Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

1. Jessica Lea Mayfield- Sorry is Gone (ATO) A stellar collection of personal explorations based on Mayfield's experiences as a domestic abuse survivor. A haunting release which juxtaposes the ethereal quality of her voice with heavy, confessional lyrics. The music is not the singer-songwriter folk of her earlier records but more of a melodic pop. 2. Propagandhi-Victory Lap (Epitaph)  I never  thought I would rate a Propaghandi album so highly, but this is a definite stomper of a record. Propaghandi has been putting out metal-tinged records with singalong lyrics and tough melodies for awhile, but on their seventh album, they found the sweet spot, melding their astute political lyrics, which have only gotten more specific over the years, and damn catchy tunes. 3.  War on Drugs-A Deeper Understanding (Atlantic) Adam Granduciel delivers a perfected version of his Americana-tinged singer/songwriter journeys. Greater production and instrumentation that leads many...

It's been another slow year at Snobbin'. As much as I tried, the posts have come fewer and farther in between. Hopefully that will change in the new year, but for now I want to present my top records of 2014. The list was really hard to determine this year because there were a lot of great records, but there was also less variety in what I had time to listen to and what came out. For example, Metal and Punk records didn't make the list like they have in recent years because I didn't hear that much that really rewarded repeat listens. The list has become more of a singer-songwriter, Americana sort of exercise. That's just the way I've been heading the last few years. I also decided to shorten the list as I think last year's was a tad extreme. 20. Sun Kil Moon - Benji (Caldo Verde)   Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek can be an ornery, irascible cuss. This year alone he called out fans at a show as hillbillies and started a tongue in cheek fight wi...