100. Lowell “I Love You Money”

Summer love songs are grade-A bummers because summer love, come December, is dead—by definition, it only lasts the season. Lowell appears to have learned this lesson well, which is probably why she instead wrote “I Love You Money.” And since money (like most inanimate objects) will always love you back, this track is a freaking year-round jam. Eric Forman loves cake; Lowell loves money. I love them both. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

99. Francis Lung “A Selfish Man”

Following Wu Lyf’s dissolution in late 2012, bassist Tom McClung took off on his own under the pseudonym Francis Lung. This first single acts as an unofficial story of the group’s breakup. Cleaner and crisper than Wu Lyf was, it’s less dance-y than the group’s other fall-out trio, Los Porcos, yet the track retains Wu Lyf’s sense of eerie pop, smooth-talking its way into the conversation with both humility and persistence. “A Selfish Man” is a confessional, but more importantly it has an irresistible groove, a refreshingly clear croon, and a structure solid enough to support Francis Lung’s inevitable swell. —Riley Beggin
 

 

98. Bombay Bicycle Club “Luna”

Bombay Bicycle Club’s “Luna” is an abstract study of the beautiful and momentous in life. One can easily visualize “Luna” as the musical background behind a montage of miraculous human feats: a testament to the inspiring yet often small moments that trace our lives unnoticed. Whether it’s the pitter-patter of the percussion or the soft clangs of the chorus, the disparate elements of the song urge us to run, dance, scream, what have you. It’s about finding the right time to unleash ourselves from our inhibitions and embrace the great moments of clarity that render us scared shitless yet ultimately free. —Lexy Brodt
 

 

97. How to Dress Well “Repeat Pleasure”

Up until 2014, we as listeners hadn’t unmasked Tom Krell. His first album, Love Remains, featured heavily reverbed vocals over incredibly dense electronic textures, which sounded very much like a mental health patient unwilling to open up to a therapist. But his latest release, “What is This Love?,” proudly displays Krell’s face almost as a presentation to his fans that he actually exists. And while it’s been evident that he wants to comfortably operate within the pop realm (he’s stated that he wants a No. 1 Billboard hit at some point in his career), his intentions have never been more evident. —Mike Schuerman
 

 

96. Foxygen “How Can You Really”

For their latest album, …And Star Power, Foxygen promised to deliver “a svelte 82-minute run time of psych-ward folk, cartoon fantasia, soft-rock indulgences, D&D doom rock, and paranoid bathroom rompers.” “How Can You Really” slips off all those proposed quirky adjective hooks. The Billy Joel-esque piano jangle, playful trumpets, and lo-fi, breathy vocals meld into a glam-rock/pop song that brings Foxygen into the realm of the accessible. Foxygen fans of yore who dig their psych rock sound collages might be tempted to write the song off as feeling borrowed without necessarily feeling new. But whether you’re thinking about jumping off the Foxygen ship or just now getting on board, take this as a token of Foxygen’s great musical range…and star power. —Maia Pujara
 

 

95. Cold War Kids “First”

With their signature brand of catchy indie rock, Cold War Kids has done it yet again with this track off their fifth album, Hold My Home. Representing their grandiose, foot stomping sound, the anthemic track “First” features hand claps, echoing harmonies and a powerful chord progression. —Rachel Schroeder
 

 

94. SBTRKT feat. Ezra Koenig “New Dorp. New York”

“New Dorp. New York” is two masters of their craft pushing one another to new heights. SBTRKT and Koenig weave from one slinky groove to another, dabbling in funk, industrial techno and…like…sci-fi I guess? Much of the track’s allure lies in Koenig’s lyrics. He spits a series of non sequiturs and allusions—“gargoyles gargling oil” and “baseball bats that never hit home runs” strike particularly hard—but by the end Koenig has painted a masterful portrait of New York in all its mystery, grandeur and grime. —Ryan Thomas
 

 

93. Wye Oak “The Tower”

The third track from newest release Shriek, “The Tower” epitomizes the tension and duality Andrew Stack and Jenn Wasner set out to explore with their fourth album. After deeming her guitar “toxic,” Wasner chose instead to focus on synth and bass to craft the dancier beats on the track while the lyrics emphasize emotional struggles; the juxtaposition of the two creates the intensely dark overtones heard throughout the album and perfected in this track. —Andrea Johnston
 

 

92. Young Fathers “No Way”

2014 was a good year for this Edinburgh-based hip-hop group; their LP Dead, released in February, finally hit the UK charts after it won the Mercury Prize last October. This song, the album’s opener, demonstrates exactly what makes this group so special. Chock full of tribal chants, rapid-fire drums, mashed-up bagpipes, and woozy swirls of soul, it travels from one end of the globe to the other in under three minutes, delivering so much intriguing sonic baggage you’ll find yourself unpacking it for days. —Gretchen Tracy
 

 

91. Mikhael Paskalev “I Spy”

This Norwegian-Bulgarian singer-songwriter has earned comparisons to Paul Simon for his voice and lo-fi retro sound, and “I Spy” could easily be mistaken for Simon if you aren’t listening carefully. It comes from Sayonara Saigon, an EP of collected songs previously released overseas and a promising bet for future North American success. —Jon Kjarsgaard
 

 

