Top 20+ Songs of 2014 With YouTube Playlist

I put together this Top 20 plus songs of 2014 list while putting up holiday decorations -- thinking over the year and culling the songs that meant so much to me (while finding the best order of presentation of course!) If I had to pick a Song of the Year, I'd add my vote to others that chose Future Islands' "Seasons Waiting on You." Along with the breakout performance by frontman Samuel Herring on David Letterman that was so crazy passionate and borderline creepy, the tune encapsulated all three genres listed on their Wikipedia page with gusto:  synthpop, alternative rock and indie pop.  It's simply a great song that doesn't get old with repeated listens.

Yet the song that yielded the most meaning for me this year would have to be Field Report's "Home (Leave the Lights On)."  As I wrote about in a post back in October, hearing this song in a different context gave this sublime tune a personal resonance that cut to my core. It's going to be one of those many songs that will take me back to that time and place in the fall of 2014.

Listen via the YouTube playlist below or on Spotify at the link here. Here's to another fine year of new music!

1. "Inspector Norse" − Todd Terje 
2. "Can't Do With Without You" − Caribou 
3. "Dangerous" − Big Data 
4. "Red Eyes" − The War On Drugs 
5. "Seasons Waiting On You" − Future Islands 
6. "Come a Little Closer" − Cage the Elephant 
7. "Digital Witness" − St. Vincent 
8. "Fall In Love" − Phantogram 
9. "Do You" − Spoon 
10. "Home (Leave the Lights On)" − Field Report 
11. "Step Out" − José  González 
12. "Past Life" − Lost In the Trees 
13. "The Tower" − Wye Oak 
14. "Alexandra"  − Hamilton Leithauser 
15. "Handreds of Ways" − Conor Oberst 
16.  "Blue Moon" − Beck 
17.  "Summer Noon" − Tweedy 
18. "Woke Up To the Light" − Strand of Oaks 
19. "Lonely Press Play" − Damon Albarn 
20. "New York Morning" − Elbow 
21. "Moving To the Left" − Woods 
22. "Divisionary (Do the Right Thing)" − Ages And Ages

Top Ten Releases of 2014 With Video Highlights

Here is my slightly ranked list of Top Ten Releases for 2014 -- with Spoon definitely taking the top spot.  The best thing about compiling such a list is revisiting these songs that became the soundtrack to my life this year, and remembering how these albums are all worth many more plays from start to finish.  I was also lucky to see three of the bands/artists over the course of the year so I've pulled videos from the  NMMatterscorp YouTube channel from those shows: Spoon, Beck, and Elbow.  For the others, I looked for live performances in order to imagine hearing the music being played live: from official gigs at CBS, an AMEX event, and Pitchfork festivals, along with studio sessions from my favorite online radio stations KCRW and KEXP. Check out anything you haven't yet, and enjoy!

1. Spoon, They Want My Soul
After taking some time off since 2010's Transference, Austin-bred band Spoon reconvened last year to put together what may be its best album yet.  With the strength of the singles "Rent I Pay," "Do You," and "Inside Out," I've heard more Spoon airplay than ever, never a band thing. Spoon opened up for Arcade Fire when we caught the final night of the tour in Montreal, where many in the crowd had not yet heard of them (thus the chatter in the video, but listen to the squeals of delight as uber frontman Britt Daniel approaches each side of the stage!) The guy next to us vowed to purchase the new album immediately and tell all his friends about Spoon when he returned home.

2. Beck, Morning Phase

When we first listened to this album (studio collection number twelve for this prolific musician), husband/music guru Paul exclaimed "Who broke Beck's heart?" It's that melancholy side of the guy heard back in 2002 with Sea Change, all slower meters and dreamy textures.  But at least it wasn't the folky Beck seen at festivals the last go around (still say he could loose the goofy black hat).  At least I could finally check him off my concert bucket list after a night at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC -- a night split in half between the new and yes, all the old hits!

3. Elbow, The Take Off and Landing of Everything

The sound of Guy Garvey's voice brings warmth and depth of meaning to any lyric, so why not elongate the title of the group's sixth album too? Everything reads like a stream of consciousness travel journal after time Garvey spent in NYC where "folks are nice to Yoko."  I caught the U.K. band in May at Webster Hall NYC, where a couple took this romantic music to another level with a marriage proposal. 

