By Lisa Hresko, Eric Davidson, Lizzie Plaugic, Carrie Brothers and Arielle Parnes-Katz.
Aside from who deserved the No. 1 spot, this year had us debating loads of maybes within the top 15, at least. Beyond that, there was the rise of the EP (the descent of attention?), an embarrassment of indie dance-pop riches, a paucity of excellent metal, normcore becoming the norm, a busy Ryan Hemsworth, ongoing to Swift or not to Swift debates, banjos still not being sent back to the storage space, hip-hop still the tops, and of course, Third Man Records working on the first vinyl LP to be pressed on Richard Branson’s SpaceShip.
Ultimately, we surmised that 2014 was a more wide-ranging and difficult to decide upon year than last, Best Of list-wise. And considering assumptions that we’re entering a consumerist age of zombie-like numbness on the creativity tip, that’s good news. So skim down this list and Google yer fingerprints off. Beat this, 2015!
30. Gotobeds – Poor People Are Revolting (12XU)
Trashy, fast, fun garage punk was kind of groping this year. Not that there wasn’t a growling gaggle of energetic three-chord mess merchants out there offering up rowdy records: White Reaper, Fa Bonx, Chew Toys, Dinos Boys, Tweens, Nots, Meatbodies, the Young, the Monsieurs, PYPY, Spider Bags, Liquor Store, Weird Womb, Boytoy, Ghetto Ghouls, Golden Pelicans, Cozy, Ex Hex, Ex-Cult, Blind Shake, Flesh Lights, Endless Bummer, Black Lips, Burning Palms, OBN IIIs… y’know, come to think of it, quit griping and go hoist a $3 beer tomorrow night when a band even half as manic as Gotobeds drops into your local dive. And should that Pittsburgh band drop by, expect heaving hooks and excellent inbetween song banter. – Eric Davidson
29. How To Dress Well – What Is This Heart? (Weird World)
Sometimes a hushed near-whisper and sometimes anything but, with What Is This Heart? Tom Krell makes the move from indie R&B to pop. A little glitchiness and experimentation make their way into the album, but overall, it retains a spacious, emotional quietness. The higher production value is evident in the crispness of the instrumentation lending a cinematic quality to the larger pop tunes. His confessional and candid vocals take front and center on each track, usually in a sweeping, floating falsetto that lends to the feeling of Krell baring his naked soul to the listener. – Carrie Brothers
28. Jenny Lewis – The Voyager (Warner Bros.)
It didn’t seem like Lewis was gone for near six years, maybe because the roots-pop sounds of her solo and Rilo Kiley records have become so pervasive. But if it wasn’t that amazing, ever-present rainbow-sky suit, it was the clarity of her maturing alt-It Girl sound that re-appeared as fresh and bright as ever. – ED
27. Giant Claw – Dark Web (Orange Milk/Noumenal Loom)
With Dark Web, Keith Rankin has created a skeleton of the internet’s lifespan. The album threads together icy net metallics and nuances of intimate pop songs. An asthmatic gasp, grinding teeth, MIDI clips and trap beats writhe around against R&B samples like a robot booting up to have sex with a human. The interplay between effortless sensuality and battery-charged electronics builds an atmosphere of horny apocalyptic nihilism. Dark Web is a whole new thing, and for my money, it’s something 2015 will have to get used to. – Lizzie Plaugic
26. Turn To Crime – Can’t Love (Mugg & Bopp)
Former founding member of Awesome Color and Brooklyn scene interloper moves back to Detroit to find himself amidst these no-jobs jive times, and discovers that city streets are often dark and lonesome everywhere. But with a dusty drum machine, pals with a practice space, and Sonic Youth’s Sister CD in your back pocket, the show can and will go on. – ED
25. Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso (Partisan)
Sylvan Esso set themselves apart from the synth-pop crowd with their unique take on the style, blending components of folk and electro-pop in a way that works. The duo’s piercing beats and swirling synth melodies serve to both highlight and obscure Amelia Meath’s voice within layers of electronic lushness that gives the album a warm and inviting touch. – Arielle Parnes-Katz
24. Real Estate – Atlas (Domino)
One could argue that five years and three albums in, Real Estate has not only finished the post-R.E.M. indie jangle plan the Shins petered out on, but have defined cardigan pop for a new generation of those best friends you can always talk to. Does any band know better how to get lovlier guitar tones out of what we thought we were all tired of? Seemingly not, as they dominated the CMJ charts this year. – ED
23. Vince Staples – Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 (Self-Released)
Don’t look to Vince Staples for hope. Don’t look for a feel-good chorus. Heck, don’t even look for a chorus. Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 is a painful, emotional mixtape told from Staples’ cold, emotionless perspective. The stories of Staples’ youth and his hostile, disappointing relationship with his father flood the tape, but Staples sounds resigned most of the time, because the world in general is just as hostile as his family life: “My life a movie, hope you liking the show/They act, we shooting, just a part of the role/The road to riches wasn’t made for niggas this low.”
