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
#41: Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like A Bell
Released May 21, 2014
OWSLA
"On The Moon Rang Like a Bell, Hundred Waters offers an album of quiet moments of subtlety juxtaposed with crashing waves of desperation."
-- Raj Dayal, Pretty Much Amazing
Show Me Love | Murmurs | Xtalk | Full Album | Spotify
#40: Hercules & Love Affair - The Feast Of The Broken Heart
Released May 26, 2014
Moshi Moshi
"There’s more than enough contained within to confirm Butler’s genius at resurrecting the early spirit of house music. This will be the soundtrack to many a party over the summer months."
-- John Murphy, Music OMH
I Try To Talk To You | That's Not Me | Do You Feel The Same? | Full Album | Spotify
#39: Future Islands - Singles
Released March 24, 2014
4AD
"The Baltimore-based band’s fourth album is layered with songs that are faultlessly executed from top to bottom. Although the lyrics are somewhat simplistic, their direct marriage is welcomed."
-- Bryan Sanchez, Delusions of Adequacy
Seasons (Waiting On You) | Sun In The Morning | A Dream Of You And Me | Full Album | Spotify
#38: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Released January 21, 2014
Total Treble/Xtra Mile
"Free of misguided anger but with healthy amounts of trademark anxiety and angular riffs, Grace’s expression is powerful."
-- Joshua Kloke, NOW Magazine
Transgender Dysphoria Blues | Fuckmylife666 | Paralytic States | Full Album | Spotify
#37: Real Estate - Atlas
Released March 4, 2014
Domino
"The chords and arrangements on Atlas are the densest Real Estate have ever attempted, shading their sunshine into something palpably more mysterious, like a sunset in inclement weather."
-- Steven Arroyo, Consequence Of Sound
Talking Backwards | The Bend | Crime | Full Album | Spotify
#36: Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
Released July 29, 2014
Warner Bros. Records
"In her tuneful insistence that every unhappy couple is unhappy in its own way, Lewis remains one of our foremost chroniclers of heartache and its discontents."
-- Jason Gubbels, Spin
She's Not Me | Just One Of The Guys | Slippery Slopes | Full Album | Spotify
#35: Cloud Nothings - Here And Nowhere Else
Released April 1, 2014
Carpark Records
"Once again, though, Baldi is simply unwilling or unable to stop writing hook-filled songs, rendering Here and Nowhere Else even more tense and thrillingly conflicted than its predecessor."
-- Ian Cohen, Pitchfork
Now Hear In | No Thoughts | I'm Not Part Of Me | Full Album | Spotify
#34: Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste
Released November 6, 2014
Prospect Park
"Just 16 exceptional tracks full of glowing wordplay, instinctively catchy intonation, and effortless genre whisking."
-- Ian Cohen, Pitchfork
212 | BBD | Ice Princess | Full Album | Spotify
#33: Mr. Twin Sister - Mr. Twin Sister
Released September 23, 2014
Twin Group
"It's not often you heard a near seven minute pop song that leaves you wanting more, but Mr. Twin Sister manage to pull it off several times over in just under half an hour."
-- Kate Travers, The Line Of Best Fit
Sensitive | Rude Boy | Blush | Spotify
#32: Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
Released July 28, 2014
Sub Pop
"Hip-hop is constantly being tweaked and nudged in new directions, but rarely is it reconfigured as radically, and thrillingly, as on this second album from Shabazz Palaces."
-- Killian Fox, The Guardian
Forerunner Foray | Solemn Swears | Motion Sickness | Full Album | Spotify
#31: Alcest - Shelter
Released January 17, 2014
Prophecy Productions
"It is the soundtrack to every want and desire, and every wish and memory--but most of all, it is simply beautiful."
-- Adam Thomas, Sputnik
Opale | Voix Sereines | Shelter | Full Album | Spotify
#30: Charli XCX - Sucker
Released December 15, 2014
Asylum
"Sucker is pop-punk, radically redefined and dragged, middle fingers waving, into the future."
-- Miles Raymer, Entertainment Weekly
Break The Rules | Boom Clap | Doing It | Full Album | Spotify
#29: tUnE-yArDs - Nikki Nack
Released May 5, 2014
4AD
"Sonically, Nikki Nack is a joyous record which sees Gabril bursting at the seams with restless energy and tremendous creativity."
-- Greg Fisher, Sputnik
Water Fountain | Real Thing | Wait For A Minute | Full Album | Spotify
#28: Cooly G - Wait 'Til Night
Released October 21, 2014
Hyperdub
"It’s another LP from the Londoner exploring sense, sexuality and seduction, picking up where her 2012 debut Playin’ Me left off."
