Year-End Critics' Polls 2014

thank you!

PMA Tracks

100 Gorgon City, “Ready For Your Love”
99 Tegan And Sara, “Everything Is AWESOME!!! (featuring The Lonely Island)”
98 The War on Drugs, “Eyes To The Wind”
97 Savages, “Fuckers”
96 White Lung, “Snake Jaw”
95 Kyla La Grange, “Cut Your Teeth”
94 Damon Albarn, “Everyday Robots”
93 Neneh Cherry, “Blank Project”
92 Julian Casablancas + The Voidz, “Human Sadness”
91 Isaiah Rashad, “R.I.P. Kevin Miller”

90 Trust, “Capitol”
89 Rick Ross, “Sanctified” (featuring Kanye West & Big Sean)
88 Lewis, “I Thought The World of You”
87 Sun Kil Moon, “Micheline”
86 Supreme Cuts, “Gone” (featuring Mahaut Mondino)
85 Perfect Pussy, “Interference Fits”
84 YG, “Who Do You Love?” (featuring Drake)
83 Liars, “Vox Tuned D.E.D.”
82 White Sea, “Prague”
81 Angel Olsen, “Lights Out”

80 Against Me!, “True Trans Soul Rebel”
79 David Bowie, “Sue (Or in the Season of Crime)”
78 Strand of Oaks, “JM”
77 Beck, “Country Down”
76 Baths, “Ocean Death”
75 Phantogram, “Fall In Love”
74 Zola Jesus, “Dangerous Days”
73 Real Estate, “Talking Backwards”
72 Shabazz Palaces, “Forerunner Foray”
71 tUnE-yArDs, “Water Fountain”

70 Hundred Waters, “Murmurs”
69 SBTRKT, “NEW DORP. NEW YORK” (featuring Ezra Koenig)
68 Lana Del Rey, “Brooklyn Baby”
67 Ariana Grande, “Break Free” (featuring Zedd)
66 Jessie Ware, “Tough Love”
65 The War On Drugs, “Under The Pressure”
64 Todd Terje, “Johnny And Mary” (featuring Bryan Ferry)
63 Andy Stott, “Faith In Strangers”
62 Sharon Van Etten, “Every Time the Sun Comes Up”
61 Azealia Banks, “Ice Princess”

60 Swans, “A Little God In My Hands”
59 Mac Demarco, “Passing Out Pieces”
58 Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, “High” (featuring Danny Brown)
57 Future, “Move That Dope” (featuring Pharrell & Pusha T)
56 Ought, “Today More Than Any Other Day”
55 Lykke Li, “No Rest For The Wicked”
54 Charli XCX, “Boom Clap”
53 Jamie xx, “Sleep Sound”
52 Grimes, “Go” (featuring Blood Diamonds)
51 SOPHIE, “Hard”

50 Rustie, “Attak” (featuring Danny Brown)
49 Azealia Banks, “Chasing Time”
48 Drake, “0 To 100 / The Catch Up”
47 Beyoncé, “Partition”
46 A. G. Cook, “Keri Baby” (featuring Hannah Diamond)
45 Spoon, “Inside Out”
44 Alvvays, “Archie, Mary Me”
43 Aphex Twin, “minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]“
42 Mr. Twin Sister, “Blush”
41 Röyksopp & Robyn, “Do It Again”

40 How To Dress Well, “Repeat Pleasure”
39 Tinashe, “2 On” (featuring Schoolboy Q)
38 Real Lies, “North Circular”
37 Vic Mensa, “Down On My Luck”
36 Sharon Van Etten, “Your Love is Killing Me”
35 Perfume Genius, “Grid”
34 Cloud Nothings, “I’m Not Part of Me”
33 Flying Lotus, “Never Catch Me” (featuring Kendrick Lamar)
32 QT, “Hey QT”
31 Shamir, “On The Regular”

