Once again the end of the year makes me dive back through the year to dredge up my favourite musics of the year. This was a bit of a dry year for me as far as new releases went. Definitely some good ones, but seeing how many 2014 albums I have in my iTunes compared to what I have for 2013, it seems positively barren. I really delved into Classical music and some areas of Jazz I was a little weak on this year which may account for part of that. Also...I spent a good chunk of the year obsessed with early 2000's Hip Hop (specifically Ja Rule - Pain is Love, Nelly - Country Grammar, and Ludacris - Word of Mouf) Yup. I did that. Not even guilty pleasures. Proudly.
That being said, there were some really excellent releases this year. Here are some of my favs:
FAVOURITE ALBUMS (Alphabetical)
Caribou - Our Love
EDM has never been something which grabbed my attention and held it (unless you count James Blake's early EPs), but Our Love is one of those slow burning records which I kept coming back to over and over until it became one of my favourites of the year. It's uniform in mood, while being quite varied in approach and is just chill as heck. Really creative arrangements, well used vocal samples which don't annoy you to death, and just a solid production value made this record stand out for me this year.
Best Track: "Silver"
FKA twigs - LP1
Super smooth and sexy, but also a little sad. This record is bold and beautiful with some really interesting beats/production. She has a killer R&B voice and takes the genre in new directions.
Best Track: "Two Weeks"
Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
Flying Lotus crams so many ideas into each of his songs that there's something new for each listen. This is essentially a jazz record through an electronic music lens. Phenomenal instrumentals blend with some interesting/funny/bizarre impressionistic stories to create a really exciting record. An amazing Kendrick Lamar feature doesn't hurt either!
Best Track: "Never Catch Me" (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Piñata
West Coast hip hop at some of it's finest. Madlib's beats are always delicious and Gibbs really showcases his story telling on this album. Great flows and good beats, for over an hour. What else do you need?
Best Track: "High" (feat. Danny Brown)
Lykke Li - I Never Learn
I Never Learn is a heartbreaking singer/songwriter record. The yearning in Lykke Li's voice pulls at my heart strings. Simple arrangements really showcase the lyrics and voice, and this record finds a great balance between the lush and sparse. Very compelling.
Best Track: "Love Me Like I'm Not Made of Stone"
Olga Bell - Krai
This is one of the most unique records of the year. Olga Bell's voice is reminiscent of Bjork but less strident. Her vocal layering evokes the pain of Eastern European history. Her creative and untraditional guitar playing reminds me of some of Tim Buckley's more adventurous records. This is a very creative and haunting work which keeps bringing me back to it. Probably the most challenging record on this list, but well worth the effort!
Best Track: "Stavropol Krai"
Perfume Genius - Too Bright
Perfume Genius has always been on the edges of my radar, but Too Bright just grabbed me and held on to me. The arrangements have more depth on this record, and there are some really dissonant moments couched among the soaring and tender vocals and the gorgeous piano (See "My Body" which sounds like it could be off of Suicide's self-titled record). There are also some huge moments which soar in a mixture of pain and pride. This is probably tied with LP1 for second place on my list this year.
Best Track: "Queen"
Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2
Album of the year, people! So much swagger. So much aggression. A great feature by Zach De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine. El-P and Killer Mike come together for the second time in two years to release a phenomenal record. No filler on this 39 minute record. El's production is phenomenal as always, throwing you curve balls while keeping you locked in so hard. The boys' interplay on the mic is crazy as well, playing off of each other and pushing each other harder and further. (They even play off of the flow from "Move That Dope"!) So many great bars, so many great beats. Hard hitting from front to back...and leaving me wanting more.
Best Track: "Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)" (feat. Zack De La Rocha)
Swans - To Be Kind
Swans not only managed to follow up The Seer well, they even surpassed it. To Be Kind is just as long (over two hours long) but with fewer lulls. Michael Gira is pushing his voice in new ways on this record and the arrangements are again an amazing blend of bright and shining, and crushing and dissonant - all at once. This record also boasts some really great grooves. Also, less eastern-inspired noodling. This record is HUGE and violent, and deserves some respect.
Best Track: "Oxygen"
Thou - Heathen
Doom is always a genre I have enjoyed. I love me some down-tempo, crushingly heavy songs. But a lot of them focus too much on the "down-tempo, crushingly heavy" part and miss out on the all-important "songs" part of the equation. Thou has managed to do both on this record. Gorgeous, heavy riffs are countered with soaring peaks, including something that could almost be a chorus (!!!) on "Free Will". They aren't scared of playing fast (by doom standards) occasionally too when the song warrants it. This was my favourite Metal record of the Year. (Sorry Pallbearer)
Best Track: "Free Will"
Honourable Mentions (Alphabetical):
Aphex Twin - Syro
The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
Old Man Gloom - The Ape of God (I+II)
Ought - More Than Any Other Day
St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Sun Kil Moon - Benji
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Sea When Absent
Taylor Swift - 1989 (Don't hate, haters!)
tUnE-yArDs - Nikki Nack
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
Favourite Track Not Featured on the Twenty Records already listed?:
Future - Move That Dope (feat. Pharrell, Pusha T, and Casino)
