STACK NZ Jan-Feb #59

MUSIC

THIS MONTH AT

So, what was your favourite album of 2014? BEST OF THE BEST

On the JB stereo!

Hozier Hozier

Hanni El Khatib Moonlight

Sleaford Mods

Dr John In The Right Place

The War On Drugs

T he year-end of lists are out – now is the time to see what you are missing! Of course, music should always be a matter of personal taste and just because N.M.E declares one album to be the best, doesn’t mean that you will (or should) like it). And sometimes the artistic merits of a particular work are not the only thing that goes into choosing the No. 1 record of the year. Some publications go for something particularly obscure, some stick resolutely to the mainstream, others seem to pick albums that are likely raise the ire of the readers (how else to explain Rolling Stone ’s choice of U2’s latest as the best of the year?). However, it’s always fun to see what the world’s best known music mags go for and as usual there is some common ground, at least at the very top of the list. The website www.albumoftheyear.org helpfully has gathered an aggregate top 50 based on the marks in more than 60 publications, including

heavyweights like Rolling Stone , NME , Q , Mojo, Spin , Pitchfork and Uncut . The critics/ favourite was clearly War On Drugs’ Lost In The Dream , which was album of the year in 10 mags and runner-up in seven others. All told, it finished with an aggregate score of 251. In second place was St Vincent’s eponymous LP – six firsts’, and five seconds’ – while we are pleased to see that Run The Jewels’ Run The Jewels 2 shared the third spot with FKA Twigs’ LP1 , with both getting an aggregate score of 221. From there on, however, consensus begins to evaporate, with the fifth ranked album of the year, Our Love from Caribou, getting 141 aggregate points. Nevertheless, the overall top 50 is a useful starting point if you are setting out to see what essential records you might have missed this year, and it’s good to see a few lesser known releases – such as the Sleaford Mods’ splendidly splenetic Divide & Exit making the grade, too. And while there are no NZ albums on the list, as Graham Reid points out in his column this month, a fair few of 2014’s critical darlings will be playing at Laneways this year. As well as the aforementioned St. Vincent and FKA Twigs, other Laneways performers who made this year’s overall top 50 include Angel Olsen ( Burn Your Fire for No Witness at No. 7), Flying Lotus (Y ou’re Dead , #9), Future Islands ( Singles ,#16), Mac DeMarco ( Salad Days , #17), Royal Blood ( Royal Blood , #46) and Ariel Pink ( Pom Pom , #47). So if you are still not sure, make your final decision after the festival. Either way, 2014 was a great year for music, so happy shopping.

Devilskin Live At The Powerstation

The 1975 The 1975

Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti

Pond Man It Feels Like Space Again

Hayseed Dixie Hair Down To My Grass

Six60 Six60

Meghan Trainor Title

Run The Jewels

JB Listener

Meghan Trainor

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