1989 was supposed to represent a move away from “Country” to an official “Pop” album. But, that’s just ridiculous since she’s been releasing “Pop” music since 2009. I mean really what the heck was this if not pop music with a banjo or this confection. I don’t see any shift in styles. She’s just omitting the twang and stealing a page from the Katy Perry playbook by minimizing her songs into shouty sing-a-longs as evidenced this year by the impossibly catchy “Shake It Off” and the talky rap of “Blank Space”. The airplay, downloads and sales of these two singles had all other contenders folding up the tables and leaving the convention centre early.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t any bold attempts from the rest of the pop world. The common thread of 2014 was one of overreaching. Most have not figured out the Swift model of keeping it simple and stupid. Mainly, pop acts this year were more dumb than stupid. No one is more dumb than One Republic and their inescapable hit “Counting Stars”. Just when I thought Imagine Dragons represented the dirty bottom of hollow earnestness, One Republic came with a bigger shovel. And if anyone held out a glimmer of hope that Maroon 5 would return with something tolerable they embarrassed themselves with the auto-tuned madness of “Animals”. What’s worse is now we have Maroon 5 offspring.
I’m stumped!
Hip-Hop was of little interest in 2014. Just new versions of the old. Instead of tolerable efforts from Rhianna and Beyonce we now have to contend with their bland substitutes Iggy Azalea and Ariana Grande. And when all else fails to grab attention and album sales, collaborate. More doesn’t mean better, especially when the collaborators are trying to outdo each other in tawdriness and yelling. And for the 5th year in a row the Katy Perry Award for Making The Most Out Of a Lack of Talent goes to Katy Perry. This year she beat a Dark Horse, despite contenders like Sia, whose “Chandelier” made it a close race. But, let us not go out on a negative tone.
Brilliant, cliff! “Shake It Off” is also my song of the year – by a landslide.
Wow, of all the songs you’ve mentioned I only know that Hozier song, because they did it on SNL when Bill Hader hosted and my wife and I both said, “No one has said anything funny and the music is as bland as strained peas.” I know that Happy song because people put it up on Facebook, but I thought it was something a telephone or greeting card company paid for at first, and not a real song. I haven’t heard any Taylor Swift songs, but I know she’s the biggest fish in the sea.
I guess for me the song of the year is Head by Lydia Loveless. At least that’s first one I thought of. Could just be my song of the morning! http://youtu.be/Mfk_Q-xP348
Thanks for getting this year end review going, Cliff. Mr. Royale and I will be doing our annual Top Albums of 2014 in the next day or two.
Singles: I can think of a bunch of other songs from more “indie” bands, but of the big cross over, mass consumed singles, I would have to go for Pharrell’s “Happy.” I mean, unless Weird Al has parodied it, is it really a #1 song?
PS, as a fashion aside, Taylor’s choice of red lipstick to signal her “new” participation in the “pop” scene really bugs me. If she really wanted to be au courant, she’d be sporting a beard for the lumbersexual look.
“Happy” started strong but wore really thin on me by the 8,311,462nd time I heard it playing over store PA systems.
I’m not even close to an expert on makeup, ladymiss, but I am troubled by Swift’s abundance of the stuff since she’s moved into her new Look. I think it points how how much worse she might look coming out of the shower, freshly scrubbed. It’s important to think about these things when assessing beauty, you know.
I think it’s also important to note that the reception of U2’s much hyped album sounded like a balloon deflating. That first single was wretched.
Two family car trips this year with teenage nieces and nephews got me listening to pop I may not have listened to in ordinary circumstances.
Last month, I made a quick playlist with some Soundcloud freebies and (attention ladymiss!) Grimes leads it off! The aforementioned Sia with an astounding 40 million plays on Soundcloud was a big singalong hit in the car as was Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson.
Sticky sweet!
https://soundcloud.com/funoka123/sets/rocknpop-best-of-2014
My favorite song of the year was also on one of my favorite albums of the year. Thank you, Eno and Hyde, for a really good one. Here’s “Lilac”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGUEVXqvCwM
My other favorite song of the year (worthy of plenty of air drum playing and interesting interpretive dances) is Jack White’s “Lazaretto.”
Enjoyable mix, Funoka. I have to admit 1. not liking that Grimes song (which she wrote for someone else) and 2. being amazed that The Charlatans are still releasing music. Go, Tim, Go!
My song of the year is “Next of Kin” by Alvvays. Just a really great pop song. Alternatively, “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” by Run the Jewels, or “Pill” by Ought, from their EP which is the most slept-on release of the year IMO. There were tracks I liked better than any of those, but it seemed like cheating to pick, for instance, “Bring the Sun/Toussaint L’Ouverture” by Swans since it’s over half an hour long.