Daddy's 100 Songs Of 2014
The title is pretty self explanatory, here's my top 100 songs from this year. rThere?s some albums where rrrI just couldn?t separate individual songs from the ralbum as a whole, and it didn?t feel right to put them rrrin here. To Be Kind, Den rsorgligaste musiken I varlden, Promulgation of the Fall, Tekeli-Li and Full of rrrHell rand Merzbow would all make it into an albums list for me, but this is a songs list rand I just didn?t rrrfeel like I could place songs from those albums in here without rtheir context. |
| 100 |  | Future Islands
Singles
Seasons (Waiting on you) |
| 99 |  | Pharmakon
Bestial Burden
Intent or Instinct |
| 98 |  | Neil Cicierega
Mouth Silence
Sexual Lion King |
| 97 |  | Kenn Nardi
Dancing With The Past
Dancing With The Past |
| 96 |  | Black Monolith
Passenger
Victims & Hangmen |
| 95 |  | sleepmakeswaves
Love of Cartography
Traced in Constellations |
| 94 |  | Gates
Bloom and Breathe
Low |
| 93 |  | Panopticon
Roads to the North
Echoes of a Disharmonic Eversong |
| 92 |  | Primordial
Where Greater Men Have Fallen
Come the Flood |
| 91 |  | Mare Cognitum
Phobos Monolith
Entropic Hallucinations |
| 90 |  | Mekong Delta
In A Mirror Darkly
Mutant Messiah |
| 89 |  | Overkill
White Devil Armory
Pig |
| 88 |  | Fen
Carrion Skies
Menhir Supplicant |
| 87 |  | Cormorant
Earth Diver
Waking Sleep |
| 86 |  | Interpol
El Pintor
All the Rage Back Home |
| 85 |  | Morbus Chron
Sweven
Towards A Dark Sky |
| 84 |  | Svffer
Lies We Live
Draperies |
| 83 |  | Triptykon
Melana Chasmata
In The Sleep Of Death |
| 82 |  | Banks
Goddess
Brain |
| 81 | | Black Magic
Wizard's Spell
Night of Mayhem |
| 80 |  | Taylor Swift
1989
Blank Space |
| 79 |  | Trophy Scars
Holy Vacants
Qeres |
| 78 |  | Alcest
Shelter
Opale |
| 77 |  | Dir En Grey
Arche
Tousei |
| 76 |  | Aphex Twin
Syro
Minipops 67 (Source Field Mix) |
| 75 |  | Saor
Aura
Pillars of the Earth |
| 74 |  | Spectral Lore
III
Cosmic Significance |
| 73 |  | Haken
Restoration
Crystalised |
| 72 |  | Towers
Bel Air Highrise Plantation
The Southern California Hajj |
| 71 |  | Darkspace
Dark Space III I
Dark 4.20 |
| 70 |  | Musk Ox
Woodfall
Above the Clouds |
| 69 |  | Hoth
Oathbreaker
The Unholy Conception |
| 68 | | Spectral Lore
III
The Spiral Fountain |
| 67 | | Kenn Nardi
Dancing With The Past
Unnecessary Evil |
| 66 | | Alcest
Shelter
Deliverance |
| 65 |  | The Hotelier
Home, Like NoPlace Is There
Among The Wildflowers |
| 64 | | Saor
Aura
Aura |
| 63 |  | Morning Glory
War Psalms
Know Your Wrongs |
| 62 |  | Kangding Ray
Solens Arc
History of Obscurity |
| 61 |  | The War On Drugs
Lost in the Dream
Under the Pressure |
| 60 |  | Jakob
Sines
Blind Them With Science |
| 59 | | The Hotelier
Home, Like NoPlace Is There
Life in Drag |
| 58 |  | Ne Obliviscaris
Citadel
Painters Of The Tempest (Part II)-Triptych Lux |
| 57 |  | Sadistik
Ultraviolet
Orange |
| 56 |  | Casualties of Cool
Casualties of Cool
Bridge |
| 55 |  | Thantifaxath
Sacred White Noise
Panic Becomes Despair |
| 54 |  | Animals As Leaders
The Joy Of Motion
Another Year |
| 53 | | Spectral Lore
III
The Veiled Garden |
| 52 | | Black Monolith
Passenger
Adhere |
| 51 |  | The Banner
Greying
Unbaptized |
| 50 |  | Kiasmos
Kiasmos
Held. Olafur Arnalds really did kill it on the tracks where he had more presence. Rather than
rely on the hit-and-miss grimier electronics found throughout the record, this track has a