-- Seb Wheeler, Mixmag
A Quick Question | So Deep | Fuck With You | Full Album | Spotify
#27: Grouper - Ruins
Released October 31, 2014
Kranky
"It stands as both a fascinating new direction, and a heartbreaking memoir of a period now sinking into the past."
-- Adam Nelson, The Line Of Best Fit
Clearing | Lighthouse | Holding | Full Album | Spotify
#26: YG - My Krazy Life
Released March 18, 2014
Def Jam
"YG and DJ Mustard have been dress rehearsing for nationwide stardom all along, but My Krazy Life is ratchet music’s Technicolor reveal."
-- Craig Jenkins, Pitchfork
Left, Right | My Nigga | Who Do You Love? | Full Album | Spotify
#25: Tinashe - Aquarius
Released October 3, 2014
RCA
"Aquarius heralds an essential new voice, one that coheres 100 current ideas about women, sex, sadness and musical restlessness in one excellent album."
-- August Brown, LA Times
Bet | 2 On | Pretend | Full Album | Spotify
#24: DJ Q - Ineffable
Released March 31, 2014
Local Action
"Apart from stellar mixing, Q’s key skill as a DJ is his ability to present his eclecticism as purism, weaving together the loose ends of a series of disparate sub-genres into a unified sound which both exists beyond him and because of him."
-- Tim Finney, Pitchfork
Caught Up | Trust Again | Notice Me | Full Album | Spotify
#23: Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
Released April 1, 2014
Captured Tracks
"Though DeMarco certainly hasn’t ditched his slacker aesthetic, Salad Days is nonetheless a strikingly mature achievement for the 23-year-old."
-- Chris Mincher, The A.V. Club
Let Her Go | Passing Out Pieces | Chamber Of Reflection | Full Album | Spotify
#22: Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2
Released October 24, 2014
Mass Appeal
"Run the Jewels 2 gut-punches the competition into second place."
-- Kahron Spearman, Austin Chronicle
Oh My Darling Don't Cry | Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) | Lie, Cheat, Steal | Full Album | Spotify
#21: St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Released February 24, 2014
Republic
"Her guitar may be her primary tool for shaking up and complicating otherwise strictly defined songwriting, but Clark's voice remains the thing that defines her material, the glittering lynchpin of the glorious, ever-expanding world she's created."
-- Jesse Cataldo, Slant
Prince Johnny | Digital Witness | I Prefer Your Love | Full Album | Spotify
#20: Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso
Released May 12, 2014
Partisan
"Sylvan Esso is as cerebral as it is sexy."
-- Hilary Saunders, Paste
Hey Mami | Coffee | Play It Right | Full Album | Spotify
#19: Tiny Ruins - Brightly Painted One
Released May 5, 2014
Spunk
"Brightly Painted One is an album of quiet, devastating beauty."
-- John Paul, Popmatters
Me At The Museum, You At The Wintergardens | Chainmail Maker | She'll Be Coming 'Round | Spotify
#18: Javiera Mena - Otra Era
Released October 28, 2014
Unión Del Sur
"Javiera Mena's Otra Era is so full of the familiar sounds of synth-pop's past that she could've called it La Década de 1980, were the Chilean indie darling interested in hitching her star to an era-specific sound."
-- Sam C. Mac, Slant
Otra Era | SincronÃa, Pegaso | La Joya | Full Album | Spotify
#17: Rich Gang - Tha Tour Part 1
Released September 29, 2014
Cash Money Records
"The result: not just the best record Thug or Quan have yet produced—if you've been holding out, this is the one—but one of the year's best full-length records full stop, a consistently impactful rap record destined to be an indelible artifact of 2014."
-- David Drake, Complex
Givenchy | Hate I | Tell Em (Lies) | Full Album
#16: Spoon - They Want My Soul
Released August 5, 2014
Loma Vista
"The quintet likes to pull melody out of dissonance and repetition. Now they've also found the soul."
-- Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune
Inside Out | Do You | New York Kiss | Full Album | Spotify
#15: The Juan Maclean - In A Dream
Released September 22, 2014
DFA
"In A Dream is brand new, but has the feel of a timeless dance record, the kind of record that is pulled from the crate on the most special (and danceable) of occasions."
-- Ashley Zlatopolsky, Exclaim
A Place Called Space | Love Stops Here | A Simple Design | Full Album | Spotify
#14: Alvvays - Alvvays
Released July 22, 2014
Polyvinyl
"Alvvays has legitimately great songs, boasting sharp lyrics, comforting arrangements, and tics that give their music personality that can’t happen too deliberately."
-- Ashley Zlatopolsky, Exclaim
Archie, Marry Me | Next Of Kin | Party Police | Full Album | Spotify
#13: How To Dress Well - "What Is This Heart?"
