Year-End Critics' Polls 2014

DFA had quite a few disappointing years, so the fact they were absolutely killin' it in 2014 might have been overlooked by a lot of people.

Yeah the Juan album is terrific. More consistent than the Todd Terje one, which seems to have placed highly on the basis of the singles.

In a year where for the first time in eons I feel like one of the "everything sucked" crew, "In Conflict" is one of the few albums that does not leave me remotely conflicted. It's great, and inexplicable to be left off any list.

I feel like lists that stretch out to 100 or even 50 hedge so many bets they are useless. But hats off, I guess, to anyone who can find more than 25 albums each year they actively love. I'd love to get a follow-up list of how many listed albums writers still regularly listen to in 2015.

i don't get the love for the todd terje record at all. juan maclean was really solid.

I thought The Future Will Come did quite well in the critic's lists but could be remembering that wrong. It's a shame as This is Happening did so well a few years ago and as much as I like that album, In a Dream is such a better record.

Really interested to see how Todd Terje does in our end of year list. Think it could be like Daft Punk last year when the thread had quite a lot of people saying how disappointed they were with the album but it still manages to make the top three.

I don't think that still listening to an album the following year has any bearing on how good it is. eg Let England Shake was my favourite album of 2011 and probably in my Top 10 since 2000 but I haven't heard it in ages because I played it to death and there's so much new music to listen to.

Every year I have maybe five albums I'm obsessed with, another half a dozen I deeply love and then the rest of my Top 25 is stuff that's somehow flawed or incomplete.

josh otm with the bit about regular listening of albums ppl (critics or otherwise) put on their end of year lists - of the stuff that made mine last year I find myself coming back to a bunch of rap albums (yeezus, OLD, a$ap ferg) p often and not a whole lot else w much regularity aside from Beyoncé and, as a huge/odd contrast, deafheaven.

Terje album places are mostly willfulness off the back of Norse, and the convenience of it for 'representing' that kind of thing.

The last Juan Maclean was largely ignored too so no reason why this wouldn't be either in that respect. Not much interest out there in DFA disco unless Murphy (remembering Nancy saying how amazing that last Holy Ghost album was but still struggling to hear that here too tbh).

xpost I always think I do well if my top 25 is full of albums I'd rate as 8/10 or higher. Think I manage it but this year I seem to have heard a lot of things that are solid 7/10s. I'll probably go back to some of them close to voting and see if anything go up in my estimation. That happened with the Charli XCX album last year and it ended up in my top five.

at the same time I stand by all the things I put on said list, including having the latest arctic monkeys album & lorde's debut record in my top 10

ha! funny that you mention charli bc I didn't place true romance on my top 25 or whatever but I listened to it a ton both last year and throughout this year

It's a real shame Ian Crause's solo album is getting ignored. If you don't trust my judgement you can trust Ned's!

The last Juan Maclean was largely ignored too so no reason why this wouldn't be either in that respect. Not much interest out there in DFA disco unless Murphy (remembering Nancy saying how amazing that last Holy Ghost album was but still struggling to hear that here too tbh).

― nashwan, Thursday, November 27

It just seems so odd that magazines like the NME wouldn't be desperate for music like that considering how much they pushed The Rapture and Friendly Fires back in the day. The Young Galaxy album from last year is another one that seems like it was ignored despite being something that would be right up their street.

Most DFA stuff feels like the bands in question going through the motions somewhat and the last Juan Maclean and Holy Ghost records are particular examples of that. Neither are exactly bad but just not exciting either.

I mean most new DFA stuff, it just feels like the wrong time for music like that now.

less of a barrier for Metronomy and Caribou somehow

Noted Johnny Fever, I forgot about BiRd-BrAiNs, which is similar to the other two. It must be the strength of just a couple tracks that caught peoples' attention who thought, this is weird and different, to the top o' the list it goes!

The Juan Maclean, Shit Robot, Sinkane and Museum of Love albums are all hovering around my end-of-year list. That's the most DFA content that I've liked in a single year since...well, a long time ago.

The Dedication's "I Ain't Gonna Tell You" was the secret best DFA disco jam of 2014 imo

Caribou isn't really like the DFA bands at all. The continued love for Metronomy makes no sense to me though.

less of a barrier for Metronomy and Caribou somehow

― nashwan, Thursday, November 27

Surprised the NME left out Metronomy this year. Along with The Horrors it's most surprising omission on their list considering how much they loved their last two albums (Last one was number two on their 2011 list) It was a really crap album but when does that ever make a difference to the NME.

The Dedication's "I Ain't Gonna Tell You" was the secret best DFA disco jam of 2014 imo

Oooh, this is dope.