30 Beyoncé, “Flawless (Remix)” (featuring Nicki Minaj)
29 The Antlers, “Palace”
28 Wild Beasts, “Wanderlust”
27 Lana Del Rey, “West Coast”
26 FKA twigs, “Pendulum”
25 Schoolboy Q, “Man Of The Year”
24 Run The Jewels, “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”
23 Sun Kil Moon, “Ben’s My Friend”
22 Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”
21 St. Vincent, “Digital Witness”

20 Ms. Lauryn Hill, “Black Rage”
19 Ariana Grande, “Problem” (featuring Iggy Azalea)
18 Spoon, “Do You”
17 Beyoncé, “XO”
16 Future, “Benz Friendz (Whatchutola)” (featuring André 3000)
15 Kendrick Lamar, “i”
14 Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, “Little Fang”
13 Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”
12 The War On Drugs, “An Ocean In Between The Waves”
11 Against Me!, “Transgender Dysphoria Blues”

10 Caribou, "Can't Do Without You"
9 St. Vincent, "Prince Johnny"
8 “Drunk In Love” (ft. Jay Z)
7 ILOVEMAKONNEN, “Tuesday” (ft. Drake)
6 Future Islands, "Seasons (Waiting On You)"
5 Todd Terje, "Inspector Norse"
4 FKA Twigs, "Two Weeks"
3 The War on Drugs, "Red Eyes"
2 Perfume Genius, "Queen"
1 Sia, "Chandelier"

Didn't Inspector Norse come out in 1978?

Oh, if Stromae is eligible, then that is quite listworthy. Some of the tracks were def 2014 for me and the rest of DK.

yeah it was def ~year of impact~ for stromae w me, I'd managed to forget all about him since the summer tho

That NPR Global list with Stromae also throws in a retrospective 3-CD compilation Various Artists: “real World 25" that covers music going back over the last 25 years.

I was glad to see the Noura Mint Seymali album on that list. While her North African traditional vocals may not be easy to identify with at first, her husband's psychedelic-North African guitar sound certainly is. She appears on a few lists and is a fave of some on the Rolling whirled Outernational thread.

I wanted to like that Seymali album, but it felt a little too...Euro-café polished? Like it should have come out on Putumayo instead of Rough Trade.

I have seen them live 3 times and there is nothing Putumayo Euro-cafe about them.

Perhaps the cd is slightly more polished than live, but I don't hear her North African muezzin-rooted vocals as Euro-cafe or the psychedelic-funk guitar sound as Euro.

Well, I feel like she's the most polished of that type of vocalist that I've heard. When I compare her to Mariem Hassan, it's like comparing Jewel to Diamanda Galas.

But maybe I need to revisit it. (In fact, now I'm worried I'm confusing her with someone else. Gotta dig through my Forced Exposure promo emails.)

yeah when i did stuff for them i got paid by emusic, which isn't going anywhere so hopefully you should have no problem getting paid. it seems like the ed in chief is staying on and they're attempting to continue on in some form, so i imagine they're still able to pay for work that's already been done.

― some dude, Saturday, December 13, 2014 2:31 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

