Year-End Critics' Polls 2014

why? cuz of the dumb name?

geelong pride for king gizzard

Wow is it already that time??!

gentlemen are we are ready to receive some of the most important lists of this quarter? i can't wait to see how the professional buffs can basically just "tell it like it is" and knock it out of the park with some real best lists of the final quarter

this is a great opportunity to honor the buffs without which are making us hear so much new music, especially with social media making it so much faster, and streaming. we need to let them know "hey, we're listening"

but lets be honest, the real highlight of this season is what we we can't wait for, is how the pitchfork boys will basically take the list season to new heights. it doesnt get more better than this my liege - go get 'em boys

I too remember being young, when sarcasm was like a new shiny toy.

Weird Top 10. I normally like Metronomy, Little Dragon and Todd Terje but thought all those albums missed the mark.

I don't listen to the Terje as much as I thought I would, but it's fine. I tried the others once each and never went back to them. I used to actually like both of those bands too.

It's also odd to see a list from record store employees that's nearly 100% free of metal and heavy rock.

Leave Turkington alone.. let him do his thing.

Rough Trade doing their best to discourage new releases during the last two months of the year. Also, rating Someday World instead of High Life is messed up.

They should call it "best releases since November 2013."

Never heard of Temples before but I like the record on first listen. Very derivative of 60s psych but still fun to listen to.

Just based on a sampling, the Delines record sounds really nice

Albums I rate from the RT list: War On Drugs, Todd Terje (in parts), The Delines, Caribou, Goat, Avi Buffalo, Hookworms, Future Islands, Aphex Twin, Swans, FKA Twigs, Sleaford Mods, The Rails, First Aid Kit, Lone, Actress.

Top picks: War On Drugs, Hookworms, Future Islands, Swans, Sleaford Mods, The Rails.

I wish that War on Drugs album was more tightly crafted. I don't need 3-4 minutes of extra outro on everything.

Songlines list came out at the end of October(!): http://www.songlines.co.uk/world-music-news/2014/10/songlines-best-albums-of-2014-announced

Only album I know off it is The Gloaming, which seems to be the breakout Irish traditional album of the decade (and is very good).

The Gloaming's album is fantastic.

i d/l'd that Robert Plant album but never unzipped ... is it "world music" ?

Revolver, Classic Rock and Decibel lists might come out later this week.

My old codger faves this year are Bryan Ferry, Rodney Crowell and Daniel Lanois and maybe Neneh Cherry and Meshell Ndegeocello if they count as old codgers at this point.

Decibel list:

1. Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden
2. At The Gates - At War With Reality
3. Horrendous - Ecdysis
4. Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
5. Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
6. Thou - Heathen
7. YOB - Clearing the Path to Ascend
8. Vallenfyre - Splinters
9. Panopticon - Roads to the North
10. Morbus Chron - Sweven
11. Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall
12. Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds
13. Woods of Desolation - As The Stars
14. Tombs - Savage Gold
15. Krieg - Transient
16. Iron Reagan - The Tyranny of Will
17. Cult of Fire - मृत्यु का तापसी अनुध्यान
18. Gridlink - Longhenna
19. The Oath - The Oath
20. Behemoth - The Satanist
21. Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
22. Autopsy - Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves
23. Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen
24. Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution
25. Wreck & Reference - Want
26. Teitanblood - Death
27. Trap Them - Blissfucker
28. Young and in the Way - When Life Comes to Death
29. Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun
30. Eyehategod - Eyehategod
31. Cretin - Stranger
32. Midnight - No Mercy for Mayhem
33. Thantifaxath - Sacred White Noise
34. Lord Mantis - Death Mask
35. Mayhem - Esoteric Warfare
36. Cannibal Corpse - A Skeletal Domain
37. Solstafir - Otta
38. Execration - Morbid Dimensions
39. Incantation - Dirges of Elysium
40. Floor - Oblation

Amazed how low St Vincent is in that Rough Trade list. I think that'll be the big winner in magazine lists.

Funny, Decibel is dismissive of many top doom releases in reviews, but they go nuts over Pallbearer, which doesn't fit their extreme m.o. at all (though I like it, just under the Electric Wiz & Witch Mtn, which they ignored). Their list in the new Doom special issue is, as expected, completely whackadoo.

don't claim to know how the RT list is worked out but it's the aggregate of a relatively small no. of people right? so some big hitter or other getting short shrift isn't necc. that meaningful

what's noteworthy abt the Decibel doom list? semi-intrigued but no-one's uh leaked it online yet afaict

genuinely thought you were talking the Racoon Tanuki list and began to get excited

glad to see Thou that high on the Decibel list!

