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Top 20 Songs of October 2014

October was a bloody brilliant month for music.

There was one particular album, released in September, that came to my ears in October and punched me square in the temple. It kicked in my teeth and proceeded to slide down my throat and take residence, frenetically, violently, yet doused in serenity, in my heart, or at least the space in my body that used to contain the organ. (That album has my heart now, and frankly, as much as I liked having it, it’s in a better place.)

Which album did this to me? Scroll down to number 1 if you’d like to see the several songs that enveloped my aural attention, or read the list in order. Whatever’s clever Trevor.

Make no mistake, my favourite songs of the month reach beyond that one stunning record — the month was rife with a number of spectacular songs. Here are my favourite twenty (give or take) songs of October 2014.

Bonus:

Not from 2014, but still one of my favourite songs of the past 5 years, and the best song ever called “October”.

 

20. A.G. Cook – Beautiful

A distant relative of Happy Hardcore, with a nod to Grimes, Sophie, and other electro pop mainstays.

 

19. Jose Gonzalez – Heartbeats (Filous and Mount Remix)

Terrific remix of a magnificent cover of an incredible song. That’s a lot of awesome.

 

18. Kongos – I’m Only Joking

I’m not kidding, this song is a menace.

 

17. Guster – Long Night/Simple Machine

I’m so happy Guster is back. Everything they do is marvellous.

Long Night:

Simple Machine:

 

16. Take That – These Days

Welcome back lads. Two short, but a solid, fun comeback song and video nevertheless.

 

15. Cold War Kids – All This Could Be Yours

Another welcome back is in order for Cold War Kids! “All This Could Be Yours” is a very solid lead single.

 

14. The Tea Party – The Ocean At The End

I already welcomed The Tea Party back last month with their incredible cover of Daniel Lanois’ “The Maker”. So this is more of a cap tip to this epic sprawl of a tune, eight-and-a-half minutes of changing dynamics, multiple instruments, and waves of guitars.

 

13. Broncho – Class Historian

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do til infinity. Fantastic earworm factor here.

 

12. Aphex Twin – Minipops 67 (120.2) (Source Field Mix)

13 years in between records for Richard James, and he comes back with something only he could’ve done. It’s weird, catchy, and utterly unique.

 

11. Sir Sly – You Haunt Me

I think this, the 3rd single from Sir Sly’s debut album is the best of their releases to date. Love the bridge at 2:29.

 

10. Jack White – Would You Fight For My Love

This is one of the most grandiose tracks Jack White’s ever done. It’s also one of my favourites.

 

9. Sleeper Agent – Waves

This song is pure happiness. Such appeal. So friend to ear. Many dance. Doge luvs Waves. Just not bath.

 

8. The Black Keys – Gotta Get Away

Best song on Turn Blue. Straightforward but oh so sing-a-long-able.

 

7. Banks – Beggin For Thread

When I first heard Banks, I thought, I like this girl’s voice, I like her style. She listed her phone number on her Facebook page for heaven’s sake. She just needed a hit. She’s got one now. Sultry, juicy, “Beggin For Thread” has clothes for days.

 

6. The Griswolds – Beware The Dog

Sing-a-long choruses don’t get much more fun than this one. This is the sound of summer, the sound of adventure, the sound of dancing naked on top of your car in a busy intersection.

 

5. Milky Chance – Flashed Junk Mind

So, so catchy. I know everyone in the world has heard and likes “Stolen Dance”, but I think “Flashed Junk Mind” is equally as good if not better.

 

4. alt-J – Nara/The Gospel of John Hurt

More aural beauty from possibly the best band on the planet.

Nara:

The Gospel of John Hurt:

 

3. Lorde – Yellow Flicker Beat

First listen: cool track. Third listen: yeah, I can get down with this. Sixth listen: she did it again that Kiwi pixie. Tenth listen: this is so criminally catchy it’s been banned in Australia. Sits right along side the best Lorde has done in her short yet remarkable career. Also, her dance moves, in this video, and frankly at all times, are a wonder of spastic, convulsive joy. We’ve found the lone graduate of the Elaine Benes School of Dance. Lorde is real and she’s fantastic.