It’s a raw, imperfect tape about what it’s like to exist as a young black man in a world that is, from its core, malignant towards you. There’s a deep-seated violence to the album, one that comes from both exhaustive frustration and youthful pride. But Staples’ flow is brainy—he stays in the pocket of No I.D.’s clinical beats without even trying. And the tension between his intelligence and despair (“They let the monkey out the cage, he got a gun/he got a book, he got a brain, you better run”) is the crushing, consuming force behind the album’s power. – LP
22. Caribou – Our Love (Merge)
Caribou’s Our Love is a lush and textured electronic album dripping in emotion, but not the way your typical pop album might be. Dan Snaith is more subtle than that. Building on texture and repetition, Our Love is much more than an electro-pop record—it’s an album full of surprisingly soulful depth. Snaith’s beats twist and turn around every corner, taking you on a journey that you don’t want to end. – APK
21. Perfume Genius – Too Bright (Matador)
The third full-length from Perfume Genius is laden with soulful vulnerability, echo-y piano and synths that occasionally venture into spooky intensity. Like before, his lyrics are raw and intense—he’s clearly working through some tough stuff. But Too Bright is not just a rehashing of previous songs or themes. It’s a complex mix of the confident and quiet, featuring more bold instrumentation than his past two records. Though full of plenty of lo-fi offerings, this album shows a move into the future with the accessible, expansive poppiness of tracks like Queen. Mike Hadreas is shaking himself awake in a bolder, louder way, but he is still allowing the skeletal emptiness of his past offerings shine through, like the gild work glimmering in a dark room. – CB
20. Secret Songs – shh#ffb6c1 (Self-Released)
Ryan Hemsworth started the bi-weekly download project Secret Songs this year as a way to highlight the work of lesser-known producers without industry constraints. Shh#ffb6c1 is the first Secret Songs compilation album. It’s theme was “light pink,” which pretty much equated to taking a chunk of bubblegum electronics and letting ten different artists interpret that chunk. No one person can take credit for this album being one of the best of the year; its greatness comes from the varied voices—GFOTY’s hyperactive monologue, Late Ride’s shimmering, synthetic pop—that come together to make a weird, cohesive, almost incoherently cute album. – LP
19. Foxes In Fiction – Ontario Gothic (Orchid Tapes)
When he’s not running the Brooklyn-based label Orchid Tapes, Warren Hildebrand moonlights as Foxes In Fiction, and that’s a very good thing. His sophomore album under that moniker is meditative and comforting; it has no edges. Ontario Gothic is a smart album too, because it’s self-referential, sourcing material from previous album cuts and early singles. Throughout the LP, Hildebrand never lets the feeling stray from one of warm, misty comfort. There’s a bruised sadness to it—Hildebrand calls it healing pop for a reason—but it’s a pleasant, reflective kind of sadness. Ontario Gothic doesn’t keep anything at a distance; its strength comes from always being right there, like a childhood keepsake you’ll keep holding on to no matter where you go next. – LP
18. Cloud Nothings – Here And Nowhere Else (Carpark)
I’m Not A Part Of Me shines like a beacon in the night, but the entire record has a riled-up urgency fueled by speedy driving drums and lyrics from the millennium’s numbed lost generation. In the midst of a year packed with skillfully crafted electronic music and garishly fun pop, Cloud Nothings releases a flawless straight-up rock album. Producer John Congleton (who had a great year—he also produced other albums on this list) took the reins from Steve Albini and helped refine the band’s already neatened-up punk aesthetic even further. – Lisa Hresko
17. Sleaford Mods – Divide And Exit (Harbinger Sound)
