Favorite Songs - 2014
Whenever it comes to musical taste I always preach there is no right and there is no wrong.
Especially no wrong.
Our job at SYFFAL is not to tell you what to listen to; there are thousands of blogs who pretend to be the authority in that area. Rather, we share with our readers the music that we love and we write about it with unashamed enthusiasm. We hope to bring you joy and we hope to bring artists fans.
We aren't critics. We are a community.
Below you will find a list of 10 songs from each member of our staff. These tracks are our favorites from 2014; the songs range from the pop perfection of Taylor Swift to underground Indie rappers like Nocando. Fuck, thanks to Joel a country song even made the list this year. It's a SYFFAL miracle!
In the spirit of community we ask you to share a song that we missed and you love. Reply to us with a link via the social mediaz. Let's listen to as much good shit as possible today. Why? because it's fucking Wednesday.
Tom Doz
10. Chet Faker - Release Your Problems: This song is SEX, but without gravity.
9. Hundred Waters - Murmurs: This song is great because it's so beautifully disconcerting. It's like one of those reoccurring dreams when the walls are slowly closing but you can't escape the approaching doom because your legs are paralyzed.
8. The War On Drugs - An Ocean In Between The Waves: Best song off of the (spoiler alert) best album of 2014.
7. Tashaki Miyaki - There Was A Light: Can a guitar solo push this song all the way up into my top ten? Yes. Yes it can. Be prepared to lose your breath at 1.43.
6. Strand Of Oaks - Goshen '97: Straight up screechin' guitar, hook grabbin, slap me in the face and tattoo my testicles rock and roll.
5. Perfume Genius - Queen: I support the right for bigoted assholes to say what ever they want about gay people. And I support gay people's right to make these bigoted assholes feel as uncomfortable as possible by flaunting their 'gayness' in public. 'No family is safe, when I sashay.'
4. TOPS - Outside: This song is like working out in sweatpants. So humid in your groin crevices.
3. Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams: Usually it's me earning the restraining orders from my favorite bands. But this time it's Timber Timbre doing the creeping. Listening to the song is like being saran wrapped to a metal table by Dexter if he was slightly balding and smelled like cheese curds. Yet, the feeling is surprisingly delightful. And can I add how fucking amazeballz that sax solo at the end is?
2. Wildcat! Wildcat! - Marfa: I love this song for so many reasons, but mostly because of the part at 4.10. If you don't swoon here you are dead inside.
1. Phantogram - Fall In Love: At the beginning of the year I had a hard time believing any other song could beat out Phantogram for my top spot...and it didn't happen. The fucking beats on this on this song pound on me. It's like the fat kid in gym class is jumping rope on my chest and I'm gasping for air every time the rope hits me at the bottom of his swang.
Joel Frieders
10. Angus & Julia Stone - Grizzly Bear: This song is my palm trees out my window on my way to work song. I don't have palm trees in Illinois, but I have this.
9. Germany Germany - Ennui: I fucking love this whole album. But this song bro, the guitar coming in over the twinkle synths? MAKES ME FEEL ALL OF THE FEELS.
8. Bombay Bicycle Club - Overdone: I remember the first time I heard this and saying to myself "holy shit this sounds like everything I've ever wanted in music".
7. Sturgill Simpson - It Ain't All Flowers: This new style of country where it's an outlaw on mushrooms? Yeah, I can completely fucking get behind it. Amazingly original and captivating bro. STURGILL! HAVE MY BABY!
6. Greylag - Another: Whenever I need to be reminded that it's okay to love the same music you used to love in high school, I pop this song on and then stick out my tongue at myself and say "HAH! IT WAS WRITTEN THIS YEAR! HAH!". I love this bands balls on my chin.
5. Waterstrider - Redwood: This fucking song has been my jam sammich since I first heard it. If only this band of assholes had more fucking music afuckingvailable I would have more of their musicock in my mouth hole.
4. Ben Howard - End of the Affair: This song is so disarming it's unlawful. When it finally has me by the throat I'm sobbing like Tom's chin. So gorgeous it's painful.
