2014 has come to an end. I’m sitting at my kitchen table considering the idea that, for the first time since I began making them, I don’t have a publication with which to publish my end-of-the-year lists as they pertain to music. In years past, Under The Gun Review has been my home for that. I said goodbye to their team last fall for an upcoming (and since past) gig at Substream Magazine, and so I did not approach them to publish my lists again this year. It wouldn’t be proper.
James Shotwell, their editor and one of my closest friends, did invite me to share my favorite albums audibly on the Haulix podcast last month. The Scene Press asked me to contribute a few words about a handful of my favorite releases in their Full-Length Essentials post too.
Still, a few friends have asked me for my full list and I feel obligated to share it. So here it is, my favorite albums of 2014. They’re not really in any particular order.
LPs:
- Noah Gundersen - Ledges → ♫ iTunes
- Emarosa - Versus → ♫ iTunes
- Bayside - Cult → ♫ iTunes
- The Hotelier - Home Like No Place There Is → ♫ iTunes
- Dan + Shay - Where It All Began → ♫ iTunes
- Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour → ♫ iTunes
- From Indian Lakes - Absent Sounds → ♫ iTunes
- HalfNoise - Volcano Crowe → ♫ iTunes
- Ariana Grande - My Everything → ♫ iTunes
- James Vincent McMorrow - Post Tropical → ♫ iTunes
- Speak Low If You Speak Love - Everything But What You Need* → ♫ iTunes
- Closure In Moscow - Pink Lemonade → ♫ iTunes
- Astro Safari USA - Trapman → ♫ iTunes
- This Wild Life - Clouded → ♫ iTunes
- The Sun & The Sea - American Empire → ♫ iTunes
- Sir Sly - You Haunt Me → ♫ iTunes
- ‘68 - In Humor and Sadness → ♫ iTunes
- Fireworks - Oh, Common Life → ♫ iTunes
- Magic Man - Before The Waves → ♫ iTunes
- Spooky Black - Leaving → ♫ iTunes
- Made In Heights - Made In Heights* → ♫ iTunes
- Yellowcard - Lift A Sail → ♫ iTunes
- PVRIS - White Noise → ♫ iTunes
- Copeland - Ixora → ♫ iTunes
- Dead Leaves - Dead Leaves → ♫ iTunes
EPs:
- Aquilo - Aquilo/Human EPs → ♫ iTunes / ♫ iTunes
- The Mercy Beat - The Mercy Beat → ♫ iTunes
- Raleigh Ritchie - Black & Blue EP → ♫ iTunes
- Jaymes Young - Habits Of My Heart EP → ♫ iTunes
- Meg Myers - Make A Shadow EP → ♫ iTunes
- Truslow - Hurricane → ♫ iTunes
- Four Year Strong - Go Down In History → ♫ iTunes
- Bad Rabbits - Dusted → ♫ iTunes
- The Cab - Lock Me Up EP → ♫ iTunes
- Reward - Painted Desperation → ♫ iTunes
As always, Frank Ocean's channel ORANGE, Mansions' Dig Up The Dead and Doom Loop, as well as Old Best Friend's Keep In Touch remained in heavy rotation. I also fell back in love with Jeff Buckley's Grace.
If you like any of these releases, consider purchasing them on iTunes using the links provided to support the artists and this blog.
* Released in late 2013, but made their mark on me in 2014 more-so than other releases from this year.