Albums/Tracks of the Year

[.Rai]

List your personal favourite tracks and albums of the year. I'm leaning towards this year being a slightly less interesting year than 2013 for big music releases, but the quality's been really good anyway. For me, in no particular order, albums of the year:

- LP1, FKA twigs
- Trouble in Paradise, La Roux
- St Vincent, St Vincent
- 1989, Taylor Swift
- Ghost Stories, Coldplay

I obviously take this from a poppier perspective, but, hey pop music was decent this year. Regarding tracks, FKA twigs' Pendulum, Jessie Ware's Tough Love, Future Islands' Seasons (Waiting on You) and St Vincent's Digital Witness.

[Goose]

Only album this year that's been big for me is Relics by Faded Paper Figures

[Agro]

This was a fairly quiet year for art, at least in music and video games. Maybe film as well, though I've seen quiet a few good films this year. Maybe it's the fact that 2015 is setting up to be just completely crazy.

 

My favorite songs of the year:

Cosby Sweater - Hilltop Hoods

Jealous - Chromeo

...dear god what else have i listened to that came out this year?

[bury the year]

I did not like Ghost Stories. Not at all. Dunno why, but it was pretty same-y after hearing the diversity of their previous albums.

• FKA Twigs - LP1
• Sir Sly - You Haunt Me
• Banks - Goddess
• Tove Lo - Queen of the Clouds
• Chlöe Howl - Rumour EP
• Crosses - Crosses
• Anberlin - Lowborn
• Flying Lotus - You're Dead!

...damn, did I like my ladies this year.

[.Rai]

I did not like Ghost Stories. Not at all. Dunno why, but it was pretty same-y after hearing the diversity of their previous albums.

• FKA Twigs - LP1
• Sir Sly - You Haunt Me
• Banks - Goddess
• Tove Lo - Queen of the Clouds
• Chlöe Howl - Rumour EP

...damn, did I like my ladies this year.

I can see why people don't like Ghost Stories. It's incredibly easy to dislike. There's a lot less interesting stuff going on (well, explicitly anyway) than in Viva or Mylo Xyloto. But there are gems on that album that totally redeem any bad points on it (Magic is almost in my favourite tracks list) for me, anyway. Magic evokes the XX, Midnight is pure bliss thanks to Jon Hopkins. Definitely just a really sleepy album though, so it has a narrow audience.

I didn't like most of those albums in full excepting the amazing LP1, but those artists all had some stunning singles.

[Susie]

i had quite a few albums from this year that i very well enjoyed

Circa Survive - Descensus (personal favorite of the year)
Secret Band - Self-titled
Hail the Sun - Wake
Stolas - Allomaternal
Anberlin - Lowborn
Bayside - Cult
Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is
Finch - Back to Oblivion
Antemasque - Self-titled
Boris - Noise
Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Mogwai - Rave Tapes
A Silver Mt. Zion - f*** Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything
Crosses - Self-titled
United Nations - The Next Four Years
La Dispute - Rooms of the House
Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun
Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown
Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter
Copeland - Ixora
Sleepwave - Broken Compass
'68 - In Humor and Sadness
Death Grips - The Powers That B
Rx Bandits - Gemini! Her Majesty
Earth - Primitive Decay
Silver Snakes - Year of the Snake

Trophy Scars - Holy Vacants


im pretty sure that once i get a chance to listen to the new Weezer and Dir En Grey albums then theyll be up on the list too

[bury the year]

Anberlin - Lowborn
Crosses - Self-titled

f*** how did I forget Anberlin and Crosses. Edited back onto my list. We are Destroyer gives me chills with just how much energy it pours into a single beat, and Death Bell gives me chills for entirely different reasons. It really sounds like someone's about to die behind you.

[Susie]

f*** how did I forget Anberlin and Crosses. Edited back onto my list. We are Destroyer gives me chills with just how much energy it pours into a single beat, and Death Bell gives me chills for entirely different reasons. It really sounds like someone's about to die behind you.

