(t5!) My Year In Lists 2014: Albums!

Posted by Marc Benoza February 20, 2015

(t5!) My Year In Lists 2014: Albums!

Here are the best fifty albums that I've danced to, pondered upon, been moved by, and unabashedly sung along with throughout the previous calendar year.

Pages: #50 - #41 | #40 - 31 | #30 - #21 | #20 - #11 | #10 - #01 | Full Results

#50: Future - Honest
Released April 22, 2014
A1, Freebandz, Epic

"Honest is transporting in ways that few records are, and no matter how strong the beat selection might be or how perfectly the guest list is curated, credit is due overwhelmingly to Future for being able to sustain and justify such a broad range of moods for the duration of the record."
-- EMBLING, Tiny Mix Tapes

Move That Dope | I Won | Never Satisfied | Full Album | Spotify

#49: Gazelle Twin - Unflesh
Released September 22, 2014
Last Gang

"This album, with its pristine interiors, captures the intimacy of her trauma perfectly. It’s as immaculate as a hotel in a JG Ballard novel, and just as bloody scary."
-- Guy Mankowski, Pop Matters

Anti Body | Belly Of The Beast | I Feel Blood | Full Album | Spotify

#48: A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Sea When Absent
Released June 24, 2014
Lefse Records

"Hopefully ASDIG will never give in completely to conventional songwriting, because it's the little idiosyncrasies that make their expansive music so breathtaking--which, incidentally, really is the best word to describe Sea When Absent."
-- Cam Lindsay, Exclaim

In Love With Useless (The Timeless Geometry In The Tradition Of Passing) | MTLOV (Minor Keys) | The Body, It Bends | Full Album | Spotify

#47: Warpaint - Warpaint
Released January 17, 2014
Rough Trade

"Although it’s admittedly a patient listen, Warpaint plucks at a different petal each time through it in its entirety. It’s truly a triumph for a group of women whose colors are singular and run incredibly deep."
-- Paula Mejia, Consequence Of Sound

Disco//very | Feeling Alright | Drive | Full Album | Spotify

#46: Gerard Way - Hesitant Alien
Released September 29, 2014
Reprise Records

"For as much as Way refers to other acts, this is a thoroughly original work, a vibrant reflection of all his artistic obsessions."
-- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic

Action Cat | No Shows | Millions | Full Album | Spotify

#45: Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
Released June 13, 2014
UMG Recordings

"The characters and artifacts that surround these songs feel artificial, like stock props, but the music that Del Rey pulls them through splits them open, shakes them to life."
-- Sasha Geffen, Consequence Of Sound

Brooklyn Baby | West Coast | Pretty When You Cry | Full Album | Spotify

#44: Wild Beasts - Present Tense
Released February 24, 2014
Domino

"It is an album by a band at the very peak of their powers--one that will make you want to throw your hands up and surrender to its magnificent beauty."
-- Andy Baber, Music OMH

Wanderlust | Sweet Spot | Pregnant Pause | Full Album | Spotify

#43: Aphex Twin - Syro
Released September 19, 2014
Warp

"Admittedly, Syro will probably not win over a new generation of fans like the Richard D. James album once did, but as a continuation of everything that has made Aphex Twin compelling, it's a triumph."
-- XLR8r

minipops 67[120.2][source field mix] | XMAS_EVET10[120][thanaton3 mix] | CIRCLONT6A[152.97][shrymoming mix] | Spotify

#42: Toni Braxton & Babyface - Love, Marriage & Divorce
Released February 4, 2014
Motown

"Both singers have been through failed marriages, and they know what it sounds like when love goes sour"
-- Rob Tannenbaum, Rolling Stone

Sweat | Hurt You | Where Did We Go Wrong? | Full Album | Spotify