- Top Tens
Albums
1. Sharon Van Etten- Are We There
2. Ryan Adams- Ryan Adams
3. Temples- Sun Structures
4. Wild Beasts- Present Tense
5. Elbow- Take Off And Landing Of Everything
6. Damien Rice- My Favourite Faded Fantasy
7. Royal Blood- Royal Blood
8. Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow
9. War On Drugs- Lost In The Dream
10. George Ezra- Wanted On Voyage
Gigs
1. The War On Drugs- KOKO
2. Foo Fighters- Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
3. The National- The O2 Arena
4. Ryan Adams- Shepherds Bush Empire
5. Damien Rice- London Palladium
6. Franz Ferdinand- Somerset House
7. Interpol- Rock City
8. Luke Sital Singh- Scala
9. Slowdive- Village Underground
10. Josh Pyke- Oslo Hackney
Festivals
1. Royal Blood- Glastonbury
2. The National- BST Hyde Park
3. Arcade Fire- Glastonbury
4. The War On Drugs- Latitude
5. Kasabian- Glastonbury
6. Toy- Green Man
7. Vancouver Sleep Clinic- Green Man
8. George Ezra- Latitude
9. Sharon Van Etten- Green Man
10. Fatboy Slim- WeAreFSTVL
Best Song
Red Eyes- The War On Drugs -
Followed ever so closely by Unforgettable by The Harpoons.
Joe @thejoeeley
- Top Tens
Top Ten albums:
1. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
2. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
3. Young Fathers - Dead
4. The Acid - Liminal
5. Caribou - Our Love
6. Paul White - Shaker Notes
7. Flying Lotus -You're Dead
8. Run The Jewel - Run The Jewels 2
9. The Notwist - Close To The Glass
10. East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
Link to my full top 20 HERE
Gigs:
1. Marijuana Deathsquads - Black Heart, Camden
2. Flying Lotus - Roundhouse, Camden
3. Scott & Charlene's Wedding - The Lexington, Islington
4. Sinkane - Oslo, Hackney
5. Clint Mansell - The Barbican, London
6. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Hyde Park, London
7. James Holdne - Purcell Room, Southbank
8. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly! - the farewell gig, The Forum, Kentish Town
9. Johnny Marr - Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
10. UNKLE - Royal Festival Hall, London
Festival Appearances:
1. Jagwar Ma - William's Green, Glastonbury Festival
2. Young Fathers - Visions festival
3. St. Vincent - The Park, Glastonbury festival
4. Songhoy Blues - Visions festival
5. Damon Albarn - BBC 6 Music Festival
6. John Grant - The Park, Glastonbury Festival
7. Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Victorious Festival
8. De La Soul - Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury Festival
9. Dirty Beaches - Visions Festival
10. Elbow - Pyramin Stage, Glastonbury Festival
Best Track:
Caribou - Can't Do Without You (Extended Mix)
Link to my top 10 tracks HERE
Cheers,
Russell
- Top Tens
Top 10 Albums 2014
1. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
2. Future Islands - Singles
3. Kasabian - 48:13
4. Jack White - Lazaretto
5. The Horrors - Luminous
6. Black Keys - Turn Blue
7. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye
8. Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long See You Tomorrow
9. The New Basement Tapes - Lost on the River
10. Turrentine Jones - Our Days
- Top Tens
Top Ten Albums
1. Swans – To Be Kind
2. Nick Mulvey – First Mind
3. Esben & the Witch – A New Nature
4. Sinead O’Connor – I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss
5. Heterotic – Weird Drift
6. Scott Walker & Sunn O))) – Soused
7. Eno/Hyde – Someday World/High Life
8. Young Fathers – Dead
9. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
10. Apex Twin - Syro
Festival Performances
Lizzo – Great Escape
FTSE – Great Escape
Sinead O’Connor – Cambridge Folk
Blockheads – Farmer Phils
Johnny Marr (with Billy Duffy) Moseley Folk Fest
Human League – Galtres
Levellers – Galtres
Beans on Toast – Galtres
Savages – Drill
Young Fathers – Drill
Gigs
Shield Patterns/Gymnast/Gaze is Ghost – Shindig, Leper Chapel Cambridge
Arthur Brown – Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
Restorations/Smith St Band/Astpai – Portland Arms, Cambridge
Nightingales/Ted Chippington – Portland Arms
Las Trompetas Del Muerte, Gardonne Fiesta, France
Fave Song – Young Fathers – Get Up
Kevin Hand - @kevinhand3
- Top Tens
In no particular order.... from Rachel of Silver PR
1. Goat - Commune
2. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
3. Reigning Sound - Shattered
4. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
5. Swans - To Be Kind
6. Ex Hex - Rips
7. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
8. Spiderbags - Frozen Letter
9. Stone Jack Jones - State I'm In
10. Jack White - Lazaretto
- Top Tens
Unlike a lot of people I had no trouble finding 25 or more albums that could have easily sat in a Top Ten position this year and the same goes for gigs and festivals in what was another bumper musical year for me.
