The Indisputably Definitive 2014 List
It's officially December which means every single Sputnik user must post their year-
end list or be banned for life. COMPLY OR DIE.
These are my favorite albums of the year, in no specific order. There are plenty of
other albums that I liked this year, but these are the ones I kept coming back to.
May 2015 be as full of great tunes as this year. Amen. |
| 1 |  | Nine of Swords
I Can't Stand My Own Face
Female fronted hardcore/punk. Vicious, concise, and one of my favorite vocal performances of
the year. |
| 2 |  | Emma Ruth Rundle
Some Heavy Ocean
Debut solo effort from Nocturnes/Red Sparrowes/Marriages member Emma Ruth Rundle. Folk-
ish songs with post-rock ambience and a solid, unique voice. Emma is consistently great; can't
wait for the new Marriages record. |
| 3 |  | White Lung
Deep Fantasy
Faster, better, stronger. Guitar on this is fuckin bananas. |
| 4 |  | Circa Survive
Descensus
A step up from their last two albums in my eyes. The vocal performance especially feels more
detailed and deliberate, and the band as a whole feels more cohesive while still experimenting
with their sound. |
| 5 |  | Grouper
Ruins
Liz Harris at her most delicate, vulnerable, and intimate. Her compositions are stripped down
to their most basic level, which gives her lyrics a sharper edge than ever. Rainy day album of
2014. |
| 6 |  | United Nations
The Next Four Years
The UN's best lineup in my opinion. David Haik is MVP on a team of MVP's. Dude is in full on
hulk mode and makes me want to practice till my arms fall off. |
| 7 |  | Have a Nice Life
The Unnatural World
Have a nice life dudes |
| 8 |  | IDYLLS
Prayer for Terrene
Insane punk/hardcore from Australia. Kurt Ballou's production manages to keep this from
sounding like a machine gun in a washing machine. It sounds tight as fuck while
simultaneously sounding like it's going to completely fall apart at any second. I haven't even
mentioned the sax. God damn, THE SAX! |
| 9 |  | RX Bandits
Gemini, Her Majesty
More polished and meticulously recorded than previous Bandits albums, which is good and
bad. It's another solid record in their consistent discography. |
| 10 |  | Thee Silver Mount Zion
Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything
14 years in and Mt. Zion is as vital as ever. Either the best or worst album title of the year.
I'm leaning toward best. |
| 11 |  | St. Vincent
St. Vincent
Do saints need to be dead to be canonized? If pope Francis really wanted to be the cool pope,
he would make an exception. Best live show of 2014. |
| 12 |  | Boyfrndz
Breeder
If you can look past the band name (I know, it's hard) you'll find one of the best jams of the
year. Spacey, math-ish, and groovy as hell. |
| 13 |  | Swans
To Be Kind
What else can be said about this album on this site? 2nd best show I went to this year. |
| 14 |  | Towers
Bel Air Highrise Plantation
This actually might be my favorite album title of the year. The song titles are awesome too;
how could a song called THE COMPLETE AND UTTER DESTRUCTION OF LOS ANGELES be bad? |
| 15 |  | Warpaint
Warpaint
I took a while to acclimate to this, but I think the band settles into the more subdued, mellow
sound nicely. Another excellent live show. |
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