(in 140 Characters or Less)

How many albums came out in 2014? Hell if we know. Eleventy-billion? It was a lot, let’s just leave it at that. You probably didn’t have time to listen to all of them, that’s why we picked out our 30 favorites from local and national/international bands to share with you. Now, now…we know what you’re saying. “But Submerge, now that the holidays are over and we’re all back to work and stuff, how do you expect us to read another long-ass ‘best-of’ list?” Hey, you know we gotchoo. We waxed eloquently about these 30 albums in Twitter-friendly blurbs. Now, who’s your best bro? We thought so…

30.

J.Sirus
Varsity Blues

Self-released

You’d think this homegrown MC was in Alcatraz from all the bars on his second album. But J.Sirus clearly breaks out here and is on the run.

29.

Sun Kil Moon
Benji

Caldo Verde Records

Heavy lyrics (assisted suicide) and the mundane (trips to Panera Bread) are equally vital. It’s folk, but it’s so much more.

28.

Sylvan Esso
Sylvan Esso

Partisan

Velvety voiced melodies woven into a dark bassy web. The two elements could stand alone as quality songs but together they’re beyond catchy.

27.

Ty Segall
Manipulator

Drag City

For his seventh studio album, the prolific fuzz-rocker charted deeper waters for a cathartic, trippy, Kinks-like psych romp over 17 tracks.

26.

Childish Gambino
Kauai EP

Glassnote

Been tough taking Donald Glover seriously as a full-fledged rapper. But now that he’s crooning like MJ we have no choice but to respect him.

25.

Exquisite Corps
Vignettes

Excorpsmusic

For their sophomore release, Ex Corps stripped down their sound, dropped a string section (mostly), to bring a driving, soulful rock album.

24.

White Reaper
White Reaper

PolyVinyl

There are at least three punks in Louisville. Together they’re called White Reaper and none of them can legally drink, so buy ‘em a 12er.

23.

Kurt Travis
Everything Is Beautiful

Blue Swan Records

Travis ditches the post-hardcore he’s known for and delivers an impressive full-length pop album with lush melodies and clean production.

22.

Young Aundee
Caveat Emptor

Waaga Records

Buyer beware. A lyrically sparse EP wading in the deep end of ominous soundwaves, so that the electronica must emote the mood.

21.

Summit
Spellbreaker

Self-released

Dark metal oozing with evil. The song “Soldier” alone has enough firepower to win the war on terror, but probably for the wrong side.

20.

Salt Wizard
Salt Wizard

Self-released

That mood with a playlist of Piper @ Gates of Dawn, VU-Loaded, Pet Sounds, Cowboy Junkies? Add this album to that list. Sac dreampop heroes.

19.

Hurray for the Riff Raff
Small Town Heroes

ATO Records

Puerto Rican from the Bronx grows up on doo-wop & Motown, then dips into riot grrrl punk before settling on the sweetest of country styles.

18.

SZA
Z

Top Dawg Entertainment

Emotive, raspy & powerful R&B voice delivers intelligent, poetic lyrics atop constructed soundscapes w/ unique time changes, spoken word.

17.

Michael RJ Saalman
Lxus Shaq

Crash Symbols

On Lxus Shaq, Michael RJ Saalman constructs a world of experimental pop tunes that spark sonic hallucinations through osculating synths.

16.

YG
My Krazy Life

Def Jam

A sly tribute to G-funk packed with synths, 808s and scary-ass gangster shit. It’s everything Republicans hate about rap.

15.

Crude Studs
Crude Studs 7-inch

Self-release

Aggravated verses meet sporadic, chaotic change-ups. From start to finish, the EP lasts 15 minutes. But, sometimes, that’s all she wrote.

14.

Chuck Ragan
Till Midnight

SideOneDummy

Heartfelt, moving folk songs that don’t forget to rock from Northern California’s sageliest songwriter. Ragan just gets better with age.

13.

FKA Twigs
LP1

Young Turks

FKA Twigs’ debut is a shuddering, sumptuous dose of futuristic chamber-soul perfect for carrying us into the chilly months of early 2015.

12.

Earth
Primitive and Deadly

Southern Lord

Carlson’s riffs combine with Lanegan’s vox to make molten metal magic. #stonerboner

11.

Mac DeMarco
Salad Days

Captured Tracks

Sounds like killing a sunny afternoon w/ nothing to do in a low-lying, wood-paneled den w/ beaded curtains, but it’s a good thing, really.

10.

Sturgill Simpson
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

High Top Mountain

Refreshing ‘70s Outlaw Country throwback vibe w/ plenty of slick licks & proper twang. No phony caricatures. Old school troubadours proud.

09.

Tele Novella
Cosmic Dial Tone

Lolipop Records

Cosmic Dial Tone stylistically and instrumentally takes us back to the basics while keeping it quirky & eclectic, modern groovy done right.

08.

DLRN
Neon Noir

Waaga Records

The synth-fueled, sexier side of hip-hop for those in search of that golden-era feel layered with endless soundscapes & head-bobbin’ beats.

