Best of 2014: 100 Tracks (60–41)
We’re halfway through with the countdown of my favorite songs of 2014. We now got numbers 60–41. Take a breather if you need to. And here we go.
60. “We Come from the Same Place”
Allo Darlin’
[Slumberland]
Allo Darlin’ tugs at your heartstrings in grand ways, either with swooning twee melodies or honest-to-god statements. But those punches don’t hit the right way if Morris didn’t lyrically prop up the pitch-perfect set for those relationships and epiphanies to happen. In “We Come from the Same Place,” she takes one scenic route to get to the important dialog of perhaps breaking up. The bodily feelings are there: warmth of love, cold disappointment, pains of letting go and burning need for understanding. And the details that suggest them — “these pictures on your wall will make it all seem so out of reach” — make you feel them firsthand.
59. “Minipops 67 (Source Field Mix)”
Aphex Twin
[Warp]
Aphex Twin’s long-awaited return offered a much more settled down Richard D. James. He was still restlessly exploring the depth of his synthesizer collection, but time seemed to sit comfortably still throughout the resulting hour of Syro. The fruits of his labor, as heard in the lead teaser “Minipops 67 (Source Field Mix),” is found subtly in between the webs of his graceful swing and sublime melodies: The acid gurgles, shifty percussion, and distorted voices all creep up like a ghost of RDJ’s past. In a way this is how all Aphex tracks worked since the early days, with tracks obsessively fine-tuning its nooks and crannies in real time. After a decade behind him and now this new iteration, maybe it’s time to rest the madman expectations and welcome the humble man behind the myth.
58. “Void”
The Bug (ft. Liz Harris)
[Ninja Tune]
The Bug splits his new album Angels and Devils into two sides. As one could assume, Angels begins the first half of the album with a softer, more serene atmosphere while Devils works an aggressive vibe, in collaboration with grime emcees (and one MC Ride). The smoky Angels track that opens the album, “Void,” rightfully features Liz Harris of Grouper fame, whose mesmerizing voice grants an uniquely intimate quality to her own project. The two may seem like they come from different worlds but it’s one fitting match: her light, airy voice acts as a great counterpart to the Bug’s wobbling dubstep beat. It’s a partnership I didn’t know I was looking forward to.
57. “Sanctified”
Rick Ross (ft. Big Sean, Kanye West)
[Maybach Music Group / Def Jam]
Let’s be real: We are here because of one mortal, and that man is Kanye West. Sure, Big Sean’s snobby voice is the best suited for the douchey hook out of the three rappers; DJ Mustard’s bass gives the baroque club track an extra thump; Betty Wright’s sampled voice blesses one magnificent falsetto to welcome the modern heroes (Rick Ross, meanwhile, is dozing off in a menage trois while befitting expensive designer clothes and neatly holding a grilled cheese sandwich in hand). But c’mon: we are here to witness Yeezus wash off his sins and wipe his sweat off with a motherfucking handker-chife. This that holy water, sanctified refreshments.
56. “Shadow’s Song”
Foxes in Fiction
[Orchid Tapes]
I put on Foxes in Fiction’s “Shadow’s Song” whenever I needed to give my mind a rest. The faded-from-the-sun organs creaked such a blissful tune, and the soft voice of Warren Hildebrand drifted me into a good place. Reading the lyrics, though, it’s probably not the best song to play when you need to escape from reality as it deals with very opposite matters. “Shadow’s Song” is just that: a theme song to the thick shadow that seems to cast over you no matter how much you think you got better. But on another thought, maybe this is how you get away from those haunting memories, by accepting its place in you wherever you go. After all, despite how tired Hildebrand sounds from his shadow, he also convinces me that he will carry on anyway.
55. “Aerosol Can”
Major Lazer (ft. Pharrell Williams)
[Secretly Canadian / Mad Decent]
Especially with G I R L released around the same time, I wanted Pharrell to channel his in-the-moment heat and unshakeable cheesiness in the form of some loony raps over an equally loony beat. If Future’s “Move That Dope” was just Skateboard P rapping his Buffalo-hat verse, that alien jam would maybe replace this song. Major Lazer’s “Aerosol Can” though satisfies that demand by letting P just do whatever he wishes throughout its three-minute spectacle. The dude lets out a drugged-out laugh in the middle of his verse, ponders about Super Mario mushrooms, and flexes his non-music ventures proudly. He tries on the material-minded In My Mind Pharrell one last time, and it’s one glorious rush.
