THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2014

1. Phish - Fuego
2. G. Love & Special Sauce - Sugar
3. John Butler Trio - Flesh & Blood
4. Angus & Julia Stone - Angus & Julia Stone
5. moe. - No Guts, No Glory
6. SOJA - Amid The Noise And Haste
7. Ray LaMontagne - Supernova
8. Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain
9. Broken Bells - After The Disco
10. Beck - Morning Phase
11. Vance Joy - Dream Your Life Away
12. Maroon 5 - V
13. Bahamas - Bahamas Is Afie
14. Ben Howard - I Forgot Where We Were
15. Counting Crows - Somewhere Under Wonderland
16. Coldplay - Ghost Stories
17. The Black Keys - Turn Blue
18. Benjamin Booker - Benjamin Booker
19. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
20. O.A.R. - The Rockville LP
21. Rebelution - Count Me In
22. Trevor Hall - Chapter Of The Forest
23. St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Half The City
24. Jack White - Lazaretto
25. Hozier - Hozier
26. Tweedy - Sukierae
27. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
28. Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
29. The Belle Brigade - Just Because
30. Royal Blood - Royal Blood

#reviewofthweek / Tristan Prettyman - Back To Home

After having been independent and then singing to a label, Tristan Prettyman has decided once again to go it alone and do it herself. As the title of the album suggests, she is returning to her roots, and this time she has a whole lot more in her bag of tricks. Her foundations in surfer folk music coupled with her experiences in the pop rock world combine perfectly on this short independent release that features a great collection of lyric driven tunes. "Who We Are" leads the way as the short album's first single, but it's song like "Waves" and "Perfect Storm" that remind us why Prettyman is a unique songstress and not some cookie cutter pop princess. The bottom line is that Tristan Prettyman has proven that you don't need major label backing. Just with some talent, some appeal, and some guts and you can do it however you want as good or even better than the best.

#reviewoftheweek / Lowell Thompson - Stranger's Advice

Lowell Thompson isn't well know all over the place, but certainly he's a name that many Vermonters and New Englanders know. His latest release is a refreshing bit of folk rock and Americana, that lends itself well to the northeast. You can imagine yourself hearing this music or seeing Thompson perform as a busker in the streets of Boston, MA or Burlington, VT or in small clubs all over the northeast in the aforementioned locations as well as others like Northampton, MA, Albany, NY, and Portland, ME. Envision pine trees, snow covered mountain tops, red plaid flannel shirts and the like in the crowd. His blend of rootsy sensibilities and heritage rock is not something that you hear on pop radio, but can draw comparisons to everyone from Mumford & Sons to Phish to John Mayer. If given the right audience and recognition, Lowell Thompson, with this latest album, could be as recognizable as those artists and surely share the stage with them in years to come.

#reviewoftheweek / Ben Ottewell - Rattlebag

As one of the voices of the British rock back Gomez, Ben Ottewell has experienced some incredible, underground success. But, with such a distinguishing voice, its hard for someone like Ottewell to break away and not sound like his band. On his second solo album, Ben has managed to make sure that the music, regardless of its sound, is his own. After having heard his folky solo music, it makes Gomez sound more like a jam band than an alternative rock group. The music on this album is driven by simplicity and hinges on the lyrics. Ben Ottewell has proven, with this new album, that he is one of his generation's best vocalists, and can stand as a band leader or as a solo musician equally and outstandingly.

BURN THIS / December 2014

1. Paolo Nutini "Let Me Down Easy"
2. Madi Diaz "The Other Side"
3. Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness "High Dive"
4. Tristan Prettyman "Who We Are"
5. Allen Stone "Million"
6. The Staves "Blood I Bled"
7. Ben Ottewell "Red Dress"
8. Vance Joy "Georgia"
9. James Bay "Hold Back The River"
10. Monica Heldal "Boy From The North"
11. Joshua Hyslop "Living & Dying"
12. Beta Radio "East Of Tennessee"
13. Lowell Thompson "Rose Petals"
14. The Barr Brothers "Even The Darkness Has Arms"
15. Sarah Jaffe "Leaving The Planet"
16. Guster "Endlessly"
17. Ben Howard "Conrad"
18. Damien Rice "The Greatest Bastard"
19. Rocco DeLuca "Colors Of The Cold"
20. Nathaniel Rateliff "Closer"