Now that we’ve brought our best songs of 2014 countdown to an end, it’s time to get to the albums. And what an incredible year it’s been for the album – this was definitely the harder of the two lists to put together. Both at home and across the globe, 2014 was an amazing year for the record. And this list will prove why… We start our list in New Orleans:
Larry Heath: This album came out of nowhere and quickly became a favourite of the year, evoking similar joy to the Alabama Shakes‘ 2012 record Boys and Girls. There are a lot of the same influences here, and like Brittany Howard before him, Benjamin has one hell of a powerful voice. An absolute joy from start to finish. Can’t wait to see him at Laneway!
Bree Cohen: “…conclusively proves that Megan Washington has mastered emotion filled writing and left the light hearted pop tunes alone for a while… there are some stunning gems to be found within this album…”
Daniella: No one can tell stories the way that Ed Sheeran can. X is yet another top notch album by the man.
Lauren Connelly: An instant Australian classic. The Peep Tempel deliver a kind of grit in Aussie rock that we haven’t seen in some time. Watch them rip our faces off in 2015.
Meredith McLean: “..there is the same chaos and madness in The Grates’ sound, but there seems to be a new pulse in their tune too…”
Kimberley Salmond: “Interpol have gone back to their super sleek sound, with no room for error. In its entirety, this record is pacey and its confident. Interpol will unlikely create another album as strong as their debut Turn On The Bright Lights, but this record will have to do as the next best thing. It’s got the guts, the gloom and the intricate layers of their earlier records and it’s about time they return to their original sound that brought them so much success. That isn’t to say they ever lost form, but this record is Interpol going back their roots and doing what they do best.”
Sosefina Fuamoli: “It goes without saying that The Delta Riggs are fast becoming one of the country’s favourite touring acts and, with a release like Dipz Zebazios, they’ve shown they can bring it just as hard when they’re hitting it in the studio as well.”
Larry Heath: Are We There was without question not just one of the finest records of the year, but Sharon’s finest work to date. It’s self-produced, it’s personal and it’s simply stunning.
Nicholas Langley: Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes came from nowhere, without any buzz or media frenzy, and is arguably Thom Yorke’s most sonically adventurous work to date in either group or solo mode. It’s alienating, yet somehow still quite intimate and warming. It places the listener in an emotional limbo, captivated by the sparseness of textures and wafting, ethereal vocal melodies. The album isn’t going to be remembered as a masterpiece, not when compared to other albums associated with Yorke and Co., but it should be applauded for a daring exploration of electronic music.
Michael Lean: Pull up a stool and let Mark Kozelek tell you his story. Benji plays like the great american storybook. Kozelek weaves stories about his mother, a friend of his fathers who is under house arrest for the mercy killing of his wife, the first time he watched The Song Remains The Same and going to see Postal Service play. He loads the songs with so much honesty and energy that they are at times confronting, but never boring.
Stay Tuned for the Top 30…