This insane British duo has been at it for a few years, dropping numerous records, CD-Rs, and internet rants faster than leader Jason Williamson’s verbiage. Okay, not that fast. Maybe no mouth this year—in rock, hip-hop or cable news yelling matches—could outpace the indefatigable spew of elegiac hate and ha-has that Williamson doled out through this, Sleaford Mods’ most complete collection yet. A heretofore unimaginable mash of Oi hooligan grunt, street-rap braggadocio, pop-culture piss-take, the walking austerity blues, and Billy Childish-level garage trash (made via a drum machine and suds-stained laptop, go figure), these post-30-something yobs are making the most relevant rock around. And holy shit does it carry over on stage! – ED
16. Mac DeMarco – Salad Days (Captured Tracks)
Gap-toothed goofball Mac DeMarco’s aptly titled Salad Days encapsulates a carefree summer at its finest—grab a cold-one, lounge by a pool, and this album will be your best friend. Beneath the blissful, nonchalant façade though, DeMarco reminds you that he’s getting older, and so are you. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t still chill out to his effortless psychedelic tunes for a little bit longer. – APK
15. Alvvays – Alvvays (Polyvinyl)
There are, of course, loads of echo guitar, girl group melody, shuffling drum, garage pop bands seeping out of every indie rock nook. But this Canadian combo took their innocence mission (with help from surprisingly scrunchy, if deep in the mix guitar squalls) to some windy, emotional depths not usually visited by the candy-trash contingent. Their silly la-la love songs, and sometimes cringy lyrics, nonetheless feel sad once they pass by. – ED
14. Swans – To Be Kind (Young God)
Thirteen albums in, Micheal Gira is unrelenting. Last year, Swans gave us the gut-wrenching beauty The Seer, but Gira rode that wave of unsettling hypnotism even further into the allure of the drone abyss on To Be Kind. Clocking in at over two hours, the double album ebbs and flows, calms and excites, and trudges forward into paradoxically minimalistic yet rich textures. – LH
13. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar)
This kind of folky moan searching could easily go lifeless depresso or sparkly pop. Instead, on her third full-length, Olsen trusts herself to remain in a strange, sonic cabin in the woods, while keeping you guessing with sudden, snappy turns like that great single, Forgiven/Forgotten. Maybe, given her slowly sprawling hooks, a pop move is inevitable (and Jagjaguwar thought it worth pressing a deluxe edition later in the year). But for now, revel in maybe the best of all the sterling, mysterious, female singer/songwriters huddling in the shadow right next to the spotlight this year. – ED
12. Todd Terje – It’s Album Time (Olsen Records)
Retro-cool—in the most garish, leisure suit-sporting sense—oozes from Terje’s first proper studio album, following up nearly a decade of disco-jam EPs, remixes, compilations and singles. But everything old is cool again, and Terje’s music is simply fun. It’s a danceable, throw your drink back and groove type of fun. There’s a refreshing silliness to it all, yet no part of the craftsmanship has been overlooked. Slick fellow that he is, Terje’s album is almost completely made up of tunes from previous EPs, with an exceptional new cover of Robert Palmer’s Johnny and Mary that features vocals from Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music. Yet the transitions are flawless, and Terje doesn’t miss a beat. – LH
11. Twin Peaks – Wild Onion (Grand Jury Music)
On their second album, these Chicagoans bring the goodtime bar-pop no doubt, but there’s a higher level of tunesmithery here than your best bro’s band, not to mention one sick-ass drummer. That debated bump-up in production was just what the band needed to expose their super-strong, shiny hooks and brief, melodic, flowery byways they skid onto. Speaking of which, all that touring, including like 27 CMJ shows, honed them into a tight little gang too. – ED
10. Pujol – Kludge (Saddle Creek)
A veritable Skittle-nado of hooks, sound-shards and sugar-snarl pipes. Like a day-glo, junk shop glam revamp amped on energy drinks, Daniel Pujol’s third proper LP is a culmination of a few years of home recording, performing in basements and playful songwriting inspiration currently shooting through the roof. The fact a major label hasn’t swept up Pujol and dumped some bigtime producer on him yet is probably a good thing, as the remaining twinges of lo-fi sizzle and sampling-inspired mixing keep everything frazzled in all the right places. – ED
