rock nyc Top 22 Songs (In Order And Spotified) Through July 31st, 2014

Most underrated

1. Leave Your Lover – Sam Smith – This isn’t one of the great songs of our time, it is one of the great songs of all times; a song of unrequited love where Sam’s tactile vocal seems like a shroud of the love affair. A standard in waiting.

2. Rollercoaster – Bleachers – This feels like a one off now, I’ve listened to the album a number of times and none of it clicks like this 1970s glam rock triumph.
3. Head – Lydia Loveless – I almost dropped it out of the top five when I realized she was discussing giving and not getting head and because she kinda blew it on stage. But it’s too good. I can’t do it.
4. Rather Be – Clean Bandit – You could hope this might change the rules for EDM, the addition of a classical music string arrangement, and it does, but while remaining exactly the same. Which is why it is so good, it is also why it’s been a hit.

5. Longer Than You’ve Been Alive – Old 97’s – The night I saw em earlier this year they were checking the clock and here they aren’t even close to doing -a rock and roll autobiography.

6. Sour Times – The Civil Wars  -If this cover of a Portishead track doesn’t make you seriously, seriously miss this duo nothing will: the electronic dubbing deep sink of the original is replaced by organic instrumentation and a vocal tour of her deep soul by Joy Williams.

7. Problem – Ariana Grande – The reason why this doesn’t feel as big a summer “Fancy” is because, well, “Fancy” is bigger, but it is plenty big as kiss offs go.

8. Fancy – Iggy Azalea – sure, it is all about that bass lick –

9. Thinking About You – Ed Sheeran – Singer songwriters don’t get strokes like this all the time, indeed once every three years is a miracle.

10. Stay With Me – Sam Smith – The second of three flat out masterpieces from an album without a weak link. This one was the hit. The third is “Not In That Way”.

11. Platinum – Miranda Lambert – A very funny pun with the song to match it, maybe beat it.

12. Oboe Concerto – Morrissey – This albums “Speedway” -a song so good you wonder why the rest aren’t.

13.  Salad Days – Mac Demarco – everything a singer songwriter song should be except insincere.

14. 0 To 100/The Catch Up – Drake – Odd as it might sound, is possible young Drake is actually… a single artist? Over an album he can self-immolate but on this self portrait, what happens once you reach here, he nails it for four minutes.

15. Child’s Play – SZA – Featuring Chance The Rapper for some new R&B

16. NSA Man – Peter Stampfel – A full own smack down of being spied upon to a ridiculous degree.

17. Once Upon A Dream – Lana Del Rey – Right song meet right singer -if the movie had been half as bad.

18. Make It Look Good – Mariah Carey – Love the fake ending, love the cascading orchestra, love the Stevie Wonder vibe, most underrated album of the year,

19. Good Kisser – Usher – Light and hard at the same time

20. Zigzagging Toward The Light – Conor Oberst – The circumstances on him, and who knows where the transition will take conor, but this song suggest he is just biding his

21. As Long As I Got You – Lily Allen – Her Drake ish self-portrait, Lily makes it from the bottom.  Plus zydeco.

22. She Looks So Perfect – 5 Seconds Of Summer- So they definitely have one in them!!!

Comment: This best songs is in order of preference, this is where I stand song wise and most of these are singles as well, though I don’t think the top two will change much in the next five months, If you Have spotify, give it a listen.