existence. So for them to have a nice and safe spot in my top 3 is hopefully not too surprising. Heck, even if I got over my personal bias this album would still probably be in my top 10! Listening to So Long, See You Tomorrow was like falling in love with the band all over again. Their latest album is a rich and symphonic experience that tantalizes the senses into a frenzy that leaves behind little room for disappointment.

My favorite English indie rockers have shown to the world once again the insane amount of growth that can achieved in one album’s time. Doing so this time by showing off how the many of different cultures of the world that have made such a profound impact on them. Bombay Bicycle Club definitely understand the importance of learning about a culture if your going to appropriate its distinct sound. They are not shy at all for accrediting their new direction to the beautiful countries they have spent the last couple years traveling and learning so much about.

A simple test to see if So Long, See You Tomorrow is the kind of vibe you can get down to is by giving the exhilarating track Feel a go. You’re either with Bombay Bicycle Club or… oh well I guess it’s your loss!

Favorite Tracks:
Feel
Luna
Carry Me
Whenever, Wherever
Overdone
It's Alright Now

Twitter Handle: @BombayBicycle
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bombaybicycleclub
Spotify: Bombay Bicycle Club

Spoon - They Want My Soul


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Best Albums of 2014 #3.) Spoon – They Want My Soul

Spoon - They Want My Soul

released in August 2014 via Loma Vista Recordings

Veteran indie rockers Spoon have managed to stay relevant for over two decades, and it’s a trend that certainly shows no sign of stopping. Their eighth and latest album, They Want My Soul, is the equivalent of getting hit by a truck and having all that you hold dear flash before your eyes. You may think I’m being hyperbolic, but Spoon decided to show up with a colossal sound that will smack you right through memories of days previously forgotten.

Every single track taken from They Want My Soul could be commemorated as sheer brilliance. These gents have had years to hone their talents and craft so it should come as no surprise just how damn good this album truly is. What does come as a surprise is the gentle pat on the back from listeners. As if to say, “Aww, that’s nice Spoon. Here’s a gold star. We know your amazing, but we’ve all but moved on already.” It’s disappointing to see a lack of sincere acknowledgement, but it should not matter as long as Spoon just keeps on doing whatever the hell magical thing they consistently do.

I’d wait another ten years to hear an album by Spoon, if it means it as structured and wholesome as They Want My Soul.

Favorite Tracks:
I Just Don't Understand
Knock Knock Knock
New York Kiss
Outlier
Inside Out
Let Me Be Mine

Twitter Handle: @spoontheband
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/spoontheband
Spotify:  Spoon


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Best Albums of 2014 #4.) Banks – Goddess

Banks - Goddess

released in September 2014 via Harvest Records

No other female vocalist this year dug under my skin as deep as Banks. I’m sure I’m at odds with many, but I’ll stand by my choice to side with her sharp and piercing wit. I don’t think I could ever explain to anyone why Banks cuts into my soul so clean, nor should I ever have to. I’ve been waiting very patiently for the release of Goddess since I first heard the downtempo Warm Water (Snakehips Remix), and I must say her voice stuck out like vein of gold in the up and coming music landscape. After showing so much potential with a handful of other singles, there is little disappointment to be had in the way her debut came out. If dark and brooding electro beats with the voice of a goddess singing along appeal to you, then why not give Banks a try? Well, sometimes you come across a super somber piano track, but all the better right?

Banks certainly does not hold anything back on Goddess as she rips into the many people that have attempted to screw her over in the past. It’s strange how much you want to root for this girl to find a way out of it all, as she is obviously lost in a dark place. Somehow, though, I doubt she’ll be trapped much longer, because she has unknowingly exposed to us just how strong she really can be. I sincerely believe that triumph is coming for Banks and 2015 will most likely be the determining factor in that.

Favorite Tracks:
Waiting Game
This Is What It Feels Like
Beggin For Thread
Someone New
Brain
Under The Table

Twitter Handle: @hernameisbanks
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hernameisbanks
Spotify: Banks

Jungle - Jungle


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Best Albums of 2014 #7.) Jungle – Jungle

Jungle - Jungle

released in July 2014 via XL Recordings

Deciding to take a chance on British electronic funksters Jungle turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made in 2014. In the realm of online music buzz these guys were being held up as a bright and creative beam of light, in what early on might have seemed like a slow beginning for our year in music. So after much avoidance (Because honestly I don’t usually care much for psychedelic dance music) I finally took a gamble and oh my did it ever pay off. Jump right into Busy Earnin’ and you will have trouble denying that there is something special going on here.

Jungle’s self-title debut contains a gorgeous cascade of many sounds, but with some that are most likely not made by any instrument that you or I posses any familiarity with. I highly suggest you go into this album open minded and ready for anything, because it will get weird. Not the uncomfortable kind of weird where you’ll want to leave the situation, but that certain kind that might spark a unknown curiosity inside you. There are some true gems on this album that stand out, but I highly recommend giving the whole record a spin before nitpicking.

Favorite Tracks:
Time
Julia
Busy Earnin'
Crumbler
Lemonade Lake

Twitter Handle: n/a
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/jungle4eva
Spotify:  Jungle

Dan Croll - Sweet Disarray


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Best Albums of 2014 #8.) Dan Croll – Sweet Disarray

Dan Croll - Sweet Disarray

released in April 2014 via Capital Records

Dan Croll’s overwhelmingly strong debut album Sweet Disarray is exactly just that.

It’s delicious, daring, dandy and disorienting! 
It’s fresh, fly, friendly, and fascinating!
It’s gregarious, gracious, grand, and gravitating!
It’s simply sweet disarray!

In just under 40 minutes, Dan Croll manages to compact together what takes many musicians a lifetime to achieve. Mr. Croll created an indie pop album where almost every single song has the capability of holding its own. Each one crafted with an individual majesticness that only it may boast. It’s not as if Dan Croll reinvented the wheel or anything, but damn did he create one that I will keep on spinning until the end of my time.

Quite cleverly, he has channeled the style of many indie popsters and rockers that have come before him, but at the same time forged a sound that can now only be attributed to him. In due time the world will catch up to the all the glory and pop prowess of Dan Croll.

In Sifting Pan terminology, Sweet Disarray is what we call a big ol’ fat bag of indie gems.

Favorite Tracks:
Compliment Your Soul
Can You Hear Me
From Nowhere
Thinkin Aboutchu
Only Ghost
Home

Twitter Handle: @DanCroll
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dancroll
Spotify:  Dan Croll