54. “My I Love You”
Frankie Cosmos
[Double Double Whammy]
Greta Kline makes me not want to get a dog in her painful farewell “My I Love You.” She’s preparing to say goodbye to her dead canine companion Jo, reminding us that good dogs go to heaven eventually. “I do what I have to do,” she tries to accept his untimely fate before putting him to rest, “this is where I say I love you.” In that latter line, “this is where” is what lingers—she can’t say goodbye just yet. She reminisces and imagines a still-alive Jo looking at her, as if she’s trying to cope by ignoring the grim present. Kline’s clearly not ready to let it go. And when she repeats Jo’s name one last time, there’s no telling when she will ever be.
53. “U Guessed It”
OG Maco (ft. Key!)
[Awful]
In hindsight, OG Maco’s “U Guessed It” was destined to break the waves of Vine. Maco loads up an overwhelming surge of energy and bursts it through his voice in explosive micro intervals. The beat is terrifyingly sparse, just to let Maco fill in the vast emptiness with his atomic bomb of a delivery. Each of his tics and yawps and roars could spawn millions of brilliant clips, but his breakthrough single isn’t something you just watch. The app users know this, offering up countless renditions of their own freakouts set to Maco’s signature “hwah!” Out of all, the best clip must go to Maco himself, feeling it all by himself in the music video. His excitement is about to bust open his physical frame, and that’s how this track should make you feel.
52. “Touchin’, Lovin’”
Trey Songz (ft. Nicki Minaj)[Songbook / Atlantic]
A lot of R&B dudes talked themselves up this year (as any other year), but no one worked their advances and boasts so playfully as Trey Songz in “Touchin’, Lovin’.” While other singers went straightforward and hard-headed, Trigga handled his smooth talk with a knowing wink: “If we’re talking about sex / girl, you know I invented that,” he quips, letting out a laugh in between the breaks. And his chorus builds up the real tease. He stacks his moves slowly, setting it up cliche yet coy, only to pull that final punchline to get into the real business. The joke is a tongue-in-cheek one in itself, but does the job every time.
51. “It’s Just (House of Dupree)”
Leon Vynehall
[3024]
Throughout its amped eight minutes, Leon Vynehall’s “It’s Just (House of Dupree)” makes a great case house is not about competitive division but powerful solidarity. The giddy house cut is thrusted by a muscular thump and a jumping sample of Isley Brothers’ “Don’t Say Goodnight” that provides a hypnotic bounce. But out of all, its driven by a simple yet nevertheless resonant sentiment: a vocal sample proclaims “dance is good” all the way through the track’s energetic ride like a preacher caught in loop. Slotted as a centerpiece in an album titled Music for the Uninvited, it’s a more than welcome invitation.
50. “Melba’s Call”
Bok Bok (ft. Kelela)
[Night Slugs]
In the past year, Night Slug producers sharpened their sonic edges and stripped away even more of their already-sparse physical spaces, allowing their music to strike more efficient and dynamic. Thanks to Kelela, they also worked to fix up their sleek bass beats into fine pieces of pop. Bok Bok continues this evolution with his Your Charizmatic Self EP cut, “Melba’s Call,” once again in collaboration with Kelela. Shards of retro R&B — pulled from the books of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis — smoothly form into a slinky soul. Meanwhile, Kelela sings about a friend with their heart closed off from the world — one fitting song to sing for a pop song set in such digital world.
49. “I Like You”
Katy B
[Rinse / Columbia / Sony Music]
Katy B knocked big beats out the park with an even bigger voice — “Katy On a Mission,” “5AM,” “Crying for No Reason.” So it was a curve ball of sorts for her to keep herself on a hush on a slow-burning dance-pop in “I Like You.”. The searing beat, courtesy of George Fitzgerald, set up the thick tension between Katy B and her pursuit. “I like you a little bit,” she confesses in the chorus, only to up the ante right then and there: “more than I should.” She doesn’t make clear what’s going exactly, but the lust inside “I Like You” feels excitingly off limits. It’s what we can’t have that we tend to desire the most, and Katy B relished in the cliche.
48. “Do It Again”
Royskopp & Robyn
[Dog Triumph]
The beginning of Royksopp and Robyn’s blockbuster single “Do It Again” is a bit of a red herring. Robyn seems to be peaking, as she strings together the thrills of dance music in tandem to love. However, everything must come down. She then subtly drops a hint of the dark side of the situation in the chorus: “Don’t care what they say / it hurts so good,” she sings, “I don’t want to stop / I know I should.” The bridge gives a big reveal, though still cloaked in mystery: “We should not be friends,” she confesses, “we’ll just do it again.” It’s only a matter of time she will come running back. With satisfaction this great, who can blame her?
