Songs of the Year 2014

For the last couple of years I’ve managed to come up with a top 100 songs of the year, but (disturbingly), I couldn’t find 100 I really like this year. To be fair, with three weeks of the year to go, I may still discover more good stuff, especially when playing through the various critics’ charts. But with Rolling Stone declaring the best albums of the year to be by Bruce Springsteen and U2, I think we may have to accept it just wasn’t a good year. The redeeming features (and what redeeming features!) were the expected release of an album by Half Man Half Biscuit, and the very unexpected release of an album by Pink Floyd. I could probably have picked out half a dozen songs from each of those albums to fillout this top 20, but as ever, I’ve limited myself to no more than one song from any one act. I’ve allowed some others into the full 70 though.

Anyway, here are my top 20 songs, and for the full list of new songs I really liked, scroll past the number one at the bottom. There are individual Spotify links for the full list, and it’s available as a playlist here. If you find something new, enjoy!

20. Torrent – Ásgeir

19. Market Town – Echo And The Bunnymen

18. Luna – Fear of Men

17. Happy – Pharrell Williams

16. Kqu – Pat Metheny

15. Waking Light – Beck

14. New York Morning – Elbow

13. Amelia – snowbird

12. Black Tambourine – Withered Hand

11. Anonymous – Weezer

10. Perturbator’s Theme – Perturbator

9. Reach Out – Rumer

8. Angela – Allo Darlin’

http://allodarlin.bandcamp.com/track/angela

7. Giorgio’s Theme – Giorgio Moroder

https://soundcloud.com/wmstrecs/giorgios-theme

6. Magnolia – Eric Clapton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJe0lJsniRY

5. I Ain’t Waiting – Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band

4. Matthew Arnold’s Field – Ben Watt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KSThSVxBPg

3. Family Tree – Meadowlark

2. The Unfortunate Gwatkin – Half Man Half Biscuit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_bJNghKcWI

1. It’s What We Do – Pink Floyd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb4CHveIS50

Here’s the full list of 70 songs with Spotify links:

• All Points by James Vincent McMorrow
• Alpenglow by S. Carey
• Amelia by snowbird
• America by Fear of Men
• Angela by Allo Darlin’
• Anonymous by Dan Bodan
• Arrival Begins the Next Departure by Mark McGuire
• Awake by Tycho
• Black Tambourine by Withered Hand
• Blue Boy by Mac Demarco
• Born by Pat Metheny
• Cavalier by James Vincent McMorrow
• Cigarettes & Loneliness by Chet Faker
• Come To by Bombay Bicycle Club
• Coming Home by Kaiser Chiefs
• DBF by Eno • Hyde
• Dizzy Heights by Neil Finn
• Do It Again by Röyksopp & Robyn
• Family Tree by Meadowlark
• Fever To The Form by Nick Mulvey
• Flying In the Face of Love by Neil Finn
• From The Sea To The Land Beyond by British Sea Power
• Giorgio’s Theme by Giorgio Moroder
• Happy (from Despicable Me 2) by Pharrell Williams
• History Lessons by Allo Darlin’
• Hot Dreams by Timber Timbre
• Humans Are Such Easy Prey by Perturbator
• I Ain’t Waiting by Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band
• I’ve Got You by Meadowlark
• II. Anonymous by Weezer
• In Harmony by Ásgeir
• In the Silence by Ásgeir
• Inside The Idle Hour Club by Röyksopp & Robyn
• James by Saint Saviour
• Kqu by Pat Metheny
• Looking For Someone by East India Youth
• Love Is A Minor Key by Ed Harcourt
• Luna by Fear of Men
• Magnolia by Eric Clapton
• Maiden by MØ
• Market Town by Echo And The Bunnymen
• Matthew Arnold’s Field by Ben Watt
• Mileage Chart by Half Man Half Biscuit
• Morning by Beck
• New York Morning by Elbow
• Nice to Turin by Land Observations
• Old Age Killed My Teenage Bride by Half Man Half Biscuit
• Perturbator’s Theme by Perturbator
• Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne) by Clean Bandit
• Reach Out by Rumer
• Return by Eno • Hyde
• Sail Away by Meadowlark
• She Is Young, She Is Beautiful, She Is Next by Perturbator
• Side 1, Pt. 2: It’s What We Do by Pink Floyd
• Side 3, Pt. 4: Allons-y (1) by Pink Floyd
• Someday by Eric Clapton
• The Bain of Constance by Half Man Half Biscuit
• The Dancer Disappears by Dean Wareham
• The Dome by S. Carey
• The Instinct by Mark McGuire
• The Levels by Ben Watt
• The Take Off and Landing of Everything by Elbow
• The Unfortunate Gwatkin by Half Man Half Biscuit
• The Wheel by SOHN
• This One’s for Now by Half Man Half Biscuit
• Torrent by Ásgeir
• Turn Away by Beck
• Waking Light by Beck
• We Go On by Pat Metheny
• Whenever, Wherever by Bombay Bicycle Club
• You Kept Yourself by School Of Language