Well here we finally are. After weeks of deliberation and multiple mind changes, we've finally arrived at my number one album of 2014!

It looks like debut records really dominated the year for me because in at number one is Marmozets with The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets. I am absolutely in love with this record... and it jumped into my life so quickly and so spontaneously I'm still trying to think how it could have made it's way to my number one spot.

I'll never forget the first time I heard Marmozets. I was sitting in my lounge flicking through music channels and "Move, Shake, Hide" came on. I listened for a while and thought "Hmm, this is really good." I mentioned it briefly in a post here but that was just more of a reminder for myself to properly check them out. Of course, student life got on top of me and I forgot all about them. It literally wasn't until I saw them at Reading Festival this year that I really realised how badass this band were. They absolutely blew my mind! After that I was super psyched to get their debut when it came out. To be honest, I was just happy I hadn't missed any of their albums with all of my dilly-dallying. I was so excited for this album in fact, that I listened to it when they put it on full stream before the actual release date. I normally never do this so I definitely had high hopes for it. Often when I have high hopes for an album it doesn't quite meet the expectations but this one certainly did, and afterwards it was just the gift that kept on giving.

After the first few listens I was thinking "Sweet! Yes, this is a great debut, very well done Marmozets" but after about a month of listening to it pretty much every single day and loving every single song, no matter what order I listened to them in, I was sure that this was something special. Everything that I've learned about this band since then has made me like them even more and seeing them support Taking Back Sunday here recently just cemented my feelings. My favourite tracks on the record right now are probably "Particle", "Why Do You Hate Me?", "Captivate You" and "Hit The Wave" but that's literally just at this moment in time. Tomorrow, I'll most likely have all new favourites. Also, their new b-side "Broken Reflection" is immense. I have no idea how they'll be able to top this debut but I look forward to hearing anything new. Most exciting new band of 2014, in my opinion.

Closing in on the top spot and just thinking about these top two albums is getting me excited! They are both just so good!! But without further ado...

First runner up is Royal Blood by Royal Blood. The most record breaking album of the entire year! These boys went from two very normal Brightonians, to some of the most talked about and listened to musicians in the world... in the space of a year!! I was stupidly gobsmacked by how fast the whole thing happened. I'll never forget the first time I saw them live here and nobody was even lifting their arms up or moving around and people after the show were just like "Oh! That second band, they were alright weren't they?" Now, anyone who is lucky enough to get a ticket to their shows, knows and shouts every lyric to every song (b-sides included) and barely has room to breathe with all the pits forming and bodies pushing. Royal Blood are the new definition of viral.

When I first started getting into them here, I figured that they'd do well but never this well! "Out Of The Black" is easily one of my favourite songs of 2014. After ridiculously overplaying their singles I was just waiting on the edge of my seat for the record to drop. I will never forget the first time I listened to this thing in full. Beginning to end I was beyond impressed. EVERY. SINGLE. SONG. The whole album was great - lyrically and instrumentally. The only reason it didn't make it to my number one is - because I liked it so much, I overplayed it quickly and so grew tired of it pretty early on. To the point where just hearing people talk about the album made me like it a little less. After a little break from it, I came back to it and remembered just how good those songs sounded the first time I listened to them. As simple as some of them are, they each just sound so huge. Every track has been my favourite at one point or another but right now I'd say my favourite are "Blood Hands", "Ten Tonne Skeleton", "Better Strangers" and "Little Monster".

Even the b-sides on this record are killer. "Hole" for ages before the actual album came out, was my favourite track by them! And now "You Want Me" is up there in my favourites - another example of simple but awesome. Royal Blood are doing humungous things in the music industry right now. I just hope that they continue to move up and show that this wasn't just a (absolutely brilliantly executed) fluke.

So we've reached the top three and this is where it gets really unexpected for me. Each of the top three albums this year I never would have pegged to make it this far.

