Top Tracks 2014 Part VII 49 - 40

49. GoldLink – When I Die (The God Complex)

With one eye laughing and one eye soaked in blood GoldLink closes his mixtape The God Complex. The feeling of loss is overwhelming and might be the most strangely introspective and still braggadocios track I´ve heard.



48. Endless Melancholy – You Are The Moonlight (Fragile)

What a name for a band and what gripping music they deliver. In every sense there is melancholy in their music and this track. It evokes the mindful gaze, the jaded yawn and the slow death of ideas once defining your whole existence. 



47. Majid JordanU (A Place Like This)

The other Drake persona Majid Jordan pursuing the lane he went in "Hold On We´re Going Home". U is a slow dance and somehow lets me think of Craig David, only up-to-date and better. The duo nail the tightly knit instrumental as much as they do their introspective vocal work.



46. Mick JenkinsShipwrecked (The Water[s])

Mick Jenkins Water[s] puts forth one of the best narrative mixtapes of this year. His way of social commentary and use of the metaphor of water are mind-blowing. Shipwreck is a three part introduction to this epic and sums up much of The Water[s] in a nutshell.



45. A Winged Victory For The SullenAtomos VII (Atomos)

T.S. Eliot once spoke of the "still point" of the turning world reached when reading a book. Atomos lets you reach this point through music. It is the Halcyon where your awareness level reaches its highest point and things unclear before begin to unravel. This combination of a lurking dub-beat under the glistening strings on track seven of the album shows the craft of AWVFTS at its most striking.



44. A$AP FergFergsomnia feat. Twista (Ferg Forever)

All I want from Ferg is musical insanity. That what he portrayed on Rocky´s first mixtape and on his own cuts before his debut album. Trap Lord – not that insane. But he goes loose on Fergsomnia, altering his voice, getting hollow for the hook and even screeching at times. The uncanny instrumental by Very Rare fits this bill perfectly. The deep base, the trumphety synths and the wood block; just insane.



43. Millie & AndreaTemper Tantrum (Drop The Vowels)

Following the loss of mental health, we progress to Temper Tantrum, a deconstructed drum & bass banger by Millie & Andrea. Dark and grimy club music or headphone experience at its best, especially when the hollow track opens up with a trancy notion for a short time only to discard this idea and grasp on to its own darkness.



42. Holly HerndonChorus (Chorus)

Holly Herdon´s music lives as much from the concept as it does from the product itself. Chorus expands on the idea of vocal layering and editing. It quickly transform to a ghostly electronic exercise bearing a really poppy vibe.

Holly Herndon - Chorus [Official Video] from RVNG Intl. on Vimeo.


41. Rae MorrisCold feat. Fryars (Cold EP)

This duet by the angelic voice of Rae Morris and the robotically processed vocals by Fryars stood out with the first listen. The explosive chorus and the mesmerizing mid-section add depth and prevent the track from falling into a simplistic pop song.

Rae Morris feat. Fryars 'Cold' from Nadia Marquard Otzen on Vimeo.


40. Isaiah RashadHeavenly Father (Cilvia Demo)

When Cilvia saw the light of day, I never would have thought that this is the best release by Top Dawg Entertainment this year. But newcomer Rashad hit it big and outshines Schoolboy and Ab-Soul. Heavenly Father shows his skill for mixing the introspective and down-beaten with a good amount of groove and soul. 


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