Sister Ray store list

1.Goat Commune

2.Mac DeMarco Salad Days

3.Soundcarriers Entropicalia

4.Moire Shelter

5.The War On Drugs Lost In A Dream

6.Caribou Our Love

7.Mogwai Rave Tapes

8.NehruvianDOOM S/T

9.Temples Sun Structures

10.Freddie Gibbs and Madlib Pinata

11.Andy Stott Faith In Strangers

12.Paul White Shaker Notes

13. Mike Dehnert Lichtbedingt

14. Ratking So It Goes

15. East India Youth Total Strife Forever

16.Ital Endgame

17.Fatima Al Qadiri Asiatisch

18.Alvvays S/T

19.Cheatahs S/T

20.Dean Blunt Black Metal

(And their best sellers)

1. Jack White Lazaretto

2. War On Drugs Lost In The Dream

3. Beck Morning Phase

4. Aphex Twin Syro

5. Warpaint Warpaint

6. Temples Sun Structures

7. Mogwai Rave Tapes

8. Sun Kil Moon Benji

9. Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey Going Back home

10. Wild Beasts Present Tense

11. Todd Terje Its Album Time

12. Swans To Be Kind

13. Black Keys Turn Blue

14. St Vincent St Vincent

15. Metronomy Love Letters

16. Horrors Luminous

17. Future Islands Singles

18. Mac De Marco Salad Days

19. Alt J This Is All Yours

20. First Aid Kit Stay Gold

Interesting that War on Drugs, Mac De Marco and Temples are the only albums where the staff overlap with their customers. It's not as if the customers are buying One Direction and Coldplay.

Wait, there's Mogwai too.

that soundcarriers album was very nice

Yeah, love Entropicalia. Haven't seen much talk about it or the band. They Lways impress me.

Yeah there's some good underdiscussed stuff on that Sister Ray list - Soundcarriers, Paul White, the Mogwai album was surprisingly decent too iirc.

from the rough trade list, id assume they dont stock anything that isnt indie rock, and if they do, they dont like them much. the sister ray list at least demonstrates that they do stock other genres, and that staff may actually even like those genes.

Rough Trade's stock is a lot broader than that list suggests.

Here's a Spotify playlist of what's available from the Decibel list (missing are Woods of Desolation, Cult of Fire, Primordial, Teitanblood, Cretin and Midnight):

http://open.spotify.com/user/glennpmcdonald/playlist/6r9SerBKJpRR9XDbTKjmS6

and the entire Woods of Desolation record is streaming here:

http://www.stereogum.com/1626052/stream-woods-of-desolation-as-the-stars-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/album-stream/

top 3 metal release of 2014 for me

i didn't listen to a ton of metal this year, barely any in fact - wow this is so dope

i DID listen to the pallbearer record, tho, and that band does not really impress me much.

That Floor album was disappointing. No room for Crowbar or Nunslaughter. I see how it is, Decibel.

Oh, I thought the Floor record was tremendous, too. Also Triptykon, Godflesh and Solstafir, and I'm still pondering Beyond Creation.

Revolver Magazine:

01 – Slipknot – “.5: The Gray Chapter“
02 – At The Gates – “At War With Reality“
03 – Of Mice & Men – “Restoring Force“
04 – Linkin Park – “The Hunting Party“
05 – Motionless In White – “Reincarnate“
06 – Behemoth – “The Satanist“
07 – Mastodon – “Once More ‘Round The Sun“
08 – Judas Priest – “Redeemer Of Souls“
09 – Machine Head – “Bloodstone & Diamonds“
10 – Every Time I Die – “From Parts Unknown“
11 – Godflesh – “A World Lit Only By Fire“
12 – The Pretty Reckless – “Going To Hell“
13 – Killer Be Killed – “Killer Be Killed“
14 – ††† (Crosses) – “†††“
15 – Black Label Society – “Catacombs Of The Black Vatican“
16 – Black Veil Brides – “Black Veil Brides“
17 – Body Count – “Manslaughter“
18 – Suicide Silence – “You Can’t Stop Me“
19 – Godsmack – “1000hp“
20 – Triptykon – “Melana Chasmata“

hahahaha wow look at that thing

..............revolver knows that like, nu-metal died, right?

i listened to that linkin park record, it's pretty all right. guess i'll check out their metalcore picks

At least Godflesh beat Godsmack.

i listened to the slipknot one, fwiw, it was alright just not my bag anymore. a fair chunk of those bands have legit never been good tho

slipknot record is way too long and corey taylor's lyrics are way too intelligibly terrible. though iowa has the same problems and it totally rules

I like a higher percentage of albums from the Revolver list (6/20) than the Decibel list (10/40).

