10. The Hawks (of Holy Rosary) | What Team Am I On? | Texas Is Funny
After some national hype and a tour with Dr. Dog, Frank Weysos and his merry avian crew debuted on Texas is Funny with 12 tunes of gleeful rock ‘n’ roll.
9. Chisme | It’s OK To Dream | Self-released
From the delicious instrumental opener “Light Years Away” to the hazy and crackling “Squid vs Octopus,” Chisme spits the truth over sample-based and soulful hip-hop.
8. The Grasshopper Lies Heavy | All Sadness, Grinning Into Flow | Learning Curve Records
Pulled from Charles Bukowski’s “we will taste the islands and the sea,” All Sadness is a richly layered and powerful offering from the SA instrumental/experimental outfit.
7. Creatura | Open the Door | Self-released
Put Open the Door in your headphones and the Third Eye begins to creep open by unconscious control. From Velvety cello to the ubiquitous vibes of Jefferson Airplane, Creatura’s debut is a psychedelic delight.
6. Third Root | Revolutionary Theme Music | Self-released
Employing Greg G to produce the record, Third Root further investigates the Afro-Mexican connection on the edifying Revolutionary Theme Music. Over cumbias and 808s, Easy Lee, MexStep and DJ Chicken George provide a 210 answer to the socially conscious and badass rap of Run the Jewels.
5. Rich Oppenheim | Greenhorn in a Red State | Harriton Carved Wax
In the seven originals that make up Greenhorn, saxophonist Rich Oppenheim brings a newcomers’ perspective to life in San Antonio. On “The (Intermittent) Sidewalks of San Antone,” Oppenheim and his wife Katchie Cartwright trade off between alto and piccolo in a spastic exchange, evoking walks on midtown McCullough, where sidewalks cut out without warning to interludes of street and front lawn.
4. Marcus Rubio | Land of Disenfranchisement | Already Dead Tapes
With a few experimental efforts out in 2014, Rubio’s lone pop release from the year marks his most fun release since 2012’s Hello Dallas. With a special emphasis on the stripmall ‘burbs of Los Angeles, Rubio asks us to enjoy his satirical view of America.
3. Flower Jesus | Cosmic American Music | Aye Aye Aye Tapes
Borrowing their title from the comprehensive genre invented by Gram Parsons, Flower Jesus tries their own blending of styles on their split on Austin’s Aye Aye Aye. With heavy psych coming to heads with indie rock and experimental backmasking, Cosmic American Music is an exciting taste from the quintet.
2. Demitasse | Blue Medicine | Bedlamb Records
Joe Reyes and Erik Sanden of Buttercup stripped their project in half to combat paternal loss and shared grief. Their motto is “Sing the blues or die,” and they clearly mean it.
1. Crown | Are These the Good Days? | Self-released
In the voter-driven Music Awards, our readers chose Crown’s == as their favorite record of the year. And we unabashedly agree on this one. Crown’s blues rock entrance is a forceful guitar record, shredding its way to the top of SA music.
This article appears in The Year in Review.