Top Ten TV Shows of 2014

Bob’s Burgers - Fox The perfect balance of weird and wholesome, I love the Belchers.

The Comeback - HBO This show was far ahead of its time when it’s first season aired in 2005, and I was thrilled when the network announced its return for 2014. Season Two continues to mix in the meta, as Valerie accomplishes a legitimate comeback in her career after being cast in a HBO drama. Her return to acting is just as cringe-worthy and ultimately more costly than it was it season one, but the show ends up being as heartwarming as it is outrageously funny.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - HBO I’ve tuned out of The Daily Show years ago, so I didn’t have particularly high expectations for Oliver’s transition to HBO. But from the very first episode, Oliver quickly separated himself from Stewart and Co. by breathing fresh air into long-form political satire. Oliver is also sillier and less snarky than Stewart, and as a Brit he offers a bit of an outsider’s view on US politics. Both of these traits allow for him to better appeal to both sides of the political aisle, and has contributed to the unprecedented popularity of the show.

The Leftovers - HBO I never watched Lost, the show most will cite while describing their respective love/hate for The Leftovers. So without carrying over any of the baggage from the mega-hit, I became completely enthralled with The Leftover’s post-rapture world in a way that I may have been unable to if I had already viewed LIndelof’s preceding series. From what I know of Lost, I understand that the two shows have much in common. Both are equal parts, fantasy, sci-fi, drama, and mystery. This season of The Leftovers used all of the material from Tom Perotta’s novel of the same name; I hope that the series can maintain its excellence in season two, without the benefit of such precise source material.

Nathan For You - Comedy Central Like The Comeback, this part scripted, part reality show illustrates how people’s tolerance for absurdity succombs to the authority of a film crew. Also like The Comeback, this show is filled with cringe-worthy fun.

Orange Is The New Black - Netflix Despite casting Jason Biggs in a typically insufferable Jason Biggesque  role, OITNB was my favorite show last year. This season was just as good, with the series introducing its most dangerous villain to date, while continuing to beautifully develop its characters.

Silicon Valley - HBO More like Office Space than any of Mike Judge’s previous work in television, Silicon Valley featured outstanding performances from TJ Miller, Thomas Middleditch, and Kumail Nanjani, as well as what may be the smartest dick joke ever told.

The Simpsons - Fox, FX, FXX While I personally still enjoy the new episodes the Simpsons put to air,  I would hardly argue that they should currently be considered among TV’s best. Instead, I’ve included the show on this list  because Matt Groening and company finally joined the rest of 21st century and made the series available for online streaming. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of the series; and I would be interested to know what went down behind the scenes leading up to FX’s 750 million-dollar deal for rights to the series. But for now, I’m just happy that I no longer have resort to watching the 1.4x sped up versions of classic episodes on YouTube.

True Detective - HBO I don’t need to write anything here, because you already watched this right? Best show of the year.

Veep - HBO Presidential politics can be hilarious when you are able to acknowledge how outrageously stupid the whole system is. Remember this absurdity when you’re voting for Bush or Clinton in 2016.

Near Misses:

South Park, Inside Amy Schumer, Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Stories, Real Time with Bill Maher, Portlandia, Parks and Recreation.

Shows I want to watch soon:

Gotham, Brooklyn 99, Transparent, the Roosevelts, Fargo, Key and Peele (new season,) the Americans

TOP TEN ALBUMS of 2014

As usual, I spent most of the year listening to music that was at least a decade old, but there were still some pretty good records that came out this year. My top ten:

Alt-J: This Is All Yours -  I can’t pinpoint exactly why I didn’t get into Alt-J’s first record, but I know that I listened through it once and wasn’t caught. I’ve since become a fan of the band and their debut album, but that wouldn’t have happened if genre-bending “Left Hand Free” hadn’t drawn me into to giving the band a second chance with This Is All Yours. The album is more rock oriented and features some more experimental song structures than the band’s debut. I’m still not completely on board with the vocal style, but this album is solid beginning to end.

Beck: Morning Phase - Beck’s last few LPs were okay, but were a far cry from the classics that remain in his back catalog. Beck stated the album was intended to be a companion to Sea Change, as if the similarities in cover art weren’t enough of a clue. With that in mind, this album exceeded all expectations for me. Like Sea Change, the album is lush and intimate, and reminds the listener of Beck’s sometimes fleeting humanity. I listened to this album more than any other new release this year.

Eno / Hyde: Someday World - Any record produced by Eno is likely to appear on my personal best of list; and if he happens to be contributing non-ambient music, the album is a lock. The first of two released from the duo this year, Someday World is Electro-Pop, with heavy use African percussion and horns focused through Eno’s always futuristic lens. Coupled with Hyde’s self-realizing vocals and lyrics, the album has an apocalyptic charm to it. Surrounding the album’s release, Eno made several statements expressing his boredom with repetition in pop music. Someday World’s greatest strength is that songs like “Daddy’s Car” or “A Man Wakes Up” are still incredibly catchy, despite the non-traditional song structures.

Frankie Cosmos: Zentropy - Greta Kline seems to agree with Eno: repetition in music is boring. With ten songs that rarely run more than two minutes each, Frankie Cosmos proves that if a song has only one or two good parts, that’s all it needs. The album comes across as if GBV finally found their sweet side, with more interesting guitar parts. If you read my list last year, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Greta Kline and Aaron Maine’s other band, Porches, who will be rolling a new LP in 2015.

Mac DeMarco: Salad Days - DeMarco may be the goofiest guitar hero in rock music has. This album is fun and more accessible than his last LP. The songs remind me of a more psychedelic version of Big Star, warm and weird at the same time. While I like this album a lot, it wouldn’t have made the list if I didn’t feel as though 2014 was a bit of a down year for new releases.

Spoon: They Want My Soul - I don’t think that any other band has been as consistently good for as long as Spoon has. It’s not as though they’ve been reinventing the wheel here or anything, just a fresh batch of smart American rock and roll. Favorite tracks: “Inside Out” and “The Rent I Pay”

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: Wigout at Jagbags - Full review here.

Swans: To Be Kind -  It’s more rock and less opera than The Drift, by equaling as horrifying as Walker’s classic.

Tweedy: Sukierae -  This album features some of the most straight-forward rock songs Tweedy (Jeff) has written in years. As much as I love Nels Cline, I’ve almost forgotten what an incredible guitar player Tweedy is.  And by recording an album with his son, Jeff has come full circle with Dad Rock, which gives me hope that the next Wilco album will be better than the last.

Woods: With Light and With Love - Woods has always had a knack to find balance and cohesion from seemingly conflicting rock influences. The title song of With Light and With Love  sounds like Mark Linkous cut a track with American Beauty era Dead, and I mean that as a compliment in the highest regard. That being said, much of the album finds the band moving to a more mainstream sound, shedding the freak folk tag that has be applied to the band since their inception. The band has progressed in that manner with each album they’ve released, but they’ve hit a high note here and “Moving to the Left” is the band’s catchiest tack to date.