Vinyl Mag

Best Albums

• Strange Desire by Bleachers and The Outsiders by Eric Church (Hannah Smith)
• A Toothpaste Suburb by Milo and Salad Days by Mac DeMarco (Trey Moss)
• The Pinkprint by Nicki Minaj, Broke With Expensive Taste by Azealia Banks, and 2014 Forest Hills Drive by J. Cole (DeShonna Johnson)
• The Balcony by Catfish and the Bottlemen (Jackie Citero)
• This Is All Yours by Alt-J (Nikki Smith and Emily McBride)
• Also St. Vincent by St. Vincent and 1989 by Taylor Swift (Emily McBride)

Best Film

• Gone Girl (Hannah Smith)
• Godzilla or The Imitation Game (Trey Moss)
• “The Lego Movie. Chris Pratt. Legos. Duh.” (DeShonna Johnson)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (Jackie Citero)
• Annabelle.  “Wow, I think that’s the only movie I saw in theaters this year.” (Nikki Smith)
• Birdman, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Trip to Italy (Emily McBride)

Best Concert/Show/Festival

• Eric Church (Hannah Smith)
• Tall Tall Trees at the rooftop of the Georgia Theatre (Trey Moss)
• “Does Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On The Run HBO special count?” (DeShonna Johnson)
• “Hands down Lockn’.  It just keeps getting better and better every year!” (Jackie Citero)
• Roky Erickson with Black Angels at Terminal West (Nikki Smith)
• Cabaret on Broadway, Rave of Thrones with Kristian Nairn (Hodor), and The Gaslight Anthem at Shaky Knees (actually, pretty much all of Shaky Knees).” (Emily McBride)

Best Beauty/Fashion Moment

• “Sarah Jessica Parker’s ode to Oscar de la Renta at the Met Gala.” (Hannah Smith)
• Erykah Badu’s short hairstyle (Trey Moss)
• The delicate jewelry trend (Jackie Citero)
• “The Chanel feminist protest, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne’s Burberry campaign, and Alexander Wang’s collaboration with H&M. And, course, our first fashion shoot for Vinyl Mag!” (Emily McBride)

Best New Gadget

• “I just got the iPhone 5, so I’m still fascinated by that. Yes, I do realize the iPhone 6 has been released. Yes, I’m behind the times.” (Hannah Smith)
• “Amazon Echo is pretty neat, but it’s still in beta testing.” (Trey Moss)
• “My new fridge so that I can rely on more than just Ramen for sustenance.” (DeShonna Johnson)
• “Recently received a Kindle, and it has changed my world!” (Jackie Citero)
• “Portable phone charger for South by Southwest. Life-changing.” (Emily McBride)

Best Book Read

• “This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. The movie is great, but I highly recommend reading the book if you have the time.” (Hannah Smith)
• Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick (Trey Moss)
• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (DeShonna Johnson)
• The Defining Decade – it’s a book I would recommend to anyone 18-29! It gives you such a different perspective on how you should be viewing your 20s. Wish I had read the book sooner!” (Jackie Citero)
• And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (Nikki Smith)
• Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (Emily McBride)

Best Black Friday/Cyber Monday Purchase

• “The only thing I bought for Black Friday was one of those bulk packages of Maruchan Ramen.” (Trey Moss)
• “A black pencil skirt from Target for only like 12 bucks.” (DeShonna Johnson)
• “Topshop ear cuff for 30 percent off!” (Emily McBride)

Best Thing Learned from Pinterest

• “I learned how to make healthy ice cream sandwiches using graham crackers, peanut butter, and bananas. Don’t knock it till you try it.” (Hannah Smith)
• “Let me ask my mom.” (Trey Moss)
• “Despite the exercise moves that I’ll probably never do, I found a pretty good infographic on preparing for and acing job interviews. Welcome to adulthood, kiddos.” (DeShonna Johnson)
• “How to make really cute heart cutout cupcakes for Valentine’s Day.” (Jackie Citero)
• “Tumeric mask and any natural remedies.” (Nikki Smith)
• “So many crock pot recipes.” (Emily McBride)

Best Trip Taken

• “Nashville, Tn.  I’d never been before this year.” (Hannah Smith)
• “A train ride to the Adirondacks with my buddy Mark.” (Trey Moss)
• Shreveport, Louisiana. (DeShonna Johnson)
• “A trip to Bald Head Island in North Carolina for my best friend’s wedding. SUCH an amazing island!” (Jackie Citero)
• Lobsterfest in Maine (Nikki Smith)
• “This has been the year of trips for me – it’s been fantastic! The Hamptons this summer. New Orleans to see a friend. Austin for South by Southwest. Chicago to see a friend. Monterey, Ca. to see a friend. Nashville to go see Hodor at Rave of Thrones. Favorite must have been New York City this Christmas to see Cabaret – that was a perfect trip.” (Emily McBride)

Best Moment at Vinyl Mag

• “Being able to share my opinions through different reviews.” (Hannah Smith)
• “Consistently missing deadlines and forgetting what day it is.” (Trey Moss)
• “Becoming an intern and falling in love with Cara Delevingne!” (DeShonna Johnson)
• “Every single moment of covering Electric Forest for Vinyl!” (Jackie Citero)
• “Interview with King Buzzo of The Melvins.” (Nikki Smith)
• “Getting to put together our first fashion spread.” (Emily McBride)

Resolutions

• “I’ll decide in 2015.” (Hannah Smith)
• “Acceptance to Indiana University’s graduate school program.” (Trey Moss)
• “Worry less.” (DeShonna Johnson)
• “To try something new or go someplace I’ve never been before every month!” (Jackie Citero)
• “Plant a garden, and keep it alive.” (Nikki Smith)
• “Just keep it up.” (Emily McBride)

Most Excited For in 2014

• “Spending the summer in Athens for the first time.” (Hannah Smith)
• “Pokemon League Champion. Graduating from UGA is a contender, I guess.” (Trey Moss)
• “My 21st birthday!” (DeShonna Johnson)
• “New music and bigger and better music festivals…Governor’s Ball, I’m looking at you! Oh! And we can’t forget about Better Call Saul coming next year!” (Jackie Citero)
• “Becoming a senior at UGA.” (Nikki Smith)
• “Better Call Saul for sure, and more exciting Vinyl stuff!” (Emily McBride)