4. Wye Oak, Shriek

Some Wye Oak fans didn't know what to make of the duo's fourth album, after singer Jenn Wasner learned the bass and layers of electronics were added without the signature guitar sound.  I gladly heralded this move into complexity and Shriek was on heavy rotation all summer.  

5. Conor Oberst, Upside Down Mountain 

Conor Oberst released his sixth album as a solo artist, connecting to his story telling vibe and touring with the band Dawes as backing musicians.  The sound is at once full yet immediate, baring his Nebraskan soul in songs about adult responsibilities and looking for meaning in the every day. 

6. Caribou, One Love

Canadian Dan Snaith released his sixth studio album as Caribou, expanding the electronica with genres such as hip hop and  R&B, plus contributions by Jessy Lanza and Owen Pallett.  When he plays live, Snaith takes over the percussion and performs with a live band clustered together in musical solidarity while the party in the audience carries on...

7. TV on the Radio, Seeds 

TV on the Radio released its fifth album in November, so I'm still uncovering the many attributes to each song. The band is now split between Brooklyn and L.A. but as a group remains as solid as ever. (This is the first album without their bass player Gerard Smith, who died of cancer in 2011.)

8. Hamilton Leithauser, Black Hours

When I fretted about The Walkmen taking a hiatus, it was really the idea of not hearing Hamilton Leithauser's ardent vocals without a solid band base that had me worried.  His solo album seemed a bit solitary in spirit, but not in musicianship. The entire collection appears ready made for a full listen seamlessly from song to song.  

9.  The War on Drugs, Lost In a Dream 

The mastery and wash of guitar reverb permeates this third album by Philadelphia's The War on Drugs. Singer/songwriter Adam Granduciel had trouble adjusting after the successful tour behind 2011's Slave Ambient, resulting in these profoundly emotional songs.

10. St. Vincent, St. Vincent 

St. Vincent's Annie Clark not only garnered attention for this self-titled fourth album, but for her choreographed stage shows performed with her usual epic shredding on guitar.  Her songs cut to the quick musically and lyrically, while remaining deeply ambiguous and intriguing at every listen. 

HONORABLE MENTION:
Future Islands, Singles

Vacationer, Relief

YouTube Playlist of Summer 2014 New Music Playlist Songs

This YouTube playlist has a few videos that make a direct connection between a passion for music and the freedom of movement in the form of dance (Todd Terje and The Horrors) or other movement, even bouncing on a bed (Waters). Many are just official audio placed online with album cover artwork, but some boast full production with a backstory separate from the song (Lykke Li and Hamilton Leithauser).  I'm still a fan of being able to see a band at work, playing instruments whether in earnest or not plus I can't resist at least one live video (Jimi Goodwin and Conor Oberst in a gig on a previous post).  And I had to replace the De Lux song with another, "It All Works All the Time" as there wasn't anything to be had for "Moments." 

Link to listen and watch the montage here or click video below. 

Summer 2014 New Music Playlist

Summer is finally here!  Fire up the barbie and get out those picnic blankets, along with this playlist of new tunes from recent releasesto provide the perfect soundtrack.  This compilation of seventeen songs is culled from a bounty of new music out of the West Coast, especially San Francisco (Waters, Papercuts and Fresh & Onlys), plus an international mix from across the pond, especially the U.K. (Eno*Hyde, The Horrors, Damon Albarn and Jimi Goodwin).  Listen up here and see what catches your ear, enjoy! 

1. “Inspector Norse” – Todd Terje

Danish producer Terje Olse (a.k.a. Todd Terje) recently released a debut album called It’s Album Time. This closing track, “Inspector Norse” exudes fun, over-the-top electronic nu disco.

2. “Got to My Head” – Waters

This new five-piece band from San Francisco is gaining notice with the strength of the punchy power pop found in this single, “Got to My Head.”

3. “Daddy’s Car” – Eno*Hyde  

Legendary producer/composer Brian Eno channels yet another musical vision, this time with U.K. group Underworld’s singer Karl Hyde for an album called Someday World.  The layers of synths, vocals and Hyde’s guitar present a full band approach for a song about paternal protection.