i've been told not to worry about getting paid but you never know

Pitchfork - Tracks

100 Elisa Ambrogio - Superstitious
99 Steve Gunn - Milly's Garden
98 Merchandise - Green Lady
97 Copeland - Advice to Young Girls (ft. Actress)
96 DJ Quik - Pet Sematary
95 Cymbals Eat Guitars - Jackson
94 Taylor Swift - Out of the Woods
93 The New Pornographers - War on the East Coast
92 iLoveMakonnen - I Don't Sell Molly No More
91 Hundred Waters - Murmurs
90 Protomartyr - Scum, Rise!
89 Cloud Nothings - I'm Not Part of Me
88 Lauryn Hill - Black Rage (Sketch)
87 Viet Cong - Continental Shelf
86 Vince Staples - Blue Suede
85 Arca - Thievery
84 Father John Misty - Bored in the USA
83 Ought - Habit
82 Jessica Pratt - Back, Baby
81 Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers
80 Shellac - Dude Incredible
79 A Sunny Day in Glasgow - In Love With Useless (The Timeless Geometry In The Tradition Of Passing)
78 Rustie - Attak (ft. Danny Brown)
77 Rae Sremmurd - No Flex Zone
76 Röyksopp / Robyn - Do It Again
75 Pharmakon - Bestial Burden
74 Holly Herndon - Chorus
73 Makthaverskan - Asleep
72 Ty Segall - The Singer
71 Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
70 Azealia Banks - Chasing Time
69 Rich Gang - Lifestyle
68 Grouper - Clearing
67 White Lung - Face Down
66 How to Dress Well - Words I Don't Remember
65 Iceage - The Lord's Favorite
64 Leon Vynehall - Goodthing
63 Eno/Hyde - Return
62 YG - Left, Right
61 Perfume Genius - Fool
60 Ariel Pink - Picture Me Gone
59 Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me
58 Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
57 Dej Loaf - Try Me
56 Migos - Fight Night
55 Kendrick Lamar - i
54 Spoon - Inside Out
53 Perfect Pussy - Interference Fits
52 Todd Terje - Delorean Dynamite
51 Owen Pallett - I Am Not Afraid
50 Taylor Swift - Style
49 Run The Jewels - Blockbuster Night Pt. 1
48 Lykke Li - Gunshot
47 Nils Frahm - Says
46 Mr Twin Sister - In the House of Yes
45 Ariel Pink - Put Your Number in My Phone
44 Angel Olsen - Lights Out
43 Ariana Grande - Love Me Harder (ft. The Weeknd)
42 St. Vincent - Prince Johnny
41 The War On Drugs - An Ocean in Between the Waves
40 Jessie Ware - Tough Love
39 Real Estate - Talking Backwards
38 Bobby Shmurda - Hot Nigga
37 Charli XCX - Boom Clap
36 Mac DeMarco - Passing Out Pieces
35 FKA Twigs - Pendulum
34 Tobias Jesso Jr. - True Love
33 Ariana Grande - Problem (ft. Iggy Azalea)
32 Swans - Oxygen
31 Aphex Twin - minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]
30 A.G. Cook - Beautiful
29 Spoon - Do You
28 Grouper - Holding
27 Sharon Van Etten - Your Love Is Killing Me
26 Beyoncé - Partition
25 Vic Mensa - Down On My Luck
24 St. Vincent - Digital Witness
23 Flying Lotus - Never Catch Me (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
22 Ex Hex - Don't Wanna Lose
21 Sophie - Lemonade / Hard
20 Nicki Minaj - Boss Ass Bitch (Remix) (ft. PTAF)
19 Sun Kil Moon - Carissa
18 Panda Bear - Mr Noah
17 Tinashe - 2 On (ft. Schoolboy Q)
16 Young Thug - Stoner
15 Lil B - No Black Person Is Ugly
14 QT - Hey QT
13 Todd Terje - Johnny and Mary (ft. Bryan Ferry) (Robert Palmer cover)
12 Drake - 0 to 100 / The Catch Up
11 Shamir - On The Regular
10 Michael Jackson - Love Never Felt So Good (Original Version)
9 Future - Move That Dope (ft. Pharrell, Pusha T, and Casino)
8 Perfume Genius - Queen
7 Beyoncé - ***Flawless (ft. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
6 Run The Jewels - Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck) (ft. Zack De La Rocha)
5 The War On Drugs - Red Eyes
4 Caribou - Can't Do Without You
3 FKA Twigs - Two Weeks
2 iLoveMakonnen - Club Goin Up On A Tuesday (ft. Drake)
1 Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)

Glad to see that Future Islands track doing well. I like it lots, but wonder if I'd like it as much had I not known of their Letterman performance.

'Back In The Long Grass' [?] is the best track on the album by a country mile.

