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2014 Albums of the Year

Al_4_State

Al_4_State

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I'm going to attempt to rank these.

1. Old 97's "Most Messed Up". This is a nearly perfect rock and roll record from top to bottom. Numerous odes to sex, drugs, and rock and roll/life on the road. Suggested tracks:
Longer Than You've Been Alive
Let's Get Drunk & Get it On

2. Lydia Loveless "Somewhere Else". She has to be one of the best kept secrets in the world of twangy rock and roll. Spitfire girl power meets up with some classic rock sensibilities and the occasional country nod.
Really Wanna See You Again
Wine Lips

Not on "Somewhere Else", the 2014 split single "Mile High"/"Blind" is worth your while. The latter is a Ke$ha cover, and it's amazing.
Mile High
Blind

3. Chuck Prophet "Night Surfer". Chuck Prophet keeps on making the best classic sounding rock and roll/power pop that no one's heard.
They Don't Know About Me & You

4. Drive-By Truckers "English Oceans". A lean rock and roll record with lots of searing guitar licks, stomping Stonesy rockers, and some mellower tracks that remind me of Paul Westerberg's more introspective side. The Truckers keep on trucking with their most concise, and consequently best album in 8 years.
**** Shots Count
Grand Canyon

5. The Hold Steady "Teeth Dreams". A big rebound from the underwhelming "Heaven is Whenever". America's best bar band gets back to giant riffs and tales of Midwestern party kids and their dead ends.
Wait Awhile
Runner's High

6. Sturgill Simpson "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music". The second coming of Waylon spins his brilliant classic country via psychedelic rock sounds into one of the year's most hyped albums.
Turtles All the Way Down
Life of Sin

7. Wussy "Attica!". A brilliant blend of dreamy power pop with classic rock riffage. Catchy as all get out. Plus, Lisa Walker's a babe.
Teenage Wasteland
Attica!
Halloween

8. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires "Dereconstructed". ***-shaking, scorching Southern rock with deep lyrical territory that takes on race relations, the socio-economic status of the modern South, and coming to terms with one's home.
The Company Man
Weeds Downtown

9. Natural Child "Dancin With Wolves". Natural Child takes their scorching 70's style Sex Drugs & Rock Roll assault, slows it down a little, and sears the groove up with some pedal steel and organs. I just discovered these guys this year, and was blown away by their entire catalog.
Saturday Night Blues
Out in the Country

10. Zoe Muth "World of Strangers". West Coast classic country music at it's finest. Ms. Muth takes her sprawling, dusty sound and cranks out some brilliant songs.
Too Shiny
Somebody I Know


What was everyone else digging this year? There were about 10-15 other albums (Jack White, Hiss Golden Messenger, Foo Fighters, Hard Working Americans just to name a few) that I really dug this year. I thought 2014 has been a great, great year for music.
 
Seems like this thread garnered much better discussion in the past and wasn't as laden with "you don't listen to what I do, so you must be trying to one up me" garbage.
 
I haven't listened to as many full albums as I usually do this year, but some on my list:

Life as a Dog - K.Flay
Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso
This is All Yours - Alt-J
Varsity (EP) - ASTR
Run the Jewels 2 - Run the Jewels
 
Some will make fun of me for some choices but I don't care. I have some popular stuff on here (though most of my favorite songs from those albums aren't on the radio). I think that right now, if you get past Aldean and Bryan and get to guys like Farr and Brice, you find, at the very least, more meaningful music. I do have some stuff that's a little lesser known.


Lee Brice - I Don't Dance - Yeah, you've heard a few of the songs on the radio but this is one where the best ones aren't those. Sirens goes back to that 90s type of country and Brice goes back to that sort of strong vocal stuff he had when he first surfaced.

Tyler Farr - Redneck Crazy - It's probably a little pop countryish, but the guy is incredibly talented.

Eric Church - The Outsiders - The album title pretty much explains Church. He's raw, doesn't have an incredible voice, but feels like a real dud with a guitar and some words. Pretty much any Church album would land on this list. Unlike Gilbert, Church doesn't maquarade as a country outlaw.

DBT- Al already mentioned it.

Scott H Biram - Nothin But Blood - I don't know the technical music terms but I ran across something of his on youtube once, bought his album and listen to it a lot. Kind of replaced some Bingham and WEW listening time.

