Personally, almost nothing irks me more than finding out about an album released the previous year that should have been included in my year-end rankings.
This Friday Mixtape has songs from a few of those records as well as some tunes from earlier 2014 releases that make for great summertime soundtracks.
Topping this list is the debut Love Now by Delaware pop duo Mean Lady. Their chipper and artsy ditties are soulful and footloose; the perfect combination of new wave and tried and true populist songs.
Another track from a stellar 2013 album is “I Wish I Was a Saber Toothed Tiger” by The Vanderbuilts. It’s plucky chamber rock vibe and delicate vocals create a refined breezy temperament.
As far as 2014 goes, back in April, Andre Allen Anjos released his debut album Strangers. After remixing songs for the likes of An Horse and Death Cab for Cutie under his recording moniker Remix Artist Collective (RAC); collaboration is still the name of the game. Anjos brings in the talents of MNDR, Tegan And Sara, and Alex Ebert—among others—to complete a fresh sounding, EDM-laced dance album that’s truly aces when it comes to likability.
For those who stick with the playlist until the end, a special track awaits; one dripping with all the spectacular ridiculousness of the 1980s that only the most attentive underground-EDM ears from that era would know about.
