2014 Album Releases

The eleventh of this series (started with 2024, plan to go to 2010 for now). Again this poll comes in three sections and an "other" (see details on when to use), and again multiple voting is not enabled.

The first eight are taken from the unfiltered, except by year, Prog Archives Top Album Chart for 2014. The second eight is taken from the top thirteen listed albums of the 2014 Collab Album of the Year topic -- there were five duplicated listings with the top eight PA chart so I omitted those. The third eight is from my top 10 Awesome Prog for 2015 list (two of my top ones were already listed for the poll in the collab top albums).

"Other" as a voting option is intended to use if you don't like any of the listed options. That said, I would ask people to mention their favourites on and off the list. If, for instance, your favourite on the list is IQ's Road of Bones, but your actual favourite is      Sunn 0))) / Ulver's Terrestrials, then I request voting for and mentioning IQ's album in a post while also mentioning the Sunn 0))) / Ulver as being your actual favourite album of 2014.

I would like to hear about what people like both on AND off the list if applicable and, just to reiterate, for other votes ONLY to be used if nothing is liked that is already listed. Mention as many of your favourites as you like, both and off the list. And feel free to mention what you don't like that is listed too, and then preferably why it does not appeal.

The top eight of PA's Progressive Rock Top Albums Chart

1. IQ - The Road of Bones (Neo-Prog)
2. Logos - L'enigma della vita (RPI)
3. Opeth - Pale Communion (Tech/Ext. Prog Metal)
4. Bent Knee - Shiny Eyed Babies (Crossover)
5. Seven Impale- City of the Sun (Eclectic)
6. PoiL - BrossaKlitt (RIO/Avant Prog)
7. Zwoyld - 200 000 (Zeuhl)
8. Latte e Miele - Passio secundum Mattheum (RPI)

Collaborators' Top Albums of 2014 taken from its top 13

Opeth – Pale Communion (collab album of the year excluded from this poll section due to duplication)
IQ – The Road of Bones (second place winner here but excluded due to duplication)
Seven Impale – City of the Sun (actual third place but excluded due to duplication)
1. Swans - To Be Kind (Post-Rock) (my actual number one, but collab AOTY choices take precedence)
Logos – L’enigma Della Vita (actual fifth place but already in PA chart section)
2. Motorpsycho – Behind the Sun (Eclectic)
3. Pink Floyd – The Endless River (Psych/Space)
4. Kayo Dot – Coffins on Io (RIO/Avant) (would be in my top eight but collab AOTY choices take precedence)
5. Dream the Electric Sleep – Heretics (Crossover)
6. Knifeworld - The Unravelling (Crossover)
PoiL - Brossaklitt (already listed in PA chart section)
7. Ut Gret - Ancestor's Tale (RIO/Avant, Raff is a big fan of this)
8. Tranatlantic - Kaleidoscope (Symph) (actual 13th place in Collab AOTY but at number eight due to excluding ones already listed in the top eight of the PA chart)

My Awesome Prog list taken from my top ten

Swans - To Be Kind (my actual top album but not in "my" poll section due to it already being in the Collab AOTY section)
1. Kosmischer Läufer - Volume Two (in PA, Krautrock)
2. Electric Orange - Volume 10 (Krautrock)
Kayo Dot - Coffins on Io (not in "my" pol section as already listed in Collab AOTY section)
3. Kikagaku Moyo - Forest of Lost Children (in PA, Psych/Space)
4. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (in PA, Psych/Space)
5. Bruno Pernadas - How Can We Be Joyful in a World Full of Knowledge? (not in PA, Neo-Psychedelia, Space Age Pop)
6. Jun Konagaya (aka Grim) - Travel (not in PA, Post-Industrial, Neoclassical Darkwave)
7. Cristobal Tapia de Veer - Utopia² (not in PA, TV soundtrack, post-industrial)
8. Goat - Commune (in PA, Psych/Space)

My top 21 at Awredsome Prog (those bottom three I just have not heard in considerable years).

1. Swans - To Be Kind
2. Kosmischer Läufer - Volume Two
3. Electric Orange - Volume 10
4. Kayo Dot - Coffins On Io
5. Kikagaku Moyo - Forest of Lost Children [AP Prog-Adj]
6. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - I'm In Your Mind Fuzz
7. Bruno Pernadas - How Can We Be Joyful in a World Full of Knowledge? [AP Non-Prog]
8. Grim (aka Jun Konagaya) - Travel [AP]
9. Cristobal Tapia de Veer - Utopia² [AP]
10. Goat - Commune
11. Matt Berry - Music for Insomniacs [AP Prog]
12. Emma Ruth Rundle - Some Heavy Ocean [AP Non-Prog]
13. Natural Snow Buildings - The Night Country
14. Bent Knee - Shiny Eyed Babies
15. Mica Levi - Under the Skin [AP]
16. zwoyld - 200000
17. ruído/mm - Rasura [AP]
18. Fire! Orchestra - Enter [AP]
19. Univers Zéro - Phosphorescent Dreams
20. Ut Gret - Ancestor's Tale
21. PoiL - Brossaklitt

And here is a fun cover of one of the songs off my album of the 2014 year.



Thanks in advance to those who choose to participate :)

Pink Floyd - The Endless River

Knifeworld > Poil, Ut Gret, Bent Knee, Swans

IQ - The Road Of Bones 

It is a grand year, indeed!

While Swans' To be Kind was my actual number one, I want to share a favourite track of mine off the 2014 release of a beloved to me project, Kosmischer Läufer. I only recall right now having come across one other person at PA who appreciates KL, but honestly I love it at least as much (and more than most) as the "originals". I say that because it's music with a story of being of a past era.

Kosmischer Läufer - Weltraumspaziergang



For those who like Progressive Electronic kosmische musik, I do recommend looking into it. For me every one of its volumes has been very good. To do such a thing under a pseudonym... Well, I guess lots of ua post some pretty impressive things under pseudonyms (usernames). ;)

https://kosmischerlaufer.bandcamp.com/music

Edited by Logan - February 12 2025 at 12:21

Kayo Dot from this list. Other good albums by LogoS, IQ and Dream the Electric Sheep.

My three faves from this year:
1. Deluge Grander - Heliotians
2. FreddeGredde - Brighter Skies
3. Druckfarben - Second Sound (the title track is one of the best post-70s epics)

Even though I think Shiny Eyed Babies is one of the greatest prog rock albums of the 21st Century, this was a very tough group to vote from! City of the Sun! Passio secundum Mattheum! Brossa klit! Behind the Sun!  Pale Communion! Ancestor's Tale! Coffins on Io! Electric Orange's Volume 10! These are GREAT albums!

Edited by BrufordFreak - February 13 2025 at 07:13

What!? The Endless River was collaborators' number 3? I thought everybody found it underwhelming?

Edited by Lewian - February 13 2025 at 17:58

2. Snarky Puppy - We Like It Here
3. Pajjama - Karakasa
4. Ryoko Ono - Electronic Elements
5. Thumbscrew - Thumbscrew
6. Happy Family - Minimal Gods
7. Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer - Gaps, Absences
8. Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul - Ex-Futur Album
9. Scissor Shock - Wear The Horns
10. Dominique Gaumont - Energy

Edited by Mirakaze - February 16 2025 at 15:11