quaint piano melody as its focal point and succeeds in its minimalism. |
| 49 | | Gates
Bloom and Breathe
Not My Blood. An immediate highlight in early listens through this album, has some of the
highest post-rock peaks of the year. Also sits next to Low as the most moving chorus on the
album. |
| 48 |  | Thou
Heathen
Immortality Dictates. Female vocals in metal = success, I?m a big old sucker for this. The
first half is haunting, and the sudden dive into heavy gives the sludge a huge impact. |
| 47 |  | Freddie Gibbs and Madlib
Pinata
Pinata. Simplistic formula, but some of the best verses of the album rolled into this song.
Some weaker ones hold it back from being higher. |
| 46 | | Sadistik
Ultraviolet
Chemical Burns (ft. Eyedea). Eyedea?s contribution from beyond the grave adds a whole lot of
weight to this one, especially considering how good his verse is. His stumbling, off-kilter
delivery blends perfectly with the tracks atmosphere and feels like it was written alongside
Cody Foster in ?Ultraviolet? practice, rather than sitting in a vault for years before seeing the
light of day. |
| 45 | | Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties
We Don't Have Each Other
Divorce and the American South. The best thing about this album was how emotional Soupy
could make the small, everyday things. Really comes to a head in this track, the emotional
centrepiece of the album, and the best of both his roundabout storytelling and his immediately
emotional lyrics (Hey Dianne, I know I fucked up/It's just when we lost the baby, I kind of
shut off). |
| 44 |  | Anberlin
Lowborn
Velvet Covered Brick. A concise summary of everything that makes Anberlin great. Their best
track outside of *fin for me. |
| 43 | | D'Angelo
Black Messiah
Back to the Future (pt. 1). I just wanna go back to the way it was. |
| 42 |  | Have A Nice Life
The Unnatural World
Defenestration Song. I know it?s a re-release, but god damn do these guys kill it. |
| 41 |  | Manes
Be All End All
Turn The Streams. A fitting closer to this wacky beast of an album. I tried to review this time
and time again, but simply couldn?t find the words. It?s a hotpot of clashing elements that are
forced together, but the band is talented enough to make it work. Mixture of post-punk, noise-
rock, jazz with a sprinkle of electronica and trip-hop. |
| 40 |  | Aspherium
The Fall Of Therenia
As We Light Up The Sky. Between the upbeat solo in the middle of this song and the salsa
break at the end, no metal song this year has made me smile quite like this one. |
| 39 |  | Insomnium
Shadows of the Dying Sun
Black Heart Rebellion. Insomnium go black metal oh boy. Sure, it?s only for 30 seconds, but it
gets me excited for their future since they?re well and truly out of their stagnation period now. |
| 38 |  | Swallowed
Lunarterial
Black Aura. This evil album just smashes your head in again and again, and Black Aura is
where they make the most effective use of the crushing atmosphere. A steady grimy build of
a single repeating discordant riff suddenly gives way to one of the most vicious metal
segments this year. |
| 37 |  | The Smith Street Band
Throw Me in the River
?THROW ME IN THE FUCKING RIVEERRRR? AOTY. |
| 36 | | Gates
Bloom and Breathe
Born Dead. The upbeat, driving tracks are the most memorable tracks on this album,
particularly thanks to the drummers incredible work in carrying momentum through the songs?
