14. Merchandise - 'Telephone'
13. Iceage - 'The Lord’s Favourite'
12. Royal Blood - 'Little Monster'
11. Jack White - 'Lazaretto'
10. The Raveonettes - 'Sisters'
9. Kasabian - 'Eez-eh'
8. Gerard Way - 'Action Cat'
7. Spoon - 'Rainy Taxi'
6. Christopher Owens - 'It Comes Back To You'
5. Iggy Azalea ft Charli XCX - 'Fancy'
It was a really tight call between 'Fancy' and Sia’s 'Chandelier' for my favourite pop song of the year but the former slightly nudged it for me. Charli XCX would go on to build on the momentum of this song with the equally infectious 'Boom Clap', finally securing a commercial hit in her own right and becoming established as the breakthrough artist of 2014.
4. La Roux - 'Let Me Down Gently'
What a comeback. There were so many rumours flying about La Roux and her extended absence since her debut album, including one that she’d abandoned synths and gone for an acoustic record. All of the gossip was put to bed with a stunning, ambitious track that showed the time away had been well spent. Gone was the tinny sounds of her previous records and in its place we had a widescreen production that matched the grand emotion of the song.
3. Jamie T - 'Zombie'
Talking of comebacks, Jamie T’s 'Zombie' was equally impressive. A reminder of the halcyon days of the second wave of Britpop, where the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party ruled the roost, it’s fantastically infectious and wouldn’t have sounded amiss from those indie night dancefloors a decade or so ago. It’s quite sad to see what’s happening to those clubs now, with the iconic Buffalo Bar set to close now as well. A reminder of better days for British guitar-pop.
2. The New Pornographers - 'War On The East Coast'
New Pornographers are arguably the most gifted band in alternative rock music – a supergroup as their website puts it of ‘ridiculous talent’ with members including AC Newman, Neko Case and Dan Bajar who have released superb albums in their own right. But when they get together, the results are usually magical and the bouncy, euphoric 'War On The East Coast' might just be their most memorable track yet.
1. Future Islands - 'Seasons (Waiting On You)'
What else can be said about this song. While of course the iconic Letterman performance has gained this song more attention, I have no doubt it would have been huge any way (in fact, some people I speak to love the song but don’t enjoy the live performance). It’s a truly special record that speaks to the soul, making it universal with lead singer Samuel T Herring’s impassioned vocals elevating it to classic status.
Read Rajan's top albums of 2014 here.
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