Tge's Top 10 Albums Of 2014


Kategorie: The Great Escape
geschrieben von: The Great Escape geschrieben am: 22.12.2014 um: 12:14 Uhr

The time of the year for the best-of lists is upon us and there's no doubt that 2014 has been an excellent year for new music. A collection of high standard LP's have given us hours of pleasurable listening. From alt -J or Mac DeMarco to a number of outstanding debut albums such as Alvvays or Kate Tempest. We have now made a selection of our most favoured and approved albums (in no particular order). Scroll down and see what's been frequented on the stereo at TGE's HQ and don't forget to tweet us with your own selections @thegreatescape

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Royal Blood - "Royal Blood"
Genres: Alternative, Rock, Indie Rock
Released: 25 August 2014
Label: Warner Bros Records
The sheer energy of Royal Blood's punch packing debut is what really sets it apart. Relentlessly powerful, the band being only a duo doesn't seem to diminish their sound in any way shape or form - loud scuzzy riffs take centre stage, alongside Mike Kerr's swaggering vocal, at times forceful, at others more vulnerable and emotion heavy, the variety only adding to the depth of this hugely confident album. Lead single, "Figure It Out' is insanely catchy, with its rolling, crescendetic riffs making it guaranteed to rile up an audience live. Nominated for this year's Mercury Prize, we're sure it won't be long before these boys are playing this arena-worthy album on the huge scale their sound could fill with ease.

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Kate Tempest - "Everybody Down"
Genres: Hip-hop, Spoken word, Indie
Released: 16 May 2014
Label: Big Dada
London based poet/rapper Kate Tempest's arresting narrative debut is difficult to put labels on: whilst in its most basic form, it's a rap album, the narrative she weaves, full of vivid imagery and characters is set to be further explored in her debut novel, out next year. Her experimentation with form only makes her sound and story more interesting; parts of the album form almost conversational interludes, without an underpinning beat, before launching back into some fierce MCing, the contrast only drawing us in further. The story itself is gripping and intriguing enough that it's easy to pay attention, even without the rhythmic intricacy of Tempest's telling, painting a hugely pertinent vision of society and character. The above only touches on the album's intricacies; just for her innovation and directness, "Everybody Down' is well worth its spot on this list.

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Future Islands - "Singles"
Genres: Indie pop, Synthpop
Released: 24 March 2014
Label: 4aD
Lying relatively undiscovered until this year, a quick glance through the Future Islands back catalogue is enough to assure us that that the band have simply been lying in wait for their moment. The Baltimore quartet's vast synthpop is something one can get lost in, with the contrast between the polish of the synth and the rawness of the at times almost gravelly vocal is part of what makes the band so captivating. Live the album only gets better, with the sheer emotional power and physicality of front man Samuel T Herring piling more on top of what's already a sound packed with energy. Future Islands, although most of us might not have known it until Singles, we've been waiting on you too.

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Young Fathers - "DEAD"
Genres: Alternative, Hip-hop
Released: 4 February 2014
Label: Big Dada
Scooping this year's Mercury Prize, Scottish trio Young Fathers' genre bending innovation has paid off. A flavor of the variation can be seen from the start of first track "NO WAY': it opens with ululations, a beat almost mimetic of tribal drumming, and when set to this background and rapping that seems incantation-like before seguing into a vocal more soaring for the chorus, which wouldn't seem inappropriate in an arena setting. The diverse influences continue throughout the album, we get smooth soul vocals, synthy beats, and reggae sounds: all of which somehow gels together to make an album that doesn't seem disparate in the slightest. Here's hoping the band continue to be just as commanding, relentless and exciting as the beat of lead single "GET UP'.

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Temples - "Sun Structures"
Genres: Indie rock, psychedelic rock
Released: 5 February 2014
Label: Heavenly
The clue's in the name: Temples' glorious psych-pop, is deliciously sunshiney and infectiously immersive. The album seems coated in a layer of hazy golden glow, but doesn't lack energy for its fuzziness around the edges - while slower tracks like "Move with the Seasons' are shimmeringly languorous, others (particularly "Mesmerise' and "Sun Structures') propel themselves forward over a bass line that pleasantly pulls the listener into the band's mellow dreamworld. The lazily driving bass, jangle of glittery synth, and vocalist James Bagshaw's inviting croon work to create a benignly kaleidoscopic daze that will leave you feeling like you're in another place.

