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Your Top Ten Albums of 2014


Main Pop Girl

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I'm pretty sure we won't be getting any surprise releases on the last day of 2014 so I've decided to finally post my list of my personal top ten favourite albums of 2014! I've included a few honourable mentions at the end as well for things which I loved but didn't quite make the list. Feel free to post your own list so we can check out any new artists you may have spotted!

<3

10. David Guetta - Listen

I wasn't really sure what to put here so I just put an album I'd listened to a bit in the past year. :stretcher: This isn't an amazing album by any means but there's a lot of fun jams on there and some of my favourite artists like Bebe, Nicki and Sia are on there so I can't complain!

9. Taylor Swift - 1989

Honestly, I don't get all the hype around this album. :stretcher: I think it's pretty generic, if fun, pop music with honestly quite bland lyrics. But there are a few standouts, like 'Out of The Woods', and a few fun bubblegum tracks like 'All You Had To Do Was Stay' which I really like.

8. Nicole Scherzinger - Big Fat Lie

This is another one where there's a few standout tracks which I love, and a lot of filler tracks which are just decent to me. That said, I love the risks that Nicole took on this album and even on the filler tracks the sounds are really interesting and unique so I kinda love it!

7. Danity Kane - DK3

This is kind of a sad one because this group had so much potential but just kind of went nowhere with their comeback. :'( All of the tracks on here are real gems and I just wish we'd gotten a full era with proper promo and a full album from them! Praying for a comeback rn. :(

6. Mariah Carey - Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse

As much shade as I love to throw at this album, I surprisingly really enjoy it! There's a nice blend of genres on there from disco to gospel to R&B but all the tracks are solid imo. I'm not even a huge fan of Mariah but I've gotta give her props for this one! I just wish the promo had been more on point and her voice was what it used to be back in the 90s.

5. Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear

For me, this album is a perfect blend of indie and pop. It has some insanely catchy melodies, some incredible vocals and some provocative and interesting lyrics. I do feel like Sia was calling in sick a bit on this one, just because I know she's capable of songs like 'Breathe Me', but I still think this album is pretty amazing and I'm so glad she released it for us.

4. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

Tbh, I did really like a lot of the songs when this first came out, but none of them have had much staying power for me. :'( The only ones I really listen to anymore are 'Brooklyn Baby', 'The Other Woman' and 'Old Money' which is kind of a shame because I feel like the lyrics on this are all good but the production is a little lacking. Like I said tho, I did love this when it first came out which is why it's so high up!

3. Nicki Minaj - The Pinkprint

I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this album tbh...I think as a cohesive project it's probably better than Nicki's last, but I don't really care for the individual songs as much as I did on PF:RR. :( I do think it's a lot more personal than her older stuff but I also feel like she's a little exhausted and dispassionate about this era so I can't say I love it. It is still a pretty solid album tho and her raps on some of these songs are great

2. Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Cheek To Cheek

Of course I'm a total Gaga stan, so I'm gonna love pretty much anything she releases, but this album really grew on me after a while! Even though I still feel like some of the tracks are a little short, the fact that there are nineteen tracks on there kind of makes up for it. Gaga's voice is better than ever here and 'Lush Life' is one of my favourite songs she's recorded!

1. Leighton Meester - Heartstrings

In some ways this album was a huge shock because it came totally out of nowhere and I wasn't expecting the sound at all! I absolutely adore it though, every song flows beautifully and the album as a whole is completely cohesive and gorgeous. It definitely deserves to be album of the year for me - my only complaint is that I wish it was longer or that we already had a follow up to listen to!

Honourable Mentions:

Charli XCX - Sucker

Tbh, the only reason I didn't include this in my list is because I've listened to the singles a heap but I've only heard all of the album tracks like once. I'm sure when I get around to it I'll love it tho!

K.I.D - K.I.D

This hasn't been officially released and I guess it's technically an EP, so I didn't include it in my list. But I love pretty much all the songs on it and there's a couple of real standouts there!

