We’re in the final months of the year. For music geeks, that means obsessive listening to try and catch up with what we missed. At this point, everyone who cares has heard Taylor Swift’s 1989, country fans have likely heard Miranda Lambert’s fabulous Platinum and Eric Church’s The Outsiders, hip-hop fans have heard Run the Jewels 2 and YG’s My Krazy Life, and indie fans have heard the latest albums from tUnE-yArDs, The War on Drugs, and Cloud Nothings.
A few of those albums I don’t even like, but they have all gotten significant critical attention, and are likely to be on many people’s year-end lists. But then there are albums that haven’t charted, have been under-reviewed, or have been underrated to the point of drawing people away. Here are fifteen albums that you may have missed in 2014. Check them out before list season.
[tps_header]Lily Allen: Sheezus (Parlophone)[/tps_header]
What It Is: Lily Allen’s comeback album after her 2009 hiatus.
Why You May Have Missed It: Allen is well-known and has been quite acclaimed in the past, but this album received many negative reviews and only has a 60/100 on Metacritic. This has likely led a lot of people away from it.
Why You Should Hear It: Despite the negative reception, Sheezus is actually one of the best albums of the year, and likely Allen’s best album overall. Along with the all-around addictive music, many of the songs criticize the music industry’s treatment of women, while others are more personal, dealing with Allen’s marriage. In other words, it does everything that male artists get praised for, but I guess it’s totally different when a woman does it.
Highlights: “Sheezus,” “L8 CMMR,” “As Long As I Got You,” “Close Your Eyes.”
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[tps_header]Toni Braxton & Babyface: Love, Marriage & Divorce (Motown)[/tps_header]
What It Is: A concept album about a dying marriage by two R&B singers whose popularities peaked in the ‘90s.
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Why You May Have Missed It: The album made it pretty high on the Billboard 200 (#4), but neither Braxton nor Babyface have been particularly popular in a long time. It’s natural for someone who isn’t an R&B fanatic to assume it’s worth skipping.
Why You Should Hear It: It’s possibly the most emotionally draining album of the year. The songs truly get to the center of what it’s like to fall out of love with someone while desperately trying to bring back what was once there. The album goes up and down like a “Roller Coaster,” before ending with the titular “D Word.”
Highlights: “Sweat,” “Hurt You,” “Take It Back,” “I’d Rather Be Broke.”
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[tps_header]Laura Cantrell: No Way There from Here (Thrift Shop)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The fifth studio album from Nashville-born alt-country singer-songwriter Laura Cantrell.
Why You May Have Missed It: After interviewing random young people on the street, it would appear that Americana music isn’t cool anymore unless it’s performed by British people, features banjos, and sucks.
Why You Should Hear It: Gorgeous melodies, vocals, and songwriting, sans excessive banjo.
Highlights: “Letter She Sent,” “Beg or Borrow Days,” “Driving Down Your Street,” “Can’t Wait.”
[tps_header]Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot: What Have We Become? (Virgin EMI) [/tps_header]
What It Is: A collaborative album by two singers from the now-disbanded English alternative group The Beautiful South.
Why You May Have Missed It: What Have We Become? was actually pretty successful in the U.K., and the single “D.I.Y.” made it onto the U.K. singles chart. The Beautiful South was never a major band in the U.S. though, so the solo albums are following suit by being overlooked here as well.
Why You Should Hear It: While I hate the body-shaming title track with a passion, the rest of the album is generally pretty great, with the memorable melodies and sarcastic lyricism that The Beautiful South was known for.
Highlights: “D.I.Y,” “One Man’s England,” “Costa del Sombre,” “When It Was Ours.”
[tps_header]Homeboy Sandman: Hallways (Stones Throw)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The fifth full-length album from Queens alt-rapper Homeboy Sandman.
Why You May Have Missed It: Sandman’s clean, politically conscious form of hip-hop hasn’t resulted in much fame, outside of underground circles.
Why You Should Hear It: His clean, politically conscious form of hip-hop is fantastic, and Hallways could be his best album (quite a feat, considering he releases a lot of music, most of it worth listening to).