twists and turns. Despite its simplicity, this track shows the band in perfect synergy, with
twirling guitar melodies weaving around the diverse drumming patterns and caving to the
phenomenal vocals at all the right times. |
| 35 |  | Ling Tosite Sigure
Enigmatic Feeling
Enigmatic Feeling. A continuation of Ling?s trend towards powerful delay-driven rock. It won?t
make a fan of people who don?t already enjoy these guys, but it?s undoubtedly one of their
better fast tracks and stronger than the majority of last year?s LP. There?s stop-start riffs,
insanely varied instrumental work and great synergy between the vocalists. |
| 34 |  | Perturbator
Dangerous Days
Perturbator's Theme. This track served as my introduction to not only Perturbator, but an
entire genre. I might be biased here, but Perturbator?s Theme just seems to hit its target
perfectly, and is representative of this entire 80?s retro synth movement it belongs to. It rests
right in the middle of a dark dystopian skyline and its energetic underbelly of smoky clubs and
perverse pleasures. |
| 33 |  | Kashiwa Daisuke
9 Songs
Fluorescent Lamp. While Skyliner is the centrepiece of the album, Fluorescent Lamp is the
best marriage of new and old Daisuke. While I don?t dislike the direction 9 songs decided to
take as a whole, here we see a careful meshing of influences as the track weaves its way
between stripped back electronics and newfound bouncy j-pop leanings. Curious of where he?ll
go from here. |
| 32 | | Freddie Gibbs and Madlib
Pinata
Welcome to Shitsville, nigguh. |
| 31 | | Primordial
Where Greater Men Have Fallen
Where Greater Men Have Fallen. Though the album doesn?t live up to their older works, this
may be the best opener in their stellar discography. Charges out the gates with meaty riffs
and never lets up. |
| 30 | | D'Angelo
Black Messiah
Really Love. As someone who hadn?t heard D?Angelo prior to this release, Black Messiah hit
me like a truck. The classical guitar and string section that lead into this track let you know
it?s going to be a highlight, and while it?s simplistic compared to the other diverse tracks on
Black Messiah, the loose groove he works into this one is absolutely addictive. |
| 29 | | sleepmakeswaves
Love Of Cartography
Emergent. A disappointing release from one of my favourite live bands, but the song Emergent
is perfectly representative of the sound sleepmakeswaves were striving for in their latest.
Somewhat unremarkable in terms of structure in progression, but they nail post-rock in its
simplest form. Great build through the first half and the midsection is some of the best work
they?ve done. |
| 28 | | The Smith Street Band
Throw Me in the River
Something I Could Hold In My Hands. Wasting no time, The Smith Street Band establishes the
direction and newfound lyrical inspiration for their newest album. They?ve had some pretty
shitty times, but the album is overwhelmingly optimistic as a whole. Things are good, and
even in the bad times, things will get better. ?For the first time in my life I'm smiling when I
wake? :] |
| 27 |  | Rustie
Green Language
Attak (ft. Danny Brown). A phenomenal song in a cesspool of contrived bullshit, really strongly
disliked the album but I?ve been jamming this track since it was released. It features Danny
at his peak and its clear Rustie took his delivery into careful consideration with the beat. |
| 26 |  | Integral
Sercosa
Haunting Voices. Minimal, ambient electronic that?s subtle in its progression and incredibly
dark in form. There?s a fairly consistent (albeit distant) beat with eerie static and haunting
cellos creeping in and out of view, adding monumentally to the atmosphere. Always find
myself jamming the Silent Hill 2 OST after this due to their atmospheric similarities, if that
encourages anyone to try it. Top-tier for electronic and ambient fans alike |
| 25 | | Mekong Delta
In A Mirror Darkly
The Armageddon Machine. The band have really integrated their influences into their core
sound at this point, and even if I don?t find the overall quality on par with their past works, it
has some of their best individual songs. This particular track features one of the best vocal
performances to be found on a Mekong track and a fistful of killer riffs that would fit right in
on their mid-90?s albums. |
| 24 | | Dir En Grey
Arche
Phenomenon. Despite its relatively short length, Phenomenon plays out much like a DEG slow
burner. Varied vocal work is swapped out in favour of a more consistent atmosphere, and the
band experiment with more electronic elements in the track?s framework, leading to some of
the most wholly unique and refreshing music Dir En Grey have put to record since the opening
of Uroboros. |
| 23 | | The Banner
Greying
The Dying Of The Light. Huge props to thelastsignal for bringing this one to my attention.
