The Top Ten Albums Of 2014

As a critic, it's easy to become jaded about music, given the amount of albums I get the chance to hear in a given year. When you hear so much, it begins to blend together, and the special spark that you're always looking for becomes continually more difficult to find. Both age and attrition make it so that we should be able to pull less and less out of each year, but that is not what I have found. Over the course of my time writing about music, the opposite has held true. I can't say exactly why, but with each passing year I have found more albums I love, making the job of putting together this year end list harder.

 

2014 has continued that trend, putting together the best roster of albums I have yet been tasked with ranking. Whereas there have been years when I was struggling to find candidates to fill out the last spots on the list, this year has an abundance of fantastic releases, and several that did not make it on the list were painful omissions.

 

The trend that ran through this year is that 2014 was the year of pop's resurgence. While none of the albums I love could be confused for what is on the Billboard charts these days, pop music is the dominant influence that runs through my picks. There are (three) pure pop albums, and several of the other genres carry huge pop overtones as well. Those elements have always been the dominant trait of my musical taste, but this year has crystallized that. I believe in two kinds of melody; big and bigger. These albums, no matter to what degree they embrace pop, are the unforgettable doses of melody that made this the best year for music that I can remember.

 

Here, then, are my Top Ten Albums Of 2014:

 

Honorable Mention:

 

Flying Colors – Second Nature

 

If there's such a thing as a good disappointment, this would be it. I was expecting another expertly crafted album of melodic pop, but instead the band went and became more of a traditional prog outfit. It wasn't what I wanted to hear, and I don't think the lengthy tracks work as well as they should, but there's still a lot to like here. The middle tracks on the album are all wonderfully melodic, and have exceptional playing by masters of their crafts. It may not call out to me to listen as often, but it's still highly enjoyable.

10. Edguy – Space Police: Defenders Of The Crown

 

Last year, I was shocked that Avantasia's “The Mystery Of Time” failed to make my Top Ten. Edguy's latest comes in lower than I would have expected, but that is not a sign of disappointment. “Space Police: Defenders Of The Crown” continues Edguy's streak of making solid, fun records. There is the inexcusable mistake of covering “Rock Me Amadeus”, but the rest of the album is right in line with what modern Edguy has been doing, including “Do Me Like A Caveman” and “The Eternal Wayfarer”, two of the band's best ever songs. The only reason it fails to rank higher is the level of competition.

9. Night Mistress – Into The Madness

 

Some of my favorite metal albums ever are Bruce Dickinson's trilogy of solo albums made with Roy Z. There are, surprisingly, very few other bands that have tried to copy their awesome style. Night Mistress is a band that comes fairly close, and because of that, this album is one of the more enjoyable metal releases I heard this year. It's plenty chunky and heavy, but has some great hooks too. The more I listened to it, the more I found myself enjoying it, which is a sign of staying power. If even the copycats are this good, why doesn't this style catch on more?

8. H.E.A.T. - Tearing Down The Walls

 

While the rock music you hear on the radio is the same ol' boring slog, there are bands out there recreating the fun times of the 80s, and H.E.A.T. might just be the best of them all. “Tearing Down The Walls” is heavy at times, maudlin at times, and full of great melodies and amazing vocals. “All The Nights” is a stunning performance, and it sits well among the hedonistic fun of the rest of the album. This album proves that rock music can still be fun.

7. Incura – Incura

 

I heard this record almost by accident, as I was listening to nearly every sample on a site. It didn't take long to realize this was something special, a unique blend of hard rock, pop, and theatrical excess. It doesn't feel like any other rock album I know of, and that's what makes it great. The songs are tricky in places, the melodies are strong, and every song has an identity that makes it stand out. It can be hard to figure out at times, but it's well worth the effort.

6. Allen/Lande – The Great Divide

 

Russell Allen and Jorn Lande are amazing singers who have spent most of their careers singing lousy material. The one place that stands as an exception is their collaborative project, where the songwriting is farmed out to people who know what they're doing. This album changes the man responsible for the songs, and with that comes a pretty sizable shift in the sound, but the end result is pretty much the same. This album has some great melodic metal, and these guys can sell it. It's not as good as the highlights from their first two albums, but it's a step up from the last one, and is one of those albums that lingers in my head. It's a lot better than I thought it would be.

5. Emerson Hart – Beauty In Disrepair

 

It's no secret, if you listen to me for very long, that Emerson Hart is my favorite songwriter. That makes it quite the shock that “Beauty In Disrepair” doesn't finish higher on this list. Yet again he delivers an album of guitar-pop that delivers strong melodies in spades. These songs do everything I love about Emerson's music, and yet there were somehow several albums I enjoyed more. Maybe it's because I'm not in a place in my life to fully relate to the messages of the songs, but don't get me wrong; this is still an amazing record. No album this far down any of my lists has ever been this good.

4. Blues Pills – Blues Pills

 

When I reviewed their EP last year, I saw potential in Blues Pills, but didn't expect them to follow through. With the release of their debut, they went in the direction I would not have advised, and pulled it off so well that even I am amazed. I'm not normally one for heavily bluesy rock music, but Blues Pills does it with such soul that even I can't complain about it. Their songs are simple, which lets them sink in, and Elin Larsson has one of those remarkable voices that can simply sell a song. I don't know if they can keep it up in the future, but this is one hell of a debut.

3. Edward O'Connell – Vanishing Act

 

Sometimes I forget how much I like old-school pop music, and then something like “Vanishing Act” comes along to remind me. Borrowing heavily from Elvis Costello's 70s playbook, this is a ridiculously infectious album of jangly power-pop, the likes of which I haven't heard in ages. When I got this album, I listened to it nearly every day for weeks. It got stuck in my head forever, and there's not much else to be said. It's a perfect album for when you want to sit back and have a good time listening to music. It's the surprise of the year, for sure.

2. Neal Morse – Songs From November

 

Neal Morse is a legend in prog circles, but his greatest gift is as a natural songwriter, which “Songs From November” puts on full display. It's a singer/songwriter album that is classic pop through and through, and showcases Neal's amazing knack for writing infectious melodies. He cycles through a variety of sounds, from Beatle psychadelica, to CSNY country, to blaring horns and Motown groove, and always manages to give each song an incredible hook. This is the album I had been waiting for Neal to make, and it didn't disappoint me at all. His prog work might be more musically impressive, but this is the most satisfying solo album he's ever made.

1. Transatlantic – Kaleidoscope

 

From the moment this album was announced late last year, it was the frontrunner for the top spot on my list. Transatlantic is my favorite prog band in the world, and “Kaleidoscope” is perhaps their finest moment. The very first time I listened to this album, my jaw was dropped by what I heard. In these months since it's release, that feeling has not changed. The mix of intricate, progressive music, and powerfully catchy vocal lines, is unmatched by anyone else. I used to think that their own “Bridge Across Forever” was my favorite prog album, but “Kaleidoscope” has taken that mantle. It is virtually flawless, and is easily the best album of 2014.