2014 has been a great year for us as fans of music. We won’t try and tell you which albums were the “best”, but we don’t mind sharing our favorites. Listen to our mixtape featuring a song from each of our ten favorite albums released in 2014.

Centro-matic – Take Pride In Your Long Odds

Take Pride In Your Long Odds marks the end of this Texas rock band’s long career in which they recorded over ten studio albums. Along with the 2014 release, Centro-matic reissued the album Redo The Stacks (which is also a favorite of ours).

RIYL: Will Johnson, Son Volt, Monsters of Folk

Future Islands – Singles

The band’s first studio album with the label 4AD, Singles is easy on the ears and full of synth-pop hooks. The band is also known for their frontman’s instense live performances. To find out, just search “Future Islands Letterman”.

RIYL: David Bowie, Morrisey, The Cure

PUP – PUP

Based in Toronto, PUP’s self titled release quickly became a favorite for us at Phantom Hymn. On the band’s first LP, the energy is palpable and contagious.

RIYL: Weezer, Japandroids, Ten Grand

Sharon Van Etten – Are We There

Released on Jagjaguwar, Are We There was produced by Sharon Van Etten and Stewart Lerman. The singer has two shows in Brooklyn scheduled for February just before she takes her music overseas.

RIYL: Joanna Newsom, Wye Oak, Angel Olson

Spoon – They Want My Soul

They Want My Soul is the band’s first album in four years giving them a total of eight studio albums. However, on this record the band enlisted outside help from Dave Fridmann.

RIYL: The New Pornographers, Dr. Dog, The Shins

Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds In Country Music

The Kentuckian has surely made a name for himself in 2014. Some hail Sturgill Simpson as the savior of country music as we used to know it.

RIYL: Jason Isbell, Drive-By Truckers, Waylon Jennings

The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream

Released on Secretly Canadian, Lost In The Dream has been a hit among critics and has landed in the top spot in many “Best of 2014” lists.

RIYL: Midlake, Real Estate, Bryan Adams

Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright In The End

All you really need to know is that this album is the band’s best since Pinkerton. No really.

RIYL: Old School Weezer, Fountains Of Wayne, The Presidents Of The United States Of America

We Were Promised Jetpacks – Unraveling

The band’s third studio album is a move in a slightly different direction from their previous two releases. However, the album grew on us over the following months.

RIYL: Manchester Orchestra, The Joy Formidable, Frightened Rabbit

Zookeeper – Pink Chalk

For fans of the emo genre, 2014 has been a fantastic year. Among the many reunion tours, Texas band Mineral may have been the most anticipated. Even though Mineral disbanded in the late 90’s, frontman Chris Simpson never stopped making music.

RIYL: Mineral, The Gloria Record, Daniel Johnston