47. “I Prefer Your Love”
St. Vincent
[Loma Verde]
Annie Clark had one incredible makeover with St. Vincent, but my favorite song from the album is Clark sounding more like her old self. While she performs this ironclad, technically perfect version of Annie Clark of St. Vincent, “I Prefer Your Love” takes out the pyrotechnics to present a softer, more open side of the rock star. It’s still spotless in comparison to her barbed pop songs from Marry Me, and she plays serious romance with a wink; “I prefer your love to Jesus,” she confesses like she’s holding out the laugh in the inside. But the warm love makes a crack in the pitch-perfect figure of St. Vincent — just enough to assure that under the robot mask, this is still Annie Clark who has a human heart.
46. “Really Be (Smokin’ and Drinkin’)”
YG (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
[Def Jam / CTE]
“Really Be (Smokin’ and Drinkin’)” finds YG at a dire moment in his crazy life, practically in the brink of a panic attack. Money is at an all-time low. Death is around the corner. What if this rap thing doesn’t work out? YG asks as he schemes about robberies to make it through the week. Fast forward to the second verse, with the rapper now with success, and things don’t look so much better. More money only brings more problems. And yes, death is still around the corner. “Why the fuck Jesus Christ got me going through this shit?” he questions. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, it’s no surprise he leans to weed and alcohol to drown it all out.
45. “Love Yuh Bad”
Popcaan
[Mixpak]
It’s amazing how much a glance could excite Popcaan in his vibrant, thumping banger “Love Yuh Bad.” In a split second, he considers giving all of his savings, helping his love get a visa, and ultimately fatherhood and starting a family, all because this woman’s attractive body drives him mad. Sure, the dancehall icon shoots his metaphor out of mannered convention. In between his thoughts for buying her a diamond ring, he tries to flatter her saying her presence would drive more Instagram followers; he shouts out producer Dre Skull as his friend who might have a share in this stock. But it’s a testament what powerful, and ridiculous, things attraction could inspire people to do.
44. “Do You Feel the Same?”
Hercules and Love Affair (ft. Gustaph)
[Moshi Moshi]
Andy Butler said he wanted his dark-blue dance-pop to evoke a more rough and tough attitude for his Feast of the Broken Heart. Certainly the bass lines in the tracks moved about thick and nasty, just like he wanted. However, the center of the groove felt tender and, in the case of “Do You Feel the Same?”, achingly vulnerable. Like Butler’s production, Gustaph belts out a tough performance but driven by one crushing heartbreak. His questions for fidelity reach for the most heightened metaphors: “if I burnt down the city / would you put out the flames? / if it all goes down to ashes / would you still say my name?” Even the strongest of hearts crumble, and in the hands of Butler and Gustaph, its collapse makes such a bittersweet anthem.
43. “Somewhere Else”
Lydia Loveless
[Bloodshot]
“Wine Lips” was originally slotted here for my choice Lydia Loveless song from her underrated Somewhere Else. It’s a fun, recommended track that teases the classic flirting-while-drunk pop narrative, and she handles lust and loneliness in great balance. I love the song, but it doesn’t bring out why I connect with her album compared to the somber title track. All the upbeat swing is set aside for some real deep look at feeling lost and lonely in “Somewhere Else.” Loveless wants to just get the fuck out of this troubled joint to somewhere better and like home. The way she breaks down here hits as a reminder that no mixed drink or one night stands could fully take her there.
42. “Blue Moon”
Beck
[Capitol]
If Beck’s Morning Phase was the sister record to Sea Change in spirit, then I pose the former’s “Blue Moon” as the sibling song of the latter’s “Sunday Sun.” Like the two records being held in comparison, the two songs are actually inverse of each other. Both are surely grand, drowned in sorrow and deeply affected by a split. However, Beck in “Blue Moon” eventually comfortably accepts defeat while “Sunday Sun” has him swollen from heavy melancholy but never resolved from the heartache. “Don’t leave me on my own,” he cries. For what that line lacks in urgency, he makes up for it in a matured demeanor. He’s weathered alright, but he’s been through this one before.
41. “Jeopardy”
Run the Jewels
[Mass Appeal]
Every day, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and show what you’re made of, and Run the Jewels knows this very well. Before calling out all the fuckboys, dropping the collaboration with Zach de la Rocha, or painting the harrow picture of the crooked-cop-led America, Mike and El does what any rappers do before they speak: prove themselves worthy of rocking your head silly and teaching you a couple things. In “Jeopardy,” the preface of their self-titled sequel, they both admit they’re a “radar blip in the shadow in the motherships,” but spends their entire sixteen working their ass off to let you know their voice matters. And my, they make you believe as if their lives depend on it.