So here goes ……
Top Ten Albums 2014
1. Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters – Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar
2. The New Basement Tapes – Lost on the River
3. Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
4. Esben and the Witch – A New Native
5. The War on Drugs – Lost in a Dream
6. Wild Beasts – Present Tense
7. Orenda Fink – Blue Dream
8. Sun Kil Moon – Benji
9. Sharon van Etten – Are We There
10. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – Wig out At Jagbags
Top Ten Gigs 2014
1. Kate Bush – Hammersmith Apollo
2. Damon Albarn – Queen Mary University
3. Ryan Adams – Shepherds Bush Empire
4. Manic Street Preachers – Roundhouse (Holy Bible Show)
5. Wild Beasts/East India Youth – Cambridge Corn Exchange
6. The War on Drugs/Quilt – Koko
7. Garry Numan – Cambridge Junction 1
8. Jeff Tweedy – London Palladium
9. James Taylor – Royal Albert Hall
10. Real Estate/Avvays – Cambridge Junction 2
Top Ten Festival Shows
1. Flaming Lips – End of the Road Festival (EOTR)
2. RM Hubbert - Howling Fling, Eigg
3. Neutral Milk Hotel – Green Man
4. Daughter – Green Man
5. The War on Drugs – Green Man
6. Richard Thompson – EOTR
7. Steve Mason – Howlin' Fling, Eigg
8. The Phantom Band, Howlin' Fling, Eigg
9. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – EOTR
10. Pink Mountaintops – EOTR
Finally, fave song was 'Fair Warning' by The Rails
Merry Christmas
Pete
- Top Tens
ESCAPETHECULT began life in 2008 as the brainchild of bassist Peter G, Shallmin of Siberian band KAMLATH, who had a vision for progressive metal which came to pass with their debut album ‘All You Want To’ released in August this year.
Peter list's his Top Ten albums for 2014 below again it seems, in no particular order;
1. Crobot – Something Supernatural
2. Bloodbath – Grand Morbid Funeral
3. Nightingale – Retribution
4. Mustasch - Thank You For The Demon
5. Isaac Delusion – Isaac Delusion
6. Godflesh – A World Lit Only By Fire
7. Sébastien Tellier – L'Aventura
8. Iron Reagan – The Tyranny of Will
9. At The Gates – At War With Reality
10. Toco – Memoria
- Top Tens
Seattle-based Aaron English of The Aaron English Band has sent in his Top Ten Albums of 2014.
