ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2014

Catching up now:

Uptown Funk: I need to let the ubiquity of this one to settle down before I really judge this, but it seems to fit in with the rest of Bruno Mars' singles, as that it attempts to channel the spirit of a past sensation (Michael Jackson on "Treasure," The Police on "Locked Out of Heaven," etc.) but merely comes off as pastiche. "Uptown Funk" is considerably more fun than the others, though it's a shade of the Morris Day/Parliament/Kool & the Gang stuff that it's imitating. That's the real issue: why listen to "Uptown Funk" when you can listen to "Jungle Love" or "Jungle Boogie" or various great songs with "Jungle" in the title. Still eternally grateful to Mark Ronson for helping bring "Ooh Wee" into the world.

I Luh Ya Papi: The hook is ear candy, but I'm gonna file this one under "Not My Thing."

Transgender Dysphoria Blues: Another track that makes me regret not checking out the Against Me! album. Much more melodic than I expected and the snare drum intro is killer. I've never heard a song like this before. A pissed-off anthem raging against society and her body, but also a love song.

Boss Ass Bitch: I HEEEEAR YOU...WHEN I'M BACK ON THE PROWL...fuck why didn't I vote for this.

If I Could Change Your Mind: Prob just my third or fourth favorite on the album, but there's no shame there. Feels like a very 2013 song for me.

YRN: I voted for three songs with Young Thug on the track and I somehow forgot this one. Such a strangely structured song, with some of my favorite Thugger deliveries/exhortations ("Imma fucker Imma fucker Imma fucker Imma fucker") and Quavo's verse is an all-timer. I love how it seems like the rappers are ignoring the beat entirely when they're rapping their verses. The only reason I can think of why I didn't vote for this is because it's filtered in my iTunes as a 2013 track and I forgot to fix it.

Marry Me, Archie A few people mentioned Best Coast and it's an accurate comparison, albeit Best Coast if she could actually write a song. The chord progression is very pretty and simple, it (and the melody) reminds me a lot of The Cure at their poppiest. Of course, the final product sounds nothing like The Cure. Almost voted for this.

Inside Out: I can't listen to this song without thinking I'm about to hear the Simpsons theme song at the beginning. It settles into a low-key Spoon-like groove, but without Spoon-like instruments, save for Jim Eno's massive drums. I voted for a different Spoon song that has no chance of making the poll.

Sugah Daddy: I didn't vote for anything off Black Messiah cause I was too busy trying to dissect it as a whole. It's one of my favorite songs off the album, but I would've voted for "The Charade" or "1000 Deaths" or "The Door." I've said it before, but "Sugah Daddy" sounds to me like D'Angelo took the "Just because the record's got the groove" part of "Sir Duke," stripped it down and expanded it into a full song.

Pendulum: Oh wow, a song I actually voted for (I think). Twigs' stuff transforms every room in which it's played. Mood music, but intensely emotional and detail-oriented mood music.

Hey QT: From the YouTube comments: "I hate white boys and how they think their opinions about music are important lmao." As a white boy, I'll do Youtube commenter val p a favor and not have an opinion on this song.

Dark Horse: Juicy J now finally has a number one hit to go with his academy award. I can't wait until the Three 6 Musical cleans up at the Tonys. As for Dark Horse, Juicy J's verse is boilerplate though his flow is awesome as always, the breakdown/verse is pretty cool and the chorus is the same bleaty nonsense that I expect from Katy Perry. Still, I've heard it probably close to 100 times and it doesn't make me want to die, so that's something. That Dawn Richard cover that someone posted is brilliant.

Champagne Kisses: Tough Love was slightly underwhelming, but only in comparison to the incredible Devotion. Champagne Kisses is assuredly one of the album's highlights. When she reaches for those high notes on the chorus...

Tuesday: Oh it's Tuesday and I haven't even listened to this song yet. I understand the complaints about Makonnen's voice, but I think he brings a unique energy to this type of airy Sonny Digital beat, and his brand of melancholy party animal is a lot more appealing than the bleak grossness of The Weeknd. Voted for this near the bottom of my ballot.

I Will Never Let You Down: Haven't heard this one. The intro reminds me of "Under the Bridge." Is there anything distinctive or original about Rita Ora? This is a Kelly Clarkson song, but she's off cycle.

