London Scouser's - Best 5 of 2014

2014 - Another great year of music

It took me a long time to choose my favourite 5, and they aren't in any particular order, but here goes

We Are Scientists - 'What You Do Best'

We Are Scientists are a band I've liked since first hearing 'The Great Escape' and their 2008 release 'Brain Thrust Mastery' was my album of the year. I'll admit that I haven't given this years offering 'TV en Francais' as much earplay but nevertheless I was immediately attracted to this song. For me it has the best lyrics I've heard in a long while "When I said that you were something else, I didn't mean it as a compliment". Every time I hear them a smile forms. One of life's simple pleasures.

Woods - 'Moving To The Left'

My second choice reminds me of the sixties and where their song 'With Light And With Love' which was my TOTW earlier this year sounded like 'The Byrds' this is very 'Beatles' like in my opinion. The whole album is great but this was by far my favourite track on it.

Foo Fighters - 'Something From Nothing'

Welcome back Mr Grohl and friends, whilst I was disappointed with having only 8 tracks on their latest album 'Sonic Highways' I was definitely not unhappy with what I heard. It's a great rock album which has had maybe a dozen plays already and is destined for many more I'm sure.

Belle And Sebastian - 'The Party Line'

Ahhhh, Belle And Sebastian... Just the mention of the name brings back so many great memories for me. Possibly my favourite was many years back... I was on holiday with Shellhunter in Spain visiting Old Pa and Ma. I was sat around the pool listening on my huge brick of an original iPod to a B&S compilation I'd put together, I can't remember which specific song it was but that's not important. I'm a shade rather than sun bather and the umbrella that had been doing it's duty had the audacity to stay still when then sun was moving and as a result I was starting to get hot. I noticed Old Pa had got up out of the corner of my eye. It was then that I uttered the immortal lines that will be with me until my last days on earth I'm sure... "I don't mean this in a lazy way, but...' almost immediately Old Pa's comeback was something along the lines of "Not in a lazy way, my arse!!" He didn't let me add the rest of my request, which was a simple '...could you please move the umbrella" this seemed a perfectly reasonable request to me'
Maybe you had to be there, but it still makes me chuckle to think of that.

Ume - 'Black Stone'

Now for my final choice it was a toughie, as earlier this year I went through my 'Austin Phase' and discovered a plethora of bands that were new to me, some of which weren't from this year alas. I plumped for this with it's amazing riffage. 2014 has been a great year for ''Ooh-may' (as they are pronounced) which saw the band perform on stage in London as part of the 'British Summer Time' gig on the same stage as Black Sabbath, Motorhead & Soundgarden. As well as lead singer and guitarist Lauren Larson taking part in 'Acoustic-4-A-Cure' along with  Billie Joe Armstrong, Sammy Hagar, James Hetfield, Scott Mathews, Pat Monahan, Joe Satriani, Nancy Wilson, not bad company to keep. I think they are destined for greatness.

Those were my top 5, and this below is my top 20, check it out via our Spotify playlist and enjoy