Staff Picks: Best Albums of 2014

This year Empty Lighthouse staff has come together to celebrate another great year in music by generating a list of our favorite albums along with some honorable mentions.

Andy

Sun Kil Moon - Benji

No other recording quite captured the icy bleakness of the Polar Vortex as well as Sun Kil Moon's Benji album. In fact, Benji makes the Polar Vortex seem summery in comparison. All nylon-stringed acoustic picking and the bellowing baritone of Mark Kozelek, as soon as you press play on Benji, the oxygen seems to get sucked out of the room.

Well-read, intelligent, twisted, affecting and funny are just a few adjectives you could use while explaining Kozelek's lyrics. Nobody else referenced James Gandolfini or Richard Ramirez in 2014 or dedicated an entire song about his friendship with Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab For Cutie).

Steve Shelley (of Sonic Youth) added some loud, skeletal beats to the proceedings, keeping Benji out of the "folk" bin.

Kozelek would spend the rest of the year creating indie-blog headlines and starting a folk-rock "beef" with The War On Drugs, but nothing could come close to tarnishing the languid beauty of Sun Kil Moon's Benji.

Listen To These: "Ben's My Friend," "Carissa" and "Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes"

For more on Sun Kil Moon: http://sunkilmoon.com

Honorable Mentions:

Run The Jewels "Run The Jewels 2"
The Afghan Whigs "Do To The Beast"
Damon Albarn "Everyday Robots"
Weezer "Everything Will Be Alright In The End"
The Smashing Pumpkins "Monuments To An Elegy"

Jeff

The Amanuensis--Monuments

Few albums have dominated my stereo like The Amanuensis did. Everything about this record is perfect: its deceivingly technical guitar riffs, its Nirvana-reaching vocals, and its engrossing rhythms.

There are few metal bands with as much melodic sensibility as Monuments. With djent being the latest craze in the metal scene, it's refreshing to see a band classified as such writing songs like "Garden of Sankhara" or "Quasimodo"; the grooves that make djent appealing are present, but they know that guttural vocals need an occasional break.

And when front man Chris Barretto sings, he gives credibility to a largely stigmatized niche in modern music: the metal vocalist.

A band hasn't made such an impression on me with a record so early in their existence since Between the Buried and Me released Alaska.

Nicole

Oxymoron, Schoolboy Q

Schoolboy Q's first album release came at the beginning of the year, and I haven't gotten sick of it yet.

The currently most successful song on the album, "Studio," has peaked at number 38 on the Billboard charts, but I predict that this album has yet to see its biggest successes as it continues being heard.

The world first really heard about Schoolboy Q with the track "Hands on the Wheel" featuring ASAP Rocky, a song released in 2012.

He hit the scene around the same time that Kendrick Lamar did, and it was inevitable that they would both soon be big names. Sure enough, their career trajectory is very similar.

Schoolboy Q's first major studio album, "Oxymoron," is good from start to finish.

It took a while to come out, being named a most anticipated album of 2013 in June that year but not being actually released until the beginning of 2014. Upon listening, you can understand it's because Q wanted to get things perfect.

The first released single on the album, "Collard Greens," features none other than Kendrick Lamar himself. The two artists share both a hometown and record label, and it's a treat to hear them opposite each other on this track.

It's certainly the song that first attracts listeners, as Kendrick Lamar's fan base is devoted.

Keep an ear out, also, for "Hell of a Night," my personal favorite song of the album that is consistently getting more and more radio play.

It's Schoolboy Q at his best, with catchy lyrics and a hypnotic beat. And if you want to feel gut-wrenching emotion, play "Prescription/Oxymoron," an all-to-real depiction of an addict/seller's relationship with painkillers and other prescribed drugs.

Even a person who has gone throughout life completely sober can understand the pain involved, and that's what makes Schoolboy Q and his first major release the best of the year. A great rapper, one who expects to have staying power and compete with the competition, has a story to tell and is able to tell it in such a way that bridges the divide between those who have been there and those who are fortunate to have not.