Minipops 67: Bleep bloop. (Ok I actually sort of enjoy this but I have to leave soon and I don't know what to say).

Delorean Dynamite: One of the several peaks of Terje's awesome album. Terje can be a little pastiche-y at times but he can really work a groove.

That's all I have time for now, perhaps I'll do more later.

yes, the job just landed in gr80's lap late last week and he obviously is killin' it like veteran.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, January 20, 2015 3:54 PM (36 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

good job sir

yeeeeeeeah, otra era! my first vote to make it :D

forks not sure exactly what you asked upthread but if I'm reading it right btw the migos track isn't available over here in the uk

also gr8 job and thanks gr80!
nothing compères to you

nxd: yah, just asking if i'm missing those tracks somehow or if they're available in any other neckuvdawoodz

APHEX TWIN - I have spent my entire life Not Listening to Aphex Twin; I'm sure I wouldn't hate it but I just cannot be remotely arsed to start scaling such an immense discography, of an artist I associate with two decades ago, and I doubt that this new album is the ideal place to start. If I ever listen to him it'll be chronologically from the beginning. Right now I'm listening on crappy portable speakers and it is definitely not the place for my first Aphex Twin experience

TODD TERJE - bouncy, kind of parodically Terje. Realised of late that the Terje album is roughly equivalent to Lindstrøm's Smalhans - very immediate in its unashamed corniness but really rapid diminishing returns. He's been coasting on name alone for a couple of years now.

KATY B - I was underwhelmed when I first heard it but it really sunk its claws into me over the year - both album and this single. I don't think it's as MOR/Radio 2 as some claim, I feel like she stamps herself on it as distinctly and subtly as ever, and most crucially she nails the emotion. It really builds to a great climax. If she's always had a Sugababes-ness about her I think this is her "Too Lost In You" - winter ballad to hug you close when you're walking home alone. btw, I discovered after the album had been out for a while that Katy had been through some shit before its release and I suspect the album campaign sputtering out might have been to do with that. I cosign the Shorterz remix but it was the original I ended up connecting to more; having said all this, I think I tossed my vote to the album but voted in trax for her incredible live cover of "Vulnerable/Drunk In Love", which is revelatory about both songs and her.

SHAMIR - absolutely dire, like an amateur Youtube fan cover of "212". Reminds me of terrible mid-00s parties where Uffie would get played. I had no idea this had any sort of ILM fanbase

JAVIERA MENA - heartening to see the annual Javiera Mena track here, predictably I like it like I like her every year. I never did play last year's Javiera track post-poll though.

EMO RAP STUFF - so, first, I am not against displays of sadness in rap, and am a fan of Z-Ro and many other emotional rap songs over the years. I don't get on with post-Drake feelings because it seems so performative in its approach to male sensitivity; very little I've heard along those lines gets really deep or dark (like Z-Ro and Scarface did!) or risks the narrator's reputation. Sort of separate and sort of connected, I just dislike singsong autotune warbles and tinny production, like it's a really viscerally unpleasant sound to me, and it's not a blanket thing by any means but a song's going to need something extra to overcome it. Also autotune-as-melancholy-signifier is really boring to me, even if the lyrics aren't actually sad it's like they're still intent on making it a downer to listen to. When I listen to Rich Gang or Makonnen do their warbly thing I feel like I'm listening to mopey boy indie, all this sensitivity being sloshed around by people with horrible singing voices. I really don't care about male feelings in art tbh.

johnny fever calling migos "The Haim of trap." was todays hilight imo

Katy B- was pretty good too

also lmao i just noticed the juxtaposition of qt and kt perry images

also, trax with single-figure votes are still placing, whoa

it's a non-consensus year? or the top thirty are overwhelming consensus? What's in that top thirty?

i feel like all about that base sneaks in.

there hasn't been any country yet, has there?

nope

i would guess country will be more of an albums thing this year except, i really hope and sort of expect, one particular song

i'm honestly hard pressed to think of single across-the-board tracks that all of ilx was down with this year.

top 40 comprised completely of the 2014 annual "NOW that's what i call pc music" compilation

and hey qt ft drake

the top 40 is just the sound of autotuned crying

according to my calculations

mods plz confirm

These are just guesses as I haven't seen any tracks results during the poll-running process:

At least one Panda Bear track, maybe 3 Taylor Swifts, 1 (2?) K. Michelle tracks, 2 Charli XCX tracks, 1 Kiesza track, 2-4 bobbins things I haven't ever heard and will like unless I don't, 2 "country" tracks, and then whatever else.

the top 40 is just the sound of autotuned crying

stealing this

haha

If Juno Jam places I will well up.

