breakingthefragile
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Last Active 03-27-15 10:13 am
Joined 04-07-12

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 Lists
01.04.16 Breakingthefragile's Favorite Releases 01.04.15 Breakingthefragile's 2014 Of Whatever I
10.18.14 Aesop Waits07.05.14 Breakingthefragile's 2014: First Half
02.24.14 Farewell Sputnik12.29.13 Breakingthefragile's 2013 Of Pretty Coo
09.23.13 Breaking Bad...Bad Episode?04.07.13 One Year Sputnik Anniversary
02.07.13 breakingthefragile's 91 Favorite Albums 01.09.13 Breakingthefragile's Top 50 Albums Of 2
12.15.12 20 Favorite Double Albums06.29.12 The 10 Best Albums Of The First Half Of

Breakingthefragile's 2013 Of Pretty Cool Albums And Some Overlooked Stuff As Well

Truth be told, my choices for the best albums of the year would mostly be the exact same albums that everyone is putting on their end of the year lists, and I don't think the site needs another list with Deafheaven, Run the Jewels, ?Like Clockwork, and others of the universally lauded sort this year. So this is just simply a list of some albums I personally dug the most, some acclaimed favorites I couldn't help but include, and some albums I've found to be underrated around the site. The first five spots are reserved for EPs, and the rest are the traditional 50 album slots. I tried to include a well-rounded mix of all genres for an amazing year in music overall. Here's to a promising 2014!
55Submotion Orchestra
1968


It?s not a period piece by any means, but Submotion Orchestra have decided to
dedicate a little bit of their time to engulf neo-jazz with abyssal production and
some salacious female vocals.
54FKA twigs
EP2


Sort of like a female Tricky in a way. Abrasive whispers of lust that permeate
throughout trip hop music, which is a respectable route to go down these days
when it?s so easy for bedroom electronic artists to succumb to the popular draw of
downtempo.
53Soap and Skin
Sugarbread


Female solo artists without a doubt comprised the majority of the EPs that I dug
this year, and even though it doesn?t breach the ten minute mark, Sugarbread
doesn?t feel as short and sweet as its name may imply. Yoko Ono-esque shrieks
may be the garnish for this hazy fraction of post-industrial music, but within the
minimalism to be found here, Soap and Skin has unearthed an enhanced level of
intimacy through brevity.
52Banks
London


After getting Jamie Woon to aid in production and scoring a tour with The Weeknd
as an opening act, the sheer quality of this downcast yet alluringly catchy EP
cements Banks as a young artist with loads of potential and a promising future. This
is one to watch in the independent R&B scene, we may have a future queen on our
hands in 2014.
51Active Child
Rapor


The voice of an angel now comes with the moves like Jagger.
50Tricky
False Idols


His mindset may still be in the 90s, but it?s nice that Tricky sounds like he?s
mumbling the lyrics of other songs to himself while he?s driving towards a promising
destination, rather than grumbling his paranoid musings while delirious in bed from
drug intake.
49Broadcast
Berberian Sound Studio


If this is anything to go by, I?m sure that if the fictional film that this collection of
disturbing guttural noises and droning white noise was made to score ever came to
be in reality, it wouldn?t be NEARLY as terrifying as this soundtrack standalone.
48Toro Y Moi
Anything in Return


A much more light-headed and ethereal approach to the shimmering R&B developed
by How to Dress Well. Recommended to soothe undergraduate hormonal angst.
47Savages
Silence Yourself


This. Is. Post-punk. Attention to the infinite number of bands that can?t stop
covering Joy Division, take notes on this assortment of frantic jams where every
instrument is audible and prevalent.
46Standish/Carlyon
Deleted Scenes


So I?ve noticed Sputnik is into awkwardly cheesy throwback R&B that talks about
sex and relationships like they?re losing hair and gaining new silver ones (Blood
Orange, Justin Timberlake). In that case, I?ll refer you to ?Nono/Yoyo? which is like
making sweet motel love to 80s porn VHS tapes that didn?t have labels but you
settled for it anyway.
45The 1975
IV


I want you to imagine Kings of Leon except for a few things: not terrible (still with
me?), draws heavily from Brian Eno-esque atmospheric production, and pumps out
quick-jabbing hooks for a concoction that brings to mind images of the dance floor
and a bird?s eye overview of the dance floor.
44Young Fathers
TAPE TWO


