The 33 Best Songs of 2014

This year has been a disappointment in music overall. In America, the overhyped machine known as "Frozen" somehow dominated album charts, the radio beat the same songs into our brains with more gusto than in previous years and critics collectively sucked up to Taylor Swift's latest collection of fifth grade level songwriting and heralded it as the best thing ever. Puke. The K-Pop landscape was also barren with most of the girl groups wanting to be sexed up to the nines by their agencies, the boy groups wanting to seem either over emotional or over hardened by the streets, and groups who took major creative risks last year opting to go back to the box set (pun intended). However, it wasn't all bad, with irresistible pop gems, Bossa Nova inspired bops, soul-wrenching midtempos and songs that were all in all fun to jam to.
 Songs in this list were released between 12/20/2013-12/20/2014 or had a parent album released in 2014.


33.Martin Garrix-Animals

Death to dubstep, long live Big Room and clock ticking sounds.
32.Echosmith-Cool Kids
What "Cool Kids" lacks in lyrical depth, it makes up with the age old obsession to be part of a school's elite numbers.
31.Babymetal-Megistune
Heavy metal and middle school aged Japanese school girls should not work, but somehow it does.
30.Schoolboy Q-Studio
What's sexier? Schoolboy Q in the studio making a track to get a lady or Schoolboy Q making funny sounds representing cunnilingus?
29.78Violet-8 Hours
Why must the good bands have their music put on indefinite hold but Taylor Swift is allowed to release fifth grade level material every two years?
28.ZZ Ward-Last Love Song
Should have been the next "Someone Like You". Music on popular TV shows doesn't work like it used to.
27.Roh Ji Hoon-A Song For You

The guy has a voice. I mean he's always had a voice, but it was hard to pay attention when he's yanking the waist of his pants so seductively.

26.Jessie Ware-Share It All
Jessie makes the beast with two backs sound like a lovely road trip to California.
25.Pharrell-Happy
As annoying as it was, it's still makes you feel good about yourself and the world. Brainwashing.


24.Ariana Grande-Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)

If this was the early/mid-2000s, she would have snatched the #1 easily. Damn you Charli XCX and your superior songwriting!
23.Marc E. Bassy-Chemical High
A little over 2 minutes of pure PBR&B greatness. I need an extended version ala "Tinashe Checks In".
22.Justin Timberlake-Not A Bad Thing
How to revive an almost dead era: 1.) Be Justin Timberlake 2.) Release a song that sounds like it belongs on one of your old groups LPs 3.) Profit.




21.T-ARA-Sugar Free

DVBBS and Borgeous called. They want you to be on the single version of "Tsunami" and apologize for using Tinie Tempah instead.




20.Calvin Harris-Summer

Kind of a cop out to name a song "Summer" release it in March, then it does extremely well in the summer months...Or it's just good promo.
19.Kiss & Cry-Domino Game
If the song doesn't convince you that this gone too soon rookie group could have slayed, watch the dance practice video. #justiceforkissandcry
18.Gorgon City-Unmissable (feat. Zak Abel)
"Ready For Your Love" was cute, but "Unmissable" gets the award for most anthemic song...
17.Chris Brown-Loyal
Yes, there is a solo version of the song. No, it's not on iTunes unfortunately. These music providers ain't loyal...
16.Hoizer-Take Me To Church
It's never a without a criticism of the church hat somehow crosses over into the mainstream and gets performed at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show...
15.Nico & Vinz-Am I Wrong?
I'll tell you what's wrong. The fact that this gem of a tune didn't get nominated for a Grammy...
14.Beyonce-Haunted
I mean it has a stream of consciousness rap and still mentions her sexual side, it's just not as graphic as "Partition"
13.Neon Bunny-It's You

Such grace, such class, so minimal yet so powerful,but enough about the single cover...
12.The Knocks-Classic (feat. Powers)
I know it's up for me...(ten points if you know the song)
11.Katy B-5AM
Don't most venues close up shop around 2AM though?

10.Ella Henderson-Ghost

Ryan Tedder does it again. He got to write for the next big British vocal export since Leona Lewis and pens a massive, gospel inspired stomper.  Sixth place is the new first.

09.Paramore-Ain't It Fun?

The band of three scored their first top ten hit with this satirical. If you were a graduating college student or ten years into a career you could relate. If you weren't, it was just fun to go into the deeper register for that "don't go cryin' to your momma" refrain.

08.Coldplay-Magic

Safe to say that the dreamy, minimalism landscape that Chris Martin and co. churned out this year was inspired by ex-wife Gwenyth Paltrow. You'd never know it was a Coldplay tune if not for Martin's warm vocals and the acoustic guitar strums during the climax. And that's how you successfully reinvent your sound.

07.Nicki Minaj-Anaconda

 "Anaconda" was a cultural phenomeom. In the "year of the booty", Miss Minaj was the figurehead (or figurebooty if you will) Nicki spits a pre-chorus laced with fire and brimstone, commanding her boy toy named Troy or that dude named Michael to do as she pleases then leaves him dazed and confused like Drake in the video. 

06.Taeyang-1AM 

Everyone was busy mezmirized up his shirtlessness in "Eyes Nose Lips" but it was 1AM that should have had all the major success with its dance with tears in my eyes sentimentality and thumping uptempo production.

05.Charli XCX-Boom Clap

Charli's 2013 was big, but her 2014 was her crown jewel. Her first #1 in the States, plus her first solo top ten. It's the best Gwen Stefani song that Gwen Stefani never had to be honest. Onomatopoeia at its best,

04.Pixie Lott-Girl You Left Behind

"Girl You Left Behind" was relegated to a freebie track, then placed on the Japanese version of Pixie's self-titled release. If people were still here for Lott, this plucked straight out of Mowtown tearjerker would have topped all the charts! (Top 20, but a guy can dream). 

03.Tinashe-2 On (feat. Schoolboy Q)

 Of all the DJ Mustard produced tracks this, not only was this the best and brightest, but the most unappreciated. For some reason, everyone flocked to Jeremih's side chick anthem"Don't Tell Em" for the crossover appeal rather than Tinashe's sultry declaration to the legal turn-up age.

02.Clean Bandit-Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne)

Clean Bandit's orchestral pop sound blended with the stylings of the 90s house revival that made waves on mainstream radio did wonders for the banal state of music this year. The soaring chorus by Jess Glynne gives us major CeCe Peniston vibes. 

01.Son Dam Bi-Red Candle

Dam Bi's "Red Candle" dropped December of last year once all the best of lists were virtually finished but easily tops this years list for numerous reason. She opts to be a distressed lover rather than a strong, independent woman as shown by the lyrics and her pillowy delivery over a slow burning Boss Nova composition, that grows into this amazing burst of heart rate raising bliss during the chorus. It's something different in the world of K-Pop and criminally underrated.