Q Is that guy.

Sam

I rarely listen to an album all the way through. My taste includes random radio ear candy and dubstep anthems.

I prefer to jump around through Spotify playlists until I find a single I really liked and play it on repeat until I never want to hear it again (i.e.

Sia's Chandelier). So when I was asked to pick my favorite album of the year, it was an easy decision, because there was only one I liked enough to listen to from start to finish on multiple occasions.

Lana Del Rey: Ultraviolence

I thought I used to hate Lana Del Rey, and believed she was totally full of it, until I heard this album. Previous to Ultraviolence, I dabbled in Del Rey. I kept "Blue Jeans" on my iPod, and didn't skip "Summertime Sadness" when it come on Pandora. I still don't know what compelled me to actually sit down and listen to Ultraviolence.

Perhaps a boredom and sense of time to kill that I was unaccustomed to after leaving a hectic lifestyle. Del Rey produces smooth, lounge singer-esque listening reminiscent of bygone days, and she's refreshing in her style and swagger.

The ethereality of "Brooklyn Baby" got me hooked, and the power behind "Old Money" sealed the deal on my newfound love.

Her sultry and somber tone hit a high note with me, and like all my favorite music, movies and books, it came to me at the right time. It's officially a classic in my "Cruel World."

Honorable Mentions:

Azealia Banks: Broke With Expensive Taste

A kick-ass debut.

I rarely listen to rap (see: Lana Del Rey as my favorite album of the year), but something about Banks' style sets her apart from anything typical of the genre. Currently listening to "Heavy Metal And Reflective" on repeat.

Die Antwoord: Donker Mag

Another transcendence of the rap genre, Ninja and Yo-Landi just keep getting better and better.

I'd never heard anything like Die Antwoord's rap-rave before or since I first listened to "Ten$ion," and was super excited when "Donker Mag" came out. I can happily say it didn't disappoint.

Ted

Kidz Bop 26

I am a simple man. I drink beer, build things out of wood, and usually forget to vote. I also have a serious love for music.

And I used to think that I had a strong grasp on music until an earthquake hit me on July 15, 2014. Now I'll admit that Kidz Bop 25 was an important part of my life, but when Kidz Bop 26 was released 4 months later, my life gained renewed meaning and purpose.

From the rich bouquets of generation defining rhythms like 'Story of My Life' to the subtle nuance of 'Counting Stars', this album has something for everyone.

Why listen to the original songs when you can listen to children that are future glee-club members and social pariahs?

For me, nothing even comes close to this album except for maybe 'Dora The Explorer: Dance Fiesta!" which was released in 2005. That album made me fluent in Spanish and helped me lose several inches around my waist from all the Flamenco dancing.

But even that album falls deathly short of the greatness that Kidz Bop 26 brings to the table. Move over Bob Dylan, stay in your grave Michael Jackson, and shut up Aaron Carter. Kidz Bop 26 will change your entire perspective.

Kassondra

When I heard Idina Menzelwas coming out with a Christmas album, called "Holiday Wishes," I almost spontaneously combusted. One of my favorite Broadway stars and my favorite holiday all in one Christmas package.

I usually enjoy listening to solely Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra during the holidays, but I figured why not? Let's give it a try.

At first, it was hard to get in the groove of the album, but I soon accepted change. Once I hear "Baby It's Cold Outside" with Michael Buble, I was convinced.

The song is so fun, and the duo sounded so well together. They had fun, which distracted me from the slightly questionable lyrics. Not to mention, she absolutely nailed her own version of "All I Want for Christmas."

What makes it interesting is that Menzel is only one year younger than Carey. Nonetheless, all of the songs were beautifully done, and Idina Menzel helped close out the year with a great album.

