Let's be honest, yeah? 2014 wasn't exactly a banner year for humanity. It featured one of the most vitriolic elections in recent memory, torture reports, presidents overseeing drone warfare, consistently rising international tensions and decreasing faith in police forces that look more and more like military occupiers.
These upheavals
were mirrored in the best music of the year, which saw some of the most gifted
artists examining new sounds and approaches to making their music. Game
changers like Run the Jewels, St. Vincent and Sturgill Simpson made the year's
most exciting music by exploding the typical sounds of their genres – hip-hop,
pop and country, respectively – while maintaining a firm connection to their
roots.
(with Run the Jewels - Killer Mike and EL-P)
Established artists like The Black Keys, Coldplay, Ryan Adams and Taylor Swift looked inward and made some of their most personal albums by tapping into new sonic vocabularies.
In a year where
more attention that ever – and rightly so – was given to feminism and the
importance of equal rights, some of the most rewarding repeat listens came from
women. Swift sold more records than anyone this year by a long shot, Miranda
Lambert took back country from all the bros (I'm looking at you, Florida
Georgia Line), Jessie Ware and Tinashè reclaimed R&B, Perfect Pussy (best
band name of the year for my money) blew the walls off the punk scene and just
check out the gloriously filthy way Gangsta Boo flips the typical porn-rap song
on its head on Run the Jewels' "Love Again (Akinyele Back)."
After several
fantastic years for hip-hop, 2014 was a bit of a down year – many of the genre's
best were silent or working (hopefully) on new music. We were teased with new
Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar records that never appeared, though Lamar and
Drake continued to be the most interesting voices in rap by only dropping guest
verses and free songs on Soundcloud. As is becoming the norm in hip-hop, the
truly unique voices (Young Thug! Raury! Isaiah Rashad!) came from the mixtape arena – free albums
that allow rappers to push both lyrical and sonic boundaries.
Following in the
groundbreaking steps of West and Beyoncé from 2013, a handful of artists
dropped big albums with little-to-no warning. U2, Thom Yorke, Azealia Banks, J.
Cole and D'Angelo all came out of the blue to finally provide listeners with something
new.
The following
lists reflects the music that shaped me the most this year – work that kept me hitting the repeat button in the car, staying up a little later to listen one
more time and turning to when the world became too much. If we can count on one
thing, it's the world will keep doing that – so here's to the artists who keep us
pressing play.
Top 50 Albums
1. Seeds – TV on
the Radio
2. Run the Jewels
2 – Run the Jewels
3. Lost In the
Dream – The War on Drugs
4. Black Messiah – D'Angelo & The Vanguard
5. Turn Blue –
The Black Keys
6. Teeth Dreams –
The Hold Steady
7. Ghost Stories
– Coldplay
8. Ryan Adams –
Ryan Adams
9. St. Vincent –
St. Vincent
10. Cadillactica
– Big K.R.I.T
11. "What is
This Heart?" – How to Dress Well
12. My Krazy Life
- YG
13. 1989 – Taylor
Swift
14. Gary Clark Jr. Live – Gary Clark Jr.
15. Hozier –
Hozier
16. Morning Phase
- Beck
17. This Is All
Yours – Alt-J
18. They Want My
Soul – Spoon
19. Half the City
– St. Paul & The Broken Bones
20. The Voyager –
Jenny Lewis
21. It's Album Time – Todd Terje
22. Metamodern
Sounds in Country Music – Sturgill Simpson
23. Fragmented
World – Split Single
24. Oxymoron – ScHoolboy Q
25. Sucker – Charli XCX
26. Tough Love – Jessie Ware
27. Transgender
Dysphoria Blues – Against Me!
28. 2014 Forest
Hill Drive – J. Cole
29. Standing In
The Breach – Jackson Browne
30. Aquarius – Tinashè
31. High Hopes –
Bruce Springsteen
32. Mutineers –
David Gray
33. Saudade –
Thievery Corporation
34. After the
Disco – Broken Bells
35. Get Hurt –
The Gaslight Anthem
36. Jungle –
Jungle
37. Singles –
Future Islands
38. Single
Mothers – Justin Townes Earle
39. Ritual in
Repeat – Tennis
40. Familiars –
The Antlers
41. Nikki Nack –
tUnE-yArDs
42. Tomorrow's
Hits – The Men
43. Post Tropical
– James Vincent McMorrow
44. White Women -
Chromeo
45. So It Goes -
Ratking
46. Guilty of
Everything - Nothing
47. Say Yes to
Love – Perfect Pussy
48. The Outsiders
– Eric Church
49. Atlas – Real
Estate
50. Piñata –
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib
Top 100 Songs
1. "i" –
Single – Kendrick Lamar
2. "The
Ambassador" – Teeth Dreams – The
Hold Steady
3.