"intelligibly terrible" is a great way to put it.

I'm a huge Deftones fan but that Crosses record was so boring, Team Sleep mk II

agreed

that shit reminds me of the holy bible by manic street preachers where i was all psyched like man this is gonna be an epic rock album based on all the stuff i read and i hear it and it's like ehh i guess i dunno seems like a solid alt rock record

i'm not that into it, but i attribute that to my tastes and my probably being in the wrong demographic.

That's what I thought about TDB too. (Though not The Holy Bible)

Hivemind Watch, Part 2.

As requested, this shows the average number of mentions for each list's choices. Thus if a poll had nothing but unique choices, it would score 1.
Yardstick note: if a publication's Top 50 contained the exact Consensus Watch Top 50, it would score 30.22. For a Top 40, it would score 33.38. For a Top 30, 37.8.
I've only listed polls with at least a Top 30, but all polls have been used for the calculations (cutting off at 50 for longer polls).

No Ripcord 26.18
Pretty Much Amazing 25.66
Pitchfork 25.6
Treble 25.5
The Guardian 25
Time Out London 23.4
Any Decent Music 23.04
NME 23.02
Under The Radar 22.88
Stereogum 22.74
Popmatters 22.6
CMJ 22.43
The 405 22.4
Clash 22.03
Consequence of Sound 22.02
Spin 21.96
musicOMH 21.8
The Line of Best Fit 21.46
Drift 20.62
Mojo 20.58
Paste 20.54
Gigwise 20.2
Rough Trade 20.16
Crack Magazine 20.04
Loud and Quiet 19.78
Q 19.78
Rolling Stone 19.74
Fasterlouder 19.48
Slate 19.08
Rhapsody 18.96
Uncut 18.42
Flavorwire 18.33
The Skinny 18.3
Variance 17.66
Amazon 17.12
Drowned in Sound 17
Sputnikmusic 16.8
Resident 16.66
Digital Spy 16.27
Waterloo Records 16.16
Cokemachineglow 16.03
Daily Telegraph 15.51
Piccadilly Records 15.32
NPR 14.8
Louder Than War 14.42
American Songwriter 14.28
Complex 14.24
Gorilla vs Bear 13.89
Phonica 11.18
Tiny Mix Tapes 11.1
Norman Records 10.2
Mixmag 10.16
The Wire 10.1
Monorail music 9.76
AdHoc 9.75
Vibe 9.43
FACT 9.4
The Quietus 9.2
Guitar World 8.42
Washington Post 8.42
XLR8R 8.03
Boomkat 7.34
Rolling Stone Rap 6.65
ILM Metal Poll 6.48
Steel For Brains 6.2
Terrorizer 6.14
Decibel 5.68
Classic Rock 5.4
Juno Plus 4.7
Fragile or Possibly Extinct 4.02
Kerrang 4
Rolling Stone Country 4
Textura 2.33
Hard & Heavy Old 1.92
NPR Jazz 1.92
Soultracks 1.66

That's great. Very interesting quantification of the centering of Pitchfork.

Has-Beens and Underperformers Watch: commercially notable acts, or acts with previous commercial or critical form, who polled low in 2014.

