As with my list of best songs, it was very difficult to determine which twenty-five albums would make up this year's list. These are all records that had an impact on me in 2014, not only from current favourite artists but from new discoveries as well, and each deserves its spot here. Enjoy!
Honourable
Mentions
Anjani –
I Came to Love
Charli XCX – Sucker
Charli XCX – Sucker
Jessie Ware – Tough Love
John Southworth – Niagara
John Southworth – Niagara
Mariah Carey – Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse
Sharon van Etten – Are We There
The Both
– The Both
Yann Tiersen – Infinity
25.
Future Islands – Singles
Singles
doesn’t quite have the same immediacy and kinetic energy
as the band’s now-legendary performance on Letterman,
but the sweep and enthusiasm of the songs on this record is hard to resist.
24. Wake
Owl – The Private World of Paradise
The
Private World of Paradise manages to evoke ‘60s folk-rock without feeling
particularly derivative. A fine debut full of shimmery textures, anchored by
frontman Colyn Cameron’s earnest vocals.
23. Chad
VanGaalen – Shrink Dust
VanGaalen’s latest takes a few songs to
figure out what kind of record it wants to be, but once it does, it establishes
itself as one of the strongest, most gut-wrenching singer-songwriter releases
this year.
22. Lana
Del Rey – Ultraviolence
Trading in the beats and synths of Born to Die for a live band may be the
best creative decision Del Rey ever made. A singularly hypnotic, deeply
cinematic album, especially on “Shades of Cool” and “West Coast”.
21. Beck – Morning Phase
Morning
Phase isn’t Sea
Change 2.0, and it doesn’t need to be – it’s one of Beck’s most engrossing
records to date, with a moody, string-laden atmosphere grounded by strong songcraft.
Head below the fold for albums #20 to #16.
20. She
& Him – Classics
Yes, it’s a covers album. I don’t care. Classics benefits greatly from an
inspired selection of songs, Zooey Deschanel’s strongest vocal performances to
date, and the welcome return of M. Ward as primary vocalist alongside
Deschanel. The duo’s chemistry and back-on-forth on “Time After Time” and
“Stars Fell On Alabama” is nothing short of sublime. Deschanel is wistful on
“This Girl’s In Love With You” and Ward breathes new life into the romantic “She”.
19. FKA
twigs – LP1
Perhaps the year’s most distinctive debut, LP1 fully showcases FKA twigs’
remarkable voice, particularly on the fragile “Lights On”, delicate "Pendulum" and mesmerizing "Two Weeks".
18. Owen
Pallett – In Conflict
Owen Pallett was arguably best known this
year for a series of music theory articles in which he analyzed hits by the
likes of Katy Perry, Daft Punk and Haim. However, he deserves just as much
recognition for In Conflict, a bold,
richly-textured album that includes his most adventurous songs so far.
17.
The Wilderness of Manitoba – Between
Colours
From its grandiose, appropriately-titled
opener “Big Skies” onwards, Between
Colours grabs the listener’s attention and never lets go.
16.
Jenny Lewis – The Voyager
I’d unfortunately given up on Lewis after she released Acid Tongue, the musical equivalent of those cardboard cutouts you
put your head through at tourist attractions, but this year she released The Voyager, a record as vibrant and
vital as anything she’s ever done. “She’s Not Me” puts a new spin on ‘70s
California rock, and the title track is one of 2014’s most emotional closing
tracks.
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