Released June 23, 2014
Weird World
"Though it never quite comes through crystal-clear, the intensity and sincerity of the underlying emotion manages to bleed through a confusing swirl of altered sounds."
-- Samuel Tolzmann, Pretty Much Amazing
2 Years On (Shame Dream) | Repeat Pleasure | Words I Don't Remember | Spotify
#12: Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Released February 17, 2014
Jagjaguwar
"Though it never quite comes through crystal-clear, the intensity and sincerity of the underlying emotion manages to bleed through a confusing swirl of altered sounds."
-- Samuel Tolzmann, Pretty Much Amazing
Unfucktheworld | Forgiven/Forgotten | Windows | Full Album | Spotify
#11: Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
Released May 14, 2014
Jagjaguwar
"Are We There offers an artist in full command of her voice and her instrument, a woman who knows exactly what she wants to offer listeners and who isn’t afraid to accompany the barest streaks of sunlight with thousands of clouds."
-- Todd VanDerWerff, The AV Club
Unfucktheworld | Forgiven/Forgotten | Windows | Full Album | Spotify
#10: Little Dragon - Nabuma Rubberband
Released May 9, 2014
Because
"Nagano has plenty of stunning moments on Nabuma Rubberband, but it’s clear this is a full band enterprise."
-- Nathan Stevens, Popmatters
Klapp Klapp | Cat Rider | Killing Me | Full Album | Spotify
#09: Owen Pallett - In Conflict
Released May 27, 2014
Domino/Secret City
"On In Conflict the Canadian composer has managed to translate that energy into his recordings ,making his music as invigorating as it is soothing, as exciting as it is impressive and as complex as it is accessible."
-- Chris Chadwick, The Line Of Best Fit
Song For Five & Six | The Secret Seven | Infernal Fantasy | Full Album | Spotify
#08: Ariana Grande - My Everything
Released August 22, 2014
Republic
"Turns out, so-called mini-Mariah can hold her own in 2014; and while the best songs here may not be timeless, they certainly feel right for right now."
-- Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork
Problem | Break Your Heart Right Back | Love Me Harder | Full Album | Spotify
#07: Jessie Ware - Tough Love
Released October 13, 2014
Island
"She imparts yearning with such controlled restraint and lightness of touch it’s sublime."
-- Joe Rivers, Clash Music
Tough Love | Kind Of...Sometimes...Maybe | Champagne Kisses | Full Album | Spotify
#06: Taylor Swift - 1989
Released October 27, 2014
Big Machine
"There's evolution with purpose in every fibre of 1989, and far from jettisoning her integrity in this drastic lunge, she's proved in her bold, risky decision that she's got courage in her convictions to pull it off and faith in her fans to accept the new direction."
-- Laurence Day, The Line Of Best Fit
Style | Out Of The Woods | Shake It Off | Full Album
#05: D'Angelo - Black Messiah
Released December 15, 2014
RCA
"Black Messiah was crafted painstakingly, that’s evident, but it never sounds labored over. It sounds loose, on fire, and huge, like a truly Christian sermon."
-- Ben Roylance, Tiny Mix Tapes
Sugah Daddy | Back To The Future (Part I) | Betray My Heart | Full Album | Spotify
#04: The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
Released March 18, 2014
Secretly Canadian
"One man’s suffering becomes our communal celebration, so to speak. It's a fine role for one of the year's best albums to play."
-- Craig Manning, Absolute Punk
Under The Pressure | Red Eyes | Suffering | Full Album | Spotify
#03: Todd Terje - It's Album Time
Released April 8, 2014
Olsen
"It’s not just Album Time, it’s crazy psychedelic hoo-ha time, and it sounds pretty damn fine."
-- Chris Todd, The Line Of Best Fit
Johnny And Mary | Swing Star (Part 1) | Inspector Norse | Full Album | Spotify
#02: Caribou - Our Love
Released October 6, 2014
City Slang
"This is rich, strange, endlessly fascinating music: a subtle, beautiful triumph."
-- Alexis Petridis, The Guardian
Can't Do Without You | All I Ever Need | Back Home | Full Album | Spotify
#01: FKA twigs - LP1
Released August 6, 2014
Young Turks
"Twigs’ superb vocal melodies anchor LP1’s flights of experimentation. Were they to be stripped from the album’s bizarre flourishes and dropped into a commercial R&B context, they would stun nonetheless."
-- Peter Tabakis, Pretty Much Amazing
Two Weeks | Pendulum | Video Girl | Full Album | Spotify
Pages: #50 - #41 | #40 - 31 | #30 - #21 | #20 - #11 | #10 - #01 | Full Results
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