9. Alex G – DSU (Orchid Tapes)
To many people, 2014 was the year Alex G (the G stands for Giannascoli) became something of a boy wonder. He’s got a dozen releases out there already, but DSU sticks like almost nothing else released this year. It’s a clumsily beautiful album, wavering between delicate uncertainty and mental backtracking, restless isolation and self-imposed solitude. The myth of undiscovered prodigy holds strong with the story of Alex G—he’s just some kid from north Philly, after all—but he’s also the every man. DSU is blue collar rock streamed from the bedroom of a cool loner, which means there are almost no ways in which it isn’t appealing. – LP
8. Mitski – Bury Me At Makeout Creek (Double Double Whammy)
Mitski Miyawaki knows how to balance fragility with aggression. Bury Me At Makeout Creek is emotionally draining; sometimes it pummels so unrelentingly you can’t breathe, and other times it whispers and looks away shyly. Though Bury Me At Makeout Creek is Mitski’s third LP, it’s her first since learning to play guitar (the other two are heavily orchestral), which means it translates better into the grimy basement world. But Makeout Creek isn’t a Colt 45 party album; it’s an album that nestles itself in your chest cavity and then starts to expand, crushing all your other organs. I know that doesn’t sound very nice, but it is. First Love/Late Spring is such a good song I want to cry every time I hear it, even if I felt really good when I started listening to it. And that means something. – LP
7. Young Thug & Bloody Jay – Black Portland (Self-Released)
What is there to say about Young Thug that hasn’t been said already? That he’s the future and the present of Atlanta rap? That he’s got a flow like someone who’s been soaking for decades in a vat of Codeine while still managing to sound hyper-aware, sarcastic and sardonic? That he can mimic a pterodactyl or a whining teenager with equal aplomb? Yes, all of those things. But also that he’s fearless, or at least it seems that way. His druggy squawking practically begs rap purists to sneer at him; he wears women’s dresses in the spotlight of a hyper-masculine community. A lot of what you’ll read about Young Thug will say he’s chaotic and unweildy, and he is. But it’s all built on a foundation of incredibly intense control. Nothing goes unless Thugger says it goes. And I have no doubt 2015’s gonna be the same way. – LP
6. St. Vincent – St. Vincent (Republic)
To say that Annie Clark is one of the most powerful women in music would be doing her a disservice. Annie Clark is one of the most powerful people in music, period. On her self-titled, fourth release, St. Vincent has transformed, thanks in part to her collaborations with David Byrne, into an unstoppable super human who can create the perfect balance of being both unrestrained and refined. A much more confident album than her past work, St. Vincent is a true testimony to Clark’s musical genius and distinct guitar stylings. – APK
05. Sharon Van Etten – Are We There (Jagjaguwar)
As Are We There begins, Sharon Van Etten handles the most volatile human conditions—love and vulnerability—with a staggering sense of calm melancholy through the low reverberations of the brooding Taking Chances. However, this façade splits and crumbles like the House Of Usher at the breaking crescendos of the rubbed-raw confessional Your Love Is Killing Me. While 2012’s Tramp finally put her on the public’s radar, this collection swiftly crushed any idea that Van Etten might just be a blip on the radar. She is no shrinking violet; she is powerful and she is here. – LH
4. Arca – Xen (Mute)
