Year-End Critics' Polls 2014

MAGNET’s Bill Meyer picks the best jazz/improv releases of the year

1 Kyle Bruckmann’s Wrack …Awaits Silent Tristero’s Empire (Singlespeed)
2 Brötzmann Adasiewicz Edwards Noble Mental Shake (Otoroku)
3 AMM Place Sub. V. (Matchless)
4 Matt Bauder And Day In Pictures Nightshades (Clean Feed)
5 Rob Mazurek Mother Ode (Corbett Vs. Dempsey)
6 Russ Johnson Meeting Point (Relay)
7 Cymerman Wooley Parker World Of Objects (5049)
8 Steve Lehman Octet Mise En Abîme (Pi)
9 Keir Neuringer Ceremonies Of The Air (New Atlantis)
10 Travis Laplante’s Battle Trance Palace Of Wind (New Amsterdam)

Posted in BEST OF 2014 |

Next batch of Guardian best albums:

10. Sleaford Mods - Divide and Exit
9. Flying Lotus - You're Dead
8. Beck - Morning Phase
7. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
6. Trouble in Paradise - La Roux

is that la roux album any good? i've seen it on a few polls and don't feel too keen on them on the basis of the few older tracks i've heard

That La Roux album's surprisingly good and very different from the debut but I'm astonished that it's that high. Presumably it's St Vincent, TWOD, FKA, Aphex and Caribou in the Top 5.

yet again only one of these lists has anything from my top 20 records and i assure all and sundry that this is not intentional but wtf. perhaps only liking stuff that everyone else hates is some sort of talent i dunno

Predicted Guardian top 5: Aphex Twin, Caribou, St. Vincent, Beyonce, FKA Twigs

on course for my votes to have zero impact on the guardian list apart from t-swift! literally not even listening to the same music as everyone else there.

The La Roux album is much less harsh than their debut. Her voice is still quite shrill but it's not presented in such a harsh, confrontational way and the music is much more disco than synth-pop this time around. It's certainly more listenable than the debut but I'm bewildered to see it so high on any list.

no bad thing, lex.

37. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata
25. Actress - Ghettoville
24. Banks - Goddess
20. Owen Pallett - In Conflict
19. Jhene Aiko - Souled Out
15. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
7. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

^^guardian albums i have heard and was varying shades of lukewarm-to-unenthusiastic about

40. Tricky - Adrian Thaws
14. Future Islands - Singles
13. Kate Tempest - Everybody Down
10. Sleaford Mods - Divide and Exit
9. Flying Lotus - You're Dead

^^guardian albums i was uninterested in hearing based on the lead single(s)

34. Jamie T - Carry on the Grudge
29. Ariel Pink - Pom Pom
28. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
27. Kindness - Otherness
18. Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
8. Beck - Morning Phase
6. La Roux - Trouble in Paradise

^^guardian albums i was uninterested in hearing based on these being terrible fucking artists whose past form is absolutely hideous and life is too short

my only thumbs up are for taylor and tinashe

if RMRM is right about the top 5, fka twigs is the only possible further thumbs up even though it's like my #25 album of the year and st vincent/caribou will join the heard-and-was-unenthusiastic-about pile

i'm sure EOY will align a lot more with your tastes though.

meanwhile on the next planet across...

Loudwire - 20 Best Rock Songs of 2014
http://loudwire.com/best-rock-songs-of-2014/

20. Three Days Grace 'Painkiller'
19. Linkin Park featuring Daron Malakian 'Rebellion'
18. Bring Me the Horizon 'Drown'
17. Body Count 'Talk S--t, Get Shot'
16. Against Me! 'True Trans Soul Rebel'
15. Slash 'World on Fire'
14. Emigrate featuring Frank Delle 'Eat You Alive'
13. A Day to Remember 'End of Me'
12. Kyng 'Electric Halo'
11. Black Label Society 'My Dying Time'
10. Starset 'Telescope'
9. The Pretty Reckless 'Heaven Knows'
8. The Virginmarys 'Just a Ride'
7. Sixx: A.M. 'Stars'
6. Royal Blood 'Figure It Out'
5. Nothing More 'This Is the Time (Ballast)'
4. Hellyeah 'Moth'
3. Foo Fighters 'Something From Nothing'
2. Islander 'Coconut Dracula'
1. Chevelle 'Take Out the Gunman'

of the many albums on my list that haven't cropped up in this thread at all yet, the one i'm most shocked by is toni braxton & babyface.

sexist garbage from the standard:
http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/music/the-best-albums-of-2014-a-christmas-shopping-guide-for-musiclovers-9905463.html

One thing I like about the ILX poll Lex is that it's the only place where you get to be consensus guy.

can't wait to buy the alt-j album for all my rocking intellectual family members

love the way it's divided up into 'rap fans', 'indie kids', 'intellectuals' and 'girls'

