2014 Year in Music: Top 3's

It's that time of year again. I break my months-long silence to tell you what music I liked over the last 12 months. 2014 was a good year in music. It wasn't 2009 or anything, but it was solid - lots of old favorites making good music.

As always, we start the week off with a bunch of random top 3s.

Top 3 Albums I Loved Last Year But Didn't Really Care About This Year

3. Jon Hopkins - ImmunityI wasn't in the right mood for this album during a great deal of the year. Immunity requires a certain feeling to really work, and since I wasn't listening to music as I drifted off to sleep as often this year, it didn't end up coming up as often.


2. Aye Nako - Unleash YourselfI sort of forgot that this existed. It's still a good rough-sounding pop-punk album.

1. My Bloody Valentine - mbv
This one simply wore off me quicker than I expected. Five years form now, I don't think many will be reaching for this one when they get a hankering for My Bloody Valentine music.


Top 3 Albums I Missed Out on Last Year

3. Hotline: Miami Official Soundtrack
Hazy, disorienting music to commit video game murder to. Or to drive with the windows down to...

2. Five Iron Frenzy - Engine of a Thousand Plots
Full disclosure: I was never a huge Five Iron fan back in the day. I liked them well enough, but Engine is another thing entirely for them. It's tight, cutting, and extremely melodic, all the while never losing Reese Roper's trademark sense of humor. This almost certainly would've been a top 10 last year.

1.  Arctic Monkeys - AM
Another full disclosure: I've always found Arctic Monkey to be more of a singles artist through the years. AM changes all of that (though the singles bang, too).


Top 3 Songs I Stopped Listening To After Burning Myself Out on Them Last Year

3. The Big Sleep - Ace (2nd most listens last year, 4 plays this year)

2. Kitty - ☠DEAD❤ISLAND☠ (4th most plays last year, 3 plays this year)

1. Frank Turner - Recovery (13th most listens last year, 1 play this year)


Top 3 Albums I was Excited About Last Year

3. Ghostface and DOOM - Swift and Changeable
This didn't happen. I think I'm still excited for the possibility, but it's going to have to be better than DOOM's collaboration with Bishop Nehru, which did nothing for me.

2. A new Frank Ocean albumAlso didn't happen.

1. A new Hold Steady album
This one happened, at least. It was good, if a slight continued step down from the last few


Top 3 Music Videos

3.Childish Gambino - Sweatpants
 

2. Vic Mensa - Down on My Luck


1. Sia - Chandelier

The Best Album Cover of the Year

Todd Terje - It's Album Time (I was pretty sure of this as of about May)