#75: "Old Love/New Love", Twin Shadow
We're kicking things off today with one of very few video game soundtrack songs to ever catch my attention. The greatest video game soundtrack in my life was probably Wipeout XL (if you like 90s electronic tunes, you're welcome)>, although the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto 5 put two songs on this list, so it must be in the discussion. Twin Shadow will also make another appearance later on as a featured artist.
#74: "Love Never Felt So Good", Michael Jackson & Justin Timberlake
Shoot. I've phrased things a couple of times as if there was only one dead guy on this list. R.I.P. MJ. I've included the original version, although I prefer the JT version (Soundcloud has some sped-up version of that song that doesn't do the song justice). Michael Jackson seriously knew what he was doing circa 1980 and this song goes right back to those days. A surprising sound to hear on the radio this past summer, but very refreshing.
#73: "Flickers", London Grammar
And here is the second of three tracks from London Grammar's 2014 release on the 2014 wrap. It was a tough call to put this one above "Wasting My Young Years" and there may even be a bit of regret in doing so. Too close to call. FYI it looks like they're kicking off a tour in 2015 in Montreal and Toronto before heading down the east coast and then skipping over to the West Coast of the US in February and then Australia in March.
#72: "Bath is Black", Marika Hackman
This song is actually from Marika's second EP, released in February of 2013 (she has released another two since). A very playful little tune. I have to admit I haven't listened to much of her other material but am making a mental note to do so in the near future.
#71: "The Way We Touch", WE ARE TWIN
I'm shocked this song didn't make my 2013 best-of list - it must have just fallen short. It reminds me very much of "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse featuring production work by Mark Ronson. This is a good thing, by the way.
#70: "Stand Still", Flight Facilities feat. Micky Green
The stopwatch percussion throughout the song is awesome. Not as awesome (or organic, for that matter) as Clapton and Sting flicking a Zippo lighter in "It's Probably Me", but they still score points. Flight Facilities has put out a number of quality tracks over the past few years and if popularity were measured in Soundcloud streams, then the winner would clearly be "Clair de Lune" featuring Christine Hoberg. Check it out.
#69: "Bloodsport", Raleigh Ritchie
Our favourite Game of Thrones eunuch is responsible for this one. Rithcie, a.k.a. Grey Worm, a.k.a. Jacob Anderson released two Black and Blue EPs this year and "Bloodsport" was featured on the January release. Again, I've been remiss in not following up with some of his other material. Add it to the to-do list.
#68: "Gravity", Lusine
This is one of the weirder finds of the year. While watching the YouTube feed from Coachella back in April, the above clip would come on as filler in between sets. I ended up going down the rabbit hole to find out about Lusine as well as Poetic Kinetics, the group that designs a number of the art installations for the music festival.
#67: "Looking too Closely", Fink
I just finished writing about this track last month so feel free to check that post out. I still can't believe that this guy used to be a bleeps and bloops Ninja Tune DJ. Bananas.
#66: "Seasons (Waiting On You)", Future Islands
Man that Letterman performance is still awesome to watch. Some people just want it more than others and never mail it in. Love that bass riff too. This song is very difficult to classify, which makes it more surprising that it found a nice little audience this year. For something completely different, check out this remix of "Seasons" that makes it feel even more retro.
#65: "Hey Mami", Sylvan Esso
As per The Hype Machine, Sylvan Esso was the 15th most blogged-about artist of the year. Not a bad way to kickstart a career with a whole pile of buzz. Also of note, this song hung around in the Spotify Viral 50 for something like six months. I don't even understand how one can sustain viral-ity (little blue pills?)
#64: "Home", Naughty Boy feat. Sam Romans
I don't typically fall for this uplifting feel-good stuff, but I got suckered this time. Naughty Boy, best known for their hit "La La La" featuring Sam Smith, hit some nice notes with this soulful number, which ended up being a minor hit in the U.K. Romans is a ROC Nation signee and was featured on the new Mary J. Blige album, The London Sessions. Looking forward to seeing what he does next with that voice.
#63: "I Can't Keep Up", Tourist feat. Will Heard
3,000,000 Soundcloud streams!? Wow, that's unexpected. So some other people might have been feeling this one in 2014. Wiki says that "With much comparison to the likes of Amy Winehouse, D'Angelo, and Daniel Merriweather, [Will Heard] has been named as one of the world's most-up-and-coming Jazz-influenced musicians with high regards from industry natives" and that his next single, "Walking Down the Street" is coming out next month.
#62: "Southern Sun", Boy & Bear
After The War on Drugs' "Red Eyes" broke my computer earlier this year, it was a bit of a no-brainer that I'd be into this song. The kind of track that lets you get into classic rock without listening to classic rock (as per hypem.com). A big year for these Aussies - not only did this song hit #63 on the local charts back home but they rocked some European's worlds too, reaching #82 in France. I suppose that was slightly sarcastic.
#61: "Drifting", Nate Eiesland
I still don't know too much about Nate. He started out in the American heartland in a five some named Scattered Trees and this trimmed down to a trio named ON AND ON. As far as I know, this is his only piece of solo music out there, and it's definitely worth a listen. I'm hoping that there's more to come.
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