07.

The War on Drugs
Lost in the Dream

Secretly Canadian

What has 10 legs, smokes a lot of weed & sounds like mid-’80s Don Henley? The War On Drugs’ Lost in the Dream. We still hate the Eagles, tho.

06.

Future Islands
Singles

4AD

Dreamy synthpop embellished with the howls of Samuel Herring. This is Future Islands. If you haven’t been introduced, please do so now.

05.

Tycho
Awake

Ghostly International

Epic and absolutely addicting synth-driven instrumental album that’s ambient, groovy, melodic and psychedelic. Road trip to this!

04.

Dre-T
Sacramentality

Sol Life Music

Roots run deep in hip-hop, soul and intellect. The voice of the streets, a disenfranchised people and universally Sacramento all the same.

03.

G. Green
Area Codes

Mt. St. Mtn.

Staccato beats, quirky vocals & airy guitar riffs comprise the plucky quartet’s sophomore effort. Reinvention, done.

02.

Hoods
Gato Negro

Artery Recordings

With their first new album in five years, Sacto hardcore legends Hoods are back and as brutal as ever. Gato Negro is a mean pussycat!

01.

Sunmonks
In a Desert of Plenty

Crossbill Records

Sunmonks seduces w/ clattering beats, enchanting harmonies & horns to make ur heart sing. You’ll dream of celebration under the desert sun.

Sturgill Simpson, Lucette

Harlow’s, Sacramento • Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014

Anticipation was on high for the arrival of Sturgill Simpson at Sunday evening’s event at Harlow’s. The show sold out weeks beforehand and the whole floor was packed to the gills. Arriving nearly 15 minutes before show time, it was difficult to find a spot on the floor that wasn’t jam packed with people. Though it was crowded, much of the crowd seemed as if they were there to socialize and welcome in the Thanksgiving holiday, rather than be attentive and courteous to opener, Lucette.

Lucette was a long way from her homeland of Edmonton, Alberta and was a doomed victim to a room full of apathetic rowdies and drunkards, who couldn’t care less how she sounded or what she was singing about. Regardless, it didn’t really matter to the few who were paying attention because the chatter was significantly louder than the performance.

Given the fact that Lucette was blatantly out of place on the bill, she and her touring cellist did the best they could to get through a somber set of morose, stripped-down numbers. Some notable moments included the performance of new single and confessed murder ballad “Bobby Reid” and a unique cover version of the Ryan Adams tune “Oh My Sweet Carolina.” When announcing “Black Is the Color” (featured in The Vampire Diaries), Lucette made a feeble attempt at making light of the situation by saying, “Imagine sinking your teeth into some teenager’s neck.” What makes the situation worse is that this quote was hard to even make out, since someone nearby was jawing on about how their dream ticket would be to see Def Leppard and Tom Petty on the same bill. Lucette’s sluggish pace and melancholy vibe didn’t stand a chance.

Sturgill Simpson has, in recent times, become well recognized and revered as one of modern country music’s true throwback folk heroes and after a thankfully brief set change, was greeted with a roaring response from eager fans. Sturgill and company wasted no time in busting out “Sitting Here Without You,” which moved along steadily like a high-powered locomotive train, featuring trotting snare drum pops from drummer Miles Miller.

This amped up the audience, but the gears were quickly shifted to sentimental and heart-wrenching with a ballad from Simpson’s debut album High Top Mountain, “Water in a Well,” which tells a story of love and heartbreak. The group followed with “Living the Dream” from 2014’s critically acclaimed sophomore record Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. On this track, Simpson states the painful truths pertinent to today’s society, “Ain’t no point getting outta bed if you ain’t living the dream / It’s like making a big old pot of coffee if you ain’t got no cream.” Classic outlaw country was displayed with “Life of Sin,” which contains a no apologies attitude in tone and content, drawing comparisons to Waylon Jennings, to whom Simpson has often been compared.

Having two solo albums now under his belt, Simpson also has the uncanny ability to restructure cover songs in style and sound to make them his own. Perhaps most notably has been a moody and delicate version of the ‘80s hit “The Promise” by When in Rome, which was played to perfection in the middle of the set. Another grooving tune you could roll your rig down the road to is “Long White Line,” which you’d swear was a Sturgill Simpson song unless it was actually conceived by Aaron Tippin. Lead guitarist Laur Joamets shined on “You Can Have the Crown” and “Sitting Here Without You,” with super speedy licks as if they were meant for a honky-tonk. “It Ain’t All Flowers” was very unique in style by blending laid-back country tones with psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll. At one point in this song, Simpson howled and screamed a “woo hoo hoo” into the pickup of his acoustic guitar.

Simpson had the crowd in the palm of his hands before the performance even began and throughout the entire evening, remaining calm, cool and collected throughout. There’s no doubt that if Sturgill Simpson and his band mates returned to Sacramento, they’d be greeted with open arms.