" Update: There’s a Vimeo version online, since some of the major labels have blocked the video in certain countries. Hit play and full screen! No need to try and figure it out on your own, we’ve got you covered. Me, Matt, Muriel, Sean and Austin have summarized and ranked this year’s albums in this […]"
THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2014
Update: There’s a Vimeo version online, since some of the major labels have blocked the video in certain countries.
Hit play and full screen! No need to try and figure it out on your own, we’ve got you covered. Me, Matt, Muriel, Sean and Austin have summarized and ranked this year’s albums in this fantastic video for you. Will Foo Fighters make the cut? Does anyone really like Aphex Twin’s album legitimately? Will Pitchfork list obscure albums no one actually likes? What happens if you really dug the U2 album and its marking strategy? Will Kanye West drop an album tomorrow and destroy all 2014 lists forever?
All these questions and more, are somewhat answered in eight minutes and forty seconds. For safety reasons, and because major labels automatically ban use of their work, we’ve got a Vimeo video alternative link if the Youtube video gets taken offline. As mentioned in the video, we couldn’t cover metal albums because while ranking and comparing albums and genres is stupid enough on its own, a hardcore metal act couldn’t possibly fit between indie act #1 and alternative indie act #2. Here’s our best of metal albums list, as voted by you.
Disagree with our list? Don’t worry, we’re not sure we even agree with ourselves (who’s EP anyway?). But make sure to share your list below and for what it’s worth, we hope you enjoyed watching the list!
¡Mayday! x Murs: ¡MURSDAY!
Tech N9ne – Strangeulation
Kindly Bent to Free Us – Cynic; At War with Reality – At The Gates and War Eternal – Arch Enemy are three of my 10 picks! :)
Sonic Highways for AOTY? Really?
Anyway, my picks:
Swans – To Be Kind
Behemoth – The Satanist
Boris – Noise
Beyond this, there hasn’t been anything else that I’d consider as a serious candidate for AOTY. Fingers crossed for Zorn dropping something good with the new Moonchild record.
you, i like you
The Black Keys – True Blue
Mark Lanegan Band – Phantom Radio
U2 – Songs Of Innocence
Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots
Curtis Harding – Soul Power
Crosses – Crosses
Owl John _ Owl John
The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
Dry the River – Alarms in the Heart
my picks:
1. Ben Frost – A U R O R A; and there’s no competition, really
2. Natural Snow Buildings – The Night Country
3. Fushitsusha & Peter Brötzmann – Nothing Changes No One Can Change Anything, I Am Ever-Changing Only You Can Change Yourself
FKA Twigs – LP1
Architects – Lost Forever, Lost Together
Issues – Issues
You’re right ISSUES’ album was really cool ! Everybody seems to have forgotten about it already… What’s Architect ?
I just saw the architects last week! That was a really good album they are a hardcore UK band in the vein of Every Time I Die with brutally beautiful songs and writing that is in competition with the best in the genre. Definitely worth Checking out!
Everytime I die released such an intense album this year !
Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour
Taylor Swift – 1989
Not a lot of genres had good albums this year.
The Presidents of the United States of America – Kudos to You
Slipknot – .5 The Gray Album
Porter Robinson – Worlds
There’s more:
Slow Club – Complete Surrender
Cold War Kids – Hold My Home
I would say Foo Fighters or even U2 (who’s album, despite the whole iTunes debacle, was admittedly a bloody good album) should be up there, but with how simply everybody knows them and the fact any fans (and even people who aren’t fans) will likely have heard them anyway, it’s good to see some lesser known artists up there. Was very surprised Royal Blood or Kishi Bashi were not in the top 10 though.
Although not technically a 2014 album (though it did leak, it’s not out until January) I think Panda Bear Vs The Grim Reaper was the best album I heard this year by quite a long shot.
Sonic Highways is a great record, and gets better with every single listen. As I said in my own post, though, you can enjoy the record on it’s own just fine, but watching the show and getting the proper context for each song makes it infinitely better.
War on Drugs instead of Sun Kil Moon?
……..I am almost tempted to quote Mark Kozelek on this. Uh.
Oh well.
What’s the music video @0:30-0:35? Anyone knows?
Here’s the full list in case that helps anyone:
10 – FKA Twigs – LP1
9 – Foster the People – Supermodel
8 – War on Drugs – Lost In The Dream
7 – Caribou – Our Love
6 – Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow
5 – Badbadnotgood – III
4 – Death From Above 1979 – The Physical World
3 – Little Dragon – Nabuma Rubberband
2 – St. Vincent – St. Vincent
1 – Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
Honorable mentions:
Future Islands – Singles
Odesza – In Return
Spoon – They Want My Soul
Hozier
Swans – To Be Kind
Royal Blood
Warpaint
’68 – In Humor and Sadness
Todd Terje – It’s Album Time
Spotify Playlists:
Top 10: http://open.spotify.com/user/j0hnm/playlist/0NYkFbWB6NP7dbJ2WlLSkv
Honorable Mentions: http://open.spotify.com/user/j0hnm/playlist/0GtU587c4wSYWolbcGHjph (excluding the ’68 album which isn’t on Spotify right now)
You da man… was just about to request that.
