Tracker Pixel for Entry

​The 30 Best Songs of 2014, part I

Music | December 19th, 2014

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.

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakota communities will join a “nationwide day of defiance” against authoritarianism and President Donald Trump’s policies on Saturday, June 14. A range of "No Kings" events…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…

Fighting the good fightBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Over two thousand rallies took place nationwide June 14 as part of the “No Kings" protest. Ten of those protests were held in North Dakota, with thousands in attendance.…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comThe Fiddler on the roof was taking a big chance after two thousand years of hate Cal Thomas, who seems to hate a lot in a journalistic and broadcasting career where he expresses his conservative…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com The weather warmed up quickly here in the upper Midwest this spring, sparking prime eating season. This means burger battles, food trucks and lake-season food travel. The 2025 Downtown Fargo Burger…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By JD Provorsejdprovorse@gmail.comHorror movie fans of the valley, our time has come! Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival comes to the Fargo Theatre on Saturday, June 21. I sat down with JD Provorse, the creator and curator of DDHF…

By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comAct Up Theatre, in partnership with Minnesota State University Moorhead, will present “The Sound of Music” on June 10-14. All shows are at 7:30 p.m. at the Minnesota State Moorhead’s…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…