BEST 2014 LIST
Listened to a lot of music this year, quite a few great releases and loads of rsolid ones. |
| 100 |  | Ancient Astronaut
Ancient Astronaut
Techno has been making a comeback these last few years, give this a try if ya dig.. |
| 99 |  | Wen
Signals
Equals his 'Commotion' EP. Some of these tracks will remain in rotation for the
foreseeable future |
| 98 |  | Deerhoof
La Isla Bonita
This hasn't got as much acclaim as their previous releases which is probably justified
but some really great tracks on this e.g. Tiny Bubbles |
| 97 |  | Afrikan Sciences
Circuitous
PAN had an unbelievable year and this went under the radar coming right at the end |
| 96 |  | Loefah
Woman / Midnight
Sold out within a few hours of it's release. Two of the most legendary dubstep tunes
finally released. I actually prefer the VIP versions of both |
| 95 |  | Cakedog
Menace In The Phantom
Not as good as his work as Ahnnu but a great tribute to the footwork movement, for
fans of DJ Rashad |
| 94 |  | How to Dress Well
What Is This Heart?
Continues his streak of great pop records |
| 93 |  | Leon Vynehall
Music For The Uninvited
Great house tracks on this, I know a lot of people keep asking about house, look no
further |
| 92 |  | James Hoff
Blaster
Only 1 vote.. Pretty harsh stuff I know but still |
| 91 |  | Wreck and Reference
Want
Still prefer the 'Black Cassette' EP but this is another unique sounding record from The
Flenser in 2014 |
| 90 |  | Goat
Commune
Really colourful instrumentation, prefer World Music though |
| 89 |  | Gobby
Wakng Thrst for Seeping Banhee
If you're looking for something different.. |
| 88 |  | The Bug
Angels and Devils
Great collection of tracks with great guest spots |
| 87 |  | Kayo Dot
Coffins on Io
Really consistent band, another great release a little more toned down than their last |
| 86 |  | Luke Abbott
Wysing Forest
Border Community deserves more attention, a few slow burners on this, equals
Holkham Drones |
| 85 |  | Real Estate
Atlas
Chill album, was good in summer |
| 84 |  | Lord Mantis
Death Mask
Unsettling and heavy listen. Not for the faint of heart... |
| 83 |  | Clipping
CLPPNG
Interesting beats and bars, 'experimental' hip-hop |
| 82 |  | Jamie xx
Girl/Sleep Sound
Include 'All Under One Roof Raving' with this. Three amazing tracks, can't wait for his
2015 album |
| 81 |  | GridLink
Longhena
Accessible grindcore? Their most melodic release |
| 80 |  | Arca
Xen
Big year for this guy |
| 79 |  | Ninos Du Brasil
Novos Misterios
Sounds like the cover art |
| 78 |  | BADBADNOTGOOD
III
Their first fully original album with some really amazing tracks |
| 77 |  | Liars
Mess
Another grower, still doesn't match 'Drum's Not Dead' but their transition to an
electronic sound has been seamless |
| 76 |  | A/T/O/S
A/T/O/S
Incredible debut, great production and vocals |
| 75 |  | Carla Bozulich
Boy
Perhaps her most accessible release but still remains interesting with some of her
best tracks |
| 74 |  | Oneohtrix Point Never
Commissions I
All three tracks are great, if you liked R+7.. |
| 73 |  | FKA Twigs
LP1
Arca's production is really great, an interesting pop record. Pitchfork readers
absolutely loved this |
| 72 |  | The Body
I Shall Die Here
They've got another great collaboration with Thou coming up soon, this one with the
Haxan Cloak accentuates their earth shattering sound |
| 71 |  | Lone
Reality Testing
Not as good as Galaxy Garden but still pure ear candy, shimmering synths and
nostalgic melodies |
| 70 |  | Dead Congregation
Promulgation of the Fall
6 years on they haven't reinvented themselves but have improved the same formula |
| 69 |  | Fennesz
Becs
Just got 'Endless Summer' as well, this is almost as good which is saying something |
| 68 |  | White Lung
Deep Fantasy
Been big into noise rock this year, this is more accessible but still good |
| 67 |  | Godflesh
A World Lit Only By Fire
Crushing production, another great comeback album from a legendary group |
| 66 |  | Ashrae Fax
Never Really Been Into It
1 vote??!! Thought there were quite a few shoegaze fans on this site.. If you like
Ride, Slowdive etc |
| 65 | | Inga Copeland
Because I'm Worth It
Whole album is pretty good, 'Advice to Young Girls' is amazing (actress production
obvs) |
| 64 |  | Cloud Nothings
Here and Nowhere Else
Incredibly solid record with improved vocals |
| 63 |  | Voices From The Lake
Velo Di Maya
Almost as haunting as the self-titled |
| 62 |  | The Antlers
Familiars
Thought this record was pretty homogeneous at first but am appreciating each track
