Behold, the first year since 1989 where nothing makes the cut for 100 Albums (although 1991’s selection was a compilation.) My top three of the year (Jill Sobule, Future Islands, The New Pornographers) should all make my Top 50 of the Decade list (coming January 2020!), but probably not that list’s top ten, hence their exclusion here.

On that note, I began 100 Albums in 2014 thinking I’d breeze through it in two years or so. I’ll write more about this when I reach the end; just know that as I began foraging through the past, I didn’t overlook the present. Look at all the great tracks from this year: Cibo Matto’s (artistically) triumphant return (not to mention Ben Watt’s, and Erasure’s, and Tori Amos’ and even Suzanne Vega’s!), sterling debuts from Betty Who, Lake Street Dive, Alvvays and Sylvan Esso, breakthroughs from Perfume Genius and Owen Pallett, best-songs-yet from Jessie Ware and Lykki Li, a spooky Lana Del Rey gem and even a collaboration from two of my fave artists (The Both = Aimee Mann + Ted Leo) with a leadoff single named after my hometown.

Still, the 2014 track currently giving me all the feels is “Late Bloomer” from Jenny Lewis’ The Voyager (itself probably a lock for that end-of-decade list.) Clocking in at over five minutes, it’s almost a throwback to classic folk-rock story songs like “Maggie May” or “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, but filtered through Lewis’ delicately puckish demeanor; it also sports a melody so inviting and generous I’m surprised the song isn’t more of a standard five years on.

Go here to listen to my favorite tracks of 2014 on Spotify:

1. Future Islands, “Seasons (Waiting On You)”
2. The New Pornographers, “Champions of Red Wine”
3. Betty Who, “Somebody Loves You”
4. Cibo Matto, “10th Floor Ghost Girl”
5. Mac DeMarco, “Salad Days”
6. Gruff Rhys, “American Interior”
7. Perfume Genius, “Queen”
8. Lykke Li, “Gunshot”
9. Lake Street Dive, “Bad Self Portraits”
10. Jill Sobule, “Wedding Ring”
11. Ben Watt, “Forget”
12. St. Vincent, “Digital Witness”
13. Nicole Atkins, “Girl You Look Amazing”
14. Suzanne Vega, “I Never Wear White”
15. Stars, “From The Night”
16. Erasure, “Reason”
17. Tori Amos, “Promise”
18. Lana Del Rey, “West Coast”
19. Sylvan Esso, “Coffee”
20. Owen Pallett, “The Riverbed”
21. Leonard Cohen, “Almost Like The Blues”
22. Spoon, “Inside Out”
23. Todd Terje with Bryan Ferry, “Johnny and Mary”
24. Alvvays, “Archie, Marry Me”
25. La Roux, “Kiss and Not Tell”
26. Jessie Ware, “Tough Love”
27. Clean Bandit with Jess Glynne, “Rather Be”
28. The Both, “Milwaukee”
29. Broken Bells, “Control”
30. Jenny Lewis, “Late Bloomer”
31. Sharon Van Etten, “You Know Me Well”
32. Royksopp, “I Had This Thing”
33. Emm Gryner, “End Of Me”