DJ Mag Singles: http://djmag.com/node/51427

1. Ten Walls - Walking With Elephants
2. Patrick Topping - Forget
3. Caribou - Can't Do Without You (Tale of Us & Mano Le Tough Remix)
4. Sailor & I - Turn Around (Âme Remix)
5. Floating Points - King Bromeliad
6. Josh Wink - Are You There? (Ben Klock Remix)
7. Seven Davis Jnr - One (Live Edit)
8. Lauer - Hershel
9. Leon Vynehall - Butterflies
10. Oliver $ & Jimi Jules - Pushing On

"The next 20"
Fracture - Loving Touch
Patricia - Drip Dawn (JTC's I-94 Lick)
Marquis Hawkes - Can't Find A Reason
Tito Wun - The Way U Do It (Jacques Renault Remix)
Josh Wink - Talking To You
Jimmy Chambers - You Can't Fight It
Bicep - Lyk Lyk
Rockwell - IneedU
Trumpet & Badman - Str8 Jugglin'
Point G - The Alarm
Damiano Von Erckert - Diamonds & Girls
Noir & Hayze - Angel (Ripperton Remix)
Wayne Snow - Red Runner
Hotel Lauer - QD
Sebo K - Avalanche
Djrum - DAM (Akkord Remix)
Jitterbug - Sweet Tooth
Caribou - Our Love
Genius of Time - Juno Jam
Midland - Duster

Everything I've heard in that DJ Mag top ten has been banging (Ten Walls, Patrick Topping, Wink/Klock/Lauer/Oliver $) except the Tale of Us Caribou mix which somehow manages to be even drippier than the original.

Boggling at that Standard article. Nothing says intellectualism like Alt-J.

Juno Plus -- Top 30 Albums of 2014

30. Vaghe Stelle – Sweet Sixteen (Astro: Dynamics)
29. Kassem Mosse – Workshop 19 (Workshop)
28. Lorenzo Senni – Superimpositions (Boomkat Editions)
27. Population One – Theater Of A Confused Mind (Rush Hour Music)
26. Perc – The Power And The Glory (Perc Trax)
25. Shit & Shine – Powder Horn (Diagonal)
24. Beau Wanzer – Untitled (Self Released)
23. Function & Vatican Shadow - Games Have Rules (Hospital Productions)
22. Jo Johnson – Weaving (Further Records)
21. Eric Holm - Andøya (Subtext)
20. Alessandro Cortini – Sonno (Hospital Productions)
19. Slackk – Palm Tree Fire (Local Action)
18. Mr Mitch – Parallel Memories (Planet Mu)
17. Ena – Binaural (Samurai Horo)
16. Vessel – Punish, Honey (Tri Angle Records)
15. Objekt - Flatland (PAN)
14. Yamaneko – Pixel Wave Embrace (Local Action)
13. Low Jack – Garifuna Versions (L.I.E.S.)
12. Vril – Torus (Forum)
11. Klara Lewis – Ett (Editions Mego)
10. Millie & Andrea - Drop The Vowels (Modern Love)
9. Arca – Xen (Mute)
8. Bing & Ruth – Tomorrow Was The Golden Age (RVNG Intl)
7. Ital – Endgame (Planet Mu)
6. Neel – Phobos (Spectrum Spools)
5. Mo Kolours - Mo Kolours (One Handed Music)
4. Gesloten Cirkel – Submit X (Murder Capital)
3. Shinichi Atobe – Butterfly Effect (DDS)
2. Andy Stott - Faith In Strangers (Modern Love)
1. Call Super – Suzi Ecto (Houndstooth)

It's cos Alt-J wear glasses and their name is a keyboard shortcut.

oh, i like a bunch of those! totally recommend the vessel record to anyone who liked the holden album from last year xp

nice to see the electronic lists pop up.

1. Ten Walls - Walking With Elephants
4. Sailor & I - Turn Around (Âme Remix)
5. Floating Points - King Bromeliad
9. Leon Vynehall - Butterflies
10. Oliver $ & Jimi Jules - Pushing On
Marquis Hawkes - Can't Find A Reason
Trumpet & Badman - Str8 Jugglin'

YASSS to all of these singles. looking fwd to the dance trax lists bc i spent a lot of this year completely out of the loop

the juno plus albums is an odd mix of stuff i really loved - call super is a great choice for no 1 - and a lot of stuff i found really dry or relentless (objekt, millie & andrea, perc). was really disappointed by the slackk and stott albums too.

although i feel like even if the usual outlets were always going to be slow to pick up deep tech, they shouldn't be so slow that it's not popping up in these lists

loved stott, but i'm a fan and perhaps bias. never, ever understood the appeal of the perc disc.

perc didn't do much for me either, but i'm liking the andy stott. both very grey albums in their own ways though, it's true

xps haha

Hip hop heads, teen queens, soul sisters, indie kids, rocking intellectuals, modern mums. Hilariously patronizing, and they forgot music lovers.

yeah that's got to go in the worst music writing thread. every sentence is condescending to the max.

stott's new one was kinda fine as background music, just disappointing after how revelatory luxury problems was

To be fair, if you scroll to the bottom, it also identifies "the dad dancers" (you may like Pink Floyd and Neil Young). Which makes it so much better and more even-handed.

