Compared to years past 2014 was a much weaker year for albums in general but without further ado I present to you my top 10 albums of 2014.
10. Anberlin - Lowborn
Anberlin has progressed beautifully from it's jagged pop-punk roots of Never Take Friendship Personal to the darker and more poetic Cities to the heavy guitared New Surrender. Earlier this year however Anberlin decided they'd release one final album and call it quits. Lowborn is a fairly strong record on a song-for-song basis, and the added emotional heft of it being a swansong helps to elevate it above the weaker entries in the band’s catalog, even despite its numerous issues.
9. Taylor Swift - 1989
This is not the Taylor Swift we heard in Fearless or Speak Now, hell she's even grown from her previous, and quite exceptional, album Red. But whether you are a Swiftie or not, this album can not be denied of your attention as Taylor finally made the full fledged leap into pop music, leaving her country roots behind. There's evolution with purpose in every fibre of 1989, and far from jettisoning her integrity in this drastic lunge, she's proved in her bold, risky decision that she's got courage in her convictions to pull it off and faith in her fans to accept the new direction.
8. Chiodos - Devil
Devil is more than just Chiodos' first album in seven years to feature Craig Owens behind the mic again, it's a "prove it" album. It seems kind of weird that the future of the band that has sold hundreds of thousands of records could be determined by this album, but here we are - Devil is the band's renewed opportunity at the scene domination they left behind in 2009. Devil is assuredly the most daring, exhilarating, and personal work of Chiodos' career, reigniting the band to continue on. So even though this isn't peak Chiodos (yet), Devil has the band on the right path to reclaiming the the top spot of the scene food chain sooner rather than later.
7. Yellowcard - Lift A Sail
Last year, frontman Ryan Key’s wife was paralyzed from the waist down, and that devastating event informs every song on this record. The result is an album that is simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful. There are moments of despair, but on the whole, Lift a Sail rings as an uplifting testament to love and human resilience. From track one to track 13, those themes swirl and churn until they infect you completely. There are no singles, at least not with the immediacy of “Ocean Avenue” or “Always Summer.” But while Lift a Sail probably has none of Yellowcard’s best songs, it is arguably the band’s most accomplished front-to-back album.
6. Fireworks - Oh, Common Life
Part of what makes Oh, Common Life so gripping is the way Fireworks have pushed their songwriting into a place that sounds wholly theirs, fusing their pop-punk influences with power-pop smarts and a host of ’90s alt-rock flourishes. There’s so much depth to absorb here, yet it’s also instantly rewarding, and it happens time and again on Oh, Common Life; as adventurous as the album is, there’s nary a misstep to be found.
5. Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness - Self-Titled
The result of the Everything in Transit phenomenon—aside from the fact that the record skyrocketed quickly into all-time top fives for fans everywhere—was that it made sure no one would ever again have rational expectations about what Andrew McMahon could accomplish as a songwriter. Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is the sound of an artist who is completely happy and completely comfortable in his life, and that’s a beautiful thing. It’s not a perfect album, but the core sentiment of always cherishing the people you love resonates to me, and the songs are catchy and effortless enough for me to fall more and more in love with them every time I press play.
4. Four Year Strong - Go Down In History EP
Woah, woah, woah! How does an EP get up this high on a top albums of the year list? Well simply put, the EP is five songs of huge, intricate, explosive guitar work, thumping drums that refuse to take a rest, Day and O'Connor's signature call-and-return vocals, the occasional necessary breakdown and gang vocal portion, and the catchiest choruses FYS has ever penned. You'll be hard pressed to be bored for a single minute while spinning this EP, that's a guarantee.
3. Forever Came Calling - What Matters Most
I ran into Forever Came Calling just before summer 2014. I was coming off an incredible pop-punk high, singing along and riding the wave of pop-punk revival staples such as Handguns, State Champs, The Story So Far, and The Wonder Years. What hit me was honest, and unappologetic heart on your sleeve lyrics and this fall's What Matters Most is no different. Unapologetically energetic, unabashedly honest and unwaveringly consistent, Forever Came Calling prove they've got what it takes to become the next household name in Pop-Punk.
2. Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties - We Don't Have Each Other
Like a great novel, it’s hard to imagine that the fictitious characters who populate We Don’t Have Each Other, the debut full-length by Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s solo project Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties, don’t actually exist in the real world. Campbell, who normally fronts pop-punk kingpins the Wonder Years, has built his enviable career on an uncanny knack for lyrical storytelling, and with this new release, he’s shown he can weave a soul-churning fictional yarn too, with all the surging emotion and subtle nuance of his first-person and non-fictional narratives. As usual, Campbell makes it seem effortless.
1. New Found Glory - Resurrection
Speaking of pop-punk kingpins... Bouncing back from their first lineup change since 1997, New Found Glory return with Resurrection, an album of triumphant pop-punk that finds the band returning with a new found (heh) sense of focus and confidence. Written after the band's tumultuous relationship with guitarist Steve Klein led to his ejection from the group, New Found Glory sound like anything but a band recovering from a tragic loss. Revitalized and refocused, New Found Glory tackle the ugly business of parting ways with pop-punk aplomb, pouring their energy into creating the quintessential break-up record, that just so happens to also be my favourite record of 2014.
Honourable mentions:
Bayside - Cult
Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is...
Seaway - All In My Head EP
Handguns - Life Lessons
We Are The In Crowd - Weird Kids
Real Friends - Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing
Transit - Joyride
Publisher: Image Comics
Issues released last year: #1 - #3
Why?: You'd be hard pressed to come across someone who isn't reading this title. Writer Scott Snyder generally makes his work accessible to a wide variety of audiences and Wytches is no different. Colourist Matt Hollingsworth is revolutionising the way we look at comic colourists as he adds a crazy amount of detail to each panel which was expertly crafted already by a gifted artist and detailed artist in Jock. Words can't describe how big 2015 can be for Wytches if it continues on it's current trajectory.
9. Hawkeye
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Issues released last year: #15 - #20
Why?: There's a reason people keep talking about Matt Fraction's run on Hawkeye, it wasn't that long ago that Hawkeye was the joke of the Marvel Universe, Fraction used that to his advantage and crafted an excitingly dark, yet humorous tale around Clint Barton and 2014 saw more of the same while focusing more on Kate Bishop, the other Hawkeye, journey to discover herself, something all 20-somethings can relate to.
8. Silver Surfer
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Issues released last year: #1 - #7
Why?: Hands down the biggest surprise for me in 2014 was how much I enjoyed reading about the exploits of Norrin Radd and his new... Ally? I'm not quite sure what to call Dawn Greenwood but I will call her a tremendous breath of fresh air when comparing her to other new characters the big 2 (Marvel and DC) have churned out recently. Dan Slott has shown he can do more than write a compelling Spider-Man story, Silver Surfer often feels upbeat but emotional at the same time which as a reader, keeps you hooked. Mike Allred was the perfect artist for this book as the visual style can only be described as "out there" and like all great books, Slott and Allred work together in perfect synchronicity crafting the perfect story.
7. Grayson
Publisher: DC Comics
Issues released last year: #1 - #5 plus 1 annual and Future's End month title.
Why?: What can a hero do when his secret identity has been revealed and he's been presumed dead by most of the world? Well if you're Dick Grayson, under Batman's orders, you go undercover in a secret spy agency as an operative while still answering to Batman about the agency's darker secrets they'd like to keep hidden. Grayson has by far been the best new title in the New 52 since Superman Unchained debuted over 18 months ago. Writer Tim Seeley had an excellent idea for where to go with Grayson and Kyle Higgins, writer of Nightwing, graciously stepped aside despite being a fan favourite by many, myself included and Tim has hit the ground running and hasn't pulled up yet. The Future's End title was pretty much the best of the bunch as far as I'm concerned so that just added bonus points for Grayson.
6. Magneto
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Issues released last year: #1 - #12
Why?: Magneto is not the man he once was, in his new weakened state he's forced to find creative ways to eliminate threats to mutantkind which more often than not leads to your jaw dropping. Cullen Bunn, as I've said many times before, is an excellent writer when it comes to villains and their motives so there was no better person to shepperd this title than him. This title has had a consistently strong year, which is surprising since it had to enter the dreaded "event tie-in" status for AXIS but Bunn navigated it perfectly allowing Magneto to become my favourite Marvel title from 2014.
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Issues released last year: #30 - #41 plus 1 annual. Why?: Falling all the way from #2 on last years list, the TMNT find themselves at number 5. Not for lack of trying however, last year was just a circumstance of the title peaking with the City Fall storyline where 2014 was mostly a non-starter for the series. It began with the Turtles taking some much needed recovery time and then preparations for the much anticipated "Attack On Technodrome" storyline which kicked off in the final issue of the year. But don't worry Turtle fans, writer Tom Waltz has been navigating the Turtles since the start of the title and he's been doing fantastic things, even in a year where not a whole lot happens it still remains a treat to read.
4. Sex Criminals
Publisher: Image Comics
Issues released last year: #4 - #9
Why?: TMNT might have fallen but Sex Criminals remained strong at #4 for the second year in a row. If you look up "consistently great comic" in your favourite search engine, I can guarantee you Sex Criminals comes up. Matt Fraction shows his greatness by having 2 titles on our top 10, artist Chip Zdarsky does fantastic art in the book, but even better work in the letters column... Seriously if you've been skipping over those you best be going back into your long box and getting those back issues out and reading them. The only thing that holds this title back is the fact that Fraction has such a busy schedule that over a 12 month period they were only able to push out 6 issues.
3. Nailbiter
Publisher: Image Comics
Issues released last year: #1 - #8
Why?: And the award for best new series goes to... Nailbiter is a thrilling horror book shrouded in mystery. An agent must get help from known serial killer Nailbiter to discover the secret behind Buckaroo, Oregon, the birthplace of 16 serial killers, Nailbiter included. The biggest mystery about this book however is the lack of notoriety it gets despite being one of the strongest titles on shelves. Even Scott Snyder agrees as he was quoted saying "If [writer Joshua Williamson] died I wish he'd leave Nailbiter to me in his will so I could say it was my idea."
2. Batman
Publisher: DC Comics
Issues released last year: #27 - #37, plus 1 annual and Future's End month title.
Why?: It's hard to pick against Scott Snyder's Batman, but I've done it. After holding the top spot last year on the strength of Zero Year, it gets knocked down to #2 this year mostly due to fact that Endgame hasn't been as good as advertised, perhaps an over hyping situation? Either way, although Zero Year finished strong the filler issues, specifically #29 and #34 left a bad taste in my mouth, especially breaking up Zero Year for #29. But in Snyder we trust so I'm sure Endgame will conclude amazingly and it'll have a realistic shot at the top spot this time next year but as of now the #1 spot belongs to...
1. Afterlife With Archie
Publisher: Archie Comics
Issues released last year: #3 - #7
Why?: It's sickening how good this book is... I've never really read Archie but this has just been so entertaining, It essentially sounded like a joke book that would die off fast (no pun intended) but the Archie/Zombie crossover has done wonders for Archie Comics and myself personally. Even the months break between issues had no effect whatsoever on the storyline, I was just happy to be reunited with the world of Afterlife With Archie. Thank you to Francesco Francavilla for coming up with the Afterlife idea and providing the perfect ghastly art to go along with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa words that somehow managed to find humanity in inhumane situations.
89. Locke
64. The Gambler
22. Boyhood
5. Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness - Self-Titled
The result of the Everything in Transit phenomenon—aside from the fact that the record skyrocketed quickly into all-time top fives for fans everywhere—was that it made sure no one would ever again have rational expectations about what Andrew McMahon could accomplish as a songwriter. Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is the sound of an artist who is completely happy and completely comfortable in his life, and that’s a beautiful thing. It’s not a perfect album, but the core sentiment of always cherishing the people you love resonates to me, and the songs are catchy and effortless enough for me to fall more and more in love with them every time I press play.
Why?: Falling all the way from #2 on last years list, the TMNT find themselves at number 5. Not for lack of trying however, last year was just a circumstance of the title peaking with the City Fall storyline where 2014 was mostly a non-starter for the series. It began with the Turtles taking some much needed recovery time and then preparations for the much anticipated "Attack On Technodrome" storyline which kicked off in the final issue of the year. But don't worry Turtle fans, writer Tom Waltz has been navigating the Turtles since the start of the title and he's been doing fantastic things, even in a year where not a whole lot happens it still remains a treat to read.
3. Nailbiter
