Artwork by Sunny Eckerle
Picking the top songs of the year is always a next to impossible task. Remembering everything you loved, made you groove, made you perk up and take notice, then somehow paring them down to the best of the best and adding rank — it’s, again, next to impossible, particularly given some of this year’s offerings. To acknowledge that insanity, we’ve changed things up a bit. Below you’ll find our Top 25 in no particular order. These were the tracks that really stood out to us this year — the ones we wanted to shout from the rooftops. To broaden the scope a bit, though, we also added a 75 song playlist of everything else that we loved in 2014, from folk to electro and everything in between.
This year saw the release of so many tracks that took our breath away. Established artists like alt-J, St. Vincent and even Taylor Swift all had banner years, each of them soundtracking everything from our morning commutes to workouts (looking at you Taylor Swift). The real gems of the year, though, came from the wealth of new comers who truly blew us away. Sylvan Esso, Glass Animals, FKA Twigs and Yellerkin all released tracks that will be in our libraries for years to come, and have all earned a place on our “must listens” when they release new music.
Check out the full playlist on Spotify and YouTube below!
Spotify Playlist:
YouTube Playlist:
Top 25:
“Red Eyes” – The War on Drugs
“Hey Mami” – Sylvan Esso
“To The Top” – Twin Shadow
“Paris” – Magic Man
“1965” – Zella Day
“Not Going Home” – Great Good Fine Ok
“Two Weeks” – FKA Twigs
“The Ballad of Mr. Steak” – Kishi Bashi
“Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift
“Seasons” – Future Islands
“Digital Witness” – St. Vincent
“Tame One” – Your Friend
“Every Other Freckle” – Alt-J
“Tools” – Yellerkin
“Sugah Daddy” – D’Angelo
“Slow Motion” – PHOX
“Gooey” – Glass Animals
“Avant Gardener” – Courtney Barnett
“20 Years Tall” – Sego
“UMA” – Panama Wedding
“Memories That You Call” – ODESZA
“Shame” – Mas Ysa
“B A NoBody” – SOAK
“Coffee” – Sylvan Esso
“Oh Sailor” – Mr Little Jeans
Other Favorites:
“Anonymous Club” – Courtney Barnett
“Awakening” – AURORA
“Ramona” – Velociraptor
“Springful” – Adult Jazz
“Fears” – The Jensens
“Was It A Dream” – Marissa Nadler
“Pins and Stiches” – Modern Rivals
“Guilty of Everything” – Nothing
“JM” – Strand of Oaks
“Good Mistake” – Mr Little Jeans
“No Rest for the Wicked” – Lykke Li
“Is This How You Feel?” – The Preatures
“Murmurs” – Hundred Waters
“I Prefer Your Love” – St. Vincent
“Running Home to You” – Bee Caves
“Mess on a Mission” – Liars
“Family and Genus” – Shakey Graves
“Plastic Raincoats in the Pig Parade” – Ariel Pink
“Stay Gold” – First Aid Kit
“The Globe” – Landlady
“Not for Long” – TEEN
“Work Song” – Hozier
“Bassically” – Tei Shi
“Gloria” – Celestial Shore
“Windows” – Angel Olsen
“Switch On” – PROM
“1000 Deaths” – D’Angelo
“Water Fountain” – tUnE-yArDs
“Every Time the Sun Comes Up” – Sharon Van Etten
“I’m Not Part of Me” – Cloud Nothings
“Repeat Pleasure” – How to Dress Well
“Solar Laws” – Yellerkin
“Spirit” – Future Islands
“Just One Of The Guys” – Jenny Lewis
“Pretty Girls” – Little Dragon
“Queen” – Perfume Genius
“OctaHate” – Ryn Weaver
“The Righteous One” – The Orwells
“Eyes Off You” – Bombay Bicycle Club
“Rewind” – Rubblebucket
“Play It Right” – Sylvan Esso
“Gimme Something Good” – Ryan Adams
“Dangerous Days” – Zola Jesus
“Oh My Darling Don’t Cry” – Run the Jewels
“Carissa” – Sun Kil Moon
“Pearly Gates” – The Men
“Love is to Die” – Warpaint
“I Won’t Be Afraid” – Sisyphus
“New Skin” – Torres
“Carry On Phenomenon” – Kishi Bashi
“Super Rat” – Honeyblood
“4th and Roebling” – The Districts
“Hunger of the Pine” – alt-J
“Marigolden” – Field Report
“Your Design” – Grace Mitchell
“Out of the Woods” – Taylor Swift
“Crime” – Real Estate
“May As Well” – Angel Olsen
“Prague” – White Sea
“Biggy” – Warpaint
“Lucifer” – Sondre Lerche
“Busy Earnin'” – Jungle
“Say it All” – Great Good Fine Ok
“Sexotheque” – La Roux
“Not on Drugs” – Tove Lo
“Your Love is Killing Me” – Sharon Van Etten
“Somebody’s Talking” – The Preatures
“Mumma” – Spring King
“To Me” – Chet Faker
“Video Girl” – FKA Twigs
“Electric Love” – BØRNS
“Mother & Father” – Broods
“Stronger Than That” – Bahamas
“Dancing Tonight” – Friendship Park
“Class Historian” – BRONCHO