Top 10 Albums of 2014

2014  was a good year in music, not as great as 2013 but there were albums to keep an eye  (or ear) on. Not all the bands listed here immediately catched my attention, that's why I'll try to be more critical and update the Reality on those albums. Enjoy!

Check out our Top 20 Songs of the year!

10) Behemoth - The Satanist
Release Date: February 4, 2014
Genre: Death Metal
Reality: 8.5/10
New Reality: 8.3/10

The Satanist is a glorious comeback after 5 years since Evangelion. Everything surrounding this record, especially Nergal's disease/recovery, just makes the music even more powerful.  "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" is the metal song of the year.

9) FKA Twigs - LP1
Release Date: August 6, 2014
Genre: Trip Hop/Electronic
Reality: 7/10
New Reality: 8.5/10

This is one of the CDs that took me some serious time to get into. At first it sounded kind of repetitive, even though she has a beautiful ethereal voice (can a voice be ethereal?).With several listen I began to notice and admire the many layers of sounds. Listening to this record is like being in a relaxing dream for 56 minutes.

8) Angel Du$t - A.D.
Release Date: June 10, 2014
Genre: Hardcore Punk
Reality: 8.5/10
New Reality: 8.5/10

I didn't know if it would be fair to put in the Top 10 a CD with a total running time less than 15 minutes. I mean, it's much easier to make 15 minutes of good music than 1 hour of it. However, Angel Du$t made 15 minutes of pure fun, fury and anger in 12 tracks and for that they deserve the 8th position.

7) St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Release Date: February  21, 2014
Genre: Indie Rock/Indie Electronic
Reality: 8/10
New Reality: 8.7/10

St. Vincent is the face of modern music (a beautiful face by the way). Everything comes together in this album: pop-oriented music,indie rock, electronic and guitar riffs/solos. When I listened for the first time to St. Vincent, many artists came to mind  from Lady Gaga to Pantera (Annie Clark admitted there's a little tribute to Cowboys from Hell) but still, there is a strong sense of identity.

6) Ryan Adams  - Ryan Adams
Release Date: September  9, 2014
Genre: Alternative Rock/Alt-Country
Reality: 8/10
New Reality: 8.7/10

Ryan Adams did it again. It's hard to find someone who writes music so personal like him. If FKA Twigs was the dream, Ryan Adams is the nightmare with his lyrics and melody. "My Wrecking Ball" is so haunting, "Tired of Giving Up" is so honest and so it goes the rest of the songs. This CD ripped me apart mercilessly.

5) The Both  - The Both
Release Date: April  15, 2014
Genre: Indie Rock/Pop Rock
Reality: 8.5/10
New Reality: 8.9/10

I've never listened to Aimee Mann and Ted Leo never got me excited. Who would have thought that together they would make such a pleasant album? Usually to overcome the depression caused by Ryan Adams, I would listen to The Both and it never failed. This CD is packed with great melodies, the exchange of vocal duties between them is perfect, Ted Leo's solos are always well placed, this is such an easy listening album. To finish, Milwaukee's clip is one of the best of 2014.

4) Bob Mould  - Beauty and Ruin
Release Date: June  3, 2014
Genre: Noise Rock/Pop Punk
Reality: 8/10
New Reality: 9.1/10

Why Bob Mould keep releasing amazing albums it's beyond my understanding. The man was in Hüsker Dü and Sugar, made genre-defining music but is still able to get a guitar and write memorable songs. In Beauty and Ruin, I think he just wanted to show off his ability to write any kind of music, there are Sugar-esque pop punk like "I Don't Know You Anymore", there are Hüsker Dü hardcore songs like "Hey Mr. Grey". To clarify the album is not just a celebration of the past, Bob delivers songs with his solo career's trademark like "Nemeses are Laughing" and "Let the Beauty Be". At the end of the day, "The War" is the central piece of the album, if Mr. Mould had released a CD with this song and the rest of the record just fart noises I would still place it in the Top 10.

3) Fallujah  - The Flesh Prevails
Release Date: July  22, 2014
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Reality: 8.5/10
New Reality: 9.3/10

Last year Deafheaven's Sunbather was received as THE metal album, THE future of metal, THE innovative one etc. Even though I like that record, I didn't get all that comotion. If there's an album that deserves all these credits, it's The Flesh Prevails. Fallujah plays such an intense music, death growls, blast beats, technical guitar works, it all hits the ears like a wall of sounds. In the mist of it all the sound, there is space for (lots of) dreamy guitar solos, shoegaze interlude (see Alone With You), melancholy, agressiveness, all together. The gorgeous album cover is the perfect picture for what you hear.  This is one of those records that you feel that something different is going on.

2) Run the Jewels  - RTJ 2
Release Date: October  28, 2014
Genre: Rap
Reality: 8.5/10
New Reality: 9.3/10

I guess RTJ 2 was the most obvious choice for not only this list but any list of Top Albums of 2014  and I say that with no disrespect, on the contrary, I say that because it's a monstrous record. EL-P and Killer Mike made one of the finest rap record in the 21th century. In less than 40 minutes, RTJ 2 is done, but it feels like 2 minutes given the urgency of the music and the way the tracks are connected. Their first record was good but I guess nobody saw that coming.

1) Against Me!  -Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Release Date: January  21, 2014
Genre: Punk Rock
Reality: 9.5/10
New Reality: 9.5/10

I mean who did something more visceral, authentic and fearless than Laura Jane Grace in 2014? I can't imagine how much this album means to her. Actually I can, just by reading the lyrics of the title track, "True Trans Soul Rebel" and "Black Me Out" and listening to her powerful vocal performance. This CD is punk rock as it's supposed to be.