 

2. Taylor Swift – Out Of The Woods

I can’t find a quality recorded version of “Out Of The Woods”, so this live version will have to suffice. The studio version is a wicked beast. It’s been hit after hit after hit for Ms. Swift in recent years. The pre-eminent popstar of this generation. Hands down, the one with the best set of songs.

 

1. Manchester Orchestra (Hope) – Trees; See It Again; The Ocean; The Mansion; Indentions; All That I Really Wanted; Top Notch

Hope snuck up on me. Doesn’t it always? I’d still been revelling in Manchester Orchestra’s amazing Cope from earlier in the year, a rich rock record full of reds, blacks, and sonic attacks. Cope shows the Georgia band at the peak of their considerable, voluminous powers. And then they dropped Hope. Reimagining every single track from Cope, Hope is quieter, more intimate, more dynamic, and impossibly, more traumatic than Cope. Manchester Orchestra, led by incomparable frontman Andy Hull, altered the lyrics, melodies, and echoes of Cope‘s songs, and the result is a shining beacon of grace, something beyond beautiful. This isn’t just a collection of songs. This isn’t just music. This is art of the highest fucking quality, a gargantuan, varied expression that massages, messages, unloads, codes, and ultimately reflects the human experience.

This record is a talisman for me. It’s why I still search out new music so zestfully. It’s why, from time to time, music gives me goosebumps almighty. It’s why every so often, this type of art makes me shed tears. This is why we live. At least it’s why I do. That’s Hope.

Trees:

See It Again:

The Ocean:

The Mansion:

 

Indentions:

All That I Really Wanted:

Top Notch:

My Top Songs of Summer 2013 (30-16)

The Song Of The Summer has become kind of a big thing the past couple years, hasn’t it? I hear people talking about the premise, blogs posting about it, and MTV doling out awards for it. So it must be a thing, right?

So, what is a “song of the summer” then? To the masses, the song of the summer captures the pop culture Zeitgeist, or more practically, it’s the song that gets asses shaking and dance floors quaking. That’s nice and all, but I’m not nearly so limiting.

For me, The Song of The Summer has one criterion: it must be a sick, wicked, unbelievable, awesome tune. Nothing else. It doesn’t have to be Hi-NRG, doesn’t have to inspire you to twerk, doesn’t have to have a webpage dedicated to what rhymes with its most memorable line. All that shit is extraneous. A song of the summer is a great song, no matter the style.

If this list reflected what was the song of the summer for the most amount of people, then without a doubt, it was Robin Thicke’s (read: Pharrell’s) “Blurred Lines”. But (hipster pissing contest moment alert #1) I was on “Blurred Lines” a while back, so for me, that tune was disqualified from the jump. If we continue to look at what captured the attention of the masses, the only other song in the same ballpark as “Blurred Lines” in terms of scale and reach was Icona Pop’s “I Love It”, but (hipster pissing contest moment alert #2), I was not caring and loving that song way back in 2012, so again, the judges say it must be disqualified.

Thankfully, the list that I’ve made doesn’t give two shits about what the song of the summer was for most people. It lists what the songs of the summer were for me. I sound like a bored, rich and percoceted up dance mom when I say that, but it’s true. No one else is going to publish my favourite songs of the summer, so I thought I might as well give ‘er a go.

The songs that I liked most during the summer of 2013 were and are incredible. It was difficult to narrow it down to 30 songs, but I figured I’d give it the old University of Maryland College University (actual name of an actual school) try. All 30 songs are legitimately fantastic, but I had to devise an ordered list because ranking things gets me through the day like being a rancid ratchet does for Miley Cyrus, like protecting his family does for Walter White, like mobile poker gaming does for John McCain, and like misreading public perception does for the Tories.

Figuring out the order to place the songs was the hard part. If I wrote this list on a different day/week/month, the order might be different. That said, I think I put the best of the best at the top where they belong.

Since 30 songs (with videos/links to audio) is kind of a lot, I’ve divided the list in two. Here’s the first part, My Top Songs of Summer 2013 (30-16).

(One last note: not all of these songs were released this summer, but all of them made a massive impact on me over the last 8-10 weeks.)

