It's been a fantastic year for new music and being able to experience it with Spacelab has given me a chance to profess my love for some albums in particular. Other albums I've sought on my own or have been waiting years for. Some came completely out of the blue for me, and I've found myself enjoying some things that I never thought I would. I'd like to share my top ten most favourite albums of 2014 and hope that if you haven't enjoyed them already this year, you might still have time to include them in your own 2014 top ten.

10. Iceage - Plowing Into the Field of Love

Danish Punk band Iceage released their third album in 2014 Plowing Into the Field of Love, and it proved to be a major step forward for the band. Frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt recently learned better English, to which he attributed his poetic lyrics.

Plowing Into the Field of Love is an array of emotion and genre, bursting forth with Punk-turned-Country and throwing a ballad in the mix for good measure. A truly transitional album with strong Punk roots. I was completely unable to figure out this album myself, and I still can't - but that only entices me to listen to the album again and again.

9. The Growlers - Chinese Fountain

Created entirely in only four-and-a-half weeks, The Growlers gave us Chinese Fountain, a Beach Goth soundtrack to summer. 60's Rock 'n Roll, Bossa Nova and Surf are the main components of The Growlers but Chinese Fountain gives me a different perspective of the band.

They’ve included their versions of Disco and Reggae music, which completely surprised me at first but the more I listened the more you'll wonder why Beach Goth, Disco, and Reggae aren't heard together more often. Vocalist Brooks Nielsen helps transport the listener to a different time with his velvety voice, and I'm not ashamed to admit I fell victim to his spell.

8. Foxygen - ...And Star Power

Clocking in at 82 minutes ...And Star Power is a double album massive record I swear sounds different every time I listen to it. Foxygen's Star Power is literally that: it included the likes of Tim Presley (White Fence, Bleached), Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips) and Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal). Glam Rock has been dug up from the ages and polished in this album, and I can only describe it as a grab-bag of lo-fi neo-psychedelia; completely sprawling and experimental. I’ve been a big fan of this album from the get-go.

7. Leighton Meester - Heartstrings

Most of us know Leighton Meester as an actress (most notably as "Blair" from the television show "Gossip Girl") and that's all I knew too before this year. I was aware that she was something of a "feature artist," singing songs featured in movies or TV shows, but in my mind she was still an actress foremost. I am a fan of her acting, and when I found out that she was releasing her first album this year I was very intrigued. Heartstrings charms you with the title track and introduces you to Leighton Meester as a young woman, songwriter, musician and singer. I'm not usually entranced by Folk Pop albums but Heartstrings definitely tugs on mine.

6. Jack White - Lazzaretto

Jack White's second solo album Lazzaretto is by far the most monumental in terms of sound and diversity. Since White has moved on from The White Stripes his musical journey thus far has been creative and experimental, but nothing could compare to the unique simplicity of The White Stripes.

Lazaretto is the complete opposite of a guitar / drums combo, but it does stand uniquely out from all of White's other projects. A Blues album to the core, but with wings that expand from classic County, Folk, Celtic to Hard Rock. It's classic Jack White all the way, but a heightened version of him with more musical resources. It's a true testament to White as a musician to know that he can be completely iconic with so little, and apparently with too much.

5. Thom Yorke - Tomorrow's Modern Boxes

Tomorrow's Modern Boxes was released via BitTorrent and downloaded it over a million times in only six days, obviously Radiohead/Yorke fans were desperate for anything they could get their hands on and luckily we weren't disappointed.

Tomorrow's Modern Boxes is another dive into the synth-o-sonic mind of Thom Yorke, whose voice carries on a wave of dreamy Electronica. It's almost as mellow and deep as Kid A, and as captivating as the first ten times in a row you listened to "Pyramid Song". Only releasing eight tracks after all this time seemed cruel to a fan like me, but I found this album so rich and satisfying that I'm not complaining.

4. Brody Dalle - Diploid Love

As a teenage Punk I worshiped Brody Dalle and everything she did. As I grew out of the Distillers phase of my life and into the die-hard Queens of the Stone Age fan that I am now, it seems she did as well, moving on from The Distillers, Spinerette, marrying QOTSA frontman Josh Homme, and finally releasing Diploid Love as her first solo album.

Despite featuring an all-star line up including Shirley Manson, Alain Johannes, Nick Valensi, and Michael Shuman, Dalle steals the show and displays a grown-up powerhouse version of herself that will kick your ass. Diploid Love has all the grit and gravel you crave from Brody Dalle while being an extremely well-rounded rock and roll album. Definitely a fan of solo Brody Dalle and the direction she's headed.

3. Big Wreck - Ghosts

Being a Canadian, Big Wreck has been the soundtrack of my life before I even knew it. A solid staple in Canadian radio with consistent hit singles since the early 90's, and a cult-like following in the country that's embraced them completely, Big Wreck has deserved it all because of their musical mastery. Ghosts is their fourth studio album and many would argue it's their finest yet.

Picking apart each member of the band you'll discover pristine delivery of all musical components, a chemistry years in the making. Slide guitar and juicy guitar riffs are a given in any Big Wreck album, along with unforgettable and sometimes unbelievable vocal hooks, and Ghost is no exception.

The album showcases (and in some cases, flaunts) the band's abilities to extend beyond their own sound, while reminding us all that their ability to write a catchy song is as natural to them as anything. As far as Alternative Rock albums go, Ghosts is perhaps one of the best.

2. Cymbals Eat Guitars - LOSE

Staten Island natives Cymbals Eat Guitars debuted their third album LOSE at the end of summertime and for me, it was the perfect bittersweet sound to ride out on. Lyrics inspired by the death of a friend / former band mate gave this punky / pop / rock and roll album such a deep and meaningful level that I was instantly attached to it emotionally.

LOSE has the air of a bunch of buddies playing a garage band show, flying off the handle with screaming vocals and manic harmonica and ducking down again into ballads with violin and piano. But LOSE has major evidence of massive growth for the band since their last album and proof of that fact is the way every song has the ability to get stuck in your head for weeks. I'd recommend this album to absolutely anyone, because I'm certain that if you couldn't somehow relate to the poetical lyrics about past and present times in life, you could at least appreciate the overall feeling of being fulfilled by this exceptional album.

1. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

I was on pins and needles waiting for the release of this album. Downright giddy when it finally dropped. Lana Del Rey slunk into my life and captivated my imagination with her last album Born to Die, despite all my best efforts to avoid her. I didn't realize how truly unique her sound and persona was at first because I fell victim to Internet hear-say, and how she was just another female Pop artist with nothing new to offer. They were wrong and so was I. It takes a lot for me personally to open up to pop artists and give their music my time and attention, and once I opened the door to Lana Del Rey's darkly lit room, I was the one locking myself in and swallowing the key.

If you give in to the fantasy that is Lana Del Rey without question or judgement, you find yourself completely immersed in a world where love is everything and what you have to do to get it is irrelevant, even if it's painful or illegal. Before Ultraviolence I knew Lana Del Rey as a time-travelling crooner turned Hip-hop artist, and with that belief in mind, I was totally unprepared for what I would learn about her this time.

The album is a dark and melancholy tapestry of love songs and timeless laments. It could have come out in the 60's or 70's easily, and replaces Del Rey's Hip-hop style with Blues and Jazz instead. Slow tempos and ethereal vocal harmonies hypnotize, and the bared soul of Lana Del Rey will transfix your mind. Ultraviolence was the anthem of 2014 for me, and there's no question that this album will stand the test of time in my life.