Sound In The Signals - Best Albums And EPs Of 2014

So here it was and there it went. There's another year in the bag. Tons of really good albums and EPs came out last year. This is Sound In The Signals list of favorite albums and EPs of 2014 (with a couple mixtapes thrown in the mix as well). You may agree or disagree and that's fine. These are the ones my ears liked. I know I probably let a few albums slip my mind and a couple really good ones just didn't make the cut. You'd think a list of 100 could get it done, but it always seems that something I really enjoyed always gets left off. (*Note: I've linked the album review to the title if we reviewed it this year). The album list 1-100 is first. The EP list 1-31 is second. Here goes!

Best Albums Of 2014:

01.Northbound - Death Of A Slug

Jonathon Fraser, the man behind Northbound, just gets it. Death Of A Slug is an album that hit bandcamp and hit my ears really hard. It's hard for me to believe a big indie didn't snap this album up towards the end of the summer and say: this needs to be reissued on vinyl and re-released because this is the next big thing! Death Of A Slug has these pure honest lyrics, the songs are great, and it has a great balance of electric guitars and acoustic guitars. I think it's only a matter of time until we see Northbound sign to Topshelf, Run For Cover, or one of these other lucky labels.

02.The Hotelier - Home, Like Noplace is There

This album has the instant classic vibe from the moment it starts until the moment it ends. It reminded me of the first time I heard Saves The Day's Stay What You Are over a decade ago and just felt like I would always like the album. It's hard to write music this good, but the album has the chemistry and flow that make it seem like it was easy. It's not that easy, though, and as listeners we should never take that for granted.

03.You Blew It! - Keep Doing What You're Doing

I said mid-year that this band lived up to the hype and created their best album yet with this one. I still think all those things are true. This album has so many great songs. It's super solid musically and vocally.

04.Copeland - Ixora

This is by far one of Copeland's best albums. If the band had any rust on them from years of not recording and playing together it certainly didn't show on this album. The band was able to craft an album that advanced their sound, refined it, and continued to show why they are regarded as such a great band.

05.Pianos Become The Teeth - Keep You

The band took a left turn on this album. They embraced a lot of things that had been present in their music but on this album they brought them to the forefront. There's more singing than screaming on this album. The music is more melodic and brooding. It's an extremely well written and well executed album. I think the band has gone in the right direction stylistically and this is one of their best albums.

06.Modern Baseball - You're Gonna Miss It All

This band takes elements of pop/punk, emo, indie rock and merges them all nicely together to create this quirky, upbeat fun sound. I'm a huge fan of the lyrics. The songs are catchy and well thought out. The band took all the neat things they were doing on Sports and improved them to create a super solid listen.

07.This Wild Life - Clouded

The acoustic guitar and earnest vocals are at the forefront of this album. The band built around the songs and added touches of other instruments, threw in some electric guitar here and there, and came out with an honest and earnest album of songs. I really enjoy this album lyrically and vocally as well.

08.Somos - Temple Of Plenty

This band and album got a lot of love, but at times it felt like it was slightly underrated. The songwriting, musicianship, and lyrics on this album are really solid. Everything sounds really good. I really like the production on the album. It's a really solid album.

09.Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2

Run The Jewels did more than make a great album with their second album. They proved their first album wasn't just lightning in a bottle. This album is not only just as good as the first one, but it might be even better.

10.Have Mercy - A Place Of Our Own

Have Mercy has had a pretty busy couple of years They've released two solid albums. I think this album showed the band stepping up their game and really defining themselves. I was a fan of their 2013 album The Earth Pushed Back and it was great to see them bounce back with another good album so quickly.

11.Weatherbox - Flies In All Directions

I think this band has been making some great music for a long time. This just seemed to be their year and this album helped them reach some new fans as they made a bigger initial splash with this album. It contains some great songs that have really good lyrics.

12.Clipping. - CLPPNG

This album is easily one of the better hip hop albums of the year. It has an interesting sound, it's experimental, and really well rounded. This album has so many good rhymes. I guess that in some ways Clipping. reminds me somewhat of a group like Death Grips. This is a really cool album.

