151031 IU at Gimpo Airport Heading to Japan

Even diehard fans will admit that it's tough to find an entire K-pop album worthy of being labelled brilliant from start to finish. But there were a select group of artists who proved the notion wrong with cohesive bodies of work in 2014.

10. Rain - Rain Effect
The K-pop veteran's first release since being discharged from South Korea's mandatory military service, Rain showed how to make a comeback people would pay attention to with a collection of the year's best beats. There were hot singles ("La Song," "30Sexy") and on-point collaborations (HyunA on the zippy "Oppa"), making for a template...