Best EPs of 2014

As I was writing my Best Albums of 2014 post I realized there were a bunch of EPs that came out that I really liked and wanted to share. I couldn't put them in the best album post so I needed to come up with a new list. So I did. Because it's my blog and I do what I want.
Typically releasing an EP means there are bigger things to come from that artist, so I want everyone to keep their eyes peeled (what a gross expression) for all of these people in 2015. I'm so excited for things to come and I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a hard year for my bank account.

5. George Maple - Vacant Space

I remember browsing the Spotify New Music of the Week playlist (which, sidenote, is really awesome and you can really find some gems every Tuesday) and was instantly caught up in George Maple's music. This is right up my alley. She's a mix of soul and electronic? Very vibe-y sexy dark lovely music. The kind of music you can picture listening to in a dark smoky jazz-club place...you know the type...the only lighting is that tiny tealight candle on your table and you stumble over at least 12 people on the way to the bathroom. Again, I'm not the best at describing things so the best thing to do would be to listen for yourself. (iTunes)

4. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait

This album is killer. I really don't know what else to say. Vince Staples is an insanely good rapper and this album has such good production value from beginning to end. I first heard about Vince Staples from his feature on Earl Sweatshirt's album and his solo album is such a good transition from his featuring stuff. It still has that sort of dark sound that a lot of Odd Future stuff has, but it's his own sound and is something really refreshing I haven't heard before. I swear I've had the song 65 Hunnid stuck in my head since October. (iTunes)

3. To Kill A King - Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Whatever new things To Kill A King are doing is really working for them. It feels like the perfect next step for this group and I'm very excited for their sophomore album (due in 2015). If you don't know To Kill A King, they are sort of a rock/pop group with very distinct vocals from frontman Ralph Pellymounter. Their songs tell great stories and within a single song can go from something incredibly simple and sweet sounding to a really epic and profound sound. They really are masters of building up a song from beginning to end, which also makes for an incredible live show. This EP is an awesome collection of a wide variety of driving songs and I encourage everyone to give it a listen. (iTunes)

2. Charlotte OC - Strange

This EP only has four songs but they are four incredible songs. Talk about great vocals. I'm sort of obsessed with her voice and I can't rave about her sound enough. It's this mix of soulful folky music with like a darker electronic element to it? Very modern 70s? Is that a thing? I honestly have no idea how to even describe this but it's well-worth a listen. Can I just freak out for a minute about how excited I am that she has been announced for SXSW? See you in Austin, Charlotte. (iTunes)

1. Låpsley - Monday (and other things)

Alright. Where do I even begin? Låpsley is by far my favorite artist I have heard in 2014. I can't even express enough how much I love her music. I heard the song Station and then listened to it another hundred times, and still can't get over how good it is. The Monday EP doesn't have Station on it, but I'm just going to basically say that you should download everything that she has ever come out with ever. Have I raved about her music enough? No. Absolutely not. I could talk about it forever. If you like that sort of deep house electronic vibe-tastic sound like I do, this is a must. Her Understudy EP is due out in like...two days...and I must have it. You must have it. We all must have it. (iTunes)

Best Albums of 2014

Here it is.
Yet again, I'm posting my ~*opinions*~ on the internet, and it's terrifying. Should I put a disclaimer right up front? Sure. I just want to make sure everyone understands that something I might consider "good", isn't necessarily what you might think is good. WOW. What a concept. People like different things.
With that being said, I'm going to string together a top 10 of 2014. I did this last year and frankly, that list is better. For some reason I'm feeling that the music this year is very blah and I'm not sure why. I feel like everything in 2014 was either very artistic, and conceptual, or on the opposite end of the spectrum and very pop and radio-play driven. It's all great music, I just feel different about things this year. We'll see what you guys think.

