Digg Song Picks For 2014
Okay, we certainly ain't Pitchfork, but that don't mean we don't know music. Here are Digg employees' favorite tunes of the year.
Some people didn't submit tracks, or comment on why they chose what they did, so I took the liberty of choosing for them and commenting on their picks. You can all thank me later.
Bryan and Nate, thank you for taking the time to put some serious thought into this. That's why your selections are first.
Bryan Menegus
Joyce Manor — "Victoria"
Joyce Manor rules because they can make a song with all the content, immediacy and hooks of any other band and compress it into a minute-long diamond. My daily commute is approximately 6.5-Joyce Manor-records long.
Rozwell Kid — "Smear Me"
Just started listening to these guys recently and they sound, as a friend of mine put it, "like methadone Weezer." Untapped market if you ask me.
PUP — "Reservoir"
Everyone needs a song that makes them contemplate buying a motorcycle and driving off a cliff into a pool of lava. This is that song.
Nate Kirby
Echo & the Bunnymen — "Meteorites"
"Meteorites," the opening track from the 2014 album of the same name by the veteran British new wave group Echo & the Bunnymen, opens up an album full of moody, spacey, ethereal pop music that bears only passing resemblance to past EATB albums. Despite this, I don't remember enjoying one of their albums this much since 2001's Flowers.
Various Artists, The New Basement Tapes — "Nothing to It"
It feels a bit like cheating to get to include anything written by Bob Dylan as part of his legendary Basement tapes sessions, but this album contains reworked and re-recorded versions of songs thrown away from those sessions. Recorded by the likes of Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, T Bone Burnett and even Johnny Depp, the album is quirky and uneven, both lyrically and musically, but full of a few great gems.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band — "The Sun Is Shining" (from Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1966, released 2014)
I love Captain Beefheart, the esoteric Delta blues turned Avant Garde musician, so I watched with keen interest when I heard about possible unreleased live tracks from the Captain. His last new album was released before I was born. "The Sun is Shining" is one of those songs I had never heard before — a straight blues chart sung beautifully by Don van Vliet, Captain Beefheart himself. The album contains a number of rarer tracks, both live and demo, and was a welcome surprise.
Sissi Nie
Rooftops Horizons — "DATHAN // WAVES"
Billion — "Special"
Honestly, I'm guessing my music taste will be very different than everyone else's here, so I will not feel insulted if you do not include anything from my list.
Joe's Note: Sissi, your taste in music is great and I'm glad to put this on the list.
Josh Petri
Misterwives — "Reflections"
Spotify says that "Reflections" by Misterwives has been streamed nearly 15 million times and I don't have exact figures on this but at least 2,000 of those were mine.
Joe's Note: Pop that's a little off the beaten path — not bad. Josh, you should start coming to the club with me on Mondays.
Kevin O'Connor
Cut Copy — "Believers"
Kero Kero Bonito — "Sick Beat"
Joe's Note: KO, I like to imagine you grooving to these tunes as you work your way deep into the code each night of the week. You're sending your brain in the right direction, keep it up.
Anna Dubenko
Chromeo – "Lost On The Way Home (ft. Solange)"
What So Not – "High You Are (Branchez Remix)"
Jungle – "The Heat"
Joe's Note: Nice job on these picks Anna. Totally what I expected from you. You didn't Digg too deep into any one scene, just far enough from the radio to keep it cool.
Veronica de Souza
Mausi — "My Friend Has A Swimming Pool"
Lorde — "Tennis Court (Diplo Remix)"
Four Year Strong — "What's In The Box?"
Joe's Note: Veronica, I'm impressed with these picks considering you told me that your Spotify Year in Music was only Charli XCX and Kanye West — way to finish up strong.
Justin Van Slembrouck
Tielsie — "Palette"
Joe's Note: You really surprised me with this pick, Justin. The PC Music label has really come into its own this year, but this remains a cut that hasn't seen as much light as it deserves. Hope to see you at a rave sometime soon.
Jon Ferrer
Jamie XX — "Sleep Sound"
Because the video is dope.
Phantogram — "Bill Murray"
Who doesn't like Bill Murray?
Future Islands — "Seasons"
Because of their performance on Letterman.
Short, sweet, simple. The three 'S's of success. Thanks Jon.
Dan Fallon
The War on Drugs — "Under The Pressure"
Run The Jewels — "Lie, Cheat, Steal"
TV On The Radio — "Seeds"
Dan, because you are new, I'll go easy on you. All the same, excellent job with these selections. Good diversity, and RTJ2 was not to be overlooked this year. I look forward to hearing your selections on our Sonos in the future.
Xavier Bessez
Mac DeMarco — "Passing Out Pieces"
Schoolboy Q — Man Of The Year
Sun Kil Moon — Ben's My Friend
Nice picks all around Xavier, bonus points because Schoolboy Q's video for "Man of the Year" is straight wild. You're going to have to stop watching it at the office though.
Steve Rousseau
iLoveMakonnen x Rupert Holmes — "The Straw-ber-ita Song"
Ʌbelard — "☆ＳＥＩＮＷＡＶＥ☆２０００☆"
Steve, these are the two best picks of the year. You are the meme king. Your picks just put the cap on my dry-erase marker.
Joe Tonelli
TOPS — "Blind Faze"
A new addition to Arbutus Records, the label shared by Grimes, TOPS have jumped straight over the Canadian border and into my heart. Clever surf-pop riffs backed by the angelic and wonderfully imperfect Jane Penny make this album a joy.
Sisyphus — "Rhythm Of Devotion"
This collaborative album combines the best of Sufjan Steven's gentle harmonies, rapper Serengeti's slick verses and Son Lux's larger than life production. "Rhythm of Devotion" weaves them all together in just the right ways.
The 2 Bears — "The Night Is Young"
Hot Chip's Joe Goddard teams up with Raf Rundell to put out this fantastic album that spans the sounds of reggae, '90s rave, and introspective electronica wrapped in a flavorful pop film. The title track comes last on the album and is infectious to the very end.
Joe's honorary mentions:
Temples — "A Question Isn't Answered" and Mark Barrott — "Dr. Nimm's Garden Of Intrigue And Delight"
EVERYONE BELOW THIS LINE DID NOT SUBMIT MUSIC AND WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDINGLY
Andrew McLaughlin
Andrew, you are the leader of this ship and also the boss. I imagine you flying around the globe converting businesses large and small to the Digg side. For you, I've chosen "King Bromeliad" by Floating Points. This long, downtempo but high energy beat will remind you that you're always on top and keep your brain pumping.
David Weiner
David, you are also my boss and I often see your J. Crew packages come in the mail. For you, I've chosen a J. Cole's "03′ Adolescence" because his name kind of sounds like J. Crew and also because I hope my youthful countenance reminds you of younger days and to never stop looking for love.
Mike Young
Mike, you are the definition of a cool dad. After watching your son spill a big cup of water in the office as soon as you handed it to him, you took it in perfect stride, and you both went on enjoying your burgers. Enjoy Lockah's "Cleft n Twain" and revel in its atmospheric sunset beats.
Toby Fox
Toby, you just purchased a disco jacket, and for that I admire you. Here is one of my favorite disco cuts of the year: Hot Chip's cover of the Arthur Russell classic, "Go Bang." Out of a fantastic album of Arthur Russell covers, this one really stood out as something danceable and incredibly multifaceted.
Shiv Subramanian
Shiv, you just got married! Congratulations! If I was getting married in 2014, my wedding wouldn't be complete without a track from Wave Racer. Aptly named, "Streamers," is a wacky and young track that I hope would have the whole family dancing.
