Albums of 2014: Best to Worst

This album is destined to be an instant classic. It's poetic, catchy and it's lyrical content is really powerful. I always thought Freddie Gibbs was an underrated rapper ever since I discovered his music in Grand Theft Auto V and this could be the album that will make him known.

Favorite Song: Deeper

Ever since I thought of the idea for this list, I decided to go out of my way to find lesser-known albums from 2014. I don't believe I've heard of this band before, but this album is fantastic. It's groundbreaking, powerful and the way it portrays it's subject matter is just mind-blowing. Also the vocals are really amazing and pretty much everything about this album is perfect.

Favorite Song: Transgender Dysphoria Blues

This is a very artistic album. The instrument playing in this song is amazing and there are tons of well-written songs on here. It's a very impressive album overall and it's one of those times when going out of my way to find new musicians really pays off.

Favorite Song: An Ocean in Between the Waves

Easily Weird Al's best album since Poodle Hat. All his songs on this album are hilarious and the parodies are as great as ever. Since he said that this will be his last album it's great to see that he ended it on a high note.

Favorite Song: Foil

Didn't think it was possible, but Lana Del Rey manages to top Born to Die. This was an amazing album with great lyrics, really beautiful vocals and the songs in general stuck with me days after listening to them.

Favorite Song: Money Power Glory

After a streak of bad albums from Weezer, we finally have an album that's actually good. Not only that, but it's their best album since Pinkerton. I was already won over when the single Back to the Shack was released and after hearing it, there are so many great tracks this album has to offer. From the punchy opening track Ain't Got Nobody to Foolish Father, there are many songs on this album I keep going back to constantly.

If there was anything I didn't like about this album, it would be The Futurescope Trilogy tracks. They were decent, but it felt more like an add-on than a part of the album and it's even more jarring that it's split into three tracks instead of it being one song. I think Foolish Father should've been the closing track instead, but other than that it's a great album and I'm looking forward to see what Weezer's going to be doing next.

Favorite Song: Cleopatra

After the really dissapointing El Camino, it's good to see an enjoyable album from them again. This album is even better than Brothers and each song is just awesome. What I really like about The Black Keys is how they take some elements from older music while giving it a modern spin. This is a great album and I wish I knew about this band back in 2010 when I didn't give a shit about modern music because I have a feeling their album Brothers would've impressed me just as much as it does now.

Favorite Song: Gotta Get Away

I actually owned this album since Christmas, but I tried listening to it before and it just didn't keep my interest at the time. I just thought the songs were bland at the time and I stopped listening to it and decided to give it another try some other time. However the mixed reviews this album got wasn't very encouraging and I was just worried that it was going to be another one of their weaker efforts. I didn't even bother to listen to the album until I decided that I wanted to make these kind of album lists. After listening to it again I liked it much more that I did last time. This album is not for the casual listening as there is a lot of work put into it lyrics wise and on a technical standpoint. It's not the best album from the Foo Fighters, but it's better than their lesser albums like In Your Honor and Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. It's one of their more ambitious albums and it's one of the reasons I still love this band. They're willing to take risks and change their sound while still maintaining their original music style.

Favorite Song: I Am A River.

I liked this album a lot more on the second listen. After going through AC/DC's entire catalogue I revisited this album just for the sake of completing the marathon and now I actually think this is a solid album and no longer think that's it's their weakest album. Even though Brian Johnson's age is showing on this album, there's still a ton of solid tracks to be found here and I think it better than Black Ice. It's a pretty good album that's grown on me on the second listen.

Favorite Song: Rock or Bust

When I found out that Johnny Cash had a new album that came out last year, I just had to listen to it. While most of these songs are far from his best ones, they are still pretty good and there are a couple classics on here that should've been released years ago. I hate country music for the most part, but Johnny Cash is one of the few country singers that I like.

Favorite Song: Tennessee

This was a pretty good album. It's artistic, it's catchy and Sia really has an amazing singing voice. If I did have something to complain about it would be the way she sings sometimes as she does slur a bit and it can be hard to understand what she's saying at times. It's not a big problem though and it doesn't take away my enjoyment from this album.

Favorite Song: Chandelier

While this is far from being an exceptional album, it's still better than the half-assed mess that was his first post-humous album. The songs are much better, the lyrics are more inspired and it's a pretty good album overall.

Favorite Song: Chicago

It's far from being the best that Slipknot has ever released, but truth be told I enjoyed it a lot more than the previous two releases. Those albums weren't bad, but they weren't good and they lack the pure anger that the self-titled album and Iowa had. While this album sounds nothing like those two, it still has some really enjoyable songs and overall this is their best album since Iowa. It's just a shame it took Paul Gray's death for them to release a good album.

Favorite Song: Custer

It's a decent album, but it's far from being anything remarkable. I don't think it deserved to win best album, but I rarely agree with the Grammies anyways.