Quarterback is still to come. Is there a Miranda Lambert / Sturgill Simpson rallying cry that I should be watching out for?

(A&E Interventions)Best Cry Ever Auto Tune Remix

lol @ "tuesday" being "sad"

Szkira, butterflies and Nuits Sonores the other bobbins I'm behind.

I'm sure there will be a few more rap tracks, but let's be honest...I don't know how many or by who because the shit I like in that genre really doesn't get much traction here.

Most of the track polls I've seen have had either Two Weeks or Seasons at the top so they'll feature highly. We haven't had ANY taylor swift yet which is surprising

There'll be another Javiera Mena, probably a few pitchforky things like Can't Do Without You, SKM, Red Eyes, etc. Rae Sremmurd should feature at least once, hopefully twice.

I dunno if everyone forgot about M.O., but I'm holding out hope for them to crack the top 40!

Wondering if anything other than 2 On will place for Tinashe.

lol @ "tuesday" being "sad"

― qualx, Tuesday, January 20, 2015 3:54 PM Bookmark

Even bigger lol at "Lifestyle" being sad!

Two Weeks

totally missed this follow-up by the b-naked ladies

We had it 6 years ago from ed droste

gonna be livid if sun kil moon places

guy fuckin warbles about senseless death and bar decorations, ppl go nuts

ILX #1s by year

2013 - Get Lucky - Daft Punk
2012 - Inspector Norse - Todd Terje (Gangnam Style, Adorn and Call Me Maybe in the respective 4/3/2 slots)
2011 - 212 - Azealia / Video Games - Lana Del Rey (4 points between first and second so basically tied for first imo)
2010 - Wut - Girl Unit (Hard in da Paint at #2)
2009 - You Belong With Me - Taylor
2008 - Blind - Hercules and Love Affair
2007 - Umbrella - Rihanna
2006 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
2005 - 1 Thing - Amerie
2004 - Toxic - Britney
2003 - ?
2002 - Work It - Missy

what else is there to warble about -- bird food?

t-swift's 2014 output can be pretty easily divided into "songs that will place extremely highly" and "songs that will not place at all". the rallying points were more obvious, i think, and the minor album tracks less likely to get support.

tons of rap singles to come i'd imagine.

hoping but increasingly unsure about the big deep tech and grime singles...

2011 - 212 - Azealia / Video Games - Lana Del Rey (4 points between first and second so basically tied for first imo)

this was definitely not a tie

Best ILM EOY roll out ever imho. Obv more than half of this is shite, but it's intersting shite nonetheless. This thread wins.

Stoked for the six Taylor Swift songs in the top ten

i know "tuesday" and "lifestyle" are not SAD songs but the autotune warble codes as ~underlying melancholy~ to me. maybe faux-sensitivity is a better fit. idk it's just bad singing ultimately

i love the song "brockwell park", adore ghosts and april, and i can even get down with the pretty arrangements mixed w/ impenetrable stern-ness of stuff like admiral fell promises from a few years ago, but this whole jokey "i'm a turd" cartoonish guitar rap thing he's done for the past few years is so, so not my thing, he might as well be grouped with milky chance now imo

i think if tswift had released "style" as her first single it would have probably been our #1

instead we got fucking "shake of off" which will probably still reach the top 10 in a year with no real consensus

2011 - 212 - Azealia / Video Games - Lana Del Rey (4 points between first and second so basically tied for first imo)
this was definitely not a tie
― lex pretend, Wednesday, January 21, 2015

There's a bittersweetness to both songs, but it's hardly either's dominant feature. xxxp

shake it off is the consensus #1 song of all time, people just haven't realized it yet

I quit earth if Taylor wins again.

i think if tswift had released "style" as her first single it would have probably been our #1

instead we got fucking "shake of off" which will probably still reach the top 10 in a year with no real consensus

― prolego, Wednesday, January 21, 2015 1:08 AM (22 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is otm. 'Shake it off' doesn't belong anywhere near a top ten place thh.