blood diamonds

When you’re trying to tell your friends something but they’re not listening.

Getting warmer and warmer… Some may view a song ranked 60th or 53rd and not think much of it — I don’t see it like that. All the songs I’ve listed here are impressive. It’s not easy to rank songs when they’re this good, but hey, I give ‘er anyway. Fun fun fun ’til your daddy takes the T-bird away. Top 100 Songs of 2014 (60-41):

60. Grace Mitchell – Runaway

Slow-tempo’d power pop with a fantastic chorus.

59. Banks – Beggin For Thread

When I first heard Banks a while back, I thought, nice voice and vibe, but she doesn’t have anything I’d call a good song. That’s since been rectified. “Beggin For Thread” is a beast.

58. Merely – Princess Hervor

So chilly. So atmospheric. So good.

57. Bleachers – I Wanna Get Better

Insanely catchy. Great debut single.

Bonus: Naughty Boy f. Sam Smith – La La La (from 2013)

56. Alvvays – Archie, Marry Me

Took me a little while to get into it. A fantastic song, lyrically, melodically, Canadianally.

55. Perfume Genius – Queen

Harder than anything Mike Hadreas had done previously. One of his best. Sensational chorus.

54. Royal Blood – Figure It Out

Rock ‘n Roll bliss.

53. Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

Soulful, sunny, and downright addictive. Isn’t everything the Ginger King does golden though? Or would his jewels be rubies? Either way.

52. Eternal Death – Head

One of my favourites from early 2014.

51. Rita Ora – I Will Never Let You Down

Best song she’s yet done.

50. Grimes – Go

Took a couple listens before I truly appreciated this masterpiece of a jam. What a jam it is. For some reason, it didn’t connect with the masses like “Genesis” or “Oblivion”, but “Go” is a tune on that level. Blood Diamonds’ production is downright filthy. Love the cymbal work in the chorus.

49. The Madden Brothers – We Are Done

When I first heard this track, I had no idea which 70’s band sung it. All I could do was hum and be impressed at the massive chorus. I wondered who it was by for some time. Then one day, I found out the song wasn’t 40 years old, but brand frickin new, and by Benji and Joel from Good Charlotte?! I was floored. Good Charlotte had some decent tunes, but this is by far the best thing the Cali bros have ever released.

Bonus: One Republic – I Lived (On my HM list in 2013, left a huge mark in 2014 also.)

48. Tei Shi – Bassically

It builds and builds and builds and builds. One of the sexiest pop songs of the year.

47. 5 Seconds of Summer – She Looks So Perfect

No escaping a chorus that huge.

46. Tove Lo – Over

Oh Sweden. How many times do you win me over in a given year with your mastery of pop music? I can’t count that high.

45. Hozier – Like Real People Do

Full discl-hozier, this is my favourite song from the Irish lad. Great lyrics. Fantastic melody.

44. The Griswolds – Beware The Dog

So sunny. So gitchy. So good. One of the best sing-a-long songs of the year.

Bonus: The Griswolds – Red Tuxedo

43. Rudimental f. Emeli Sande – Free

Rudimental lays down a pulsating beat, over which Emeli Sande shines. This song never gets old.

42. Enrique Iglesias f. Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona – Bailando

Best song Enrique’s done in at least 10 years, if not ever. I had no reason to believe he’d ever be associated with a song of such quality. This tune is pure bliss. I can feel the warmth of summer when I listen to this song. That’s an amazing quality to possess.

41. The Alternate Routes – Nothing More

Gorgeous song in all manner of ways.

I think 2013 was a brilliant year for new music; it was just as good as 2012 (which I thought at the time was the best year for songs in many moons) or better. There’s no way I could make a strict Top 100 Songs of the Year list and feel good about myself, though I don’t want to go as overboard as I did last year, where many numbers on that list had a part A) and a B). I’m going to hold off on playing that card, as want to fall in line with my prediction that in 2014, we’ll see “restraint” adopted more and more as a thoughtful, progressive lifestyle choice — bahahaha, sorry I can’t continue that sentence any longer. The complete opposite will prove true. Shit be cray; restraint seems like a relic of a long lost world, like the crystals of the Mayan civilization, Tesla’s time machine, and when you could count on your breakfast cereal containing all the GMO’s your (growing) body could handle http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/original-cheerios-to-go-gmo-free-1.2482761.

There will be no A)’s and B)’s on this list, but I’ve still got to find a way to massage the proceedings to ensure maximum comfort, so I’ve chosen to include two or more songs by a particular band/artist in some spots. I’ve found that on many occasions, it’s difficult to discern which song of a given band/artist is the “best,” so I’m going to forego that agony altogether. For instance, I really like Lorde’s “Tennis Court” and “400 Lux”. I wouldn’t say one song is better than the other, nor can I decide which one I like more, so I’ve listed them together. This happens several times over the course of this list. (I’ve also decided to include an audio link to each song when this happens — why should one track get daps over another!?)

Lastly, some might think that songs placed at the low end of this or any list aren’t worth sharing/remembering/exploring. This could not be further from the truth. So much good music was released in 2013, that to be listed anywhere in the top 100 should be a huge source of pride for these songs (if songs knew about this list, and if songs could feel pride. I love anthropomorphism!). Music continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. All it takes is a little time and effort to seek out the best of the best.

Here are my Top 100 Songs of 2013:

100. Mereki – Blue Lake