Top 30 Albums of 2014

2014 was another sub-par year - with some above-par albums:...
Top Albums of 2014

Top Albums of 2014

2014 was another sub-par year – with some above-par albums:

30 Augustines
Augustines

Brooklyn indie-rock power.
Augustines : Augustines
29 The New Pornographers
Brill Bruisers

Power-pop has never been so powerful or so poppy.
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The New Pornographers : Brill Bruisers
28 Tycho
Awake

Every so often, if you are lucky, a record will swoop down seemingly out of nowhere and grab hold of you.
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Tycho : Awake
27 Afghan Whigs
Do the Beast

The album is as good as any of their previous work, dealing as usual with their favourite subject that is the fairer sex and all the age old problems that the association with will inevitably bring.
Afghan Whigs : Do the Beast
26 Delta Spirit
Into the Wide

Country alt-rock exactly the way it should be done.
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Delta Spirit : Into the Wide
25 Kevin Drew
Darlings

Broken Social Scene frontman stands stripped down and bare for the whole world to see.
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Kevin Drew : Darlings
24 Porter Robinson
Worlds

Intertwines dance beats with tear-jerking themes in a refreshing way. Worlds sheds light on the vastness of our minds, and celebrates the quixotic visions that are present in each and every one of us.
Porter Robinson : Worlds
23 Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels 2

The best hip-hop duo out there are even more than the sum of their impressive parts.
Run the Jewels : Run the Jewels 2
22 The Secret Sisters
Put Your Needle Down

Put Your Needle Down on this sweet country LP.
The Secret Sisters : Put Your Needle Down
21 Trampled By Turtles
Wild Animals

Squaring roots-rock with today.
Trampled By Turtles : Wild Animals
20 Split Single
Fragmented World

Jason Narducy steps out from behind acclaimed others to deliver his own slice of the pie.
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Split Single : Fragmented World
19 Nickel Creek
A Dotted Line

Progressive bluegrass trio return in finest form.
Nickel Creek : A Dotted Line
18 Eels
The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett
Instead of Caution, there is much hope in the Tales of Mark Oliver Everett.
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Eels : The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett
17 First Aid Kit
Stay Gold

Sweden’s pony girls Stay Gold.
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First Aid Kit : Stay Gold
16 Bear Hands
Distraction

QRO favorites are clawing their way to the top of New York’s alt-rock pile.
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Bear Hands : Distraction
15 Royal Blood
Royal Blood

The riffs are blues derived, heavy and above all simple, with the vocals ranging from a prince falsetto to a Robert Plant guttural roar. This is an album that raises the bar for every band aspiring to succeed in the rock genre.
Royal Blood : Royal Blood
14 Conor Oberst
Upside Down Mountain
Despite all of his changes, you still know what you’re looking for from Conor Oberst, and he delivers it.
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Conor Oberst : Upside Down Mountain
13 Swans
To Be Kind

Whereas The Seer pummeled and roared with contained aggression, To Be Kind retains the same elements of repetition and discipline but with a broader sweep over the musical spectrum offering colour as well as light and shade.
Swans : To Be Kind
12 Warpaint
Warpaint
From free-flowing experimentation to skilled execution.
Warpaint : Warpaint
11 The War On Drugs
Lost In the Dream

Jams meet eighties rock and more on a pinnacle release.
The War On Drugs : Lost In the Dream
10 Hamilton Leithauser
Black Hours

Frontman for The Walkmen keeps all you love about that band and puts his own spin on it in his solo debut.
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Hamilton Leithauser : Black Hours
9 Death From Above 1979
The Physical World

Founders of dance-punk return with all the power you were looking & longing for.
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Death From Above 1979 : The Physical World
8 The Apache Relay
The Apache Relay

Folk with significance and soul.
The Apache Relay : The Apache Relay
7 Shovels & Rope
Swimmin’ Time

Husband & wife duo are swingin’ & Swimmin’.
Shovels & Rope : Swimmin' Time
6 Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams

The fourteenth release of his extensive, successful solo career, Adams took a bit of a louder approach and earned him three Grammy nominations, including Best Rock Album.
Ryan Adams : Ryan Adams
5 Jenny Lewis
The Voyager

The past has never sounded so present as Jenny Lewis returns to Jenny Lewis.
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Jenny Lewis : The Voyager
4 Elbow
The Take Off and Landing of Everything

England all-stars further hone their excellently skill grand/intimate emotional mix.
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Elbow : The Take Off and Landing of Everything
3 Spoon
They Want My Soul

You can’t keep a good Spoon down, as the confident band goes out-and-out cool.
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Spoon : They Want My Soul
2 St. Vincent
St. Vincent

The divine Annie Clark goes big and stays great on her best album yet.
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St. Vincent : St. Vincent
1 Damon Albarn
Everyday Robots

As touching and effective as so much of today’s world isn’t.  No one in the Brit-pop nineties could have imagined how far Blur’s puckish frontman would soar artistically.
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Damon Albarn : Everyday Robots

 

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