Rock / Indie / 50s / 60s Recommendations Best Of 2014

Review: World Music, the first album by this mysterious, Swedish-based voodoo collective was both a riot and revelation, paying homage to both African music and a mightily hedonistic imperative, and creating a feverish psychedelic racket that was equal parts '60s beat movie score and dancefloor mayhem. Moreover, any doubts as to whether this shadowy outfit would be able to follow up such a moment have been cast to the four winds by the release of Commune, which takes all the jam-heavy wig-outs, ritualistic chaos and vibrant atmosphere the band have become known for, and offer a still more frenzied and diverse collection of infectious bangers that defy both description and belief. All hail the Goat.

Review: Last year veteran London selector Richio Suzuki built off the success of his Hawaiian Bop club nights with the launch of an affiliated edits label, and true to form the first beautifully presented 7" release sold out swiftly. The man Richio is back with a second 7" here and the care and subtlety of the edit is very much evident once again. Leading the stampede is a tweak on Louis Jordan's big band swing standard "Saturday Night Fish Fry" which has been treated with a dash more bump in the bassline by Suzuki, whilst the flip switches the focus to a certified member of The Blues Hall of Fame in Bobby Bland. Here Bobby's trademark growl is blessed by a decidedly latin arrangement that will nice up many a Bop.

Review: With a momentum built initially by word-of-mouth alone and further abetted by a surprise Mercury win, Alt-J have built a formidable reputation for themselves as no less than a Radiohead-in-waiting, with a melodious sleight-of-hand allied to a questing and mischievously experimental side. This Is All Yours, despite seeing the band slimming down from a four-piece to a three-piece after the departure of bassist Gwil Sainsbury, sees their fresh and inventive approach showing no signs of abating, with vocal textures and rhythmic invention locking horns with samples and melancholic charm to create an arresting yet nuanced record with its gaze firmly set forward.

Review: It's the tag team to end all tag teams... Friendly Fires and the Asphodells pairing of Andrew Weatherall and Timothy J Fairplay have combined with one simple mission: make music that take both parties out of their familiar pastures. The result is this stunning slice of dreamy Balearic indie. "Before Your Eyes" is awash with psychedelic textures, covering Ed Macfarlane's vocals like a cosy 50 tog duvet. "Velo", meanwhile, is a nagging instrumental that drives with a mathematical magic yet steers with a dreamy, surf rock mentality. The debut on Macfarlane's Telophase imprint, everything about this 12" is special. Let's hope there's more from this premiership tag team in the near future.

Review: In The Birthday Party, These Immortal Souls and Crime And The City Solution, Rowland S. Howard set out his stall as not only a rock 'n' roll renaissance man but one of the most startlingly inventive and fiery guitarists of a generation, developing the innovation of players like Ron Asheton and Tom Verlaine in his own jagged and idiosyncratic manner. "Pop Crimes", sadly, marks something of an epitaph for Howard, yet it also stands alone as a dusky, laconic and affecting collection of Lynchian serenades and torch songs. A fine testimony to a unique talent.