more and more. Really beautiful release |
| 61 |  | Blut Aus Nord
Memoria Vetusta III - Saturnian Poetry
Only discovered this band in the last couple of years, their best in a while for me |
| 60 |  | Mac DeMarco
Salad Days
Numerous plays during the summer, positive feedback from friends and family, fun for
everyone |
| 59 |  | Kassel Jaeger
Toxic Cosmopolitanism
The best work of his career, amazing experimental drone |
| 58 |  | RSS B0YS
N00W
Ever evolving techno painting a misty landscape. 00 FLY from this year is great too |
| 57 |  | Iceage
Plowing into the Field of Love
Less energy than their previous releases but better songwriting with quite a few great
tracks. Good band |
| 56 | | Sd Laika
That's Harakiri
Experimental grime (enough said) |
| 55 |  | Artificial Brain
Labyrinth Constellation
Very accomplished debut, can't wait for their next one |
| 54 |  | M. Geddes Gengras
Ishi
Great modular synths, make sure to get the bonus track version |
| 53 |  | Call Super
Depicta/Acephale II
Hard techno tracks, Suzi Ecto was also great but not as accomplished at these two |
| 52 |  | Indian
From All Purity
Loud and nasty, first track is called 'Rape' |
| 51 |  | Boris
Noise
The best of Boris |
| 50 |  | Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra
Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything
Took me a while to listen to this for some reason but glad I got round to it. These
guys can basically do no wrong |
| 49 |  | Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels 2
I may not love this as much as some but there's no denying it's and amazing hip-hop
collaboration and a great record |
| 48 |  | St. Vincent
St. Vincent
Like many I still prefer 'Strange Mercy' but this is still a fantastic record yet again |
| 47 |  | Ngly
Untitled
Really interesting set of techno tracks |
| 46 |  | Moire
Shelter
On Actress' WerkDiscs. Rolx EP is great too, listen with MDMA supplement |
| 45 |  | Nazoranai
The Most Painful Time/Happens Only Once...
After a decent amount of hype for their debut I'm surprised this only has 1 vote |
| 44 |  | Hiss Tracts
Shortwave Nights
Great soundscapes. If you like the ambient/drone sections of Godspeed.. |
| 43 |  | Current 93
I Am The Last Of All The Field That Fell
Quirky vocals and instrumentation; their best in years |
| 42 |  | Pharmakon
Bestial Burden
Big improvement on her first |
| 41 | | Fire! Orchestra
Enter
Really interesting take on experimental jazz |
| 40 |  | Shabazz Palaces
Lese Majesty
Hazy, sleepy beats. This is pretty underrated, you need good headphones to get the
full impact of the deep bass |
| 39 |  | Fatima
Yellow Memories
Amazing soul album, great production and vocals |
| 38 |  | Ariel Pink
Pom Pom
Sprawling pop record with loads of variety and quirkiness |
| 37 |  | Pallbearer
Foundations of Burden
Non-metal fans like this because of the great vocals, but that doesn't mean it's
lowest common denominator |
| 36 |  | Objekt
Flatland
Not as good as his singles but still incredibly intricate and layered electronic music.
Video for Second Witness is great |
| 35 | | Todd Terje
It's Album Time
Sounds so fresh, was perfect at summer parties |
| 34 |  | Have a Nice Life
The Unnatural World
Prefer this to Deathconciousness which is saying something |
| 33 |  | Kemialliset Ystavat
Alas Rattoisaa Virtaa
One of the more interesting releases this year, can't really describe how it sounds tbh |
| 32 |  | Scott Walker and Sunn O)))
Soused
Exactly what you'd expect from this which is both good and bad. Amazing that this
exists |
| 31 |  | Caribou
Our Love
Yet another great record with a hit single to boot, been throwing this on quite a lot |
| 30 |  | Darkspace
Dark Space III I
Epic and menacing, still prefer Paysage but being just about as good is an achievement |
| 29 |  | Andy Stott
Faith in Strangers
For me Luxury Problems is still his best but he covers more ground on this. Incredibly
heavy, physical production as always from this guy |
| 28 |  | Death Grips
The Powers That B - Part I: Niggas on the Moon
Can't wait for second half of this, much better than Government Plates imo |
| 27 |  | Dirty Beaches
Stateless
Always loved his more atmospheric ambient stuff, a great final record. Last Lizard
stuff sounds promising |
| 26 |  | James Ferraro
Suki Girlz
This has kept growing on me all year. SUKI GIRLZ_18 is my fave |
| 25 |  | The War on Drugs
Lost in the Dream
Didn't love this as much as everyone else at first but some of these tracks are so
smooth |
| 24 | | Flying Lotus
You're Dead!
