The thing about having three white men vote on tracks is that, more often than not, other thin white men who write about their feelings rate highly. But this was a good year for introverted nerds who write about their feelings: for example, Drake dropped an album. We’ll run through the top ten below, but some highlights that sit outside it:
- Local boy Oliver Tank made two dents in the top twenty
- We managed to restrain Yonkers to a respectable 21
- Watch The Throne went mercifully unrepresented in the higher ranks
- tUnE-YaRds’ twitchiness split us, meaning she only managed a crest of 86 for Bizness
- Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know missed the cut by four tracks. Soz bro.
- Notable drops include: Wildfire at 70; I’ll Take Care of You at 56; and Blue Jeans down at 46.
1. Shuffle – Bombay Bicycle Club
This probably would have gotten a perfect 10, until Daniel admitted to having spent March through August sporting a chub about it and we all got just a bit ‘echhh’ about that.
2. The Wilhelm Scream – James Blake
We called scientists and they explained how this song was engineered to tickle the little bit of your spine that doctors target in epidurals.
3. Codex (Live) – Radiohead
Daniel and Nat almost had to drag Alex kicking and screaming into this, due to his long running conviction that Radiohead is just the sound of men crying. Turned out, even if that’s true, men crying was one of the best sounds of the year.
4. Perth – Bon Iver
Weirdly, this is actually about Perth, WA. Apparently being surrounded by mining money makes you write songs as fully textural and pretty as this one. Who knew?
5. Blue Cassette – Friendly Fires
Transcendant. Is there any other way of saying it?
6. Video Games – Lana Del Rey
For more about this track please see: all of the internet.
7. Holocene – Bon Iver
It’s incredibly difficult to describe the slow burn in this without making a food analogy; the build into the snares deserves some stupid monumental construction metaphor; the break down too. The refrain of “I could see for miles, miles, miles” is ambiguous; this is the sublimely constructed sound of male vulnerability.
8. Hover Traps – Rustie
This song sounds like drugs discovered maths, and pure maths rated it into the top ten. You actually can’t argue with maths, or this.
9. Flying Overseas – Theophilus London
We’re trying to think of when you like the soft derivative of a classic product more than the original. Having Theophilus as the only hip-hop represented in the top ten kinda seems like awarding Diet Coke over original. An undeniable jam, even if you really want Ferrari Boys to have been here instead.
10. We Bros (Single Version) – WU LYF
We didn’t really expect this to rate so highly, but then sometimes immensity just speaks for itself – its howling, orchestral self.
The final Ninety:
11. Motivation – Clams Casino
12. I Love You – Oliver Tank
13. Dust Bowl III – Other Lives
14. Falls Creek Boys Choir – James Blake & Bon Iver
15. Up All Night – Oliver Tank
16. Under Cover of Darkness – The Strokes
17. The Morning – The Weeknd
18. 212 – Azealia Banks
19. Last Night I Heard Everything In Slow Motion – Oliver Tank
20. Tamer Animals – Other Lives
21. Yonkers – Tyler, the Creator
22. I Heart U SO (Skream Remix) – Cassius
23. 2Night – Eric Prydz
24. Room to Breathe – Fred V & Grafix
25. Tongue Tied – Grouplove
26. A Case of You – James Blake
27. Midnight City – M83
28. Ultra Thizz – Rustie
29. Garden (Calibre Remix) – T.E.E.D.
30. I’m On One – DJ Khaled f. Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne
31. Hanging On – Active Child
32. It Feels Good to Be Around You – Air France
33. Live Those Days Tonight – Friendly Fires
34. It’s Real – Real Estate
35. Burned Out – The Field
36. Streets Tonight – Araabmuzik
37. Shell of Light (Shlohmo Remix) – Burial
38. Congratulations (Erol Alkan Remix) – MGMT
39. Kool On – The Roots
40. I Can’t Make You Love Me / Nick of Time – Bon Iver
41. Helena Beat – Foster The People
42. Novacane – Frank Ocean
43. Pala – Friendly Fires
44. See the Birds – Guerre
45. Otis – Kanye West & Jay Z
46. Blue Jeans – Lana Del Rey
47. Nasty – Nas
48. Cold Rain – Talib Kweli
49. Whirring – The Joy Formidable
50. One Time – The Roots
51. Wicked Games – The Weeknd
52. Calgary – Bon Iver
53. Killer Dope – DJ Quik
54. Speak of the Devil – Hermitude
55. Lindesfarne II – James Blake
56. I’ll Take Care of You – Jamie XX and Gil Scott-Heron
57. Intro – M83
58. Stomp – The Roots
59. People Never Change – Calibre
60. Thinking About You – Frank Ocean
61. BTSTU – Jai Paul
62. Gotta Have It – Kanye West & Jay Z
63. Niggas in Paris – Kanye West & Jay Z
64. Future Starts Slow – The Kills
65. Taken for a Fool – The Strokes
66. Jackson Pit – Xaphoon Jones
67. 15th and the 1st – Ferrari Boyz
68. Colours (Captain Cuts Remix) – Grouplove
69. All Nite – Rustie
70. Wildfire (Drake Remix) – SBTRKT
71. How Deep Is Your Love – The Rapture
72. Hinnom, TX – Bon Iver
73. Minnesote, WI – Bon Iver
74. Blue Sky – Common
75. You Know What I Mean – Cults
76. All Your Goodies Are Gone (Shigeto Remix) – Dennis Coffey
77. Peg O My Heart - Dropkick Murphys f. Bruce Springsteen
78. Let Me Back In – Explosions in the Sky
79. Strawberry Swing – Frank Ocean
80. Hawaiian Air – Friendly Fires
81. Mystery – Hodgy Beats
82. Walking Far From Home – Iron & Wine
83. Machu Picchu – The Strokes
84. Bizness – Tuneyards
85. Second Song – TV On the Radio
86. Dirt – WU LYF
87. Shook Down – Yuck
88. Truth – Alexander Ebert
89. Wolves – Ben Howard
90. Luna – British Sea Power
91. Meteorites – London Elektricity
92. Lions Heart – Oscar + Martin
93. Lonely Boy – The Black Keys
94. Never Stop Loving You – 9th Wonder
95. Forget It – Blood Orange
96. Hitz – Chase & Status
97. Round of Applause – Waka Flocka Flame f. Drake
98. I Chase Rivers – Lykke Li
99. Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind (Erol Alkan Remix) – Tame Impala
100. Gold on the Ceiling – The Black Keys
