top songs 2014

Top 10 Songs of Summer 2014 That Are Not From 2014

Part of the joy of summer is listening to music, whether it’s outside on a sunny day, by the water, at the cottage, or out for a jog. And often times, the summer songs that give us pleasure aren’t necessarily new. Listening to old(er/ish) songs during summer has a unique power: it can place us in a memory from the distant past, make time seem to stand still, and fill a moment with pure, unencumbered peace. It has the power to conspire with the elements, warm, sun-filled air, whistling trees, and roving clouds, to make one smile. That’s some kind of experience.

I’ve decided to issue a list of the “oldies” that helped make my summer a special one. Here are the top ten songs I listened to this summer that are not from 2014.

10. Pablito Ruiz – Oceano

Thanks Daniel for this one. I was linked to a story that suggested Tame Impala’s “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” ripped off the melody from this old South American pop song. I think the assertion is a steaming pile of bile, but one good thing came of it: I was introduced to this awesome pop ditty. So Menudo. So Melody. So my main man, Pablito.

 

9. The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio

Still so poignant. Still so frothing with everyman hurt. Still amazing.

 

8. New Pornographers – Bleeding Heart Show

I come back to this song pretty often, but this summer, I spinned it a few times, and its magic awoke something wonderful in me. It’s how it’s divided in two, AC Newman’s plaintive croon in the first half, and the most pie-in-the-sky thing the New Pornographers have ever done, the second half, where the music takes off, and Neko, dear Neko, soars. There is no end to the enjoyment I get from hearing, mouthing, and singing, “We have arrived, too late to play, the bleeding heart show.”

 

7. Morrissey – Every Day Is Like Sunday

A little embarrassed and a little miffed that I just discovered this gem over the summer. “Every Day Is Like Sunday” is a tune that represents what I love most about Morrissey, on his own or with The Smiths: rainy, gloomy, gutterific lyrics buoyed by sun-drenched music and coruscating melodies.

 

6. Daniel Lanois – The Maker

HOW!? How in the world!? How in the world had I not heard this treasure before this summer? No answer I can proffer would be a justification, so I simply shrug my shoulders and say, I missed it. But on the bright side, at least this gorgeous song, a classic by any definition, with its indelible guitar riff and fantastic lyrics, is new to my ears. Speaking of the bright side, the reason I came to this song was by way of The Killers. As they’re wont to do, they typically perform at least one cover song during each of their shows, and said cover typically has some special meaning to the city in which they’re playing. When they visited Quebec City in July, they performed this piece of magic by Daniel Lanois, who was born in Quebec. (Aside: The Tea Party have also covered this song in the past, and awesomely, are including a version of it on their new album, The Ocean At The End.)

 

5. The Temper Trap – Love Lost

If “Love Lost” was lost on me before, it isn’t any more. It’s not as if I didn’t like the song when I first discovered The Temper Trap, it’s probably more of a case where “Sweet Disposition”‘s star was so enormous and bright that it cast shade on every other song on Conditions. So I missed connecting with “Love Lost” at the time. This has been rectified. It’s a wonderful song with great keyboards, guitars, and of course, as always, a smouldering Dougy Mandagi vocal.

 

4. Manchester Orchestra – I Can Feel A Hot One

I think “I Can Feel A Hot One” is one of the best 10 songs of the past 10 years. I feel quite strongly about that statement. The song absolutely slayed me the first time I heard it, and time has not loosened its grip on my ears, my heart. “I Can Feel A Hot One” is one of the most spine-tingling, powerful, sad, destructive, instructive, songs I’ve ever heard. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. I keep coming back to it. I always — always — will.

 

3. Matthew Good – Born Losers

“Well there ain’t nothing to this but your daughter, and the life you would not give her, break your plans.” This line gets me every fucking time. It’s the lyric itself, but the way Matthew Good sings it is incredible. There is no confusing Matthew Good’s intent as he sings it; it’s all he’s saying — it’s all he means. Fully. Whatever comes of it. It’s been said. I wonder what this song means to him, seven years after its release. It still means so damn much to me. My favourite song by Mr. Good. His best, I do believe.

 

Bonus: Non Populus

I came across a song I’d never heard by Matthew Good this summer, “Non Populus”. What a track. An epic sprawl of guitars, the song had me by the throat after one listen. “Let it be done to you…” No problem, I’m down.

 

2. La Roux – As If By Magic/I’m Not Your Toy

La Roux’s self-titled debut album, five years later, remains incredible. “Bulletproof”, “Quicksand”, “Reflections Are Protection”, “Colourless Colour”, “Cover My Eyes”, et al were amazing the first time I heard them, and they’ve remained so. What’s become clear to me too, is that there are two songs that should have been huge hits, but for reasons unknown, were not. “Bulletproof” is a classic pop song, of this there can be no debate. But I firmly believe “As If By Magic” and “I’m Not Your Toy” are right there with it. Played both of these tracks ad nauseam this summer.

 

 

1. The Tea Party – Psychopomp

As I played “Psychopomp” over and over and over and over this summer, a thought dawned on me: it could be the best song The Tea Party has ever done, the best song by a Canadian band ever. I’m not saying this as an incontrovertible fact, but it can’t be ruled out. It’s the unparalleled musicianship. It’s, of course, the melody. It’s clearly, utterly, the lyrics. It’s how the indomitable Jeff Martin begins the track admonishing the listener with some kind of dark peace. It’s how the dominating Jeff Martin sings the second half with a raucous rage, a fiery belly embedded with a ferocious beauty. It’s not as if by magic. It most definitely is.