Here we see lo-fi production, left-field hip hop, and jazz-influenced R&B all settled
down happily into a polygamist marriage.
43Sigur Ros
Kveikur


Any fan who has grown wearisome of the very light and high-spirited fluffiness of
their previous two albums should find a lot to love in Kveikur. Sigur Ros has made a
partial return to the bleak and icy soundscapes of ( ), and while it is at times darker
and more somber than anything they've put out in the last decade, this album has
as much sonic diversity as ?g?tis byrjun. Some tracks venture back into instances
of sweeping melancholia, but at the same time it retains the whimsical joy of
Takk..., and the nostalgic innocence of Me? su? ? eyrum vi? spilum endalaust, and
hell, it even provides a stark contrast to all of this through some harsh blasts of
distortion. But what's most admirable about Kveikur - as is with every Sigur Ros
album - is how seamlessly and beautifully everything comes together to forge an
all-around mystifying experience.
42oOoOO
Without Your Love


Say what you want about witch house as a genre, but this guy?s music
instantaneously immersed me into its submerged depths with its forlorn samples and
unnerving tone.
41Bosnian Rainbows
Bosnian Rainbows


It?s sad that this project spawned from Omar Rodriguez Lopez neglecting The Mars
Volta, but there could not be a better vocalist than Teri Gender Bender singing over
his wailing guitar. This is the most subdued that Lopez has been in a long time,
especially following a string of absent-minded solo albums of unfocused chaos. An
Omar that shows some restraints and sets limitations for himself is an interesting
one to hear, and it?s nice to hear the beautiful and abstract singing of a woman
keeping his chords in line.
40u-Ziq
Chewed Corners


Among the countless electronic music producers out there, this guy still isn?t
getting the attention he deserves sadly. You can help by showing this album to any
fans of Flying Lotus, Four Tet, Aphex Twin, or Squarepusher. It?s music that?s worth
sharing even if you can?t figure out how to type the ?µ.?
39Hieroglyphics
The Kitchen


It?s really a shame that this came out as late into the year as it did, because this is
an album that is packed to the brim with guests, but never feels bloated, over-
stuffed, or disorderly. After the underwhelming disappointment that Deltron 3030?s
return was this year, The Kitchen might be the best thing Del the Funky
Homosapien has been heavily involved with in quite some time. There?s cruisers,
even some bangers, and an abundance of clever raps that just want to show you a
good time.
38AlunaGeorge
Body Music


Step up your game, La Roux, you?re about to get knocked down.
37Norma Jean
Wrongdoers


Much more distorted and grizzly than your typical Christian metalcore. Even
Underoath wasn't this vile.
36I Am Legion
I Am Legion


An entire album made for those who couldn?t get enough of ?Shellshock.? I?m one of
those people. It?s personally hard for me to say no to grime this filthy, especially
when Noisia is making sure the music being it all is nothing less than pulse-
pounding.
35Goldfrapp
Tales of Us


Glistening dream pop with a ravishing noir sheen that finds the former trip hop
princess utilizing synths for more refined purposes than attempting to make polish-
laden post-disco sound anything but filtered.
34Drake
Nothing Was the Same


Contrary to popular belief, a lot of things are the same actually, but they?re things I
honestly didn?t want to ever change. 40s sullen production still leaves a coat of
frost over goose bump-ridden skin, and Drake is still the most open rapper about his
emotional injuries, but remains thoroughly confident and always offers a witty wise-
crack with a smirk and wink for reassurance. ?Own It? has contagious melodies
despite its unconventional framework, and the trap tracks can sound a bit odd at
first, but will undoubtedly become growers as Nothing Was the Same defies Drake?s
own conventions so much that it?s hard not to get on board with.
33Dave Porter
Breaking Bad, Vol. 2


There?s no other soundtrack on television, or even in film, that sounds like the
magic Dave Porter works. The way this man integrates the inspiration from the
show into the score to make a seamlessly matching soundtrack solidifies Vol. 2?s
cinematic quality as being comparable to something you?d hear booming from the
silver-screen.
32Alter Bridge
Fortress


The album I have always wanted Alter Bridge to make, and one that I predicted
they were steadily progressing towards unleashing upon the rock radio waves. Mark
Tremonti completely lets loose and offers up relentlessly bruising riffs and solos over
surprisingly forward-thinking and layered song structures. With Myles Kennedy
returning from under Slash?s wing and never sounding more vocally impressive,
Fortress cements Alter Bridge as the most technically proficient and naturally
talented band in a marginally vapid genre that?s mostly devoid of a partnership of
brains and bronze.
31Black Milk
No Poison No Paradise


