Year-End Critics' Polls 2014

that Rolling Stone list really reshapes what we thought we knew about whiney, doesn't it

still seems incredible to me that the washington post pay the guy from q and not u to enthuse about rae sremmurd. what a world.

Post list is good/inspiring. "Young Thug -- singles and mixtapes" at #1 makes so much more sense than putting Black Portland in at #37 or whatever.

For whatever it's worth, all the MAGNET lists are due in in mid-October. When did RTJ2 come out?

So which will be the first list with BABYMETAL?

Soon, Fastnbulbous. Very soon. ;-)

*opens Popmatters, sees "All About That Bass", closes tab*

i was thinking that suuuurely the U2 and springsteen albums this year were too shitty to warrant the usual automatic top of the list billing for RS, but apparently not.

Charli XCX - not released for 2 weeks - in its top 10 is pretty odd.

Maybe the label took out a lot of advertising?

i'm sure they have an advanced copy and liked it

It was originally supposed to be out in September, so advance copies have been out there for forever.

then why cant i find a leak of sucker :[

(i'm sure its somewhere but havent had the time for a deep dive)

Oh, I don't think it's leaked anywhere. People with copies have held on tightly it appears.

so no succour for you

ugh whatever ill wait two weeks like a normal person

I've been enjoying the Kemper Norton and Maruice Louca albums recently, glad to see them hit the big time on the (vmic) Quietus list.

http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/uncut-editors-diary/the-154-best-albums-of-2014-a-very-personal-list

Huge list of stuff. I usually look up a lot of the things on Mulvey's lists, but I'm noticing a fair bit of shit I know I don't like.

The only uncut is Robbie unkut

Consensus watch:

14 polls:
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream

13 polls:
Caribou - Our Love
FKA Twigs - LP1

12 polls:
Mac De Marco - Salad Days

11 polls:
Future Islands - Singles
Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
St Vincent - St Vincent
Aphex Twin - Syro

10 polls:
Swans - To Be Kind
Jack White - Lazaretto
Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots

9 polls:
Temples - Sun Structures
Real Estate - Atlas
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Beck - Morning Phase

8 polls:
East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
Sun Kil Moon - Benji
Ty Segall - Manipulator

(poll placings below #50 are discounted, as are single-voter polls)

the consensus list is the worst of the lot!

You forgot U2... It's album of the year?

i have listened to and enjoyed three albums on the consensus list (aphex and twigs and beck) and need to get around to caribou and new swans.
i tried and disliked the jack white album.
i tried and had little interest in the van etten album.
The rest is all stuff that i haven't even cracked.

Of the ones you didn't mention, I'd probably steer you towards the St. Vincent...but even that is an "if you get around it" recommendation.

is it substantially different than her earlier work?

i'm listening to war on drugs now and it's agreeable i-am-indie-i-am-sad stuff; not entirely clear why this gets to be standard bearer but whatever

cuz it sounds like 80s stuff that hasn't been updated before.

(don't get me wrong; i like the record)

is it substantially different than her earlier work?

Substantially? Nah. There's a bigger interest in cold robotic-ness, though, which surprisingly works in her favor.

The internet was a fun place to be after her SNL performance last May. "WTF was THAT?" said people who weren't expecting it.

lol, i just found the kozelek beef for WOD

i'm unlikely to ever connect with annie's work i think

That Horse Lords track on the WaPo list is pretty great.

Stereogum: http://www.stereogum.com/1721100/the-50-best-albums-of-2014/list/

50. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal (What's Your Rupture?)
49. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
48. TOPS - Picture You Staring
47. Thou - Heathen
46. Spoon - They Want My Soul
45. You Blew It! - Keep Doing What You're Doing
44. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds In Country Music
43. LVL Up - Hoodwink'd
42. Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
41. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait
40. Tinashe - Aquarius
39. Caribou - Our Love
38. Horrendous - Ecdysis
37. Mitski - Bury Me At Makeout Creek
36. The Men - Tomorrow's Hits
35. Flying Lotus - You're Dead
34. How To Dress Well - "What Is This Heart?"
33. Aphex Twin - SYRO
32. Future Islands - Singles
31. Ty Segall - Manipulator
30. Todd Terje - It's Album Time
29. Ariel Pink - pom pom
28. Fucked Up - Glass Boys
27. Cloud Nothings - Here And Nowhere Else
26. Jessie Ware - Tough Love
25. Woods Of Desolation - As The Stars
24. Chumped - Teenage Retirement
23. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
22. Taylor Swift - 1989
21. Young Thug, Birdman, & Rich Homie Quan - Rich Gang: Tha Tour Part 1
20. Strand Of Oaks - Heal
19. Real Estate - Atlas
18. Eric Church - The Outsiders
17. Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
16. EMA - The Future's Void
15. YG - My Krazy Life
14. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
13. Swans - To Be Kind
12. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
11. YOB - Clearing The Path To Ascend
10. Merchandise - After The End
09. FKA Twigs - LP1
08. Nux Vomica - Nux Vomica
07. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
06. White Lung - Deep Fantasy
05. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
04. Wye Oak - Shriek
03. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
02. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
01. Run The Jewels - RTJ2

20. Strand Of Oaks - Heal

^don't really know this band but i heard one song on the radio and it really irritated me because the song COMPLETELY bit the "ah ha ha ha ha ha" end riff from "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" by Morrissey

Nice to see the Wye Oak album so high. That was in my Top 10 for a while.

also nice to see another Against Me placing, the RS list is LOL but at least they had AM at #15

noticeable dearth of britishes on that list

why does stereogum hate bloodsausage

Nux Vomica is a cool pick for the top 10.

this is the first list that i have few quibbles with throughout, def gotta check out the metal albums i overlooked & glad vince got some love

I salute them for having a top 50 list that's at least more interesting than most of the others so far.

(Thus far LDR is the only album in my Top Ten that shows up on any lists whatsoever)

LDR is 40% tolerable, 60% abominable though

stereogum list has more albums i like on it than most but it's hardly interesting, it just skews indie and indie-friendly versions of other genres. it's got a bit of pop and a bit of r&b and a bit of rap but you KNOW the sort of pop, r&b and rap that would never show up there in a million years, it's all preset values

my entire use of LDR these days is as raw material for amazing house remixes

<i>Broke With Expensive Taste</i> needs more love

lex could you give some examples? i def can see what you mean, am just curious

pop - one direction, cher lloyd (in the same way the equivalent list a few years ago would never have countenanced t-swift; the reason she's there isn't because she's magically improved but because her popularity and positioning have changed)

r&b - toni braxton, mjb, k michelle (yes i know it's only just out but it's the type of r&b not specific albums as such)

But is Eric Church appearing at 18 a typical Indie-friendly choice? I haven't been paying enough attention to his stuff to know.

basically when indie sites throw a sop to other genres it's less about quality and more how examples of those genres are positioned vis-à-vis the indie audience and as such very boring and mildly offensive