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Eevee's best of '14: FINALLY DONE!
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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Take Me to Church yaaaas 
Champagne Kisses yas Jessie
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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Spoon - They Want My Soul
"Educated folk singers want my soul"
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While other acclaimed rock bands like the War on Drugs were making 'deep' long albums with water metaphors or w/e, Spoon made an album that's dare I say, fun? It's definitely the most immediate rock album I heard the year, even the more spacey songs like Inside Out were instant loves for me. Plus I love when the singer tries to do a cockney accent in Let Me Be Mine, because it's just the cutest thing when Americans try to do English accents. I need to get into the rest of their discography sometime, Gaga Gaga was cute too.
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Katy B - Little Red
"Our love is shining like a jewel on a crown"
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Yeah this is considered a disappointment, and it's not as good as On a Mission. But maybe I'm glass half full kinda guy: there are still plenty of BANGERZ here. The album does kinda fall flat near the end, with three consecutive ballads rounding out the album, something like Hot Like Fire should've been placed there over one of them. But regardless, the album is still brimming with highlights and the fact that I struggled to narrow it down to five picks (sorry I Like You, Tumbling Down, Blue Eyes!), really shows that this is a great album.
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Caribou - Our Love
"The only thing I want is to caress you
"
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I like that there are lots of different things to enjoy here: the obligatory catchy b0p in Can't do Without You, the rnb influences from Jessy Lanza's own excellent album, Pull My Hair Back, and a stunning ballad in Back Home. This album also made me appreciate Swim, which I didn't care for on my first listen. After really enjoying this, I went back to Swim and found I loved it too. 
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Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
"I wish I had the voice of everything sometimes"
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This was a very last minute addition, in fact I axed another album to put this in! I didn't think much of this album at first. Only really appreciating Windows. It wasn't until months later that I decided to listen to Forgiven/ Forgotten again and found that I loved it. Soon enough I grew to love the whole album..
At first Angel seemed like a one trick pony, but over time I began to see the depth and complexity of the songs. Her unique inflection and emotive voice carries the songs and gives them a heartfelt quality.The lyrics are excellent, take Stars, one of the albums highlights. At first Angel is so angry that she could "scream the stars out of our universe", but after ha man smiles at her she changes her mind and instead wants to "sing the stars..." which is a pretty beautiful way of putting a feeling we have probably all felt.
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Lykke Li - I Never Learn
"Love was my shoreline"
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Listening to I Never Learn, it's difficult to imagine that this is the same artist that sung sugary, cute. innocent little songs such as Little Bit and Breaking it Up. Even her voice, once childlike and pure, has become bruised and world weary, On this album, Lykke belittles herself, blames herself and beats herself up. Most of all she is heartbroken. While many ATRLers like to think Ultraviolence is a depressing album, I Never Learn is my idea of a depressing album, and the closer Sleeping Alone suggests there isn't a light at the end of the tunnel. But that's not to say this isn't an excellent album: I Never Learn is beautiful in all it's misery.
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Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
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They Want My Soul... that's an album that I definitely need to check out! Do You and Inside Out are incredible!
Our Love is amazing!  and Katy B 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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Member Since: 4/7/2009
Posts: 34,961
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Spoon and Lykke!
Little Red, totally forgot about that one it was cute.
I like your picks for Angel Olsen but the album/music is not my cup of tea.
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Member Since: 10/2/2011
Posts: 43,174
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Spoon and Katy
I Never Learn is amazing 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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"I could hear your song forever" |
I guess I have a thing for sophomore slumps huh?
There aren't any songs as magical as Something Inside, or as huge as Running and Wildest Moments. Yeah it isn't as good as Devotion, but how many albums are? Jessie still managed to craft 10 excellent, smooth, pop songs, and Say You Love Me. But even Say You Love manages to showcase Jessie's gorgeous vocals. In a world full of 'alt-RnB' girls whispering over the beat it's refreshing that Jessie can actually sing really well. I'd listen to her sing the phone book tbh. Jessie is still singing about the matters of the heart, but she isn't just dwelling on sadness and knows how to have fun, like on the highlight Champagne Kisses.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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"Tell me what do I do when you're not here?" |
Quote:
Originally posted by Eeveelution
twigs has always been mysterious, when I first found out about her, I was greeted by an alien looking face, with eyes like an anime character. While the video for 'Water Me' was abstract and the lyrics couldn't be clearer: ' He won’t make love to me now/ I guess I’m stuck with me'. This theme continues here on 'LP1', despite hiding behind distorted faces and unique visuals, twigs is just a normal person. With her lyrics typically focusing on love and heartbreak.
The enthralling 'Two Weeks' is twigs' most accessible song to date, and sets a sensual tone that will be a central theme of the album. 'Pendulum' is a roller coaster of a song, the mood shifting from the tense, minimally-produced verses to the powerful chorus, and back again, certainly true to it's name., ' How does it feel to have me thinking about you? she chants, her voice becoming more and more distorted. This is followed by the woozy, disoriented 'Video Girl'. Twigs attempts to shrug off her past as people ask her, 'Was she the girl that's from the video?'