Raps from a devious mind and equally devilish beats.
30Robert Glasper Experiment
Black Radio 2


I thought the first Black Radio was a formula for success, and thankfully making a
sequel that capitalizing on the quality music harvested from cool raps over smooth
jazz in a radio playlist like setting hasn?t worn the formula too thing yet. Though I
think Black Radio 3 would probably be stretching the chances a bit.
29Autechre
Exai


Most schizophrenic Tetris soundtrack I?ve ever heard.
28Beacon
The Ways We Seperate


If you?ve ever wanted an artist similar to The xx, but focuses more on the
downtempo side of minimalism than the shoegaze inspired side, than this is the
album for you.
27Ka
The Night's Gambit


Predatory underground hip hop on the midnight prowl; ready to pounce on its willing
victims within a world rife with urban decay and street crime blues.
26Glasser
Interiors


Heavily textured and cerebral dream pop that will turn heads for those who are fond
of Bjork and Fever Ray.
25Bonobo
The North Borders


Ambient trance-step music for hung-over mornings during a vacation to the tropics.
24Chelsea Wolfe
Pain Is Beauty


It?s incredibly refreshing to hear a Goth rock record that isn?t incessantly concerned
with plugging its own faux-satanic-laced self-loathing in every conceivable crevice
of the music. Chelsea?s stripped down and rustic take on doom folk is surged with
razor-sharp industrial influences on Pain is Beauty, and the result is a pitch black
atmosphere whirring about like a storm over a reserved yet pained heart.
23Tim Hecker
Virgins


It?s vivid, visceral, and speaks loudly through the most somber quiet. It?s Tim
Hecker, folks.
22Stone Sour
House of Gold and Bones - Part 2


In my experience (and quite a lot of unfortunate experience with post-rock at that)
modern post-nu metal alternative rock bands who try to make double concept
albums never follow through with material supporting the hype because they either
deflate the themes with radio appeal, or fail to have the concept as the main
priority. Corey Taylor penned this dystopian story arc along with a comic book tie-
in, and the whole thing is so focused, well-thought out, and panders to single-
ready songs as well as some interesting music experiments for the band and hard
rock genre as a whole, that it?s a wonder why the front man didn?t do this with a
Slipknot record years ago.
21Palms
Palms


The only thing you really need to say to sell me on this is ?Chino Moreno in a post-
rock band.? Of course Isis with Deftones? vocals goes hand in hand marvelously.
20Cult of Luna
Vertikal


Charging, imperialistic post-metal that never stalls or meanders, but lunges across
mountainous terrain, and never becomes too far gone from the earth to ground
itself for some shockingly accessible metal tracks.
19Danny Brown
Old


Who doesn?t love Danny Brown? I think the worst you can be is indifferent towards
this character. His voice can come off as annoying to the casual listener, but it?s
difficult not to grow to adore it, but Danny Brown has never failed to express
musically, and Old finds him catering to every demographic within his ever-growing
fan-base. Packed with incendiary trap cuts that reinvent wild party-tailored hip hop
in the best way possible, and somber tracks reflecting on the sweet sorrow of
frequent partying, Old is the Danny Brown album that can appeal to everyone.
18Zomby
With Love


A very solid collection of garage tracks that?s strung together over two discs with
capacious production. Zomby is keen on the right limits for everything, and With
Love mostly benefits from this restraint by having brief tracks that delve into
cavernous spaces.
17The Dillinger Escape Plan
One of Us Is the Killer


Continuing to provide evidence for why they?re one of the only metal bands around
today whose music is malignant as hell despite pummeling you with its hyperactively
calculated riffs and totalitarian rage.
16Soundtrack
The Legend of Korra: Original Music from Book One


I said it before in my review, and I?ll say it again: ?The Legend of Korra: Original
Music From Book One is the most mature, daring, and adventurous album of music
that we?ll probably ever receive under the Nick Records label.? I still stand by these
claims because it?s difficult to argue with such diverse couplings of Dixieland jazz,
traditional Chinese music, and western orchestral music.
15Ghostface Killah
Twelve Reasons to Die


Restoring staggering grit and densely nocturnal production back into paranoia-
charged horror hip hop.
14Johnny Marr
The Messenger