"Simplethings" – Girls, Vol. 2:
All Adventurous Women Do… - Miguel
4. "Oh My
Darling Don't Cry" – Run the Jewels
2 – Run the Jewels (the best beat of the year)
5. "0 to
100" – Self-released – Drake
6. "Problem"
feat. Iggy Azalea – My Everything –
Ariana Grande
7. "Had to
Hear" – Atlas – Real Estate (favourite guitar riff of the year)
8. "Collard
Greens" feat. Kendrick Lamar – Oxymoron
– ScHoolboy Q
9. "Weight
of Love" – Turn Blue – The Black
Keys
10. "Red
Eyes" – Lost In the Dream – The War
on Drugs
11.
"Catfish" – Gary Clark Jr. Live
– Gary Clark Jr. (best cover song of the year)
12. "Happy
Idiot" – Seeds – TV on the Radio
13. "Ain't
That Easy" – Black Messiah – D'Angelo & The Vanguard
14. "Never
Catch Me" feat. Kendrick Lamar – You're
Dead – Flying Lotus
15. "Always
In My Head" – Ghost Stories -
Coldplay
16.
"Spinners" – Teeth Dreams –
The Hold Steady
17.
"Jeopardy" – Run the Jewels 2 - Run the Jewels (best album opener of the year)
18. "Seasons
(Waiting On You)" – Singles –
Future Islands
19. "Can't
Do Without You” – Our Love – Caribou
20. "Gimme
Something Good" – Ryan Adams –
Ryan Adams
21.
"Saturday's Song" – Lateness of
Dancers – Hiss Golden Messenger
22. "Close
Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" – Run
the Jewels 2 – Run the Jewels
23. "Down On
the Bottom" – Lost On The River –
The New Basement Tapes
24. "Break
Your Heart" – Get Hurt – The Gaslight
Anthem
25. "In A
Week" feat. Karen Cowley – Hozier
– Hozier
26. "Last
Goodbye” – Fragmented World – Split Single
27.
"Go" – Single – Grimes
28. "Love
Stained" – Seeds – TV on the
Radio
29. "Archie,
Marry Me" – Alvvays – Alvvays (best love song of the year)
30. "Never
Look Back" – Fragmented World –
Split Single
31.
"Seeds" – Seeds – TV on the
Radio (best album closer of the year)
32. "The
Charade" – Black Messiah – D'Angelo & The Vanguard
33.
"American Skin (41 Shots)" – High
Hopes – Bruce Springsteen
34. "Almost
Everything" – Teeth Dreams – The
Hold Steady (favourite lyric of the year:
"Sat in the back of the theater just drinking and talking
About movies and Krishna and hardcore and Jesus and joy")
"Sat in the back of the theater just drinking and talking
About movies and Krishna and hardcore and Jesus and joy")
35.
"Sanctified" feat. Big Sean & Kanye West – Mastermind – Rick Ross
36. "Soul
Food" feat. Raphael Saadiq – Cadillactica
– Big K.R.I.T.
37. "My
Wrecking Ball" – Ryan Adams –
Ryan Adams
38. "Do
You" – They Want My Soul – Spoon
39. "Fall In
Love" – Voices – Phantogram
40. "2
On" – Aquarius - Tinashè
41.
"Superfly" – Indigo Child –
Raury
42. "I Be
U" – Honest – Future
43. "Radioactive"
feat. Kendrick Lamar – Single –
Imagine Dragons
44. "Burning
Gold" – Head Or Heart –
Christina Perri
45.
"Parade" – Familiars – The Antlers
46.
"Agora" – Distraction –
Bear Hands
47. "Boom
Clap" – Sucker – Charli XCX
48.
"Pendulum" – LP1 – FKA twigs
49. "Standby
(Interlude)" – Cadillactica –
Big K.R.I.T.
50. "After
the Disco" – After the Disco –
Broken Bells
51.
"Waitress Song" – Stay Gold
– First Aid Kit
52. "Hunger
Of The Pine" – This Is All Yours
– Alt-J
53.
"Coffee" – Sylvan Esso –
Sylvan Esso
54. "Cool
Kids" – Talking Book – Echosmith
55. "Brill
Bruisers" – Brill Bruisers – The
New Pornographers
56. "Dragon
Pants" – Dragon Pants EP –
Drive-By Truckers
57.
"Tuesday" feat. Drake – Single
– I Love Makonnen
58. "I'm Torn
Up" – Half the City – St. Paul & The Broken Bones
59. "Close
Your Eyes" – Sheezus – Lily Allen
60. "Busy
Earnin'" – Jungle – Jungle
61.
"Maps" – V – Maroon 5
62.
"Somebody There" – Lullaby and…
The Ceaseless Roar – Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters
63. "Lunch
Money" – Single – Pusha T
64. "Give Me
Back My Hometown" – The Outsiders
– Eric Church
65. "Grow
Old With Me (Don't Let Go)" – Tangerine
Sky – Blackbird Blackbird
66. "Turn
Down For What" – Single – DJ Snake
& Lil John
67. "Sweet
Amarillo" – Remedy – Old Crow
Medicine Show
68. "Bitter
Memories" – Bahamas Is Afie –
Bahamas
69.
