Year-End Critics' Polls 2014

this is great, this is the exact same feeling i had when i first heard that blood command record. thanks again kerrang!

so much love for this grouper album. i admire it but i find it very difficult to listen to

i have her first album, felt the same way about it

it seemed v odds & sods when i listened to it (the newest grouper), not exactly bad but yeah it's def no masterwork

I was listening to Ruins again during my commute this morning. It wasn't an appropriate setting but I like the album a lot. I LOVE "Clearing" though. That's one of my favorite songs of the year for sure.

I kind of wonder whether it would have made any lists without Clearing, despite how good the other songs on the album are.

Guitar World's 50 Best Albums of 2014
http://www.guitarworld.com/guitar-worlds-50-best-albums-2014

51. Mogwai — Rave Tapes
50. Phish — Fuego
49. Nick Moss Band — Time Ain't Free
48. Parquet Courts — Sunbathing Animal
47. John 5 — Careful with that Axe
46. Arch Enemy — War Eternal
45. Michael Angelo Batio — Intermezzo
44. Reverend Horton Heat — Rev
43. Weezer — Everything Will Be Alright in the End
42. Rings of Saturn — Lugal Ki En
41. Brad Paisley — Moonshine in the Trunk
40. Entombed AD — Back to the Front
39. Brian Setzer — Rockabilly Riot! All Original
38. Steel Panther — All You Can Eat
37. Johnny Winter — Step Back
36. Eric Clapton & Friends — The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale
35. Smashing Pumpkins — Monuments to an Elegy
34. Alex Skolnick’s Planetary Coalition — Planetary Coalition
33. Beck — Morning Phase
32. Black Label Society — Catacombs of the Black Vatican
31. Ace Frehley — Space Invader
30. The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band — Goin' Home
29. Marty Friedman — Inferno
28. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks — Wig Out At Jagbags
27. The War on Drugs — Lost In the Dream
26. Triptykon — Melana Chasmata
25. Opeth — Pale Communion
24. Ray LaMontagne — Supernova
23. Exodus — Blood In, Blood Out
22. Behemoth — The Satanist
21. Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators — World on Fire
20. Sturgill Simpson — Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
19. The Melvins — Hold It In
18. Mastodon — Once More Around the Sun
17. Against Me! — Transgender Dysphoria Blues
16. Of Mice & Men — Restoring Force
15. Pink Floyd — Endless River
14. Machine Head — Bloodstone & Diamonds
13. Joe Bonamassa — Different Shades of Blue
12. Eric Johnson/Mike Stern — Eclectic
11. The Black Keys — Turn Blue
10. At the Gates — At War with Reality
09. Foo Fighters — Sonic Highways
08. Royal Blood — Royal Blood
07. St. Vincent — St. Vincent
06. Gary Clark Jr. — Live
05. AC/DC — Rock or Bust
04. Animals As Leaders — The Joy of Motion
03. Judas Priest — Redeemer of Souls
02. Jack White — Lazaretto
01. Slipknot — .5: The Gray Chapter

Are people voting for the Smashing Pumpkins or Weezer for any reason other than a vague sense of duty?

hey it is guitar world we're talking about

And, in keeping with GW tradition, this top 50 list actually contains 51 albums. It's what we do.

Oh those crazy musos.

malkmus seems like a weirder inclusion for them, but maybe that record shreds?

definitely no weezer in this list:

http://thequietus.com/articles/16938-r-b-albums-and-singles-of-2014-with-alex-macpherson

http://buyguitarmagazines.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/MAGAZINE-Guitar-World-1994-06-Who-Townshend-Pavement-Beastie-Boys-400x533.jpg

malkmus seems like a weirder inclusion for them, but maybe that record shreds?

Guitar World ranking this actually makes me a little curious. Anyone heard it (or the Mogwai)? Not that Guitar World rankings necessarily mean all that much wrt guitar chops: iirc, the Offspring did pretty well on their 'best of the 90s' list.

the Malkmus album does not shred.

yeah it's balls.

tool meets rage against the machine

xpost That said, most of his solo work does boast some impressive guitar work.

btw the way i've found it a little odd that a track featuring zack de la rocha has been getting so much critical love this year.

Real Emotional Trash has solos. Lots of them.

yeah the malkmus is not good.

Did GW not like the Thurston Moore album? I'm a little surprised.

