My Favourite Songs of 2014

Ok, so before this year gets steamrolling with music I really love (I’m already smitten with an EP of dance tracks that samples space sounds recorded by NASA and an upcoming album by a band whose oldest member is only 16 (!)) I must share the tracks I loved in 2014. The year can be summed up as  a musical dream come true, mainly because La Roux finally released an album after FIVE YEARS of luminous electro-poplessness and I could once again dote on her fabulous falsetto. And then,to add to the dream, I got to see her perform live: she was amazing and cool and she danced and played guitar and threw a sweat towel into the audience.

So this playlist obviously includes my Queen of Pop (La Roux’s pop perfection is a whole ‘nother post) and many ditties that are contenders to be my personal Song of the Year. Ultimately, I’d have to give that title to ‘Hey Mami’ by Sylvan Esso, because even though I’ve listened to it an abusive number of times, the tune actually still physically gets me every time Amelia Meath starts singing and the electronics drop a few seconds later. Plus, ‘Hey Mami’ is a bit of a feminist anthem calling out cat calling, and there’s nothing I like more than a good jam with a good point.

As for Album of the Year, I want to say Chet Faker’s Built on Glass for it’s albuminess (take that The Album is Dead theorists!). The collection of tracks works best when listened to as a whole, and though there are single songs, like ‘Talk is Cheap’, that could be played on their own all day, most are best in the context of the thoughtful 51 minutes. Chet Faker also appears twice in this playlist because ‘Lesson in Patience’ is just the perfect track to wind down a party or listening session, and my favourite thing about it is that the song is so named because Faker doubts his sax playing skills (for no reason!).

So here’s my 2014 in a nutshell.The best thing about the beginning of a new year is the thought of all the music that is going to embellish the seasons, and the thought of a soundtrack to remind you of those that have been.