The Top 100 Local Songs of 2014.

Counting Down From 24 to 16.

Just as we have at the end of the last two years, the Central Track staff has once again spent the last week reminiscing and pouring pretty tirelessly over the best locally-tied songs of the year. By now, of course, most folks expect as much from their local culture publications. Unlike in previous years, though, we've decided to do things a little differently in 2014. For one, the influx of notable tunes this year prompted us to double the length of our list — from the Top 50 to the Top 100 local songs of the year. At the same time, we didn't want to overwhelm our readers with a huge list of 100 tracks to take in all once, either. To that end, we're going to roll the thing out in daily chunks, unveiling more songs every weekday through the end of the month. It should serve to make the thing a little easier to digest — and give you time to check out the embedded streams of anything you might have missed throughout the course of the year. Really, though, you should give each of these songs a spin. They all deserve at least that much.

What you're about to see and, more importantly, hear is the last collection of songs we're going to be posting in our month-long unveiling of our list of the region's top 100 songs from 2014 — not because there aren't more songs to be released (there are, in fact, 15 more), but because we're just done releasing them in batch form.

From this point on in this countdown, we're going to be announcing a single song each day, giving you some more in-depth, written insight into what makes the songs at the tippity top of our list so great.

Of course, that's not meant to devalue any of the songs lower on our list. As we've said a number of times now, the reason our list of the top Dallas songs from 2014 is so long is because, this year, it deserved to be.

SEE ALSO:
• THE TOP 100 LOCAL SONGS OF 2014. // Counting Down From 100 to 81.
• THE TOP 100 LOCAL SONGS OF 2014. // Counting Down From 80 to 61.
• THE TOP 100 LOCAL SONGS OF 2014. // Counting Down From 60 to 41.
• THE TOP 100 LOCAL SONGS OF 2014. // Counting Down From 40 to 25.

To that end, a concession: For this grouping of songs that just missed a spot in our top 15, we've gone and provided you a little commentary on each one. Take a gander at what we have to say, too.

Hey, a little perspective never hurt.

24. Mystery Skulls — “Magic”
After teasing singles from his 2014 major label debut for two years now, Mystery Skulls' long-anticipated Forever LP proved well worth the wait, boasting songs like “Magic” that feature high-profile collaborations with the likes of Nile Rodgers and Brandy. — Cory Graves

23. Sudie — “Heartattack”
While the single-named Sudie hasn't dropped an official album to date, the unconventional production and undeniable vocal prowess on songs such as this one have us officially clamoring for her already announced 2015 debut EP. And how. — CG

22. Leon Bridges — “Coming Home”
Despite not performing at the festival — or even having released a proper album to date — Leon Bridges was the talk of this year's CMJ Music Marathon in New York after Gorilla Vs. Bear teased his debut tracks. No surprise there: The throwback production quality, top-notch musicianship from members of White Denim, among others and Bridges' own gut-wrenching, Sam Cooke-esque vocals are enough to convince even the most jaded soul. — CG

21. Analog Rebellion — “Hot Shit”
Daniel Hunter's been making music for well over a decade at this point — before Analog Rebellion, there was PlayRadioPlay!, never forget — but this meshing of distorted guitars,. shouted vocals and a generally jaded perspective just bursts at the seems with a fervor that the guy's never shown before. — PF

20. Eat Avery's Bones — “Proboner”
Maybe Eat Avery's Bones earned this No. 20 spot because, for more than one CT staffer this year, the line in “Proboner” that begs, “Turning 30, I could never imagine / Pick up the phone and explain it to me” really hit home. Or maybe it's the unbelievable angular assault the band manages to pack into the song's 59-second blast. — CG

19. Lily Taylor — “Across the Hills”
Like an Italians Do It Better cut on valium, this is song that's in no rush to get anywhere quickly — and thank goodness for that, as Taylor's voice meshes so gorgeously with the music here in this that you never want it to end. — PF

18. Booty Fade — “It Goes Down
Wait till you hear Sober and Picnictyme's most Latin-flavored track to date. Abetted by some classic “Caprice Music” courtesy of Tum Tum, this song's the quinceanera jam that never will be. Very unfortunately. — PF

17. A.Dd+ — “INNISHO”
In their attempts to hurtle past their long-accepted status as the best rap group in Dallas and into more rarefied air, Slim Gravy and Paris Pershun have too often gone the super-serious route in trying to gain attention, overlooking the more party-ready cuts with which they first cut made their name. Here, by sharing the sax same sample as the 22-year-old Wreckx-N-Effect classic “Rump Shaker” (Lafayette Afro Rock Band' “Darkest Light”), A.Dd+ rather gloriously recalls its routes. — PF

