No “best of” list will ever truly satisfy anyone besides the compilers themselves. One person’s musical treasure is just as well another’s rubbish, and there just aren’t enough hours in a day to listen to everything. That being said, these 15 songs seem to hover above the rest, and demonstrate how immensely inventive and diverse this year’s releases have been. Whether you agree with this list or not, the songs listed deserve a first listen at the very least.
“Seasons (Waiting on You)” – Future Islands
Driven by the impossibly, impeccably earnest frontman Samuel T. Herring, synthpop trio Future Islands broke big with “Seasons,” a burning ember stoked by a now-infamous appearance on David Letterman’s Late Show. With his heart in his hand, Herring growls theatrically, awash in a thick sea of pummeling synths. It ought to be noted BADBADNOTGOOD’s soulful reinterpretation of the song is equally deserving of praise.
“Water Fountain” – tUnE-yArDs
Soaked with profound, and profoundly dreadful, imagery and cloaked as a schoolyard jump rope jammer, Merrill Garbus and co.’s “Water Fountain” is a tribal chant gone mad.
“Turtles All the Way Down” – Sturgill Simpson
Forget moonshine whiskey, Sturgill Simpson would rather imbibe some magic mushrooms. The psychonautic crooner injects the country music world with a much-needed shot of existentialism.
“Above My Ground” – Landlady
Barreling toward the best train wreck you’ve ever heard, the art-rock tricksters’ anthem marches towards eternity, and you’d better come along.
“Content Nausea” – Parkay Quarts
With “Content Nausea”, a street-smart state of the union delivered at a steadily chugging machine-gun pace, singer/guitarist Andrew Savage decimates social networking, consumerism, government propaganda, as well as melody, in three anxious minutes.
“Don’t Tell Our Friends About Me” – Blake Mills
The least radio-friendly ballad you may ever hear, Mills’ dispatches from the dog house makes shame sound awfully pretty. Rounded out with her-side vocals from Fiona Apple and an achingly sweet coda, “Don’t Tell” wrings out true beauty in every sincerely pleaded expletive.
“Hey Mami” – Sylvan Esso
With a sidelong glance at the fine art of catcalling, the a cappella-round-turned-dancefloor-destroyer sounds like a confident strut through the bad side of town.
“Slow Motion” – PHOX
A thoroughly refined pop arrangement, breakout septet PHOX’s nice-to-meet-ya single makes a strong case for the coolness of oboes. With a songbird’s grace, vocalist Monica Martin soars over each tailored movement.
“Can’t Do Without You” – Caribou
Repetitious like a record that’s been scratched in just the right spot, Dan Snaith’s return under the Caribou banner grooves euphorically.
“Passing Out Pieces” – Mac DeMarco
Indie’s beloved prankster lets his guard down, spilling about the ain’t-all-flowers touring life. This sentiment of road-worn weary is evidenced only in lyrics, however; the holy goof swaggers coolly between trembling synth passes and yawning bass lines.
“Under the Pressure” – The War on Drugs
Rising from a glassy swirl of dropping pins, Adam Granduciel’s monolithic, night-riding opus spins on like the spools of a Don Henley cassette in the deck of a Pontiac Fiero.
“Blockbuster Night Part 1” – Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels are here to crash your party, steal your girlfriend and trash your home, and you’d be wrong to stop them.
“Alexandra” – Hamilton Leithauser
Built on a lust-for-life drumbeat, the ex-Walkmen crooner wails this red-faced ode with a pep-band enthusiasm.
“Bored in the U.S.A.” – Father John Misty
The gonzo popmeister aims to bring everyone down with a tender stab of reality. Forlorn and decidedly un-patriotic, the melancholia of “Bored” is amplified by soft bursts of canned applause. Ouch.
“Hi-Five” – Angel Olsen
Olsen’s scuzzy twang and psyched-out, clashing guitars rumble and roll into one of the best flat-out rock songs of the year.
Look for Part II in next week’s issue.
