30. Body & Blood - Clipping. - Clppng





This is the only song I listened to all year that made me nauseous. It's such a gruesome song that I haven't watched the video, nor do I want to embed the actual song here. It's here because it is possibly the most unsettling song I have ever heard and it plays out like Saw or Hostel set to song without the fun. That being said, there was also no track that hits like this one. As gruesome as it is, it's fascinating and endlessly listenable; not to mention that this track is a pure banger that plays like the M.I.A. of "Steppin' Up" went crazy and enjoyed torturing people for fun.




29. Jason Derulo (feat. 2 Chainz) - Talk Dirty -Talk Dirty






2014 was a lot of things musically speaking, fun is not one of them. So many songs and pop musicians seemed to completely lose touch with fun. Even Katy Perry of all people released the worst, most deflated, serious, and mopey single of her career. This isn't about Birthday though. Talk Dirty is just mindless dumb fun and Jason plays the excellent leader for the song. That sax hook is endlessly catchy, there are plenty of quotables, the video has excellent dancing. Pretty much the only thing holding it back from being considered as one of the best singles of the year is the fact that it reminds people of a Jason Derulo song.



28. Thirsty (feat. Rich Homie Quan) - Mariah Carey - Me. I Am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse (Now appearing regularly in Vegas sponsored by Butterfly brand drinkable liquids)






Mariah Carey breaks free from a certain someone who used to be Mr. all about we, but now is just thirsty for celebrity. Mariah may be heavily photoshopped on the cover of the album, but everything else about the music here is tight. The Hit-Boy beat is wicked, Quon's background chanting is hypnotic and Mariah doesn't let up on her delivery. Even though the track is contemporary and completely modern, it is still completely her and manages to avoid sounding like its trend-hopping or an attempt to stay relevant like some other rapidly mummifying artists. Excellent song.




27.Wave - Beck - Morning Light






One of the exceptions to the disappointing wave (pun unintended) of music releases last year seemed to be artists coming back after a long break. Morning Phase was Beck's first alum in more than a half-decade. The guy truly can (and pretty much has) do it all. Wave slowly swells with dramatic strings, cresting as he sings of loneliness. It's a stunning track.




26. Do Better (feat. Brandy) - Chris Brown - X






The 1-2 punch of Autumn Leaves and Do Better is X's secret weapon that immediately makes it his best alum (if that's a thing). Chris sings of being unloved and fading away (to the hope of most of the public). The track isn't the catchiest of the year, or the best constructed but Chris and mostly Brandy bring the emotion to take this track to another level.

36. Giant Squid - Minoans








Periodically I browse through Pitchfork to see what they're reviewing and if anything looks interesting. They review a lot of nonsense and I feel for the staff, but it must be incredibly cool to be able to come across something that wasn't even on your radar until you cross paths with it. I'm not going to lie, I only checked out this album because I liked the cover, but I'm glad I did! It's an incredibly unique album, it blends metal with more eastern inspired music and singing. I can't say I have every heard anything like it and I fell in love. Apparently there is also a concept aout Minoan civilization also running through here also.



35. Tim McGraw - Sundown Heaven Town








I really liked his last album "Two Lanes Of Freedom" so I thought that I would check this one out, especially since Celebrate kept plugging Shotgun Rider (which is an awesome song, check it out) and this is a great country album. It's a little overlong, but an excellent collection of modern country. Many of the songs are light and agreeable and the nods at bro-country are strong (Dust or Lookin' For That Girl). Best of all, besides the breezy Shotgun Rider, are the 50s throwback Lincoln Continentals and Cadillacs and The View.


34. Todd Terje - It's Album Time








I don't know if I liked this music as much as I thought I would. It's still a very good album and has some very fun (and funny) songs, but I did kind of feel that it was a little bit frontloaded. Still, it's a great album and it's hard for tracks like Delorean Dynamite not to put a smile on your face (the title alone). The album is mostly instrumental and ranges from more latin inspired rhythms to tracks that sound as if they could soundtrack an 80s detective show. It's also a very fun driving around album.



33. Helms Alee - Sleepwalking Sailors







Another album that I just checked out because I liked the cover Generally, I know what I like though so cover art usually doesn't lead me wrong. Something about this album is incredible. I don't know too much about these guys honestly, I didn't do my homework here, but the album kind of sounds a little like the cover art suggests. Something about the album is really calming (even though it's a metal album), like floating is a pool, but it also has this heavy pressure surrounding it; the album is also likely to float by on more instrumental stretches and then pummel you.



32. Hozier - Hozier







Definitely one of the best new rock acts of the decade. Strange that he debuted the same day as Tinashe and that we got two of the year's best debuts from two of the most fully formed artists of the year. Hozier has a sound all his own, it's dark, earthy, and bluesy. Sometimes the album will take on a folkier sound and other times, like on the Massive Take Me To Church it's urgent and humongous, like a towering Gothic Cathedral. His lyrics remain incredible and affecting throughout. The album isn't without it's faults, there are a couple throwbacks to 90s alt-rock like "Jackie and Wilson" and "Someone New," but that's fine, there's just room for improvement on the next album.