Best Songs of 2014

I have two simple rules when making my "Best of" song lists. First, an artist can't appear more than once. Second, I will not rank my lists. The first rule makes the list-making harder, and the second makes it easier. This paradox creates a happy medium.

In conjunction with this list, in 2014 I published Best Of lists representing 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 years ago. The weird thing about making those lists after the fact is the use of hindsight, for I have discovered new artists and new songs in the interim years and, in some cases, during this process of trying to fill out a 100-song list.

Just like last year, making my 2014 list in the moment was hard. My too-large running list of nominee tracks was whittled down over the course of the past month, finally putting together the 100 songs featured here, just a matter of days ago.

For these year-end lists, I like to undertake the seemingly impossibly task of creating an hours-long mix. The order you see below represents that effort, which you can listen to via Spotify and Rdio. Sadly all 100 tracks aren't available—Taylor Swift and The Black Keys, I’m looking at you—but you get the general idea. Ten years from now, or maybe never, I may finally post individual blurbs for each track.

Show Grid

Sugar Free Jazz

Mike Doughty

Live at Ken’s House

Megaforce
via TK library: 11/4/2014

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Springful

Adult Jazz

Gist Is

Spare Thought
via TK library: 8/16/2014

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Time of Dark

tUnE-yArDs

Nikki Nack

4AD
via TK library: 6/8/2014

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Kong

The Notwist

Close to the Glass

Sub Pop
via TK library: 3/19/2014

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Bright Eyes

Allo Darlin’

We Come From the Same Place

Slumberland
via TK library: 10/31/2014

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11 O’Clock Friday Night

Hamilton Leithauser

Black Hours

Ribbon Music
via TK library: 6/8/2014

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Do You

Spoon

They Want My Soul

Loma Vista
via TK library: 7/7/2014

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Brill Bruisers

The New Pornographers

Brill Bruisers

Matador
via TK library: 7/7/2014

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Congregation

Foo Fighters

Sonic Highways

RCA
via TK library: 11/10/2014

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Another Night

The Men

Tomorrow’s Hits

Sacred Bones
via TK library: 3/9/2014

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Shut In

Strand of Oaks

HEAL

Dead Oceans
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Gimme Something Good

Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams

Pax Am
via TK library: 9/18/2014

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Turn Blue

The Black Keys

Turn Blue

Nonesuch
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Rita Mae Young

The Record Company

Rita Mae Young

self-released
via TK library: 6/22/2014

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Turn Your Lights Down Low

Jim James

Sweetheart 2014

Hear Music
via TK library: 2/11/2014

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Coming Home

Leon Bridges

Coming Home

self-released
via TK library: 12/11/2014

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Standing By Your Side

Lee Fields & The Expressions

Emma Jean

Truth & Soul
via TK library: 6/14/2014

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We Get Along

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Give the People What They Want

Daptone
via TK library: 3/9/2014

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Dilla Plugged In

De La Soul

Smell the D.A.I.S.Y.

self-released
via TK library: 4/1/2014

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Till It’s Done (Tutu)

D’Angelo and the Vanguard

Black Messiah

RCA
via TK library: 12/17/2014

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Talk Is Cheap

Chet Faker

Built on Glass

Downtown
via TK library: 4/20/2014

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Good Kisser

Usher

Good Kisser

self-released
via TK library: 5/17/2014

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Brand New

Pharrell Williams featuring Justin Timberlake

G I R L

Columbia
via TK library: 3/5/2014

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Come Alive

Chromeo featuring Toro y Moi

White Women

Big Beat
via TK library: 2/1/2014

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Fiona Coyne

Saint Pepsi

Fiona Coyne

Carpark
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Love Sublime

Tensnake featuring Fiora & Nile Rodgers

Glow

Astralwerks
via TK library: 2/2/2014

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Love Neve Felt So Good

Michael Jackson featuring Justin Timberlake

Xscape

Epic
via TK library: 5/3/2014

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After the Disco

Broken Bells

After the Disco

Columbia
via TK library: 4/21/2014

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Lover

WKND featuring Chet Faker

W/K/N/D

self-released
via TK library: 10/8/2014

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Hesitation

Beat Connection

Hesitation

self-released
via TK library: 7/7/2014

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Sun Models

Odesza featuring Madelyn Grant

In Return

Counter
via TK library: 4/21/2014

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VIP Pass to My Heart

Riff Raff

Neon Icon

Mad Decent
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Lost

Tomas Barfod featuring Pell

Love Me

Secretly Canadian
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Red Planet

Alvvays

Alvvays

Polyvinyl
via TK library: 8/16/2014

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Standing in the Sun

Jessica Lea Mayfield

Make My Head Sing…

ATO
via TK library: 4/19/2014

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Heavenly Father

Bon Iver

Wish I Was Here

Columbia
via TK library: 7/3/2014

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Queen

Perfume Genius

Too Bright

Matador
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Logging Off

Sondre Lerche

Please

Yep Roc
via TK library: 9/28/2014

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Regret

St. Vincent

St. Vincent

4AD
via TK library: 3/2/2014

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Hi-Five

Angel Olsen

Burn Your Fire for No Witness

Jagjaguwar
via TK library: 2/28/2014

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It Ain’t All Flowers

Sturgill Simpson

Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

High Top Mountain
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Pauline Hawkins

Drive-By Truckers

English Oceans

ATO
via TK library: 3/9/2014

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Believer

Kris Orlowski

Believer

self-released
via TK library: 6/21/2014

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Low Key

Tweedy

Sukirae

Anti
via TK library: 9/28/2014

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Head Underwater

Jenny Lewis

The Voyager

Warner Bros
via TK library: 8/6/2014

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Slow Motion

Phox

Phox

Partisan
via TK library: 4/26/2014

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Moving to the Left

Woods

With Light and With Love

Woodsist
via TK library: 4/20/2014

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Salad Days

Mac DeMarco

Salad Days

Captured Tracks
via TK library: 4/4/2014

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Tarifa

Sharon Van Etten

Are We There

Jagjaguwar
via TK library: 5/17/2014

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Parade

The Antlers

Familiars

Anti
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Owl

She Keeps Bees featuring Sharon Van Etten

Eight Houses

Future Gods
via TK library: 8/22/2014

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Outside, Digging

James Vincent McMorrow

Post Tropical

Vagrant
via TK library: 6/14/2014

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Rapt

Karen O

Crush Songs

Cult
via TK library: 9/15/2014

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Are You OK?

