20. tUnE-yArDs “Water Fountain”

Merill Garbus makes music in a world where ramshackle African rhythms, gnarly basslines, and soulful, dynamic vocals are fused for a jarring-yet-sweet sound. “Water Fountain,” the first single off her 2014 release, Nikki Nack, finds tUnE-yArDs at full throttle, flaunting her unique, powerful voice to fun, spastic results. Whether it’s discordant, harmonious, or both, tUnE-yArDs’ music is almost always compelling—and “Water Fountain” is just that. —Ryan Thomas
 

 

19. Wild Beasts “Wanderlust”

Wild Beasts’ best single yet, “Wanderlust” found the British four-piece bored with the textural, melancholic sound of their last record, 2011’s Smother, and ready to bring back the confrontational nature of their debut record, 2008’s Limbo, Panto. In a colossal finale to the track, Wild Beasts pair cinematic synths and strings with Hayden Thorpe’s both scathing and oddly distressing lyrics, “Don’t confuse me with someone who gives a fuck.” Despite such resolve, the song never really answers its questions and that’s half the reason it’s so great. —Ryan Thomas
 

 

18. Strand of Oaks “Shut In”

Timothy Showalter, who performs under the moniker Strand of Oaks, knows a thing or two about confession. “Shut In,” a standout from his 2014 release, HEAL, is music made to move you—a song riddled in substance told by a man who’s ripped himself out of his self-inflicted rut. The track’s drums are monumental; its guitars are soaring things. Over it all there’s Showalter’s booming voice, bellowing out about the long-gone days when he felt more sorrow than one can soberly stand. Perhaps “Shut In” is Showalter’s way of reminding us not to fly too close to the sun. Perhaps it’s his way of reminding himself. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

17. Against Me! “Transgender Dysphoria Blues”

As the opening track on Against Me!’s first studio release since 2012 when lead singer Laura Jane Grace came out as a transgendered female, “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” is by its very nature historic and revolutionary. This track is one of the most important of the year because of the raw anger, pain, and vulnerability of a high-profile LGBT member of society exposed through a classic Against Me! trasher. —Mary Sullivan
 

 

16. Flying Lotus feat. Kendrick Lamar “Never Catch Me”

With Kendrick Lamar’s explosion in popularity since Good Kid, m.A.A.d City’s release and the “Control” drama, one would think his featured verse on an instrumental track would command all of the attention. On “Never Catch Me,” however, that’s simply not the case. Alongside FlyLo’s cosmic production paired with Thundercat’s almost free-jazz bass patterns, K-Dot’s words become the final piece to Flying Lotus’ bizarre guide to the afterlife. —Mike Schuerman
 

 

15. Spoon “Do You”

On paper, this band looks like it should be in its decline with 20 years and eight (admittedly very solid) albums behind it. Of course, this makes it all the more delightful that “Do You” is such a triumph of relevance, combining the warm strains of Beatles-based rock and lead singer Britt Daniel’s emotionally barbed vocals into something both classic and classically Spoon, and yet entirely novel as well. —Gretchen Tracy
 

 

14. Sun Kil Moon “Ben’s My Friend”

Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek is probably not someone I’d want to have as a friend, but his 2014 release, Benji, somehow speaks louder than any of his off-album words. Benji’s fantastically banal finale, “Ben’s My Friend,” finds Mark catching up with his family, taking in a Ben Gibbard show and subsequently mustering enough inspiration to finish the record. At its worst, the song makes me crave blue crab cakes. At its best, it makes me feel like a saxophone-soundtracked Louis C.K. roaming New York City—which is a pretty all right way to get by, if you think about it. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

13. Rustie feat. Danny Brown “Attak”

When talking about the “trap revival” movement, most people recognize Mad Decent labelmates Diplo and Flosstradamus as the genre’s leading artists. But Rustie, who has offered up a much more complex vision for the future of trap mixing, largely goes forgotten. Thus, heads turned when he enlisted ill-mannered MC Danny Brown for “Attak,” a seizure-inducing bass-cannon blast. This is not only the banger of the year, but a question raiser that left us all asking, “Why hasn’t this happened sooner?” —Mike Schuerman
 

 

12. Caribou “Can’t Do Without You”

For the vast majority of its nearly four-minute running time, this track does nothing but repeat snippets of a single phrase (“I can’t do without you”). While the lyrics may seem to tell a straightforward story, the music behind them belies the song’s simplicity. In fact, as the clap of a beat and hushed puddles of synth that open the cut become muddier and more intense midway through, something ominous and frenzied clouds the song’s atmosphere. Is it sweet or is it sinister? It’s up to you to decide. —Gretchen Tracy
 

 

11. FKA twigs “Two Weeks”

FKA twigs’ sexuality knows no heights, and on “Two Weeks” sensuality builds with intricate rhythms, pulsing synths, and twigs’ seductive lyrics. “I’ll quench your thirst, just get so high and stop your doubting,” sings Tahliah Barnett to a lucky man. What separates “Two Weeks” from earlier work is its fullness: This song starts and ends in an erotic fantasy that shrouds the listener, suffocating them in intense intimacy. But that’s part of the draw. What FKA twigs offers to her listeners is a breathtaking escape from reality into an enticing world where, in the case of “Two Weeks,” desire is queen. —Andrew Conley
 

