Top Five Albums of 2014

So, though many may not think so, 2014 was definitely a year of great albums--of all kinds! I have my favorites, so let's begin!

The first album on this list--rolling in at number five--is FKA Twigs' album, LP1.

released august 6th, 2014.

Where do I even start with this album? Maybe I should preface that I didn't even know this album existed until my Brit Lit class at school. I was assigned this album for a project, and I immediately fell in love with the cool, edgy feel. Songs like 'Closer' and 'Pendulum' create this amazing mix between hip-hop, electronic music and ethereal, hymnal vocals. It's seriously such a unique album, and if you're not listening to it, you need to be.

Clocking in at number 4, we've got newcomer (on the music scene, that is), Troye Sivan with TRXYE.

released august 15th, 2014.

I will never recommend an album as much and as hard as I recommend TRXYE. It's got a great blend of music, with it's headlining single, 'Happy Little Pill', and other electronic songs like 'Gasoline' and 'Touch'. 'Touch' is probably my favorite off of the track, because it's got such a unique and beautiful production. The songs all have similar music/sounds, but they're distinct enough that you know what's playing overhead. And, you're loving it.

I can't go another moment without mentioning my third place, My Everything--Ariana Grande's album!

released august 22nd, 2014.

Damn, all the good albums were dropped in August, apparently! Anyways, this album is gorgeous. Ariana can hit those high, whistle tones without an ounce of effort, which is mind-blowing and a little amazing. 'Why Try' (co-written by Ryan Tedder, lead singer of OneRepublic & also my favorite person in the world), 'Intro', and 'My Everything' are some of the less popular tracks on the album, but certainly deserve a listen. Her sound is simple, but at the same time dynamic and exciting. Each song has a similar enough element to it that the album is cohesive, but is diverse and unique enough to set them apart. All in all, a great album.

Taking second place on this list, of course, is 1989, by Taylor Swift. Talk about a sound change!

released october 27th, 2014.

Honestly, I've never been much of a Taylor Swift fan before. I'm not really into country music, so her mix with pop was just never appealing to me. Well, that is, until this album. This one really surprised me--I've never pinned Taylor Swift to make an album with hardly any country-sounding songs on it. This one has, obviously, some spectacular singles ('Shake It Off', 'Blank Space'), but the songs that I happen to love are the more unpopular ones, like 'Style' and 'Wildest Dreams', which capture a side of Swift that hasn't been seen before. Like I said above, I was very impressed with this album, and it simply had to be on this list.

And, finally, ranking in at number 1, we've got the re-release of OneRepublic's Native!

(originally) released march 22nd, 2013.

re-released april 14th, 2014.

Now, it's not often that a band re-releases an album. But, this revamp of Native was brilliant. First dropping in 2013, the biggest singles off the album were the successful 'Feel Again' and 'If I Lose Myself'--two songs that immediately captivated the audience. With the release of its third single, 'Counting Stars' OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder was brilliant in re-releasing the album as a whole. It allowed for a whole new wave of fans to surge in and fall in love with an amazing band. Again, I like the less popular songs (go figure), like 'Preacher' and 'What You Wanted'. But, for the first time in a long time, I've found an album in which I like every single song off of it. That's rare for me, but this album did it with ease. Good on you, OneRepublic!

2014 was a great year for music. We've gotten spoiled, honestly, with great music, and I am sure that 2015 will surprise me and make even better music!

EDIT: I've forgotten my Honorable Mentions! These go to The Script's No Sound Without Silence and Ed Sheeran's X!