Best of 2014

let's get some music talk up in here

this is just the best from what I've heard in no particular order.

Schoolboy Q- Oxymoron: I despise the song 'Studio' and never want to hear it again, but the rest of this album is pretty solid.
clipping-CLPPNG: Nice experimental hip-hop/noise music. I really love the beats on this.
Timbre Timbre- Hot Dreams: I have to be in a certain mood for it but this is 'indie folk' done correctly. Not really a personal favourite but still worth being on here.
Mick Jenkins- Water: very good conceptual mixtape that you can get for free here: http://www.datpiff.com/Mick-Jenkins-The-...38443.html Very good 'jazz-hip-hop' sounding stuff if you're a fan of that kind of thing.
Sia- 1,000 Forms of Fear: For 'Chandelier' alone you all know I'm right. Rest of the album is good too.
Shabazz Palaces- Lese Majesty: A lot were underwhelmed but I enjoy it despite a ton of tracks being really short. Nice electronic vibes here.
Banks- Goddess: One of the best pop albums of the year for sure.
fka Twigs- Lp1: just all around really good experimental pop.
Run The Jewels- Run the Jewels 2: Best straight-hip-hop this year.
D'Angelo and the Vanguard: Black Messiah: Released right at the end of the year, this might be the best tbh.

Some albums have some of my favourite tracks of the year but aren't consistent enough for the top list:

Pink Floyd- The Endless River: So much of this album is boring and not worth discussing but when it is good, it's really tasteful ambient music IMO.
Slipknot- .5:The Gray Chapter: :twisted:
Nicki Minaj- The Pinkprint: I have always liked Nicki Minaj but hated most of her own songs. This is a good return to form for her and I enjoy a lot of the tracks on this.


I digest music very slowly which makes my list lame. I listened to some other albums but either didn't like it or I'm not familiar with it enough to comment.

Also I don't like Ariana Grande much but 'Love Me Harder' is a great tune hmu

The Ape of God I & II - Old Man Gloom: This is solid Post-Metal with a doom/hardcore feel to it. Great stuff!
The Singularity (Phase I) - Scar Symmetry: Melodic Death Metal, lots of punch to this record.
World on Fire - Slash: Hard rock with lots of great Slash style melodies and juicy riffs. Mmmm'm'good!
Bloodstone & Diamonds - Machine Head: Groove Metal, not as good as their last one, but excellent nonetheless.
Tellurian - Soen: Just discovered these guys recently. Great Progressive Rock.
Little Histories - Cloudkicker: Post-Rock with lots of guitar work. A bit of metal-styled riffs mixed in too. Recommend to any fans of guitar-based Post-genres.

That's my list!

I thought New Eyes by Clean Bandit was really good, especially for a debut album. I think thats the only new album I listened to this year, haha.

Lights - Little Machines

Top 3:
This is All Yours - Alt-J Not as great as their first album, but that was such a difficult record to follow up, this album does a solid job. Little bit slow in places, where it drags slightly, but some really strong tracks.

Present Tense - Wild Beasts Again, not as strong as their last two releases, but a very enjoyable listening experience and the song 'Daughters' is incredible.

Soused - Scott Walker and Sunn O))) I never thought I'd like a Sunn O))) album, but this is really good. Verging - or sitting comfortably - on the pretentious, but it's got something that just works beyond that.

Honourable Mentions:

Lazaretto - Jack White I'm not as big a White fan as I was a few years ago, but still a good album.
Morning Phase - Beck A nice listen, though not my favourite Beck record.
Lost in the Dream - War on Drugs I hate this band, in a way. They've made several No.1 best album of the year spots, and I honestly have no idea why. The album's not bad, I quite like it, but it's nothing brilliant. It's harmless, pleasant and listenable, but as someone on the radio put it the other day "if that's the war on drugs, I think the drugs have won for me"
Once More 'Round the Sun - Mastodon Not nearly as good as their earlier stuff. I love Mastodon, but this has some pretty boring tracks amidst the great ones.
Luminous - The Horrors Similar story, an OK album, but does nothing new for the band. Still, I enjoyed it.

Shit, I forgot Alt-J came out. I have it, but I haven't listened to it much since it came out the day before I left

It's pretty damn good. It meanders a bit more than An Awesome Wave, but when it gets to the point, it does it well. The intro track is fantastic. I also love 'Warm Foothills', with Conor Oberst and the female vocalists and the other guy all of whose names I cannot recall, mixed up with Newman's voice. Left Hand Free is ok, but it's a bit weird in the context of the album, and it is verging on the generic. Every Other Freckle and Hunger of the Pine, the other two singles are also great tracks. 'I want to turn you inside out and lick you like a crisp packet' is a pretty cool lyric, IMO.