AbsolutePunk.net’s Top Albums of 2014

AbsolutePunk.net

This best of list was put together by the AbsolutePunk.net staff in 2014. It used an old system for ranking albums, but has been brought over to Chorus.fm for posterity.

One thing Jason has always said he enjoys about our staff here at AbsolutePunk is that we are willing to let our opinions and biases shine through. No one here is trying to be a robot, solely evaluating music in an objective manner – if there even exists such a way to listen to these albums, the ones that have made us feel more emotion than all the other music released in 2014. Subjective opinion and bias is present as much as ever on any given publication’s albums of the year list, and ours is no exception. The following 30 albums were hand-chosen by our 21 active AP.net staffers, voted upon in only the most scientific of voting fashions. The best thing about these types of lists, though, is not seeing what we rank, but why we rank it; so each album is accompanied by a blurb from a staff member who loved it. We believe that there is no greater impetus behind listening to music than hearing someone tell you why they love it, so we hope you find something new here, or revisit something you enjoyed all year. – Thomas Nassiff

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Recommended Podcasts

Podcast

Podcasts have become one of my favorite ways to pass the time. I’ve compiled a list of my favorites and these span a variety of fields and interests. I’ll keep this list updated on a regular basis. I think there’s an argument to be made that I’ve received a better education from subscribing to podcasts than I did in school.

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Recommendation: Elevation Labs’ Anchor

I wrote about Elevation Labs’ “Headphone Anchor” when they were doing their Kickstarter campaign. Last week my order showed up. Since my new computer came last week as well, I decided it was a good time to clean out my office and work on decluttering. I installed the new headphone anchor under my desk and so far it’s been brilliant. I love having my headphones at arms reach without them sitting out on the desk. The anchor’s adhesive feels strong and secure but I used two tiny screws to double down on security. If you’ve got a home office and are looking for a good, simple, solution to storing your headphones — I’d definitely recommend picking one up.

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Review: Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues

Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues

About one minute into the lead track, front-woman Laura Jane Grace snarls, “you want them to notice the ragged ends of your summer dress, you want them to see you like they see every other girl, they just see a faggot, they’ll hold their breath not to catch the sick” … and the gauntlet is thrown down. What Against Me!’s new album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, offers is a mixture of attitude and bravado that pulls together an emotion, weight, and gravitas that I’ve felt missing from music for a while. The lyrics contain something actually worth saying and while the sing-a-long choruses may get stuck in your head, there’s an underlying message that expels itself in a way unique to music — one that travels from head to heart and leads to rumination long after the guitars and drums dissipate.

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Review: The Lawrence Arms – Metropole

The Lawrence Arms - Metropole

In a recently aired episode of the AP.net podcast I go on a (way-to-long) rant about genres and the labels we put on bands. The heart of the argument is ‘fuck labels and fuck genres’ because it’s all a mess. We waste time sitting around saying, “Is this pop-punk, or pop-punk, or pop-punk?” The whole thing is a classification system that no one agrees on, no one abides by, and it becomes a cluster-fuck when trying to talk about bands or describe a sound to someone. In fact, sometimes I think we spend more time arguing about genres than the music itself. Some genres have turned into four-letter words and used as a means to demean and dismiss bands almost as a personal affront. I hate it and I’m unsure if there’s a bigger offender than “pop-punk.”

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Review: Copeland – Ixora

Copeland - Ixora

I think my biggest draw to music is the emotion it pulls from me when listening to a great song. That feeling where you experience the song with the entirety of your being. Everything fades away and all that matters in that moment is the space between notes, ears, and heart. Copeland’s upcoming album, Ixora, embodies everything I search for in music.

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Jason Tate’s Top Albums of 2014

The Best of 2014

2014 ended up being one of my favorite years for music in a long while. It just seemed like every few weeks there was a new album to dive into and experience. There were times where it felt overwhelming, as if there was so much to listen to I felt ashamed I couldn’t give each album the time it deserved. But, here we are at the end of the year, and here we are tasked with trying to put numbers to the madness. I’ve done my best to put my favorite albums of the year in some kind of order … I hope you find as much to enjoy here as I have.

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Interview: Ryan Key of Yellowcard

Yellowcard

My relationship with Yellowcard begins over a decade ago and the musical connection and ensuing friendship now runs deeper and longer than many of my “in real life” relationships. On October 7th, 2014 the band will be releasing their most ambitious album to date, Lift a Sail. I had the chance to sit down and talk with lead singer Ryan Key about everything that went into crafting this album, the stories and inspiration behind the musical direction, and so much more.

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Looking at the a Day to Remember Court Case; What Does It Mean?

A Day to Remember

You either care about the current A Day to Remember vs Victory Records court case or you don’t, and if you do, odds are you are a little confused about just what the fuck is going on. I’m going to be speaking with the band shortly for a longer piece about the new album and the ongoing legal stuff, and we’ve already read the statements from Victory. After pouring over countless court documents, talking to a variety of legal sources, and caring way too much about this (yeah, this stuff fascinates me, in another life, I wanted to argue in a courtroom instead of a message board all day) — I’ve begun piecing together what we currently know.

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Review: The 1975 – The 1975

The 1975 - The 1975

I feel as though every year or so a new band hits my ears that forces a sharp reflection and virtually recalibrates my tastes. It’s that band that defines the year for me. That band that I look back on as the crack that splintered my tastes and musical habits into a spider-web of new directions. I think of artists like Blink 182, The Format, Brand New, Thrice, The Gaslight Anthem, Bon Iver, and P.O.S. Bands that have become pillars of my musical collection and ones I would point to as defining my “taste matrix.” These bonds have lasted for years and each listen to their catalog transports me back in time. These are the bands that I take possession of and metaphorically hang my hat on. That I say: “this is the band that defines this part of me; this is the band that I believe in.”

In 2013, that band is The 1975.

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Review: Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll

Fall Out Boy - Save Rock and Roll

I believe that each time we select an album out of the ether and push play, it says something not just to us, but about us. It becomes a reflection of that instant and transcends into both a personal and social entity simultaneously. It is this duality of frozen moments, between headphones and shared experiences, that helps define why we listen. We listen to be touched. We find comfort in intimate moments alone with songs, and we tie memories with the best of friends to the soundtracks of our nights. The songs that have stayed with me the longest are the ones that exist forever between these two realities: the ones that I suffer with and the ones that I share.

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