Tracks of the year 2014
There’s the theory that the album format is dead, that the industry has moved on, that the kids these days just aren’t interested in lengthy, cohesive collections of songs anymore. To be honest, we think that’s a load of bollocks. But still, often it’s the single tracks that leave the deepest footprint into modern consciousness. So whether it be festival anthems, underground club bangers or songs that carry a radically- empowering sentiment, these brief segments of music told the story of 2014. OK, so a few of them might have gone under the radar, but there’s not a track listed here that we don’t love.
Contributors: Billy Black, Ruth Wiley, Anna Tehabsim, Steven Dores, Rachel Mann, Thomas Frost, Davy Reed, Geraint Davies, Farah Hayes, Jason Hunter, Tom Watson
50
RiFF RAFF
Introducing The Icon
Mad Decent
RiFF RaFF. Gloriously fucked up human being? Immensely intelligent conceptual artist? Hip-hop's biggest troll? We're not sure. We're not sure he's sure either. Whatever, we love RiFF and we're not afraid to admit it. We'd do dangerous things to get our feet into a pair of those sandals and we'll bet you would too. Embrace it, suck it up, do what you gotta do: Introducing the Icon just is the 50th best song of this year. BB
49
Cult Of Youth
Empty Faction
Sacred Bones
In an ideal world, the words 'folk' and 'punk' would be eternally separated. More often than not it's a marriage that should rightfully end in tedious, long-winded and painful divorce proceedings. Empty Faction is the drawling, fuzz laden exception that proves the rule. A stand out track from an album that threatens to drag Cult of Youth from their safe, pastoral home into a whole new world of respectability. BB
48
Julian Casablancas + The Voidz
Human Sadness
Cult Records
The sheer audacity of Julian Casablancas’s album return starting with an 11-minute cacophony of distortion and experimental noise that explodes halfway through into some glorious wail driven monster was enough to at least make us listen. The surprising thing was we listened again, and again. Human Sadness was truly the most outrageous surprise of the year. RW
47
Murlo
Vertigo
Rinse
Much has been said about grime's evolution this year, yet Midlands-via-London producer Murlo's spacious, ornate style was a stand out interpretation, losing mid-range stabs for intricate melodies and wistful soundscapes - a style coined 'weightless'. AT
46
Bobby Shmurda
Hot Nigga
GS9 / Epic Records
The story of Hot Nigga’s success is something of a fluke: A 20 year old rapper from New York emulates Chicago with a forgotten beat from 2012. At one point, he does a funny dance in the video. That dance becomes a Vine, which becomes a meme, which goes viral. A string of high-profile remixes follow. Older rap fans might raise an eyebrow, but there’s no denying that Hot Nigga bangs. So is Shmurda a one-hit wonder? It’s too early to say. But Hot Nigga’s impact was was much bigger – and certainly more enduring – than the six second loop of footage which first made it a hit. DR
45
Metronomy
The Upsetter
Because Music
Metronomy’s gradual (d)evolution from digital, dancefloor friendly indie-pop project to fleshed out guitar band culminated on this year’s 60s-flavoured album Love Letters. Opening the album in truly classy style, acoustic strums and strained vocals of The Upsetter made this Metronomy’s most tender song to date, and once that syrupy guitar solo kicked in, you’d have to be one hard bastard to not turn to mush. JH
44
Randomer
Huh
L.I.E.S.
The milestone 50th L.I.E.S. release. A blown-out, electro-flavoured warehouse slammer from the UK producer, the shrugged title outlined the label's insouciance while its content embodied its knack for deliciously deranged dance floor cuts. FH
43
Jam City
Unhappy
Night Slugs
You can trace Jam City's remarkable stylistic change back through this year's Earthly mix trilogy, where sassy New York ballroom and grime plummeted into the strange, woozy comedown of the third instalment, the ecstatic surface melting away to reveal the grit at the core. This comforting sadness underlined Unhappy, where metallic clangs and drugged-out pads cushion his transition into traditional songwriting. "We're not allowed to grow up," his voice utters through the mist, offering a remarkably affecting comment on millennial anxiety. AT
42
Iggy Azalea
Fancy ft. Charli XCX
Island
OK, we kind of think she’s a terrible person too. Not that it excuses all those blatantly threatened rap elder statement chipping in with their own archaic insecure bullshit, but she almost definitely is a terrible person. But despite all that, we promised ourselves we’d make this list 100% honest, and this is the best UK number one single of the year, and we seriously hate-love it. RM
41
Against Me!
Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Total Treble
We would never have guessed that, among the most powerful lyrics of 2014, would be the words: "You've got no cunt in your strut. You've got no hips to shake.” Or that the immortal line would be followed by the bluntly, plainly profound line "You know it's obvious, but we can't choose how we're made.” But it happened, and when hollered from the mouth of Against Me!’s empowered, inspiring frontwoman Laura Jane Grace, stands proud as one of the year’s most memorable statements. BB
40
Delroy Edwards
Can U Get With
Gene's Liquor
Edwards channeled both industrial cold wave and chopped-and-screwed 90s rap this year, but this glorious cut sprung up from his increasingly sinister body of work, its undeniably lifting lo-fi funk harking back to the kind of dusty, hypnotic house that kicked off his career. FH
39
Black Lips
Boys In The Wood
Vice
Boys In The Wood fits into a familiar Black Lips mould. It's the one where Atlanta's garage rock dons pick a theme and run with it. It worked on Navajo, where the band explored their country's grand native traditions and, gosh damn it, it works on Boys In The Wood where the band pay homage to what it truly means to be a degenerate backwoodsman. BB
38
Lust For Youth
New Boys
Sacred Bones
Lust For Youth's 2013 track Barcelona showed the first glimmers of the dark, immaculately produced tunes Hannes Norvidde would be putting out less than a year later. New Boys is a crisp ode to Pet Shop Boys style crunchy studio production. Sleek and moody, it was the sound of a newly accomplished group pushing pop in a dark direction. BB
37
Sophie
Hard
Numbers
The B-side to Lemonade's club fizz, Hard turned SOPHIE's exuberance into something genuinely dutty. Beginning with the squeaking friction of latex and continuing the PC Music camp's distillation of infantility and sexuality – "ponytails" and "PVC" – it refracted chirpy k-pop, grime machismo and trance euphoria into murky meta-pop. Just when QT's bizarre press campaign looked in danger of favouring concept over substance, we fell back on this glaringly unconventional masterpiece, the wildest, most dancefloor effective thing SOPHIE's put out to date. FH
36
VINCE STAPLES
Hands Up
Def Jam
Hands Up was first released in the midst of the Ferguson unrest, and while Michael Brown’s name wasn’t mentioned in the track, Vince Staples’ message couldn’t have been more explicit. A lyrically precise rapper, the track saw Staples reference more young men slain by the police and the Black Panther party’s founders while unleashing his rage through descriptions of police brutality. At the conclusion of two rousing verses, the track’s final rhymes summarised the desire for impassioned civil disobedience: “Raidin’ homes without a warrant, shoot him first without a warning / And they expect respect and non-violence? I refuse the right to be silent.” DR
35
Beyoncé
Flawless Remix ft. Nicki Minaj
Columbia
Bey's already-mythologised surprise album was criminally over-looked by us due to its late-December swerve of list season, but this formation of two heavyweights could not be ignored, seared into our brains as the Girl Power Moment of the Year. AT
34
Evian Christ
Salt Carousel
Tri Angle
While he’s never really put a foot wrong, there was time when it felt like Josh Leary was winging it. Even after being signed by Tri Angle and anointed by Kanye, the producer still confessed to knowing little about music or the industry in general. But after being inspired by the violent abrasion of experimentalists like Pete Swanson and Vatican Shadow, Salt Carousel saw Leary apply this intensity to his trap-inspired formula. Driven by ferocious lightening-bolt synths, Salt Carousel told us not to underestimate the sonic power of Evian Christ. DR
