My 50 favorite albums of 2014

Mea culpa, only got to listen to 400ish albums this year, so my list isn't nearly as diverse as it has been in years past w.r.t. hip-hop, ambient, and world. Maybe that's a good thing.

Looking forward to hearing where I'm way off and what else I need to listen to. Cheers.

1. War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
2. Aphex Twin - Syro
3. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
4. East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
5. Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
6. The Notwist - Close to the Glass
7. Flying Lotus - You're Dead
8. The Men - Tomorrow's Hits
9. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
10. Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
11. Beck - Morning Phase
12. Jenny Lewis - Voyager
13. Mogwai - Rave Tapes
14. Todd Terje - It's Album Time
15. Wye Oak - Shriek
16. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - Atomos
17. James Vincent McMorrow - Post Tropical
18. The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
19. Mac Demarco - Salad Days
20. Spoon - They Want My Soul
21. Big K.R.I.T. - Cadillactica
22. Courtney Barnett - The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas
23. FKA Twigs - LP1
24. Eagulls - Eagulls
25. Goat - Commune
26. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
27. Hiss Golden Messenger - Latness of Dancers
28. Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso
29. Strand of Oaks - Heal
30. Caribou - Our Love
31. Tycho - Awake
32. Jack White - Lazaretto
33. Real Estate - Atlas
34. Stephen Malkmus - Wig Out at Jagbags
35. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
36. Freddie Gibbs - Pinata
37. Ought - Once More with Feeling
38. Sohn - Tremors
39. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
40. Rural Alberta Advantage - Mended With Gold
41. Young Thug and Bloody Jay - Black Portland
42. Swans - To Be Kind
43. Grouper - Ruins
44. The Antlers - Familiars
45. Warpaint - Warpaint
46. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
47. Phantogram - Voices
48. Marissa Nadler - July
49. Woods - With Light and Love
50. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

I've heard of Beck.

scooter84 said:

I've heard of Beck.

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along these lines, i've heard of 5 of these groups/artists. Beck is one of them.

lbE08 said:

along these lines, i've heard of 5 of these groups/artists. Beck is one of them.

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I'd claim that I've heard of five of these bands, but that might be overly optimistic.

Tune-Yards is TOP 25, dog. You straight up replaced them with RAA!?

Sensitive Artist
by John S Hall
King Missile (dog fly religion) _Fluting On The Hump_ Shimmy Disc 1987

I am a sensitive artist...

I am a sensitive artist.
Nobody understands me because I am so deep.
In my work I make allusions to books that nobody else has read,
Music that nobody else has heard,
And art that nobody else has seen.
I can't help it
Because I am so much more intelligent
And well-rounded
Than everyone who surrounds me.

I stopped watching tv when I was six months old
Because it was so boring and stupid
And started reading books
And going to recitals
And art galleries.
I don't go to recitals anymore
Because my hearing is too sensitive
And I don't go to art galleries anymore
Because there are people there
And I can't deal with people
Because they don't understand me.

I stay home
Reading books that are beneath me,
And working on my work,
Which no one understands

I am sensitive...
I am a sensitive artist...

Good, all encompassing list. I would vary the order, but it probably includes at least my top 10-15.

Also sort of re-confirms for me that 2014 wasn't an awesome usic year.

It's a little early. I mean we still have one full month left.

Hey Townie, can you discuss ScHoolboy's inclusion (at 5!) relative to Ab-Soul's absence? What didn't you like about These Days...?

Other thoughts:
-I thought the hype for You're Dead was a bit excessive. Not my cup of tea, I guess, but I thought SBTRKT's album (which came out about the same week, iirc) was way better.
-Man, I was so excited to listen to that double EP from Barnett, and I never ended up getting around to it.
-Biggest omissions for me (aside from SOLO'S) are Mas Ysa and Iceage. I dunno, I'll post my list in here later on this week probably.

Deacfan2009 said:

Tune-Yards is TOP 25, dog. You straight up replaced them with RAA!?

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Also, this

Wait I just realized there is no Modern Baseball on here.

Wait.

No.

Wait.

Some good stuff eliminated like Tuneyards, Modern Baseball, Foxygen, stuff I like but dont need to relisten to necessarily. Love to hear other stuff I've missed.

Tags

You got pretty much all my favorite albums from this year other than Kevin Drew (I swear, this is such a great album to listen to in the dark and chill), the Generationals, and Future Islands. Maybe Lykke Li too.

You missed Lana Del Rey.

I've always been more partial to the old pornographers.

lbE08 said:

along these lines, i've heard of 5 of these groups/artists. Beck is one of them.

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You would like Warpaint. It's like a rock band of chicks who kick ass. You could be a roadie for them.

James Farm: City Folk

Say Hey Deac said:

You would like Warpaint. It's like a rock band of chicks who kick ass. You could be a roadie for them.

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interestingly enough, i tend to kind of dislike female vocalists in rock genres.

Say Hey Deac said:

You got pretty much all my favorite albums from this year other than Kevin Drew (I swear, this is such a great album to listen to in the dark and chill), the Generationals, and Future Islands. Maybe Lykke Li too.

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yeah dude, where is Future Islands?

Sturgill?