By of the

The year 2014 was a good year for music. But for Milwaukee music, it was absolutely outstanding.

I've never experienced a stronger 12-month span where so much top-notch music emerged from the city. New artists exhibited the confidence and execution of old pros. Old pros returned to their craft with the hunger and wide-eyed ambition of new artists. The incredible range — not just the difference between folk and rock and hip-hop, but the difference of styles within styles — made it impossible to define a singular Milwaukee sound. While mainstream artists often abide by certain criteria and formula to appease radio stations and record labels, in a music scene like Milwaukee, there are no rules.

Technology has made making music, and exposure to music, greater than it's ever been. An artist's inspirations can be infinite and instantly accessible. But we all still need that human connection to thrive. And in Milwaukee, musicians can get it. The city and its music scene aren't so daunting in size as to seem impenetrable, but they're still big enough to benefit from a diverse array of talents and artistic perspectives. These 10 inspiring albums that were made in Milwaukee are just a taste of what's happening here, and an indication of greatness yet to come.

1. "Marigolden,"Field Report: Before its debut album was even out, folk act Field Report opened for Counting Crows on its summer tour in 2012, including a show at the BMO Harris Pavilion. "We're from here, and we would love to belong to you," frontman Christopher Porterfield told the crowd. Two years later, with its sophomore album, it certainly belongs to Milwaukee (exhibit A: a Tom Barrett-declared "Field Report Day" this fall). But make no mistake, given the precious care Porterfield brings to the poetic lyrics of "Marigolden," and the depth of feeling he expresses (the crushing "Ambrosia" deals with his struggle with sobriety), Field Report is in a league of its own, in Milwaukee and beyond.

2. "Ensemble,"Death Blues: To call what Death Blues produces "music" would be a gross understatement, and also erroneous. Led by Volcano Choir's adventurous percussionist Jon Mueller, Death Blues has been addressing "the inevitability of death as impetus to become more present in the moment," through albums, performance pieces, essays and visual art. With Death Blues' exotic, atmospheric, one-of-a-kind final album "Ensemble," a cinematic, unpredictable, largely instrumental collaboration with Oakland, Calif., based composer William Ryan Fritch, Mueller can die knowing he lived his life to the fullest, by pushing his artistry to wild, otherworldly places.

Gig alert:8 p.m. Jan. 31, Pitman Theatre, Alverno College, 3431 S. 39th St. $25 at the box office and alvernopresents.alverno.edu.

3. "Maximize Your Faith," Canopies: Canopies sets up camp in the same psychedelic, electronic sonic landspace occupied by Tame Impala and the War on Drugs, but establishes its own interchangeably dreamy ("Miss You Now") and danceable ("The Plunderers and the Pillagers") take on the sound that makes the band a worthy equal to those internationally acclaimed indie acts.

Gig alert:9 p.m. Friday, Polish Falcon, 803 E. Clarke St. $8.

4. "Turn It On," Whips: Whips' debut full-length draws blood with its cracking, catchy post-punk garage rock, reminiscent at times of early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, thanks largely to Ashley Smith's visceral, occasionally vulnerable frontwoman duties. That's good enough to make it a standout album, but the epic build of "Loverly" near album's end suggests more greatness ahead.

Gig alert:9 p.m. Dec. 20, Cactus Club, 2496 S. Wentworth Ave. $7.

Whips' "Turn It On" comes out Dec. 20.

5. "Swallow the Anchor,"Twin Brother:I don't know if I've ever heard a band make as monumentous a leap in just one year as folk-rock act Twin Brother, which blows away its 2013 self-titled debut album with the emotional and unsettling "Anchor," from the dread of subtle strings and Sean Raasch's menacing vocals on "Shallow Mission" to the cathartic mix of trepidation and hope on "If Heart Was Enough."

6. "Fine Rude Thing,"Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound:Rudeness has never been so rocking. Forty years after getting his start in Milwaukee, Cebar again proves why he's one of the city's premier musicians. "Fine Rude Thing" has his customary mix of Memphis soul, New Orleans funk and Latin American grooves, but with songwriting help from the likes of Los Lobos' Cesar Rosas and Willy Porter, it's one of the strongest albums in a storied career.

Gig alert: 8 p.m. Jan. 2, Shank Hall, 1434 N. Farwell Ave. $15 at the box office, (866) 468-3401 and ticketweb.com.

7. "Silver Ladder,"Peter Mulvey: Inspired to write through difficult ordeals, and with help from a successful Kickstarter campaign, singer-songwriter Mulvey's "Silver Ladder," his first all-originals album in eight years, is a golden collection of clever tunes, from the Dylan-esque "What Else Was It?" to the playful "You Don't Have to Tell Me."

Gig alert: 8 p.m. Friday, Cafe Carpe, 18 S. Water St. West, Fort Atkinson. $20 at the box office and brownpapertickets.com.

8. "Hush,"The Delphines: Amid the births of so many exciting Milwaukee artists in 2014, there's one band death to mourn: the sharp, shoegazing garage rockers, the Delphines. But with the Delphines' addictive guitar licks and detached allure of Jami Eaton's vocals on its lone LP, "Hush," the band made it impossible to be forgotten.

9. "Space Raft,"Space Raft:Before late '60s and '70s tunes were used in the soundtrack of "Guardians of the Galaxy," Jordan Davis was drawing from the pop-rock sounds of the era to write a score for a sci-fi monster flick. That film has yet to be made, but Davis' efforts gave birth to the new band Space Raft (the second band with Tyler Chicorel on this list) and its Big Star-style guitar-pop glory. Marvel should scoop up some of these tunes for "Guardians 2."

10. "The Hanging Road,"Joseph Huber:If the self-proclaimed "streetgrass" group .357 String Band decided to throw some hoedowns together again, it's doubtful a single admirer would object. But until that day comes, band co-founder Joseph Huber is keeping the heart-on-the-sleeve, Appalachian folk spirit alive on his own. Between songs like the back porch swing of "Same River Twice" and the deceptively simple seven-minute opus "The Unpromised Land," Huber's solo album "The Hanging Road" suggests he has plenty of gas left in the tank.