Highlights: “America the Beautiful,” “Loads,” “Problems,” “Personal Ad.”
[tps_header]Kira Isabella: Caffeine & Big Dreams (Sony Music Canada)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The second album from Canadian country singer Kira Isabella.
Why You May Have Missed It: I would say it’s because she’s Canadian and hasn’t broken through stateside, but it appears that her albums haven’t even charted in Canada. Strange, since she doesn’t sound too different from most of the female artists on country radio.
Why You Should Hear It: Mainly because it features the best single of the year in “Quarterback,” a gut punch of a song that’s as devastating as anything I’ve ever heard. Telling the story of a Steubenville-type rape case, the song takes its subject seriously and heartbreakingly details the tragedy of the situation without holding back (unless you watch the music video, which ends with an inappropriately happy ending—thankfully, there’s an alternate version of the video, which I’ll post below). The rest of the album is pretty solid too, possibly even better than Angaleena Presley’s acclaimed American Middle Class (which was released on the same day). Still, “Quarterback” is such a masterpiece that it sort of feels out of place.
Highlights: “Shake it if Ya Got It,” “Quarterback,” “Ring Around It,” “Country’s Written All Over Me.”
[tps_header]Junglepussy: Satisfaction Guaranteed (Shy Guy)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The debut album from a Brooklyn rapper with the best stage name ever.
Why You May Have Missed It: Well, for one, I don’t even know if it’s been officially released yet. It’s been available for streaming on SoundCloud since July, but if you try to purchase it, you’ll find that it’s nowhere to be found. Not on iTunes, not on Amazon, not on Rhapsody. Also, the only place where I’ve seen Junglepussy get a lot of coverage was on The Singles Jukebox, where her singles “Fuck Texting” and “Nah” have been well received.
Why You Should Hear It: It’s catchy, badass, and aggressive. This is an album for anyone who thinks hip-hop has become too safe.
Highlights: “Nah,” “Fuck Texting,” “Bling Bling,” “Satisfaction Guaranteed.”
[tps_header]Knifefight: Knifefight (Anticon)[/tps_header]
What It Is: A collaborative EP from rapper Beans and producer Mux Mool.
Why You May Have Missed It: Even I missed this one. It was released in September 2013 and I didn’t find it until January 2014, when I was on Anticon’s Bandcamp page listening to a new Serengeti EP. I’m counting it as a 2014 release, since I don’t think anybody heard it last year.
Why You Should Hear It: The production, mostly. Beans is solid, but Mux Mool’s beats are really what make Knifefight worth hearing. Also, of six songs, there isn’t a single dud, making it one of the year’s more consistent efforts.
Highlights: “Feel Me,” “StrangeFresh,” “Light Beat.”
[tps_header]Jens Lekman: WWJD Mixtape (self-released)[/tps_header]
What It Is: A mixtape from acclaimed Swedish indie-pop singer-songwriter Jens Lekman, released on SoundCloud.
Why You May Have Missed It: Despite being a big Jens Lekman fan, I didn’t hear about this for about a month after its release, before a friend pointed me to it. The underreporting of WWJD could be because it’s a mixtape in the truest definition. It features only three new songs from Lekman, with the rest padded out with other people’s songs, arranged so they flow into each other nicely.
Why You Should Hear It: Well, you might not have to listen to the whole thing. But you should listen to the Lekman songs, two of which (“WWJD” and “What’s That Perfume That You Wear?”) are among his best work, and the third of which isn’t half bad either.
Highlights: “WWJD,” “What’s That Perfume That You Wear?,” “I Remember.”
[tps_header]Old 97’s: Most Messed Up (ATO)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The tenth album from alt-country rockers Old 97’s, who have been doing this longer than you’ve been alive (assuming you were born after 1993).
Why You May Have Missed It: This has received a bit of attention, peaking higher on the Billboard 200 than any of the band’s previous albums and getting a fairly high Metacritic rating. Still, they’ve never been as popular as they should be, and their presumed peak with 1997’s Too Far to Care has resulted in their later, often better albums being somewhat devalued.