Xen is the name of Alejandro Ghersi’s alter ego, and she’s the impetus behind his debut album. She’s unpredictable and sensitive and malleable but sharp, shape-shifting throughout the album. Arca’s aggressive experimentation is at the forefront here; his beats are often jarring, knife-sharp, knocking into each other like bony elbows. But like Xen the character, Xen the album is multi-sided: Sisters whistles like a schoolkid around industrial metals; Slit Thru is a squeaky toy full of spit stuck in the aftermath of a nuclear war. With Xen, Arca proves he’s gonna keep pushing the edges of reality until no one’s really sure what the boundaries are anymore. – LP
3. Ryan Hemsworth – Alone For The First Time (Last Gang)
Ryan Hemsworth had a busy year. What with starting his own net project (Secret Songs), collaborating with anyone the internet shot at him and touring almost constantly, it’s a wonder he had time to drop a full-length at all. But he did. On Alone For The First Time, Hemsworth isn’t alone—Alex G lends sleepy vocals to Too Long Here, Lontalius’ baritone wades through Walk Me Home, Kotomi is at the core of Surrounded’s pleading desire—but the album has Hemsworth’s prints all over it. It is, powerfully, obviously, a Ryan Hemsworth album. It’s a swath of wool and tulle and cotton; an album you can sink into like an aching wrestler in a hot spring. It’s an album that makes you think about other people, but an album that really makes you think about yourself. The little notes are great (a yawning mouth, a squeaky sneaker, a cartoonish jazz flicker) but they’re all just individual cells of a Hemsworth creation. And Alone For The First Time is a damn excellent creation. – LP
2. FKA Twigs – LP1 (Young Turks)
FKA Twigs’ power comes from empty space. The space in between the words she says. The space between “I live my life forever loving you” and “So lonely trying to be yours.” Tahliah Barnett’s sacrificial torment treads to the surface of her debut full length, only to be pulled under by contorted atmospherics and unwavering sexual flagellation. LP1 evokes images of tenderized flesh, of bruises, scratches, of the marks fingers can leave behind on a body.
It’s a highly minimal album, but its small jerks and stutters give it a breathing, living feel. Hours sounds like a clock slowly breaking; Kicks bubbles to the surface and bursts. Pendulum metronomes back and forth like a pinball knocking around on tin floors. LP1 is not a fun album. But it is an intense, intellectual album that doesn’t give anything up to the listener without a fight. Nearly every sound on the album is tangible, and tangible things are often less exciting than fantasy. But that doesn’t mean they’re any less important. – LP
1. Run The Jewels – RTJ2 (Mass Appeal)
RTJ2 starts with Killer Mike yelling, “I’m finna bang this bitch the fuck out.” And then he does it—no foreplay. For 11 tracks, the hits don’t stop coming. And I don’t mean hits like popular songs, I mean hits like a semi-truck slamming into your ribcage.
Lyrically, both Mike and El-P come in like flaming comets from strange angles. There are cheeky threats (Top o’ the morning/my fist to your face is fucking Folgers”), smirking brags (“This year we iller than a nun in a cumshot”), political critiques (“And when you find him, we don’t kill him, we just waterboard him”). There’s a harrowing account of Killer Mike’s arrest in front of his family (Early) right before a puffed-up boast-fest featuring percussion from none other than Blink 182’s Travis Barker (All Due Respect). And there’s a rapid vocal loop from Rage Against The Machine’s Zack De La Rocha that El-P magically warps into the best hook of the year.
Last year’s Run The Jewels was excellent too; it was the first indication that Killer Mike and El-P were using machetes to slash down overgrown weeds in places a lot of other rap veterans wouldn’t go. But RTJ2 is the perfect sequel. Its legs run faster than its head, but it never trips. It’s chaotic and weird and confident and fun. Killer Mike is thick-skulled but clear-headed. El-P’s beats pretzel and double over and skip through chaos, and his rapping finally has a kick to it.
RTJ2 is also the kind of album that hurts. It hurts because it wants to knock your teeth in and walk away, but it also hurts because it takes the temperature of our current social climate and comes up full of fire. And that’s the kind of album 2014 needed the most. – LP
The post The 30 Best Albums Of 2014 appeared first on CMJ.