A gripe I almost always have about solo albums from guitarists is that they're far
more interested in constantly flashing their guitar skills than writing actual worth-
while songs. Thankfully, Johnny Marr has delivered some of the best guitar-oriented
rock music in general this year.
13Mountains
Centralia


Flourishing and whimsical ambient music that's gargantuan and vast in scope like an
expansive desert being viewed from space.
12Jenny Hval
Innocence Is Kinky


Confounding music as far as detailing a genre description is concerned, but it's
freaky, eyebrow raising, and stimulates your brain (and hopefully only your brain).
11Filter
The Sun Comes Out Tonight


The catchiest and most antagonizing cuts of bulky industrial rock muscle from the
band that helped make the genre just a tad bit more accessible to the modern hard
rock community, and is consistently doing so once again in a more appealing way
than ever.
10How to Destroy Angels
Welcome Oblivion


Gone are the instances of painfully awkward S&M-themed interplay between Reznor
and Maandig, Welcome Oblivion is a true display of caustically dynamic chemistry
between the Nine Inch Nails' frontman and his wife. This album can be as hostile
and bursting at the seams with glitches and hisses as the heft of NIN's music
manages, but Maandig's gently alluring croons and disconcerting wails soaked in
static gives this music a foreboding and ominous touch that Trent can't quite crack
anymore, and through this she has proved herself as a valuable asset that makes
How to Destroy Angels more than just a Trent Reznor side-project.
9Daft Punk
Random Access Memories


Daft Punk is teaching us all how to boogie again whether you like it or not. Random
Access Memories takes us back to glory days of the earliest form of Daft Punk's
source of inspiration: disco and raw bass-licking funk. The 70-plus minute run-time
slips away as you dance time out the window through the irresistibly catchy
singles. Daft Punk have built more of a time machine than an album, and in doing
so, they've paved the way for a future of IDM with groovy life breathed back into
it.
8Steven Price
Gravity


Never before on a soundtrack have I heard ambient music with an atmosphere this
monolithic and immense. These are gripping, suspenseful, tense, and suffocating
compositions that rapidly rise in tension up into the void above before they wither
away into the unnerving calm of bleak quietness and even chilling silence. The
tracks perfectly toggle and transition between beautifully spacious and complacent
meditative music, and breathlessly chest-crushing eruptions of noise both as
claustrophobic and vastly deep as the perpetual space that the film takes place in.
7Janelle Monae
The Electric Lady


Were there ever concept albums in the R&B genre this theatrical before Janelle
Monae came along? With her lovable quirkiness, flair for the cinematic, intriguing
ambition, and love for a blend of hip hop, neo-soul, and 80s arena rock, this little
lady rightfully has everyone's ears, and is singlehandedly rejuvenating a genre that
is admittedly struggling in the thematic department.
6No Bird Sing
Definition Sickness


Without a doubt the most obscure take on the concept of rap rock that you will
ever hear. Definition Sickness is equal parts riveting spoken word and vigorous
conscious hip hop as it is experimental rock, post-rock, and exquisitely rustic and
organic ambient music.
5Melt Yourself Down
Melt Yourself Down


The most spastic avant-garde jazz to surface in a long while. Melt Yourself Down
couldn't be bothered with progressive leanings or complex song structures, and that
really doesn't matter when out of all the music making noise out there, this album
manages to grab the most ears with its unique clatter.
4Julia Holter
Loud City Song


Julia Holter might be my new favorite artist and one of the best of the 2010s.
There's nothing else exactly like Loud City Song, and it?s an album that rewards
repeated listens with a growing appreciation for indisputably interesting music.
3James Blake
Overgrown


I've returned to this album so many times over because it's honestly hard to believe
just how impeccably Blake has perfected his craft of core-rattling soul melodies
echoed through dissonant dub tones. This is the peak of this man's artistry, and
with the lush ambient production, captivating rhythms, and infectious verses, it's
clear that Blake has finally found the human core among the restless searching
through robotic experimentation.
2Sadistik
Flowers For My Father


A beautifully crafted atmosphere aids in making Sadistik's cathartic poetry and
vulnerable delivery chill to the bone and resonate within the psyche. One of the
scarce but essential winter hip hop albums.
1Kanye West
Yeezus


Aside from it being absolutely vicious, primal, and ruthlessly aggressive in its
vulgarity-induced industrial assault, I've realized over time that the main reason this
has become my favorite Kanye West album is because it was the first collection of
his music that refused to let me escape for its entire run-time, and I myself didn't
want it to let me go long after it ended.
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