3. Death From Above 1979 - Right On, Frankenstein: This song is the biggest Fuck yea of the year. I play air drums using ONLY my middle fingers to this song.
2. Flight Facilities - Apollo: This song reminds me of what I used to feel when my friends were DJing clubs and I could stand in a sea of people dancing around me and just smile. I adore how this song feels.
1. Caribou - Silver: I want to live the rest of my life feeling how this song makes me feel whenever I even fucking THINK about it. This song is 2014 for me.
Tim Baker
10. Nocando - Break Even: Every time this song comes on I crack a beer. It is my very own drinking game, not that I need an excuse to drink, because I don't! The hook and horns on this fucker just making drinking that much more fun.
9. Megabusive - Sidewalk Symphonies: Dude. Just fucking dude. Beat sounds like something from the Chubb Rock category, meshed and melded with one of the Bay Area's finest. If I had a dune buggy this would be the only song that is ever allowed in the system bro!
8. Andrew Milicia - Elevator Music: From the Rushmore sample to the jazzy beats, to Andrew sounding like he eats the dust from a tile cutter, this song is perfect in every way. It is one of a two songs that I rap along to in the shower. The other - Bust a Move.
7. Sun Kil Moon - Ben's My Friend: The best rap song of 2014.
6. Father John Misty - Bored in The USA: The first glimpse into what is surely going to be the only album I listen to in 2015.
5. Strand of Oaks - Goshen 97: The album was such a monumental disappointment to me, but Goshen 97 is the kind of song you wash your car to in slow motion bro. PURE FUN AND TITTIES ON THE WINDSHIELD!
4. L'Orange - Need You (Feat. Blu): Fuck buying that new Wu hunk of crap. Just listen to this song 13 times.
3. Ben Enalo - Gutter: Ben fucking kills this song. I want to sample the groove and bend it into all sorts of acrobatic positions, while smoking a Newport and sitting on the window sill and gaze upon it with pure intoxicated admiration after a quick self love sesh with said loop .
2. Open Mike Eagle - History of Modern Dance: Mike Eagle is the artist of the year. Straight up! This song is everything I love about rap music. PE style dissonance, clever raps, and dancing. Perfect Mike. fucking PERFECT!
1. Taylor Swift - Shake It Off: Fuck the year, this is the best song of this century. Outside of my family, NOTHING MAKES ME HAPPIER THAN THIS SONG. Taylor Swift is a fucking genius. This beat is pure candy and her voice just tickles my innards. I am so in love bro. If you do not find this song to be pure joy I am convinced that you are a liar and raised by parents with poor character. Love, Tim.
Del LeFevre
10. LANY - Walk Away: I don't know much about LANY but I do know this song is some next level Gayngs shit. It has haunted me with its Winwoodian charms all year.
9. The Raveonettes - Killer in the Streets: The Raveonettes got discredited in 2014 with a "been there, done that" attitude because of their consistent output in years past. Big mistake. This is so much more.
8. Lykke Li - I Never Learn: Lykke Li made Beck's follow up to Sea Change for him after him. This is a bluer Blue Moon.
7. Rick Ross - Sanctified (feat/ Kanye West and Big Sean): "Really me?! Too Aggressive?!" Kanye gets me you guys. All I want is 100 million dollars, a bad bitch, and this song on repeat. Forever.
6. Spoon - New York Kiss: If ever I wanted to sell somebody on Spoon I would present them with this song. If ever I wanted to sell someone on a soundtrack to strut down the NY streets to I would also present hem this song.
5. Cultfever - Gloria: Brooklyn's Cultfever decided they wanted to take ownership of the name "Gloria" away from Laura Branigan's pop schlock. They nailed it and then some. Big things in 2015. I can feel it.
4. White Sea - It Will End in Disaster: The 2:55 mark will restore your faith in life.
3. Small Wonder - Until I Open My Wings: This song has a certain gravitas that ensnares you right from the jump off. It holds you tighter and tighter until it offers up a liberating release in the form of an off tempo his and her call and response sing off.