Absolute monstrosity of an opener, grimy sludgy hardcore at its finest. |
| 22 |  | Damascus
When Last We Met
Breathless. A calmer, more tentative step after the vicious opener. Slow-burning post-rock
with a refreshing amount of variety while maintaining its cohesion. The album can get messy
in the heavier sections, but it really works with their sound and this track is where they make
it work best. Hard rec for fans of Cloudkicker?s Beacons. |
| 21 | | Kangding Ray
Solens Arc
Amber Decay. Writhing static and rumbling percussion carry this track through its motions,
with only slight shifts in texture through the whirring synths adding layers and buzzing in
different directions. Similar in tone to Integral?s Sercosa, but far more reliant on its
aggressive backdrop. |
| 20 |  | The Contortionist
Language
Languagt pt.1 - Intuition. The production here is phenomenal, every time I listen to this I can?t
help being impressed. The shimmering guitar lines and Cynic worship blend perfectly together,
and give this track a coherency rarely achieved elsewhere in the album. I honestly wish the
band would drop the heavy altogether. |
| 19 |  | Tigers on Trains
Antarctica in Color
Staircase. This album took me a few listens to really get behind. Once you stop expecting
another Grandfather though, their latest becomes a wonderfully upbeat experiment that
succeeds in its exuberance. However these changes are never overt, and shouldn?t deter fans
of the bands past works. Staircase may be the most gleeful cut of the album, with some of the
most addictive hooks the band have forged (even without Christian?s vocal presence)
alongside a light smattering of cheerful keyboards and strings. |
| 18 |  | Lord Mantis
Death Mask
Negative Birth. A sludgy masterpiece of an album, this particular track shows the band slightly
altering their formula with incredible results. Just as the riffs slow to an unbearable crawl and
you expect them to start pulling their punches, the tempo picks up and up until they reach a
black metal fury that beats you relentlessly for the 4 remaining minutes. Absolutely
murderous, punishing track on what is undoubtedly a highlight in 2014. |
| 17 |  | Gridlink
Longhena
Constant Autumn. Holy riffs cap?n. This album seems to have been somewhat divisive
(absolutely crystalline production in grindcore, heresy!) but it?s far stronger than Gridlink?s
previous albums and stands as Chang?s best work since The Inalienable Dreamless. The new
direction is immediately apparent when Constant Autumn begins with its soaring guitar, but at
the 20 second mark it descends into the wall of grind fury that they?re known for. Perfect start
to a stunning album. |
| 16 | | Kiasmos
Kiasmos
Burnt. The perfect combination of Rasmussen and Arnalds? divergent influences. The track
opens with eerie ambience and hand claps, slowly working towards a proper framework of a
track that proceeds to break apart just as it fully forms, only to start from scratch all over
again. The second portion builds to an unbearably loud climax and envelops the speakers in
white noise, before suddenly dropping away and revealing the rollicking foray the drums have
turned into (one of my favourite singular musical moments this year). |
| 15 | | Casualties of Cool
Casualties of Cool
Flight. While I love the country vibes of CoC, this quiet folky monument stands out from the
rest exactly because it breaks the mold. A crystalline guitar sits atop everything else, with
Che carefully weaving her vocals around it as the track progresses, culminating in the most
beautiful vocal lines to be found on the album (?this is my request, wish me the best?).