Shortest 40 minute slab of music released this year, great jazz record with great
guest spots. |
| 23 |  | Ian William Craig
A Turn of Breath
Really beautiful release, thanks TMT |
| 22 |  | Fushitsusha and Peter Brotzmann
Nothing Changes No One Can Change Anything
Another amazing collaboration in 2014, wish I was at this show so much |
| 21 |  | Freddie Gibbs and Madlib
Pinata
As usual incredible beats from Madlib, Freddie Gibbs is also very good although he
doesn't quite match what MF Doom did imo |
| 20 |  | Dean Blunt
Black Metal
I understand why a lot of people don't get or don't like this guy but for me every
release is so interesting and creative. Some of his best tracks ever on this |
| 19 |  | Vanessa Rossetto
Whole Stories
Finally found this towards the end of the year after ages looking. One of the better
field recording records i've heard |
| 18 |  | Thou
Heathen
Heavy and evil, their best record by far for me, pretty long and exhausting but it's
appropriate in this case |
| 17 | | D'Angelo
Black Messiah
When I first got this and played it I told the person I was with 'it came out yesterday',
they couldn't believe it sounds like a long lost classic |
| 16 |  | Aphex Twin
Syro
In danger of being underrated, so many of these tracks are so detailed and showcase
a master of his craft. It may not be his most serious or groundbreaking release but
some of these tracks are some of the best anywhere this year |
| 15 |  | Magic Eye
Babylon
Every track on this hits the spot for me, an amazing debut cannot wait to see what
they do next, hope this gets the attention it deserves. |
| 14 |  | Ben Frost
A U R O R A
Mammoth drums and production on this, heavy, noisy with great textures and
soundscapes |
| 13 |  | Jason Lescalleet
Much to My Demise
Photographs was one of my favourites from last year, this isn't quite as great but is
yet another reminder that he is one of the best at this style of music |
| 12 |  | Lee Gamble
Koch
Great combination of his ambient soundscapes and heavy beats. Cannot believe how
many great albums PAN released this year |
| 11 |  | Swans
To Be Kind
Another home run from Swans. For me this doesn't surpass 'The Seer' but still has
Michael Gira's enthralling, manic persona and still manages to be both brutal and
beautiful |
| 10 |  | Ichiko Aoba
0%
She really is amazing live, songs sound almost improvised they flow so naturally |
| 9 |  | A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Sea When Absent
Mesh of styles including dream pop, shoegaze etc, every track is so multifaceted |
| 8 |  | White Suns
Totem
Brutal, tortured noise rock. Still haven't decided whether this trumps Sinews or not
but this is certainly one of the more exciting bands at the moment |
| 7 |  | DJ Purple Image
MN.ROY
He's had one of the strongest years of anyone. 08.dd.15 is almost as great as this,
disorientating and visceral beats from the future |
| 6 |  | M. Sage
A Singular Continent
Was going to put No Same River Twice to be different but this really is his best. Vast
yet intimate, visuals are great (every album should have a site like this)
http://nathanielwhitcomb.com/collage/singular-continent.html |
| 5 |  | Wold
Postsocial
I may be overrating this but I have been fascinated by this release ever since it came
out and keep returning to it. Hope this gets more attention. If you need cheered up
give this a listen |
| 4 |  | Sun Kil Moon
Benji
Beautiful and haunting, a set of tales straight from the heart. Truly special release |
| 3 |  | Valerio Tricoli
Miseri Lares
Chilling and horrifying. Probably the greatest exponent of this type of music (Musique
Concrete) I've heard, manages to be extremely engaging and physical throughout it's
77 minute running time. Listen to this in the dark.. |
| 2 |  | Actress
Ghettoville
His most realised artistic statement despite being a bit scatterbrain. Dusty, crunching
beats conjure up images of a dystopian industrial landscape and are ever evolving
with subtle details. Really hope this isn't his last album |
| 1 |  | Grouper
Ruins
The record that meant most to me this year. Really saved me from a dark place I
was in being one of the most beautifully melancholy albums I've heard. Really pulls
you out of your environment into this mystical, tranquil place of zen (and sadness) |
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