My third favourite album of the year is PVRIS' spectacular debut White Noise. It wasn't until late last year here that I really discovered PVRIS and got into them. I wasn't even thinking about them releasing a debut to be honest, I was just enjoying their one song "The Heartless". It wasn't until I heard their first single - "St. Patrick" - from the record, that I actually started paying full attention. What an entrance?! After this release, every single rock magazine worldwide seemed to take notice. I could hardly flick through Twitter without seeing somebody mention them. This band are contagious! I listened to "St. Patrick" for weeks on end and could still happily listen to it every day until the end of the year. This trio are brilliant song crafters.

Then their second single "My House" dropped and it was even better! Once I found out the album release date; the 4th of November was etched in my memory. I had to get my hands on it. After a few listens to their singles, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to VERSA (Emerge). Then, I found out that Blake Harnage was actually responsible for producing their record! Everything made sense after that. And even though I didn't think it'd be possible, I was even more excited to hear the finished product. I'm still a little sad that VersaEmerge aren't around anymore but PVRIS have managed to take the genre to whole new levels! Frontwoman Lyndsey Gunnulfsen brings so much power to each song with her candid lyrics and fantastic tone, whilst Brian and Alex make sure that even their softer tracks sound so musically huge and full. The record as a whole just immerses you. 2015 is going to be a ridiculously big year for these three and I'm excited to keep up with them through it.

My favourite songs on the record right now aside from the singles are "Holy", "Fire", "Smoke" and "Mirrors". The whole thing just flows so perfectly - absolutely brilliant debut! 2015, year of PVRIS.

Unlike the last album there was no competition with this one, I knew that this would make my list for sure. Such a fabulous and genuinely unique album.

Number four on my list of top albums in 2014 is Nabuma Rubberband by Little Dragon. If you can't already tell from the title, this album is not your average listen. Ever since hearing "Twice" a few years ago, I have been keeping track of Little Dragon. I'd caught up on all their albums, overplayed them thoroughly and prepared for that day that I'd be able to hear a new one. Finally, this year, the time came... and I was so slow about it! I had this album sitting in my inbox for days, I don't know why I didn't listen to it straight away! But I suppose that they say, good things come to those who wait. And good things did come... 

It took a little longer than some others to get into but after a couple of listens, I knew that this was a big deal. This record is magical! And one of the best things about it is that I haven't heard anything like it this whole year. It's the gap in the market that I didn't even know there was! My favourite songs on it currently are "Underbart", "Cat Rider", "Paris" and "Only One" but at one point or another almost every single song on it has been a favourite. Yukimi just has a spectacular and very listenable voice - it's enchanting. After seeing them live this year here, my love for this album just went into overdrive! I haven't heard one album this year that I've been in the mood to listen to more than this. In my opinion, Little Dragon are one of the most exciting and interesting bands around at the moment.  It would just seem that anything they touch turns to gold.

I don't know if I could ever see this album reaching the mainstream, but for a lot of reasons I'm glad about that. I want everyone to know about them but I don't want them to become too accessible. I guess I just really like the fact that their music is so centred in them and their preferences without any real worry about what the listeners might think. Fantastic record.

Only up to the fifth album but every day it just gets a little bit harder to write these! I'm always going back and forth in my head about whether I made the right decisions and today, at this exact moment, I've actually changed my mind and opted for my initial number five choice...

My fifth favourite album is 2014 is Love Letters by Metronomy. This was probably the hardest choice out of the seven because this was up against Sam Smith's brilliant debut - In The Lonely Hour. An equally awesome record but at the end of the day, the deciding question was, "which one did I actually come back to the most after first listen?" and Metronomy won out.

Love Letters is Metronomy's fourth album and it definitely has some of my favourite songs of theirs on it. I really overdid this album this year. So much so, that I actually saw it performed live three times (here, here and here) in the space of four months. Weirdly, I'm still not tired of it. It's just a very well crafted album! When I heard their first single from it "I'm Aquarius" I knew it'd be a catchy album but I didn't think it'd be this hard to shake. In fact, when I first heard the single, I wasn't actually sure whether I'd like the album at all - boy was I wrong! I actually think that it's their only album that I can listen to without feeling the need to skip a track. My current favourites are "Love Letters", "Reservoir", "Monstrous" and "Month Of Sundays", but they tend to change from time to time.