The Quietus Top R&B Albums And Tracks Of 2014

Top 10 R&B albums

1. K. Michelle - Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart? (Atlantic)
2. Tinashe - Aquarius (RCA)
3. D'Angelo & The Vanguard - Black Messiah (RCA)
4. Toni Braxton & Babyface - Love, Marriage & Divorce (Motown)
5. Mariah Carey - Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse (Def Jam)
6. Khia Shamone - LoveLocs (Thug Misses)
7. Fatima - Yellow Memories (Eglo)
8. Kelis - Food (Ninja Tune)
9. Meshell Ndegéocello - Comet, Come To Me (Naïve)
10. Danity Kane - DK3 (Stereotypes)

Top 10 R&B singles

1. Mila J - 'Smoke, Drink, Break Up' (Universal Motown)
2. Kalenna - 'Murder'
3. Jessie Ware - 'Tough Love' (PMR)
4. Teyana Taylor ft. Pusha T & Yo Gotti - 'Maybe' (GOOD)
5. Yemi Marie ft. DLow - 'Love Bop'
6. Tamar Braxton ft. Future - 'Let Me Know' (Epic)
7. Mary J. Blige - 'Whole Damn Year' (Capitol)
8. Netta Brielle - '3xKrazy'
9. Sinead Harnett - 'High Wire'
10. Keyshia Cole, Mila J, K. Michelle, Lil Mo & Da Brat - 'Loyal' (Remix)

It's hard for me to imagine that Mariah album isn't a total train wreck given the current state of her voice

I liked the Mariah album a lot more than i did the Kelis album. Cry, faded, dedicated, Camoflage, money and (really shoulda been a hit) thirsty are all great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BYNma9wxxw

It's hard for me to imagine that Mariah album isn't a total train wreck given the current state of her voice

― the farakhan of gg (DJP), Thursday, December 18, 2014 9:53 AM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

You're underestimating the studio on that point alone.

The Quietus Top Tracks of 2014

1. Holly Herndon - 'Chorus'
2. Blacknecks - 'To The Cosmos, Let's Go!'
3. Richard Dawson - 'The Vile Stuff'
4. The Fat White Family - 'I Am Mark E Smith'
5. Katie Gately - 'Pivot'
6. Furfriend - 'Endless September'
7. Karen Gwyer - 'Lay Claim To My Grub'
8. Powell - 'Club Music' (Ancient Methods Korpersaure91 remix)
9. Paula Temple - 'Deathvox'
10. FKA twigs - 'Two Weeks'
11. Nicki Minaj - 'Lookin Ass'
12. Future Islands - 'Seasons (Waiting On You)',
13. Meridian Dan feat. Big H & JME - 'German Whip'

And Other Top Tracks Unranked:

Ansome - 'Tin'
Autonervous - 'Enfant Terrible'
Black Bananas - 'Physical Emotions'
Black Josh feat. MC Jon - 'Student Parties’
Bledig - 'A Bad Day For Lupus'
Mary J. Blige - 'Pick Me Up'
The Bozzini Quartet - 'The Indistinguishables'
Tim Bowness - 'Smiler At 50'
Stanley Brinks & The Wave Pictures - 'Orange Juice'
Bronze Teeth - 'Albion Pressure’
Ane Brun - 'Hunting High & Low'
BullyBones - 'I Feel Sorry For You'
Tim Burgess - 'Oh Men' (Carter Tutti remix)
Call Super - 'Acephale II'
Camera - 'Salamantra'
Caribou - 'Can't Do Without You'
Carter Tutti - 'October Love Song' (remix)
Cavern Of Anti-Matter - 'Cluster of Rainbow
Austin Ceasar - 'Slink'
The Charlatans - 'Talking In Tones'
Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne - 'Rather Be'
Cleaners From Venus - 'The Band Plays Delilah'
Cut Hands - 'The Claw'
Cyclobe - 'Son Of Sons Of Light'
Desperate Journalist - 'Control’
DJ Taye - 'Teklife Run It'
East India Youth - 'HEAVEN, HOW LONG'
East India Youth - 'HINTERLAND
Electric Wizard - 'SadioWitch'
Faith No More - 'Motherfucker'
Richard Fearless - 'Higher Electronic States
FKA twigs - 'Pendulum'
Forteresse - 'Wendigo’
Fufanu - 'Circus Life'
Gallon Drunk - 'The Speed of Fear'
Gantz feat. El Mahdy Jr. - 'Rising'
Gazelle Twin - 'Anti Body’
The Ghost Of A Sabre Tooth Tiger - 'Too Deep’
Grouper - ‘Lighthouse'
Grumbling Fur - 'All The Rays'
Grumbling Fur - 'Lowlands In Astral Furmentation'
Gwenno - 'Patriarcheth'
Helena Hauff - 'Spirals Of Smoke Drifting From Soot Stained Chimneys'
Helm - 'The Hollow Organ'
Jon Hopkins - 'Open Eye Signal (Asleep Version)'
Howlround - 'Torridon Gate'
Huoratron - 'The Pioneers Of Nothing'
Kira Isabella - 'Quarterback'
The Juan Maclean - 'Get Down (With My Love)’
Kassem Mosse - 'Untitled A2
Kelis - 'Rumble'
Kiesza - 'Hideaway'
Killing Sound - 'Six Harmonies'
Kendrick Lamar - 'i'
Tory Lanez - 'Henny In Hand'
Cate Le Bon - 'I Can't Help You'
Jenny Lewis - 'Just One Of The Guys'
Rob Mazurek and Black Cube SP - 'Return The Tides'
Metro Boomin feat. Future & Young Thug - 'Chanel Vintage’
Mila J - 'Smoke, Drink, Break Up’
Hudson Mohawke - 'Chimes'
Mumdance feat. Novelist - 'Take Time'
Nao feat. A.K. Paul - 'So Good’
Nightingales - 'Dumb And Drummer’
Nurse With Wound - 'Perfectly Unmingled And Misplaced'
O.T. Genasis - 'CoCo'
Tara Jane O'Neil - 'This Morning Glory'
Conor Oberst - 'Common Knowledge'
Objekt - 'Ganzfeld'
Okmalumkoolkat - 'Allblackblackkat'
Pianos Become The Teeth - 'Lesions'
Popcaan - 'System'
Powell - 'So We Went Electric'
Powell feat. Russell Haswell - 'Maniac'
Prostitutes - 'Late To Take It Light'
QT - 'Hey QT'
The Radio Dept. - 'Death to Fascism'
Real Lies - 'Dab Housing'
Lana Del Rey - 'Shades Of Cool'
Rich Gang feat. Yung Thugga & Rich Homie Quan - 'Lifestyle'
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - 'Uptown Funk'
Sandman & Riverside feat. Jeremy Ellis - 'Into Your Story (Kai Alce Distinctive Vocal Mix)'
Noura Mint Seymali - 'Tzenni'
Shabazz Palaces - '#Cake'
Skepta & JME - 'That's Not Me'
Slum Of Legs - 'Begin To Dissolve'
Smoke Fairies - 'Eclipse Them All'
St Vincent - 'Digital Witness'
Andy Stott - 'Science And Industry'
Swans - 'A Little God In My Hands’
Swans - 'Oxygen'
Taman Shud - 'The Ziggurat, A Mirage'
Thalia Zedek Band - 'Fell So Hard'
Tirzah - 'Style'
tUnE-yArDs - 'Water Fountain’
Tweedy - 'Love Like A Wire'
Tweedy - 'Please Don't Let Me Be So Understood'
Vessel - 'Red Sex'
Scott Walker & Sunn O))) - 'Brando'
Jane Weaver - 'Don’t Take My Soul'
Zammuto - 'IO'

Slum Of Legs - 'Begin To Dissolve'

super choice!

OMG

nice one!

an ilxor's list

http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/603-the-most-essential-nigerian-afropop-tracks-of-2014/

XP: Great track innit.

for sure!! you probably wouldn't know this but that's emil.y's band btw

We're into the top 10 now - finishes today

2014 POLL RESULTS COUNTDOWN - ILM Metal Albums of the Year

I liked the Mariah album a lot more than i did the Kelis album. Cry, faded, dedicated, Camoflage, money and (really shoulda been a hit) thirsty are all great.

--a stupid red mute juggalo (forksclovetofu)

"make it look good" is also a hell of a jam

Need a Spotify playlist of that Quietus list!

Whoa Emily your track is great, had no idea!

Wait, emil.y has a new band!? Gotta hear this!

really ILM should have a thread for Ilxors' bands. I know we have I Make Music, but non-musicians don't really read that board.

what's her track?

Slum Of Legs - 'Begin To Dissolve'

super choice!

― Ottbot jr (NickB), Thursday, December 18, 2014 10:53 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OMG

― emil.y, Thursday, December 18, 2014 10:54 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

nice one!

― dive inside water and you will know (dog latin), Thursday, December 18, 2014 10:59 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

an ilxor's list

http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/603-the-most-essential-nigerian-afropop-tracks-of-2014/

― curmudgeon, Thursday, December 18, 2014 11:32 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

XP: Great track innit.

― Doran, Thursday, December 18, 2014 11:38 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

for sure!! you probably wouldn't know this but that's emil.y's band btw

― Ottbot jr (NickB), Thursday, December 18, 2014 11:43 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm actually listening to that now. it's really good!

me too and yes!

I blush. I am the one on synths and weird noises, if anyone is wondering. Thanks loads, Doran, this has totally made my day (and hopefully it doesn't put you off us knowing an obnoxious ilx0r is in the band, heh).

