THE YEAR IN SOUND 2014 // FAVORITE SONGS
In sitting down to work on my collection of year in review posts, I knew that the songs list was going to be the most difficult. The first half of the year was front loaded with standouts - making it great at the time, but a little difficult to sustain a year of interest that had me remembering everything worthy of ackowledgment. On the other hand, the back half was far more quiet on first pass, but then recently opened up once my personal life started to slow down and allow me a chance to really spend some time digging for gems. Finally, after some late additions and a lot of tinkering - it’s time to share my favorite songs of 2014.
Instead of ranking each track individually, I’ve decided to highlight a handful of choices while listing the rest with links to original posts which should shine some light on my reasons. Up first are my favorite twenty, presented in order with a additional commentary when necassary. At the end, are thirty tracks (presented alphabetically) that also deserve your complete attention, and on any given day could just as easily make the top twenty - but at the moment of this list, were just shy of personal impact or attachment. Of course, they’re still incredible in every way. Click the tracks for streaming and information. Enjoy!
"Eat for Free" by Haley Bonar // For me, this was difficult. Not because of competition, but because I felt that I knew this was my choice from the first time that it graced my eardrums. The difficult part came with the following several months of hearing dozens of other wonderful songs and trying to compare, when comparisons were not necassary. “Eat for Free” moved me. It’s a heartbreaking thing powered by regret and sadness but wrapped in a glimmering optimism that threatens to burn out before the song fades out.
"Habit" by Ought // Oh, how many times i’ve listened to this bit of brilliance the past eight months. It had an immediate and striking effect on that first listen and countless listens have done little to tarnish that impact. It’s the kind of song that manages to make you feel like you’ve discovered a perfect, hidden gem that’s all yours - even though you know that thousands of other fans are in love with it just the same. A brilliant debut.
"Shelter" by Alcest // A stunningly beautiful shoegaze record from a former black metal band from France. I have rarely felt the need to describe something as heart-swelling, but this song does just that. It’s that rare piece of music that can move me to tears without sadness - just the power of a soaring melody.
"Repeat Pleasure" by How to Dress Well // I’ve already said so much about Tom Krell’s music over the past five years. It’s almost shocking to me as a fan, that his music continues to be so powerful while evolving from lo-fi experimentalism to majestic pop hybrids of synth pop, hip-hop, and R&B.
"Seasons (Waiting on You)" by Future Islands // The year’s best moment of pure pop bliss. Almost surely the most infectious chorus of the year. A wonderful breakthough for a band long overdue for some mainstream recognition.
"Iroqouis" by Cemeteries // Since releasing his debut full length in 2012, there hasn’t been an off note released by Cemeteries. A coastal shift and a couple of years has only brought more confidence and maturity in songcraft. Here, on a standout track from the excellent “Summer Compilation, Vol. 1” by Portland’s Track & Field Records, we get to hear the artist expanding from eerie and haunting dream pop into chilling post punk and majestic post rock. A killer track and a wonderful reminder that album number two drops in 2015.
"Sleepy & Hollow" by Seismograph // This Portland based artist’s sophomore album, Tundra Divine, made my album list, but it’s his contribution to the Snowbeast Record Halloween compilation, Gatherings, that stuck with me the most. Despite it’s placement on a Halloween comp, the track is less ominous and more eerily pretty - a hypnotically layered lullaby that captures a natural, autumnal sweetness.
"Fractals" by Keep Shelly in Athens // Even after swapping lead singers, KSIA manages to churn out pitch perfect, 80’s inspired, synth pop. A shimmering pop beauty for the after hours.
"Lines of Latitude" by Small Black // A haunting, swooning synth pop beauty from one of my favorite bands. It’s a lowkey gem that did the blog rounds earlier this year and was sorta forgotten, but whenever I hear it, I just stop in my tracks and take it all in again.
