Only some of them mind, because trying to shoehorn such a deliriously rich of year of music into one succint list is, frankly, impossible.
Future islands – Seasons (Waiting For You)
Thanks to Sam Herring’s bad dad dancing on the Letterman show this rousing, triumphant and exuberant tune made its way onto my playlist – and stayed there.
Caribou – Can’t Do Without (You)
I imagine that this is the sonic equivalent of raving through a technicolor speckled marshmallow.
Wild Beasts – Wanderlust
Articulate and mature songwriting, a vehement commitment to carnal exploration and superbly acerbic lyrics -‘Don’t confuse me with someone who gives a fuck.’
Only Real – Cadillac Girl
Rolling along with the slacker vibes of rooftops down and tinnies cracked open, this song drips with the scorch of summer.
Coves – Cast A Shadow
Bristling and crackling with incendiary compulsion, Cast A Shadow is one of only many unashamedly blindingly brilliant songs on Coves’ debut album Soft Friday.
Jamie T – Limits Lie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncIQq1PEBss
Since the Cockney cheek of Sheila Jamie T has done some growing up, but the sounds of his experiences still sizzle with as much snarl and giddy intensity as ever.
Kate Tempest – Lonely Daze
The year poetry become popular, Kate Tempest dazzled with wit, burning her perceptive lyrics into the consciousness with her dynamic and unrelenting, textured delivery.
Little May – Hide
In their music of sweet wafting auras, expansive and earnest melodies and a fizzing dance of poignant moments and happy layers, Sydney trio Little May have beguiled hearts over 2014.
Honeyblood – Killer Bangs
Angry fuzz fuelled punk, the pulsating pace seeping out of the splurge of grubby riffs and jangly guitars – no bass mind.
Sharon van Etten – Everytime The Sun Comes Up
Her voice breaks me, her songs like skin revealing a life lived, chords like deeply formed scars and a delicate gravelly voice the whisper of luminence into the darkness, deceptively inviting.
St Vincent – Digital Witness
She pouts, struts, burning high, each glare to the crowd a jolt into a slightly seedy and decadent musical masquerade – Annie Clark is quite the frontwoman. The pulsating beats, glitchy synths and energetic disco sleekness mean that her songs are not bad either.
The Away Days – Your Colours
Indie dream pop from Istanbul might not sound like the kind of thing to make it to best of list (although again I refer you to Sam Herring) but the combination of blissful pattering drums, melodies like light winds on the neck, and heavy chords imbued with dystopian anticipation illustrate very nicely that it totally works.
Alvvays – Archie, Marry Me
Whether dancing around my room with eyes closed or wandering the lush green expanse of Hampstead Heath, I spent much of summer 2014 singing out for Archie to marry me. He didn’t.
