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Your Top 10 Albums of 2014


StewartyMac

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​1. Temples - Sun Structures

2. The Family Rain - Under the Volcano

3. Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow

4. Beck - Morning Phase

5. September Girls - Cursing the Sea

6. The Rifles - None the Wiser

7.

8.

9.

10.

Added The Family Rain, Bombay Bicycle Club and Beck.

Really like The Family Rain's album, though it tails off a bit towards the end. I enjoyed Bombay Bicycle Club's as well, though it's not quite as good as their last album.

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Despite the terrible title, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks latest goes steaming in at the top of the charts for me.

I've moved the other three albums - Mogwai, Springsteen and the Dum Dum Girls down to 8, 9 and 10 to save me time, because they're all a bit rubbish really.

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The only new albums I've heard so far this year are Actress' "Ghettoville" which is pretty dark and sludgy by his standards, and Pye Corner Audio's "Black Mill Tapes Vol. 4" which is quite similar to the first 3 volumes in style and therefore most enjoyable.

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Just like 2013 I haven't really been bothered to listen to anything new.

If I listen to 10 new albums this year it'll be a miracle.

1. Phantogram - Voices

2. Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes

3. Rick Ross - Mastermind

4. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

5. Gus G - I am the Fire

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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Think I'm going to make more of an effort to listen to new music this year considering last years list only had about 6 albums on it I think. Only one album I've heard so far that I'd consider for a top 10 list though.

1. The Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt

2. Fucked Up - Glass Boys

3. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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1. The Sound of Rescue - Forms

2. Silver Mt Zion - F**k Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything

3. Alcest - Shelter

4. Have A Nice Life - The Unnatural World

5. Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Piano Nights

6. Junius - Days of the Fallen Sun

7. Mogwai - Rave Tapes

8.

9.

10.

Forms is a really, really good album. Totally unexpected. Rave Tapes will easily fall out of the list.

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New fabulous release from alt country rocker Lydia Loveless goes straight in at number two. It's a cracker.

Listening to this right now, it is absolutely fantastic. 'Chris Isaak' is a belter of a track.

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Can finally join in as I have 2 albums to put on the list ...

1 Snowbird - Moon

2 Beck - Morning Phase

Got a few more new ones to listen to but the above are taking up most of my listening time at the moment.

This is the first Beck album I have listened to since 1996's Odelay which makes me think I have been missing out somewhat. Brilliantly mid-tempo most of the way through and great as it sounds now I think this could be a grower.

Snowbird are Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) and an American female singer called Stephanie Dosen. If you are thinking this could be the Cocteau's mark2 then you could be right BUT this is absolutely gorgeous. I always remember hearing John Peel playing certain Cocteau's songs for the first time and getting a feeling in my belly that no other band gave me. Listening to the 4th track on this album (for the first time) tonight gave me that exact same feeling. The song is called 'Where Foxes Hide'. Listen to it and you will see what I mean. Bit of a bold statement but this could possibly be my album of the year even this early on.

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Would just like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Phantogram - Voices. Didn't think I would but it all just seems to fall neatly into place. A cracking listen.

As for Rick Ross - Mastermind... The beats and production are top notch on this. Was a little disappointed with the lyrics, probably not as strong as a few of his other albums. Overall though it's still another decent one from Rozay. Teflon Don is still my favourite album though by quite a bit.

I've heard 3 or 4 of the songs from the new Lydia Loveless album, pleased with what I've heard so far. She'll be updated into my list once I've had the chance to listen to the album in full.

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Listened to a fair bit of Burn Your Fire For No Witness by Angel Olsen today. Really loving it and sure to be in my top 10 when I have heard it all the way through.

Listened to Angel Guts : Red Classroom by Xiu Xiu on the basis that they were likened to Suicide in one review I read. Have to say that this wasn't an easy listen at all. At times it seemed very self indulgent and many times I was just about to turn it off when something interesting would happen. Somehow I managed to see it through to the end but it's doubtful I will listen to again (at least not the full album in one sitting).

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​1. Temples - Sun Structures

2. Elbow - The Take Off and Landing of Everything

3. Wild Beasts - Present Tense

4. Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow

5. The Family Rain - Under the Volcano

6. Beck - Morning Phase

7. September Girls - Cursing the Sea

8. The Rifles - None the Wiser

9.

10.

New albums from Elbow and Wild Beasts in at 2 and 3 respectively.

Really like the Elbow album, big improvement on their last album which I thought was quite poor with the exception of 3 or 4 songs. The Wild Beasts album is the first of theirs that I've listened to, only ever hear a couple of their songs before, but I was quite impressed with it, thought it was fairly consistent throughout.

