A slightly below average week with plenty of immensely shruggable music, majoring with Major Lazer, though even Clean Bandit, a band you’d think would always be a joy on the charts, dollop up more of the same. Disappointing without being a big shocker.
She Wolf – Shakira – Around about here, Shakira seemed seeped in the possibility of being a major pop artists as well as a pop star, but it all became too much and she imploded. This song is a pop art stroke she couldn’t ever follow up – A
380 songs make up my best of 2014 so far, but if I hear a better song than “Leave Your Love” this year it wil be a miracle, a torchy swoony dream of adoration and disassembled love which makes much more sense when now Smith has come out as a homosexual.
In a live setting strings and two turntables and a microphone plus guest singers should be entirely uniquely and different and I believe it should work, especially if they get Jess Gwynne to visit with them. She is a wonderful and soulful singer and she really helped the band sell this great pop landscape track.
Good week for heavy instruments, Bassnectectar, Clean Bandit, Phish, Eno + Hyde and Mastodon all released very strong music. Particularly Eno + Hyde, whose “Lilac” is better than anything on the album and especially the two note strum through the last three minutes. The best three minutes of the week.
A&E – Clean Bandit – After the success of “Rather Be”, I figured this classical plus EDM band were gonna be great but the New Eyes was a disappointed except the more you listen the less it is and the violins on this song are so great the track grows into a monster – A
Country Song – Happy Mondays – Originally called “Some Cunt from Preston” and not much of a shocker why the they changed its name, the Madchester monster band sounds ahead of its time even today: a blues beater with heavy heavy beats – A
All By Myself – Dave Alvin And Phil Alvin- Old fashioned in the best sense, this Big Bill Broonzy song is the definition of country swing as blues pop tone; the brothers trade off lines very well even as they contradicts the words! – B+
Miranda’s best album since Crazy Ex-Girlfriend isn’t EVEN that much better than any of her others or her work with Pistol Annies or God knows her husband Blake’s “Good Ol’ Boys”. This is as good as country gets in 2014, the only dog the Carrie Underwood duet on this otherwise a sublime collection of songs – ALBUM OF THE WEEK –
Two new songs here, yet to be released in the US, promise mountains for the modern soul sounds of the UK. “Stay With Me” is as great as the beautiful voiced soul singer Sam Smith gets and this is not simply quite possibly his best song yet, it is also his potential big time US breakthrough. “Extraordinary” is no “Rather Be” but it is still damn good.
Rather Be Cash Cash Remix – Clean Bandit – One of the biggest songs of the year gets bigger with the pop DJ duo Cash Cash superb remix, it’s like listening to the song on steroids with House-y zoom effects on the track and Jesse’s vocals going through the roof – A
This is a good chart, nice mix of stuff and best of all is the battle to be the next One Direction. I thought it was a shoo in for 5 Seconds Of Summer, but maybe The Vamps will beat em to it. Certainly “Last Night” is the best boy band song since “Kiss You”.
The Duke Dumont remixing of Whitney famous Parton track is excellent but 5 Seconds Of Summer are the most perfect case of product management ever. Social media savvy beyond belief, the Aussie boy band opened for 1D last year and have been poised to break through the moment they release their debut EP. OnDuke Dumont Tuesday here.
The lamest UK chart of the year, this is repetitive samey mainstream dance oh and I am really really sick of Pharrel’s song and Pixie Lott is the most iirtating popstar out there. Man, what a bummer
Foxes (aka Louisa Rose Allen) is yet another DJ’s discovery, this time Zedd discovered her and this song is her second hit. The album is dropping May 12th, though whether we get it, and whether we care, is a subject of some debate.
I decided to get smart and leave “Best Songs Of 2014” as an essentially list of faves by release date and add another list of just clear up the top ten, maybe top 20 by the end of the year songs in order of preference. Welcome to yet another list!
Zedd is wonderful modern EDM with Hayley handling the lead, Clean Bandit leads the year as far as hit songs in the UK go, Katy B is a fascinating intro to the new album, Pitbull and Pharrell we know by now but they are both excellent. Wow, England rocks (or at least dances)
I wonder why the UK single charts is so much more interesting than the US? Not just the superb “Rather Be” which should break big over here at some point, but the extremely soulful Gorgon which hits me as though while the US is having an emo revival, the UK is back with Northern soul.