"Fool" – Too Bright –
Perfume Genius
70. "She
Looks So Perfect" – 5 Seconds of
Summer – 5 Seconds of Summer
71. "Out Of
the Woods" – 1989 – Taylor Swift
72. "Autumn
Leaves" feat. Kendrick Lamar – X
– Chris Brown
73. "High
Ball Stepper" – Lazaretto – Jack
White
74. "Worried
Bout The Weather" – Single Mothers
– Justin Townes Earle
75. "The
Night Is Young" – The Pinkprint –
Nicki Minaj
76. "Lost
Stars" – Begin Again (Original
Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Adam Levine
77.
"Kendrick Lamar's Interlude" feat. Kendrick Lamar – These Days… - Ab-Soul
78.
"England" – Sleeping Operator
– The Barr Brothers
79. "Blue
Suede" – Hell Can Wait – Vince Staples
80. "I Am A
River" – Sonic Highways – Foo Fighters
81. "Back in
The World” – Mutineers – David Gray
82.
"Sleeping With A Friend" – Pop Psychology
– Neon Trees
83.
"Magnolia" feat. John Mayer –
The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale – Eric Clapton
84. "Love
Never Felt So Good" (Original Version) – Xscape – Michael Jackson
85.
"Interference Fits" – Say Yes to
Love – Perfect Pussy
86.
"Jackson" – LOSE – Cymbals Eat
Guitars
87. "About
the Money" feat. Young Thug - Paperwork – T.I.
88. "Another
Sunday in the South" – Platinum –
Miranda Lambert
89.
"Beautiful" – Self-released
– A.G. Cook
90. "Mad At
Me" feat. Jay Ant and Iamsu – Remember
Me – Sage the Gemini
91.
"Drive-In Movies" – Supernova
– Ray LaMontagne
92.
"Sensitive" – Mr Twin Sister
– Mr Twin Sister
93. "Fight
Night" – No Label 2 – Migos
94. "Judge
Me" – Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart?
– K. Michelle
95. "The Promise"
– Metamodern Sounds in Country Music –
Sturgill Simpson
96.
"D.R.E.A.M." feat. Talib Kweli – PTSD
– Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – Pharoahe Monch
97. "So
What" – At Best Cuckold – Avi Buffalo
98. "Put
Your Number In My Phone" – pom pom
– Ariel Pink
99. "A World
With You" – Yes! – Jason Mraz
100. "Let's
Get Drunk & Get It On" – Most Messed
Up – Old 97's
Reissues
1. The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg
Series Vol. 11 – Bob Dylan and The Band
2. Led Zeppelin
reissues (I, II, III, IV, Houses
of the Holy) – Led Zeppelin
3. American Football (Deluxe Edition) –
American Football
4. The Velvet Underground – 45th
Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition – The Velvet Underground
5. The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings – The
Allman Brothers Band
6. Oasis reissues
(Definitely Maybe, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?) -
Oasis
7. Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014
– Wilco
8. Adore – Super Deluxe Edition – Smashing
Pumpkins
9. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (40th
Anniversary Deluxe Edition) – Elton John
10. Extra Painful – Yo La Tengo
Live Albums
1. Gary Clark Jr. Live – Gary Clark Jr.
2. The
1971 Fillmore East Recordings
– The Allman Brothers Band
3. Live at the Jazz Café London – D'Angelo
4. Acoustic at the Ryman – Band of Horses
5. Sinatra: London – Frank Sinatra
6. Ghost Stories Live 2014 – Coldplay
7. Quadrophenia: Live in London – The Who
8. All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs &
Voice Of Gregg Allman – Various Artists
9. CSNY: 1974 – Crosby, Stills, Nash and
Young
10. Live in Dublin – Leonard Cohen
Music Films
1. Everything Will Change – The Postal
Service
2. 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration –
Bob Dylan
3. Quadrophenia: Live in London – The Who
4. Live in Memphis – Big Star
5. 40th
Anniversary Show Live At The Beacon Theatre – The Allman Brothers Band
6. Planes, Trains & Eric – Eric Clapton
7. REMTV – R.E.M.
8. All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs &
Voice Of Gregg Allman – Various Artists
9. Back to Front: Live in London – Peter
Gabriel
10. Live in Amsterdam – Joe Bonamassa and
Beth Hart
Soundtracks
1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 –
Various Artists
2. Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol.
1 – Various Artists
3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
– Howard Shore
4. The Fault in Our Stars – Various Artists
5. Begin Again – Various Artists
6. Chef – Various Artists
7. Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Various
Artists
9. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Alexandre
Desplat
10. Gone Girl – Trent Reznor and Atticus
Ross
Box sets
1. The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg
Series Vol. 11 – Bob Dylan and The Band
2. The Velvet Underground – 45th
Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition – The Velvet Underground
3. The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings – The
Allman Brothers Band
4. Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014
– Wilco
5. Sinatra: London – Frank Sinatra
6. Adore – Super Deluxe Edition – Smashing
Pumpkins
7. Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet,
Waiting To Be Danced – Joni Mitchell
8. The Anthology: 1964 – 1971 – The Kinks
9. CSNY: 1974 – Crosby, Stills, Nash and
Young
10. Live in Dublin – Leonard Cohen
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