Tier II
50- Lazer/Wulf – Beast Reality (Center Piece) (Progressive Metal)
retrofuturist.bandcamp.com/tra…
Building an entire instrumental album in the style of a palindrome is a feat that would be consider insane to most. And maybe it is, but these guys did it anyway, and here’s the keystone to it all. Instrumentally technical, yet never falls into the trap that most overly technical songs do, in that it keeps its own unique charm, stays original, and keeps a great structure that stops it from falling into over-the-top pointless flaunting of skill. Plus the whole song in itself is a palindrome, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love palindromes.
49- Igorrr + Ruby My Dear – Alain (Breakcore)
[link]
Only this particular collaboration that simultaneously maintains such a level of cold-headedness and insanity at the same time.
48- Devin Townsend – Ziltoid Goes Home (Progressive Metal)
[link]
What I personally consider to be the climax of Z2. This song shifts between pumping riffs and glorious choral choruses, ending on a note that is, put simply, magnificent.
47- Liars – Mess On A Mission (Electronic / Alternative)
[link]
“FACTS ARE FACTS AND FICTION’S FICTION”
Absolutely every line from this song finds a way to dig into your mind, making the whole thing unforgettable. The dance-like beats and electronic colours only help enhance this experience.
46- Hail Mary Mallon – Jonathan (Abstract Hip-Hop)
[link]
While a little on the bass-heavy side for my tastes, Jonathan has Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic trading lines in some incredibly creative, light-hearted and just overall catchy ways. Both are on top of their game today, and boy is it easy to tell.
45- St Vincent – Huey Newton (Art Pop)
[link]
I consider this song to be a two-parter. The first falls more into a more romantically sad nature of the digital love, and the second downright crushes it. Both however, are complimented by beautifully fitting electronic backings. The transformation of this song is truly something to behold though.
44- Schizoid Lloyd – Suicide Penguin (Avant-Garde/Progressive Metal)
blood-music.bandcamp.com/track…
Grand and creative, with hints of Leprous, Queen and possibly even Mr Bungle. If you’re like me, you know exactly why that’s a brilliant combination to find.
43- ◻ - Precious Poppy (Experimental Electronic)
[link]
Beats breath in and out. An explosion. A trance. A robot tries to breath, to sing. It works.
42- Bent Knee – Being Human (Progressive Art Rock)
[link]
Makes you feel human. That middle section is just… wow…
41- Swans – Oxygen (Experimental Rock)
[link]
Thrashing drums keep the energy rolling. Filthy guitar lines drive home the mood. And Michael Gira’s singing reaches an all new extreme as he barks out his lungs for Oxygen. Ferocity unmatched. Will make you want to dance for reasons you can’t explain. Your body just has to react somehow. Explosions. Sound. Is it insane? Who knows?
40- Open Mike Eagle – Dark Morning Comedy Show (Abstract Hip-Hop)
[link]
Clever lyricism, one of my favourite beats of the year and a nostalgic sense of remembrance. The Dark Comedy is real, and it’s here in all of its glory.
39- Cynic – Endlessly Bountiful (Art Rock)
[link]
Cynic show the ends of their metamorphosis, and emerge from the cocoon with a brand new array of colours that take the listener by surprise, but in the best of ways. The song itself starts simple, but just continues evolving, building to the point where you just can’t help but feel happiness. “We’re Endlessly Bountiful” indeed.
38- Sohn – Tempest (Art Pop / Electronic)
[link]
One of my all-time favourite uses of vocal looping. Never outstays its welcome, and introduces you to the group with maturity and finesse.
37- St Vincent – Rattlesnake (Art Pop)
[link]
St Vincent presents a really unique type of pop song with some incredible production and great songwriting. Electronic overdrive.
36- KOOL A.D. – OPEN LETTER (Abstract Hip-Hop)
[link]
If personality was all it took to captivate hearts, then KOOL A.D. would be the king of the scene. Incredibly lax and playful, you can’t help but smile at this rather jazzy track. The lyricism is the icing on the cake.
35- Destrage – Destroy Create Transform Sublimate (Progressive Metalcore)
[link]
Destrage breathe life into a genre that has felt dead for a long time. Creative, original, and pulls out all of the stops. You’ll never predict to what extremes these guys will take the song next, and that’s part of the beauty of it. The energy never cools, and you’re getting everything you could’ve wanted from a band like this. Breakcore outro? Sure, why not?
34- Devin Townsend – Rejoice (Progressive Metal)
[link]
Wall. Of. Sound.
