THE forteloud FAMILY'S
ALBUMS OF 2014
JAMIE// 'Royal Blood'
Some massive albums were released in 2014, including Foo Fighters much anticipated Sonic Highways, Alt-J's and Ben Howard's second studio albums and some fantastic debuts from George Ezra and Catfish and the Bottlemen. Despite the harsh competition, there was one album that stood out among the rest, and that was Royal Blood's debut album released in August. I first heard of the band after one of the members of Arctic Monkeys wore a Royal Blood shirt whilst performing at Glasto fest in 2013. After that, the band released 'Out of the Black' as a single and from then onwards (to my delight) I heard nothing but Royal Blood on the radio. Everyone was talking about them, XFM raved on and on about them, my friends were obsessed with their songs, I hadn't seen anything like it before. It seemed like the whole world was holding their breath waiting eagerly for this album to be released. With expectations so high, the album did not disappoint. The UK Official Charts Company verified it as the fastest-selling British rock debut album for 3 years and their track Little Monster was also named number 9 in NME's recent list of their Top 50 Tracks of 2014.
However my particular favourite song off the album is track three, Figure It Out. The song starts with a simple but addictive bass riff which is continued throughout. The vocals are then introduced followed by some subtle drums. I absolutely LOVE how the sound builds up gradually in the third verse before smashing into a beautiful crazy climax. It still amazes me that this band is comprised of only two members, Mike and Ben. I think this proves how talented these guys are as musicians if they can produce such top notch quality sound on a massive scale, filling areas as huge as Reading festivals NME tent. I simply CANNOT wait to see these guys in London’s Brixton Academy in March. I was extremely lucky to get tickets as their UK tour earlier this year sold out in less than two minutes! It’s going to be an insane music experience so stay tuned for a gig review in March!
- by Royal Blood
LUKE// 'Still Life Moving Fast'
I know it’s a cardinal sin to pick song of the year and album of the year by the same artist, but hey, if it can happen at prestigious award ceremonies, it can happen here too. God, this album is good. As I said in my ‘song of the year’, I haven’t exactly got a massive repertoire to puzzle over in terms of material from 2014. I’m rubbish, I know. But this album is incredible. Don’t think that my lack of 2014 choice merits this work any less. AND IT’S A DEBUT ALBUM. Insanity. Just listen to it. If you like to listen to some soft folk music in your living room as you watch TV or do whatever you do, don’t listen to it. But listen to it if you want your balls blown off, it’ll certainly do that for you.
- by Empress AD
ELLIE// '1989'
This undoubtably is Taylor’s finest work and I literally cannot even begin to talk about why. Theres just so many reasons. Daisy pretty much nailed them all on the head with her monster of an album review, but I still couldn't think of an album that had more of an impact in 2014 than 1989. EVERYONE was talking about it, and its understandable because it is jam packed with incredible songs all of which impact you differently. Everyone can identify with at least one song on the album, for me it was the song ‘All You Had To Do Was Stay’. Taylor put everything I was feeling at the time into words, and it made the song so much more special to me. She’s one of the most down to earth artists out there, and her charm translate into her amazing song writing skills. She has beautifully transitioned from country pop princess to pure pop gold, and there really is something on this album for everyone which probably shows why it was such a success. 2014 was definitely the year of the Swift. They should make her one of the Chinese New Year animals.
- by Taylor Swift
CHARLOTTE// 'Post Tropical'
Post Tropical means a lot to me. I've listened to it over and over and over since it was released, which is what I tend to do with albums - but this album is different. It is a huge development and change of style for James Vincent McMorrow. It's uplifting and strong, it has depth and intimacy and it is meaningful. This is an amazing album that deserves more listens than are possible. I have written more about it here.
- by James Vincent McMorrow
DAISY// 'Wanted on Voyage'
This album is an adventure, from the very start to the very end, with every song acting as an unique part of the puzzle, creating something truly individual but relatable. George places his soul into each and every single track, reassuring all listeners you are never lost in his music but part of the journey with him. There is enough on the surface for anyone to sing along yet his sound and techniques are effortlessly deep and captivating, producing songs which any songwriter who be extremely proud to create. ‘Wanted on Voyage’ allowed me to escape from the world I was in, walking the busy London streets with my thoughts elsewhere, imagining myself and these characters in the songs going on our travels. Months after it’s release, it is regularly played, with songs such as ‘Song Six’, ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Spectacular Rival’ currently on repeat. I would say i’d feel sorry to my neighbours for overplaying him yet, when music is this good, how can it become too much?
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