Various

SideOneDummy 2014 Winter Sampler (2014)

Ricky Frankel

I think that it is fair to say that 2014 was a very good year for SideOneDummy. And now that they’ve signed other artists like Jeff Rosenstock who is coming out with a full-length in the not-so-distant future, it looks like 2015 could be just as good of a year for the label if not better.

Now that 2014 is drawing to a close and “end of the year list season” will soon be upon us, SideOneDummy has released an eleven-track winter sampler of all the new music that the label has release this year. In my case, I’m huge fan of the material that PUP, Andrew Jackson Jihad, and Jeff Rosenstock put out. The label chose to put “Reservoir,” the rockin’ juggernaut of a song (and one of the best new songs of 2014 in my opinion), on this comp. From Andrew Jackson Jihad’s Christmas Island, SideOne chose the uber-folky and acoustic-based song “Temple Grandin.” And they from the Fest edition EP, they chose to put the highly distorted, garage-punk tune “Hey Allison!” on here as well.

For those of you who are not necessarily into those songs, SideOneDummy also chose to put The Smith Street Band’s powerful song “Surrender” on this comp as well as Chuck Ragan’s country-folk song “You and I Alone,” Restorations’ gloomy track “Separate Songs,” as well some other notable Side One Dummy bands’ tunes. Overall, this sampler shows just how dynamic this label has become.