Distressful Tidings: 2014

2014- Top Albums

It was a down year for albums, I think. There was lots of great music, but I would only call my #1 album here great. The rest range from really good to good, but they all have some weak songs or filler. This led to the list being filled by musicians who have previously released music better than their new albums (Grouper, Ryan Adams, Pure X, etc). The three team-ups were each revitalizing for everyone involved, and besides Pinata they didn't get enough attention.

ALSO NOTE: The D'Angelo album is amazing, but I haven't had enough time to evaluate it. I'm certain it would end up in my top 5, possibly my album of the year.

Lykke Li – I Never Learn

I wasn't even a Lykke Li fan until she went all Zola Jesus on this one. Goth Lykke Li released one of the most emotional and one of the most catchy albums I've heard in a while
Ariana Grande – My Everything

Don't shoot me but I like this album better than Beyonce's latest. It's ok though I still like Queen Bey more.
Fennesz – Becs

Did no one else listen to this? Really an excellent electronic/ambient album, reminds me of the olden days of Gas and, well, Fennesz.
Beck – Morning Phase
Broken Twin – May

Has the best top 5 songs of the year, with some filler.
Eno/Hyde – High Life
Freddie Gibbs/Madlib – Pinata
Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
Nothing – Guilty of Everything

I like this more than Deafheaven from last year, more shoegaze/less black metal.
Spoon – They Want My Soul

Has a top 5 Spoon song ever (“Inside Out”), but a bit uneven.
Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams

I have thought/talked about the career of Ryan Adams more than any other musician in my life. I don't even know what this would sound like to someone less indoctrinated into his corpus/less privy to all his references.
Fatima Al Qadiri – Asiatisch
Makthaverskan – II

Swedish pop-punk!
YG – My Krazy Life
Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence

My favorite LDR album
Posse – Soft Opening

Look it's Yo La Tengo II! I hope to enjoy you for the next 25 years, Posse.
Babyface/Toni Braxton – Love, Marriage, and Divorce
Pure X - Angel
Tony Molina – Dissed and Dismissed

It's the new Weezer album! Wait, old Weezer released an album this year?
Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
Grouper – Ruins

Sadder than the Sun Kil Moon record.
VHS Head – Persistence of Vision

Winning this year's Jam City award for glitchy music to grade to
Frankie Cosmos – Zentropy

Really good and earnest, reminds me a bit of teenage girl Jonathan Richman.
Modern Baseball – You're Gonna Miss it All

Wish this came out when I was in high school. It sounds like it did.
How to Dress Well – What is This Heart

I hated this when I first heard it because I wanted more traditional white-boy soul, but it grew on me. I still want more traditional white-boy soul though (looking at you Autre ne Veut).

Here's a list, in no particular order, of some of my favorite songs of 2013. NOTE: I excluded all songs from my favorite albums list and emphasized on songs that I encountered on an individual basis, partially because I didn't want to list every Daft Punk song. Again, no order whatsoever, although the Mariah, Broken Twin, Banks, and Julia Holter songs are among my absolute faves.

Ian Isaih - Freak U Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0d70ExQAdY
Ciara - Body Party