Listed in 3 polls: Iggy Azalea, Tove Lo, George Ezra, Kasabian, Chris Brown, The Roots, Hercules & Love Affair, Ghostface Killah, Thurston Moore, J Mascis, Death From Above 1979, Willie Nelson, Pixies, Ray LaMontagne, Mark Lanegan Band, Tensnake, Cooly G, Skrillex, Plastikman

Listed in 2 polls: Lily Allen, Coldplay, Blake Shelton, Jason Derulo, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Smashing Pumpkins, T.I., Rick Ross, deadmau5, Ben Howard, Gaslight Anthem, Mirel Wagner, Karen O, Conor Oberst, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Wiley, Roman Flügel, Deerhoof, Melvins, Tanya Tagaq

Listed in 1 poll: Calvin Harris, Neil Young, R. Kelly, Jessie J, Maroon 5, Robin Thicke, The Hold Steady, J.Cole, Aloe Blacc, Basement Jaxx, Kylie Minogue, Johnny Marr, Ben Watt, Prins Thomas, Tricky, Marianne Faithfull, Rumer, Bryan Ferry, Xiu Xiu, Jackson Browne, Lenny Kravitz, Deptford Goth, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Vamps, Foxes, Ella Henderson, Vashti Bunyan, Laetitia Sadler, Kiesza, Garth Brooks, Eels, Pulled Apart By Horses, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Kid Cudi, Keyshia Cole, Cher Lloyd, You Me At Six, John Mellencamp, Chrissie Hynde, Edwyn Collins, Sebastien Tellier, Michelle Williams, The 2 Bears, Rustie

Listed in 0 polls: Flaming Lips, Wiz Khalifa, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Barbra Streisand, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, Take That, The Script

Trying to comprehend just how terrible a Flaming Lips album would need to be not to make a single list.

heh, i voted for tove lo, hercules & love affair, and kiesza on my p&j singles list. to be fair, some of these people just are not regarded as album artists, so they didn't show up on albums lists.

Commercially notable acts, or acts with previous commercial or critical form, who underperformed so much they didn't even make the Has-Beens and Underperformers Watch list: Ben Harper (and his mom)

I saw Florida Georgia Line's song "Dirt" show up on some lists, just not their album

Jon Caramanica at the NYTimes put Aldean's album in his top 10:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/arts/music/jon-caramanica-looks-at-the-albums-of-2014.html?_r=0

Trying to comprehend just how terrible a Flaming Lips album would need to be not to make a single list.

Eh, it's not terrible. Better than the trainwreck that I expected anyway. But it's also a completely inessential release, which is why I think nobody wants to vote for it.

People vote through a lot of inessential records from legacy acts though.

Not really when its just a cover album though.

Xpost to xhuxk: Yeah, I tried only to number-crunch group lists - solo lists were excluded.

Brainwashed reader's poll

Simon Cummings has published the annual best albums/EPs list on his 5:4 blog. A wide ranging list, lots of out-there stuff. And St. Vincent.
http://5against4.com/2014/12/30/best-albums-of-2014-part-1/
http://5against4.com/2014/12/31/best-albums-of-2014-part-2/

Radio Scorpio's list (from Belgium). Frequency is 106.0, hence the number of albums listed. (I had a vote in this)

