1. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream

2. Damien Jurado - Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son*

3. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There

4. Wye Oak - Shriek**

5. Real Estate - Atlas

6. Hiss Golden Messenger - Lateness of Dancers

7. Tweedy - Sukirae

8. Steve Gunn - Way Out Weather

9. The Phantom Band - Strange Friend***

10. Caribou - Our Love


* a little shocked that this is getting so little love anywhere. even the included Sisters bonus album of alternate takes of Damien singing with an all female choir is better than most things on YOUR list


** another criminally underrated album (and band). yeah, they dropped most of the guitar on this album, but no matter...Jenn's voice just kills me



*** destined to be my own personal top 10 band. lucky for me they put out LP#4 this month!




11. David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights - End Times Undone
12. Daniel Bachman - Orange Co. Serenade
13. Ryley Walker - All Kinds of You
14. Bry Webb - Free Will
15. Cold Specks - Neuroplasticity
16. S. Carey - Range of Light
17. Ought - More Than Any Other Day
18. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
19. Purling Hiss - Weirdon
20. James Yorkston - The Cellardyke Recording & Wassailing Society


honorable mentions: J Mascis; Elbow; First Aid Kit; Horse Feathers; Mogwai; Nathan Bowles; The New Basement Tapes; Ryan Adams; Spoon; Seun Kuti; Malkmus; Sun Kil Moon; Thom Yorke; Tony Allen; TV On The Radio; Budos Band; Bobby Bare Jr

EP's - roughly ordered:

Twerps - Underlay
The Weather Station - What Am I Going To Do With Everything I Know
William Tyler - Lost Colony
Ought - Once More With Feeling
Jonathan Wilson - Slide By

I used to love Damien Jurado but haven't liked anything he's put out since he started working with Richard Swift. I just hate his production. That Steve Gunn album made a lot of americana'ish lists. I gave it one listen on spotify a few weeks and it sounded decent but didn't really grab me enough to want to buy it.

I like that Steve Gunn album a good bit, especially "Wildwood", but on the whole it hasn't hit me quite like Time Off did.

I haven't been able to get into that Damien Jurado. I don't know, I guess oddly enough the only album of his that I've really been big on was Maraqopa. I still haven't really listened to most of his output, though.

I need to check out that William Tyler EP, and the Nathan Bowles album sounds interesting. Also I liked Sharon Van Etten's last album, and I really should hear this one.

Nice to see S. Carey get a mention. He wasn't on my list but I always enjoy listening to his music.

Great call on the Jurado! That album was my #7 (I may have listened to "Silver Timothy" more than any song this year, with the possible exception of a couple of tracks on the Real Estate record). Real Estate and Tweedy also made my list (#2 and #14, respectively).

I'm probably not going to make a list, but if I did this would be my #1. It's not the best album of the year or even near his best, but I listened to it more than anything else. Got to see him twice in '14, once in LA and once in San Diego, where I got to chat with him for a bit since there were about 10 people there.

OK, ok, guess I'll have to get that Tweedy album.

Like that Steve Gunn, but definitely preferred the record he did with Mike Cooper this year. I need to hear Ought and that Caribou still.

It's good. Enjoyed seeing it live. Just didn't listen enough to it to make it into my Top 14.

That Damian Jurado is my no.1 this year.