Best Songs of 2014
According to MOI.
Starting from #17 (because you can't make me choose just ten)...
17. "Go" by Grimes
I was introduced to this song a few weeks ago by my friend Clark, who thought of me when he heard this song ("Abraham would love this"). I didn't.
Originally written for Rihanna (who left us with absolutely no new music in 2014) by Grimes and Blood Diamonds, the track blends Grimes' musical eccentricity with a more mainstream sound, resulting in this weird song that has strangely grown on me a lot over the past few weeks.
Which leads me to this conclusion: if Rihanna rejected "Go" from her album, her new shit better be amazing.
16. "Bridges" by Broods
One of the best electro-pop singles of the year from a New Zealander that is not named Lorde.
15. "Old Money" by Lana Del Rey
What I love about this song is that it paints a picture, both soft and blurry, evoking melancholy and longing. It's also a "Young and Beautiful Part II" (which I'm still annoyed about it robbed of an Oscar nomination—and win—for Best Original Song at last year's Academy Awards).
14. "Work Song" by Hozier
The hums. The steady clapping. Love is sometimes a long day's work, but so incredibly worthwhile. An enormously sincere song that takes something as cliche as the aforementioned sentence into something real and heartbreakingly sweet.
13. "Can't Do Without You" by CARIBOU
This song is everything that most mainstream EDM is not: subtle and soulful. The gradual, climactic crescendo and the sudden drop that follows really embodies that feeling of falling in love and not wanting to let it drop.
12. "Fall in Love" by Phantogram
The song starts off with soft strings and proceeds to take off with a bang—a driving electropop hook that sweeps throughout the song. It's symphonic, memorable, and so incredibly catchy. Also, shoutout to "indie" artists who do more than make good music and actually sing well.
11. "Flawless Remix" by Beyonce, Nicki Minaj
I mean, the woman premiered the song unannounced. On the song's own website, embedded with her selfies with Nicki Minaj. Some of Nicki's finest bars since "Monster" and Yonce's best confronting-a-controversy: "Of course sometimes shit goes down when there's a billion dollars on an elevator"
10. "Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde
I have a very personal connection to Lorde: I came across her music when she had less Twitter followers than I did and when "Royals" wasn't even the hit it would eventually become. With the release of her incredibly successful—and really, really good—debut album, Pure Heroine, I eagerly anticipated whatever else she would release to the world. Then, it was announced that she would curate the soundtrack to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and released "Yellow Flicker Beat".
"But I got my fingers laced together and I made a little prison / And I’m locking up everyone who ever laid a finger on me"
Oh, shit.
9. "Rollercoaster" by Bleachers
An 80's-throwback that evokes both nostalgia and intense energy. Both dreamy and anthemic. It's one of those sad songs that you can't help but dance to and I've had some incredibly cathartic drives with my windows down to this one.
8. "I've Told You Now - Live at St. Pancras Old Church, London 2013" by Sam Smith
This song was technically released in 2013 on Sam Smith's Nirvana EP, but I prefer this version of the song over the one that was released on his debut album earlier this year. I knew this man would soar to some amazing heights this year when I first heard his music last year and I'm glad I wasn't wrong.
I love a lot of Sam Smith's songs, but this song—and this performance in particular—is just really special. You can just feel all of the underlying frustration and heartbreak in his voice and it's really powerful.
7. "Talk is Cheap" by Chet Faker
When I first heard this song, I thought the singer was James Blake, but later found out that the voice was actually that of Chet Faker—an artist who hails from Melbourne, Australia. It's smooth, soulful, and sexy ("I wanna make you move with confidence / I wanna be with you alone"). Extra points for the saxophone component, which adds even more texture to an intricately-produced track.
6. "Do It Again" by Röyksopp & Robyn
Robyn is, hands-down, the best at turning painful experiences and aches into dance-pop goodness and here, she does it again with... "Do It Again". When is this bitch coming out with an album again?
5. "Out of the Woods" by Taylor Swift
What a year this girl has had. While Godney still reigns supreme in most-albums-sold-in-one-week-by-a-female-artist, Tay Tay came close and deservedly so. With 1989, she produced a bold, cohesive, and important piece of work and within it is one of my favorite tracks of the year: "Out of the Woods".
Some people found it lyrically repetitive, but what I loved about the song is that the lyrics really painted a picture for me, and more than anything, listening to the song felt like an experience in and of itself. With its 80's-throwback feel and anthemic feel, it's also no coincidence that Jack Antonoff co-wrote/produced this song. Good for you, Tay Tay.
4. "Two Weeks" by FKA twigs
Incredible synthwork, breathy sighs, and fucking artistry for days. Like the artist, the song leaves a lasting impression that's hard to brush off. Also, TMI alert: I would have sex with this song playing on-repeat in the background.
3. "Say You Love Me" by Jessie Ware
God, I love this song. It's a song about heartbreak that hits of all the right notes. It makes demands and pleas, yet shows restraint that makes the song even more powerful. The video also moves me everytime I see it—and it's such a simple video! It also annoys me that Jessie Ware hasn't had as successful a crossover as some of her British peers. With this song and its album, she deserves it. Highlight of the song: "Want to feel burning flames when you say my name"
2. "I Don't Want To Change You" by Damien Rice
I used to joke around (angrily) with my roommate sometimes, asking whether Damien Rice had died (or something?). I mean, the man hadn't released an album in God-knows-how-long and I grew frustrated, running out of patience for an album, which I believed was long overdue.
Well, if all those years was what it took to birth this song and album, it was well worth the wait. Talk about finding strength in the midst of one's fragility: “No matter how far, well I can go before you.”
Try listening to this song and not being moved by it. The video is equally as moving (and jarring).
1. "Chandelier" by Sia
I've always loved Sia. However, in recent years, she became known more for her songwriting (she's written every other hit that you've heard on the radio) than her own individual artistry. So imagine my surprise and excitement when I heard that she would be releasing her first solo album in years.
When "Chandelier" was released earlier this year, I was not disappointed. I rocked my head, had goosebumps, and teared up—all in one listen. It was a party song that was unlike any party song on the radio—partially autobiographical, I'm sure—and it painted such a stark picture of the dark realities that often underlie the girl or guy swinging from a chandelier at a party. You're not really happy. You're not really swinging on a chandelier out of enjoyment. You're really just holding onto it for dear life.
... Shit just got real really quickly. Anyway...
And that chorus, my God, that soaring chorus. Oh, what I would pay to have been there when Sia recorded those vocals.
AND THAT VIDEO.
Bonus: yours truly belting this song for the 29837th time this year
Here's the entire playlist for your perusal on Spotify!
NEXT: Best Movies of 2014