 

We Are Destroyer is a really killer track, along with Birds of Prey and Armageddon those are probably my top picks from Lowborn.

 

Death Bell is pretty chilling though not one of my favorites from the Crosses album.

[~NOiSE~]

Dir en grey's new album Arche has easily taken my best of 2014 spot, absolutely killer album and maybe the best the band has done. I think you could find a lot to like about it Rai, I know metal isn't your primary genre but the album (and band in general) is very experimental and includes many mellower moments to balance out the more pummeling tracks. 

 

I'll leave it here in case anyone wants to check it out, it's a full album playlist. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXUFGFNcQj_2kmICkt7oVifPel2bJRyY

 

Runner-ups this year are (in no particular order):
 

††† (Crosses) - self-titled

Full of Hell - Full of Hell and Merzbow

Boris - Noise

At the Gates - At War with Reality

Anberlin - Lowborn

 

Oh yea, and that new Deafheaven track rips. 

[Lunar Origins]

Trouble in Paradise, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, and 1989 are all fantastic albums.  This year has been amazing for the music industry and I really hope the trend continues.

[CinnamonStar]

I agree that 2014 was kinda underwhelming music-wise.

Some tracks I enjoyed, but albums...eh?

 

Though from the ones that come up off the top of my head, I'd say

• 2NE1 - Crush
• Kollegah - King
• Iggy Azalea - The New Classic

't was a good year for German Hiphop imo, but I could go on about releases that disppointed me. lol

Also in K-Pop land 2014 seems to have been the year of nugu groups debuting everywhere instead of companies focussing on kinda-established ones as well as ridiculous names. Well mostly debut groups with ridiculous names.:3

 

2015 is supposed to be da bomb though so I'll be waiting.

[Elijah~]

This was taken from a more Hip Hop/ R&B perspective, since I prefer that type of genre over others. My top albums/tracks of the year are:
* Often- The Weeknd
* Tuesday- ILOVEMAKKONEN featuring Drake
* Sanctified- Rick Ross featuring Kanye West and Big Sean
* Don't Tell Em- Jeremih featuring YG
* No Type- Rae Sremmurd
* IDWYU( I Don't Fuck With You)- Big Sean
* Bed of Lies- Nicki Minaj featuring Skylar Grey
* No Love- August Alsina featuring Nicki Minaj
* 0 to 100/ The Catch Up- Drake

[Cool Girl]

Here are my favorite songs this year in alphabetical order!

 

*Baby Don't Lie - Gwen Stefani

*Blame - Calvin Harris ft. John Newman

*Break Free - Ariana Grande ft. Zedd

*Chandelier - Sia

*Dangerous - David Guetta ft. Sam Martin

*I See You - Luke Bryan

*Maps - Maroon 5

*Me and My Broken Heart - Rixton

*My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face - Craig Wayne Boyd

*Neon Light - Blake Shelton

*Roller Coaster - Luke Bryan

*Summer - Calvin Harris

*Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (absolute favorite!)

 

Here are some annoying songs that I sort of hate, but are stuck in my head:

 

*All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor

*Ananconda - Nicki Minaj

*Booty - Jennifer Lopez ft. Iggy Azalea

*Spark The Fire - Gwen Stefani (its not an annoying song that I hate, its just really catchy)

*22/7 - Beyonce

 

FYI, the genres that I really like are EDM, Trance (Cascade, Avicii, Calvin Harris are my favorites), little bit of pop (Maroon 5: sort of my favorite band), and country (Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan are my favorites).

[Zauls]

My favourite 2014 albums:

 

Opeth - Pale Communion

Epica - The Quantum Enigma

Animals As Leaders - The Joy of Motion

Dragonforce - Maximum Overload

Mastodon - Once More Round The Sun

Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

Stephan Forte - Enigma Opera Black

Devin Townsend Project - Z^2

 

The last couple of years have been really good for Prog. 4 of Ultimate Guitar's top 10 albums of 2014 were prog and they are all in my list too.

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

Ghostface Killah - 36 Seasons