33- tUnE-yArDs – Hey Life (Art Pop)
[link] (Couldn't find a studio version, so brought in a live one. Personally, I actually prefer their live stuff anyway)
Creative and catchy, with lyrics that are both clever and amusing. A huge variety in sound. It’s just something you haven’t quite heard before. Once again, I just have to especially commend tUnE-yArDs for the creative percussion and the great variety in Merrill Garbus’ vocal delivery.
32- PoiL – Brossaklitt (Avant-Prog)
[link]
It’s just… insane. Insane with a flair that is distinctly French.
31- Ariel Pink – Plastic Raincoats In The Pig Parade (Psychedelic Pop)
[link]
A song that’s way too happy when it shouldn’t be. So many blissful transitions, you can’t settle for just one.
30- Jordan Rudess – Explorations For Keyboard & Orchestra (Modern Classical)
[link]
The keyboard wizard lets his imagination fly, and the orchestra captures that image perfectly. Rudess still keeps his progressive rock roots as a clear influence, but the final product is something much more than that. It really shows just how far Rudess has come and matured as a composer compared to the rather cheesy symphonic opening he did for Dream Theater’s “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence”.
29- ∆ (Alt-J) – Hunger Of The Pine (Indie Pop / Art Pop)
[link]
Emotionally trancelike, this song builds to be unlike anything the band has tried before. Heck, they somehow make a Miley Cyrus sample actually work in the song’s favour.
28- BADBADNOTGOOD – Can’t Leave The Night (Jazz Fusion / Instrumental Hip-Hop)
- Leaving the video in because it's probably my favourite music video of the year -
A song that perfectly captures the soul of music, and the soullessness of the world that likes to use it. It creates a story through the contrast of its subtle beauty and cold, calculated lack of emotion in sections.
27- Kishi Bashi – Philosophize With It! Chemicalize With It! (Art Pop)
[link]
We need more songs that really just focus on that feeling of pure musical bliss. Kishi Bashi’s violin opens up with an incredibly joyful line, and from then we’re treated to one of the happiest songs of the year. Assured smiles all around. A complete song. Romantic yet with child-like passion. Graceful and playful.
26- Amerigo Gazaway: Yaasin Gaye – Inner City Travellin’ Man (Mashup / Conscious Hip-Hop)
[link]
Soul-tinged to capture the soul. The beat just carries you.
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Introduction + Tier IV - 
Top 101 Songs of 2014 - Intro + Tier IV (101-76)
(101-76)
So yet another year has passed us by and another batch of music has found its way to our ears, and hopefully our minds. Needless to say, the point of this here journal is quite clear. There were a good load of great songs this year, and I'm gonna be counting down some of my favourite.
These are all songs from 2014 that I would rate a 9/10 of higher, so it's needless to say that I'd recommend absolutely every single one of these, so if you find something that catches your interest, just trust me here and give it a listen.
There's only one rule I placed for this list; I can only have a maximum of 3 songs per band, else we may have found entire albums on this list. That being said, there was one band that I absolutely had to make an exception for. Who was it? We'll find out in time. Now with that all said, let's get this list started.
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Tier IV
101- Sockweb
Tier III -
Top 101 Songs of 2014 - Tier III (75-51)
(75-51)
Tier III
75- Wave Racer – Streamers (Purple Sound)
[link]
A truly blissful single that takes that element of glee that you only seem to find in children nowadays and represents it perfectly through it’s own unique poppy, electronic style. Guaranteed to make you smile.
74- Vampillia – Ice Fist (Avant-Garde Metal)
-Video included because it compliments the song's style perfectly, and only enhances the experience-
Rarely will you find a song that conveys as much ferocity as it does beauty in the way that this does. But Vampillia manage to pull it off with their own signature Japanese flair. This song can seamlessly transition from soothing to brutal to playful thanks to the band’s absolute mastery of their style. Nothing is expected, but everything just falls into place, like the pieces of a beautifully dark, twisted puzzle.
Tier I -
Top 25 Songs Of 2014 (Tier I)
(Top 25)
I'll tell you guys, making this list has been a huge project for me; way larger than I would have even predicted, at the least. And we've finally reached the culmination of it all.
Fun fact, the word-count put into this last section of my Top 101 Songs of 2014 is actually larger than the word count of all the previous parts combined. That's how much of an impact these last bunch of songs left on me.
So I hope you all don't mind the walls of text, but I had a lot to say about these, and I hope my passion for these tracks catches on with you all.
With that said, let's get this over with. Here's to 2014!
Tier I
25- Hail Mary Mallon – Hang Ten (Abstract Hip-Hop)
[link]
“I’ve been having hallucinations…”
Here’s where things start getting truly special. Hang Ten is a brilliant track, taking a beautifully
