I’m just finalizing my top 100 albums for 2014. (Yes, I realize it’s now February 2015 but 1) it takes time and 2) I don’t understand how anyone can put a top list together before the year ends or even shortly thereafter: albums come out right up to the end of the year and it’s always good to give a little time to let more objectivity sink in.) In the meantime, here are the albums that didn’t make the cut. Not that these are a bad records at all – I own some of them – but they just didn’t quite rise to the level of the top 100.

• The 2 Bears, The Night Is Young
• Alvvays, self-titled
• Andrew Bird, Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of..
• Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, self-titled
• Atlas Grammar, Crowded Slum
• Augustines, self-titled
• Bear’s Den, Islands
• Blue Highway, The Game
• Brody Dalle, Diploid Love
• Broken Bells, After the Disco
• Bruce Springsteen, High Hopes
• Bryan Ferry, Avonmore
• Caribou, Our Love
• Chad VanGaalen, Shrink Dust
• Cibo Matto, Hotel Valentine
• Cloud Nothings, Here And Nowhere Else
• Copeland, ixora
• Counting Crows, Somewhere Under Wonderland
• Damien Rice, My Favorite Faded Fantasy
• Damon Albarn, Everyday Robots
• Daniel Lanois, Flesh And Machine
• Drive By Truckers, English Oceans
• Drowners, self-titled
• The Drums, Encyclopedia
• Dum Dum Girls, Too True
• Dylan Shearer, Garagearray
• Eternal Summers, No Drop Beneath
• Ex Hex, Rips
• Fenster, The Pink Caves
• Field Mouse, Hold Still Life
• First Aid Kit, Stay Gold
• Flying Lotus, You’re Dead
• Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways
• Foxygen, …And Star Power
• The Fray, Helios
• The Fresh and Onlys, House of Spirits
• Future Islands, Singles
• Gangstagrass, Broken Hearts and Stolen Money
• Gardens & Villa, Dunes
• The Gasllight Anthem, Get Hurt
• Gina Chavez, Up.Rooted
• Graham Colton, Lonely Ones
• Hamilton Leithauser, Black Hours
• Hiss Golden Messenger, Lateness Of Dancers
• Hospitality, Trouble
• Hurray for the Riff Raff, Small Town Heroes
• I Break Horses, Chiaroscuro
• Jeremy Messersmith, Heart Murmurs
• Jess Williamson, Native State
• Jessica Lea Mayfield, Make My Head Sing..
• Joe Henry, Invisible Hour
• Jolie Holland, Wine Dark Sea
• Jorge Drexler, Bailar en la cueva
• Justin Townes Earle, Single Mothers
• Karen O, Crush Songs
• The Kooks, Listen
• Krishna Das, Kirtan Wallah
• Laura Cantrell, No Way There From Here
• Lenguas Largas, Come On In
• Library Voices
• Lucinda Williams, Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone
• Marissa Nadler, July
• Meatbodies, self-titled
• Medicine, Home Everywhere
• Mirel Wagner, When The Cellar Children See The Light Of Day
• Mogwai, Rave Tapes
• Musk Ox, Woodfall
• Neil Finn, Dizzy Heights
• Neil Young, A Letter Home
• Neil Young, Storytone
• Nude Beach, ’77
• Orenda Fink, Blue Dream
• Ought, More Than Any Other Day
• Parquet Courts, Sunbathing Animal
• Passenger, Whispers
• Perfect Pussy, Say Yes to Love
• The Phantom Band, Strange Friend
• Phox, self-titled
• The Preatures, Blue Planet Eyes
• The Raveonettes, PE’AHI
• Ray LaMontagne, Supernova
• Real Estate, Atlas
• Reuben and the Dark, Funeral Sky
• Rhonda Vincent, Only Me
• Robert Ellis, The Lights from the Chemical Plant
• Röyksopp, The Inevitable End
• The Rural Alberta Advantage, Mended with Gold
• Sam Hunt, Montevallo
• Samaris, Silkidrangar
• Sea Wolf, Song Spells, No. 1: Cedarsmoke
• The Secret Sisters, Put Your Needle Down
• Slow Club, Complete Surrender
• Sondre Lerche, Please
• St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Half the City
• Stars, No One Is Lost
• Sun Kil Moon, Benji
• Switchfoot, Fading West
• Teen, The Way and Color
• Thievery Corporation, Saudade
• Thumpers, Galore
• Tweedy, Sukierae
• Tycho, Awake
• Walk the Moon, Talking Is Hard
• Xiu Xiu, Angel Guts: Red Classroom
• You Me At Six, Cavalier Youth
• you+me, rose ave.
• Zee Avi, Zee Avi’s Nightlight
• Zeus, Classic Zeus