Top 10 Albums of 2014

10. Iggy Azalea - The New Classic

I could literally hear 80% of you clicking out of this blog post as soon as you read this choice - LET ME EXPLAIN. I honestly don't understand the hatred that is being aimed at Iggy Azalea lately. Yes, I've listened to everyone's ~*opinions*~ (there's that word again) and I can see the validity I suppose but to me, she's just doing her thing. If we are going to condemn every artist for taking influence from another music style then we should just push everyone and their dog off a bridge. I think she's talented, yes, she's drawn from other people and styles, but she has worked hard for a really long time (she's been around for a while y'all) and I love her album. She genuinely is a really good rapper, it's full of fun and interesting songs and the variety is really great.
Favorite Track: New Bitch

9. Jessie Ware - Tough Love

I've been a fan of Jessie Ware for a really long time so I was excited to hear she was coming out with a new album after 2012's Devotion.  She's a wonderful vocalist with a soft and expressive sound and this album really showcases her range. It's a great mix of ballads, electronic, r&b, something else and something else. I honestly don't know. I think we've established I'm not the best at describing music (good thing I have a music blog). It's sort of like Adele, but if Adele was floating through a cloud.
Favorite Track: Cruel

8. Passenger - Whispers

My love for Passenger knows no bounds. Before even discussing the great music on this album, we need to address the album design and art. It's gorgeous. This is one of the most beautiful albums I own, with the case resembling a children's book. It has a cute little pop-up scene and beautiful artwork throughout. Just a sidenote, but this is the kind of thing that is keeping physical music alive. If you're a fan of singer-songwriter-type music, this is sort of as good as it gets. The lyrics are amazing and each one of the songs tells a very vivid story. Truly a concept album.
Favorite Track: Scare Away the Dark

7. St. Vincent - St. Vincent

Annie Clark is owning everything with this album. She's amazing and her album is amazing and everything is amazing. She's the kind of musician that has it all and can do everything and anything and this album is so representative of that. The sound and melodies are very eclectic/pop/electronic but the concept is so much more complex. It's one of those art-type-albums I try to understand, really can't completely, but totally enjoy to regardless. Catchy, fun, and intelligent music.
Favorite Track: Digital Witness

6. Taylor Swift - 1989

Here it is. I don't even know what to say. It's a good pop album. A lot of the lyrics are dumb, but hey, it's still good. I don't know. I think that's it. If you want to listen to it, I'm sure you already have, and there's nothing I can say that's going to change anything. This is the end of this blurb.
Favorite Track: I Know Places

5. Paolo Nutini - Caustic Love

If you're in the mood for some gritty blues type whatever, this is it. I'm so happy with this album it's ridiculous. I've always liked Paolo Nutini but this is totally the album he was meant to do, you know? Yeah. It's jazzy, bluesy, gospel-y, all-of-that-y. It feels like everything that happened with this album was really well thought out and it just works. Listen to this, immediately.
Favorite Track: One Day

4. Hozier - Hozier

You really can't escape Hozier lately. Every time I turn on the radio, Take Me To Church is playing on multiple stations and I immediately turn it off. I can't have radio ruining good music (like it always does). Although Take Me To Church has been out for a while, his self-titled album came out in 2014 and it's a stunning album that doesn't disappoint. When an artist has one song that really gets buzz, the rest of their music tends to just pass by unnoticed but I refuse to let that happen with Hozier. His album is amazing through and through and I'm just obsessed with his sound. It's all really powerful vocal-driven music and...I can't even talk about how attractive he is. I'm going to stop.
Favorite Track: From Eden

3. Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso

(Hey look another self-titled album) I completely and totally love Sylvan Esso. Their whole "band" consists of two people, and despite that their sound is so complex and complete. It's such fun music and a lot of it makes you want to get up and dance, which is rare for me, because I don't dance. At all. I had the opportunity to see them live a couple months ago and damn. Blew me away. I had so much fun and I love to see bands that sound better live than they do on their album. It's all so great. I'm glad something like this came out this year because I just love hearing something totally and uniquely new.

Favorite Track: Dress

2. Ed Sheeran - X (Multiply)

I already wrote a whole blog post reviewing this album track-by-track (Link!) so I don't know how much I can add except that this album has withstood the test of time since I wrote it. Again, like with Hozier, I refuse to listen to Ed Sheeran on the radio because I know it will ruin it. He's getting so much hype and publicity and well-deserved recognition for this album and I'm just so happy. It's a wonderful album and has a huge variety of styles and sounds that so many people can enjoy. Nothing else to say. It's just damn good. Oh yeah, and get the Deluxe Edition because there's no reason not to.

