Top 100 Music Albums of 2014 by buzzdainer

The juxtaposition of light and dark is the metaphor that makes the most sense of my 2014. On the light side, I relocated from North Carolina to Colorado to live with my then-partner. It was a purposeful and beautiful time in my life, when I finally quit a tenure-track academic job to be with the person I loved most in the world. We spent a magical summer and fall exploring together the trails in the Flatirons, Indian Peaks, and James Peak Wilderness. We went to farmer's markets together, listened to podcasts, cooked tasty and nutritious meals, and played at the dog park. But like most things in life of such otherworldly splendor, it didn't last. Hence, darkness. To my good fortune, though, I was returned to the West, the place where, turns out, I believe I was meant to end up. The Rocky Mountains took hold of me, and much of the music I listened to that year reflects the feelings of majesty and grandeur that I felt about those mountains. 2014 wasn't quite as strong a year, musically, as 2013, but it contained at least as much depth. And the quality 2014 did provide was perhaps even more rewarding because it could often be found in surprising and unexpected places.

• Chart updated: 11/27/2022 18:45
• (Created: 02/19/2016 19:25).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of 2014 has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 3 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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51. (=)

Sunswimmer 

 New Madrid

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I probably haven't spent quite enough time with Sunswimmer to give it thorough consideration, but I'll say that my early impressions are that it's a very good album. The band's name derives from a song by Uncle Tupelo from their Anodyne album, which I have rated my #1 album of all time, so I'm automatically inclined to like them and give them the benefit of the doubt. Certainly there's a bit of the alt-country twang that made Uncle Tupelo such a memorable band, but I'd say that Athens, Georgia, natives New Madrid are much more a rock and roll outfit than an Americana outfit, taking more of their influence from Built to Spill than R.E.M. or even Wilco. [First added to this chart: 09/01/2016]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

1 chart

Rank Score:

3

Rank in 2014:

3,049

Rank in 2010s:

28,515

Overall Rank:

103,872

Average Rating:

 72 (2 votes)

Comments:

1

52. (=)

Hypnotic Eye 

 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

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Tom Petty never made a bad album, which is saying something for an artist with as much longevity as he had. Hypnotic Eye is Tom Petty at his loudest and perhaps messiest, but it's still recognizably a Tom Petty album with its jangling guitars and flourishes of heartland Americana. I think my favorite track here is "American Dream Plan B," which is about as close to a political statement as he ever made. Even then, though, his view is optimistic: "Like a fool, I’m bettin’ on happiness." Me too, Tom. It's the only bet worth placing. [First added to this chart: 09/23/2016]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

59 charts

Rank Score:

264

Rank in 2014:

95

Rank in 2010s:

956

Overall Rank:

5,078

Average Rating:

 73 (79 votes)

Comments:

5

53. (=)

Still Go On 

 Big Shoals

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Gainesville, Florida, natives Big Shoals work in much the same musical terrain as alt-country legends Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton, but so far haven't quite translated their considerable talent into widespread appeal. It's not for lack of terrific songwriting and musicianship; it just feels like they haven't quite been discovered by a wider audience yet. But that could easily happen if they continue making songs as excellent as "12 Steps," a deeply affecting exploration of addiction and recovery. [First added to this chart: 10/20/2016]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

1 chart

Rank Score:

2

Rank in 2014:

3,099

Rank in 2010s:

29,056

Overall Rank:

105,763

Average Rating:

 73 (1 vote)

Comments:

1

54. (=)

Right From Real 

 Lydia Ainsworth

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Writing for Pitchfork, Patric Fallon describes Lydia Ainsworth on Right from Real in this way: "It's still difficult to discern Ainsworth's concrete artistic identity. She's a formally trained singer, musician, and composer with an interest in Baroque art, who also refers to contemporary dance choreographers as "genius"; she's an artist who performs her music flanked by a violinist and a cellist, but has no problem adding a live snake into her onstage arrangement; her songs rely as much on the delicate '80s pop of Peter Gabriel's So as they do 19th century choral music and Bulgarian folk singing." That's a pretty clear summary of what makes this album both genuinely enjoyable and a bit of a jumbled, puzzling listen, since the album never really coheres into a style that draws from each of these traditions. Rather, it's more of a generally appealing kitchen sink approach. [First added to this chart: 10/19/2017]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

17 charts

Rank Score:

116

Rank in 2014:

207

Rank in 2010s:

2,072

Overall Rank:

10,088

Average Rating:

 72 (15 votes)

Comments:

1

55. (=)

Zaba 

 Glass Animals

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Sometime in early 2016, I saw Glass Animals live in Minneapolis at a sold-out show in a club called Myth. I was squashed against a barrier to the side of the stage by hordes of 20-year-olds, and the bass lines coming out of the speakers were so loud my eardrums felt like they were about to burst. But the highlight was when Dave Bayley walked along the barrier I was squashed against and, in the middle of the song, leaped off the eight-foot barrier straight into my arms. That's still a fairly apt synopsis of what I hear when I listen to Zaba. It's fairly obvious, in-your-face, unsubtle dance pop with cheesy lyrics, but damn, "Gooey" is just the kind of throwaway dance pop that makes me want to crowd surf. [First added to this chart: 05/24/2017]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

46 charts

Rank Score:

320

Rank in 2014:

76

Rank in 2010s:

796

Overall Rank:

4,395

Average Rating:

 76 (69 votes)

Comments:

1

56. (=)

