50/14 - You've Done A Number On My Heart

I don't know man, compared to the amazing 2013, the year of 2014 has been a bit of a disappointment music-wise. But it did manage to scrape together 10 albums + 10 songs worth listing:

TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2014

Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels II

The best album of the year. No competition.

St. Vincent - St. Vincent

The coolest of the year.

Sharon van Etten - Are We There

My big new favourite (/crush) of the year.

Scott Walker + Sunn O))) - Soused

The best late-night-in-the-studio album of the year

Kent - Tigerdrottningen

Not their best album, but some of the lyrics that really hit home this year.

Sun Kil Moon - Benji

Difficult for casual listening. But something really happens when you settle down and listen to it from beginning to end.

Swans - To Be Kind

Another one that might not be for every day, but has the potential to really knock you off your feet when you give in to it.

TV on the Radio - Seeds

Reassuring craftmanship of the year.

Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste

A few brilliant highlights and a surprisingly satisfying eclecticism.

Todd Terje - It's Album Time

A guarantor for smiles and happy feet.










Big disclaimer: Due to no good soundsystem during the latter part of the year I have not yet listened to Aphex Twin - Syro. Obviously I'd expect that to otherwise be high on the list.

TOP 10 TUNES of 2014

Run The Jewels ft. Zach De La Rocha - Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)

It's like everything El-P and Mike do best for 3 relentless minutes, AND THEN, as a big tasty cherry on top, from out of the wilderness Zach De La Rocha returns and completely slays the track with Miles Davis-references and Philip K. Dick puns.

The only thing that close faster than the caskets be the factories!

St. Vincent - Digital Witness

There is no more awe-inspiring person on the planet right now. And this track wins out over Birth In Reverse by the irresistible Annie Clark delivery of "yah" and the year's styliest video.

Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)

Instant classic. One of those songs that seems like it should have been written decades ago, because it's so simple, so to the core and so very, very effective.

Sharon van Etten - Your Love Is Killing Me

During 8 minutes or so, this summer in Slottskogen, Sharon's voice seemed like the only voice in the world. At times it still does.

Sbtrkt ft. Ezra Koenig - NEW DORP. NEW YORK

Did I want to dance this year? Did I listen to this track this year? The two questions converge.

Kendrick Lamar - i

This year's best jazz-bassline, smuggled in the year's most upbeat hip hop-track.

TV on the Radio - Careful You

Everything at once.

Ubre Blanca - Escape From Terminal Island

The best drumbeat drop of the year. Courtesy of Glasgow of course.

Nils Frahm - Unter – Tristana – Ambre

The moment when Tristana moves into Ambre at 8:15 was and remains the most beautiful transition in music 2014.

Wu-Tang Clan - A Better Tomorrow

Not an easy year to stay positive about the world in, but when the clan managed to turn anger into energy I felt positively embarrassed about lapsing into hopelessness.


Did you think I was gonna end on a cheesy upbeat note? NAH. This is the future: