10 of My Favorite Albums of 2014!

This year, I thought I'd scale back my list and only select 10 of my favorite albums- a bit easier? As if! Wishful thinking. As I began to recollect the year in music, I realized I had enjoyed far more than I thought. Narrowing down this list to 10 proved to be extremely challenging. I choose to not call this grouping "the best" albums of the year because I have not had the pleasure of listening to everything that was released- who has and where do they find the time, money and capabilities?! Furthermore, who am I to say that one piece of music is "better" than something else? How could you even begin to rank and compare within multiple genres? I'm sure that I'm forgetting many wonderful artists and there are plenty of others who I have not yet even discovered. In no particular order, this is simply 10 albums that I personally loved in 2014, accompanied with my favorite tracks, as well as a lengthy list of honorable mentions...

Jack White, Lazaretto.
Released: June 2014
Tracks:
1) Three Women
2) Lazaretto
4) Would You Fight For My Love?
9) That Black Bat Licorice

Lana Del Rey, Ultraviolence.
Released: June 2014
Tracks:
1) Cruel World
4) Brooklyn Baby
5) West Coast
6) Sad Girl
8) Money Power Glory
10) Old Money

Gardens & Villa, Dunes.
Released: February 2014
Tracks:
1) Domino
3) Bullet Train
5) Echosassy
6) Purple Mesas

Jungle, Jungle.
Released: July 2014
Tracks:
1) The Heat
3) Busy Earnin'
4) Platoon
5) Drops
6) Time

Benjamin Booker, Benjamin Booker.
Released: August 2014
Tracks:
1) Violent Shiver
4) Slow Coming
7) Spoon Out My Eyeballs
9) I Thought I Heard You Screaming
11) Kids Never Grow Older
12) By The Evening

Sam Smith, In The Lonely Hour.
Released: June 2014
Tracks:
1) Money On My Mind
3) Stay With Me
5) I'm Not the Only One
12) Latch (Acoustic)

Angel Olsen, Burn Your Fire For No Witness.
Released: February 2014
Tracks:
1) Unfucktheworld
4) White Fire
8) Iota
9) Dance Slow Decades

Wake Owl, The Private World of Paradise.
Released: March 2014
Tracks:
2) Candy
3) Letters
6) Buffalo
7) Oh Baby
8) Madness of Others

Timber Timbre, Hot Dreams.
Released: April 2014
Tracks:
2) Hot Dreams
3) Curtains!?
9) Run from Me

Future Islands, Singles.
Released: March 2014
Tracks:
1) Seasons (Waiting On You)
5) Back In The Tall Grass
6) A Song for Our Grandfathers
8) Like The Moon
9) Fall From Grace
10) A Dream of You and Me




HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Ariana Grande, My Everything.
• Bahamas, Bahamas Is Afie.
• Vance Joy, Dream Your Life Away.
• Curtis Harding, Soul Power.
• James Vincent McMorrow, Post Tropical.
• Beck, Morning Phase.
• Perfume Genius, Too Bright.
• Alt-J, This Is All Yours.
• Sylvan Esso, Sylvan Esso.
• Paolo Nutini, Caustic Love.
• Foxygen, ... And Star Power.
• Jessie Ware, Tough Love.
• Hozier, Hozier.
• Chet Faker, Built on Glass.
• The War on Drugs, Lost in the Dream.

Can't wait to hear what 2015 has to offer!