Madonna - Rebel Heart

I'm not sure we can really classify this as an album yet, but all the pre-order tracks we've heard so far have been amazing imo! They've been some of my favourite tracks of the year and I can already tell I'm gonna love the full album.

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I honestly couldn't think of any albums at first that were from 2014 because I've been listening to a lot of 'new to me' albums lately, so I'm basing my list on my iTunes play count of 2014 albums since I couldn't ever possibly make a list without it!

10. Within Temptation - Hydra

This is by far my least favorite Within Temptation album, but I'm adding it to the list because Paradise (What About Us?) feat. Tarja from Nightwish is one of my most played songs of the year. I also enjoyed their Summertime Sadness cover, though, it doesn't nearly compare to Lana's version.

9. MØ - No Mythologies To Follow

I actually didn't like this album much when it came out, but in the past few months it's grown on me a lot. The highlights for me are Never Wanna Know, Don't Wanna Dance, Dust Is Gone (Night Version)

8. Lily Allen - Sheezus

This would've definitely been top 5 if my favs didn't release albums this year. I loved Sheezus, L8 CMMR, Wind Your Neck In, Our Time, Take My Place, Hard Out Here and Miserable Without Your Love.

7. Nina Nesbitt - Peroxide

Nina is my fav flop! I've been hoping for this album since 2012 and she totally delivered with this one. It's probably because I'm biased towards her, but there aren't any bad songs on the album. I've listened to the album at least once a week since it came out in February and it still hasn't gotten old.  :hail:

6. Arch Enemy - War Eternal

This is hands down Arch Enemy's best album! This album got a lot of shit because of line up changes, after around 16 years, the former lead singer, Angela, quit the band due to issues with the manager, but Alissa has bought so much locally to this band. I love their cover of Judas Priest's Breaking The Law and their demos, which I found more likable (but not not better) than the album versions. This album turn me back on to Arch Enemy, whom, in my opinion, hadn't released a great album since 2003's Anthems Of Rebellion I am so excited to see what their next album will be like, which is rumored to be released in 2016!

5. Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Cheek To Cheek

How could I not put this on my list? Aanything Goes in my current ring tone, Nature Boy is on my morning playlist and literally every song on this album is executed perfectly. Although it's not Gaga's best work, it's good to know that she made an album she loved and had fun with.

4. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

I can not describe enough how much I love this album! Every song from Cruel World to the bonus tracks are absolutely perfect. The only reason I didn't put it at #1 was because the next 3 albums surpassed Lana in plays this year.

3. Jack White - Lazaretto

How could I not put the bae on here? Everything Jack White does is perfect! Alone In My Home is my most played track of the year with 1,313 plays on my iTunes alone, Lorde knows how many times I've listened to it if you include iPod plays :stretcher: I actually didn't have much hope for the album because Blunderbuss was so great that I thought he couldn't pull off another great album within a two year period, but Jack proved me wrong! I recommend everyone listen to this album NOW. If you hate it, you can't sit with us!

2. The Veronicas - The Veronicas

THE COME BACK OF THE GODS!!!  :excited:  :hail:  :excited:  :hail:  :excited:  :hail:

Seven years, it took SEVEN YEARS for The Veronicas to release a new album! Well, the wait was worth it. I've listened to this album every morning the past month and I'm sure I'll be listening to it every morning in 2015 as well. My favorite part of the album album was hearing "I'm A Veronica" in the beginning of Did You Miss Me?. Highlights are - Let Me Out, More Like Me, Born Bob Dylan, Did You Miss Me, Always, You Ruin Me and Sanctified.

1. Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter

Okay, I'm not even that big of a Slipknot fan. Up until this year, the only song I really loved by them was Snuff and there were a handful of songs I'd occasionally listen to. Then, they dropped this album. For me to call any album 'one of the greatest rock or metal album of all time' says a lot. That title is persevered for only the best of the best, but this year, Slipknot topped them all. Every metal & rock album I've ever listened to in my life doesn't compare to The Gray Chapter, not even albums by Hole! The album itself feels like a journey through their darkest paths. This isn't a pretty album, in fact, it's quite painful to listen to. The first few times I listened to it I just laid in my bed and cried. The lyrics rip open scars you thought had faded, the instrumentals transform you to another place in time, you leave this album feeling a sense of emptiness within yourself while simultaneously feeling your life, and theirs, coming full circle. This album is heavy, both lyrically, spiritually and musically. It will be hard for them, or any band, to top this album the next few years.

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I hate rating things against one another, so I'll just do a dump of 20 of my favorite albums this year here. No blurbs, just albums. o:-)

Bad Suns - Language & Perspective

Lykke Li - I Never Learn

Paloma Faith - A Perfect Contradiction

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

Oh Land - Earth Sick

Queen of Hearts - Cocoon

Lo-Fang - Blue Film

Foxes - Glorious

Kylie Minogue - Kiss Me Once

Bright Light Bright Light - Life Is Easy

La Roux - Trouble In Paradise

Alexandra Stan - Unlocked

Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste

Iggy Azalea - The New Classic

Mapei - Hey Hey

iamamiwhoami - BLUE

MØ - No Mythologies To Follow

Cheryl Tweedy-Cole-Fernandez-Versini - Only Human

Karmin - Pulses

Tove Lo - Queen of The Clouds

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I fucked up and deleted my post before finishing so here is my list, no blurbs (OK a little).

10. Betty Who - Take Me When You Go

9. Lilly Allen - Sheezus

8. Taylor Swift - 1989

7. Nicki Minaj - The Pink Print

6. Christina Perri - Head Or Heart

5. Kiesza - Sounds Of A Woman

4. Kylie Minogue - Kiss Me Once

3. Azealia Banks - Broke With A Expensive Taste

Good album but sadly from such a twat,

2. Cheek To Cheek - Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet

This album was a blast to record because you can hear it in their voices, and it takes over the listener as well.

1. Porter Robinson - Worlds

A experimental EDM record that takes you on a adventure of joy, sadness, pride, beauty and awe, something that most albums can not do, this album is worth a listen, even for those who cringe at electronic music because it is not what we have come to expect from the genre, and from music as a whole. A album that takes cues from Zelda, old school EDM, new EDM, Pop, Rock and more sounds like a lot but try it out and see for yourself just how amazing this album is.

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10. Queen of The Clouds - Tove Lo

9. Sheezus - Lily Allen (honestly, I forget about this more than anything else)

8. Reclassified/The New Classic - Iggy Azaelia

7. X - Ed Sheeran

6. Sucker - Charli XCX

5. Evergreen - Broods (this one is great, ughhh <333 )

4. No Mythologies To Follow - Mø

3. Goddess - BANKS

2. The Pinkprint - Nicki Minaj

1. Ultraviolence - Lana Del Rey 

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10. Mick Jenkins - The [W]aters

9. Common - Nobody's Smiling

8. Queen of the Clouds - Tove Lo

7. Wonder Where We Land - SBTRKT

6. Childish Gambino - STN MTN/ Kauai Mixtape

5. Logic - Under Pressure

4. Honey Cocaine - Like A Drug

3. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

2. Jhene Aiko - Souled Out

1. Nicki Minaj - The Pinkprint

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Loving all of these album choices! ;) Definitely going to check out a couple of these albums I haven't heard yet.

Who's K.I.D?

http://www.whothehelliskid.com/

I like them! Is that their only song?

Oh, I guess they removed the download to their mixtape. Weird.

Yeah, they did. :stretcher: My friend was managing them for a little while there but they have a new promo company now who took down the mixtape and is planning on releasing it later this year. I also wrote a whole article for them for a press kit which I've posted to the blog now. :'(

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