by: Vasilis
Better late than never! I have been making “Best Of” lists since 2008 and it is always one of my favorite parts of the year. I love spending copious amounts of time in November and December combing through the releases I loved, the releases I may have slept on and missed entirely from being too busy, and even the releases I didn’t like at first (two of my top 15 albums this year were records I did not like after the first few listens earlier in the year). With that said, 2014 was a great year for music and, next to 2011 (the best year of music in this decade by a mile), this is probably my single favorite top 10 I’ve put together in terms of pure quality of the releases and the bands doing the releasing. I could even extend this to my top 13 albums, all of which hit me especially hard at one point or another.
As always, this is a personal list and is not meant to reflect the 25 best albums released this year; I do have a very specific and select taste in music and do not pretend otherwise. You will not find Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, or FKA Twigs on this list, as their music does not appeal to me (it doesn’t mean it’s not good, it’s just not my thing). Also, I stand by all 25 albums (and 5 EPs) on this list and would recommend them very highly. Without further adieu, here they are! My 25 top albums of 2014.
5 FAVORITE EPs
05. Four Year Strong – Down In History
Favorite Track: “What’s in the Box?”
04. Beach Slang – Cheap Thrills on a Dead End Street
Favorite Track: “American Girls and French Kisses”
03. The Color and Sound – Peace of Mind
Favorite Track: “Cigarettes”
02. Allison Weiss – Remember When
Favorite Track: “Remember When”
01. The Front Bottoms – Rose
Favorite Track: “Jim Bogart”
25 FAVORITE ALBUMS
25. Andrew Jackson Jihad – Christmas Island
Favorite Track: “Temple Grandin”
24. Rx Bandits – Gemini, Her Majesty
Favorite Track: “Wide Open”
23. Prawn – Kingfisher
Favorite Track: “First as Tragedy, Second as Farce”
22. Somos – Temples of Plenty
Favorite Track: “Dead Wrong”
21. Tiny Moving Parts – Pleasant Living
Favorite Track: “Boxcar”
20. Have Mercy – A Place of Our Own
Favorite Track: “Spacecrafts”
19. Tigers Jaw – Charmer
Favorite Track: “Nervous Kids”
18. Hostage Calm – Die on Stage
Favorite Track: “Your Head / Your Heart”
17. Taking Back Sunday – Hapiness Is…
Favorite Track: “Better Homes and Gardens”
16. The Gaslight Anthem – Get Hurt
Favorite Track: “Dark Places”
15. Manchester Orchestra – COPE/HOPE
Favorite Track: “Cope”
14. Say Anything – Hebrews
Favorite Track: “Kall Me Kubrick”
13. PUP – PUP
Favorite Track: “Reservoir”
12. You Blew It! – Keep Doing What You’re Doing
Favorite Track: “Award of the Year Award”
11. Driver Friendly – Unimagined Bridges
Favorite Track: “Stand So Tall (ft. Dan Campbell)”
10. Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Joyce Manor’s third album Never Hungover Again follows the mold of short songs but is their best work yet. The songs are fun, fast and strike you immediately and display improved musicianship and songwriting. The band hit home on every emotional note, especially on album highlights “Heart Tattoo” and “Schley”.
Favorite Track: “Heart Tattoo”
09. La Dispute – Rooms of the House
Warning: Never listen to La Dispute when in a fragile emotional state. The band’s music is saturated with powerful human situations and speak of suffering and pain. Each track is its own story and combines to form the novel that is the band’s third album. Look no further than opener “Hudsonville MI 1956” and “Scenes from Highways 1981-2009” to be brought to the edge of tears.
Favorite Track: “Hudsonville, MI 1956”
08. Modern Baseball – You’re Gonna Miss It All
This album, 10 months after its release, is still a ton of fun to listen to. Sung with an almost noticeable goofy grin, the band’s music doesn’t it take itself too seriously (despite being classified as “emo”) with lyrics about iphones, graduating, and watching TV and brainstorming tattoo ideas with your friends. It’s the album written for 20-somethings by 20-somethings, and it’s a real blast from start to finish. Full Review
Favorite Track: “Your Graduation”
07. Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
This album is important, there’s no other way to say it. Laura Jane Grace sings about her experiences as a transgender woman in a way that is eye-opening and empowering to the LGBTQ community. She shines a light on her pain and problems while also speaking of hope and can be a huge stepping point for the community in the punk scene. It doesn’t hurt that the music is edgy and in-your-face, one of their best albums yet. Full Review
Favorite Track: “Black Me Out”
06. Fireworks – Oh, Common Life
Dave Mackinder uses Firework’s third album to pay tribute to his late father (who passed away while the band was on tour in 2011), creating a dark, poppy punk record built around heavier use of keyboards and mellower guitar tones. The band’s fun sound isn’t compromised though (as is evident on the upbeat “Play ‘God Only Knows’ at My Funeral” and “Flies on Tape”). This album builds off the band’s incredible sophomore effort Gospel and takes their sound to places it’s never gone before. Full Review
Favorite Track: “Run, Brother, Run”
05. I Am the Avalanche – Wolverines
Sporting a ferocious bite (much like the band’s sophomore LP Avalanche United), Long Island’s I Am the Avalanche present a personal and heartfelt punk album. Wolverines is an ode to life, including the good (friends getting married on the feverishly quick “177”) and the bad (becoming addicted to pain killers on punchy “The Shape I’m In”). The band continues to improve with every release and have found their niche. Full Review
Favorite Track: “Young Kerouacs”
04. Bayside – CULT
CULT is a celebration of everything Bayside have accomplished over their career (the band turns 15 in 2015). The album is a “greatest hits” of sorts, combining elements of each of their five prior studio albums to create a perfect snapshot of the band’s classic sound. Album highlights include the explosive opener “Big Cheese”, the sweet and sincere “Transitive Property” and the introspective “Objectivist on Fire”. Full Review
Favorite Track: “Objectivist On Fire”
03. The Hotelier – Home, Like Noplace Is There
Sometimes a band comes seemingly out of nowhere and sweeps the scene off their feet. The Hotelier was that band and Home, Like Noplace Is There was that album in 2014. Stunningly sincere, personal, and brilliant musically and lyrically, this album is a masterpiece reminiscent of a veteran band and not a group that is releasing their sophomore album. Home, Like Noplace Is There has the chance to define the “emo revival” genre for years to come. Opener “An Introduction to the Album” and closer “Dendron” are two of the best songs of the year and wonderfully bookmark this album.
Favorite Track: “The Scope of All This Rebuilding”
02. The Menzingers – Rented World
At this point, no one should be surprised at all at what The Menzingers can do and instead should wonder what can’t the band do? Their fourth album follows their 2012 magnum opus On the Impossible Past and is well-crafted and personal. Opener “I Don’t Wanna Be an Asshole Anymore” and lead single “In Remission” are two of the best songs the band has written, and the acoustic closer “When You Died” is an unexpected wonderful change of pace for the band. Full Review
Favorite Track: “In Remission”
01. Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties – We Don’t Have Each Other
There’s not much I can say about this album (or Dan Campbell from The Wonder Years) that I haven’t said in my many reviews of his work. His storytelling is impeccable and he continues to push his capabilities further with every album and project. Full Review
Favorite Track: “Carolina Coast”
Lyrically Addicted 