Below you will find a list of records from 2014. They are separated by format and they are listed in no particular order. Compared to years past here at SD, this list is extremely condensed, but these records still represent our most recommended releases of 2014 and we can only hope these bands are back in 2015.

To begin, we covered around 90 different full-length albums this year…there are 40 of those listed below. If you want to listen or buy (good luck) any of these records, browse for them in the search bar on the top right.

Full Length Albums:
Shovels – s/t LP (Homeless Records)
Wand – Ganglion Reef LP (God? Records)
the People’s Temple – Musical Garden LP (Hozac Records)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – I’m In Your Mind Fuzz/ Oddments (Castle Face/ Flightless)
Average Times – s/t LP (Hosehead Records)
Watery Love – Decorative Feeding LP (In the Red Recordings)
Martyr Privates – s/t LP (Bedroom Suck/ Fire Records)
Straight Arrows – Rising LP (Hozac/ Agitated/ Rice is Nice Records)
Ausmuteants – Order of Operation LP (Goner Records)
Ultimate Painting – s/t LP (Trouble in Mind)
Purling Hiss – Weirdon (Drag City)
Musk – s/t LP (Holy Mountain Records)
Golden Pelicans – s/t 12″ (Total Punk Records)
Goat – Commune LP (Sub Pop)
Cellphone – Excellent Condition LP (Telephone Explosion)
Zig Zags – s/t LP (In the Red Recordings)
White Fence – For the Recently Found Innocent LP (Drag City)
Useless Eaters – Bleeding Moon LP (Castle Face)
Meatbodies – s/t LP (In the Red Recordings)
Buck Biloxi & the Fucks – s/t 12″ (Total Punk Records)
Buck Biloxi & the Fucks – Culture Demanufacturer 12″ (Red Lounge Records)
Ex Hex – Rips LP (Merge)
Eastlink – s/t LP (In the Red Recordings)
Endless Bummer – Volume 1 (In the Red Recordings)
Honey Radar – Chain Smoking on Easter LP (Treetop Sorbet/ Third Uncle Records)
So Cow – The Long Con LP (Goner Records)
the People’s Temple – Weekend’s Time LP (State Capital Records)
Manateees – Sit n’ Spin LP (Pelican Pow Wow)
Spray Paint – Clean Blood Regular Acid LP (Monofonus Press)
OBN III’s – Third Time to Harm LP (Tic Tac Totally)
Slushy – Pasttime Gardens LP (Grabbing Clouds Records)
Ex-Cult – Midnight Passenger LP (Goner Records)
Wreaths – s/t (Killing Horse Records)
Dinos Boys – Last Ones (Oops Baby Records)
Os Noctambulos/ Plantains – Split LP (Stolen Body Records)
Ruined Fortune – s/t LP (Hozac Records)
The Young – Chrome Cactus LP (Matador Records)
Verma – Sunrunner LP (Trouble in Mind)
Porno Mags – s/t LP (self-released)

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Then we covered at least 70 different 7″ singles… here are 28 of them.

7″ Singles:
the People’s Temple – Utopia 7″ (Agitated Records)
Negative Scanner – Ambitious People 7″ (Trouble in Mind)
Travel Check – $66 7″ (Howlin’ Banana Records)
Bad Axe – Coachman 7″ (Permanent Records)
Straight Arrows – Petrified 7″ (Agitated Records)
Ausmuteants – Stale White Boys Playing Stale Black Music 7″ EP (Easter Bilby)
Sheer Mag – s/t 7″ EP (Wilsuns Recording Company)
Aaron & the Burrs – Release the Bats 7″ (UT/ Feral Kid Records)
Pain Dimension – Brainwash 7″ EP (Croque Macadam/ Reqiuem Pour un Twister)
Wet Blankets – Dieter Caught My Bus 7″ (Goodbye Boozy)
TV Freaks – Leeches 7″ (Hosehead Records)
I Get Mynze – Big Whup 7″ (Pelican Pow Wow)
Suburban Homes – The Suburban Home 7″ EP (Market Square Recordings)
The Tone – American Bedroom (self-released)
the Abandos – s/t 7″ EP (self-released)
Total Heels – Barb Wire 7″ EP (self-released)
Yardsss/ Ex Rev – Split (Self Group)
Radar Eyes – Positive Feedback 7″ (Hozac Records)
Strange Attractor – Barely Doin’ Crime 7″ EP (Mammoth Cave)
Straight Arrows – Make Up Your Mind 7″ (Agitated Records)
Inutili/ Wand – Split 7″ (Aagoo/ Goodbye Boozy Records)
Advlts – s/t 7″ EP (Southpaw Records)
the Frowning Clouds – Beetle Bird 7″ (Goodbye Boozy)
Ex Hex – Hot and Cold 7″ (Merge)
Radar Eyes – Positive Feedback 7″ (Hozac Records)
Night Sun – No Pressure 7″ (Burger Records)
Lumpy & the Dumpers – Gnants in the Pisser 7″ (Total Punk)
Dan Melchior & Russel Walker – Split 7″ (Kill Shaman)

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Last but not least, we covered about 25 EPs in 2014…here are 10 of them, without counting any cassettes (there are too many of those, as everything gets released on cassette now).

EP and Cassettes:
Old Smile – Steep Blue Hill CS (self-released)
Likers – Men of Honor CS (Suicide Bong Tapes)
Mountain Bike – Demos CS (Howlin’ Banana Records)
Bicycle Day – I Had a Place to Be CS (Lollipop Records)
Dusty Mush – s/t 12″ EP (Howlin’ Banana Records)
the Beds – Ride Again CS (Ranch Records)
Jensen Serf Co. – Triple Freaks A Beach 12″ (self-released)
Gross Pointe – s/t CS (Dumpster Tapes)
Humanshapes – s/t EP (self-released)
Nuclear Family – s/t EP (self-released)

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There are plenty of reasons why it is always worthwhile to compile these lists: first and foremost, they’re fun – they remind you of all the great music you heard the last twelve months of your life. You also see some trends and patterns – for example, we heard a ton of Agitated Records releases in 2014, not to mention lots from Straight Arrows, Ausmuteants and Howlin’ Banana Records too, and you can’t forget the powerhouses – In The Red, Goodbye Boozy, Goner Records or Total Punk. As usual, we’ve missed out on a ton of great records too (the Achtungs, Fire Retarded, Mordecai, Lumpy & the Dumpers, Morgan Delt, etc).

Some added random closing thoughts: If we had to choose one single band to look out for in 2015, it’s probably WAND. If we had to choose one single record that we thought was overlooked this year, we’d pick the SHOVELS s/t on Homeless Records. If we had to pick one band from 2014 to see live again, it would be a tie between AUSMUTEANTS, WATERY LOVE and MEATBODIES.

Now looking forward into the new year, we hope to revert back to a regular posting schedule. After an extended absence here, we’re slowly but surely emerging again in 2015 – see you soon!