Gene

Kayo Dot - Coffins on Io

All the comparisons the press have been using to describe Coffins on Io - Peter Gabriel, Type O Negative, Sisters of Mercy, etc. - hit pretty close to the mark, but do the disservice of masking Kayo Dot's giant leap forward in songwriting by calling too much attention to their rather drastic stylistic shift. For a band previously known for their free-wielding nature, there isn't a single note on Coffins on Io that feels extraneous. The hypnotic last-couple-of-minutes of "Offramp Cycle, Pattern 22" could loop forever without getting boring, and the stunning fireworks of "Library Subterranean's" proggy conclusion have a way of dropping the listener's jaw every time.

This album shows that Toby Driver and Co. have mastered restraint and catharsis, all while proving they don't need to rely on any cookie-cutter blueprints to arrive at either one.

Driver, who's always been kind-of a compositional wunderkind, has earned his genius stripes here.

Key tracks: "Offramp Cycle, Pattern 22," "Library Subterranean" "The Assassination of Adam"

Honorable Mentions:
Run the Jewels "RTJ2"
Trophy Scars "Holy Vacants"
Casualties of Cool "s/t"
Hail the Sun "Wake"
Emma Ruth Rundle "Some Heavy Ocean"
Every Time I Die "From Parts Unknown"
The Contortionist "Language"

Dan

Bob Mould - Workbook 25

When Bob Mould released Workbook in 1989, he was coming off his split with Husker Du.

His fans did not know what to expect and the music contained on the release reflected the energy of his former band while adding a new dimension to the singer/songwriter's songwriting.

With the 25th anniversary re- release of the album, Mould adds some one song to the original album --- "All Those People Know," which was originally issued as the B-side of the single "See A Little Light." But, most importantly he includes a second disc featuring a complete 1989 performance at Chicago's Cabaret Metro featuring the entire album as well as a handful of Husker Du favorites performed with new context and a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson's "Shoot Out The Lights."

Workbook 25 is the rare re-issue that offers more than the original in a way that makes fans need to buy it.

The original album holds up well - it could have been new this year and it would fit in fine - but it's the aching live performances that give the release true added relevance.

Navi

Favorite album for a rap/hip-hop fan this year is probably the hardest thing to pick. There were a slew of quality albums this year but Logic's "Under Pressure" album just stood out among the crowd.

"Under Pressure" was Logic's debut effort and it was incredibly done. From the production efforts by No I.D. to Logic's exploration of what his life was like growing up, this album was personal and anyone who listened to it felt as if they were going through his "Growing Pains" with him.

Rarely does hip-hop find storyteller rappers who have mastered the craft at a young age.

Moving away from the braggadocios stereotype that is normally thrown on to hip-hop, "Under Pressure" features skillful rhymes that play a movie in the listener's head.

By the way, both Logic and J. Cole had amazing albums without having to have one single feature, just a little food for thought.

Honorable Mentions:

J. Cole's "2014 Forest Hills Drive" might be the best album of the year. It is Cole's best body of work yet and deserves all the praise it has been receiving.

Hozier "Hozier" - Favorite Track "Run"
Jon Bellion "The Definition"
Schoolboy Q's "Oxymoron"
Ab-Soul "These Days"
Travi$ Scott "Days Before Rodeo"

Anthony

Forest Hills Drive is, in my opinion, album of the year because it pleads for an entire culture to change its views, and ultimately pushes for that culture to progress. J. Cole delivers an amazing performance on every song with thoughtful lyrics and outstanding production.

Cole's humble delivery in "Love Yourz," a song which attempts to make listeners realize that happiness doesn't come from material items but instead from inside oneself, is what makes this album so great.

The pure honesty behind they lyrics allows us to get a real look inside J. Cole's life and mindset and even allows for the listener to have their own moments introspection, something that Cole undoubtedly wanted. Overall the album is up there with the greats and it will be a travesty if it doesn't win a Grammy or two.