Whine Of The Mystic 

 Nap Eyes

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I first learned of Whine of the Mystic from my favorite music blog (such a short-lived phenomenon, the blog!), Said the Gramophone. It's interesting because I don't necessarily like everything Sean Michaels and other writers at STG endorse, but I almost always enjoy the way they write about music. When they do uncover a hidden gem I wouldn't otherwise have discovered on my own, it feels like an incredible gift. I think that's the way I'd describe my relationship with Whine of the Mystic, an album that lacks consistency overall but contains the great track "No Fear of Hellfire," which feels like a wonderfully improvised live performance perhaps a little in the vein of Car Seat Headrest and other garage rock legends. [First added to this chart: 02/11/2017]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

4 charts

Rank Score:

13

Rank in 2014:

1,299

Rank in 2010s:

12,325

Overall Rank:

47,422

Average Rating:

 74 (6 votes)

Comments:

1

57. (=)

Lazaretto 

 Jack White

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Jack White has made a significant mark on the history of rock and roll music, both as the creative force behind the White Stripes and as a record producer and collaborator. His contributions as a solo artist have been more modest, probably because they lack some of the ragged, idiosyncratic edges that made his work with his sister Meg so special. Having said that, I do think Lazaretto deserves consideration for its a statement about Jack White's virtuosity on the guitar, which is absolutely undeniable on this album. While it feels more polished, more produced, and ultimately more calculated than anything the White Stripes ever did, it's an enjoyable listen that contains the very fine track "Alone in My Home." [First added to this chart: 04/12/2017]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

217 charts

Rank Score:

812

Rank in 2014:

38

Rank in 2010s:

329

Overall Rank:

2,041

Average Rating:

 75 (383 votes)

Comments:

20

58. (=)

The River And The Thread 

 Rosanne Cash

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In terms of genre, sometimes there's a fine line between the alt-country twang that I generally love and the Nashville country bombast that I generally loathe. Rosanne Cash is one of those artists that seems to tread the line between those two perspectives. Generally speaking, I think I like her a little bit more as a person than I do as a musician. Having said that, though, The River and the Thread is definitely one of her strongest efforts, maybe even her best. Her storytelling, especially on songs such as "A Feather's Not a Bird," is a strength, and here the production is cleaner and edgier than on some of her more countrified albums. She's probably at her best, in fact, when she's not conforming to any particular genre at all, but instead telling compelling stories about America's lands and people. [First added to this chart: 05/14/2017]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

31 charts

Rank Score:

111

Rank in 2014:

229

Rank in 2010s:

2,189

Overall Rank:

10,537

Average Rating:

 70 (43 votes)

Comments:

5

59. (=)

Pom Pom 

 Ariel Pink

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Pom Pom is absolutely one of 2014's strangest albums. I remain a little on the fence as to whether or not it's one of the year's best. In its favor I'll say it succeeds utterly in busting down any notion of musical genre, residing somewhere in the ambiguous terrain carved out by the likes of Frank Zappa in the 1970s. At its best Pom Pom is campy, funny, bizarre, and oddly mesmerizing. Then again, it's also obnoxious at times, with a kind of smirking irony that I find generally distasteful. The fact that you're seeing it appear in my 2014 chart is indication that I've tentatively come down on the side of finding it more a valuable contribution than a detraction, but I'll also confess that five years later I'm still chewing on it but not quite able to digest it. A polarizing album that still leaves me unsure which pole I'm drawn to. [First added to this chart: 05/14/2017]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

258 charts

Rank Score:

2,012

Rank in 2014:

14

Rank in 2010s:

131

Overall Rank:

893

Average Rating:

 78 (350 votes)

Comments:

28

60. (=)

Lateness Of Dancers 

 Hiss Golden Messenger

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Lateness of Dancers was my first exposure to Merge Records greats Hiss Golden Messenger, and it made an immediate impression despite being a subtle, understated affair. M.C. Taylor is one of the finest Americana singer-songwriters of his generation, and although his nasal tenor can be a bit of an acquired taste, I've come to appreciate it as well. The title track is the high point here, and this is an album I expect to see rising in my charts as I spend more time with it. [First added to this chart: 05/24/2017]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

28 charts

Rank Score:

95

Rank in 2014:

267

Rank in 2010s:

2,539

Overall Rank:

12,149

Average Rating:

 74 (24 votes)

Comments:

1

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Total albums: 100. Page 6 of 10

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Top 100 Music Albums of 2014 composition

Artist	Albums	%
Angel Olsen	1	1%
Angus & Julia Stone	1	1%
Nickel Creek	1	1%
FKA twigs	1	1%
James Vincent McMorrow	1	1%
Rosanne Cash	1	1%
Ryan Adams	1	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	78	78%
	8	8%
	6	6%
	2	2%
	2	2%
	2	2%
	1	1%
Show all

Top 100 Music Albums of 2014 chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 3 from 4th to 1st Sylvan Esso by Sylvan Esso

Biggest fallers
Down 1 from 1st to 2nd After The Disco by Broken Bells
Down 1 from 2nd to 3rd 1989 by Taylor Swift
Down 1 from 3rd to 4th This Is All Yours by alt-J

Top 100 Music Albums of 2014 similarity to your chart(s)

Other year charts (from the 2010s) by buzzdainer

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Top 100 Music Albums of 2014 ratings

Showing all 3 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
100/100	11/12/2019 01:40	DJENNY	4,408	100/100
100/100	04/29/2019 02:48	NickVolos	112	92/100
80/100	03/19/2019 23:31	mickilennial	718	77/100

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Top 100 Music Albums of 2014 comments

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From buzzdainer 09/28/2019 19:03

Thanks for that kind comment, NickVolos! Glad to see we're aligned on Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, among many others. I'm pretty excited to hear Sturgill Simpson's new album, which just dropped yesterday.

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Rating:  

100/100

From NickVolos 04/29/2019 02:54

Thank you for commenting on my chart! You've got a great chart going here as well. Yes, we've got some selections in common for the year. But you've also got a lot more here that I haven't heard yet. Will certainly use your chart as an inspiration when revisiting 2014.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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