Nick Chapman’s Top 8 Of 2014

Tis the season of the end of year list. Top 10 straight to box set DVDs. Top 1000 digital deep house labels. Etc. Once again we've decided to go for Top 8 Whatevers. The Top 8 things of the year – be them bacon sandwiches; the top 8 times you stubbed your toe against the f*cking boxes full of useless sh*t your girlfriend insists on leaving in the hallway; and so on and so forth (sorry that useless s*it one is a bit harsh). Over the next few weeks until the new year, we'll be publishing the Top 8s of our various excellent R$N scribes.

Here's what Nick, our token Australian, has chosen as his picks;

Sohn – Tremors (Album) 

I was immediately hooked on Sohn after hearing the lead single "Artifice" prior to the album's release. 11 tracks of epic proportions with big synths, chunky drum patterns and falsetto vocals, it's been on constant rotation on the walkman since I got my hands on it. He was wicked live too.  

Serial Podcast 

From the makers of This American Life, Serial follows the story of a young man who was imprisoned in 1999 for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend. He maintains his innocence and reporter Sarah Koenig has spent the last year trying to determine whether he is or not. It's incredibly gripping, up there with the best thrillers, but all unfortunately true. There's a reason why it's now the most popular podcast in the world.  

Lilting – Film 

A fresh new approach to the love story by Hong Khaou with Ben Whishaw in the lead. A truly beautiful, modern imagining that really moved me.  

The 2 Bears – The Night is Young (Album) 

I was initially a bit disappointed when I heard the first single off "The Night is Young", thinking they'd moved away from the straight up party vibes of the first album. But listening to the album in full won me over entirely. Sure it's more involved technically and it covers more ground sonically but it's still full of ridiculously catchy good vibes that make me smile and get stuck in my head for weeks.  

Secret Garden party 

I haven't been to a festival in the UK for several years, opting for the warmer climes of Europe, but this year I headed to Secret Garden Party for the first time. The three and a half hour wait to get to the over zealous security guards was nothing short of ridiculous, but once in it really was quite magical. The production was top notch with plenty of places to explore, stages to check out and food stalls to eat at. The music was on point and there were fairly few groups of lads dicking up the place. It was blazing hot too which is one in a million for UK parties.  

&ME – After Dark (Keinemusik) 

This track is pure class. An exercise in minimalism where seemingly few elements come together to form something so much bigger and better than it's parts. It's difficult to put my finger on why it does it for me considering the starkness of the track but it's a belter nonetheless.  

True Detective  

There have been so many ace mini-series' released in 2014 from the political intrigue of The Code, to the expanded storyline of Fargo but True Detective was really something else. With amazing production values and a surprising cast it had me on the edge of my seat through it's entirety.  

Underworld – Dubnobasswithmyheadman 

Underworld were instrumental in my love for electronic music and I've been very excited by the new demos and unreleased material that has come with the re-release of their seminal album Dubnobasswithmyheadman. Listening to it now I still get chills. A brilliant album from one of my all time favourites.