CRM114

I love these threads because I end up completely changing my list over the next few months. OK, here's a shot at my Top 10 list with my next ten in no order:

1. Tweedy - Sukierae
2. White Fence - For the Recently Found Innocent
3. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
4. St. Vincent - s/t
5. Ty Segall - Manipulator
6. The War on Drugs - Lost In A Dream
7. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - Midnight Sun
8. Foxygen - ...and Star Power
9. Lake Street Dive - Bad Self Portraits
10. Ray LaMontagne - Supernova

Ariel Pink - Pom Pom
Robyn Hitchcock - The Man Upstairs
Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
Tori Amos - Unrepentant Geraldines
Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
Future Islands - Singles
Freeman - s/t
J Mascis - Tied to a Star
Lloyd Cole - Standards
Electric Wurms - Musik, Die Schwer zu Twerk

AND

Wilco - Alpha Mike Foxtrot but I'm not sure where it fits since its a compilation.

Phodg

In no order :

Overkill
Morbus Chron
Massacre
Prong
IQ
Exodus
The Haunted
At The Gates
Vallenfyre
Horrendous

Also a shout out to Opeth, Bloodbath, Cavalera Conspiracy, Entombed AD, Goatwhore, Accept and Pink Floyd.

But that whole list could change depending on my mood.

Osiris3657

Beck-Morning Phase
Sir Sly-You Haunt Me
Spoon-They Want My Soul

I'm sure there's others, but I'm behind on music.

maxfisher

Here are mine for the year, as of today:
1. Strand of Oaks - Heal
2. Future Islands - Singles
3. Ok Go - Hungry Ghosts
4. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Only Run
5. Tokyo Police Club - Forcefield
6. Spoon - They Want My Soul
7. Owl John - Owl John
8. TV on the Radio - Seeds
9. Kevin Drew - Darlings
10. Sage Francis - Copper Gone

My full ranked list of all the 2014 releases I've picked up is in the annual rank 'em as you hear 'em thread.

Rocketdog2000

In no specific order (just yet)...

Beck - Morning Phase
Spoon - They Want My Soul
Sloan - Commonwealth
Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
Johnny Marr - Playland
Big Wreck - Ghosts
The Both - The Both
Band Of Skulls - Himalayan
We Are Scientists - TV En Francis
Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt

cdollaz

Best this year:
Stephen Malkmus - Wig Out At Jagbags
Thurston Moore - The Best Day
Bob Mould - Beauty And Ruin
Melvins - Hold It In

Decent:
Mogwai - Rave Tapes
Pixies - Indie Cindy
U2 - Songs Of Innocence
Jack White - Lazaretto
Swans - To Be Kind
Morrissey - World Peace Is None Of Your Business
Foo Fighters - Sonic Highway
Billy Idol - Kings & Queens Of The Underground
Julian Casablancas - Tyranny
Live - The Turn (surprisingly)
Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil - Goliath

Underwhelming:
Beck - Morning Phase
Simple Minds - Big Music
Black Keys - Turn Blue
Interpol - El Pintor
Judas Priest - Redeemer Of Souls

Complete Shit:
Yes - Heaven And Earth

CRM114

I forgot about Jack White. Damn.

I love Ryan Adams but think that new album is his worst in a LONG time. It shoulds like John Mellencamp. Ashes & Fire was SO much better.

Rocketdog2000

And there we completely disagree. I know you love the Americana stuff, but I found Ashes & Fire to be one of his most boring ever efforts. I tried, for several months and then years, to get into that album and never could. This one is far more to my personal liking, and probably my favorite record from him since 29. According to Adams, with this album, it was the first in quite some time where he felt like he made an album that was more himself, rather than trying to fit into someone else's mold of what they thought he should sound like. I'll take the sound of this Ryan Adams over AAF any day of the week.

auto

Agree completely with all of this.

wendersfan

This album was released nearly two years ago.

riotinmyskull

1. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
2. Nothing - Guilty of Everything
3. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
4. Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers
5. Fucked Up - Glass Boys
6. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
7. The Menzingers - Rented World
8. Mac Demarco - Salad Days
9. OFF! - Wasted Years
10. Drive-By Truckers - English Oceans

islandclaws

No order, other than first position:

YOB - Clearing the Path to Ascend
Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestite
Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun
Various Artists - Ronnie James Dio: This is Your Life
Crosses - s/t
Mika Levi - Under the Skin score
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Mandatory Fun
The Laze - The Phantom of the Opera (1925 re-score)
Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
The Guest (2014) soundtrack

Honorable mentions:

Opeth - Pale Communion
Exodus - Blood In Blood Out
The Flight of Sleipnir - V.
Godflesh - World Lit Only By Fire
Electric Wizard - Time to Die
Overkill - White Devil Armory
Hans Zimmer - Interstellar score
The Wounded Kings - Consolamentum

auto

Spoon
Sturgill Simpson
TV on the Radio
Sun Kil Moon
War on Drugs
Beck
New Pornographers
St. Vincent
Lana Del Rey
Run the Jewels

Rocketdog2000

Yeah, I was in a hurry. I meant Playland. Corrected now.