The Quietus' Best Hip Hop LPs Of 2014

25. Mndsgn - Yawn Zen (Stones Throw)
24. Thaiboy Digital - Tiger (Gravity Boys)
23. Chris Crack - Kickin It Wit TW (New Deal Crew)
22. Bladee - Gluee (Bladee 1000)
21. Kevin Gates - By Any Means
20. Milo - A Toothpaste Suburb (Hellfyre)
19. Open Mike Eagle - Dark Comedy (Mello)
18. Father - Young Hot Ebony (Awful)
17. Smoke DZA - Dream.Zone.Achieve (R.F.C.)
16. Rome Fortune - Small VVorld (Small World)
15. Antwon - Heavy Hearted In Doldrums
14. Young Roddy - Route The Ruler
13. Busdriver - Perfect Hair (Big Dada)
12. Ballout - Welcome 2 Ballout World
11. Chimurenga Renaissance - Rize Vadzimu Rize (Brick Lane
10. YG - My Krazy Life (Pu$haz Ink)
09. Dej Loaf - $ell Sole
08. Cities Aviv - Come To Life (Young One)
07. Iggy Azalea - The New Classic (Virgin EMI)
06. Flying Lotus - You're Dead!(WARP)
05. Yung Lean - Unknown Memory
04. 100s - IVRY (Fools Gold)
03. DonChristian - Renzo Piano
02. Ratking - So It Goes (HXC)
01. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata (Madlib Invazion)

Vibe's Top 46:
46. R. Kelly, Black Panties
45. Future, Honest
44. Asher Roth, RetroHash
43. Mariah Carey, Me. I Am Mariah
42. Robin Thicke, Paula
41. Luke James, Luke James
40. Kid Cudi, Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon
39. Kid Ink, My Own Lane
38. Ab-Soul, These Days...
37. Shady Records, Shady XV
36. Stalley, Ohio
35. Prince, Art Official Age
34. SZA, Z
33. Bas, Last Winter
32. PARTYNEXTDOOR, PartyNextDoor Two
31. MIchael Jackson, Xscape
30. Ariana Grande, My Everything
29. Isaiah Rashad, Cilvia Demo
28. Ed Sheeran, x
27. Flying Lotus, You're Dead!
26. Trey Songz, Trigga
25. Teyana Taylor, VII
24. Jessie Ware, Tough Love
23. Rick Ross, Mastermind
22. Madlib and Freddie Gibbs, Piñata
21. Kevin Gates, By Any Means
20. fka Twigs, LP1
19. Tinashe, Aquarius
18. T.I., Paperwork: The Motion Picture
17. Childish Gambino, Because The Internet
16. The Roots, ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
15. Chris Brown, X
14. Common, Nobody's Smiling
13. Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour
12. Jeezy, Seen It All
11. August Alsina, Testimony
10. Azealia Banks, Broke With Expensive Taste
9. ScHoolboy Q, Oxymoron
8. Justin Bieber, Journals
7. Jhene Aiko, Souled Out
6. Logic, Under Pressure
5. Big K.R.I.T., Cadillactica
4. Pharrell, G I R L
3. YG, My Krazy Life
2. Run The Jewels, Run The Jewels 2
1. Beyonce, Beyonce

Pleasantly surprised to see that Michael Jackson song in the Pitchfork list.

Shamir comin with the "212" of 2014

has p4k ever even acknowledged taylor swift's music before?

i am also faintly surprised to see the mj track (but ONLY THE ORIGINAL VERSION apparently) charming spin/p4k etc.

katherine's "partition" writeup is great

has p4k ever even acknowledged taylor swift's music before?