"Disappearing" by The War on Drugs // In the closing days of 2013, The War on Drugs dropped “Red Eyes”, the first single from their brilliant album, Lost in the Dream. That song placed in my top ten songs of the year with only a few weeks of play time. The expectations were high with that album - and it delivered on every note. The track that currently stands as my favorite is “Disappearing”, a shadowy ballad that invokes Disintigration-era, The Cure and Wildflowers-era Tom Petty simultaneously. It’s perfect road music. Haunting and breathless. Improved only by headlights and long stretches of highways.
"Luna" by Bombay Bicycle Club // One of the earliest songs of 2014 stayed in my heavy rotation year round thanks largely in part to that monstrous, life-affirming chorus. Also check out the stripped back acoustic version performed at BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. A perfect pop song.
"Owls Talons Clenching My Heart" by PAWS // A youthful blast of confused heartache and power chords. It’s just fucking infectious as all hell and captures that youthful feeling of “i don’t even know why I like you, so why does this hurt so much” that everyone goes through like one or three dozen times.
"The Fog" by Moonface // Spencer Krug just keeps progressing. At this point his minimalist production should feel like stepping back, but he’s a better storyteller than ever and his voice is one of the best story delivery systems in the game.
"Youwouldn’tlikemewhenI’mangry" by Thom Yorke // Yeah, it’s only a week old, but I’m in love. In another week, it could be in the top five. It’s just Thom Yorke at his best and that’s been lacking in my life since like 2007.
"Ten Thirty One" by The Ghost in You // Probably one of the least known songs on the list, but an absurdly beautiful ode Halloween that reminds me of everything that I love about the holiday - from my youth, up till now. Just a gorgeous little love letter to the best time of year, that never needs to get creepy to sell it’s message.
"Evil is Always One Step Behind" by Pale Seas // A sprawling, heartbreaking ballad that starts off with a lo-fi bedroom pop whisper and builds to shimmering post rock roar - using shoegaze and synth pop sounds to create a majestic statement. Pale Seas are one of the best bands on the planet and they’ve yet to release their debut full length.
"Braid" by Gem Club // It’s just so damned pretty. Chilling, powerful, haunting - like some long lost love story battered by time and distance, begging to be saved. It’s a phenomenal piece of work that manages to get even better in the second half. Just listen and get lost in it.
"Fight or Flight" by Engineers // Spaced out shoegaze and glowing synth pop done wonderfully by a terribly underrated band. One of the more upbeat tracks on the list, or wait - is it? Fuck. I don’t even know anymore.
"Last Train" by Dawn Golden // Sad, angry, heartbreak soundtracked by lush synth pop and downtempo-electro-R&B. Dark, but easy to get lost within.
"Put Hope in Future Days" by Great Panoptique Winter // One of my favorite random bandcamp discoveries of the year. A richly crafted, cinematic beauty that sounds like a love song at the end of the world. Dark as night, but pulsing with a shimmering vein of optimism.
"Lonely Richard" by Amen Dunes
"Not Enough Violence" by Ariel Pink
"Heartbeat Overdrive" by Ballet School
"The Greatest Bastard" by Damien Rice
"It’s Beautiful" by Dan Svizeny
"Johnny Jupiter" by Haunted Hearts
"Burial Society" by Have a Nice Life
"Desert Tribe" by The High Dials
"Say (ft. Maja Thunberg)" by Indoor Voices
"All White Everything" by JJ
"She Came Through Again" by Los Angeles Police Department
"Give Us a Kiss" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
"Embers" by Night Flowers
"Brother" by Observer Drift
"The Asp in My Chest" by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
"Fade to Grey" by Rohypnotise
"Everytime the Sun Comes Up" by Sharon Van Etten
"J Smoov" by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
"Coffin in Houston" by Suzie
"NYC Loves You" by White Sea
* Stream the List @ Spotify (the available tracks)
And that puts a fork in 2014 here at PMW. Of course, these lists are not in any way definitive - but rather a snapshot of what I am loving at a particular moment. I hope that they help you discover something new, or re-connect with something that you’d forgotten. Thanks for listening. suz
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