It's that time of the year, so here's the first of a few music posts. Back to the movies next week. Note: I left out tracks from movie scores and original movie songs.
25. "Every Time the Sun Comes Up" - Sharon Van Etten
24. "eez-eh" - Kasabian
23. "OctaHate" - Ryn Weaver
22. "Jungle" - Jamie N Commons & X Ambassadors
21. "Goddess" - BANKS
20. "So Blonde" - EMA
19. "10 Lovers" - The Black Keys
18. "Young Blood" - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
17. "Blue Moon" - Beck
16. "Queen" - Perfume Genius
15. "Under the Pressure" - The War on Drugs
14. "B a noBody" - SOAK
13. "Wrong Club" - The Ting Tings
12. "Bloodstream" - Ed Sheeran
11. "Water Fountain" - tUnE-yArDs
10. "Say You Love Me" - Jessie Ware
9. "Can't Do Without You" - Caribou
8. "Rollercoaster" - Bleachers
7. "Two Weeks" - FKA twigs
6. "Digital Witness" - St. Vincent
5. "Let Me Down Gently" - La Roux
4. "Car Radio" - twenty one pilots*
*This song is actually a few years old, but I've included it, since it was just released as a single this year.
3. "Lazaretto" - Jack White
2. "Chandelier" - Sia
1. "Marilyn Monroe" - Pharrell Williams
So, I dedicated my day to listening to these so I could actually comment insightfully...
ReplyDelete'Everytime the Sun Comes Up':
Ewww...like, gross dude, and I kind of like gritty, earthy, folksy country music...but this was...dull.
'eez-eh':
That was fun, spunky and catchy as hell. Never heard of these guys, but I'm intrigued.
'OctaHate':
LOVE THIS! This is kind of the indie/pop stuff I've been getting into lately. I think I've heard of her before, but never heard this song and so now I'm off to find her album. What a voice, and the production value is strong with this one, but not in an overbearing way.
'Jungle':
Feels very Black Keys/Arctic Monkeys, which I dig. Love that chorus, heavy hitting and forces you to move.
'Goddess':
Love Banks, and this song. Like...SO MUCH!
'So Blonde':
So, I'm suddenly 14 again and obsessed with Hole...right? Like, this is Courtney Love redux, and while I love Hole...you'd think she'd want some individuality...right? It's also kind of a dumb song...sadly.
'10 Lovers':
Big fan of this band. Great song choice too!
'Young Blood':
Again, this is recalling my pre-teen/teen years with a very Tori Amos vibe here, and I love that sound, but this is a tad dated, and she didn't go the places I would have liked her to here, vocally.
'Blue Moon':
These guys still have it, maybe even moreso now! Take that U2!!!
'Queen':
OMG, who is this?!?! Why don't I have them on my playlist already?!?!
'Under the Pressure':
Eh...this kind of went nowhere...
'B a noBody':
Beautifully atmospheric and so rich. Love this sound...
'Wrong Club':
I kind of love The Ting Tings, but this song is a tad underwhelming. I like the old school charm, but I just wish they had amped it up a little bit.
'Bloodstream':
Fucking Bloodstream. That is all.
'Water Fountain':
This is where I wish The Ting Tings had brought their track. Fresh, exciting and full of infectious energy!
'Say You Love Me':
UGH, love this girl SO MUCH, and this song is just so incredibly haunting. Beautiful. Love that you mention her.
'Can't Do Without You':
I love finding fellow Caribou fans! I've been listening to these guys for like...what...five years. The second half of this song is great...but it's not my favorite of their stuff.
'Rollercoaster':
LOVE!!!
'Two Weeks':
OMG...talk about discovering a gem today. Like...I may have to take a pause from the rest of your list to listen to this a few more times...!!!!!
'Digital Witness':
I feel like I should like St. Vincent more than I do...like, she's ok...but this isn't my favorite in the genre, by a long shot.
'Let Me Down Gently':
LA ROUX! I remember when she broke out and I was so in love with her...and then I forgot all about her. Thanks for reaquanting me! Beautiful song.
'Car Radio':
Interesting track...I'll need to process this one...