1. Kassem Mosse - Workshop 19
2. Ariel Pink - Pom Pom
3. The War On Drugs - Lost in the Dream
4. Ought - More than any other Day
5. Swans - To Be Kind
6. Black Flower - Abyssinia Afterlife
7. Arca - Xen
8. Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
9. Gesloten Cirkel - Submit-X
10. Thurston Moore - The Best Day
11. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2
12. Grouper - Ruins
13. Rape Blossoms - Ruinenlust
14. Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything
15. Jenny Hval & Susanna - Meshes Of Voices
16. Old Man Gloom - Ape of God I/II
17. D'Angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah
18. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
19. Carlos Cipa - All Your Life You Walk
20. Shellac - Dude Incredible
21. Dub Thompson - 9 Songs
22. Vladislav Delay - Visa
23. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata
24. MannGold de Cobre - MannGold de Cobre
25. Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
26. Head High - Megatrap
27. FKA Twigs - LP1
28. Richard Dawson - Nothing Important
29. Lewis - L'Amour
30. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
31. Theo Parrish - American Intelligence
32. Edward - Into A Better Future
33. Moodymann - Moodymann
34. Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden
35. Steve Gunn - Way Out Weather
36. The Big ups - Eighteen Hours of Static
37. Call Super - Suzi Ecto
38. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
39. Meridian Brothers - Salvadora Robot
40. Todd Terje - It's Album Time
41. Caribou - Our Love
42. Perc - The Power & Glory
43. Martyrdöd - Elddop
44. Yvette - Process
45. Andy Stott - Faith In Strangers
46. Shackleton - Freezing Opening Thawing
47. (Compilatie) More Jammys From The Roots
48. Mica Levi - Under The Skin
49. Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh & Dan Trueman - Laghdú
50. Morgan Delt - Morgan Delt
51. Earth - Primitive and Deadly
52. Clark - Clark
53. Owen Pallett - In Conflict
54. Gigi Masin - Talk To The Sea
55. Fatima - Yellow Memories
56. Traxman - Da Mind Of Traxman, Vol.2
57. Protomartyr - Under Color of Official Right
58. Goat - Commune
59. Hiele - Essential Oils
60. Objekt - Flatland
61. Vessel - Punish, Honey
62. Marissa Nadler - July
63. Bo Ningen - III
64. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
65. Mick Jenkins - The Waters
66. Dj Quik The Midnight Life
67. Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
68. Ryley Walker - All Kinds Of You
69 Yob - Clearing the Path to Ascend
70. Young Widows - Easy Pain
71. Ben Frost - AURORA
72. GoGo Penguin - v2.0
73. Aphex Twin - Syro
74. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - Atomos
75. Total Control - Typical System
76. (Compilatie) Native North America
77. Ekoplekz - Unfidelity
78. Mr. Mitch - Parallel Memories
79. Perfect Pussy - Say Yes To Love
80. Papir - IIII
81. Motorpsycho - Behind the Sun
82. Blank Realm - Grassed Inn
83. Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band - Intensity Ghost
84. Ibibio Sound Machine - Ibibio Sound Machine
85. Gazelle Twin - Unflesh
86. Future - Honest
87. Juju & Jordash - Clean-Cut
88. Nisennenmondai - N
89. Hammerhead - Global Depression
90. Eagulls - Eagulls
91. Wireheads - The Late Great Wireheads
92. Miaux - Dive
93. Ian William Craig - A Turn Of Breath
94. How To Dress Well - What is this Heart?
95. BRNS - Patine
96. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - A Long Way To The Beginning
97. Strand of Oaks - Heal
98. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
99. Mono - The Last Dawn / Rays of Darkness
100. Gunnar Haslam - Mirrors and Copulation
101. We Stood like Kings - Berlin 1927
102. Federico Albanese - The Houseboat and the Moon
103. Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
104. Dj Dodger Stadium - Friend Of Mine
105. Double Veterans - The Brotherhood of…
106. Peaking Lights - Cosmic Logic

oh boy, lots of really good albums there

Wire Magazine Subscribers' List:

01 Swans To Be Kind
02 Scott Walker & Sunn O))) Soused
03 Aphex Twin Syro
04 Richard Dawson Nothing Important
05 Grouper Ruins
06 Sleaford Mods Divide And Exit
07 Dean Blunt Black Metal
08 Actress Ghettoville
09 Valerio Tricoli Miseri Lares
10 Eliane Radigue Naldjorlak I II III
11 Wadada Leo Smith The Great Lakes Suites
12 (tied)
Flying Lotus You’re Dead!
Oren Ambarchi Quixotism
14 Shabazz Palaces Lese Majesty
15 (tied)
Jenny Hval & Susanna Meshes Of Voice
Run The Jewels Run The Jewels 2
17 Ariel Pink Pom Pom
18 (tied)
Earth Primitive And Deadly
Kevin Drumm & Jason Lescalleet The Abyss
20 Steve Gunn Way Out Weather
21 (tied)
Andy Stott Faith In Strangers
Holly Herndon Chorus
23 (tied)
Michael Pisaro Continuum Unbound
Pharmakon Bestial Burden
25 (tied)
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Piñata
Owen Pallett In Conflict
27 Carla Bozulich Boy
28 Ben Frost A U R O R A
29 Fatima Al Qadiri Asiatisch
30 (tied)
Kasai Allstars Beware The Fetish
Fennesz Becs

Wire readers OTM

Wire readers need to like FKA twigs more IMO

and owen pallett could have been given a few bumps up.

that poll was dumb - you got to vote for one album out of their top 50 (don't think twigs made their main list either)

i cba voting in it this year

Pazz & Jop Top 50, with Consensus Watch placings in brackets.