Some interesting new bands to check out on his list below;
1.Alt-J: This is All Yours
2. Barr Brothers: Sleeping Operator
3. Matt Morrow: Phoenix
4. Beck: Morning Phase
5. Xiren: 16 (They Can Shine)
6. Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters: Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar
7. Sarah Jaffe: Don't Disconnect
8. The Parlour Trick: A Blessed Unrest
9. Walter Salas Humara: Curve & Shake
10.The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream
- Top Tens
One of our main correspondents of the year Keith, who suffered a broken rib whilst out in the field gig reporting, has come up with his musical highlights;
Top Ten Albums
1. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
2. Bruce Springteen - High Hopes
3. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
4. Wooden Arms – Tide
5. Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie
6. My Sad Captains - Best of Times
7. Real Estate – Atlas
8. Honeyblood – Honeyblood
9. The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams
10. Meatbodies - Meatbodies
Song of the year
The Ghost of Tom Joad - Bruce Springsteen (High Hopes version)
Gigs of the year
1. The Blue Aeroplanes - Madrid
2. Swans - Cockpit, Leeds
3. Crippled Black Phoenix - Manchester Academy
4. Anathema - Manchester Academy
5. Real Estate/Alvvays – Brudenell, Leeds
6. Mutual Benefit/My Sad Captains – Brudenell, Leeds
7. The Delines - Night & Day Cafe, Manchester
8. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart/Fear of Men - Ruby Lounge, Manchester
9. Wye Oak – Brudenell, Leeds
10. Band of Skulls - Ritz, Manchester
Festival Appearances of the year
1. Johnny Marr - Deershed
2. Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Deershed
3. Toy - Deershed
4. The Wytches – End of the Road (EOTR)
5. Gruff Rhys - EOTR
6. Horse Thief - EOTR
7. Jenny Lewis - EOTR
8. Slow Club - Deershed
9. Miles Hunt - Deershed
10. Fairport Convention - Acoustic Festival of Great Britain
- Top Tens
Having just played a couple of triumphant gigs in Bristol and London and with a new album being recorded, we grabbed Mike Youe, The Blue Aeroplanes guitarist for his 2014 Top Ten Albums, "in no particular order' .......
1. La Costa El Camino Real by Camper Van Beethoven
2. St. Vincent by St. Vincent
3. Revelation by The Brian Jonestown Massacre
4. Strange Weather (EPs count?) by Anna Calvi
5. DEBT'LL GET'EM by The Defibulators
6. Phox by Phox
7. Fair Warning by The Rails
8. Benji by Sun Kil Moon
9. Vi: Flora by Botanist
10. To Be Kind by Swans
- Top Tens
Temple Invisible are the electronic musical project of Irina Bucescu, Costas Ivanov & Daniel Olteanu, three multi instrumentalists from Bucharest, Romania. Since releasing their debut single ‘Disappearance’ in May this year the band have been on the road and ‘Collide’ their second single taken from the band debut’s EP, is released today along with their Top Ten albums of 2014;
Top Ten 2014
1. Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes by Thom Yorke
2. Syro by Aphex Twin
3. Aurora by Ben Frost
4. You’re Dead by Flying Lotus
5. Happiness is happening by Roman Flugel
6. Flatland by Objekt
7. Adhesive by Container
8. Desideratum by Planning for Burial
9. Everyday Robots by Damon Albarn
10. Black Metal by Dean Blunt
- Top Tens
Top Ten Albums 2014
1. Elbow. The Take off and Landing of Everything
2. Temples. Sun Structures
3. Honeyblood. Honeyblood
4. Jungle. Jungle
5. Royal Blood. Royal Blood
6. Childhood. Lacuna
7. Merchandise. After the End
8. Jenny Lewis. The Voyager
9. TacocaT. NVM
10. Scott Helman Augusta EP
Top song of the year - Elbow New York Morning
Top Gigs
1. Elbow Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
2. Johnny Marr Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
3. St Paul & the Broken Bones Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
4. Sinead O’Connor Massey Hall, Toronto
5. Scott Helman Smiling Buddha, Toronto
6. Royal Blood Lee’s Palace, Toronto
7. Hold Steady Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
8. Peter Hook Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
9. Jonathan Wilson Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
10. Courtney Barnett Lee’s Palace, Toronto
Top Festival Shows
1. Jenny Lewis TURF music festival, Toronto
2. Royal Blood SXSW Austin
3. Replacements ACL music festival, Austin
4. Jon Batiste & Stay Human ACL music festival, Austin
5. Andrew Bird TURF music festival, Toronto
6. St Paul & The Broken Bones SXSW Austin
7. James Bay ACL music festival, Austin
8. Wolf Alice SXSW Austin
9. Spandau Ballet SXSW Austin
10. Honeyblood SXSW Austin