16. Old 97's — “Let's Get Drunk and Get It On”
Sure, most of the band's catalog from the past 20 years is filled with tunes that allude to getting drunk and having intercourse — but never quite this directly. We, for one, really appreciated the band's newfound frankness. — CG

100. Blank-Men — “Mole-Man Therapy”
99. Snow tha Product — “1 Time”
98. Goodnight Ned — “50,000 Years”
97. Pageantry — “Spine”
96. Lou Charle$ — “RiCH KiD$”
95. iill — “Surface Friend”
94. Ghost Image — “The Way”
93. County Lines — “City Between Two Cities”
92. B. Anderson — “Peer Pressure”
91. Wesley Geiger — “As the Crow Flies”
90. Somebody's Darling — “Bad Bad”
89. Radioactivity — “Danger”
88. Bobby Sessions — “Buckle Up”
87. This Will Destroy You — “Invitation”
86. Final Club — “No Regrets (M.U.R.P.H.Y.)”
85. Vincent Neil Emerson — “Hesitation Blues”
84. Lecrae — “Say I Won't”
83. Luke Wade — “The Runaround”
82. Convoy & the Cattlemen — “My Window Faces South”
81. Centro-matic — “Salty Disciple”
80. Bad Mountain — “Union Hill”
79. Dorrough — “Beat Up The Block “
78. The Longshots — “Me or California”
77. The Paychecks — “Prison Bars”
76. Dead Flowers — “I'm Leaving”
75. Birdflower — “Bish at the Beach”
74. Bad Beats — “Floor of Love”
73. Rigor Mortis — “Flesh For Flies”
72. Yung Nation — “Molly on My Chest”
71. Black Milk — “What It's Worth”
70. Fishboy — “Bury My Body”
69. Sugarfoote & Co. — “Long Gone Daddy”
68. Sexual Jeremy — “Square Eyes”
67. Blessin' — “Green Song”
66. Mink Coats — “Another Notch in the Bible Belt”
65. -topic — “Pocket Dialed the Queen”
64. Unconscious Collective — “Kotsoteka”
63. Hot Coffins — “I H8 Black Magic”
62. Cashmir — “Numbers”
61. Fever Dreamer — “A Month of Sunshine”
60. The Fox & the Bird — “No Man's Land”
59. Street Arabs — “Maltese Falcon”
58. Power Trip — “This World (2014)”
57. Zach Witness — “Amen Love”
56. Terrence Spectacle — “Futon”
55. Nighty Nite — “Temporary Custodian”
54. Bethan — “Low Expectations”
53. Baring Teeth — “Mountain”
52. Sealion — “Heavy Fizz”
51. Various Artists — “Dallas vs. Everybody”
50. Bummer Vacation — “Aye Mas Tiempo Que Vida”
49. Moonbather — “Stars From Planes”
48. Kacey Musgraves — “The Trailer Song”
47. Catamaran — “Weekdays”
46. Buffalo Black — “Bad Seed”
45. Mountain of Smoke — “Wise Owl”
44. Chambers — “Inner Room”
43. The Phuss — “Straight Line Impala”
42.Dripping Wet — “Yearbook”
41. Sarah Jaffe — “Defense”
40.” Madison King — “Saved By a Son of a Gun
39. Ish D — “Keep Moving”
38. Wild Party — “Chasin' Honey”
37. Gollay — “Fight or Flight”
36. Blue, the Misfit — “Trillionaire”
35. Old 97's — “Nashville”
34. Party Static — “Poor Baby”
33. TEAM* — “I Like It”
32. Nayah — “Let it Go”
31. Oil Boom — “The Sneak Tip”
30. Spooky Folk — “Disheveled”
29. Parquet Courts — “Instant Disassembly”
28. Blackstone Rangers — “Frozen Echo”
27. Cozy Hawks — “L.A. Girl”
26. Brandon Fxrd — “Everything On Me”
25. Daniel Markham – “Disconnected and Flying”
24. Mystery Skulls — “Magic”
23. Sudie — “Heartattack”
22. Leon Bridges — “Coming Home”
21. Analog Rebellion — “Hot Shit”
20. Eat Avery's Bones — “Proboner”
19. Lily Taylor — “Across the Hills”
18. Booty Fade — “It Goes Down
17. A.Dd+ — “INNISHO”
16. Old 97's — “Let's Get Drunk and Get It On”
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Sudie cover photo by Will Rhoten.