Year End List: Top 10 Favorite Albums of the Year

A lot of great music has come out this year, and I thought that I would share my favorite albums of the year. Now these are my personal favorites, so don't get offended if your favorites aren't here (though feel free to share your year end lists). If you're a regular reader, first of all thank you, but you might be able to predict some of this list, but others I simply did not review either due to lack of time, or that I was turned on to these albums a little later in the year than their release.

Runners Up

The Flaming Lips- Flaming Side of the Moon 

I made this a runner up purely for the fact that it was not an actual album, and was actually an April Fool's Day joke that was more likely way more awesome than the band intended. I commented on this release earlier in the year, and I think the concept (as well as the sound) was truly innovative, and I enjoyed hearing The Dark Side of the Moon with some new acid tinged embellishments.








Sam Smith- In the Lonely Hour


Sam Smith was an artist that really took me by surprise this year. His talents are truly amazing, and his vocals are stunning. I left this off the list since its themes are a little one dimensional, and I feel like he has a much better album in him than a 21 clone. But I have to admit that 'Not In That Way' has some powerful music and some emotional lyrics that even got to a stoic like me.

10. Aphex Twin- Syro

2014 was the year of comebacks for a lot of artists, but I was not expecting this one. After the commotion surrounding the auction of the Caustic Window LP test pressing, Richard D. James followed it up with an excellent record filled with dance-able, yet intricate electronic compositions. It's great to know that even after so many years, he can deliver great new material, that does not sound dated or derivative in the slightest.







9. Gil Scott Heron- Nothing New

I was lucky enough to get this release on Record Store Day, and was not disappointed. A Gil Scott-Heron posthumous project recorded in parallel with his final album, this consists mainly of piano and vocal covers or reworkings of his previous material. Even near the end, Gil Scott-Heron had an incredibly passionate, if not slightly rough, voice, but his personality and soul really comes out in these songs, and if you're a fan and can track this down, I highly recommend it.







8. D'Angelo- Black Messiah

Another release I was surprised with this year. Following his two amazing albums from decades past, D'Angelo has come back into the lime light with his most eclectic, groove heavy, and best written set to date. It's so refreshing to have an R&B singer touch on themes besides the same stale cliches, and I really hope D'Angelo stays around a little longer before his next inevitable hiatus. This was definitely the game changing release of the late year.






7. Open Mike Eagle- Dark Comedy 

This project, along with my number 6, has been what has been missing from hip hop in the past few years. Intelligence, passion, clever wordplay, and legitimate humor burst at the seams throughout this album, and Open Mike Eagle, unlike a majority of current rappers, actually has some things to say, which is refreshing. It's nice to hear lyrics delivered with actual skill, as opposed to hearing someone read their receipt from their latest Gucci shopping spree.






6. Run The Jewels- Run the Jewels 2

I doubt I'll find that many people that will disagree when I say that this was the best hip hop album of 2014. The beats were unique, dark, and bumping, the energy was not measurable by modern science, and the word play of El-P and Killer Mike was in a class all its own. They could be confrontational and quote on quote "go hard", but they also could actually share some real thoughts and have a message in their raps as well. And, anything to get Zach de la Rocha out of the hole he's been hiding in gains points in my book.





5. Kigo- Close (Enough to Kiss)


I'm not going to gush about this EP or this band too much more (mainly because I feel like a creepy stalker groupie), but any fan of shoegaze, dream pop, or fuzzy atmospheric rock should really give this a try. Dwayne Pearce experimented further with Kigo's sound, and I found the pitch shifting and other little tweaks extremely interesting and innovative. The introduction of more members into the recording process on their subsequent single is really getting me amped up for their next project.





4. St. Vincent- St. Vincent

This was probably the tightest set of pop songs this year. Mixing up chip-tune, electropop, guitar freakouts, and quirky lyrics full of humor as well as social commentary, Annie Clark delivered her most cohesive and focused album yet. The song 'Birth In Reverse' is just amazing, and whoever handled the drum part on that song earns my honorary Neil Peart award for the year. Pretty much as soon as this album ends, you can just start it over again. When I first heard it, I liked it a lot, and it's grown on me even more throughout the year.






3. Ian Anderson- Homo Erraticus

This album is probably the most ambitious concept album that has ever existed, and I'm a huge sucker for high concept prog rock. This is a lyric sheet written by a fictional character from previous Ian Anderson work, Thick as a Brick I and II, based on a manuscript this character found based on a delirious man's twisted history and future of the world. It's concept is expanded on with its great Jethro Tull throwback sound, and a fair amount of pop culture humor and social commentary. And flute solos all day!





2. Sun Kil Moon- Benji


I almost missed this album, but I'm so glad I heard this. I had never heard of Sun Kil Moon before this year, and I'm glad I learned of the project before Mark Kozelek's little social faux pas. That might've turned me off to the most emotionally vulnerable album I might have ever heard. This album is so personal and confessional that you might think it's too specific, but I can't help but identify with a lot of his feelings. Backed by very sparse accompaniment, it's a very intimate album that makes you really reconsider your whole life. The album is a little on the long side on paper, but the time flies b when you're listening to it, and it never feels tedious, even with his rambling singing style. I tried to describe the album to someone, but it really needs to be heard, because it's truly a masterpiece.



1. Swans- To Be Kind



If you're a person who enjoys dark, unsettling music, this is the record for you. Slow, haunting, incremental builds to brutal and powerful musical climaxes are what makes this album for me. These incremental builds in instrumentation are done over extremely deep and hypnotic grooves, and you can really get lost in them. And Michael Gira's lyrics and vocal stylings are always guaranteed to disturb you, and yet raise the hairs on the back of your neck and keep you coming back for more. This is one of the creepier things that I heard this year, and the laughter in 'Just A Little Boy (For Chester Burnett)' still in just the most disturbing thing I feel like I'll ever hear (except maybe the crying on that Body Lovers/Body Haters record). Swans comeback has thus far been extremely successful, and I think Michael Gira may be writing and composing some of the best songs of his career. This mammoth album may be a little difficult to digest, and is not for the faint of heart, but I highly recommend it, and it is my favorite album of 2014.


Check back in later, as I'll be sharing some upcoming albums I'm excited about in early 2015. Hope you had a good 2014, and hear's to a better 2015. Happy listening.



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