Best Of 2014: Top 10

#10: Cibo Matto - "Hotel Valentine"

Triumphant comeback album from these guys. I might even like this more than the old ones.

Key track: "Deja Vu"

#9: Buck 65 - "Neverlove"

My favorite of the 3 releases he had last year, which were all good. He goes for an interesting dynamic on this one, where he's juxtaposing his usual style with choruses sung by female singers that resemble modern pop. He somehow makes it all work.

Key track: "Super Pretty Naughty"

#8: Todd Terje - "It's Album Time"

This album has got a lot of variety without going off the rails, and is beautifully produced.

Key track: "Leisure Suit Preben"

#7: Paul White - "Shaker Notes"

He really flipped the script for this album and came with something way different from his previous releases, but also kicked it up a couple notches too, and made something that almost sounds otherworldly to me.

Key track: "Where You Gonna Go?"

#6: Lana Del Rey - "Ultraviolence"

This was probably the biggest surprise of the year to me. The fact that this album is actually great. I didn't like hardly any of her older stuff at all, and thought she was very overrated when she first came out, but this album just kinda shuts me up and forces me to like her.

Key track: "Shades Of Cool"

#5: Ty Segall - "Manipulator"

I think that this is his ultimate album so far, but I also think he hasn't even made his ultimate album yet in his career. He's young and talented enough where I feel like this is just the beginning.

Key track: "The Singer"

#4: Igorrr & Ruby My Dear - "Maigre"

Igorrr is pretty much the most fascinating character in music for me within the last couple years. His production is so heavy handed and ridiculous, yet precise. It's been exactly what I want to hear. This little EP is a good collaboration and a stellar collection of songs.

Key track: "Biquette"

#3: Traxman - "Da Mind Of Traxman Vol. 2"

Out of all the dope releases he had last year, this was the crowning jewel to me. A modern classic.

Key track: "Ever & Always"

#2: Mr. Oizo - "The Church"

Yet another classic album to add to his list. It scares me how much I enjoy his music.

Key track: "Ham"

#1: Tobacco - "Ultima II Massage"

He's been my favorite artist for a while, and this is his ultimate album for sure. A home run, through and through.

Key track: "Streaker"

Best Of 2014: #20-11

#20: The Underachievers - "Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium"

Super tight album from who I would consider the best younger duo out there in rap today.

Key track: "Metropolis"

#19: Down - "Down IV: Part II"

I find it odd that they released their 4th album as 2 long EP's, but I enjoy the end results. Super solid hard rock.

Key track: "We Knew Him Well"

#18: Mouse On Mars - "21 Again"

I know this was a compilation and not technically a "new" album, but I wasn't familiar with any of the tracks on here previously, and this is a damn good compilation.

Key track: "Lost & Found"

#17: DJ Q-Bert - "Extraterrestria"

He put out 2 albums this year, after years of no new releases. The other one, "Galaxxxian", was also cool, but mostly rap oriented, but THIS is the new Q-Bert album I was looking for. The illest scratches over some ridiculously dope production.

Key track: "Draconian"

#16: Blockhead - "Bells & Whistles"

Easily his best album since his debut, and definitely his most intricate album as well.

Key track: "On The Back Of A Golden Dolphin"

#15: The Budos Band - "Burnt Offering"

This is their 4th album, and they just keep getting better with each one. These are some extremely funky grooves.

Key track: "Burnt Offering"

#14: Handbraekes - "#2"

4 new tracks from the duo of Mr. Oizo and Boys Noize. I like this a little more than the first one, and I hope they continue to make these collaborations together, because they really compliment each other well.

Key track: "Bravo"

#13: Flying Lotus - "You're Dead"

This album is weird for me. It doesn't completely gel to me like all the other albums from him do, but I still deeply respect what he did here, and do still enjoy this album a lot. Good headphones or speakers are required to experience the full spectrum of what's at work here. The level of detail within the sound is astounding.

Key track: "Never Catch Me"

#12: Busdriver - "Perfect Hair

It's amazing to me that an artist like Busdriver can keep pushing his own boundaries and still be constantly evolving.

Key track: "Eat Rich"

#11: The Flaming Lips - "With A Little Help From My Fwends"

I was super skeptical about this album even being good at all, much less great, but they make it work and they make these songs their own. A psychedelic masterpiece.

Key track: "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"

Best Of 2014: #30-21

#30: Madlib - "Rock Konducta Vol. 1 & 2"

Madlib making beats from psychedelic rock samples? Yes, please.

Key track: "Harmonia Inventions"

#29: Open Mike Eagle - "Dark Comedy"

I really enjoyed his previous album, but he improved a lot in between them, and this new one shows that growth. I feel like Mike will really be someone to watch for in the coming years, and this album might only be just the beginning.

Key track: "Dark Comedy Morning Show"

#28: Bike For Three - "So Much Forever"

Buck 65 had a pretty busy year last year, between this collaboration with Greetings From Tuskan and 2 solo albums, and all 3 projects turned out really nice. I think this is a slight step up from the first Bike For Three album, which I enjoyed a lot.

Key track: "Full Moon"

#27: Antemasque - "Antemasque"

The reunion of Cedric Bixlar-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez Lopez sounds a lot more like At The Drive In than The Mars Volta, but is still a nice middle ground in between those 2 group's sounds.

Key track: "Drown All Your Witches"

#26: Boylan - "BOYLAN ITZ 2k14 ITS TIME FOR SOME BOYLAN"

This is a super fun EP. These songs make me smile and put me in a good mood.