13.Sorority Noise - Forgettable

Don't let the title of the album or the simple neat looking artwork fool you. This album is really good. It stands out as one of the better albums this year to mix emo, punk, and tinges of indie rock.

14.The Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt

This album probably didn't live up to some of the lofty expectations. Regardless of that it's a really good album. It's well written and I think it's grown on me a lot throughout the year. This band knows how to write good music.

15.Fireworks - Oh, Common Life

This album really took what the band started on the album before and developed it. It's a more mature effort lyrically and I think the band stepped up their songwriting.

16.Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties - We Don't Have Each Other

Dan Campbell of The Wonder Years may have not caught us too off guard with this project. It's not too far a stretch from The Wonder Years. The fictional aspect worked pretty well. I think the emotions in the songs and how Campbell really sold it made the album a big success. His vocals also sounded really well done on this project.

17.Manchester Orchestra - Cope

I've heard people say the re-worked version of this album Hope is better. That's fair to some extent and I really liked the re-worked version, but I always dug the heaviness of the guitars on this album. I think that's why Cope ends up being my favorite of the two versions.

18.Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - You Will Eventually Be Forgotten

I really like the lyrical approach and the vocals on this album. It shows the band switching gears with a few things. The lyrics being one of them. I think this album is great and it's a very well rounded album.

19.Real Friends - Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing

About every other review I read was split on this album. It seemed like reviewers either dug it or didn't. I just didn't see a lot of people sitting in the middle with this album. I ended up liking this album a lot. It was definitely one of the better pop/punk albums of the year in my opinion. It may have not totally lived up to the hype, but it was still an album I enjoyed.

20.Islander - Violence & Destruction

This might be the first album released on Victory in a long long time that I thought was really good. This shows the band mixing some heavy rock, nu-metal, and some hardcore elements to create a pretty well rounded album. I've heard so many bands trying to work in these nu-metal influences lately and a lot of them just fall so flat. This band understood how to make it work and everything came together nicely on the album.

21-100:

21.Moose Blood - I'll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time
22.'68 - In Humor and Sadness
23.Wander - Wander
24.Eric Church - The Outsiders
25.Sundy Best - Bring Up The Sun
26.Prawn - Kingfisher
27.The Menzingers - Rented World
28.Tigers On Trains - Antarctica In Color
29.Circa Survive - Descensus
30.This Legend - It's In The Streets
31.5 Seconds Of Summer - 5 Seconds Of Summer
32.Your Old Droog - Your Old Droog
33.Bleachers - Strange Desires
34.Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown
35.The Underachievers - Cellar Door Terminus Ut Exordium
36.Dads - I'll Be the Tornado
37.Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
38.Yellowcard - Lift A Sail
39.Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
40.Great Sale Day - Wild And Chunky
41.Michael Christmas - Is This Art?
42.Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In The End
43.Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness - Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness
44.Mary Lambert - Heart On My Sleeve
45.Blu - Good To Be Home
46.Masked Intruder - M.I.
47.Issues - Issues
48.Porter Robinson - Worlds
49.Ab-Soul - These Days...
50.I Am The Avalanche - Wolverines
51.Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain
52.Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter
53.Tigers Jaw - Charmer
54.Major League - There's Nothing Wrong With Me
55.La Dispute - Rooms Of The House
56.PARTYNEXTDOOR! - PARTYNEXTDOOR! Two
57.FKA Twigs - LP1
58.J Cole - 2014 Forest Hills Drive
59.Asher Roth - Retro Hash
60.Lil Herb - Welcome to Fazoland
61.Seeming - Madness & Extinction
62.Banks - Goddess
63.Arrange - Their Bodies in a Fog
64.Transit - Joyride
65.Such Gold - The New Sidewalk
66.The Jazz June - After the Earthquake
67.Neck Deep - Wishful Thinking
68.Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata
69.Hemmingway - Pretend To Care
70.Miggos - Rich N**** Timeline
71.Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
72.Frameworks - Loom
73.Chuck Inglish - Convertibles
74.Sir Michael Rocks - Banco
75.The Rentals - Lost in Alphaville
76.Linkin Park - The Hunting Party
77.Chiodos - Devil
78.Chumped - Teenage Retirement
79.Joyce Manor - Never Hungover Again
80.Tiny Moving Parts - Pleasant Living
81.Travis Scott - Days Before Rodeo
82.Sleep In. - Settling
83.Free Throw - Those Days Are Gone
84.Handguns - Life Lessons
85.Young And In The Way - When Life Comes To Death
86.Brantley Gilbert - Just as I Am
87.New Found Glory - Resurrection
88.Driver Friendly - Unimagined Bridges
89.Cozz - Cozz & Effect
90.Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is
91.Whitey Morgan - Grandpa's Guitar
92.Sleepwave - Broken Compass
93.Spine - Time Has Gone
94.Rozwell Kid - Too Shabby
95.Logic - Under Pressure
96.One Direction - Four
97.Busdriver - Perfect Hair
98.Future Crooks - Future Crooks In Paradise
99.Morrissey - World Peace Is None of Your Business
100.Amber Pacific - The Turn