1 (77=) D'Angelo, Black Messiah
2 (5) Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 2
3 (3) The War on Drugs, Lost in the Dream
4 (4) St. Vincent, St. Vincent
5 (1) FKA Twigs, Lp1
6 (40=) Sturgill Simpson, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
7 (21=) Taylor Swift, 1989
8 (7) Angel Olsen, Burn Your Fire for No Witness
9 (20) Spoon, They Want My Soul
10 (33=) Against Me!, Transgender Dysphoria Blues
11 (45=) Ex Hex, Rips
12 (77=) Miranda Lambert, Platinum
13 (8) Flying Lotus, You're Dead!
14 (33=) Azealia Banks, Broke With Expensive Taste
15 (11) Sharon Van Etten, Are We There
16 (15) Beck, Morning Phase
17 (6) Aphex Twin, Syro
18 (14) Sun Kil Moon, Benji
19 (10) Swans, To Be Kind
20 (33=) Parquet Courts, Sunbathing Animal
21 (2) Caribou, Our Love
22 (18) Lana Del Rey, Ultraviolence
23 (91=) New Pornographers, Brill Bruisers
24 (-) Wussy, Attica!
25 (33=) YG, My Krazy Life
26 (27=) Jenny Lewis, The Voyager
27 (27=) Ty Segall, Manipulator
28 (16) Perfume Genius, Too Bright
29 (73=) tUnE-yArDs, Nikki Nack
30 (12=) Future Islands, Singles
31 (77=) Leonard Cohen, Popular Problems
32 (9) Todd Terje, It's Album Time
33 (129=) Rosanne Cash, The River & the Thread
34 (154=) Charli XCX, Sucker
35 (12=) Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Piñata
36 (60=) Protomartyr, Under Color of Official Right
37 (30=) Cloud Nothings, Here and Nowhere Else
38 (222=) Lydia Loveless, Somewhere Else
39 (129=) TV on the Radio, Seeds
40 (19) Grouper, Ruins
41 (91=) EMA, The Future's Void
42 (23=) Real Estate, Atlas
43 (-) Bob Dylan, The Basement Tapes Complete: the Bootleg Series Vol. 11
44 (23=) Jack White, Lazaretto
45 (114=) Rich Gang, Tha Tour Part 1
46 (60=) Owen Pallett, In Conflict
47 (222=) Nicki Minaj, The Pinkprint
48 (26) Alvvays, Alvvays
49 (100=) White Lung, Deep Fantasy
50 (21=) Shabazz Palaces, Lese Majesty

Biggest gainers in P&J: Wussy & Bob Dylan, which weren't placed in any other group polls.

Biggest losers in P&J:
Mac DeMarco - Salad Days (17 in Consensus Watch, 54 in P&J)
Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers (25 C, 77 P&J)
Wild Beasts - Present Tense (30= C, 131 P&J)
Scott Walker & Sun O))) - Soused (30= C, 58 P&J)

that run the jewels album is kind of dreadful, non?

No.

Rock-A-Rolla

1 Goat - Commune
2 Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
3 YOB - Clearing The Path To Ascend
4 Earth - Primitive And Deadly
5 Swans - To Be Kind
6 Old Man Gloom - The Ape Of God
7 Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything
8 Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun
9 Einsturzende Neubauten - Lament
10 Scott Walker + Sunn0))) - Soused
11 Tombs - Savage Gold
12 Electric Wizard - Time To Die
13 Melvins - Hold It In
14 Boris - Noise
15 Eyehategod - Eyehategod
16 Helms Alee - Sleepwalking Sailors
17 Nothing - Guilty Of Everything
18 Pallbearer - Foundations Of Burdon
19 Music Blues - Things Haven't Gone Well
20 The Austerity Program - Beyond Calculation
21 Solstafir - Otta
22 Tetema - Geocidal
23 Watter - This World
24 Serpentine Path - Emanations
25 Today Is The Day - Animal Mother
26 Knifeworld - The Unravelling
27 Mono - The Last Dawn/Rays Of Darkness
28 Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
29 Menace Ruine - Venus Armata
31 Obake - Mutations
32 Full Of Hell & Merzbow
33 Martyrdod - Elddop
34 Broughton's Rules - Anechoic Horizon
35 Trans Am - Volume X
36 Ought - More Than Any Other Day
37 ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - IX
38 Okkultokrati - Night Jerks
39 Witch Mountain - Mobile Of Angels
40 Sunn0))) & Ulver - Terrestrials
41 Philm - Fire From The Evening Sun
42 Ides Of Gemini - Old World New Wave
43 Kayodot - Coffins On Io
44 Hark - Crystalline
45 Black Bananas - Electric Brick Wall
46 Bohren & Dr Club Of Gore - Piano Nights
47 Floor - Oblation
48 Thomas Koner - Tiento De Las Nieves
49 Supersilent - 12
50 Origamibiro - Odham's Standard

Not bad, there's plenty of surprises. I only guessed 10 of the top 20, and 19 overall. I need to investigate Music Blues, Knifeworld and some others.