33
Truss
Brockweir
Perc Trax
Not one to ever really do things particularly by halves, the output of Perc Trax records is celebrating 10 years next February and in Truss they have one of their most reliable stalwarts. Brockwier is a menace of a tune. A distorted techno slammer complete with flashes, stabs and pulses, intersections that don’t make much sense and a drop that as one Soundlcoud user said made him “want to curl up inside a Funktion One”. Banger of the year. TF
32
Floating Points
King Bromeliad
Eglo
Sam Shepherd has become synonymous with packed clubs and unabashedly gleeful dance floor delights, so it made sense that 2014's first solo work began with party chatter. What came next was classic Floating Points too; winding, slinky, flickering jazz-inflected treat that was as ingestible at home as it was on the floor. FH
31
Tiga
Bugatti
Turbo
Rooted in 80s power-dress kitsch and oodles of creamy sass the video for Bugatti was pure Tiga – influences, pop-sensibility with camp connotation. Bugatti as piece of music had more office splitting divisiveness than the Cereal Killer Cafe, but in conclusion the opinion is that its stylised minimalist brilliance was more pop than tart after numerous listens. TF
30
Perfume Genius
Queen
Matador
Perfume Genius's third full length Too Bright took us by surprise. An avalanche. A polemic of soaring, self-assured ballads that careen into harsh realms previously untouched by the notably gentle songsmith Mike Hadreas. As a whole album it's both powerful and empowering. However, it was lead single Queen that really embodied this sentiment. Its bursting, fuzzy guitars and tight, commanding drum shots eloquently carried a message that Hadreas badly wanted the world to hear. RM
29
Talaboman
Sideral
Hivern Discs
Although we can't shake how much it sounds like DJ Mujava, this fusion of the two esteemed producers, John Talabot and Axel Boman, excelled with its woozy atmospheric swells, rising key pattern and heady breakdown. A killer collaboration. AT
28
The War On drugs
Red Eyes
Secretly Canadian
You get the feeling the hipster vultures are circling The War On Drugs, hungrily closing in on their vintage American rock cliches, though as long as the hook from Red Eyes continues to play they’ll be at bay. The most shamelessly emotive and euphoric piece of guitar-yielding, fist-clenched audacity this year, the only disappointment being it doesn’t continue for another 10 minutes. RW
27
Dan Beaumont
Trippy Pumper
Classic
London promoter/producer/DJ Dan Beaumont credits the success of the excellently titled track to its video, and together they do channel the kind of irresistible hi-NRG entertainment Beaumont made his name for with his cult Macho City parties. A gleeful, glistening, grin-inducing workout. AT
26
Kowton
Glock & Roll
Whities
This sought after tune first debuted on Joy Orbison's Essential Mix in July, keeping forum users hungry until its November release on new Young Turks offshoot Whities. Kowton's signature shuddering bass and shuffling off-centre percussion was lightened by the rolling vocal and some seriously lifting bells. Could this be Kowton's biggest hit yet? FH
25
Sharon Van Etten
Your Love Is Killing Me
Jagjaguwar
The simplicity of the message in this song and its stark lyrical realism underpins a world of excruciating pain those who have experienced failed, abusive relationships can only relate to. "Break my legs so I won't walk to you / Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you / Burn my skin so I can't feel you / Stab my eyes so I can't see / You like it when I let you walk over me / You tell me that you like it / Your love is killing me." The most heartbreaking lament we heard all year. TF
24
Parkay Quarts
Uncast Shadow Of A Southern Myth
What's Your Rupture?
