Something you may notice when going through this list is that there is a disproportionate amount of June releases in the twenty records I have listed. And to be quite honest with you, before June happened and we were bombarded with all that awesome, 2014 was looking to be a pretty weak year, music-wise. Sure, there was a handful of great records that came out earlier in the year, but in comparison to 2013 and 2012, two of the greatest years for music I’ve had the honour of being alive to witness, things just weren’t looking that hot. If you think I’m just being too picky, take a look at Billboard’s best-selling records of the year so far. It’s pretty dismal shit. Many of these records didn’t even come out this year. I’m not saying by any means that album sales are reflective of quality – the only actually decent record on this list is Beyonce’s – I’m just saying that 2014’s music woes appear to exist on a commercial as well as critical, personal scale. But, as I mentioned, June has had its share of absolutely spectacular releases by acts both fresh and seasoned. Here’s to hoping this trend continues, that 2014 is a late bloomer instead of a disappointment. All that being said, the 20 records here are all fucking awesome in their own way and could stand on their own in any year. Without further ado, I present my list of the Best Albums of 2014, So Far…
20. Wreck & Reference – Want
I heard of these guys after reading about their opening slot for Pallbearer and Deafheaven’s recent co-headlining tour and took that as a cosign by two of the best heavy bands on the planet right now. So, knowing next to nothing about them, I grabbed this record when it came out earlier this year, expecting something awesome and rooted in metal, which I’ve recently got really into again. I was right about the first part, wrong about the second. While Wreck & Reference are definitely heavy, that’s about as far as comparisons go to the aforementioned bands. Deafheaven and Pallbearer have been making waves the past few years by taking creative, unexpected routes with otherwise standard formulas, but I would argue that what Wreck & Reference achieve with Want is ultimately more innovative. W&R approach heaviness in a very modern, almost futuristic, setting screams and wails of intense emotionality against a pallet of tortured electronics and live drums. The result is a highly unique and blistering album that the rest of ‘heavy’ music probably won’t catch up to for at least a few more years. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THIS BAND.
19. Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
I’ll give you a quick minute to let off all that hate steam. No, go on. All done? Alright cool. I understand, I really do. I was just like you back in 2012 when Lana ‘rose’ to ‘fame’, questioning her authenticity and all that crap that’s been absolutely beaten to death at this point. Honestly though, skipping all the thinkpieces and long winded op eds, when you get right down to it, Born To Die just wasn’t really that great of an album. Luckily, in spite of it all, Lana seems smart – and self aware – enough to realize this, and Ultraviolence succeeds in every way Born To Die didn’t. Comprised almost entirely of mid-tempo sultry numbers, Del Rey seeks to depress instead of impress on her sophomore effort and finally it all starts to click.
18. Greys – If Anything
I have a bizarre, probably unwarranted attachment to Greys. Having been a fan literally since their inception back in 2011, I’ve watched them play basement shows to handfuls of people, listened to their increasingly solid EPs throughout the years and stood faithfully by their side all the way up until their signing with Carpark earlier this year. After waiting 3 years for their debut LP, it’s finally here and was it ever worth the wait; If Anything contains their best and most dynamic collection of material to date, and sees them settling cozily into a distinctively Greys sound, instead of doing a fantastic job aping their influences on past releases. If Anything is a very post-modern rock record, with the majority of the tracks being statements on the artform itself, and many of the hypocrisies that plague it. It’s an album built of passion to the scene and a dedication to better it, and with this record, it’s safe to say Greys have succeeded in that regard. I’m so proud of you guys.
17. The Body & The Haxan Cloak – I Shall Die Here
Read my review of I Shall Die Here!
16. Casualties of Cool – Casualties of Cool
As much as you gotta love Devin Townsend for all his eccentricities and prolific output, you have to admit that his last official release, the Devin Townsend Project’s Epicloud, kinda sucked. It took all of Townsend’s recent tropes and threw them in a massive, stadium rock cheese blender, and the results weren’t really all that flattering. It’s weird to say for an artist known for his eclecticism, but it really felt like more of the same. Casualties of Cool is a one-off project existing outside the canon of Townsend’s work, and boy is it ever refreshing. Described as ‘haunted Johnny Cash songs’, CoC sounds like nothing else Townsend’s released before. There’s some kind of concept behind the record, but you’ll be too transfixed by the gorgeous vocal work of Townsend and Che Aimee Dorval to notice it, not to mention Townsend’s stellar, untypically subdued production style. More than anything, after 20+ years in the game, it’s nice to know that the mad genius still has a few tricks left up his sleeve.
15. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Last December was a highly confusing, transitionary point in my life. I didn’t really know what I was doing, where I was going to live, what was going to happen…nothing. It’s a good thing this record leaked around the same time, because I sought enough solace within it that I wonder now where I’d be if not for it. Angel Olsen sounds just as confused and weary as I did in these tracks, yet this weakness is always countered by her strength and resilience, which always manages to shine through the gloom. Olsen doesn’t have the answers, but she knows the power of continuing the search for them.
14. Young Widows – Easy Pain
Young Widows’ fourth album Easy Pain is also their best, and that’s pretty impressive given their absolutely stellar discography. Previous releases were awesome, but there were still shades of earlier band Breather Resist that poked their way out through the tunes. Easy Pain is the first time Young Widows sound ultimately like Young Widows, and the beast that they’ve become is truly unlike anything else out there. Also, the guitar tones on this album are possibly the coolest that I have ever heard, ever.
13. Nothing – Guilty of Everything
This extremely impressive LP is a perfectly modern shoegaze record, all swirling guitars and soft vocals, but combined with a punky attitude and all black-and-white demeanor, making it also the perfect first shoegaze record for Relapse Records. There’s a certain sense of hopelessness in Guilty of Everything, which makes it a lot more palatable than the rest of shoegaze for depressed people like myself. Guitars aren’t going anywhere as long as bands like this keep making such a strong case for their power and ability to express, whether it be elation or total isolation. You’ll find nothing of the former on this record.
12. Actress – Ghettoville
People have been talking about the ‘death of music’ for a while, but in spite of it all, we still seem to be kicking. When music does die though, whatever that even really means, Ghettoville will surely be seen as one of the precursors of this eventuality. Actress’s music has always had a sort of ‘post-everything’ feel to it, but apart from deep cut Rap, these songs actually sound dead. If 2012’s RIP was the sound of the idea/character of Actress coming to an end, then Ghettoville is a stark view of its decomposing corpse. Purposefully unfinished sounding and undercooked feeing, this is what an artist at the end of it all – nay, beyond the end – sounds like. Way to go, Actress. You killed music. And what a beautiful, complex death it is.
11. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Piñata
Freddie Gibbs has always been one of those rappers I respect and admire more than I actually enjoy. I like my rappers kinda flamboyant and eccentric (Danny, Q etc.), and Gibbs really couldn’t be further from those descriptors. But Piñata works because where Gibbs lacks in personality, Madlib more than makes up for with his beats. The two compliment each other perfectly, Gibbs’ hard talk and strict flows acting as a foil to Madlib’s absolutely insane production. The result is something wild enough to appeal to the adventurous listener yet ‘hard’ enough to please the purists.
10. White Suns – Totem
Probably the noisiest ‘noise-rock’ record I have ever come across. White Suns torture their instruments in ways that really should be illegal, so this record is a real treat given that some law will likely be passed soon that refrains musicians from ever recording such abuse ever again. Totem is the end point for ‘rock’, much like Ghettoville is for techno; there is no semblance of structure or melody to be found on this record. It would end up being an absolute mess if not for the sheer resolve from the musicians that bleeds through. This album plays out like an exorcism of all of ‘rock music’s demons, and the experience is often exhausting. But with each chaotic release sprinkled across these nine songs, White Suns point to a feral energy located in all of us, a deep, ancient part of our being that has no regard for rules and the powers that govern. It’s hard to explain with words, but when the coda of highlight Clairvoyant hits your ears, you’ll understand.
9. Helms Alee – Sleepwalking Sailor
Read my interview with guitarist/vocalist Ben Verrelan here!
8. Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown
Every two years or so a new Every Time I Die album comes out, and every time I’m expecting to finally be let down. There’s just no way they can keep churning out record after record of absolute brilliance. It isn’t feasible. I’m not sure why I keep underestimating these guys though, as they have never let me down in the decade I have been into them, and From Parts Unknown is no exception. In fact, much of the contrary; FPU may actually be ETID’s best record yet, no small feat considering the classics they have under the belt, and the fact that this is their seventh record. How many bands hit their high point on their seventh fucking record? How many bands even stick around long enough to make seven records? What’s more impressive still is that this is probably ETID’s most chaotic record, rooted very firmly in hardcore, which is a nice departure from the southern metalcore that they’ve been known for. Kurt Ballou’s production makes every instrument sound more vital than ever (especially the drums!) and Keith Buckley’s vocal delivery is poisoned with a sense of panic and desperation that’s never been there before (apparently it’s legit too; Buckley lost his voice on the day they were tracking vocals and was forced to record basically the entire album in one day at the very end of recording sessions). I’m sorry for ever doubting you guys. You’d think seven incredible albums in I’d know better by now.