I think I can guess at most of what would be in Rock-A-Rolla's top 20: YOB, Godflesh, Swans, Earth, Goat, Secret Chiefs 3, Electric Wizard, Wovenhand, Shellac, Aphex Twin, Einsturzende Neubauten, Floor, Boris, Bong, Alcest, Baptists, Helms Alee, SBTRKT, Liars, Sunn0))) & Scott Walker.

Maybe top 50: Crippled Black Phoenix, Tombs, Lantlos, Thou, Sólstafir, Melvins, Mogwai, Cynic, Ides Of Gemini, Indian, Obake, Gridlink, Giant Squid, Black Moth, The Atlas Moth, Nadja, Midnight Masses, Eyehategod, Nothing, Pallbearer, Opeth, Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band, Moab, John Garcia, Protomartyr, Gold Codes, Carla Bozulich, Have A Nice Life, Conan, Esben And The Witch, Horseback, Fucked Up, Woods Of Desolation, Comet Control, Motorpsycho, The Soft Pink Truth, Trans Am...
― Fastnbulbous, Friday, December 26, 2014 1:13 PM

It looks like another great issue BTW, and can be purchased digitally for just $4.99 - http://pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?catid=1037&category=Music&subcatid=230&subcategory=Rock&title=Rock-A-Rolla&titleid=768

Thank you! :D

A bunch of albums on there making my ballot, a couple of them v high up!

do we have a final version of the consensus watch?

By a more convoluted methodology, here's the consensus ranking from acclaimedmusic.net

1 The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
2 FKA twigs - LP1
3 St. Vincent - St. Vincent
4 Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
5 Sun Kil Moon - Benji
6 Caribou - Our Love
7 Swans - To Be Kind
8 Aphex Twin - Syro
9 Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
10 Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
11 Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
12 Future Islands - Singles
13 Beck - Morning Phase
14 Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for No Witness
15 Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
16 Spoon - They Want My Soul
17 Perfume Genius - Too Bright
18 Todd Terje - It's Album Time
19 Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
20 Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata
21 Wild Beasts - Present Tense
22 Taylor Swift - 1989
23 alt-J - This is All Yours
24 Ty Segall - Manipulator
25 Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
26 Real Estate - Atlas
27 Ariel Pink - pom pom
28 Scott Walker & Sunn O))) - Soused
29 Grouper - Ruins
30 Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
31 Lykke Li - I Never Learn
32 Sleaford Mods - Divide and Exit
33 Jack White - Lazaretto
34 Metronomy - Love Letters
35 Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
36 Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers
37 The Bug - Angels & Devils
38 Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
39 Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
40 Owen Pallett - In Conflict
41 Temples - Sun Structures
42 Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
43 Arca - Xen
44 East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
45 Warpaint - Warpaint
46 Ought - More Than Any Other Day
47 First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
48 Ben Frost - A U R O R A
49 Alvvays - Alvvays
50 tUnE-yArDs - Nikki Nack
51 Neneh Cherry - Blank Project
52 La Roux - Trouble in Paradise
53 YG - My Krazy Life
54 Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste
55 The Black Keys - Turn Blue
56 Interpol - El Pintor
57 Royal Blood - Royal Blood
58 Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
59 Jungle - Jungle
60 Kate Tempest - Everybody Down
61 Jessie Ware - Tough Love
62 Leonard Cohen - Popular Problems
63 Robert Plant - lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar
64 How to Dress Well - "What is This Heart?"
65 Young Fathers - Dead
66 Mogwai - The Rave Tapes
67 Actress - Ghettoville
68 Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun
69 Liars - Mess
70 SBTRKT - Wonder Where We Land
71 Banks - Goddess
72 Dean Blunt - Black Metal
73 YOB - Clearing the Path to Ascend
74 EMA - The Future's Void
75 Manic Street Preachers - Futurology
76 Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden
77 Chet Faker - Built on Glass
78 The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
79 Strand of Oaks - Heal
80 Goat - Commune
81 Ex Hex - Rips
82 Behemoth - The Satanist
83 Avi Buffalo - At Best Cuckold
84 Protomartyr - Under Color of Official Right
85 Kindness - Otherness
86 Morrissey - World Peace is None of Your Business
87 Elbow - The Take Off and Landing of Everything
88 The Antlers - Familiars
89 Afghan Whigs - Do to the Beast
90 Kelis - Food
91 Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso
92 Clark - Clark
93 S O H N - Tremors
94 TV on the Radio - Seeds
95 Merchandise - After the End
96 White Lung - Deep Fantasy
97 Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams
98 D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah
99 Shellac - Dude Incredible
100 Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye

god help me, i added that singles playlist to my listening collection.