Favorite Track: Runaway or The Man

1. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

I'm not sure if I put these in an actual order but I'm probably going to say this is my favorite album of 2014. Run the Jewels are a hip hop duo from New York made up of El-P and Killer Mike and I've only recently heard about them. A friend of mine was listening to this album and I was instantly hooked. It's insanely good hip hop and is super catchy, energetic and smart. I'll be listening to this well into 2015. 

Favorite Track: Blockbuster Night Part 1

Honorable Mentions:

iamamiwhoami - BLUE

Nina Nesbitt - Peroxide

Beck - Morning Phase

FKA Twigs - LP1

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 Soundtrack Compilation Thing

Best Albums of 2013

Ok. Here's the cliche blog post for the end of December. You've all seen it before. I'm just going to dive right in and we'll see how many picks I actually end up with.


1. Foy Vance - Joy of Nothing
This is the best album of 2013. I can't say enough about it...except I already did in a separate blog post...so go read that. It's intelligent, beautiful and has the perfect amount of soul. There isn't a single flaw on this album and it's going to be one of my favorites for many many years. The gem of 2013 for sure. Go buy it already!

2. Lorde - Pure Heroine
Another album I've already yammered on about. It's brilliant. If you want to talk about the controversy surrounding Lorde as a person and musician, I don't want to hear it. This album is creative and fresh and has such a great sound. That's all you need to care about.

3. Arctic Monkeys - AM
This was probably my most anticipated album of 2013. It delivered. I think all of Arctic Monkeys' albums are stellar, and this one, like the others, doesn't disappoint. It took me a couple listens to really get into it but I think it's a really stand-out addition to their old stuff. They never really change their sound but somehow always build on whatever they've put out in the past.

4. Disclosure - Settle
Let's be honest, EDM was sort-of a joke this year. I'm still listening to my favorites from 2012 and nothing really compares to Luxury Problems by Andy Stott (will it ever?). I did, however, really enjoy this album by Disclosure. It's upbeat, creative, and throws together some really nice collabs and mixes. Impressive to say the least.

5. The Neighbourhood - I Love You.
This album really hooked me in. I've noticed it being played on the radio (with a subtle pop dance beat added...OF COURSE) and it makes me annoyed. Listen to the rest of the album. It's angsty, a bit rock, a bit pop, a bit everything. I love it.

6. Jay-Z - Magna Carta, Holy Grail
A lot of people are putting Yeezus on their list of best albums but I'm going to mix it up and put MC|HG on there. I think it's brilliant. Since I basically worship Hova I'd probably say anything he put out was brilliant but I just keep listening to this album and every song on there sounds a bit different. It's truly a diverse album while still keeping the classic Jay-Z sound. He grabbed about 8 trillion Grammy noms so we'll see what happens with that.

7. Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart
Frank Turner put out yet another stellar album. There isn't much to say about this except it screams "Frank Turner". Insanely clever lyrics and driving sound. It's all there.

8. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
I was looking forward to this album like none other. I've been a massive Arcade Fire fan for years and the hype surrounding this release was crazy. With the neon animal parties and the sparkles and the whatever else I knew it was going to be good...and it is. I really was disappointed at first, but then I found myself singing the title-track Reflektor randomly at work and jiving around. It gets stuck in and you realize how truly catchy the whole album is. ALSO, I get to finally see them live in 2014. Someone pinch me.

9. Beyoncé - Beyoncé OR Katy Perry- PRISM
In terms of pop godesses I can't decide. Miley and Britney are for sure out. They released just piece of crap garbage albums that I wish never existed. Katy Perry shocked me. Prism is a really incredible pop album with an insane amount of diversity. Dark Horse hooked me in and then I just listened to the whole thing...over and over and over and over again. Do I need to say anything about Beyoncé? Her self-titled album is amazing and the way she released it deserves an award alone.

10. Little Green Cars - Absolute Zero
After seeing them live this album really opened up to me. I was always a fan of their work but when I saw how incredibly raw and talented they are live, I really started listening to this all the way through and it's such a fresh and awesome sound. They really deserve a lot more credit than they've gotten this year. Amazing vocals.

Well look at that, I actually ended up with 10. It's like I planned it or something (I actually didn't). Of course there are plenty of songs that I want to include but not everybody can be a winner. These are truly my stand-out albums of 2013 and I think they are all complete choices with multiple good tracks on each album. They all have a very distinct idea and concept behind the albums and deserve recognition as we end the year.

Happy New Year xx