They need to rethink their demographic info. Many dads these days were born in the mid-80s, and some as recently as late 90s! So Dancing Dads would be more into, oh, The Juan Maclean. Pink Floyd and Neil Young are for the Grampa Rockers!

Pink Floyd and Neil Young are for the Grampa Rockers!

― Fastnbulbous, Friday, December 5, 2014

curse you, fastnbulbous.

That Standard piece is really something else. Fuck.

And on the subject of awfulness, the comments under the Quietus list are well worth reading if you haven't already. Massive amounts of intentional and unintentional humour to be seen there.

that ten walls track sounds so familiar. is it just an update of a previous tune he did?

Dads like The Chromatics.

xp yeah it's a colliery band 'gotham'

never want to hear 'elephants' again in my lifetime but its omission on any worthwhile eoy would be inexcusable

chief keef is a dad

xp yeah it's a colliery band 'gotham'

never want to hear 'elephants' again in my lifetime but its omission on any worthwhile eoy would be inexcusable

― r|t|c, Friday, December 5, 2014 3:08 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ah right thanks, i quite liked 'gotham' in a Plaid-goes-deep-house kind of way.

Pitchfork - Best album covers of 2014:
http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9556-the-best-album-covers-of-2014/1/

definitely not a fan of the swans or sbtrkt ones

Pink Floyd and Neil Young are for the Grampa Rockers!

as a grampa I concur

I'm not either, but it appears they put a little bit more effort into that list this year which I'm grateful for. xp

nice little write ups too

yeah the swans album artwork sucks no matter which way i look at it.

Burning Ambulance Best Metal Albums of 2014:

25. Torch Runner, Endless Nothing
24. Baring Teeth, Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins
23. Cretin, Stranger
22. AEvangelist, Writhes In The Murk
21. Mastodon, Once More 'Round The Sun
20. Machine Head, Bloodstone & Diamonds
19. Decapitated, Blood Mantra
18. Monarch, Sabbracadaver
17. Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Enfant Terrible
16. Emmure, Eternal Enemies
15. Crown The Empire, The Resistance: Rise Of The Runaways
14. Behemoth, The Satanist
13. Ringworm, Hammer Of The Witch
12. Obituary, Inked In Blood
11. Vader, Tibi Et Igni
10. Cannibal Corpse, A Skeletal Domain
9. Incantation, Dirges Of Elysium
8. Body Count, Manslaughter
7. Cavalera Conspiracy, Pandemonium
6. Opeth, Pale Communion
5. GridLink, Longhena
4. Exmortus, Slave To The Sword
3. Rigor Mortis, Slaves To The Grave
2. Job For A Cowboy, Sun Eater
1. Judas Priest, Redeemer Of Souls

Burning Ambulance Best Jazz Albums Of 2014:

25. Vinnie Sperrazza, Apocryphal
24. Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio & Peter Evans, The Freedom Principle and Live In Lisbon
23. Orrin Evans, Liberation Blues
22. Eric Revis, In Memory Of Things Yet Seen
21. Matthew Shipp Trio, Root Of Things
20. Wadada Leo Smith, Red Hill and The Great Lakes Suites
19. The Cookers, Time And Time Again
18. Michael Blake, Tiddy Boom
17. Sonny Simmons & Moksha Samnyasin, Nomadic
16. Matt Brewer, Mythology
15. Rudy Royston, 303
14. Eric Hofbauer Quintet, Prehistoric Jazz Vol. 1 & 2
13. Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit, Erta Ale
12. William Hooker & Liudas Mockunas, Live At The Vilnius Jazz Festival
11. Johnathan Blake, Gone But Not Forgotten
10. Donald Edwards, Evolution Of An Influenced Mind
9. Eric Wyatt, Borough Of Kings
8. Tom Tallitsch, Ride
7. Mark Lomax Trio, Isis & Osiris
6. Sarah Manning, Harmonious Creature
5. Mike DiRubbo, Threshold
4. Brian Charette, The Question That Drives Us
3. Steve Lehman Octet, Mise en Abîme
2. Jerome Sabbagh, The Turn
1. Jemeel Moondoc, The Zookeeper's House

love how pharmakon always makes the cut on those covers lists

it's a good cover imo

it absolutely is. and a p good album at that

I still love Walking With Elephants but I haven't been overexposed to it. It really does feel like this year's ubiquitous tune with an impact way outside quotidian bobbins territory.

That Ben Klock remix of Josh Wink is immense.