BEST OF THE BEST:
Landslide- Kirin J Callinan
Raw, vulnerable and utterly electrifying.
Higgs Boson Blues- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
A swirling, propulsive epic in the style that the Bad Seeds do best. God, the devil, Miley Cyrus and human evolution swirling together towards our shared apocalypse.
You Are the Apple- Lady Lamb The Beekeeper
Even after listening to this song for the best part of a year, I'm always surprised by its remarkable twists and turns.
Immunity-Jon Hopkins
The most sublime piece of music released this year.
Retrograde- James Blake
Fragility and triumph combine in the centrepiece of Blake's wonderful album Overgrown.
Giorgio by Moroder and Get Lucky- Daft Punk
The first, because it's 9 minutes of pure, adoring homage and the latter because despite the fact it's been played everywhere for months, it's still the funnest, coolest song released this year.
THE BEST:
Step-Vampire Weekend
Sly, clever and hilarious.
Seedling- Clulow Forester
The centrepiece from this Sydney duo's EP is sprawling, grand and adventurous gem.
Smooth Sailing- Queens of the Stone Age
One of many highlights on QOTSA's latest album, this stomping tune is also one of the funniest.
She Will- Savages
This is the sound of a fire starting.
This is the sound of a fire starting.
Love is Lost (Hello Steve Reich mix)- David Bowie remixed by James Murphy
James Murphy does his usual remix thing of stretching the barest elements of an original track out to 10 minutes, adding a bunch of electro fuzz and a new backbeat, thus turning the song into something bigger and better.
James Murphy does his usual remix thing of stretching the barest elements of an original track out to 10 minutes, adding a bunch of electro fuzz and a new backbeat, thus turning the song into something bigger and better.
Parenthesis- Tricky
With one of the best uses of a sample this year, this track was a highlight from Tricky's return to form album False Idols.
Tiger Tank- Speedy Ortiz
The spirit of 90s lo-fi is alive and well and embodied in Speedy Ortiz.
I Saw Her Face- The Men
Crazy Horse style love song from the hardest working.... men.... in rock (sorry).
Crazy Horse style love song from the hardest working.... men.... in rock (sorry).
Like The Morning Dew- Laura Mvula
Glorious in its fluctuations between maximum and minimal, this song actually feels like it's going to snatch your breath away.
Full of Fire- The Knife
The most aggressively contrarian single of the year is also one of the most thrilling.
Walk Us Uptown- Elvis Costello & The Roots
The effortless swagger of the effortlessly cool. (I wish the rest of the album was as good as this track).
People of the Sticks- Besnard Lakes
No one does epic aural vistas quite like Besnard Lakes.
Blood on the Leaves- Kanye West
Kanye gets a lot of crap, but the man's pretty much a genius.
Kanye gets a lot of crap, but the man's pretty much a genius.