A couple more:

http://thefirenote.com/2014/12/18/the-blazing-top-50-albums-of-2014-2/
http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/uncut-editors-diary/the-154-best-albums-of-2014-a-very-personal-list

Not critics but what.cd's users poll:

1 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
2 - Aphex Twin - Syro
3 - Swans - To Be Kind
4 - St. Vincent - St. Vincent
5 - Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
6 - D'Angelo & The Vanguard - Black Messiah
7 - The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
8 - FKA Twigs - LP1
9 - Spoon - They Want My Soul
10 - Caribou - Our Love
11 - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata
12 - Todd Terje - It's Album Time
13 - Sun Kil Moon - Benji
14 - Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for No Witness
15 - Future Islands - Singles
16 - Grouper - Ruins
17 - Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
18 - Beck - Morning Phase
19 - Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers
20 - Real Estate - Atlas
21 - Jack White - Lazaretto
22 - alt-J (∆) - This Is All Yours
23 - Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
24 - Ben Frost - A U R O R A
25 - Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
26 - tUnE-yArDs - Nikki Nack
27 - Taylor Swift - 1989
28 - BADBADNOTGOOD - III
29 - Ty Segall - Manipulator
30 - Ariel Pink - pom pom
31 - The Antlers - Familiars
32 - Perfume Genius - Too Bright
33 - Iceage - Plowing Into the Field of Love
34 - Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
35 - Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything
36 - Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams
37 - Warpaint - Warpaint
38 - Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
39 - Scott Walker & Sunn O))) - Soused
40 - Clark - Clark
41 - A Winged Victory for the Sullen - ATOMOS
42 - Death from Above 1979 - The Physical World
43 - Death Grips - niggas on the moon
44 - Kiasmos - Kiasmos
45 - Wild Beasts - Present Tense
46 - Thom Yorke - Tomorrow's Modern Boxes
47 - White Lung - Deep Fantasy
49 - Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
50 - The Black Keys - Turn Blue
51 - Clipping - CLPPNG
52 - Ought - More Than Any Other Day
53 - Behemoth - The Satanist
54 - ODESZA - In Return
55 - The Hotelier - Home, Like Noplace Is There
56 - Alvvays - Alvvays
57 - A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Sea When Absent
58 - Jungle - Jungle
59 - Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun
60 - Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright in the End
61 - Ex Hex - Rips
62 - Tycho - Awake
63 - Wye Oak - Shriek
64 - Arca - Xen
65 - Röyksopp - The Inevitable End
66 - TV on the Radio - Seeds
67 - Goat - Commune
68 - Have a Nice Life - The Unnatural World
69 - Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
70 - The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
71 - Trust - Joyland
72 - Phantogram - Voices
73 - Owen Pallett - In Conflict
74 - Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy
75 - Fire! Orchestra - Enter
76 - Nothing - Guilty of Everything
77 - Liars - Mess
78 - La Dispute - Rooms of the House
79 - Cymbals Eat Guitars - LOSE
80 - Pink Floyd - The Endless River
81 - First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
82 - Leon Vynehall - Music for the Uninvited
83 - RATKING - So It Goes
84 - ScHoolboy Q - Oxymoron
85 - HTRK - Psychic 9-5 Club
86 - How to Dress Well - "What Is This Heart?"
87 - Sohn - Tremors
88 - Alex G - DSU
89 - Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
90 - Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso
91 - Slow Magic - How to Run Away
92 - The Body - I Shall Die Here
93 - Glass Animals - Zaba
94 - Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
95 - iamamiwhoami - Blue
96 - Millie & Andrea - Drop the Vowels
97 - Objekt - Flatland
98 - Christian Löffler - Young Alaska
99 - Thou - Heathen
100 - Perfect Pussy - Say Yes to Love

that should read 'users poll', not sure what happened