20. Lake Street Dive – “Bad Self Portraits”
This year is shaping up to be a big one for Lake Street Dive. A sophomore record that dropped in February, a headlining world tour, a few dates with Josh Ritter—hell, lead singer Rachael Price even had a cameo on House of Cards. It’s all deserved, too. “Bad Self Portraits” is a knockout made to be played loud and often. Price’s voice is the driving force. Immensely powerful, it could fill an amphitheater (and will a few times this summer) with air to spare. A record full of great cuts like “Stop Your Crying,” “You Go Down Smooth,” “Seventeen,” and “Just Ask,” it was hard to choose just one. But, with records this good, you always have to start at the top.—Eric Walters

  

19. Schoolboy Q/Kendrick Lamar – “Collard Greens”
There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about the verses on this collaboration between Black Hippy members Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar; it’s all still weed, girls, and riches. But it’s the way the two play off the jazzy, popping beat (courtesy of Gwen Bunn) that gives this track such a delirious energy. Kendrick especially gets downright weird on his spotlight—dancing over the syllables of “I’m more than a man, I’m God / bitch touche en garde” or going into a stage whisper a few bars as he comes on to some unnamed lady. It serves to push Schoolboy to lay even deeper into the pocket, and come out swinging. The rest of album tries gamely to keep up with this raw shot of adrenalin but nothing on Oxymoron can compete.—Robert Ham

 

18. St. Paul & The Broken Bones – “I’m Torn Up”
Just a little low-end guitar and subdued horns kick off the first track of the debut of Alabama’s St. Paul & The Broken Bones. Frontman Paul Janeway evens holds back on his vocals until about two minutes in, just offering hints of the Muscle Shoals-inspired soul that they’re about to unleash like its their birthright. This is a band that’s meant to be experienced live, but since they don’t all fit in your car, the recorded version will do just fine.—Josh Jackson

  

17. La Dispute – “Woman (Reading)” 
Music writers talk about La Dispute the same way a high school quarterback might tell his friends that he plays Magic: The Gathering. Some of them have spent the better half of 2014 opening pieces on La Dispute by justifying their love for the band’s very smart, very good Rooms of the House. But I’ve got no qualms saying this is my most-listened-to record of 2014 so far. While the album might recall a different time—one where At the Drive-In or Refused’s post-hardcore wails weren’t taboo in the mainstream—this Grand Rapids, Mich., five-piece has been building a thoughtful, highly conceptual catalog that range from hard meditations on faith and humanity (Wildlife) to their latest musing on Midwest complacency. One of Rooms of the House’s centerpieces is “Woman (Reading),” which rings in the final act of a tale of two discontent homemakers in the Midwest falling apart at the seams. Part character study, part catharsis, “Woman (Reading)” is a vital part of a hardcore concept album that swings for the fences.—Tyler Kane

 

16. Wild Cub – “Thunder Clatter”
Wild Cub’s entire debut album Youth is lovely, but “Thunder Clatter” still stands out. As a solo artist, Keegan DeWitt proved himself a gifted songwriter, but this track captures a level of energy he never had before. The electronic music and danceable beat fill his sentimental verses with joy.—Kristen Hill