Best of 2014

Essential albums

From the dystopian-pop of St Vincent to the boundary-pushing electronica of Aphex Twin, we’ve selected the albums that have brought us the most joy in 2014. Discover our ultimate top 10 and best of the rest below, with long-players at reduced prices for a limited time.

  • St. Vincent - St. Vincent
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    Last seen working with David Byrne on Love This Giant, Annie Clark returns with a fourth solo album that’s an early contender for our Best of 2014. Swapping the S&M of Strange Mercy for tales of communing naked with rattlesnakes, hotel room hallucinations and our obsession with social media, St. Vincent’s every bit as lyrically-bonkers as you might expect. Sonically, it’s more surprising still, seeing Clark hit the sweet spot between leftfield experimentation and radio-friendly hooks.
  • Young Fathers - DEAD
    DEAD Young Fathers 03/02/2014
    On the strength of two excellent mixtapes, last year Edinburgh’s Young Fathers were touted as one of the most exciting hip hop acts in the UK. This debut album proper proves that’s only partially true, because to brand the trio “hip hop” does a huge disservice to the range and scope of styles explored. Bringing together the psychedelic weirdness of Earl Sweatshirt, the bubbling tension of early Massive Attack, and the crunchy samples and basic electronic instrumentation of rave and hardcore, DEAD posits Young Fathers as one of the most exciting acts in the UK, period.
  • Thanks to her eye-popping promo videos and magnetic live shows, dancer-turned-singer Tahliah “FKA Twigs” Barnett has rapidly established herself as one of the most impressive performers in the UK. The visual element to her work is so strong, in fact, we did worry how her feverish compositions would fair when finally divorced from any ocular context. We needn’t have. Offering a resolutely leftfield take on contemporary R&B, Barnett’s sensuous, sonically adventurous debut manages to exceed the promise shown on excellent early singles ‘Water Me’ and ‘Papi Pacify’. In short, we’ve never heard anything quite like it before.
  • Royal Blood - Royal Blood
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    As the only guitar group nominated for the BBC’s Sound of 2014 prize, Royal Blood found themselves unwittingly elected the saviours of British rock back in January. Ultimate respect to them, then, for not buckling under the pressure, and for delivering an album that vindicates the hype. Marrying muscular riffs and punishing percussion with equally mammoth melodies, the Brighton duo hit the sweet spot between rock credibility and commercial appeal on every single track. If you’ve even a passing interest in Led Zeppelin, QOTSA, Rage Against The Machine or Muse, you’ll find Royal Blood a relentlessly rewarding listen.

The rest of the best