Oliver Clothesoff

Afghan Whigs - Do to the Beast
New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
Marissa Nadler - July
Warpaint - Warpaint
J Mascis - Tied to a Star
Lydia Loveless - Something Else
Grouper - Ruins
Micah P Hinson and the Nothing
Spoon - They Want My Soul
Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright in the End (much to my own surprise)

skatefan20

Of the 2014 releases I have, I kept coming back to 1. Miranda Lambert - Platinum.
My fave Miranda album yet. VEVO/Youtube still has the entire thing up.

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CRM114

Meh, I find the new album lacks the songwriting that made him great. Don't get me wrong, it's still good its just not great. His last great rock and roll album was Cold Roses and this doesn't come close. Dirty Rain and Lucky Now from Ashes and Fire are such great songs. Thats what happens when it's Ryan and an acoustic guitar.

bunkaroo

Not sure if I can make 10, but here are some of my favorites:

Opeth - Pale Communion
Blackfield -IV
Anathema - Distant Satellites
Braindance - Master of Disguise
Within Temptation - Hydra
Insomnium - Shadows of the Dying Sun
Novembers Doom - Bled White

joeblow69

It was a relatively bad year for me, I'm having a hard time thinking of albums I actually liked, much less loved.

At the Gates - for the life of me I can't figure out the praise here. Not a memorable riff on the whole album
Machine Head - ugh, I loved the first song, but that's about it
Anathema - too much cheese, not enough macaroni
Agalloch - puts me to sleep
Insomnium - no different from the last 4 albums
Opeth - I can't even listen to that shit anymore
Carcass - there are parts of songs I like, but that's about it

There's only 3 on my LIKE list:
Pallbearer
Electric Wizard
Septicflesh

slop101

Yeah, I agree with you here (though I think his new album sounds more like a bad imitation of Tom Petty circa early '80s), strongly disagreeing with the other posters above that like his new album, and think A&F was way better. There's a reason why his first solo album, Heartbreaker, is considered his best, as that's just what he does best. Whenever he goes into a more "rock & roll" vein, his stuff turns out really innocuous and just plain boring; he loses any sort of unique distinction he had in his more traditional folk/alt-country records. Saw him last month, and easily the most boring segments were when he played stuff from the new album, everything else was great.

Anyways, Here's MY top 5 of the year:


5.) Sturgill Simpson - "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music"




4.) Ty Segall - "Manipulator"




3.) White Denim - "Corsicana Lemonade"




2.) Jimi Goodwin - "Odludek"




1.) Manic Street Preachers - "Futurology"



I love how a band that's been around for almost 25 years, has just put out one of the most musically relevant and exciting releases of the year - long live MSP!

Coral

Barely listened to new stuff 2014... so my very limited picks (in no particular order):

The Both - s/t
Lucinda Williams - Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone
Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy

CRM114

Shit, I forgot about the White Denim album. Didn't show up on my iTunes playlist for 2014. Definitely should be in my top 20.

slop101, I'm glad you wrote what you did because I was beginning to think I was nuts hearing this universal praise for Ryan Adams' new album while bashing Ashes and Fire. (I thought Easy Tiger was a good album too, better than this new one.)

EddieMoney

slop101, is that Jimi Goodwin the same guy from Doves?

slop101

Yes, lead singer of Doves, and his new solo album is as good as anything from Doves, though far more eclectic.

This might be my favorite song of the year:

kstublen

My top five albums of 2014:

01. Ray LaMontagne - Supernova
02. Taylor Swift - 1989
03. Ingrid Michaelson - Lights Out
04. Lykke Li - I Never Learn
05. Nickel Creek - A Dotted Line

Honorable Mention: Karen O - Crush Songs

Also Enjoyed: The Both; The Black Keys; St. Vincent; Lana Del Rey; and BANKS.

Not sure if this counts or not, but easily one of the best releases of 2014:

Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Volume 11 - The Basement Tapes: Complete