Lyrically bleak and downtrodden, yet musically uplifting and endearing, this track has a
brilliant dichotomy that carries it to its high position on this list. |
| 14 |  | Run The Jewels
Run The Jewels 2
All Due Respect (ft. Travis Barker). While I seem to be in the minority in preferring their
debut, this track really did it for me. Unbridled energy and aggression is the name of the
game, and it?s one of the tracks that really feel like the band have pushed their limits and
tried something a bit new, rather than a continuation of the first album. Last verse is insane.
Get hype for Meow The Jewels kids, AOTY 2015. |
| 13 | | The Smith Street Band
Throw Me in the River
Calgary Girls. Despite how great the aforementioned joy in this album is, the most downright
depressing track becomes one of the highlights, and gains far more traction than similar
tracks in the past because of how much it stands out from what?s around it. Lyrically simple,
but emotional in how barebones it is, Wagner tugs at the heartstrings. The contrast between
the uncertain emotional verses and the determined-to-love chorus is heartbreaking, and
makes the most raw, personable song of 2014 for me. |
| 12 |  | Locktender
Rodin
The Burghers of Calais. It?s not really fair to include this, since it takes up 50% of the albums
runtime and covers an incredible amount of ground in that time, but it deserves this spot for
its experimentation and the bands passion for their craft. I?m a sucker for repeating motifs
throughout an extensive track, which this monster excels at. The vocal shift and tense build in
the final 5 minutes make for the most affecting 5 minutes of post-metal to grace this writer?s
ear in a long time. |
| 11 | | Kenn Nardi
Dancing With the Past
Armies of One. Nardi absolutely outdid himself with this behemoth of an album. Armies of One
sees something of a marriage between brooding post-punk and a light thrash influence in the
chorus and latter portion of the track. While in many ways the album serves as a continuation
of Anacrusis? Screams and Whispers, songs like this truly set it apart from Kenn?s past and
deservedly into the spotlight as a fully accomplished solo work. There?s something here for
everyone, and you?re depriving yourself if you haven?t listened to it. |
| 10 | | Have A Nice Life
The Unnatural World
Burial Society. The middle point between the albums powerful post-punk (Defenestration
Song, Unholy Life) and haunting, darker edge (Emptiness Will Eat The Witch). Barrett has a
curious way of making even the most juvenile lyrics sound morose rather than edgy for
edginess? sake. There?s something in his voice when he says ?Cut my wrists, slit my throat,
take this body and string it up/and I?ll never know what you said, because I?ll be fucking dead
by then? that sounds dead serious, and it?s frightening, especially as the track slowly devolves
from there, stripping back layer after layer like skin from his bones until all that?s left is a
husk of the original song. |
| 9 |  | Kamijo
Symphony of the Vampire
Throne. The most bombastic track on the most extravagant listen of 2014. This track is just
dripping with cheese, but it wouldn?t be nearly as much fun if it was dialled down. The
symphonic elements are perfectly integrated into the mix, and every member of the band hold
nothing back in this magnificent closing track; from blazing guitar riffs, to bouncy piano
sections and Kamijo?s confident vocals, this track epitomizes the rest of the EP and rests as
the artist?s crowning achievement (both in his solo career, and his work with Versaillies). |
| 8 |  | Rosetta
Flies to Flame
Pegasus. Gets my vote for their best song since Wake/Lift. While the EP never really gathered
any steam (rightfully so), this track is absolutely monumental and shows the band firing on all
the cylinders they?ve neglected over the past couple of years. The band nail the slow evolution
of this track, starting from a wall of sludgy guitars and progressively shifting focus to the
discordant guitars that lighten the mix and ease the listener towards a spacier ambience that
closes the track out. While nothing really jumps out and surprises you, it?s a pleasant surprise
after the rest of the clunky EP and a definite step in the right direction. |
| 7 |  | TK from Ling Tosite Sigure
Fantastic Magic
Unravel. Despite the fact that it is technically a solo effort from TK, it sounds just like a Ling
Tosite Sigure classic - and if we were to treat this as a LTS song, it could very well be their
strongest since 2009. TK?s whisper vocals mesh perfectly with the meandering guitar melodies
to build tension before the storm of pounding drums and aggressive guitar/bass interplay hits.