Horrors and Metronomy were both big duds after career highs. Just when they needed to nail it they didn't have the songs. The Wild Beasts record was great though - I thought it would make more of a splash.

Re: DFA, bear in mind the simple fact of changing staff at magazines. Maybe the NME just doesn't have a dance cheerleader in the office at the moment. Weak year for crossover electronic albums anyway - there wasn't a Glass Swords or Immunity this year so only Caribou, Terje and Aphex are getting on to these lists.

Rustie's new one just died didn't it?

Both Temples and Hookworms appear to be the go-to token psych albums, on at least six lists so far. I really thought Les Big Byrd - They Worshipped Cats would have been that album, but just wasn't that easily available I guess.

The light psychedelic freakout on Sturgill Simpson's "It Ain't All Flowers" seems to have people slavoring. The Dec 6 show at Thalia sold out and people are paying $175 on up for scalped tix on Craigslist. A friend looking for tix was a bit offended when I teased that this new meta-alt country has struck gold with the dad rock audience. I like the idea of reviving some psychedelic country, and Simpson seems skilled enough, but can't quite get on board.

Horrors and Metronomy were both big duds after career highs. Just when they needed to nail it they didn't have the songs. The Wild Beasts record was great though - I thought it would make more of a splash.

― Re-Make/Re-Model

I thought The Horrors album was great the first time I heard but after about three plays I realised like you say that the songs just weren't there. Nice production but not a lot else. Funny you mention Wild Beasts. This was the first album of theirs I didn't completely fall in love with. They did an interview before it came out saying how they wanted to do something really different and it got my hopes up. Sadly it just sounded like more of the same to me and this was the time they really needed to take some big risks. Still think the first three albums are close to being perfect.

checking out clips of that Ian William Craig records - just voice and tape. Very cool.

I really liked the Horrors album, and I wasn't a huge fan of anything other than Sea Within A Sea before then. It definitely bears repeat listens. It made me go to their debut album and I'm surprised at firstly how different it sounds, and secondly how much better it sounds compared to a lot of UK landfill indie from that era.

I adore the new Juan Maclean but I can't think why anyone who didn't have any emotional connection to prime dfa era having a reason to care. It's executed brilliantly but it's v much comfort food rather than doing anything new. That's not a criticism but I never expected it to get traction

Though it's more bloody exciting than bloody caribou that's for sure

"Pleasant" is one of the most backhanded compliments there is in music, but that's what the Caribou album is. I've only listened to it a handful of times, tbh, but I put it on when I want wallpaper with a beat.

wow – sort of relieved to see that. everyone on the Caribou thread was fawning over the new release and i just didn't get it.

- i think whokill is WAY preferable to nikki nakk, not a fan of the latter. Water Fountain deserves love on singles lists.
- Owen P's new album deserves a spot on most eoy lists; I'm afraid its long past release date tarnishes it for those who should show it the most love. it'll be on mine.
- surprised no one is pointing out the biggest reason publications print best of lists in early december: it's to help sell product, which helps sell advertising

Rustie's new one just died didn't it?
--Re-Make/Re-Model

I actually liked the new rustie a lot - to be fair a good amount of my initial attention came from the danny brown connection but I dug the whole thing.

I'll be perfectly content with DFA fading into critical irrelevance but still popping out a Juan Maclean album and a couple of singles on the regular.

But hats off, I guess, to anyone who can find more than 25 albums each year they actively love. I'd love to get a follow-up list of how many listed albums writers still regularly listen to in 2015.

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, November 27, 2014 4:10 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

agree w/remake re: listening to albums the following year. my albums list tends to come to a natural close at 25-30, from the ones i obsess over to the ones i really enjoy to the ones that i feel have something about them that makes them worthwhile listening despite being either patchy or lacking in popthrill highlights

xpost It's the same for me with that Caribou album. I thought it was a pretty big step down from the last two. Can't really remember much about it now.

for me this year has been about trying to listen predominantly to the contemporary in as wide an array as I come in contact with. it's drinking out or a fire hydrant.

it's been as solid a year as ever for dance/electronic albums - francis harris/frank & tony, call super, kassem mosse, leon vynehall, mark barrott, young marco also in/around my final list - though zero of those are crossover-friendly AND BETTER FOR IT

lex pretend how about rock?

i don't care about rock

did you hear/like the Swans album this year, lex?

what - no Kiasmos?!

I didn't even know (or, tbh, care) that Caribou were still putting out records until they started showing up on these lists.

lol lex would hate swans so much

or not
ILM'S TOP 77 TRACKS of 2010

he liked the last album iirc

or a track then

the first of the EOTY "I know nothing about Lex's tastes but I know he'll think this is awful" posts is like the 23rd or so window on an advent calendar

lol given his feelings on rock and pompousness I can't see him getting into say "Bring the Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture"