Below is a playlist of 140 top tunes from 2014, the songs that have soundtracked my year: singles, teaser tracks, stand-out album cuts. My half-term report has more doubled in size without any let-up in quality. Still, there'll almost certainly be a few tracks that have slipped through the net that I'll later wish I'd included. Some favourites aren't available on Spotify (special shout-outs to Wand's "Flying Golem" and Jessica Pratt's "Back, Baby"!) - needless to say, "Shake It Off" and "Style" would have been duking it out for inclusion if Taylor hadn't taken them down. Think of the royalties she's now gonna miss out on!
What we do get is a healthy dose of transporting psychedelia, by turns exploratory (Morgan Delt, Circulatory System), heavy (Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, Bo Ningen), lilting (Soundcarriers, Gulp) and cosmic (Jane Weaver, Damien Jurado). Modern takes on the soulful (Lee Fields, Fatima), funky (The Budos Band, Jungle Fire) and jazzy (Badbadnotgood, Taylor McFerrin) feature, as well as thrilling rock’n’roll in all its cocky, punk-y and drone-y forms (Zig Zags, Eagulls, Hookworms).
Classic rock songwriting is represented by established artists including Beck, Ryan Adams, Sun Kil Moon and Sharon Van Etten, as well as relative newcomers like Angel Olsen and Blueprint Blue. Pop pops up: wonky dance-pop (Metronomy, La Roux), parping prog-pop (St. Vincent, tUne-yArDs), irresistible power-pop (Ex-Hex, Pujol), and the simple beautiful truthful pop that all-too-rarely disturbs the Top 40 (Wild Beasts, Future Islands, Pure X).
Singles from upcoming albums by Viet Cong, BC Camplight and Natalie Prass confirm that 2015 is in safe hands. On top of this, there are San Franciscan oddballs (Thee Oh Sees, Dylan Shearer), Pitchfork-approved electronic acts (Todd Terje, East India Youth, The Juan Maclean), and a whole lot more.
Dip in, shuffle, or enjoy the list in its full 10-hour glory!
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