The past year of music has served up some incredible sounds. In 12 months, we have witnessed the comeback of local goofballs Samurai Loud, the allure of FKA twigs, and the reinvention of Taylor Swift. And while old pros like Damon Albarn and St Vincent lamented the monotony of technology-dominated modern life, disco grandmaster Giorgio Moroder persisted on the dancefloor. Slinky basslines were all the rage, and '80s nostalgia still sells. To relive all those amazing moments in music, here, in no particular order, are our top 20 singles of 2014.
Samurai Loud/ I Quit 2014
Home-grown "comedy rock" trio Samurai Loud made an impressive comeback this year with I Quit 2014, an anthem for nine-to-fivers everywhere. "I quit/No work tomorrow/Forget files and documents/And a vicious pile of emails," sings frontman Teesit "Van" Laddawan over crunchy guitar riffs, "Let us go live on an island/Go on, forsake this god-forsaken city!"
Future Islands/ Seasons (Waiting On You) (BadBadNotGood Reinterpretation)
The original is already pretty great, but Toronto-based experimental pop outfit BadBadNotGood still found a way to make this indie gem ten times better. Here, Sam T Herring's vocals are paired with the jazzy backdrop courtesy of BBNG. The end result is equal parts reverent and sophisticated.
FKA twigs/ Two Weeks
Hands down the most intriguing female artist to have emerged this year, London-based dancer-turned-singer FKA twigs shines the brightest on Two Weeks, an unapologetically sultry track built upon lush trip-hop and experimental R&B elements. It's both ethereal and mesmerising.
Damon Albarn/ Everyday Robots
In which the Blur frontman sings despondently, "We are everyday robots on our phones/In the process of getting home" while in the background a mechanical noise creaks along eerily, reflecting the drudgery of life in the 21st century. "For everyday robots getting old/When our lips are cold/Lookin' like standing stones/Out there on our own," Albarn adds, reminding us to look up from our phones once in a while.
Clean Bandit (featuring Jess Glynne)/ Rather Be
Dance and classical music may seem like two completely different species, but the English quartet hit the nail on the head with their dance smash Rather Be. The song is a wholesome blend of the two genres with highlights that lie in Jess Glynne's alluring vocals and those infectious strings-laced house beats.
Jessie Ware/ Tough Love
Tough Love finds R&B British songstress Jessie Ware in all her stately glory, delivering lush yet understated lines about a little thing called love. "You have me crying out/Crying out for more," she croons over the cleverly measured combination of synths and percussion. No other female artists from this year can quite serve up an elegant piece of soul-pop of this calibre.
Jor Ra Kay Bua/ Reua (Little Boat)
Jor Ra Kay Bua's debut single Reua (Little Boat) is truly a breath of fresh air. It kicks off with a breezy acoustic guitar then promptly gains a forward momentum with drums and a deep bass rumble. Parada Mahapaurya's crystal-clear vocals go smoothly with the addictive guitar chords and synth flourishes as she sings about setting sail on a little boat. A cute little ditty guaranteed to make anyone's day.
Giorgio Moroder/ Giorgio's Theme
Italo-disco godfather Giorgio Moroder dropped his first single in more than two decades following his collaboration with Daft Punk on the duo's 2013 album, Random Access Memories. The eight-minute instrumental track — aptly named Giorgio's Theme — finds the legendary producer offering up his trademark synth groove infused with sophisticated piano keys and funky guitars. This is exactly the kind of sprawling analogue house goodness that serves as a reminder why Moroder is a legend.
Sharon Van Etten/ Your Love is Killing Me
On this slow-burning ballad, the American singer-songwriter takes her time to build the tension before letting it all rip in the most devastating chorus: "Break my leg so I can't walk to you/Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you/Burn my skin so I can't feel you/Stab my eyes so I can't see." Brace yourself because it will leave you emotionally spent when it's finished.
My Life As Ali Thomas/ Lover to Lover
Thai folk four-piece My Life As Ali Thomas's debut single, Lover to Lover, is a tender acoustic number that showcases frontwoman Kanyapak "Pie" Wuttara's heartfelt vocals and her flair for poetic songwriting ("Silverly lane I promise you all I do/Time's a villain heart beats stones I know it's not the truth/A pistolled heartaches when you see the sun"). Expect more great things from these guys next year.
Sylvan Esso/ Coffee
Their self-titled debut may be one of the most underrated records of this year, but still there's no denying that Coffee is as addictive as the beverage. Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn crafted a sensual piece of music that conveys an underlying sense of yearning while keeping things pleasantly melodic.
Part Time Musicians/ The Only One
It's official: home-grown folk five-piece Part Time Musicians can do no wrong. This vintage pop jam exudes the summertime blissful warmth with its lilting melody and lush boy-girl harmonies. What's more, their English-language lyrics, while simplistic in places, sound surprisingly natural for a Thai band.
St Vincent/ Digital Witness
The strife of modern life has been touched upon a few times this year (see Damon Albarn's Everyday Robots), but none has come close to St Vincent's delightfully satirical Digital Witness. Taking a jab at people's obsession with social media and oversharing, she wonders out loud: "Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping? If I can't show it, if you can't see me/What's the point of doing anything?"
Caribou/ Can't Do Without You
Caribou's Can't Do Without You is a soulful slice of electro-pop that gradually builds from its understated, humble beginning. Before you know it the track implodes within the warm wash of woozy synths and muted basslines while the succinct vocal samples add to the euphoric bliss of it all. This one is truly a masterpiece.
Taylor Swift/ Blank Space
We were torn between Shake It Off and Blank Space, but in the end we couldn't resist a little bit of self-deprecation from the former country darling. Here, Swift's having a lot of fun poking fun at herself over bouncy hip-hop beats: "Got a long list of ex-lovers/They'll tell you I'm insane/But I've got a blank space, baby/And I'll write your name," she offers half-jokingly.
Jungle/ Time
Time finds childhood friends Tom McFarland and Joshua Lloyd-Watson, aka Jungle, laying down their crisp falsetto on layers of pop, soul, funk, and electro with some synths sprinkled on top. As a result, we have this lush retro soul number with hooks that will lodge themselves in your brain for days to come.
Sia/ Chandelier
You'll be hard pressed to find a more visceral pop song than Sia's smash hit Chandelier. Underneath the Top 40 pop sheen, the Australian singer-songwriter tackles alcoholism head on, giving us a chest-clutching, voice-breaking chorus while she's "holding on for dear life". This is as emotionally raw as it's going to get.
Wild Beasts/ A Simple Beautiful Truth
The British indie-rock quartet didn't disappoint at their Bangkok show last month — a testament to how great their latest LP is. A Simple Beautiful Truth is a winsome number equipped with sublime synths, pliable bassline, and Hayden Thorpe's heavenly falsetto.
Polycat/ Pob Kan Mai (So Long)
Chiang Mai-based synth-pop outfit Polycat rolled out a series of three singles this year, and its final "chapter" Pob Kan Mai (So Long) is the most outstanding of them all. As with their earlier material, they're keeping things pleasantly retro, deploying a handful of wistful synths alongside heartfelt lyrics (in this case, it's about letting go of someone you love). This is pure nostalgia especially for those who were born in the '80s.
Mac DeMarco/ Salad Days
Sonically, Mac DeMarco scrubbed up pretty well on his sophomore outing Salad Days. The title track shows off the Canadian indie rocker's mature side with surprisingly grown-up lyrics like "As I'm getting older, chip up on my shoulder/Rolling through life, to roll over and die" and "Always feeling tired, smiling when required/Write another year off and kindly resign." n
