Cultured Vultures’ Top 25 Albums of 2014

10. Sharon Van Etten – Are We There

Sharon Van Etten is no stranger to Cultured Vultures; having first rocked up in our Green Man Special of Pulse and then rightfully bagged herself Single of the Week with ‘Your Love Is Killing Me’. It’s only right then that she should find herself making her way into our Top 25 Albums of 2014 list, via her simply astonishingly good Are We There. Over the course of the album, Van Etten writes and sings from the heart, unashamedly displaying her emotions for all who will listen. This can see songs of heartbreak and loss, love and longing, scathingly bitter retorts, and tender, sincere confessions of the most bittersweet nature. The music matches the emotions perfectly, subdued and aloof sometimes, bombastic and grandiose at others, but always built from a core nakedness. Every song is a standout, but standouts of standouts would be; ‘Afraid of Nothing’, ‘Taking Chances’, ‘Our Love’, ‘You Know Me Well’, and obviously ‘You Love Is Killing Me’ and ‘Every Time The Sun Comes Up’. Morgan Roberts

 

9. Axes – Glory

Our New Band of the Month for November left a huge impression on me after finding myself in the midst of a cup of coffee too many. A wordless, powerful onslaught of rock at its purest will leave you trembling at the knees and with your hands reached out begging for more. Imagine if Los Campesinos! realised how to properly close a song out instead of letting it meander off in a billion directions and you have Glory, a worthwhile contender for Album of the Year. A steady teenage diet of post-rock meant I was also going to adore this release from Axes and I for one can’t wait to see how they top this masterclass in hatefucking your instruments. Jimmy Donnellan

 

8. Lonely The Brave – The Day’s War

A record full of maturity beyond its years, an absolute triumph which ebbs and flows beautifully. Full of hooks, swirling guitars, towering melodies and emotive lyrics, it’s the sort of record where you have a new favourite with every new spin. ‘Victory Line’, ‘Backroads’ and ‘Black Saucers’ are highlights, but the pièce de résistance is definitely ‘The Blue and the Green’ with its “I wanna know what it’s like so I can feel it inside” refrain, the kind that makes your hair stand up on end. As far as debut albums go this is one of the best I’ve heard. Alex Mitchell-Fox

 

7. Jack White – Lazaretto

As a massive Jack White fan, I was not disappointed by Lazaretto. White’s second solo LP is sure to get your blood pumping. Heavily guitar laden tracks such as ‘Lazaretto’, ‘High Ball Stepper’ and ‘That Black Bat Liquorice’ hammer themselves into your subconscious through the use of stinging riffs and a vocal technique from Jack White that effectively slaps the listener around the face. Whereas, quieter more tender tracks like ‘Temporary Ground’ and ‘Want and Able’ lather your ear canals in melodic, meandering piano. All in all, my favourite album of the year, and one that stands up to Jack’s previous work. (Full Review Here) Luke Bailey

 

6. St Vincent – St Vincent

I love Annie Clark. In fact I could spend this album inclusion’s word count gushing and girlcrushing all over Annie Clark, and I wouldn’t be the first Vulture to do so, but I won’t. This is about St. Vincent, the album, Annie Clark’s fourth album as St. Vincent. It came out right at the beginning of the year in February, and it is a testament to an album’s quality that it can still stand up after the barrage of a year’s worth of albums that followed it. Some albums fall by the wayside, and some albums are forgotten almost entirely. St. Vincent, however, still stands as one of the best albums of the year because it is such a unique album in both style and substance. Whether it’s the way Clark wrangles the most unconventional sounds out of her guitars in the way she plays riffs, the notes she streams together, or just fucking about with the endless potential of guitar effects. Combine that with some of the most angular yet atmospheric synths around, and the funkiest rhythm section you’ll have heard all year ; you’re onto a winner. Then you have moments of the sheerest, most tender, and honest emotion conveyed expertly through genius songwriting. Simultaneously as out there and experimental as it is accessible and catchy as all fuck. Morgan Roberts