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Wee update:

2014

1 Snowbird - Moon

2 Beck - Morning Phase

3 Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness

4 Augustines - Augustines

5 Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

6 Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts : Red Classroom

Numbers 4-6 are really just filling gaps at the moment and don't have much chance of being in my top 10 come the 31st of December.

Lot of people championing the Lydia Loveless album but it's just not doing it for me. Will probably give it another listen and maybe something will click but previous plays just haven't done much for me. Not bad but was hoping for much more.

Augustines is pretty straightforward rock in the vein of the Lumineers/Killers. Quite surprised more people aren't bigging this one up to be honest. Bit too mainstream for my tastes but again not bad.

Xiu Xiu still haven't been played again and I can see them slipping down a place after every new album I play until they slip out of the top 10 and into oblivion.

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Listening to Electric Balloon by Ava Luna this morning.

First couple of tracks in and it could be hitting the number 1 or 2 spot on my list with it's updated post-punk feel but then it changes direction to such an extent that one of the songs sounds like Emeli Sande guesting with some obscure electronic band. Spot the influence of The Fall, Ganfg of Four, Beefheart, The Slits, Talking Heads and even Prince along the way. Very interesting but possibly lacking direction or consistency to be truly great.

* Very possibly this is going to take a few more listens for a better understanding as I'm starting to hear a lot more on this the 3rd play. It goes in at number 4 for now.

2014

1 Snowbird - Moon

2 Beck - Morning Phase

3 Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness

4 Ava Luna - Electric Balloon

5 Augustines - Augustines

6 Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

7 Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts : Red Classroom

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2014

1 Snowbird - Moon

2 Beck - Morning Phase

3 Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness

4 Ava Luna - Electric Balloon

5 Augustines - Augustines

6 Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

7 Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts : Red Classroom

8 Skaters - Manhattan

Manhattan by Skaters gets number 8 spot, only because I haven't listened to any more albums.

Straightforward U.S. indie-rock with some badly played reggae and hardcore thrown in the mix for a bit of diversity.

Not terrible but you've heard it all before in a tribute Strokes tribute band.

Got 7/10 in NME which sadly these days, says it all.

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Here we go again then.

Same as before, keep updating yer ten best of the year, and as an optional extra, you can add in your best 10 from other years that you've listened to for the first time. I shall endeavour to update this myself more frequently...

Top 10 of 2014

1. Somewhere Else - Lydia Loveless

2. Drowners - Drowners

3. Let's Go Extinct - Fanfarlo

4. Too True - Dum Dum Girls

5. None the Wiser - The Rifles

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Unless it's a disaster (unlikely) the new Dum Dum Girls album should be the first at the top of the pile this year, time will tell.

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Some albums I have listened to recently for the first time but which were released in previous years ...

01 Camera Obscura - Desire Lines

02 Sixto Rodriguez - Searching For Sugar Man (OST)

03 Tom Waits - Beautiful Maladies : The Island Years

04 This Many Boyfriends - This Many Boyfriends

05 The Original Ultraviolets - The Original Ultraviolets

06 East India Youth - Total Strife Forever

07

08

09

10

2014

1 Snowbird - Moon

2 Beck - Morning Phase

3 Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness

4 Ava Luna - Electric Balloon

5 The Men - Tomorrow's Hits

6 Augustines - Augustines

7 Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

8 Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts : Red Classroom

9 Skaters - Manhattan

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Can finally join in as I have 2 albums to put on the list ...

1 Snowbird - Moon

2 Beck - Morning Phase

Snowbird are Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) and an American female singer called Stephanie Dosen. If you are thinking this could be the Cocteau's mark2 then you could be right BUT this is absolutely gorgeous. I always remember hearing John Peel playing certain Cocteau's songs for the first time and getting a feeling in my belly that no other band gave me. Listening to the 4th track on this album (for the first time) tonight gave me that exact same feeling. The song is called 'Where Foxes Hide'. Listen to it and you will see what I mean. Bit of a bold statement but this could possibly be my album of the year even this early on.

It really is quite lovely. The first track is just insufferably dull, but from track two onwards it's gorgeous. Obvious to say Cocteau Twins, but it's a more accessible record than anything they ever put out. Pearly Dewdrops Freeze During Winter.

I hear some of Tori Amos's better stuff, a touch of Nick Drake, and, oddly, Abba's prettier turns. It's a slightly drunken headphones type record.

Edit: on second listen there's a lot of heavily distorted pedal steel guitar buried in there which is easy to miss.

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