TK teeters from a sparse mix to some of the most intense sections he?s been involved in, yet
always manages to reign in each of these tempestuous elements and finds the perfect
balance. |
| 6 | | The War on Drugs
Lost in the Dream
Red Eyes. Though ?Under the Pressure? may be their most impressive effort, this is undeniably
the song that keeps me coming back to Lost in the Dream. There?s an infectious energy
pulsing below the surface of this song that never lets up, and the moment where the verse
explodes into the first chorus with little-to-no warning is the most addictive, euphoric moment
to be found on the record. |
| 5 | | Sadistik
Ultraviolet
The Rabbithole. My favourite hip-hop track of the year, and it?s grown to become my favourite
track the artist has done. The tense initial 3 minutes of electronic meandering set the stage
for one of the most intense and impassioned verses I?ve heard in this medium. Sadistik is
already known for both his emotive rapping and technical proficiency, but never have they
melded together this seamlessly. He incorporates rapid-fire assonance and metaphorical
delivery at many points, but also utilizes some of his most applicable and effective literary
references. The creeping melody behind him reflects the moody lyricism perfectly and
multiplies the songs impact tenfold. |
| 4 | | The Smith Street Band
Throw Me in the River
Surrey Dive. Some artists with this sort of raw honesty in their music can be uncomfortable to
listen to, yet The Smith Street Band somehow always manage to avoid this. Maybe it?s their
familiar accent that attracts me - I don?t know, but whatever it is, listening to them feels
more like having their thoughts and feelings personally presented to me, rather than them
simply presenting them in musical form. It?s such a joy to see this album being the most
positive the band has ever sounded, and that newfound glee reaches its peaks in tracks like
this one, where you can see the band approaching the negative problems of old with this
optimism. Also contains the highlight of the entire album: ?So whyyyyy?. DON?T YOU FUCK
OFF? |
| 3 |  | Taku Iwasaki
Noragami OST
Recollection. My most played song of the year by a significant margin (172 plays since June
10th). In only 3 minutes, this song manages to conjure an atmosphere on par with the finest
in noir jazz. The track consists of simple slow building ambience and light percussive touches,
which slowly work their way forward until the saxophone glides in softly, adding
monumentally to the track?s longing tone. A perfect example of less being more, and I can?t
think of a single more emotive track that rests under 3 minutes like this one. |
| 2 | | Gates
Bloom and Breathe
Bloom. While many would disagree, I find Bloom to be the best track on Bloom and
Breathe by a significant margin. I can still vividly remember the sunny day when I was
walking to the train station and put this album on for its first spin, as those driving drums
come flying out of nowhere and that first guitar melody came through my headphones. The
track builds an enormous amount of momentum and keeps riding it, never slowing for long
enough to reset itself and has the sort of raw energy that similar instrumental post-rock bands
simply can?t garner without a vocalist this passionate. The vocals cover a huge amount of their
range of styles in this one track, as does the guitarist, and it?s probably the drummer?s finest
performance. The way they return to the introductory segment to close the song out is just
perfect. |
| 1 | | Musk Ox
Woodfall
Serenade The Constellations. I don?t feel like any other song can justifiably top this. A lot of
other songs never stood a chance given the amount of ground an 18 minute track can cover,
and this one uses every second of that 18 minute runtime to its absolute fullest. It totally
eclipses the rest of the album, managing to convey so many different emotions and tones in
its journey without ever sounding forced. I wouldn?t change a single second of this
folk/classical masterpiece. I don?t think there?s much more I can say that hasn?t already been
said about this track, but in short; if you haven?t had the pleasure of listening to it, you should
do it. Now. |
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