30. (Tie — the only tie on the list.)

Young Fathers – Ebony Sky

Hard-hitting, riveting. I am aghast that this has less than 500 views on Youtube.

 

ASAP Rocky vs. Britney Spears (Ryan Hemsworth edit) – Thuggin’ Noise

That sample. It’s perfect. The contrast between ASAP Rocky’s bravado-peppered flow and the music-box beauty of Britney Spears’ “Everytime” sample is magical. Ryan Hemsworth nailed this one big time.

 

29. Divine Fits – Ain’t That The Way

That riff is so clean, so mean.

 

28. Louise Burns – Emeralds Shatter

This song deserves waaaay more attention. Dark, menacing, yet powerfully inviting, Louise Burns, the ex-Lillix member has crafted an amazing song with “Emeralds Shatter”.

 

27. HAIM – The Wire

Their best song — by far — to date.

 

26. The 1975 – Sex

Sure, the original “Sex” was released last year, but there’s a newer version/video that was released this summer. The differences between the two are subtle, and I may prefer the original, but the newer version (song and video) is also slick and compelling. (NB: video, NSFW.)

 

25. Sarah Bareilles – Brave

I love Sarah Bareilles’ voice, I think she’s a fantastic melodicist/lyricist/composer, and “Brave” is such a joy of a song. Other than that, nothing to hear here.

 

24.  Chvrches – Gun

Ho hum, just another ridiculously good pop song from the break-out stars of the year. The way Chvrches bridge hooks together continues to astound/impress me.

 

23 Justin Timberlake – Tunnel Vision

I kind of wish he had sung a bit of this one in his bloated, 3.5 hour set at the MTV VMAs. Either way, I slept on “Tunnel Vision”. It took me time and repeated listens to hear how cool, intricate, and pristine Timbaland’s production is and how strong JT’s vocal is. (NB: video is easy on the eyes, but NSFW.)

 

22. The Joy Formidable  – Silent Treatment (William Orbit remix)

I hadn’t heard from William Orbit for a few minutes. I’m glad he called back. This subtle reworking of The Joy Formidable’s already gorgeous “Silent Treatment” brings me back to his heyday in the 90’s and makes me feel like he never left. I continue to be awestruck by the undeniable charisma of front-woman Ritzy Bryan.

 

21. The National – Hard To Find/This Is The Last Time

I like both of “Hard To Find” and “This Is The Last Time” equally. They’re both stunning tracks. The riff of the latter is pure sadness. The National are amazingly consistent in their ability to knock you off your feet.

 

20 Ace Hood – Bugatti f. Future, Rick Ross

That chorus is hella fun to belt out, especially at a wedding.

 

19. Daft Punk – Doin’ It Right f. Panda Bear/Lose Yourself To Dance f. Pharrell, Nile Rodgers

Who knew that a Daft Punk and Panda Bear (of Animal Collective) collabo would be sensational? I know, anyone who would give it 2.6 seconds of thought, or anyone who chooses to give “Doin’ It Right” a listen. “Lose Yourself To Dance”, the second official single from Daft Punk’s massive comeback record, is right there with “Get Lucky” in terms of quality. Hell, it might even be better. The Daft have released a shiny teaser of the full-length video for LYTD, but for me, nothing will come close to topping what one fan did: syncing the song to a clip from a Stevie Wonder performance on Soul Train (featured below). It’s one of the best fan-made videos for a song I’ve ever seen. I can’t imagine a random visual suiting its aural source more perfectly. Well done neonwiretv.

 

18. Florida Georgia Line – Cruise

Just one of those incessant earworms that you can’t shake. I can’t recall how many times I sang that chorus over the summer. I like the newer version featuring Nelly as well, but have chosen to include the video for the original tune below.

 

17. Selena Gomez – Slow Down

Wildly catchy. This girl is in the pop game to conquer the world. I’m down with her ambition.

 

16. Shad – Stylin

Shad’s flow is incontrovertible and his lyrics are considered, funny, and deep. The man is a menace on the mic. “Stylin” oozes cool through the screen and speakers, with Saukrates on the hook, concise down to the nanometre.