I can't find any links for individual songs, but you can listen to and purchase the album here.

#25: Silk Rhodes - "Silk Rhodes"

This was a nice surprise from a new artist on Stones Throw. This almost sounds like a demo tape, but like the best possible one you could hear. Very raw and low budget but still extremely listenable. Reminds me of Mayer Hawthorne, D'Angelo, and Cody Chesnutt, if that makes sense to you.

Key track: "Pains"

#24: Traxman - "The Unforgiving"

This EP really grew on me over the course of the year and kind of stood out a little within all of his releases.

Key track: "Tha Unforgiving"

#23: Ras G - "Raw Fruit Vol. 3"

I think this series just keeps getting better with each volume, and this is probably my favorite of all the series' he has going on now.

Key track" "2 Kushy"

#22: Mac DeMarco - "Salad Days"

This is a really solid rock album from a new and unique voice.

Key track: "Passing Out Pieces"

#21: The Acacia Strain - "Coma Witch"

Probably my favorite album so far from this metal band.

Key track: "Cauterizer"

Best Of 2014: #40-31

#40: The Melvins - "Hold It In"

This is probably their best album since 2008's "Nude Boots" to me. 

Key track: "Bride Of Crankenstein"

#39: Ras G - "Raw Fruit Vol. 2"

He put out a flurry of releases last year and shows no signs of slowing up. I love his psychedelic take on beatmaking.

Key track: "Altered States (SP 404)"

#38: Hail Mary Mallon - "Bestiary"

This is a fun album from the duo of Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic. I prefer it to their first album together.

Key track: "4AM"

#37: Culprate - "Deliverance"

Really impressive album from someone who had previously only been thought of as a dubstep artist, but has now escalated himself into Amon Tobin-esque territories.

Key track: "Acid Rain" 

#36: Traxman - "Slash Time"

He is another artist who put out a flurry of releases last year, all of which were good.

Key track: "Da Best Thing I Can Affar"

#35: Primus - "Primus & The Chocolate Factory with The Fungi Ensemble"

Les Claypool makes these Willy Wonka covers work, and Tim Alexander doing all the drums on household items takes this to the next level. This album makes me happy.

Key track: "Candy Man"

#34: Milo - "A Toothpaste Suburb"

This is another album that just makes me happy. His monotone raps are comforting to me.

Key track: "Salladhor Saan, Smuggler"

#33: Serengeti - "Kenny Dennis III"

Kenny Dennis is like his weirdo, comedy rap, alter-ego, and I always enjoy these releases. Having Odd Nosdam do the beats doesn't hurt either.

Key track: "No Beginner"

#32: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - "Pinata"

I think the general public was more surprised at how dope this album is than I was. I knew Freddie Gibbs was a dope rapper and Madlib is a borderline obsession for me, so it was a no-brainer.

Key track: "Shame"

#31: Ras G - "Down 2 Earth Vol. 2 (The Standard Bap Edition)"

This is his most "normal" release. I would recommend this one to people new to him and wanting to hear one album first.

Key track: "Love & Peace / Polo Jacket & Dashiki"

Best Of 2014: #50-41

#50: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - "Give The People What They Want"

I don't think this is her best album, but it's still a damn good one. It's awesome that she was able to bounce back from cancer to promote and tour this album. She's a soldier for sure. 

Key track: "Retreat"

#49: D'Angelo & The Vanguard - "Black Messiah"

He snuck this out at the end of the year, and I haven't had enough time to fully process it, but I like what I hear. It's not a phenomenal, classic LP, but it is a triumphant return, and it's good to hear his voice again.

Key track: "Really Love"

#48: Jason Webley & Friends - "Margaret"

Pretty much the same story as D'Angelo, above. A December release that I enjoy, but haven't had enough time to process fully, and someone who hasn't been heard from in a while. I really like all the collaborators on this album, especially Eliza Rickman, who's voice sounds really superb.

Only live versions of the songs are on youtube, but you can listen to and purchase the album here.

#47: Weird Al Yankovic - "Mandatory Fun"

I think this is probably the most solid album of his career, and I definitely didn't see that coming.

Key track: "Foil"

#46: King Buzzo - "The Machine Kills Artists"

When I heard he was coming out with a solo acoustic LP, I was kinda 'meh' about the whole idea, but he definitely pulled it off with flying colors.

Key track: "Drunken Baby"

#45: Sebastien Tellier - "L'Aventura"

This album is beautifully produced. So much so, that I don't even mind that the lyrics are mostly in French. Definitely for fans of Air.

Key track: "Love"

#44: Thee Oh Sees - "Drop"

Yes, this album was a bit of a letdown after "Floating Coffin" and the "Moon Sick" EP, but it's still Thee Oh Sees, which means it's still awesome.

Key track: "The Lens"

#43: Crowbar - "Symmetry In Black"

Very solid and well-rounded, hard rock album. 

Key track: "Symmetry In White"

#42: Buck 65 - "Laundromat Boogie"

He put out this underground album around the same time as he put out his major release, "Neverlove". It's all some nice retro, dj oriented, upbeat, boom bappy production, with him doing comedy raps that are basically sexual innuendos using laundry terms.

Key track: "A Million Little Pieces"

#41: DJ Shadow - "The Liquid Amber EP"

A couple new songs from him where it seems like he's been slightly influenced by footwork, and then a Machinedrum remix of "Six Days"? Yes, please.

Key track: "Ghost Town"