7. Boyfrndz – Breeder
I wouldn’t even know that this band/record existed without the fine editors of Bearded Gentlemen Music constantly raving about them, so kudos to the always excellent taste of Jon and Isaac. I admittedly don’t know much about this band, but I do know that Breeder is one of the finest slabs of post-hardcore I have heard in a very long time. Every track on this record is mathy enough to stay interesting, yet deceptively simple and extremely catchy, and unique in its own way. Despite their slightly cringeworthy name (let’s be honest), this band has an extremely bright future ahead of them if this debut is any indication. Like them while they’re still cool.
6. Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal
The fact that a deep cut from this record – the lethargic “Raw Milk” – ended up being Rolling Stone’s track of the year so far should be a pretty good indication of the quality of this record on the whole. Not saying that Rolling Stone is at all relevant when it comes to taste, but it serves as a good example of just how fucking universally likable this record is. From a band to go from virtually unknown last year to acclaimed in pretty much all publications this year is pretty impressive, and it is definitely warranted, unlike most ‘hype’ bands. Parquet Courts Sunbathing Animal is a flawless revitalist rock record from start to finish, and that’s saying something coming from me as I had pretty much given up hope on the genre. Don’t let the dead serious look of the bandmates fool you; the reason this record shines is because of the heaping amounts of personality and actual fun poured into it.
5. Mastodon – Once More Round The Sun
Read my review of Once More ‘Round the Sun!
4. Schoolboy Q – Oxymoron
In retrospect, Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid M.A.A.D. City was a little bit…overwrought, wouldn’t you say? Perfection gets boring. It’s the same reason I can’t really listen to Kanye’s Dark Fantasy anymore. Perfection represents the ultimate saturation point of an established norm, and while that’s fine and all, it leaves little room for experimentation, and as an enjoyer of art, experimentation and progress is ultimately what turns me on. Schoolboy Q’s Oxymoron is by no means a perfect album. It’s flawed and weird and filled with so much contradiction that threatens to totally derail the entire thing. Luckily, the presence guiding us through all the darkness and debauchery is one of the most charismatic motherfuckers in the game right now, and you can tell Q is having the absolute time of his life relaying all this shit to us. Showcasing a different side of his personality on just about every track, Q presents himself as a deceptively complex individual, one that unravels more and more with every track and listen to the record. It all comes to a head on the final one-two punch of “Break the Bank” and “Man of the Year,” probably two of the best closing tracks on a hip hop record that I’ve ever heard. And then there’s the bonus tracks, which I don’t want to ruin for you because they are fucking DELIGHTFUL. Is Q the best rapper in the game? Hell no. He isn’t even the best rapper in his crew. But I’ll be damned if he isn’t the most interesting.
3. Behemoth – The Satanist
Sorry mom, but one of my favourite records of the year is called the Satanist, and that is no misnomer; this record is verrrrry much about Satanism. Not the Satanism that’s perpetuated by the media involving Satanic worship. If you do your research you’ll learn that Satanism in fact has very little to do with Satan himself, and is more of a set of ideals outlining the power of the belief in the self. And it’s the real Satanism that this record is actually about. This is Behemoth’s first record since Nargel’s recovery from cancer, and after overcoming such a massive feat, it’s hard to deny the man’s sense of propriety towards the ‘religion’ that helped him through his brush with death. When most people think of black and death metal, they think of anger and misery as the driving forces behind the music. However, The Satanist exudes nothing, but pure triumph and exhilaration; bizarrely enough, this record ends up playing out as a pretty fucking positive advertisement for the ideals of Satanism, namely the strength that can be found in willpower and self-belief. The record is still imbued with enough imagery to keep anyone even remotely Christian running for the hills, but looking past all of the philosophical and political undertones, The Satanist is the best record by the best blackened death metal band on the planet. That’s a triumph in and of itself.
2. Perc – The Power and the Glory
Isn’t it so 2014 how the best techno record of the year (not even so far, I doubt this will be topped) also serves as a complete deconstruction of the genre? Noise and techno are inching ever closer to each other as each year passes, and Perc is gleefully heralding the co-opt in. The Power and the Glory is such an extraordinary, innovative hybrid of the two genres that after hearing this record, it seems silly listening to either genre without the other anymore. Never before has distortion been so danceable, has something as primal as the four on the floor beat been so disorienting. There’s a lot of British political undertones throughout the record that I had to go out of my way to research to understand, what with the whole not being British thing, but understanding the politics behind it aren’t necessary to enjoy this record as a purely visceral experience. This IS the future of dance music. It’s just a matter of how long before the rest of us catch up.
1. Swans – To Be Kind
How do you top your already legendary band’s magnum opus? By making an even magnumer opus. Read my review of To Be Kind.
