Last week we kicked off our Top 50 Albums of 2014 countdown with the first 9 albums, which included entries from Future Islands, Pulled Apart by Horses and Caribou. Today, the list continues as we bring you the next set of 9 albums. Read on to find out who charted in between 40 and 31.
40. JAMIE T – CARRY ON THE GRUDGE
Lo and behold, Jamie T is back! The moment that hundreds of thousands of British music fans had waited so long for happened earlier this year when cult hero Jamie T made his return almost out of the blue. Carry on the Grudge is more subdued than previous efforts, but is still filled with plenty of emotion and melancholy to show us that Jamie’s been hard at work these last years. Upbeat single Zombie is one of 2014’s happiest songs and will surely be a live favourite for quite some time.
Best Song: Zombie
7/10
39. METRONOMY – LOVE LETTERS
Joe Mount’s Metronomy are no strangers to releasing classic albums. Their Mercury Award winning record The English Riviera has become a favourite of music fans nationwide, with The Look and The Bay both becoming pure festival anthems. On follow-up record Love Letters, Metronomy only just manage to maintain The English Riviera’s momentum in a record which is by far more subdued and downbeat than its predecessor. Having said that, the title track is one of the best songs of 2014, especially when it’s performed live with full-on funk ferocity.
Best Song: Love Letters
7/10
38. AC/DC – ROCK OR BUST
What we said: AC/DC’s latest studio album has proven to be a success. Ok, we know that it’s nothing special, but what else do you expect from AC/DC? We’d all be complaining to high hell if they (god forbid) pulled out a keyboard or collaborated with Avicii, so why should we complain if they’re sticking to what they do best? 2014 has been a good year, with Brian Johnson putting it quite nicely on the title track. “In what we trust, it’s rock or bust”…
Best song: Play Ball
7/10
37. PIXIES – INDIE CINDY
The last year or so saw Pixies release various new EPs of new music, all of which were eventually collected and placed on new album Indie Cindy. As with many records down this end of the list, Indie Cindy loses focus a few songs in, with the early highlight coming in the form of Ring the Bell. Bands like Pixies may clearly be past their prime, but they’re never going to achieve the successes they achieved with Where is My Mind? and Monkey Gone to Heaven.
Best Song: Ring the Bell
7/10
36. EAGULLS – EAGULLS
Take a group of disgruntled Northeners, give them instruments and plenty of reasons to be angry. That’s basically Eagulls’ debut album in a nutshell. A collection of hardcore punk songs with ounces of anger and frustration courtesy of vocalist George Mitchell’s scrawny howls. Bands like Eagulls are keeping the DIY scene alive with their brand of anger-led rock, with the likes of Bad Breeding following in their footsteps.
Best Song: Possessed
7/10
35. ST VINCENT – ST VINCENT
Annie Clark is an interesting character. One minute she’s singing Nirvana songs with the grunge legends’ surviving members, and the next she’s crawling across the floor on Jools Holland’s studio floor. If she’s not doing that, she’s probably busy absolutely ripping apart a festival crowd with her tight live shows and crazy antics. A lot of this energy is seen here on her self-titled album, with the attitude-filled Digital Witness a clear standout.
Best Song: Digital Witness
7/10
34. CHILDHOOD – LACUNA
What we said: Sure, there are plenty of high points on the album which point towards Childhood being an extremely exciting band but, as with many debut albums, it’s still quite rough around the edges in places, with a few too many predictable elements being everpresent. On the whole, though, an exciting album by an equally exciting band.
Best song: Solemn Skies
7/10
33. WE ARE THE IN CROWD – WEIRD KIDS
What we said: Weird Kids is a record which, despite all its predictable formulas and lyrics, will go down as one of the best pop punk albums in recent time. If this band continues the way they are (despite having the potential to try out loads of different styles) right now, they may well be finding themselves in the big leagues of pop punk alongside acts such as All Time Low, Blink-182 and early Green Day.
Best song: The Best Thing (That Never Happened)
7/10
32. BLOOD RED SHOES – BLOOD RED SHOES
Brighton’s electric duo of Laura and Steve sure showed us their knowledge of good old distortion rock on their self-titled fourth album. The dance-punk of An Animal and The Perfect Mess’ catchy riff are both indicators that Blood Red Shoes are showing no signs of stopping. Their live show is equally exciting, making them one name worth seeing if you have the chance to.
Best Song: An Animal
7/10
31. ARCHITECTS – LOST TOGETHER // LOST FOREVER
What we said: As hardcore albums go, Architects seem to have just created one hell of a masterpiece. If this is anything to go by, the future will be very exciting for Brighton four-piece.
Best song: Youth Is Wasted on the Young
7/10
Our countdown continues next week.