PopMatters' jazz list is alphabetical/unranked:

Ambrose Akinmusire, The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint
The Bad Plus, The Rite of Spring
Battle Trance, Palace of Wind
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, Landmarks
Henry Butler/Steven Bernstein & the Hot 9, Viper's Drag
Chat Noir, Elec3cities
Marc de Clive-Lowe, Church
Doctor Magnum, Magnum Carta Holy Grail
Dave Douglas and Uri Caine, Present Joys
Darius Jones and Matthew Shipp, Cosmic Lieder: The Darkseid Recital
John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension, The Boston Record
Jason Moran, All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller
PRISM Quartet, People's Emergency Center
Marc Ribot Trio, Live at the Village Vanguard
Louis Sclavis Quartet, Silk and Salt Melodies
Mark Turner Quartet, Lathe of Heaven

More Rhapsody.

Top 25 Classical Albums of 2014
1) Seattle Symphony Orchestra, John Luther Adams: Become Ocean
2) Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Anthony Davis: Notes from the Underground
3) Kate Soper, Voices from the Killing Jar
4) Unsuk Chin, Unsuk Chin: 3 Concertos
5) Jefferson Friedman, On In Love
6) Far Cry, The Law Of Mosaics
7) John Adams, City Noir
8) Jenny Lin, J. Lin: Stravinsky (Solo Piano Works)
9) Louis Andriessen, La Commedia
10) Mahan Esfahani, Byrd / Bach / Ligeti - Wigmore Hall Live
11) Peter Hill, La Fauvette Passirenette: A Messiaen Premiere, With Birds, Landscapes & Homages
12) Erin Gee, Mouthpieces
13) Ralph van Raat, Frederic Rzewski: 4 Pieces, Hard Cuts & The Housewife's Lament
14) Darius Jones, The Oversoul Manual
15) Maurizio Pollini, Brahms: Klavierkonzert Nr. 2
16) Leon Fleisher, All the Things You Are
17) Vicky Chow, Tristan Perich: Surface Image
18) Lisa Batiashvili, Bach
19) A.Pe.Ri.Od.Ic, Jürg Frey: More or Less
20) yMusic, Balance Problems
21) Cornelius Dufallo Anna Clyne, The Violin
22) Mitsuko Uchida, Mozart: Piano Concerto No..18, K.456 & No.19, K.459
23) Copenhagen Phil, Bryce Dessner: St. Carolyn By The Sea / Jonny Greenwood: Suite From "There Will Be Blood"
24) Riccardo Muti, Riccardo Muti Conducts Mason Bates and Anna Clyne
25) Glenn Kotche, Adventureland

Top 20 Country Albums of 2014
1) Sturgill Simpson, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
2) Johnny Cash, Out Among the Stars
3) Miranda Lambert, Platinum
4) Tim McGraw, Sundown Heaven Town
5) Little Big Town, Pain Killer
6) Lee Ann Womack, The Way I'm Livin'
7) Stoney LaRue, Aviator
8) Blake Shelton, Bringing Back The Sunshine
9) Wade Bowen, Wade Bowen
10) Brad Paisley, Moonshine in the Trunk
11) Jon Pardi, Write You a Song
12) Nikki Lane, All or Nothin'
13) Jason Eady, Daylight & Dark
14) The Swon Brothers, The Swon Brothers
15) Drive-By Truckers, English Oceans
16) Marty Stuart, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning
17) Dierks Bentley, Riser
18) Eric Church, The Outsiders
19) Josh Thompson, Turn It Up
20) Sunny Sweeney, Provoked

Top 20 Hip-Hop Albums of 2014
1) Y.G., My Krazy Life
2) Flying Lotus, You're Dead!
3) Azealia Banks, Broke with Expensive Taste
4) Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 2
5) Future, Honest
6) Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Piñata
7) Big K.R.I.T., Cadillactica
8) Serengeti, Kenny Dennis III
9) Shabazz Palaces, Lese Majesty
10) NehruvianDOOM
11) Lecrae, Anomaly
12) Ghostface Killah, 36 Seasons
13) Kevin Gates, By Any Means
14) Common, Nobody's Smiling
15) Open Mike Eagle, Dark Comedy
16) Ratking, So It Goes
17) The Underachievers, Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium
18) Busdriver, Perfect Hair
19) Isaiah Rashad, Cilvia Demo
20) Logic, Under Pressure

Whoa, did not know that Kate Soper released an album this year.

Thanks for the Nigerian Afropop list btw!

2) Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Anthony Davis: Notes from the Underground
6) Far Cry, The Law Of Mosaics

always good to see friends/acquaintances doing well

The John Luther Adams is a top five record for me this year. Good to see CPH:Phil on there as well.