While 2014 has yet to stack up to last year’s lineup of consistently great releases, we’ve still digested an impressive amount of music in the last six months. In some cases, it seems as though certain songs have transcended their full-length counterparts and carved little spots in our hearts that the album did not (see Future and Andre 3000’s “Benz Friendz [Whatchutola]”) or acted as monstrous singles that overshadowed the entire project (see Future Islands’ “Seasons [Waiting On You]” or Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea’s excellent summer jam “Problem”). In other cases, these songs highlighted the best aspects of the LP and slowly crept onto playlists after weeks of listening (see album deep cuts like Jack White’s rip-roaring rocker “That Black Bat Licorice,” St. Vincent‘s paralyzing “Regret,” or Sharon Van Etten‘s brassy “Tarifa”). This diverse selection of tracks is only a small taste of what 2014 has served up so far, but it’s safe to say that the quality has left us hungry for more. Listen to the playlist below.
