It’s been a weird year in music.  There’s actually been a lot of great music…but nothing that has yet to stand above the rest.  There’s been no real consensus on what albums are 2014’s calling card.  From site to site, it seems there’s a lot more variety than most years.  And my top 11 is no different.  While there seems to some shared love for James Vincent McMorrow, Against Me!, Cloud Nothings, and The War On Drugs, my favorite album of the year (the infectious Broken Bells) is nowhere to be found on any list.  The Jack White peaks into a couple lists but has been widely slammed, probably because the album was made for vinyl and listening to any other way takes it down a notch. Strangely, it happens to be my favorite non-White Stripes Jack White recording to date.  I’ve seen Pure X and Conor Oberst get a couple mentions (albeit low on lists).  White Sea and First Aid Kit are two budding artists hitting their strides, yet fail to get mentions.  Last on my list is the addictive EP by the band Movement.  Everyone’s raving about How To Dress Well (which is another good album) but I feel like Movement is doing the same thing but is already leaps and bounds ahead.  But this is the great thing about music…there’s something for everyone to love.

Happy 4th!  Enjoy songs from the albums below…plus a few other good tracks from this year.

Here are my 11 favorite albums of 2014 (so far):

1. Broken Bells – After The Disco
2. James Vincent McMorrow – Post-Tropical
3. Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
4. Jack White – Lazaretto
5. Conor Oberst – Upside Down Mountain
6. Cloud Nothings – Here And Nowhere Else
7. Pure X – Angel
8. First Aid Kit – Stay Gold
9. White Sea – White Sea
10. The War on Drugs – Lost In the Dream
11. Movement – Movement EP

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