At the year's halfway point, with summer just about to flip the calendar over to Side B, it's a challenge to get a satisfying picture of the year in music, even if you're just looking at a single genre. Consider the voices of the couple dozen obsessive listeners from NPR Music and our public radio partners who made this list, and the only thing that remains undeniably true is that great albums come out of every genre, from every corner of the world.
A still from the video for EMA's "So Blonde," one of NPR Music's 50 favorite songs from the first half of 2014.
Music Lists
What links them together? 2014 has, in its first six months, been a wonderful year for musicians who go deep. The 25 albums on this list (presented alphabetically) all start with a sound, a vibe, a concept or crucial idea. After that, they flower in different ways. One might display the range of sounds a band leader can pull out of a few fellow musicians or the depth of emotion a singer can plumb while mapping the course of desire and heartbreak. Others offer history lessons, looking back over 20 years in the life of an American city or 200 years in the life of an instrument.
All pull you in with both hands. All of them connect us as listeners to the work done by musicians who ask for more than three minutes of our time. These ones deserve it. These are our favorite albums of the year so far.
ST. VINCENT
ST. VINCENT
STROMAE
RACINE CARRÉE
SYLVAN ESSO
SYLVAN ESSO
THE WAR ON DRUGS
LOST IN THE DREAM
ANGEL OLSEN
BURN YOUR FIRE FOR NO WITNESS
Rest of the list: Source
What are your favorite albums of the year so far?