'Lazaretto':
Could this be his best track, ever?
'Chandelier':
I used to love and defend this song so much, but it's so overplayed and her vocals on the verses are obnoxious upon reflection and kind of piss me off. Maybe the best hook of the year though.
'Marilyn Monroe':
I was so disappointed by this album, which I expected to be brilliant. This is a decent track, but best of the year?
My personal ranking of your Top 25:
1. Two Weeks
2. Bloodstream
3. Say You Love Me
4. Goddess
5. Lazaretto
6. Rollercoaster
7. Queen
8. OctaHate
9. Water Fountain
10. Blue Moon
11. 10 Lovers
12. Jungle
13. Chandelier
14. Marilyn Monroe
15. Car Radio
16. B a noBody
17. Let Me Down Gently
18. eez-eh
19. Digital Witness
20. Can’t Do Without You
21. Wrong Club
22. Young Blood
23. So Blonde
24. Under the Pressure
25. Every Time the Sun Comes Up
Thanks again for the AMAZING comment!
DeleteSo glad you love OctaHate, which should probably be higher. Ranking these was maddening, and I had dozens of tracks I could've put in the final slots. Also, you like BANKS and Jessie Ware? Awesome!
Marilyn Monroe and Chandelier have been at the top for most of the year. Whenever I think I'm tired of one, I listen to it, and I'm completely won over again. LOVE those tracks!
Since you love Two Weeks and Rollercoaster, I'd recommend checking out the FKA twigs and Bleachers albums if you're interested. ;)
Great list! I'm familiar with the majority of those artists. A few of them I don't know and will listen to. Happy to see love for Chandelier which I initially was underwhelmed by and now love. I was close to picking La Roux’s Let Me Down Gently but I enjoy Uptight Downtown just a tad more. I love Under the Pressure, Digital Witness, Marilyn Monroe, Say You Love Me, Blue Moon, and Goddess. Will you be doing an album list as well?
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm surprised Chandelier hasn't gotten old for me. I LOVE all of the tracks on Trouble in Paradise, so I can't argue with picking Uptight Downtown. Most of those tracks you mentioned will also be represented on my album list. ;)
DeleteHey Josh, I listen mostly to classical music on my local radio station and soundtracks, so I wish I could contribute something here but I'm just not familiar w/ any of these.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruth! Haha, no worries. Thanks for commenting! :)
DeleteOh, this list is great! I don't know a lot of these songs, but I listened to them and they sound really good! I was especially surprised by how much I loved Two Weeks and Rollercoaster, but they were all fantastic :) I think my five favourite from your list are (in order) Lazaretto, Chandelier, Queen, Water Fountain and Blue Moon. I actually prefer Happy and Came Get It Bae to Marilyn Monroe, but I enjoy all of them.
ReplyDeleteMy five favourite songs of 2014 are:
1. Shades of Cool
2. Lazaretto
3. Chandelier
4. i
5. Take Me to Church
6. 2 On
7. Just One of the Guys
8. Queen
9. Water Fountain
10. Blue Moon
Whoops! Ten, not five sorry :P
DeleteThanks! :) Oh, nice list. It's great to see Lazaretto and Chandelier so high, and I'm also a fan of Take Me to Church and 2 On.
DeleteHaha. No problem.
Well we don't have a lot in common music-wise, but I do love Pharrell's album, it's so cool. He and John Legend are the two contemporary artists I've listened to the most this year, so I'd add something from his new album to the list too. Probably "Who Do We Think We Are". Also like Ed Sheeran, though I'd go with "Don't", it's so addictive.
ReplyDeleteAlso Beyoncé's "Superpower". I did not expect her to do something like that. And something from Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence, I really like the album.
Haha. I like Pharrell's album too, and it probably would've been in my next five if I did a top 30. "Don't" is a great song. There are several tracks from X I could've included, actually.
DeleteI hadn't heard "Superpower", but it's a great track. I like Ultraviolence as well - just couldn't fit it anywhere.
"Chandelier" is a great track, love that it's ranked so highly!
ReplyDeleteOh, you like that song too? Awesome!
Delete