Why You Should Hear It: Most Messed Up is the most consistent album I’ve heard this year, with a collection of songs that flow together perfectly and are all pretty damn good. The only problem with this consistency is that it does result in an absence of true standouts.
Highlights: “This is the Ballad,” “Nashville,” “Wasted,” “The Ex of All You See.”
[tps_header]Sisyphus: Sisyphus (Asthmatic Kitty)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The first full-length album from the collaborative project between indie singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens, rapper Serengeti, and electronic musician Son Lux.
Why You May Have Missed It: Normally, Sufjan Stevens is pretty popular—his 2010 album The Age of Adz charted all the way at #7. But Serengeti’s unpopularity must be more powerful, because this didn’t chart at all.
Why You Should Hear It: Serengeti is one of my favorite rappers, and in the moments on Sisyphus when he’s clearly in control of things, the record is as good as anything any of the three artists have released.
Highlights: “Booty Call,” “Rhythm of Devotion,” “Lion’s Share,” “Alcohol.”
[tps_header]Withered Hand: New Gods (Fortuna Pop!)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The second album from Scottish singer-songwriter Dan Willson, whose mellow folk sound houses beautiful melodies and existential lyrics.
Why You May Have Missed It: While New Gods received a bit more attention than Willson’s debut Good News (deservedly, since it’s a better record), he is still far less successful than he deserves to be.
Why You Should Hear It: It’s gorgeous, smart, and well-written. Not every track hits home, but at its best, New Gods has some of the best songs you’ll hear in 2014.
Highlights: “Love Over Desire,” “King of Hollywood,” “Fall Apart,” “New Gods.”
[tps_header]Wussy: Attica! (Shake It)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The fifth studio album from this little-known Cincinnati band.
Why You May Have Missed It: Wussy is so obscure that it’s become a running joke among their small but devoted fan base. In fact, Attica! is a milestone for them, because it actually managed to get them a review from Pitchfork.
Why You Should Hear It: Wussy is one of my favorite bands in the world, so I personally think everyone should listen to them. Attica! might be their weakest album, but that still places it in the top ten of the year easily. If you’ve never heard them, it’d probably be best to start with their debut Funeral Dress and work your way to this one.
Highlights: “Teenage Wasteland,” “Bug,” “North Sea Girls,” “Halloween.”
[tps_header]Yelle: Complètement fou (Kemosabe)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The third album from French electropop band Yelle.
Why You May Have Missed It: Because the lyrics are in French. I can think of no other reason why these songs aren’t coming out of everyone’s headphones.
Why You Should Hear It: It’s constantly catchy, often pretty, and the lyrics are satisfying when translated. I’m not sure if it’s my favorite album of the year—really, there’s like six albums that could take my number one spot—but it’s the one I want to listen to over and over again right now.
(This album’s biggest flaw: it’s produced by Dr. Luke. In any other year, that would be fine. But, considering the sexual assault accusations against him, I feel a bit like somebody going through a Phil Spector phase in 2003.)
Highlights: “Ba$$in,” “Coca sans bulles,” “Toho,” “Florence en Italie,” “Bouquet final.”
[tps_header]Young Thug & Bloody Jay: Black Portland (free download)[/tps_header]
What It Is: A collaborative mixtape between Atlanta rappers Young Thug and Bloody Jay.
Why You May Have Missed It: Hardcore followers of the Atlanta hip-hop scene have likely heard it, or at least heard of it. Modest fans have likely missed it, due to it being a mixtape from fairly new artists.
Why You Should Hear It: Young Thug is one of the freshest new voices in hip-hop, and Black Portland is his best record. Lyrically, it can be pretty off-putting, but it’s usually hilarious and always listenable. To quote Orange Is the New Black, take a break from your values… and listen to Young Thug. (That’s how the quote went, right?)
Highlights: “Suck Me Up,” “No Fucks,” “4 Eva Bloody,” “Danny Glover.” (Nicki Minaj’s awesome remix of “Danny Glover” is also worth mentioning, even though it doesn’t appear on Black Portland.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEqSQV58bBU
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