Top 20 Songs of April 2014

For those that haven’t read one of my “Best Of” lists before, the reason why I do a tally of the songs I listen to most is because I can’t stop looking for new music, can’t stop attempting to feel the textures, shapes, and movements contained within (new) songs. Beyond that, I really enjoy sharing the music I discover and listen to most because I think these are fantastic songs that I wish to be heard by as many ears as possible. I know not everyone pursues (new) music with the same vigour that I do, so this is my attempt at being a curator, connector, reflector. Music is everywhere, but it’s sometimes in places you wouldn’t expect. To hear it, both in obvious and unfamiliar places, is to breathe sound.

20. Great Good Fine Ok – You’re The One For Me

This sounds like the beginning of summer. This is a good thing.

 

19. Kyla La Grange – The Knife

So obvious, the sonic and titular ode to Sweden’s finest brother and sister duo, but still, so good.

 

18. Gypsy & The Cat – Sorry

Fantastic group name. Delectable tune.

 

17. GRL – Ugly Heart

Super-catchy pop.

 

16. Movement – Like Lust

Music like this inspires movement. Movement comprised of shifting and swaying. At once cooing and decaying. Like taking a photograph of intimacy with a camera clouded by smoke. There’s something about the movement. Something like lust.

 

15. Beck – Blue Moon

I hadn’t liked a Beck tune since “Lost Cause”. “Blue Moon” changed that.

 

14. Blondfire – Kites

Pretty straightforward pop, but there’s something about it that draws me in.

 

13. Massari – What About The Love

His head kind of reminds me of shaved coconut doused with vaseline for ergonomic purposes, but I have to give the man credit, his last couple releases have been pop bangers.

 

12. Lady Gaga – Artpop

When I first heard her Artpop album, I focused on several other tunes and missed giving this one its due. Mistake rectified. This is another hit from the Haus of Gaga.

 

11. Tensnake f. Fiora – No Relief

Really, really, really like this tune. There’s something about the reserved but pleading vocal that meshes so well with the uncomplicated beat.

 

10. Bleachers – I Wanna Get Better

Sounds like a sun-bleached Vaccines song, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s fantastic.

 

9. The Horrors – So Now You Know

Extremely impressive effort from the English lads, from which I hadn’t heard anything since (the still great) “Still Life”.

 

8. Duck Sauce – NRG

Duck Sauce is a duo consisting of electro heavyweights Armin Van Helden and A-Track. Dance/Pop/House doesn’t get much more fun than this.

 

7. Dum Dum Girls – Too True To Be Good

Dee Dee Penny is a goddess. This is a wicked song from a teflon strong album.

 

6. Rita Ora – I Will Never Let You Down

Rita Ora’s new tune is a massive juggernaut. One of the best pop songs of the year thus far.

 

5. Future Islands – Like The Moon/Doves

Like The Moon:

Future Islands are so consistently brilliant that it was tough to give all 10 songs equal attention at first. I quite enjoyed “Like The Moon” from the first listen, I just gave more spins to other tracks. This is by no means representative of this song’s quality, as “Like The Moon” is astoundingly good. It’s sleek and sexy and groovy, and oh yeah, the jaw-droppingly good fan-made video culls together scenes from a 1981 Russian Sci-fi movie. Of course it’s perfect. It couldn’t have been anything else.

Doves:

My god, the gusto with which Sam T. Herring attacks this performance is incredible. “Doves” is yet another standout track from what I consider to be the album of the year thus far, Future Islands’ Singles.

 

4. The War On Drugs – Under The Pressure

There is something so endearing and nostalgic about “Under The Pressure”. It sounds like riding a Chevy pickup across the late 1980’s American Midwest. This song is a long-lost cousin of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer”. That’s a family BBQ I’d love to crash.

 

3. Sam Smith – Stay With Me/Stay With Me (Rainer & Grimm Remix)

Stay With Me:

I had heard the song before, but I first truly heard “Stay With Me” when Sam Smith performed it on the Louis CK-helmed episode of Saturday Night Live earlier this year. I was immediately floored. Sam Smith is going to be a massive star and “Stay With Me” will be a big reason why.

Stay With Me (Rainer & Grimm Remix):

Amazingly, this remix is as good as the original. I have no doubt it’ll end up one of my top remixes of the year when 2014 is done.

 

2. Kyla La Grange – Cut Your Teeth

One of the best pop songs of the year, and I firmly believe it’ll stay that way. The come-in of the base-like synthesizer at 1:04 is devastating. The backing vocal that supports the hushed primary vocals is superb. There are hooks galore. The video is super cool too. This is a banger in need of no mashed. Kyla La Grange has a strong collection of tunes in her catalogue, but she deserves to break big on the back of this pop behemoth.

 

1. Future Islands – Spirit

My Top 20 Songs of March list contained several Future Islands songs. I could’ve made that entire list from everything on FI’s latest album, Singles. But I showed some level of restraint, the kind that a person whose name rhymes with Toranje knows not of, but the kind that a person whose name rhymes with Hay-Z knows all too well. Restraint is good. It allows one to shine a light on other wonderful pieces of music. And to avoid getting arrested for things that rhyme with Bromestic Chiolence.

Everything in its time. And April was the time I played Future Islands’ “Spirit” over and over, combing the track to the over. The song is absurdly catchy, and I love the low register Sam T. sings at in the opening couple verses. This could be a huge hit if given the right push, but then again, so could any song on Singles. I adore the lyric, “don’t cast away, don’t cast away, don’t let them cast a role for you…” In any font, on every front, Future Islands won, so sung the conch.