Warpaint was the worst band I have ever seen live. They happened to be the opening band for Queens of The Stone Age this year in San Francisco. I can’t tell you how bad they were live. It was really, really bad.
Easily, for me #1 has got to be Young Fathers “DEAD”.
Top 10
1) FKA twigs – LP1
2) Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were
3)Perfume Genius – Too Bright
4)Banks – Goddess
5)Hozier – Hozier
6) Drake – Nothing Was The Same
7)How To Dress Well – What Is This Heart?
8) Alt-J – This Is All Yours
9) James Vincent McMorrow – Post Tropical
10) A Great Big World – Is There Anybody Out There?
Honorable Mentions:
SZA – Z
Hundred Waters – The Moon Rang Like A Bell
SBTRKT – Wonder Where We Land
Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
Tinashe – Aquarius
Damien Rice – I Don’t Want To Change You
Cold War Kids – Hold My Home
Various Artists – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
In no particular order…
Crosses – †††
Broken Bells – After The Disco
Blood Red Shoes – Blood Red Shoes
Brody Dalle – Diploid Love
Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright In The End
Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways
2:54 – The Other I
The Black Keys – Turn Blue
Darren Korb – Transistor
Thom Yorke – Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes
I was really hoping the new Pumpkins would blow me away…but aside from One and All, I really hated it. Slipknot’s The Gray Chapter was good, there’s some solid stuff on there, but it didn’t quite live up to expectations. I am LOVING the new Foos, but I’ll admit that you really do have to watch the show and get the proper context to totally appreciate it. Darren Korbs soundtrack for the game Transistor is easily the record I’ve listened to the most this year, it’s just bloody brilliant from top to bottom and should be required listening even if you’re not into video games in the slightest.
Crosses – ††† (Glad to see this album getting this much love in the comments, GREAT album)
Glass Animals – Zaba
Spoon – They want my soul
Death From Above 1979 – The Physical World
Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown
Sage Francis – Copper Gone
Hail Mary Mallon – Bestiary
Run The Jewels – 2
Son Little – Things I Forgot
Bassnectar – NVSB Remixes
In no particular order
1. Hundred Waters- The Moon Rang Like a Bell
2. Sharon Van Etten- I’m Not There
3. St Vincent- St Vincent
4. Caribou- Our Love
5. Frankie Cosmos- Zentropy
6. Flying Lotus- You’re Dead
7. Sylvan Esso- Sylvan Esso
8. Snowmine- Dialects
9. Alvvays- Alvvays
10. Slow Magic- How to Run Away
Here is my list (Some albums may be borderline hard-rock/metal)
1-He is legend – Heavy Fruit
2-Mogwai – Rave Tapes
3-Animals As Leaders – The Joy of Motion
4-Opeth – Pale Communion
5-Mastodon – Once More ’round the sun
6-The Life and Times – Lost Bees
7-Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams
8- Esben and the Witch – A new nature
9- Cynic – Kindly Bent to free us
10 – St. Vincent – self titled
Mentions:
– Sia- 1000 Forms of Fear
– Flying Lotus – You are dead
– Chevelle – La Gárgola
– Sevendust – Time Travelers and Bonfires
Definitely Metal:
– Periphery – Clear
– Architects – Lost forever
1. Warpaint – Warpaint
2. John Frusciante – Enclosure
3. Duologue – Never get lost
4. Douglas Dare- Whelm
5. Antemasque -Antemasque
6. Interpol – El Pintor
7. Sianvar – SIanvar EP
8. Hail the Sun – Wake
9. Closure in Moscow – Pink Lemonade
10. Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were
Top 10 Albums
#1- War on Drugs- Lost in the Dream
#2- Beck -Morning Phase
#3-Run The Jewels-2
#4-Lana Del Ray-Ultraviolence
#5- Thundamentals- So we can remember
#6- Hail Mary Mallon- Beastiery
#7-Foster The People-Supermodel
#8-Alt-j-This is all yours
#9-Hilltop Hoods-Walking under the stars
#10-Tobacco- Ultimas 2 Massage
These artist people aren’t talking about and they deserve a spot…..
Ed Sheeran
Porter Robinson
Taylor Swift
Skrillex
Jack White
Matisyahu
Childish Gambino….Mixtape
Gary Clark Jr….Live
Sweedish House Mafia…Live
Jungle – Jungle
Video is blocked in my country for WMG copyright. I wonder if they know that this video is actually promoting their artists…