Best EPs Of 2014:

01.Beach Slang - Who Would Ever Want Anything So Broken

This EP is great. There's top notch songwriting and an awesome mixture of punk with The Replacement's style rock. It's extremely well done.

02.Beach Slang - Cheap Thrills On A Dead End Street

Beach Slang had a quick turn around and released two EPs this year. This was the second one. I wondered if they could capture everything I dug about the first EP again and they did big time.

03.Knuckle Puck - While I Stay Secluded

This is one of my favorite pop/punk releases of the year. It's a great EP. It has super solid and strong songwriting.

04.True Love - New Young Gods

This band can just tear it up. It's straight edge hardcore delivered lightning quick. These guys are really reminiscent of American Nightmare (Give Up The Ghost). It's an all around fantastic release.

05.Letter High - North

I saw the artwork and checked this out on Bandcamp. It just caught me quick. There's four acoustic tracks. The vocals are so strong. It's a great release from a relatively new band.

06.Youth Code - A Place to Stand

With music that could make Skinny Puppy jealous this band just pummel you with these great EBM and Industrial songs. The vocals are just so abrasive and the music is just so immediate and disastrous feeling. It's awesome!

07.Fighting Season - Weathered

They're a great up and coming pop/punk band. This EP was really solid. If you're really digging the pop/punk sounds of bands like Knuckle Puck and Real Friends you'll really dig this.

08.Seaway - All In My Head

This is catchy Canadian pop/punk! I really dig the vocals and guitar work on this EP. It just sounds so smooth and cool. It's so sing-a-long-able!

09.Northbound - Trigger Relief

This EP starts with one of my favorite Northbound songs. It's super solid like everything else he does. Labels listen to me now...sign this guy!

10.The Eeries - The Eeries

This is grunge and indie rock influenced. It's like you put Nirvana and Cage The Elephant in a blender and came out with this EP. I really dig it. This EP has some really catchy songs. It's just an all around solid EP.



11-31:

11.ILoveMakkonen! - ILoveMakkonen!
12.Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait
13.Sidelined. - Make The Most Of It
14.Man Overboard - Passing Ends
15.Hotel Books - I'm Almost Happy Here, But I Never Feel At Home
16.Life Lessons - Need To Know
17.Busy Living - How an Ending Feels
18.Four Year Strong - Go Down In History
19.OG Maco - OG Maco
20.The Hundred Acre Woods - Cold In The Morning
21.100s - Ivry
22.Zella Day - Zella Day
23.Firestarter - Forget The Past
24.The Violent Hearts - The Penalty
25.Permanent Ruin - San Jose
26.Clean Break - Face Value
27.Clockwork Indigo - Clockwork Indigo
28.Miguel - NWA.Hollywooddreams.Coffee
29.The Story So Far - Songs Of...
30.Grayscale - The Libra Sessions
31.Donor - Ache Through My Bones