“All you need to write a country song is three chords and the truth”. So goes the famous quote from Harlan Howard. And with an austere chord-sequence, Parquet Courts (in their slightly-altered Parkay Quarts form) ditched their jerky garage-rock to tell the tale of a trigger-happy Southern man in a distinctly country-tinged style. Lyrically, Parquet/Parkay Courts/Quarts are one of the best bands around, and Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth contains some of the greatest poetry Andrew Savage has ever ever penned. DR
23
Rich Gang
Lifestyle
Cash Money
If hearing the ubiquitous 'London on Da Track' tag wasn’t part of your daily routine in 2014, this needs rectifying. And as Rich Gang, London’s union with Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan reached its zenith on this uplifting, melody-drenched rags-to-riches anthem. BB
22
Nicki Minaj
Lookin Ass
YMCMB
This controversy-stirring cut reeled in the male gaze in order to bite back at the viewers, sinking Minaj’s venom into not just her male competitors, but the "lookin- ass" lurkers, "Boost-Mobile-ass", "credit-card-scam-ass", "no-job"- having-ass voyeurs who infect the dark underbelly of the internet. Her visceral, violent and cathartic response felt truly empowering, demonstrating her right to be sexual without being defined by it. It told the world that the lyrically flawless Minaj was back. AT
21
Tinashe
2 On ft. Schoolboy Q
RCA
The DIY RnB princess attracted her cult following through mixtapes, but beelined for the club with 2 On as her silky, wispy tones glided effortlessly over that addictive DJ Mustard hook. A fun-loving anthem, it's to Tinashe's credit that its Sean Paul-ripping, cross-over pop appeal still retains her air of authenticity. A turn-up call to arms. AT
20
Mastodon
High Road
Reprise
Oh fucking christ, what a riff. This riff needs its own postcode. An outrageous chugging Cthulhu of a riff. A Biblical, sky-scraping, grooving, titanium mastodon of a riff. Jesus Christ. This riff is one of the wonders of the modern world. What a riff. Chuck in a hyper-anthemic chorus melody, a a winding proggy interlude, a Thin Lizzy indebted dual guitar lead, and a ridiculous LARP-baiting video, and High Road saw the most important band in modern metal's ever-expanding footprint grow further still. Thell you what, these boys know what they are doing. GHD
19
Future
Move That Dope ft. Pusha T, Pharrell and Casino
Free Bandz
It’s hard to forgive Pharrell Williams for the atrocities he's committed against music – and headwear – in recent times. But if there was a moment that made us want to let him back into our lives, it was during the fire he spits on Move That Dope. And with the gargling monster that was Mike WiLL Made It’s ingenious beat, it’s no wonder he managed to rap with conviction. At its best coke rap can boost confidence regardless of context, and few slogans generated hype this year like the infectious mantra that named this track. BB
18
The Bug
Function
Ninja Tune
The standout tune on this year’s nastiest record channeled full-frontal grime in the most intelligent context we’d ever seen. Essentially a comment on the urban dread at the heart of what defined 2014 the line “I’m out here just trying to function,” felt like a pure distillation of everyman frustrations. The false sense of security as the brass and Manga’s high-piched squawk re-appears halfway through is terrifying. Not one for Christmas. TF
17
Future Islands
Seasons (Waiting On You)
4AD
Sure, there are pre-Letterman Future Islands fans who might resent this song a little. But let’s be honest, much like post-breakup optimism hinted at in the lyrics, Seasons (Waiting On You) glowed with deserved sense of victory. And yes, that dance was an essential part of it all. JH
16
Flying Lotus
Never Catch Me ft. Kendrick Lamar
Warp
In an age when digital culture has made lazily A&R’d, phoned-in verses a surefire way to keep your name afloat in the Twittersphere, truly great collaborations have become uncommon. But the crossing of paths between Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar, on the other hand, saw two great minds meet at the most adventurous peaks of their career. And if there was a word that defined Never Catch Me, that word would be ‘freedom’. JH
15
YG
My Nigga (Remix) ft. Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Rich Homie Quan, Meek Mill
Def Jam
Just about the most cross-pollinated rap tune of the year. My Nigga saw big names from the Cash Money, CTE, TIG and Maybach camps come together to spit on a track that was so big we couldn't get it out of our heads for about a month after it dropped. YG's flow was impeccable but it was the verses from Wayne, Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj that really took his Rich Homie Quan collaboration to the next level. BB