 

10. St. Vincent “Digital Witness”

Annie Clark, otherwise known as St. Vincent, released one of the year’s best albums, St. Vincent, in February. In “Digital Witness,” its infectious second single, Annie plays a cult like figure demanding “all of your mind.” The song takes a charged look at digitized technology but Clark is never one to be didactic. Instead, she has a bit of fun with the topic through a sarcastic lens and an ebullient electro-funk groove. The song was an anthem for us tech-addled Gen Xers and millenials in 2014. And it’s unlikely to lose relevancy anytime soon. —Ryan Thomas
 

 

9. Real Estate “Talking Backwards”

Real Estate relies on airy vocals paired with heavily reverbed and strikingly complex guitar work. With “Talking Backwards,” the band perfected the East Coast’s more easy-natured tonalities, showing why this relatively simple model has helped them achieve notoriety. The bass pops, the guitars noodle, and Martin Courtney’s voice is clear and authoritative. Thanks to advances in Real Estate’s production, the track not only feels wholly original but wholly essential. —Mike Schuerman
 

 

8. Sharon Van Etten “Your Love is Killing Me”

This is not one of those songs where I didn’t realize it was sad until I started listening carefully to the lyrics. Within the first few seconds of “Your Love is Killing Me,” it grabbed me by the collar and demanded that I acknowledge the sadness and anger pouring from Van Etten’s heart and through my speakers. This unrestrained emotion is one of her greatest strengths and makes this song unmistakably one of the year’s best. —Tori Dexter
 

 

7. Cloud Nothings “I’m Not Part of Me”

What’s remarkable about Cloud Nothings is how well the group works within the hardcore genre. The trio takes obvious nods from pioneers like Refused and Fugazi, but somehow transform their archetypes into something much more wholesome and relatable. Case in point is the band’s biggest 2014 hit—with its aggressive and dissonant chords, “I’m Not a Part of Me” finds frontman Dylan Baldi tightly bound by his ill-defined reality and failing to address an alarming existential crisis. While his journey may sound terrifying, it’s only because it’s so resonant. —Mike Schuerman
 

 

6. Run the Jewels feat. Zack de La Rosa “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)”

When Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha opens his mouth, people listen. El-P and Killer Mike, the highly-lauded duo behind Run the Jewels, use this fact to full effect in this hard-hitting track, letting de la Rocha’s looped vocals, though simple, chug under the song like a freight train. —Gretchen Tracy
 

 

5. Sylvan Esso “Coffee”

Side-project-turned-day-job Sylvan Esso’s roots lie more in folk-rock than in bass drops. Yet upon first listen of their simple-but-addictive single “Coffee,” it becomes apparent that the pair has an instinctive spark about them. Every sonic aspect of the track signals warmth, and frontwoman Amelia Meath’s vocals glide over producer Nick Sanborn’s artificial pulse more effortlessly than a barista whipping out cups of joe. You sure as heck won’t find this at a McCafé. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

4. Perfume Genius “Queen”

It took Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius, an album and three songs into his career to incorporate drums into his hushed, fragile sound. So when he unleashed “Queen,” the first single from Too Bright, it felt like an earthquake erupting. With its bombastic synths, rotund drums, and confident snarl, the track finds Hadreas finally front and center, rightfully flaunting his message to anyone and anything within earshot. And if you don’t want to hear it, you best be getting the hell out of his way. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

3. Alvvays “Archie, Marry Me”

“Archie, Marry Me,” the second single from Alvvays’ acclaimed debut album, is a bleeding heart anthem. It’s got a romantic desperation and expansive aura pushed through by Molly Rankin’s chiming vocals and the group’s muddled, heavy guitars, almost like a music version of The Graduate or Say Anything. They’re a Canadian group, but their echoes and crashes sound more akin to California beach rock. Unsurprisingly, we included the track in our Summer Jams mixtape. As the year wore on, however, it became more and more clear that “Archie, Marry Me” is here to stay regardless of season. —Riley Beggin
 

 

2. The War on Drugs “Red Eyes”

“Red Eyes,” the first single from the War on Drugs’ immaculate Lost in the Dream, rides like an accelerating car down an open road and rings of more freedom an a 16-year-old straight out of the DMV. This is driving music perfected—music that begs for a blue sky but is seemingly content with whatever it meets along the way. Like the classic Springsteen and Petty tracks that came before it, “Red Eyes” isn’t reminiscent of any specific region or area of the United States. It sounds like the whole fucking 50. —Andrew Brandt
 

 

1. Future Islands “Seasons (Waiting on You)”

Future Islands is finally having its Cinderella moment. Their fourth album, Singles, is a head-turner and well deserved one at that. This standout single is downright amazing. It’s all pop and grunge, melodramatic and sincere, gorgeous and grotesque. It brings together the contradictions that make up our lives, or at least those of us on the more emotional part of the spectrum. Future Islands have tightened up their sound in a way that brings their sharp synth-pop to the forefront and showcases their talent in the best of ways: no evil step-mother in sight. —Riley Beggin