I think that this is a record I'll certainly be bringing back for years to come - as I will with all of the records that make/almost make this list! Metronomy have done well with this one. It's versatile and an incredibly enjoyable listen. Looking forward to the seeing how the next record matches up.

As much as I like this band, I never thought that one of their albums would make it onto my favourite albums list! Especially not above Foo Fighters. Some of their songs are actually some of my favourite songs ever but I've never listened to a full record of theirs as much as I did this one.

My sixth favourite album of the year is .5: The Gray Chapter by Slipknot. After I heard the first single from this record "The Devil In I", I was psyched. Such a brilliant song. Perfect way to introduce a new album in my opinion. Initially, I thought the video was a bit too much/over the top. However, when I found out what it was actually about, I thought that it was genius! Slipknot as a collective just continue to impress me. This being their first album in six years, first album since their drummer Joey left and first album since Paul's death - I had pretty high expectations for it (which they fulfilled). The perfect way to honour their late bassist Paul Gray.

It's not often that an album released so late on in the year (the 20th of October) makes it onto this list, literally just because there isn't normally enough time for me to overplay and analyse it the way that I can with the earlier albums. However, with Slipknot's album, I didn't even listen to it in full until November but after first listen I already knew that I'd have to say something about it for sure. My first favourite songs were "AOV" and "Skeptic". It just has so many levels to it and as the record went on, I realised that it did too. "The One That Kills The Least" and "If Rain Is What You Want" bringing a slightly softer element to the supercharged, metal record. My only criticism would be that, being a 16 track record, it does begin to drag a little bit towards the end. However, individually, each song is quality.

This album was such a hit for Slipknot that I don't think I'd feel too upset if it was their last. I mean, what an awesome note to end on! Real icons and outstanding musicians. Corey Taylor is always surprises me and particularly lyrically, he is just brilliant. Great album.

Starting off this week's proceedings is probably the most surprisingly controversial album on the list...

My seventh favourite album of 2014 is Sonic Highways by Foo Fighters. I really went back on forth about whether to even include this or not. To be honest, even as I'm writing this I'm still not 100% sure whether it should take the spot but let's lay out the pros first...

Musically this album definitely left me wanting at points, but to me, this is one of the most important records of 2014. When I saw the trailer for the series that they wanted to attach to this album, immediately I was buzzing. To record 8 songs in 8 different cities across the USA, whilst conducting 100s of interviews and featuring several artists on tracks, to then release a record and a TV series along side each other?! What a huge, huge task! Foo Fighters managed to execute it pretty damn well.

In my opinion, it is absolutely imperative for musicians to be aware of musical influences and genres besides their own. This record is not only aware of them, but somehow includes them each in the record whilst still maintaining rock genre status. Watching the series, I don't remember the last time I was that inspired by something. If one of these episodes doesn't make you want to join a band or be involved in music, I don't know what will! Seeing people make it musically with almost no experience or even no real instruments, whilst we're sitting here in the 21st Century with all these resources and connections easily available to us.... We should be some of the best artists the world will ever see! I don't know, because of this project I am just full to the brim with ideas, and I don't even know where to start. It's like I always say, a great record will make you feel/do something, and if I'm going by that, then this is a pretty great record!

One of my favourite tracks on the album (and in 2014) is "Something From Nothing". So musically diverse and that breakdown transition (you know the one)! Genius! "Feast And The Famine", "In The Clear" and "Outside" are my other favourites on the album. Definitely not the best album of the year or even the best Foo Fighters album, but it's timeless in my eyes and I'm looking forward to hearing it played live at Wembley Stadium next year!

The time has officially come! Only one week left until Christmas and over the next seven days I'll be telling you my top 7 albums of 2014. Any guesses as to who'll be number one? If I'm honest, this year has probably been the hardest year yet for me to narrow it down! So many fantastic albums and so many strong affecting factors. I probably don't even know if the list is set in stone yet!

I can however confirm, that numbers 3 to 1 are each absolutely amazing records. 2014 has been a spectacular year for music. I'm looking forward to reviewing some of my favourites! Tomorrow, you will find out my seventh favourite album of the last 12 months! But without further ado, let the seven days of Christmas commence...