4. “Keys” – Hooray For Earth

This lush electronic rock track is a teaser single for the upcoming second studio album from NYC based quartet Hooray For Earth.  Singer and multi-instrumentalist Noel Heroux creates a sonic world bordering on noise-pop with an anthem-like approach.

5. “Coming Down (featuring Matt Berninger)” ­– Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Philadelphia based indie rock band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (CYHSY) is back with a new lineup, which includes singer Alec Ounsworth and bassist/producer Matt Wong plus an added emphasis on electronics. “Coming Down” is a highlight of the fourth album, Only Run, enlisting the distinctive vocals of Matt Berninger from The National punctuating the tune.

6. “So Now You Know” – The Horrors

Veteran English indie rock band The Horrors returns with a fourth studio album aptly called Luminous.  The five-piece embraces a shimmering, lush sound with full-on production under the guidance of frontman/lead vocalist Faris Badwan.

7. “I’m Not Ready” – Chappo

Brooklyn based quartet Chappo released an infectious single, “I’m Not Ready,” ahead of its sophomore album, Future Former Self.  With Baton Rouge native Alex Chappo as lead singer/songwriter and guitarist, this psych rock band gamely incorporates a danceable beat with synth pop flourishes.

8. “Still Knocking at the Door” – Papercuts

Papercuts is the musical project of San Francisco singer/songwriter Jason Quever since 2000, with a sixth album called Life Among the Savages.  The signature baroque pop is fleshed out with studio musicians and a touring band as some of the new songs require a team approach.

9.  “Moments” – De Lux

The duo De Lux is clearly inspired by the New Wave music scene of the late 70s and early 80s in this song off the debut album Voyage. Sean Guerin and Isaac Franco embrace it so eagerly that it’d be a shame not to join in this post-disco dance-punk party.

10. “No Rest for the Wicked” – Lykke Li

Swedish singer/songwriter Lykke Li has released a third studio album, I Never Learn. Her powerhouse vocals soar over a synth foundation in this solid single for the collection, “No Rest for the Wicked.”

11. “Moving to the Left” – Woods

Brooklyn based folk rock band Woods finds a psychedelic twist for the laid back vibe in “Moving to the Left.” This latest jam via singer/songwriter Jeremy Earl is off of the sixth album, With Light and With Love.

12. “Oh! Whiskey” – Jimi Goodwin

U.K. band Doves is on hiatus, so frontman/singer Jimi Goodwin has released a debut solo album called Odludek.  With his sage vocal renderings resurfacing in “Oh! Whiskey,” this song veers through similar style transitions with guest musicians filling in as a backing band.

13. “Alexandra” – Hamilton Leithauser

Hamilton Leithauser is another frontman/singer finding new solo musical waters in a debut album, Black Hours, as NYC based indie stalwart The Walkmen has dispersed.  There’s an emotional urgency in “Alexandra,” with a stomping beat and Leithauser’s pleading vocals.

14. “Hundreds of Ways” – Conor Oberst

Inexhaustible singer/songwriter Conor Oberst recently released a sixth solo album (not to mention others since 1994 with Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk and Desparecidos), Upside Down Mountain. “Hundreds of Ways” is an upbeat tune in this new collection full of adult themes as Oberst makes his way into new territory, which now includes married life. 

15. “Animal of One” – The Fresh & Onlys

San Francisco garage rock band The Fresh & Onlys is back with a fourth album, House of Spirits.  The quartet mixes psych rock with a Californian aesthetic in this song, “Animal of One.”

16. “Supernova” – Ray LaMontagne

“Supernova” is the lead single and title track of a fifth album from singer/songwriter and New Hampshire native Ray LaMontagne. His earthy vocals and acoustic attitude infuse this lighthearted tune, along with other new offerings.

17. “Lonely Press Play” – Damon Albarn

Best known for his musical past with Blur and The Gorrillaz, British singer/songwriter Damon Albarn is released his first solo album, Everyday Robots. “Lonely Press Play” is a single for this definitive release, with his signature vocals contemplating a life on the road over a slow jam.