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Alvvays -'Alvvays"
Genres: Indie rock, Surf pop, Lo fi
Released: 22 July 2014
Label: Polyvinyl
Indie pop quintet Alvvays' debut album is jangly, daydreamy, and full of catchy hooks that really do stick around: the brazen chorus of lead single "Archie, Marry Me', (just named DIY's song of the year) is the sort you find yourself humming under your breath having had it in your head all day. Their upbeat tracks, epitomized in the impossibly infectious "Next of Kin' are the kind of stuff that gets you bouncing about in your seat without you realizing it, but the album's more than just a sugary, delightful romp; the more dreamy side of things takes over in the form of fuzzy ballad, "Ones Who Love You' and the tender entreaty of "Party Police', the whole album proving lyrically intricate to boot too. Alvvays, we're ones who love you.

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Jungle - "Jungle'
Genres: Indie, Modern Soul
Released: 14 July 2014
Label: XL Recordings
Bursting onto the scene with the shimmery soul of single "The Heat' in 2013, Jungle's debut album hasn't disappointed. It's gloriously synthy in places, attitude packed in others, alternating between washing over you and bringing you into the moment to get up on your feet and move. The catchy swagger of "Busy Earnin', with its winning combination of falsetto, a hook that sounds brass band worthy, and glittery runs of synth, makes for thoroughly modern funk. In contrast, the less driving tracks such as the psychedelic "Drops' are ones to put on as you wind down from the party. The sound's textural complexity, coupled with its sheer infectiousness is what makes Jungle so special.

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alt -J - 'This Is All Yours"
Genres: Indie pop, electronica, Indie rock
Released: 22 September 2014
Label: Infectious Records
After taking the world by storm with debut "An Awesome Wave", alt-J's sophomore album, "This is All Yours', did more than pick up exactly where we'd left off. Instantly recognizable from Joe Newman's distinctive vocals, and the experimental sound, alt-J has pushed their boundaries even further, both conceptually and sonically: the influences on this album are diverse, we range from the Japanese city of Nara, to Miley Cyrus samples on the ethereal "Hunger of the Pine", with the tranquility of "Choice Kingdom" sounding almost hymn-like in places. With so many subtle nuances, this is an album you'll take something new out of every time.

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Mac DeMarco - "Salad Days"
Genres: Indie pop, Psychedelic pop
Released: 1 April 2014
Label: Captured Tracks
Mac DeMarco's sound is deliriously delicious - vocals somehow light and gloopy at the same time, coupled with jangly, psychedelic guitar and the lustre of synth make for something a little spaced out yet, simultaneously quite direct. The iridescent lethargy of "Chamber of Reflection' is one to wander around in a daze to, with the woozy scuzz of tracks like "Blue Boy' echoing the moochy yet magnetic nonchalance the multi-instrumentalist is known for. Although a little world-wearier than his previous offerings and dishing out the advice that comes with it, the added melancholy doesn't come as a bad thing, making the sound more mature and developed. DeMarco's brand of distinctive slacker rock is one to come back to again and again.

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Ballet School - "The Dew Lasts An Hour"
Genres: Indie pop, electronic, alternative pop
Released: 11 September 2014
Label: Bella Union
The debut album from Ballet School is a catchy synth-pop offering that wouldn't have felt out of place in the eighties, but still seems incredibly relevant today. The romantic idealism of "Cherish' is mimicked in the shimmery dreampop sound, the triumph of emotion a theme running through the album from the unwavering, propelling beat of "Heartbeat Overdrive' to the more urgent rocky edge of "Pale Saint'. Rosie Blair's vocal is soaring yet still slightly raw and breathy in places, only elevated by its juxtaposition with the celestial glow of the synth. It's easy to just let Ballet School sweep you away into their glittering realm.


Words by Eleanor Weinel

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