12/30/2014

STEVE’S LIST: THE BEST TRACKS OF 2014

Here are my 40 favorite tracks of the year. I hope you’ll enjoy them! You can hear them in either the enclosed Spotify playlist, or from the list below of YouTube links. Sadly, Spotify doesn’t have one of the songs on my list (“My Baby Boy” by The Angelcy), so you can find it at the bottom of the Youtube links.

There are some big hits and some non-hits on the list, some things that were big in other parts of the world, and, oddly, almost no rock. I’m at loss to explain this last point. I guess the Black Keys are rock, and they made the list. Jack White almost made the list. Conclude what you will. Also, “Shake It Off” didn’t make the list. I don’t dislike Taylor Swift’s new album; it just didn’t move me. Which is a shame, because I know Taylor Swift’s music has moved me in the past (“Fifteen,” “Our Song”). Going pop doesn’t have to mean adopting a stance of emotional distance. (Just my two cents.)

DISCLAIMER: I had a hand in the production of one of the songs on this list: “Honey, I’m Good.” by Andy Grammer. I usually don’t include records I helped make, but Andy’s song is so good I just couldn’t leave it off the list.

Happy New Year!

Clean Bandit, Jess Glynne – Rather Be feat. Jess Glynne
Hozier – Take Me To Church
Vance Joy – Riptide
Tune-Yards – Water Fountain
Milky Chance – Stolen Dance
Jim Button – The Big Breakthrough
Lake Street Dive – Bad Self Portraits
The Handsome Family – Far From Any Road
Seven Davis Jr. – Friends
FKA twigs – Two Weeks
Sigma – Nobody To Love
Flavour – Nwa Baby Ashawo – Remix
Mapei – Don’t Wait
The Black Keys – Fever
Cris Cab – Liar Liar
SBTRKT ft. Ezra Koenig – NEW DORP. NEW YORK
Ace Wilder – Busy Doin’ Nothin’
Stromae – tous les mêmes
Miranda Lambert – Girls
Andy Grammer – Honey, I’m Good.
Skinny Fabulous – BTW (Behaving the Worst)
Tove Lo, Hippie Sabotage – Stay High – Habits Remix
Dan Wilson – A Song Can Be About Anything
Klingande – Jubel – Nora En Pure Remix
The New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers
Andrew McMahon in The Wilderness – Cecilia And The Satellite
Jason Derulo – Trumpets
alt-J – Left Hand Free (Lido Remix)
Elliphant ft. MØ – One More
David Broza ft. Wyclef Jean – East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem
Seinabo Sey – Younger
Jenny Lewis – Just One Of The Guys
Labrinth – Jealous
Sia – Chandelier
Cas Stonehouse – Made of You
D’Angelo – Ain’t That Easy
AJR – Infinity
Kendrick Lamar – i
Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass
The Veronicas – You Ruin Me
Modest Mouse – Lampshades On Fire
Lykke Li – No Rest For The Wicked
Nightbus – When The Night Time Comes (Stereo 3-Way)
The Angelcy – My Baby Boy