"never ever getting back together" -- the worst single off 'red' -- made the 2012 YE list and the half-decade list, but that's it as far as i know

'you belong with me' made the '09 list

21 Sophie - Lemonade / Hard
14 QT - Hey QT

end sophie

I don't mind Hey QT, but both Lemonade and Hard are turabul.

ag cook "beautiful" is the best of all those tracks

This literally sounds like diarrhea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdLvp630plc

yeah taylor's made eoy lists due to individual contributors putting her on their ballots, but p4k refusing to acknowledge her existence otherwise and deign her with a review at this point looks hopelessly out of touch. wonder if they'll do an about-turn come lp6 now she's more socially acceptable amongst their readership.

p4k's lists are clearly not purely ballot-determined tho

tell me more

Jhene over Tinashe smh

I can't fucking unhear the diarrhea thing and I didn't even like "Lemonade"

lol

(also, re upthread, thanks!)

wonder if they'll do an about-turn come lp6 now she's more socially acceptable amongst their readership.

it'll be funnier if they do tbh, it'll make it evident just how much coverage/lack of is determined by positioning and taste calculus rather than quality. does anyone think taylor swift is making the best music of her career right now, or is it just harder to outright ignore her? obv p4k are not alone in this.

ban sophie seconded

people hate SOPHIE now? I haven't heard any of the recent stuff...

all I know is that Taylor's full-on embrace of pop music is making ppl of my acquaintance who have been as irritated with her as I have been go "wait, I really like this" so there may be an argument to be made that Taylor is making the most relatable music of her career right now

"does anyone think taylor swift is making the best music of her career right now"

not able or going to comment on the speculation spiral here, but fwiw I am one person who thinks this

Unofficial tally of 56 metal musicians polled by MetalSucks:

1 Mastodon, Once More ‘Round the Sun
2 Behemoth – The Satanist
2 Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
4 Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain
5 Eyehategod, S/T
6 Godflesh – Decline & Fall EP
7 Septicflesh – Titan
8 Swans – To Be Kind
9 Dead Congregation – Promulgation of the Fall
10 Black Anvil – Hail Death
11 Misery Index – The Killing Gods
11 Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
13 YOB – Clearing the Path to Ascend
14 Midnight- No Mercy for Mayhem
15 Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us
16 Blut Aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta – Saturnian Poetry
17 Atriarch – An Unending Pathway
17 Trap Them – Blissfucker
19 Bölzer – Zoma
19 Job for a Cowboy – Sun Rater
21 Aborted – Necrotic Manifesto
21 At The Gates- At War with Reality
21 Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
24 Pink Floyd – The Endless River
24 Wovenhand – Refractory Obdurate

Correction, that's Godflesh - A World Lit Only by Fire not the EP.

Have always disliked Sophie but Hey QT is giving me full-on red mist.

i'd find it hard to see beyond "hey qt" if i was asked for the worst track of 2014

Sophie's idea of pop is tailor made for p4k, really.

Does anyone think taylor swift is making the best music of her career right now, or is it just harder to outright ignore her?

I think there's a huge degree of realizing if she hasn't gone away yet, maybe she deserves some recognition. Not that different from what happened with Justin Timberlake circa Justified.

By the way in two years S/T will be 10 years old; I'm intrigued to see the level of reconsideration it gets among critics. Even more so with Fearless, but we're 4 years away from that.

Maybe I'm misremembering through a filter of ILX love but I thought there was a gigantic critgasm over Justified at the time, driven mostly by the Neptunes/Timbaland production.

That's what I remember too!

oh I see, I misread you

(I keep forgetting 'NSync existed, which may be part of Justin's plan)

Oh this man could never forget that lightning bolt of music striking through his heart that was "No strings attached" :S

Re the discussion of Noura Mint Seymali upthread, I was confusing her with someone else. Noura Mint Seymali is awesome—it's Aziza Brahim who's putting out a boring, café-background-music version of this type of thing.

Sophie did terrible stuff recently but BIPP is still the jam.

Just listened to Hey QT. Not great but better than a lot of stuff that people pass off for 'good' on this forum. Haven't really paid much attention to PC Music but i get that theyre prob the successors of people who dug happy hardcore, chiptunes, electroclash and stuff like Tatu back in the day, except doing it with an increasingly arch veneer. Double-arch if you consider the electroclash crowd were effectively parodying 80s nu-romantic tropes.