#2 Ruins - Grouper

Album: Ruins
Artist: Grouper

One line synopsis: Liz Harris' most cohesive release to date, leaving all other drone merchants in her wake

Best Track: Clearing

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A beautiful album from start to finish, it doesn't differ from the usual Grouper formula but there's nothing wrong with that. I think this may be her finest release though as the sound has been refined to the point that it sounds effortless and the sequencing of the album provides a perfectly realised journey.

When I had the album on earlier Arlo commented on how it was sad music, which it is, but in a ghostly way rather than directly mournful or lovelorn. Anyway as I explained to Arlo, sad music is the best kind of music. He wasn't convinced, so we switched onto some Ibibio Sound Machine instead (an artist I keep thinking I should have included in the top 10, hint they're not at number 1).

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Notes on the top 10:
* Yes I am sad enough to do a top 10 every year
* All albums must have been released this year
* I must own the physical copy of each of them
* I'm fairly sure there are other albums out there that would make this list had I got round to buying them, feel free to tell me what I've missed
* full countdown tagged nstop102014
* click through to see last year's top 10 and click through again for the year before that