- 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
- Top Tens
Tom 'Left' Brumpton - Vocals Tom 'TK' Clarke - Guitars Jake 'D'artagnan' Bennett - Bass Adam 'Tweak' Jones - Drums and Backing Vocals make up Akarusa Yami and here is their Top Ten 2014
1. Skindred - Kill The Power
2. Crosses - Crosses
3. Elbow - The Take Off And Landing Of Everything
4. Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum
5. U2 - Songs Of Innocence
6. Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie
7. Lily Allen - Sheezus
8. Leonard Cohen - Popular Problems
9. Linkin Park - The Hunting Party
10. Whitechapel - Our Endless War
You can find these Rockers on Facebook
- Top Tens
It has been a busy but very sucessful year for EofE and 2015 certainly seems one that will be even bigger for this Midland's band.
EofE Top Ten
1. Lower than Atlantis - self titled
2. Royal Blood - Self titled
3. BearTooth - Disgusting
4. Slash - World on Fire
5. Slipknot - The Gray Chapter
6. You Me at Six - Cavalier Youth
7. Twin Atlantic - The Great Divide
8. Mallory Knox - Asymmetry
9. California Breed - self titled
10. Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
The Borderline London - Review
- Top Tens
1. Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown
2. Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
3. Feed The Rhino - The Sorrow And The Sound
4. Marmozets - The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets
5. Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter
6. Hearts Under Fire - Outlines
7. Architects - Lost Forever // Lost Together
8. Rise Against - The Black Market
9. Lower Than Atlantis - Lower Than Atlantis
10. Ed Sheeran - X