'I love annoying sounds' said twigs in a recent interview. Details like the car alarm in 'Lights On' and the omnipresent clicks, most notable in the Sampha-produced 'Numbers', would be irritating on any other album, but work perfectly here, adding depth and complexity to the songs. 'Numbers' also especially highlights twigs' gorgeous falsetto and is probably the best vocal performance of the album. |
Queen of pop/ 10
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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"Hoped it would be you all along" |
I'll admit it, I was wrong about Tinashe. I just thought she was another one of these girls ATRL stans for, ;because she serves bops', that she would just be a flash in the pan and have no depth to her music. 2 On was the bop, but I just wasn't expecting to deliver. But the hype continued and I found myself listening to Feels Like Vegas, which showed me a different side of Tinashe and I was hooked. What really sealed the deal, was that she dropped the album stream on my birthday and it scalped me, it was much better than what other crappy presents I got last year.
OK so what made me put this above LP1 is just that Tinashe has so much personality. On songs like the flirty Thug Cry and, of course 2 On, for example. But after all the fun comes heartbreak and Bated Breath is without a doubt one of the most heart wrenching ballads of the year. And on the unique the production of Far Side of the Moon kinda beats the alt-RnB girls at their own game. This album does so many things right with no real missteps. It's truly an album to be enjoyed from start to finish, I almost never pick out an individual song to listen to, because it's just such a pleasure to listen to from start to finish.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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Hi
@ least the guests are checking this.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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 I was so hype for this
"I see the snake holes dotted in the sand/ As if the Seurat painted the Rio Grande"
One of my most anticipated tracks of the year. I remember I heard this radio show where she was talking about the story and a clip played. I just knew it would be one of my favourite songs of the year.
I love the quirky, video game sountrack vibe this song tracks. And the sense of urgency really makes this a great opener, it just has you hooked, no?
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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So this is a tie...
Even if they are the complete opposite musically, I honestly have no preference between these Ultraviolence highlights.
"Will you still love me when I shine? From words but not from beauty."
It's a cliche, but I almost teared up after hearing this for the first time. I think it's because UV leaked right after my last day at school. And also probably because song has a really nostalgic feeling, as I'm still young and beautiful I don't relate to the lyrics, but it does remind me of all the people I'll never see again, for better or for worse.
It's just such a moving song and one of Lana's best lyrically. Honestly anyone who hates this has no heart.
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"They judge me like a picture book/ by the colours, like they forgot to read"
The dumbest criticism Lana, aside from "tumblr artist" and "only known on the internet", is that she only makes sad songs. There's Off To the Races, Cola, Puppy Love, Diet Mountain Dew, Florida Kilos... I could go on. But anyways, Brooklyn Baby might be the best of them all, despite being almost six minutes long, it never drags at all, in fact, I wouldn't mind if it were even longer.
Also she kinda clocks a bunch of ATRLers with that lyric doesn't she?
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Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
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I need to check out Tinashe's album in full! Lana and St. Vincent 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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WTF these are all perfect, Tough Love, LP1, Aquarius, Rattlesnake, Lana, just perfect
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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Quote:
Originally posted by Subomie
1) ultraviolence
there
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Quote:
Originally posted by !Blue!
Which means Ultraviolence 
Still i will follow this  |
Quote:
Originally posted by Lil Misty
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Quote:
Originally posted by WoozyFloozy
You usually have pretty good taste, count me in. Here for the upset when Charli sucker punches Lana for that top spot.  |
"Blue hydrangea, cold cash divine
cashmere, cologne and white sunshine." |
I joined this site as a Lana stan, but only really because she was the most 'relevant' artist I really liked. Honestly, I had grown bored of Born To Die in 2013, and had expanded my music taste a lot from my previously God-awful taste. I found a lot of albums I liked better than BTD. So when West Coast was announced I was worried she'd stick to the BTD sound. Thankfully, West Coast turned out to be different from anything we'd heard from Lana thus far. With it's unique tempo changes and lush, soft-rock production, it really impressed me and rightly became one of the most praised songs of the year. When the preview of Brooklyn Baby dropped and I even had that on repeat, I knew that surely this would be one of the best albums of the year.
Although some people have the misguided opinion that this album is samey there really is something for everyone: people who want ~bops~ at least have Brooklyn Baby and Florida Kilos; people who prefer BTD Lana at least have Old Money and that old B-Side Money Power Glory; those who weren't impressed with Lana initially, ATRLers and critics alike, were welcomed by the grandiose opener and saw a different side to her.
With this wonderful album Lana silenced (most of) her critics and finally got the respect and acclaim she deserved. But most of all, she made me a stan for life and I will never think to doubt her again.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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"I. Know. It. Hurts."
Maybe a little a predictable, because I feel like this has been on everyone's best of. But you can see why, it's just that song. I've never seen a song so universally liked. Anyways, there's nothing new lyrically about this song, but there's something so captivating about the way she sings them. But, like most of LP1, it's the production that makes this song. Slinking and sexy, and when it gets to the bridge. WOO LORD.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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Oh yeah, thanks to the few people who commented and made sure this wasn't a complete flop. Wall me sometime. 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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Wow if I do this next year, someone remind me to start earlier, this place is dead as **** after everyone finishes their best ofs.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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