That's all I've got.
 
I really don't understand why some people have to be rude. If you don't care, then stay out of the thread.
 
"Clearing the Path to Ascend" by YOB
"At War With Reality" by At the Gates
"The Killing Gods" by Misery Index
"Blood In, Blood Out" by Exodus
"Titan" by Septic Flesh
"A World Lit Only by Fire" by Godflesh
"Time to Die" by Electric Wizard
"Esoteric Warfare" by Mayhem

and #1 is "The Satanist" by Behemoth

Vader and Triptykon also released albums this year, but I have not heard either yet.
 
Gotta be honest...never heard of any of those bands. My fav album this year was/is Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators "World on Fire"
 
AdamJGray said:
I really don't understand why some people have to be rude. If you don't care, then stay out of the thread.
Click to expand...

Thats just it- people dont care- so they just troll the thread. Pretty sure thats what message boards were meant for. Lots of random people, that mostly do not know each other, that can hide behind a computer screen and flat out troll other people on topics they dont care about......

Now, to get back on topic.....
To the OP- is this just your personal Album of the Year or to be a who would win a Grammys type Album of the Year? Personally I have never heard of any of those albums that you talked about so I looked up the Rolling Stone Top 50 albums of 2014 and the only one that you have on your list is the Sturgill Simpson album which checks in at #18. But hey, if you are happy with your list, by all means, rock on!
 
cyinne said:
Thats just it- people dont care- so they just troll the thread. Pretty sure thats what message boards were meant for. Lots of random people, that mostly do not know each other, that can hide behind a computer screen and flat out troll other people on topics they dont care about......

Now, to get back on topic.....
To the OP- is this just your personal Album of the Year or to be a who would win a Grammys type Album of the Year? Personally I have never heard of any of those albums that you talked about so I looked up the Rolling Stone Top 50 albums of 2014 and the only one that you have on your list is the Sturgill Simpson album which checks in at #18. But hey, if you are happy with your list, by all means, rock on!
Click to expand...

Its my personal favorites. I don't think any outside of Simpson would appear on a Grammy type list.

Sites like Slate and No Depression would be more in tune with my tastes, which are in a real particular wheelhouse. Which is why I start threads like this - I just want to learn a little more about the spectrum of music out there right now.
 
Tre4ISU said:
Some will make fun of me for some choices but I don't care. I have some popular stuff on here (though most of my favorite songs from those albums aren't on the radio). I think that right now, if you get past Aldean and Bryan and get to guys like Farr and Brice, you find, at the very least, more meaningful music. I do have some stuff that's a little lesser known.


Lee Brice - I Don't Dance - Yeah, you've heard a few of the songs on the radio but this is one where the best ones aren't those. Sirens goes back to that 90s type of country and Brice goes back to that sort of strong vocal stuff he had when he first surfaced.

Tyler Farr - Redneck Crazy - It's probably a little pop countryish, but the guy is incredibly talented.

Eric Church - The Outsiders - The album title pretty much explains Church. He's raw, doesn't have an incredible voice, but feels like a real dud with a guitar and some words. Pretty much any Church album would land on this list. Unlike Gilbert, Church doesn't maquarade as a country outlaw.

DBT- Al already mentioned it.

Scott H Biram - Nothin But Blood - I don't know the technical music terms but I ran across something of his on youtube once, bought his album and listen to it a lot. Kind of replaced some Bingham and WEW listening time.

That's all I've got.
Click to expand...

I've never come across an Eric Church song that grabbed me, and I felt he pushes the Outlaw thing a little too hard, but "The Outsiders" keeps getting really good reviews, and not just from the type of places that like country a lot. It'd probably be worth my time to listen closer.
 
Off the top of my head I'd have to say (in no particular order):

Leonard Cohen - Popular Problems
alt-j - This Is All Yours
John Mellencamp - Plain Spoken (after a string of not so great albums, his last three have all been fantastic)
Eels - The Cautionary Tales Of Mark Oliver Everett
Horse Thief - Fear In Bliss
Vance Joy - Dream Your Life Away

And while its technically not a new studio album, I have been loving the Band of Horses live album, Acoustic at the Ryman.
 
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