Here are my top 25 songs released in 2014, complete with a Spotify playlist (which is at the bottom). I tried to limit repeat entries from the same artist as best I could, although I did end up making two exceptions that I couldn't justify not including. Following this list in a couple days will be my top ten albums list. And, as always, this is my opinion and my opinion only.
25. Silversun Pickups, "Cannibal"
Released as part of a curious decision to come out with a greatest hits album after only 3 albums, "Cannibal" is standard Silversun Pickups fare, better than most of 2012's Neck of the Woods, but not up to the standard of their very best.
24. Strand of Oaks, "Goshen '97"
This semi-autobiographical song features some great guitar work from Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, and is generally recommended for anyone who is a fan of a great rock song (which should be a lot of you).
23. Angel Olsen, "Forgiven/Forgotten"
By far the heaviest song on Angel Olsen's great album Burn Your Fire For No Witness, closer to a punk song than the quiet folk she normally deals in, it ends with a knockout of a line: "Will you ever forgive me for loving you?"
22. The Dead Weather, "Buzzkill(er)"
A surprise release from Jack White's other other band may also be their best song, as White is finally content to take a backseat and let Alison Mosshart carry the song.
21. Chvrches, "Dead Air"
Chvrches had one of my favorite albums of last year, and this year released two songs for soundtracks. This is the better one, a pop song straight out of the '80s that would fit in perfectly on The Bones of What You Believe.
20. Alvvays, "Next of Kin"
Alvvays' debut album is happy, bright, and reminiscent of the Beach Boys in many ways, but it can be a bit too saccharine and sweet for my taste, particularly on lead single "Marry Me, Archie." This song doesn't have this problem as much, as it's basically a very good Real Estate song with female vocals.
19. Sharon van Etten, "Taking Chances"
Like most of her album, "Taking Chances" is a melancholy, well-written song highlighted by van Etten's very strong voice.
18. Interpol, "All the Rage Back Home"
El Pintor wasn't quite the comeback album that Interpol fans were hoping for, but it was easily a step up from their previous self-titled album (in that it was actually listenable). This song is easily the album's best, as it sounds like a classic Interpol track with some great tempo changes.
17. Real Estate, "Had to Hear"
The twin clean guitars are always Real Estate's defining sound, a sound that can most accurately be described as "nice." And none of the "nice" sounding songs on Atlas are better than the album opener, which arguably uses clean lead guitar better than any other song this year.
16. The New Pornographers, "You Tell Me Where"
There are a lot of songs from Brill Bruisers that could occupy this spot, but I feel that the best one is the album closer, which, like all the best album closers, really puts the exclamation point on an already strong experience, and also really feels like a closing song--you can easily this soundtracking a movie or TV show in the future.
15. Speedy Ortiz, "American Horror"
Speedy Ortiz didn't release a proper album this year, but they did give us this gem, a '90s/'00s sounding punk song that makes great use of heavy guitars.
14. TV on the Radio, "Careful You"
A lot of the best songs on Seeds are more straightforward than we're used to hearing from this generally experimental group. But that doesn't make them any less good. The best of them is "Careful You," which features a throbbing electronic bass beat with a great vocal melody.
13. The Men, "Another Night"
Poorly named band The Men's album Tomorrow's Hits doesn't live up to the promise of this early single, which takes the best aspects of classic rock and condenses them into this horn-heavy track.
12. The War on Drugs, "An Ocean In Between the Waves"
One of the longest songs on an album full of long songs, this one takes full advantage of each second of its seven minute run time, and shows off the band's dreamy sonic landscapes and excellent guitar solos, with a strong drumbeat serving as its backbone.
11. Cloud Nothings, "I'm Not Part of Me"
The closing song of this Cleveland band's album Here and Nowhere Else is easily the album's best, an anthemic guitar-led song that works well as an album (and show) closer.
10. Jack White, "Lazaretto"
Once you stop expecting White Stripes-level greatness from Jack White, and accept that as being firmly in the past, it becomes easier to appreciate songs like "Lazaretto." The similarly named album it comes from is probably his best record sans Meg White--which still makes it not quite as good as any White Stripes record, but hey, it's hard to top those.
9. Lykke Li, "No Rest for the Wicked"
This sweeping ballad is fitting as the lead single of Lykke Li's breakup album I Never Learn, as this somber, sweeping ballad is the best distillation of her feelings and the music.
8. Spoon, "Do You"
This is exactly the song that Spoon fans, some of whom were turned off by 2010's Transference, were waiting for-- a return to the straightforward style that Spoon does so well (see "The Underdog" or "Sister Jack" for further evidence). Rather than trying to be unique, Spoon proved what they could do here with just two chords.
7. Against Me!: "fuckmylife666"
Every Against Me! album so far has had at least one fist-pumping anthem to be proud of, and this is just the latest in that line. Of course it's impossible to ignore the lyrics or the story behind this album, but even if you do, this song is top-notch.
6. St. Vincent, "Digital Witness"
It's clear that Annie Clark took a few lessons from David Byrne after collaborating with him on 2012's Love This Giant. This song's lyrics are a biting criticism of today's selfie-obsessed culture, set to a horn-led stomp.
5. Future Islands, "Seasons (Waiting on You)"
Future Islands' performance of this song on David Letterman's show earlier this year was the talk of the indie world for a while (and for good reason--check out that dancing!) It doesn't hurt that the song itself is near-perfect '80s style synth-driven balladry.
4. The Decemberists, "Make You Better"
The only song on this list from a yet-to-be-released album (What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World is due to be released in January), this song came out in early November and is as impressive as anything they've ever done, using harmonies and big choruses to great effect, with Colin Meloy's usual brilliant lyrics.
3. Wye Oak, "Glory"
No guitars, no problem, at least with this song. The bass and keyboards carry this with an almost disco funk to it, but with a Wye Oak spin.
2. Spoon, "Inside Out"
This song is unlike anything Spoon has ever done: atmospheric, almost trip-hop, led by a synthetic beat, a killer bass line, and a harp(!). It's very easy to get lost in the five minutes of "Inside Out," and very rewarding when you do.
1. The War on Drugs, "Red Eyes"
The earliest released of any of these songs also happens to be the best. There's so much reverb on the vocals that you can't understand a word Adam Granduciel is saying, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that the melody is great, the atmosphere is wonderful, the guitars are killer, the drums are... well, I'm out of superlatives. The point is this song is the best.
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