90. Paperwhite “Take Me Back”

Brother and sister duo Paperwhite are undeniably influenced by the ’80s. “Take Me Back,” one of 2014’s most unashamed piece of pop, is chock full of sparkling synths and electronic elements. But it’s also remarkable in its own right, as brother Ben and sister Katie show they know how to mesh a mellow beat and quietly bold vocals in such a way that both bends and mends your core. —A.J. Dellinger
 

 

89. Doe Paoro “Walking Backwards”

Doe Paoro has a chiming voice, minimalistic production, and a Wisconsin backbone. For her 2014 EP, Ink on the Walls, Paoro and her creative partner Adam Rhodes came to Wisconsin to work with Bon Iver’s camp. A supposedly environmentally-inspired record, the record reflects the stark beauty and silence of Wisconsin’s winters. That style is exemplified in “Walking Backwards,” an epically tragic track that breathes melancholy on both a personal and a palatial scale. Paoro’s vocals float above clean synth, drawing us in, building, and pushing us throughout. Sadness never sounded so good. —Riley Beggin
 

 

88. The Districts “4th and Roebling”

Straight out of the suburbs of Pennsylvania is a group of four recent high school graduates who have recently hit the scene with an incredibly mature sound for their age. The Districts’ first single from their debut album, to be released this February, “4th and Roebling” is a jangling representation of their bluesy garage rock vibe, complete with twanging guitars and blown out vocals. —Rachel Schroeder
 

 

87. Speedy Ortiz “Everything’s Bigger”

Arriving less than a year after Speedy Ortiz’s 2013 full-length was the Real Hair EP, a set of songs that demonstrated just how much Speedy had evolved in that narrow window of time. If you look at the EP as a showcase, “Everything’s Bigger” takes home the “Best in Show” trophy. Here, Sadie Dupuis’s voice is clearer, her melodies more infectious; the guitar and bass have morphed into big beasts, their lines physically lurching throughout the track’s duration. And if their mammoth presence is of any proper measure, everything about this song really is bigger. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

86. Double Ewes “Phosphenes”

We can alter memories in any way we please, but we can’t control their ability to occupy space within our heads; they can maneuver in and out of our consciousnesses, whether we’d like them to be around or not. Double Ewes’ “Phosphenes” presents itself in a similar manner: its swirling guitars, mechanic drums and bass recall somber memories of fathers and grandfathers that fade in and out when we least expect them to. “Phosphenes” sounds like pieces of previously-recorded tapes melded together and feels like a memory so far faded that its gathered a bit of distorted brilliance to it. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

85. Strand of Oaks “Goshen ’97”

It is not often in the music world that we witness a transformation quite like that of Timothy Showalter, aka Strand of Oaks. Showalter’s previous albums were a type of melancholy indie folk that basked in allegory, and after nearly two years of touring and a variety of personal hardships he eventually ended up under “a culmination of pressure.” Like many of those that have come before him, Showalter decided to turn things around by being more, well, human. He reflected on ways his past has shaped him and ways he hopes to grow. “Goshen ’97,” from album HEAL, brought Showalter into focus in our minds by telling his story, angst and all. He reminds us of our growing pains, no matter what they were. Because being a kid is tough, and if it weren’t for music like “Goshen ’97” we’d forget it way too fast. —Riley Beggin
 

 

84. Banks “Goddess”

Jillian Banks has been a central figure of this year’s indie-synth R&B crowd with the release of her debut full-length, Goddess. In her single of the same name, Banks’ haunting vocals swoop from reedy to velvet, floating above pounding synths and reaching deep into your gut and pulling. Her personal brand of dark pop lends itself well to the sleekly menacing and smugly content girl-power lyrics, hissing the warning-like “fuckin’ with a goddess and you get a little colder.” “Goddess” brings the bite in a way that makes this an all-around jam. —Riley Beggin
 

 

83. Wild Beasts “A Simple Beautiful Truth”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a band becoming popular, but Wild Beasts’ fourth album, Present Tense, is very aware of the skepticism that can come with the fame. If I were Wild Beasts, however, I wouldn’t be too bothered by the prattle: just because Present Tense is merely relatively inviting doesn’t mean the Beasts have sold out. Rather, as shown on standout “A Simple Beautiful Truth,” the boys are still wholly enthralled by passion and ravishment. And while they may have sold their guitars and bought synthesizers, their grooving rhythms—and utterly human themes—are as powerful as they’ve ever been. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

82. Protomartyr “Come & See”

Post-punk four-piece Protomartyr hails from Detroit, and the band’s second record, Under Color of Official Right, does little to convince you otherwise. Yet just as visiting Detroit isn’t a particularly depressing trip, standout “Come & See” isn’t a particularly disturbing listen. Throughout the track, frontman Joe Casey scumbaggily spews lines berating the coasts and everything in between while the band does its best to soothe the pain, daring you to sit still with an animated bass line and bombarding guitar chords and a weirdly uplifting chorus. If “Come & See” is the sound of four too-smart snarlers stumbling, boy are they stumbling into something special. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

81. JUCE “Burning Up”

London three-piece JUCE is made of up talented ladies who know how to get us moving. “Burning Up” is an unabashed summer jam, sun-baked on a sandy beach and dressed up with the sparkly glimmers of the disco days of Donna Summer. “My city is burning up, burning up / Burning up like a summer’s sun / This town is blazing up, blazing up / Summertime has just begun,” the trio sings. If their early success is any indication, JUCE’s career will be the eternal summer they’re searching for. —A.J. Dellinger