A Stranger's 2014
2014 was a crazy year for me full of breakups, soccer games, shit tons of weight lifting, inane college rrrshenanigans, and making art. it was definitely a solid year for music overall as well |
| 25 |  | Snowday
As We Travel
Minimalist electronic album that really does feel like a snow day. Definitely worth a listen. |
| 24 |  | Panopticon
Roads to the North
Banjos. That is all. |
| 23 |  | Walk the Moon
Talking Is Hard
I almost categorized this as guilty pleasure alongside Coldplay but nah, these guys are cool. Great indie pop album. |
| 22 |  | Nothing More
Nothing More
Catchy and powerful. "God Went North" is probably the most emotional song I heard in 2014, and for good reason. |
| 21 |  | Coldplay
Ghost Stories
A guilty pleasure for this year, I loved Ghost Stories. Apart from Viva la Vida, I'm not a huge Coldplay fan, but I really enjoyed the low-
key atmosphere on this album, and Midnight is a fantastic song. |
| 20 |  | The Hotelier
Home, Like NoPlace is There
Though I don't listen to this enough, I still love the lyricism and the vocals on this album. |
| 19 |  | Pianos Become the Teeth
Keep You
A style change makes for an interesting listen. While not as good as The Lack Long After, Keep You is still a great album, and quite
beautiful overall. |
| 18 |  | Saor
Aura
What a surprise from a former member of Falloch. Who would have expected this? I'm whisked away to epic battles listening to this,
and that's not a problem. |
| 17 |  | Low Roar
0
A great listen. Overall I've heard styles similar to this done better, but this album is still quite emotional and lovely. |
| 16 |  | Musk Ox
Woodfall
I credit Sputnik for helping me find this gorgeous album. I don't listen to it often, but when I do, I'm blown away each and every time. |
| 15 | | Mastodon
Once More 'Round the Sun
While I would love to see Mastodon return to a Leviathan-esque sound, this album is still fantastic for what it is. Seeing these guys live
cemented them in my top bands of all time, and even if they continue in this direction I won't particularly mind, as the songs are still
heavy, catchy, and interesting overall. |
| 14 |  | The Great Old Ones
Tekeli-Li
Lovely atmospheres combined with Lovecraftian mythos makes for an excellent listen. |
| 13 |  | Job For a Cowboy
Sun Eater
What a surprise this release was-- I was always a detractor of these guys, but damn, if they didn't release one of the best metal
albums of the year. |
| 12 |  | Trophy Scars
Holy Vacants
Emotional, catchy, and thought-provoking. More time with this album likely would see it placed higher. |
| 11 |  | Anathema
Distant Satellites
Anathema doing Anathema-- plus some electronics. While not every song is outstanding a la Weather Systems, Distant Satellites still
offers some of Anathema's best work yet. |
| 10 |  | Interpol
El Pintor
Interpol start creating fantastic music once again after a few missteps. Welcome back, boys. |
| 9 |  | Ne Obliviscaris
Citadel
While not as immediately catchy as Portal of I, Citadel is more layered and definitely has more to offer. Great, great album. |
| 8 |  | The Smith Street Band
Throw Me in the River
This album really toys with my emotions. The title track is one of my favorite songs of the year-- and what a track it is. |
| 7 |  | Damascus
When Last We Met
Okay, so Jakob didn't have to tell everyone how to do post-rock correctly. Damascus was doing just fine. This album is relentless,
powerful, evocative, and emotional. Definitely recommend. |
| 6 |  | Damien Rice
My Favourite Faded Fantasy
Damien Rice returns from the depths with an absolutely soul-crushing album. The atmosphere is incredible, and the lyrics are quite
charming. Definitely his best work. |
| 5 |  | Kishi Bashi
Lighght
Kishi Bashi is insane. This album is insane. Everything about it shouldn't work. But oh, does it. Absolutely glorious melodies, sounds
that are reminiscent of prog, indie-- and just about everything else. Also-- he answered my AMA question, which gives this guy bonus
points. |
| 4 |  | Gates
Bloom and Breathe
Post rock + Thrice is what this album essentially sounds like -- and what a great sound that is. I love the passion in the vocals, the
overall uplifting atmosphere, and the instrumentation is delightful. Great stuff. |
| 3 |  | Jakob
Sines
Jakob return from a long hiatus to remind everyone how post-rock is supposed to be done. What an amazing release. |
| 2 |  | alt-J
This Is All Yours
While not the same as its predecessor, This is All Yours is really a fantastic album. It takes time for the album to develop and grow,
but if given the amount of time it deserves, it really is worth it. The album is full of great atmospheres and melodies, and it is definitely
worth listening to. |
| 1 |  | Locktender
Rodin
This album actually blew me away. Their music is free, and they make songs based around works of art-- being an artist myself, this
concept was really intriguing. Discovering the music was essentially post-metal with absolutely crushing vocals, it was love at first
listen. Easily my favorite album of the year. |
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