With blog praise piling up and a placement in the new Victoria’s Secret ad (previously a building block for M83’s hit “Midnight City”), 2014 should be a big year for BANKS. The strong debut single from Harvest Records artist BANKS begins softly before expanding after the first chorus with pulses, jittery beats, and uneasy harmonized background vocals, illustrating her worries about the pace of her relationship. Avril Lavigne f/Chad Kroeger – “Let Me Go”Īfter marrying widely-panned Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger in July, Avril Lavigne released duet “Let Me Go” to adult pop radio following two underwhelming performances in “Here’s To Never Growing Up” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll.” The reminiscing breakup ballad, a track with forlorn strings, delicate piano lines, and Kroeger’s husky harmonies, brings Lavigne back to her prime, recalling 2002 hit “I’m With You.” See Avril Lavigne album track “17” for another, more pop-friendly standout.
The only shame is the lack of credit to featured vocalist Aloe Blacc, who has since signed to XIX/Interscope, released an EP, and will release third album Lift Your Spirit stateside next year. Not much of a feat considering dance beats, folk vocals and instrumentation, and hand-clap accompaniments were all flavors du jour on pop radio, but I’ll take the point for it anyway. Avicii f/Aloe Blacc – “Wake Me Up”Īlong with Lorde’s “Royals” and Passenger’s “Let Her Go” (below), this is one song I first heard in France this summer and correctly predicted its fall success stateside.
Monroe’s sweet voice and the soft instrumental carry the lyrics well. Though Kacey Musgraves became the poster child of lyrically-intelligent contemporary country this year, the title track of Ashley Monroe’s short-but-sweet second album (and her first on new label home Warner Bros.) tells a story of perseverance following childhood small-town hardships. Despite the clunky malapropisms and the fact that I still have no idea what ghost gunfighters have to do with the song, this was a good slice of pop that has me looking forward to their debut album, coming next March via French label Atmosphériques. One of my favorite discoveries from listening to the radio this summer in France, As Animals is a French indie pop group. Much of Ariana Grande’s debut album Yours Truly excels at displaying her penchant for catchy rhythms, formidable range, and all other things Mariah Carey, but “Honeymoon Avenue” is the A-grade standout, with amusing driving metaphors and a belter of a pre-chorus. Looks like “I found a way to enter” the critically-revered band’s discography after all. Funnily enough, my introduction was seemingly tailor-made for me: my preferred combination of male and female vocals, lyrics that connect with many of us in the digital age, and splashes of French. I came late to the party on Arcade Fire, finally introducing myself to the band a few weeks after the release of Reflektor, the group’s fourth album. Shankar’s sitar combines with Jones’s trademark croons that truly shows how traces of Shankar’s legacy live on. Anoushka Shankar f/Norah Jones – “Traces Of You”Īnoushka Shankar teamed up with half-sister Norah Jones in a touching tribute to their father, Ravi Shankar, who passed away late last year. Just like the combination of the two elements, the song explodes with snappy guitars, layered vocal parts, and punchy drum beats. “There’s gasoline in your heart / There’s fire in mine,” begins the rhythmic song from the six-piece Australian group’s debut A Is For Alpine. Glee introduced me to this band early in the year with their cover of the hopeful, uplifting “This Is The New Year.” 2014 should be another big year for the breakout band now signed to Epic Records, currently rocketing up the charts with “Say Something.” Alpine – “Gasoline” Read on for descriptions of each track, access the whole playlist on SoundCloud to listen, and judge away.Ī Great Big World – “This Is The New Year” In a year that saw personal advancements including eight weeks studying abroad in France and graduation from college, these songs soundtracked my year, each song appealing to me through instrumentation, lyrics, or just its overall mood. These are one hundred songs that stayed in my heavy rotation throughout 2013.
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