Favorite Song: Phase

I gotta say that this album was pretty underwhelming. One of my problems with it is that it's just too long. Not that I have a problem with lengthy albums or songs. Hell, The Mars Volta had some pretty lengthy songs, but here they tend to drag on for too long and they just start to feel repetitive after a while. There are some good things about this album as it is artistic and I really like the energy put into it, but in the end I just see a overrated album. I should listen to another album or two from this band just to see if they're any better or not, but I'm kind of reluctant to at the same time. Most people would consider this one of the best albums of 2014, but not me though.

Favorite Song: To Be Kind

When I first heard her song Hideaway on the radio, I was really impressed by it. Especially her amazing vocal range. This album however was kind of dissapointing. I mean it was decent for the most part, but there were quite a few tracks that were just filler. I also didn't really care for those out of nowhere rap numbers either. This cliche with rappers in a pop song needs to fucking die. There are a few stand-out tracks in here, but otherwise it could've been better.

Favorite Song: Hideaway

Taylor Swift doesn't really do that much for me as a musician. I did like her debut album, but everything after that is just the same music she's done before. This album has some things going for it, but other than that it's just a typical album from her and it's mostly a mix of average songs with a couple of bad ones thrown in like Shake it Off and Style.

Favorite Song: Blank Space

Well, this is an album that exists. It has some things to like about it, but overall I can't say I was too crazy about it.

Favorite Song: Matter of Time

Here's the album that no one wanted. Everyone got this album on their iTunes and I mean everyone. I was considering deleting it, but then I decided not to until I at least listened to it first because why not? This album is just mediocre. Nothing great about it, but nothing horrible about it except maybe the first song. It's just a forgettable album and I feel like it wouldn't have gotten that much publicity if it wasn't for the whole iTunes controversy.

Favorite Song: Every Breaking Wave

I gotta confess something and this may or not surprise you, but I am not a Ed Sheeran fan. I just don't care for his style of music and the majority of his songs sound the same. I decided to check this album out anyways giving it a benefit of a doubt. When I listened to the first two tracks I thought he was on to something, but after that it was the exact same music he's done before. He does have some musical talent, but he wastes it on these mediocre songs. Almost all of songs on this album were about a girl and there is a huge lack of variety in this album. While I wasn't the biggest fan of Taylor Swift's 1989 album, at least there was some variety in the tracks. Still there wasn't anything I detested in this album except Ed Sheeran rapping in one track. His singing voice is actually good, but when he raps he just can't pull it off at all.

Favorite Song: I'm A Mess

This is hip-hop at it's most generic form. Most of the songs are bland and unoriginal and there isn't a whole lot that stands out. The skits are OK, but other than that it's just a mediocre album. Not the worst of it's kind, but it's not good either.

Favorite Song: Really Be (Smokin N Drinkin)

If I wasn't already familiar with the band Pixies, then I probably wouldn't have even listened to their other albums because this album is nothing like their previous works. While this album does have a few alright songs, this album is just filled with so much crap that they can't save this album. If you're a huge Pixies fan then this album is worth listening to, but otherwise it's not worth your time.

Favorite Song: Blue Eyed Hexe

Kid Cudi dissapoints again with another rushed album. He started out as one of the most promising and best rappers of all time to one that lost his touch right after his second album. Both of his Man on the Moon albums are masterpieces, especially the first one which was a real game changer. However it seems like the best of his work was made when he was on drugs as he has been sober when he's released his last two albums and while I understand his decision to stay sober it really affects his music. Instead of rapping about his personal problems, inventive song ideas and making fun or relaxing songs which made the first two albums great, Kid Cudi makes mostly boring and uninspired instrumental tracks. Now I did think that the album before this one, Indicud was OK, but this is just crap. There are a few good tracks on here, but they are overshadowed by the very boring songs that lack any substance. He is releasing another album this year and I'm just starting to lose hope for him as he's just doing this one album a year bullshit. Granted, Man on the Moon 2 was released one year after the first one, but it's still a great album and it doesn't feel rushed. I do hope his next album is good, but it seems very unlikely.

Favorite Song: Satellite Flight

I can't stand Nicki Minaj, but I gave this album a chance anyways. I loved the first track on this album and I was surprised by that, but after that most of her songs are the same old soulless crap that I despise from her. There are a few good songs on here, but for every All Things Go and Pills N Potions there's a Anaconda and Only. The sad thing is that she has some talent and is actually capable of singing well, but she chooses to waste it on songs about sex and ass instead of songs that she actually puts effort into.

Favorite Song: All Things Go

God, what a fucking trainwreck this was. I knew this album wasn't going to be good, but this was just painful. Besides a couple of OK songs, most of this album is pure shit and it's just so pathetic how badass and edgy she's trying to be when it just comes off as laughable.

Favorite Song: (Or in this case, most tolerable song.) Die Tonight