Top 50 + 10 + Extras
1. Protomartyr – Under Color of Official Right
From the opening track to the last, this album has been on repeat play for latter part of 2014 and up to date. I first heard ‘Come u0026amp; See’ via a blog. There are lots of stand out tracks for me – ‘Ain’t So Simple’ + ‘Trust Me Billy’ and the wonderful ‘Scum, Rise!’ – This ticks all the boxes of music I like.
2. Pixies – Indie Cindy
I liked the EPs, and the full album, a collection of EPs, is a great return to form for the pixies. Black Francis is still up there as a songwriter for me, and now playing with JS and DL, it sounds immense. I don’t miss KD as much. Her bass sound and vox were excellent, but not essential for me. Looking forward to more new material…
3. Against Me! – Transgenger Dysphoria Blues
I initially got into Against Me! on hearing ‘Searching For A Former Clarity’. I loved the rawness, the songs, and TG. Albums since then have been alright as they veered towards punk pop, losing a raw edginess, but the new album is a gigantic earthy return to the roots I like, with an exceptional collection of songs from LJG…
4. Afghan Whigs – Do to the Beast
Just saw them live recently. You could feel the intensity. A super album. Getting lots of airplay in my car…
5. Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal
Their previous album was my number 1 album of 2013. This is just as good. I’m a big fan of PC!
6. Royal Blood – Royal Blood
Just a bass. and drums.. saw them live just last week. great show. rock riffs. But that alone would not carry a show. This album has some superb slabs of rock tunes..
7. Neneh Cherry – Blank Project
I should have listened to Neneh years ago, but really liking this album. Not just the stunning vox, but terrific bass and beats, and songs…
8. Kasabian – 48:13
Such a great band. Consistently experimental. I just like their sounds and songs. They always make me want to listen some more…
9. Big Ups – Eighteen Hours of Static
Yes. Raucous, discordant, harsh, loud, blaring, grinding. not for the faint of heart. I like!
10. Eels – The cautionary tale of Mark Oliver Everett
This man is a genius. fact…
11 – 20
11. Liars – Mess
12. Shellac – Dude Incredible
13. Blood Red Shoes – Blood Red Shoes
14. Interpol – El Pintor
15. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness
16. The War On Drugs – Lost in the Dream
17. Swans – To Be Kind
18 Sharon Van Etten – Are We There
19. Future Islands – Singles
20. Eagulls – Eagulls
21-30
21. DFA 1979 – ‘The Physical World
22. Julian Casablancas + The Voidz – Tyranny
23. Thurston Moore – The Best Day
24. Beck – Morning Phase
25. Iceage – Plowing Into the Field of Love
26. The Horrors – Luminous
27. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Wig Out at Jagbags
28. Manic Street Preachers – Futurology
29. Hookworms – The Hum
30. The Black Keys – Turn Blue
31-40
31. Young Widows – Easy Pain
32. Jack White – Lazaretto
33. Sleaford Mods – Divide And Exit + Chubbed Up
34. St. Vincent – St. Vincent
35. Pulled Apart by Horses – Blood
36. Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
37. Unwound – No Energy (Re Release)
38. Inspiral Carpets – Inspiral Carpets
39. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – IX
40. Lykke Li – I Never Learn
41-50
41. The Men – Tomorrow’s Hits
42. The Antlers – Familiars
43. Cult of Youth – Final Days
44. Johnny Marr – Playland
45. The Twilight Sad – Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave
46. The Gaslight Anthem – Get Hurt
47. Eno • Hyde – High Life
48. Merchandise – After The End
49. Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else
50. Temples – Sun Structures
The Next 10
51. Ought – More Than Any Other Day
52. Band Of Skulls – Himalayan
53. Morrissey – World Peace Is None of Your Business
54. Metronomy – Love Letters
55. Drive By Truckers – English Oceans
56. Ty Segall – $INGLE$ 2
57. Godflesh – A World Lit Only By Fire
58. Strand of Oaks – Heal Sun Kil Moon – Benji
59. Perfect Pussy – Say Yes to Love
60. James – La Petite Mort
Some Extras
61 – 69
Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways
David Bowie – Nothing Has Changed
Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
U2 – Songs Of Innocence
The Raveonettes – Pe’ahi
Wilco – What’s Your 20
Crosses – †††
Taylor Swift – 1989
Smashing Pumpkins – Monuments To An Elegy
Other Honourable Mentions
70 – 150 (not in any particular order)
White Lung – Deep Fantasy
Valentin Stip – Sigh
Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright In The End
Cymbals Eat Guitars – LOSE
Dum Dum Girls – Too True
Nothing More – Nothing More
Brody Dalle – Diploid Love
Caribou – Our Love
Conor Oberst – Upside Down Mountains
Kate Tempest – Everybody Down
Young Thug and Bloody Jay – Black Portland
The Number Ones – The Number Ones
Leonard Cohen – Popular Problems
Linkin Park – The Hunting Party
Syd Arthur – Sound Mirror
Texas Hippie Coalition – Ride On
Pink Floyd – The Endless River [22.1m]
Roddy Frame – Seven Dials
Spoon – They Want My Soul
Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
Perfume Genius – Too Bright
Sevendust – Time Travelers u0026amp; Bonfires
Rosanne Cash – The River u0026amp; The Thread
Wussy – Attica! + Duo
Circulatory System – Mosaics Within Mosaics
Alvvays – Alvvays
Lantlôs – Melting Sun
The Phantom Band – Strange Friend
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra – Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything
Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams
Total Control – Typical System
Mirel Wagner – When the Cellar Children See the Light of Day
Owls – II
Warpaint – Warpaint
TV On The Radio – Seeds
United Nations – The Next Four Years
Twin Peaks- Wild Onion
Vessel – Punish, Honey
Robert Plant – Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar
Old 97’s – Most Messed Up
Marissa Nadler – July
Todd Terje – It’s Album Time
Tinariwen – Emmaar
Goat – Commune
Mogwai – Rave Tapes
Breton – War Room Stories
Mastodon – Once More ‘Round the Sun
Of Mice u0026amp; Men – Restoring Force
Run the Jewels – RTJ2
Eric Church – The Outsiders
Steve Gunn – Way Out Weather
Phantogram – Voices
Rise Against – The Black Market
Scott Walker and Sunn 0))) – Soused
Seether – Isolate and Medicate
Sons of Kenet – Burn
Kaiser Chiefs – Education Education Education And War
Maximo Park – Too Much Information
Slash – World on Fire
Many Arms – Suspended Definition
Willie Nelson – Band of Brothers
Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican
FKA Twigs – LP1
Hellyeah – Blood for Blood
Hans Chew – Life u0026amp; Love
Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again
Kiasmos – Kiasmos
Tombs – Savage Gold
Tricky – Adrian Thaws
Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
Lydia Loveless – Somewhere Else
Elbow – The Take Off And Landing Of Everything
Young Fathers – DEAD
Jim Goodwin – Odludek
Honeyblood – Honeyblood
The Hotelier – Home, Like Noplace is There
The Shrine – Bless Off
Jungle – Jungle
Lake Street Dive – Bad Self Portraits
Ex Hex – Rips
EMA – The Future’s Void
and the next 93 Albums!
I checked out a further 93 albums which did not make this list.
That’s almost 250 albums. And I’m sure I missed lots more albums that were released in 2014.
It’s an impossible task to listen to every new album released. There are just too many.
So you have to filter what you listen to..
I’m sure I’ve missed some outstanding albums that were released in 2014.
Maybe I’ll discover them in years to come.
But I have found some new exquisite music that I like.
And that’s not a bad thing.
Next up my Top 25 Irish albums of 2014…
Hopefully I will have finished that list by June.
I’ll have to start my 2015 lists much earlier…
Ps. All of this would not be possible without Spotify which is excellent for checking out new albums.
And for those albums not on spotify, I check them on YouTube… (bands should be on Spotify. full stop.)
If I really like the album, I will endeavour to get a CD copy for my car (and to add to my extensive CD collection)
I have some vinyl, and I might get some releases on vinyl, but only a few at the moment…)