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User
Reviews 42
Approval 96%
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Album Ratings 551
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Last Active 02-11-14 1:30 am
Joined 06-02-07
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| My Favorite Singles Of 2014
For this list, a single is defined as being one or any mix of these things: (1)
Released as a promo track before the record's release; (2) Released as a
video; (3) Released as a physical single (ie: a 7''). | | 15 | La Roux
Uptight Downtown | | 14 | Angel Olsen
Hi-Five | | 13 | Perfume Genius
Queen | | 12 | Zola Jesus
Dangerous Days | | 11 | Owen Pallett
Song for Five & Six | | 10 | Wild Beasts
Wanderlust
"Don't confuse me with someone who gives a fuck." That's another one of those '14-
defining lines. And Hayden Thorpe delivers it with a restrained coo, conveying not
anger or militance, but with a bit of melancholy and sincerity. He means it. And the
song around that sublime outro is just as thrilling. | | 9 | Lykke Li
Love Me Like I'm Not Made of Stone
I didn't Li's new record - it was all very samey and hazy and morose - but its
centerpiece, "Love Me Like I'm Not Made of Stone," is a showstopper. Tucked in the
middle of the record, it features just Li and an acoustic guitar as she sings with such
an immense pain and sorrow that elsewhere on the record sounds a bit more
manufactured. It is the clearest moment on the record, both aurally and emotionally,
and when the final chorus halts momentarily, it doesn't feel like a false pause, but
one pregnant with unstoppable emotion. Stunning. | | 8 | White Hinterland
Baby
Casey Dienel challenged herself on her new record, and that challenge yielded one of
its biggest, boldest rewards in this eponymous single. The whole thing is a bit like a
pop song broken down into a labyrinthine art song, like much of the record, but if you
need reassurance that this is one of the great singles of '14, look no further than the
powerhouse ending. All the effects, instruments, and reverb drops out, leaving Dienel
pleading, "Is this my weakness?" with increasing vulnerability, her voice breaking
under the pressure, again and again. It's intensely moving and memorable. | | 7 | Lia Ices
Higher
I have been a fan of Lia Ices since her chamber pop debut Necima, and so I was
taken aback by the electronic direction of her newest. And while I wasn't entirely
moved or impressed, the album had a couple exceedingly high moments, and this is
the highest. "Higher" is a bubbling, dense, bright electro-pop song replete with a
skyward, catchy chorus. I have been singing it on loop since I first heard it.
"Thousand Eyes" is a good single too, but this one is so immediate and sunny, and it
is simply irresistible. | | 6 | FKA twigs
Two Weeks
Move over Beyonce, this is 2014's sexiest song. Where twigs has previous been meek
and gentle, 2014 saw her arrival as a true alt-R&B goddess, and she knew exactly
what she wanted. Indie music of 2014 had many defining lines, but "My thighs are
apart for when you're ready to breathe in" might be its kinkiest, rawest, and also
most vulnerable. She went out on a limb, and she handled with it grace, honesty, and
power. | | 5 | Sylvan Esso
Coffee
I had a really hard time choosing between this and "Hey Mami," since both have been
perpetually lodged in my head since their release, but after thinking long (and seeing
them perform this one on TV a couple of times in all their ultimate smoothness) I
landed on "Coffee." It is just so slinky and minimal and yet retains a great groove and
a great hook. When Amelia Meath sings oh-so-quietly, "Just like a name I remember
hearing," I am done. Get out. That's it. It's a winner. | | 4 | Sia
Chandelier
Just without a doubt the best mainstream pop single of the year, and one of the best
of the current decade. The production might be slightly plain or run-of-the-mill, but
there's no stopping Sia Furler's powerful, titanic voice, as it reaches huge peaks and
cracks under the emotional weight. Maybe this song's millions of hits on Youtube has
launched it into "uncool" territory, but speaking as a longtime Sia fan (go back and
listen to her more subdued back catalog, you won't be disappointed) I am thoroughly
impressed with this single. | | 3 | St. Vincent
Digital Witness
But then, there is hardly anyone like St. Vincent either. Annie Clark and company
crafted a meticulous, laser-precise record this year, and this song is its crowning
achievement. Accompanied by a dazzlingly austere video, the song is hooky as all
hell, with Clark singing, "What's the point of even sleeping? If I can't show it, if you
can't see me." There's a reason this has been my ringtone since February. | | 2 | tUnE-yArDs
Real Thing
This is my Jam Of 2014. So catchy, so brilliant. The production is a massive
maelstrom of ideas, and the mixing in that climactic ending is especially masterful.
Garbus is saying important things under the clamor, and as always, she keeps the
proceedings eccentric, unique, and propulsive. There's no one else quite like her in
modern indie rock right now, and that's a glorious feat. | | 1 | Orenda Fink
Holy Holy
As I said in my Favorite Albums list, Fink's record this year was not the out-and-out
best album of 2014, but there's no doubt in my mind that this single from it is my
favorite song of the year. Lilting, dewy spiderweb guitars lead the way for Fink's
indelible melody. This song is so suffused with melancholy and respect. It is the
perfect tribute to her lost dog, and thus it meant more to me than any other track of
the year. This is the only song of the year that I felt I could 100% relate to, and also
the only one I feel thankful for. That word is key. I am thankful for this song. | |
helpoemer420
12.20.14 | Chandelier is probably one of the best songs I've ever heard, I aint fucking about | Pangea
12.21.14 | Great list. Chandelier and Wanderlust are favourites of mine as well |
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