Dum Dum Girls

Too True

Sub Pop
via TK library: 2/9/2014

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Glory

Wye Oak

Shriek

Merge
via TK library: 4/21/2014

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Happy Idiot

TV on the Radio

Seeds

Harvest
via TK library: 11/19/2014

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Cruel

Operators

EP 1

self-released
via TK library: 8/16/2014

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I’m Not Part of Me

Cloud Nothings

Here and Nowhere Else

Carpark
via TK library: 3/3/2014

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Lipton Witch

Sunny Day Real Estate

Sunny Day Real Estate / Circa Survive Split 7"

Record Store Day exclusive
via TK library: 4/21/2014

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How Do You Do It

Yellow Ostrich

Cosmos

Barsuk
via TK library: 3/2/2014

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Red Hand

Owl John

Owl John

Atlantic
via TK library: 8/22/2014

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My Sad Captains

Elbow

The Take Off and Landing of Everything

Concord
via TK library: 3/13/2014

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Blue Moon

Beck

Morning Phase

Capitol
via TK library: 2/7/2014

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Clear the Sky

Ryley Walker

All Kinds of You

Tompkins Square
via TK library: 5/9/2014

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Talking Backwards

Real Estate

Atlas

Domino
via TK library: 3/13/2014

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Wide Awake

J. Mascis

Tied to a Star

Sub Pop
via TK library: 9/6/2014

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Oh! Whiskey

Jimi Goodwin

Odludek

Heavenly
via TK library: 4/4/2014

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Valley of the Sun

U.S. Royalty

Blue Sunshine

self-released
via TK library: 2/3/2014

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Almost Everything

The Hold Steady

Teeth Dreams

Washington Square
via TK library: 4/19/2014

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Red Eyes

The War on Drugs

Lost in the Dream

Secretly Canadian
via TK library: 1/16/2014

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Seasons (Waiting on You)

Future Islands

Singles

4AD
via TK library: 3/28/2014

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I Miss Your Bones

Hospitality

Trouble

Merge
via TK library: 2/7/2014

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West Coast

Lana Del Rey

Ultraviolence

Interscope
via TK library: 5/9/2014

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Bill Murray

Phantogram

Voices

Republic
via TK library: 2/10/2014

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Spectre (Bibio Remix)

Tycho

Spectre

Ghostly International
via TK library: 8/23/2014

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Ilsa Drown

Death Vessel featuring Jonsi

Island Intervals

Sub Pop
via TK library: 3/15/2014

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Wildwood

Steve Gunn

Way Out Weather

Paradise of Bachelors
via TK library: 12/18/2014

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Violently Wild

Horse Feathers

So It Is With Us

Kill Rock Stars
via TK library: 11/3/2014

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My Silver Lining

First Aid Kit

Stay Gold

Columbia
via TK library: 4/8/2014

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Down by the River (Live)

Puss N Boots

No Fools, No Fun

Blue Note
via TK library: 11/4/2014

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The Pieces

Slow Club

Complete Surrender

Wichita
via TK library: 8/16/2014

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I’m Callin’

Tennis

Ritual in Repeat

Communion
via TK library: 8/22/2014

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Change Your Ticket

One Direction

Four (Deluxe)

Syco
via TK library: 12/16/2014

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Shake It Off

Taylor Swift

1989

Big Machine
via TK library: 8/23/2014

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Talking Body

Tove Lo

Queen of the Clouds

Island
via TK library: 10/23/2014

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Silver and Gold

Kele

Trick

Lilac
via TK library: 10/31/2014

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Can’t Do Without You

Caribou

Our Love

Merge
via TK library: 12/19/2014

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How We Be

Sinkane

Mean Love

DFA
via TK library: 10/31/2014

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Wave 1

Com Truise

Wave 1

Ghostly International
via TK library: 3/9/2014

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So Long, See You Tomorrow

Bombay Bicycle Club

So Long, See You Tomorrow

Vagrant
via TK library: 3/9/2014

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Thunder Clatter

Wild Cub

Youth

Mom and Pop
via TK library: 2/1/2014

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Shadow

Bleachers

Strange Desire

RCA
via TK library: 7/20/2014

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Compliment Your Soul

Dan Croll

Sweet Disarray

Capitol
via TK library: 5/3/2014

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Say Enough

Hooray for Earth

RACY

Dovecote
via TK library: 8/16/2014

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Do It Again

Röyksopp & Robyn

Do It Again

Interscope
via TK library: 6/6/2014

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Paris

Little Dragon

Nabuma Rubberband

Republic
via TK library: 6/6/2014

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Play It Right

Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso

Partisan
via TK library: 5/19/2014

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The Trouble

Pogo

The Trouble

self-released
via TK library: 9/9/2014

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Magic

Coldplay

Ghost Stories

Capitol
via TK library: 3/9/2014

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Metallic Cloud

Damien Jurado & Sisters of the Eternal Sun

Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Sun

Secretly Canadian
via TK library: 1/24/2014

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