ScreamingFemales-441

Don Giovanni bands list their favorite LPs of 2014 (Screaming Females, Cali X, Worriers, Crow Bait, Laura Stevenson, more)

SF
Photo: Screaming Females at a final DbA show (more by Gretchen Robinette)

Don Giovanni Records had yet another good year, with solid 2014 releases from Nude Beach, Priests, Peter Stampfel, Black Wine, Crow Bait, Chris Gethard and more, and they’ve already got big plans for 2015 with new ones from Screaming Females, California X, Downtown Boys and more on the way.

Ahead of the label’s annual Brooklyn showcases, label co-founders Joe Steinhardt (also of Modern Hut) and Zach Gajewski (also of Nuclear Santa Claust), and several DG bands including Screaming Females, California X, Worriers, Crow Bait, Laura Stevenson, Brick Mower and Mal Blum have given us lists of their favorite albums of 2014. You can check out those lists below.

The 2015 showcases happen on February 6, 7 and 28 at Knitting Factory with Nude Beach, Shellshag, Crow Bait and more on night 1; Cali X, Downtown Boys, Pinkwash, Worriers and more on night 2; and Screaming Females, Priests, Tenement and Vacation at the final show. Tickets are still available.

DG year-end lists below…

Joe Steinhardt (Don Giovanni Records/Modern Hut):
1. Ex Hex – Rips (Merge)
2. Pinkwash – Your Cure Your Soil (Sister Polygon)
3. Mitski – Bury Me At Makeout Creek (Double Double Whammy)
4. The Realbads – Here Come The Realbads (Sweet Baby God)
5. The Goodbye Party – Silver Blues (Salinas)
6. High Ends – Super Class (Dine Alone)
7. Speedy Ortiz – Real Hair (Carpark)
8. Shellac – Dude Incredible (Touch & Go)
9. Drive-By Truckers – English Oceans (ATO)
10. Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL – Plectrum Electrum (NPG/Warner Brothers)

Zach Gajewski (Don Giovanni Records/Nuclear Santa Claust)

1. Pampers – Right Tonight 7″ – In the Red
2. Hank Wood and the Hammerheads LP- Stay Home – Toxic State
3. Eaters – S/T LP – Driftless / Dull Tools
4. Black Planet – Female Hysteria EP – Let’s Pretend
5. Tweens – S/T LP – French Kiss

Mike Abbate (Screaming Females):
In no particular order

PUJOL – Kludge
Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again
Todd Congelliere – Wrong Side
Purple 7 – Jewel Finger
Prince – S/T EP II
Reigning Sound – Shattered
Big Crux – Ponchito
The Mona Reels – Grown Up So Slow
PEARS – Go To Prison
Mean Creek – Local Losers

California X:
In No particular order:

Blessed State- Head Space
The Combat Zone LP
Gluebag-Confused
Cloud Nothings-Here and Nowhere Else
LVL UP-Hoodwink’d
Hound-Out of Time
Radiator Hospital-Torch Song
Heaven and Earth Magic-Complete Works
Sheer Mag 7″
Ovlov/LVL UP/Radiator Hospital/Krill Split 7″

Lauren Denitzio (Worriers):
Top 10 in no real order because hierarchy is for the patriarchy or something….

Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Treble)
Black Rainbow – Black Rainbow (Starcleaner)
Caves – Leaving (Specialist Subject)
Cayetana – Nervous Like Me (Tiny Engines)
Chumped – Teenage Retirement (Anchorless)
First Aid Kit – Stay Gold (Jagadamba)
Priests – Bodies and Control and Money and Power (Don Giovanni)
Hurray for the Riff Raff – Small Town Heroes (ATO)
Radiator Hospital – Torch Song (Salinas)
The Reigning Sound – Shattered (Merge)

Mike Bruno (Crow Bait):
Ryan Adams – 1984 EP
Ryan Adams – S/T Album
Beach Slang – Cheap Thrills on Dead End Streets
Murmurs – Bound LP
White Lung – Deep Fantasy LP
Even Hand – Drifted LP

Mal Blum
Favorite albums of 2014 (in no particular order):

Mirah – Changing Light
Mirah’s first full length release in like five years and maybe my favorite Mirah album since like, Advisory Committee

Sharon Van Etten – Are We There
I just want to give Sharon Van Etten props for the duality of putting out a beautiful album that also contains a song that includes the lyrics: “I washed your dishes but I shit in your bathroom.” Bold.

Beyonce – Beyonce
This one came out a week and a half before 2014 but I’m including it anyway because I don’t care and, also, I don’t care if people think it isn’t cool because it’s a pop album. This album was cool. Beyonce dropped an album that essentially had a film attached to it out of nowhere with no warning and no promotion and it exploded the internet. That’s fucking cool. If I could put this album on this list twice, I would.

Beyonce – Beyonce
I put it on the list twice because I could.

Priests – Bodies And Control And Money And Power

Azealia Banks – Broke With Expensive Taste

Kristin Gogan and Eric Truchan (Brick Mower):
10.Pujol-“Kludge”
9. Black Wine-“Yell Boss”
8. The Twilight Sad- “Nobody Wants to Be Hear And Nobody Wants to Leave”
7. Guided by Voices- “Cool Planet”
6. The Muffs- “Whoop Dee Doo”
5. Liars- “Mess”
4. Shellac- “Dude Incredible”
3. Snow What- “So Far, So Good…”
2. Cancers- “Fatten the Leaches”
1.Rad Payoff- “The Good, The Rad and The Ugly

Laura Stevenson
10. Kevin Morby – Still Life
9. Swans – To Be Kind
8. Cheap Girls – Famous Graves
7. Chris Gethard – My Comedy Album
6. Martha – Courting Strong
5. Dolly Parton – Blue Smoke
4. Hard Girls – A Thousand Surfaces
3. Sun Kil Moon – Benji
2. Against Me – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
1. Antarctigo Vespucci – Soulmate Stuff