14
Demdike Stare
Past Majesty
Modern Love
It’s very easy to explain what this track sounds like – the gnarliest metal guitars sliced brutally over a relentless drum ’n’ snare beat - but it’s hard to quantify quite how it makes you feel. It somehow makes you want to windmill, headbang, screwface, put-your-hands-in-the-air and praise Jah all at once. And for such a simple fucking racket that’s quite an achievement. SD
13
Daniel Avery
All I Need (Roman Flügel remix)
Phantasy
On this the third remix package from Daniel Avery’s superb Drone Logic from last year, Crack’s favourite German house and techno academic Roman Flügel took the reigns and turned out our favourite remix of the year in re-working All I Need. Pulsing deep house echo and stuttering keys, underpinned by a hypnotic beat made this one for your head phones as much as a peak time dancefloor. TF
12
Warpaint
Love Is To Die
Rough Trade
The returning single from Warpaint was perfectly pitched. Ethereal, sexual and produced by a dream team of Flood and Nigel Goodrich, Love Is To Die was the sound of desperation from the otherworld. With a slightly gothic feel to the vocal and subject matter, the repetition of the line “I’m not alive, I’m not alive” suggested there was more of a sinister underbelly to one of the most welcome returns of the year. TF
11
Shamir
I Know It's A Good Thing
Godmode
With the austere backing of a lo-fi, stripped back piano house track, Shamir Bailey delivered one of most emotionally affecting vocal performances of the year with I Know It’s A Good Thing – an ode to the frightening, thrilling sensation of falling in love. At the time of writing, it seems as if the industry is putting together its resources to make The Boy From Las Vegas a bona fide star in 2015. And as long as Shamir can maintain that sense of honesty in his voice, we’re right behind him. JH
10
Tirzah
No Romance
Greco-Roman
Following last year’s disarming, resolute I’m Not Dancing, Tirzah’s “emo” follow-up was defined by a stark quiver of vulnerably. A garage track melted down and reformed as deliciously off-kilter pop, Micachu’s unfussy control of dragging tempo and garbled melody underpinned a breathtaking anti-love-song. With lyrics which read like a checklist of aches, written to be scrunched and discarded, Tirzah’s return, her sombre refrain of “no letdowns, no bus stops”, was defiant yet splintered with the realities of loneliness. RM
9
Caribou
Can't Do Without You
City Slang/Merge
Dan Snaith’s loved-up anthem was described by one gobbier member of the Crack team as the “Get Lucky of 2014 for people who actually listen to music”. In truth, in terms of relevance, Dan Snaith’s output over the last 10 years puts him in a completely different ballpark to those lazy robots, and this was his richly deserved glory-pop moment that defined the summer’s festival circuit. It also became the on-trend track for your more ‘culturally aware’ mates to pretend they didn’t like. They were lying. TF
8
Rustie
Attak ft. Danny Brown
Warp
Danny Brown had been chewing up rave beats with his insane style for some time already, but it wasn’t until Attak that he well and truly perfected the art. Once Rustie challenged him with this abrasive, neon-flashing juggernaut, Brown leapt on the the track like a Rottweiler who’s just spotted a chunk of raw meat. And as the explosive collaboration of two eccentric, adrenaline-hungry minds, Attak suggested that maybe the odd couple weren’t so different after all. DR
7
Real Estate
Talking Backwards
Domino
The first glimpse of Atlas, Talking Backwards was the Real Estate formula taken to its blissful, butterfly-summoning conclusion. Immaculately succinct, it was three minutes of picture-postcard emoting. Matt Mondanile’s sing-song guitar leads clipped, conscious of their own delicacy, as his pals chimed away like a loving breath on the back of your neck, intrinsically in tune. A clumsily explained communication breakdown as its lyrical core, this was effortless picket-fence perfection provided by masters of bleary-eyed, idealised nostalgia. GHD
6
ILoveMakonnen
Tuesday
Self-Released
The true story of Makonnen Sheran goes much deeper than a Drake cosign. That said, the Atlanta singer’s ode to the mid-week turn-up is surely a showpiece of rap's hyper-emotional breakdown, as spearheaded by Drizzy himself. Built on Sonny Digital's spaced out yet bass-heavy beat, ILoveMakonnen triumphed over the loss of the weekend with a stash of pink ecstasy and the evasion of his probation officer. Sombre but celebratory, Tuesday was the weirdest, most beautiful club anthem we heard this year. BB