2. The Juan Maclean - The Sun Will Never Set On Our Love: A ten minute tour of swirling sounds guided by the steady sound of Nancy Whang's down on the disco ground voice will make anyone crave some early onset cocaine blues.
1. Caribou - Can't Do Without You: I said it once and I'll say it again; Longing repetition never felt so pressing and impassioned.
Johnny Symmes
10. Blueprint - Perspective: Another solid jam by printmatic. Dude is always solid and this one was really deep.
9. My Body Sings Electric - Oceancrest: These dudes are the dudes who are my dudes. This song is the best song about murdering someone and hiding the body.
8. Air Dubai - Warning (feat. Patricia Lynn): The song and video dropped awhile ago but finally came out on the long awaited album Be Calm. AD continues to slay shit on the reg.
7. PHOX - Slow Motion: This is kind of cheating but it is on the 2014 release of PHOX's so technically... It's just such a great song. Her voice, ugh. Swoon city.
6. RiFF RAFF - TiP TOE WiNG iN MY JAWWDiNZ: Dude made a huge splash with his debut and this song became a part of pop culture. When something is referenced this much and I sing it this much, it must be worthy. It is.
5. Run The Jewels ft. Zach De La Rocha - Close Your Eyes and Count to Fuck: RTJ2 did not disappoint and this song is bananas. Makes me want to smash all my furniture to pieces and burn the pieces and smoke the ashes.
4. Phantogram - Fall In Love: Can't hate this song. Too incredible. The definition of vibe. I don't know if they will ever make another song this amazing but I hope so.
3. ScHoolboy Q - Man Of The Year: It has been a long year but I feel like people forgot about ScHoolboy dropping one of the most solid albums early this year. Gotta love this joint. Bruh.
2. Taylor Swift - Shake It Off: Talk shit about this pick and I will sick the ghost of Tim Baker on you. T Swifty just owned the game with this shit. It's over.
1. Open Mike Eagle - Qualifiers: Of all the songs this year this is the one I sang the most, played the most, danced around in my boxer briefs the most. This OME album was great but something about this song tugs at the fleshy patch on my chest where chest hair would be if I had any.
Ralph Perez
10. Ill Clinton - Dip On The 2: I've developed a cheese steak sized , artery clogging crush on all things Clinton and this song is my extra peppers. The samples, the fuzz, the drums, the moods. All of it is my own personal OST when commuting on these dark, damp mornings.
9. Rick Ross - Nobody: if its not French Montana crushing the hook, or Ross delivering some of his best work to date, its Diddy preaching his ass off. B.I.G remake or not, this is Rick at his finest and most focused thus far. BAWSE.
8. Busdriver - Colonize The Moon: I can't get this hook, or Drivers melodies and delivery out of my head. I'd be the first on his Matthew McConaughey machine to the interstellars. Driver has successfully led the Hellfyre gang on a quest for interplanetary dominance this year.
7. Run The Jewels - Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) Feat. Zach De La Rocha: If there was a song this year that could lead me to fist fighting soccer moms, and tennis dads in line at Target its this one. EL is at this point, one of the top 5 producers ever. And the team of Mike, EL and fucking ZACH is like the climax of the greatest Tarantino film set to monster ass drums.
6. RapSody - Godzilla: RapSody is on some, Snoop knocking down buildings with this shit, and she's probably one of the best, least talked about lyricist in hiphop right now, because sexism is real. But make no mistakes, she can rap fucking circles around the ballsiest set of balls in the game, and snatch any self imposed crown off the top of over inflated egos. This song is 100 Proof.
5. Sage Francis - Vonnegut Busy: this song is the meaning of modern man-child adulthood. shit gets hard and heavy,and this is my theme music. Uncle Sage does it again, not only with the song, but "Copper Gone" as a whole.
