Makeshift Mid-Year Top 20 of 2014

Okay, we're now midway through the year, I've listened to about 65 to 70 new releases, so why not quickly rank them? It's a conversation starter, if nothing else. This is just a list, with only a comment here or there.

1. St. Vincent -- St. Vincent
2. Teleman -- Breakfast
3. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 -- A Long Way to the Beginning

4. Eagulls -- Eagulls
5. Temples -- Sun Structures
6. Ambrose Akinmusire -- The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint
7. Mounties -- Thrash Rock Legacy
8. Sturgill Simpson -- Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
9. Angel Olsen -- Burn Your Fire For More Witness
10. Lykke Li -- I Never Learn
11. Gogo Penguin -- V2.0
12. Real Estate -- Atlas
13. Nicole Atkins -- Slow Phaser
14. Wye Oak -- Shriek
15. Against Me! -- Transgender Dysphoria Blues
16. Kelis -- Food
17. Wild Beasts -- Present Tense
18. Prefab Sprout -- Crimson/Red
19. Hushdrops -- Tomorrow
20. Hollie Cook -- Twice

Among the other albums considered were those from The Autumn Defense, Nothing, Secret Sisters, The Both, Cloud Nothings, Ibibio Sound Machine, Poor Luther's Bones, Ava Luna, La Sera, Bob Mould, Lower and Sabers and a few I probably forgot about.