Camiele’s Top 25 Albums of 2014

20. Haider Soundtrack – Various Artists, Vishal Bhardwaj

Thanks to our very own Amy, I got hooked on this soundtrack. Haider, a Hindi adaptation of Hamlet, was powerful and musically magical. The film’s pivotal revelation scene, in which Haider exposes his uncle for the sleaze he actually is (song Bismil), is the film’s most exciting. However, it was the quieter moments on the soundtrack (and subsequently, the film) that impressed me the most. My favorite song, Khul Kabhi Toh is darkly sensual, with an emotion that pretty much pervades the entire film.

19. Fly to the Sky – Continuum

2014 was undoubtedly the year of the veteran comeback in K-pop. Literally, so many of first- and second-generation idols and artists came back and swept the floor with their juniors. Fly to the Sky was one such group. Their eleventh album, Continuum was a complete and beautiful piece of K-pop that definitely stuck with me. Their voices were as clear and beautiful as they’ve ever been and blended with such cohesion you’d have thought they’d never actually had a five-year hiatus.

18. VAMPS – Bloodsuckers

Blessed be, my beloved Hyde and his VAMPS returned with an album last year! And it was as mighty as anything they’ve ever released. Bloodsuckers has the same raucous compositions as VAMPS, but it also perfectly meshes in the emotive compositions as we saw on BEAST. Truly, there will never be a moment when VAMPS isn’t on a Best Of… list of mine in one way or another.

17. Rapsody – Beauty and the Beast

The follow-up to her exceptional The Idea of Beautiful, Rapsody offers some of her most hard-hitting, unapologetic lyricism with Beauty and the Beast. She’s got a presence and skill that outshines many of her peers, male or female, and she’s proven herself to be an MC to always be on the lookout for. With an opening from the pivotal training op scene from film G.I. Jane, Rapsody comes in on a declaration and a challenge. She’s a powerhouse, a banshee in a pool of mortals. Look in her eye with a challenge, you’ll definitely turn into stone.

16. JYJ – Just Us

Another album in that group of first- and second-genners that had a comeback, JYJ released only their third album (second Korean) in five years. Needless to say, it was worth the wait. After a long four-year gap following In Heaven, fans were wondering if they’d actually get new group material before the trio began to enlist (beginning with Jaejoong and Yuchun toward the end of this year). We weren’t let down. The album is more comprehensive, with decidedly more variety than their sophomore work. With Jaejoong contributing the most tracks and Yuchun once again composing and writing, Just Us was probably the group’s most personal work, featuring music and styles that each member individually and as a group felt fit best with who they are.