4. Clippings - Body & Blood: I don't even know what to say about these guys or this song other than, HOLY Fuck I LOVE YOU DAVEED! The razor sharp delivery, the macabre imagery, and NIN synth gene pool splicing, are all wicked as Fuck!
3. Uncommon Nasa - This Bodega's Trying To Kill Me featuring Elucid: This is on some classic "Code Of The Streets" style hood preaching magic. Uncommon Nasa & Elucid go Anthony Mason on Bodega owners, with elbows flying hard in the paint.
2. Schoolboy Q - Break The Bank: this was literally my ringtone for most of this year. Q & Alchemist produced a magic ass paper chasing banger that drills It's way into your brain vaults. I spent most of the summer driver seat dancing to this with my daughter in the back. heavy eye rolling.
1. Open Mike Eagle - A History Of Modern Dance: Jeremiah Jae's production is so low and gritty, it provides Mike the perfect backdrop to get instructional on that ass. There was no doubt, OME owned the Fuck out of this year and put several arm lengths between himself and everything else.
Employee
10. clipping - Work Work: If the hook isn't your and your mom's mantra when the curtain drops, you two didn't belong on stage to begin with.
9. Freddie Gibbs - Scarface: A minute of Rap that is SO-EFFING-HARD it makes your face numb like a fingernail full of cocaine.
8. ScHoolboy Q - Hell Of A Night: The chanting by itself makes me want to set the roof on fire, but when paired with the beat it becomes a bomb, baby.
7. Spit Gemz & G.S. Advance - Serpents: Fake occult suckers get served up a mouthful of morals on this collaborative Rubik Cube.
6. clipping - Something They Don't Know b/w Mouth: The Wild, Wild West waits for no man and this posse cut proves it.
5. Opski Chan (Prod. by SOLPLUSTEN) - Crumbs: Snakes can slither the day away, but Opski Chan will always be there to decapitate the slimy bastards.
4. TOPS - Outside: I discovered this song barely a month ago and it's already owned me harder than a 240 LB. married Dominatrix.
3. Milo ft. Open Mike Eagle - Objectifying Rabbits: This: "...In lieu of paying rent, buy a painting...approach a dead bird the way you would your dad hanging, in Trafalgar Square."
2. Lukah Luciano - Johnny Dangerously: Some buff spitting from Bluff City with a superbly serrated style.
1. clipping - Inside Out: The perfect song for every invisible club that's ever been in business.
Brandon Backhaus
10. Intuition & Equilibrium - Ruins: This song just hits home when it comes on while I’m making them yung Sunday mernin’ omelettes.
9. Sadistik - Chemical Burns: Sadistik’s record was heavy already without the ghost of Mikey Larsen gifting us one more go ‘round for the ghoulishly gaunt and gorgeous.
8. Milo - peanut butter sandwiches: Milo isn’t a rapper. But he is. He isn’t a young, black and gited, except he most certainly is. And he isn’t doing anything artistically revolutionary, except when he is. And he is.
7. Nocando - 3rd World Hustle: Jamaica, Jakarta, Tijuana, Somalia… Fuck a first world problem, I got 3rd world hustle. Pretty much sums up how Tom and I are diffs, bros.
6. Tashaki Miyaki - There Was a Light: That I’m in love with this trio as much as I am, and have seen them play as many times as I have, without even having a proper album, speaks to their irresistibility.
5. Busdriver - Eat the Rich: Busdriver is the Ornette Coleman of rap music. A dissonant dissident destroying the dreary disappearing rap status quo one decade at a time.
4. Francisco the Man - In The Corners: Francisco the Man’s trademark shoegaze funk goes full frontal on this soaring track. I owe them burritos.
3. Blueprint - Perspective: I’d vote for Blueprint for president and “Perspective” could be ratified as the Constitution.
2. Young Fathers - War: I was in love with “War”, bros. I don’t think a song got bumped more this year when it came out.
1. Open Mike Eagle - Very Much Money (Ice King Dream): Open Mike is unabashedly my favorite person on the planet. And this might be my favorite song of the decade, already.