5
Cloud Nothings
I'm Not Part Of Me
Witchita
“It starts right now...” And it all starts again, right then. The climax of Cloud Nothings’ embittered future-classic Here And Nowhere Else was the ultimate reclamation of self-worth and individual identity from the depths of dysfunction. It was the moment the light at the end of the tunnel floods your corneas and becomes real, where freedom becomes actualised. It also happened to be the crystallised moment where Dylan Baldi and his buds hit indie-punk perfection. It was a perfectly-timed expression of positive momentum. It was everything it needed to be. RM
4
Barnt
Chappell
Hinge Finger
We described Barnt's queasy hit Tunsten (number 25 in 2013's list) as a "weird and wonderful slice of wonky and wired electronic gibberish". Like most of the Cologne producer's output, it was driven by his urge to create something new, something alien for the club; as he told us early last year, he's "always look[ing] for a space in the void". Geared for maximum impact on the floor, Chappell’s militant mechanical hook maxes out a handful of elements to create something so jarring and blunt, yet undeniably slamming. Chappell is prime Barnt, and satisfyingly severe peak time weaponry too. FH
3
Skepta
That’s Not Me Feat. JME
Boy Better Know
Back in March, Skepta and JME released a mini-doc to accompany the release of That’s Not Me. In typical BBK fashion, the brothers commend their aptitude for international acclaim. ‘If people like something, they gravitate towards it,’ says Skepta, and where That’s Not Me is concerned, his egotism couldn’t be more appropriate. A month before Meridian Dan dropped German Whip, the documentary had already perceptibly reignited grime’s push for 2014 reform. Come June, when That’s Not Me was released proper, grime’s whetted enterprise went full tilt. Skepta reconciled the genre’s inception; chastising outmoded rap clichés and musing over BBK origins. JME’s instantly recognisable eskibeat production (a recording originally demoed in 2005) offered the schmaltzy nostalgia component grime purists have been petitioning for since the scene went a bit vanilla. But what That’s Not Me has permitted over anything else is the inspirational rite of passage for grime’s thirsty next-gen. Skepta and JME regained the genre’s shock appeal and realigned grime’s intentions. As we head into 2015, it’s up to the Stormzys and Novelists to press on in the same direction. TW
2
Vessel
Red Sex
Tri Angle
Vessel's intensely physical, unplaceable second album Punish, Honey married a brutalist core with seductive, pulsing body music. Following Order Of Noise's concessive skews of techno and dub, it was an outstandingly robust and singular effort from Bristol producer Seb Gainsborough. Yet nothing encapsulated its glam carnal intensity more than standout single Red Sex. It really is its own beast. Crafted from his own handmade mutant hardware, the obscurely sexual, writhing, chugging stomp of its central feature – an indefinable wheezing that swells and combusts – creates a lurching, primitive monster, crafting genuinely powerful sounds with muscle and metal. Nothing hurt so good in 2014. AT
1
FKA twigs
Two Weeks
Young Turks
Two Weeks was first aired on the radio on 23 June. Sonically, this wasn’t FKA twigs’ most boundary- pushing song to date, and neither was it the most avant-garde track on the debut album that followed.
Due to some kind of design flaw in the mechanism of the human mind, rejection enhances desire and separation activates jealousy. It’s these psychosexual tensions that Two Weeks grapples with, and for all those in 2014 nursing heartache under the glow of their laptop screens, this was the anthem they needed.
Sure, there are cynics who’ll question the song’s impact once the hype has finally faded away. But six months down the line, you’re reminded of Two Weeks’ euphoria the moment you press play. With that tension-building pulse of a minimal drum beat and those purring, ascending synths, FKA twigs delivers a vocal performance that indelibly marked music. Eyes roll, a chaste mouth opens, and that’s it. We’re higher than a motherfucker. DR
Your first instinct wasn’t to analyse the way twigs was carving new pathways towards the future of popular music with a soundscape of skeletal, jittery percussion. Instead, you were just stunned by the song’s power to make heartbeats accelerate. And so it was only natural that, from this point onwards, the buzz would go into overdrive. It was the song which told the wider world that twigs had one of the most affecting voices in contemporary music, via the raw, explicit language of intoxicating lust.
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