A little bit of Stankonia-era Kast. A lottle bit of positivity. Maybe the world isn't just a ghetto, maybe the world is something nicer, like the pre-game to a Schoolboy Q show.
14. Lykke Li - "Sleeping Alone"
Yeah for all the bombast on the tracks that precede it, this is the most devastating song on the album, that morning after when you don't whether everything's gonna be OK or not. Gorgeous accompaniment.
13. Spoon - "Rent I Pay"
There were more drastic shining pop moments and descents into weirdness all around it on the album, but Spoon's most straightforward blues stomper in a long time was the best rock moment of 2014.
12. Nicki Minaj f/ PTAF - "Boss Ass Bitch (Remix)"
SWITCH IT UP. SWITCH IT UP. GRILL MY SWORDFISH. That "on the song along, bitch is on her fourth flow" would actually make sense on this one. Tempted to say it's the best thing she's ever done, and it's helped by the fact that it sounds like Nicki only needed 4 minutes and 10 seconds to knock it off and absolutely no time beyond. Just god damn.
11. D'Angelo - "1000 Deaths"
Leading the troops into battle with this earth-shaking ass rallying cry. I love how it's so noisy but everything all comes together just in time at appropriate points during the song into a chorus you can actually shout along to. D'Angelo's thing historically has been blending tons of varying elements all into something quiet, but here's raised them up into something loud. Don't want no cracka Christ!
Well, it's EASILY my most played song of the past 2 years at least, so it did something right. It's the DJ Mustard formula stripped simultaneously to its sparsest + its most hypnotic. Not every urban B-lister though is working with an instrument like Jeremih's voice, and man he riiiiides the **** out of that beat. Then we have Young Gangst and his stories of twitter sexcapades breaking it all up right on time to keep the pacing on check. Call it sticking to a recipe and nailing the execution.
9. Real Estate - "Had to Hear"
Something I really loved about the Real Estate album was how it politely encapsulated the mood of suburban angst and such things, but its most obviously strong moments related more to that annoying feeling of missing the crew back home when you're out touring the world as part of your surf rock band that's blowing the up by surf rock band standards. The most gorgeous voice + the most gorgeous guitar tones.
8. St. Vincent - "Prince Johnny"
Working really well as the meeting point of Annie Clark's poppiest and most experimental instincts, but additionally as a character study of a fascinating person. Most of us probably know some Prince Johnnys in the real world, but here it gets interesting — what makes a REAL BOY? where do 'YOU' and 'WE' intersect? And fitting as the song never climaxes, we never get the answers to these questions; I get visual I get of Annie slowly chugging up along a mountain carrying a heavy backpack while singing the lyrics. It's a nice contrast to the dynamism of most of the other songs on her self-titled. You're kind, but you're not simple.
7. Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks - "Little Fang"
Suck it, Panda Bear! The historically wonkier of Animal Collective's 2 main players went surprisingly straightforward on this side project of his, and it worked so well. Less of a "slasher flick" vibe though, and more of a "old-school horror movie with special effects so bad that the whole thing becomes funny" type feel . Just watch the ^^video; it's really cute.
6. Jessie Ware - "Tough Love"
I only wanted to see you reach relationship contentedness...
IN THE PURPLE RAIN.
Quenched MY thirst for the proper Björkliyah hybrid popular music deserved in 2014. Striking some strange unstable balance between uneasiness and full submissive pleasure, like a lot of the best sex but not too much of the best sex music.
A STAR IS BORN.
Ha, #4 again what's up. Ambiguous and evasive but so so obviously emotionally charged. And the best straight melody I heard all year. Like conjuring the sense of sprinting away from something as fast as you can but looking back over your shoulder every 5 seconds because you know you're gonna miss the thing you're escaping from, but will never be able to come back. Poor On The Run Tour.
Still not understanding the backlash though.
I got into Kendrick in early 2014 and then he serves thaT for the new era.