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| Allyson Dwyer at Asbury Lanes in August. She wants you to have a peaceful holiday season. |
Top of the Pops
by Allyson Dwyer
This is Allyson Dwyer. You may remember me from such CoolDad Music posts as that Taylor Swift review and that time I heard Slowdive in person between people's personal conversations at Terminal 5.
I generally feel like I have no authority on what's considered good in the fight for best rock / indie / punk album of the year, but I do know I love pop albums, pop stars, and good bops. Here's some stuff I genuinely loved and will probably listen to more than the last Arcade Fire album in my lifetime:
Charli XCX, Sucker
This is on the list automatically because of "Boom Clap," which is honestly the best pop song of the year. I know it didn't get much radio play, which is a shame because it's short, sweetly sugary, adorable, and I never get sick of it. It's pure, bubbly pop and doesn't take a lot of commitment outside of sounding and feeling good. That's the mark of a perfect pop song for me. Sucker has gotten pretty much high praise from most musical outlets, so I'll let you dig into that yourself.
Sia, "Chandelier"
This song reminds me that it was a pretty good year for pop-writing. "Chandelier" is anything but generic. It really commands the radio when it's on. It has my favorite lyrics of any mainstream hit ever. I mean, they're heartbreaking. It's a heartbreaking yet uplifting song, and the image it conjures up really hits a nerve in me.
Lorde, "Yellow Flicker Beat"
This is just a song, not even an album. Lorde didn't release an album this year despite "Team" being on the radio a lot (no complaints there). This track, recorded at the Lakehouse Recording Studio in Asbury Park (yaaas!!) and appearing on the new Hunger Games soundtrack, is a show-stopper. I used to actively not like Lorde, but now I am a full-on stan. She is a powerhouse and she amazes me with the way she challenges pop music with her intelligent production / lyrics. I mean, how awesome is the line, “But I got my fingers laced together and I made a little prison / And I’m locking up everyone who ever laid a finger on me?"
Taylor Swift, 1989
Looking back on what I said about 1989, I don't think it's as strong as I remember it being. I've been visiting it less and less, but when "Blank Space" plays on the radio I get excited and sing along (not "Shake It Off," though, that song can shove off.). There are so many solid, good songs on 1989 that I don't mind having it in my rotation, and so it's firmly one of the best pop albums of the year. If "Style" were to come on, I would get excited. That tells me this is a good album.
Mariah Carey, Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse
I'm going there. The Elusive Chanteuse, Mimi herself, is a national treasure, whether totally ignoring the existence of Ariana Grande, or forgetting her own lyrics on stage, this is the woman who gave us such amazing songs as (the good) "Shake It Off," "Honey” and "Dreamlover."
She deserves some recognition for giving us a new album of high pitched notes. It's a shame there was barely any promo for this album because songs like "Make It Look Good," "Money," and "Meteorite" could have easily been big comeback hits.
Lana Del Rey, Ultraviolence
I feel like listening to Lana Del Rey is like a rebellious act, because she gets so much unnecessary hate for being seen as manufactured. My big answer to that is, "Who gives a shit?" Ultraviolence is a daring pop album because it's nothing like her previous star-making album Born To Die, but it still has all the classic Lana Del Rey themes: drugs, L.A., rich daddies and old America.
Produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, it's a moody album -- slow motion rock mixed with Phil Spector wall of sound type stuff -- with one of my favorite lyrics this year: “Well my boyfriend's pretty cool / but he's not as cool as me.” The most pop-sounding song on the album is the catchy "Florida Kilos," which was written by Harmony Korine. If you loved Nicole Atkins's Slow Phaser (another favorite of mine), you may like this album as a pop companion.
Beyoncé, Beyoncé
I am so confused: Is this considered a 2013 or 2014 album? I want to say 2014 since the songs off this album dominated the year, but let's be real. The best songs on Beyoncé aren't even the radio hits. This album isn't just a huge success. It's a well-curated complete album, one that isn't about the singles. As a whole, I can listen to it (mostly, if you remove Jay-Z's verse from "Drunk in Love" and take out "Pretty Hurts" as the opener) from start to finish, which is hard to do in this day.
Tracks like "Haunted," "Blow," "Mine," "Rocket," "Blue" and "***Flawless" are not just pop songs. They are heart-stopping moments on an album with a vision. I honestly believe this is the pop record of the decade. The recently released "7/11" off the re-packaged album is also a really fun single, and the "***Flawless" remix featuring Nicki Minaj is up there with best songs of the year for me.
Azealia Banks, Broke With Expensive Taste
This is the best rap album of the year. I don't follow every rapper, not even well enough to make this claim, but I have no reservations calling Azealia Banks's long-awaited debut album one of the best rap debuts ever. Despite her ability to say amazingly smart, insightful things (see: calling out Itchy Areola...I mean, Iggy Azalea) just to mess it all up again (see: the rest of her Twitter), her vision as a musician can't be denied. The album truly bends all genres, from latin and salsa to club and house, to punk, to industrial, in perfect execution. There's even the tongue-in-cheek, retro-inspired collaboration with Ariel Pink, "Nude Beach A Go-Go."
Oh, and her lyrics, mixed with her flow, are just breath-taking, absolutely beautiful. Banks said herself that album closer, "Miss Camaraderie," is the song she was born to make. I am really excited to hear her future albums.
And... my favorite album of 2014:
FKA twigs, LP1
Is this considered a pop album? At the rate twigs is blowing up, I would say she is going to be mainstream real soon (unless hardcore Twilight fans have something to say about it). Either way, I have no reservation in saying this was the album I listened to the most this year, and not just because Pitchfork told me to.
This is a gorgeous, ground-breaking album that I believe has no definable genre. It just contains the music it does in order to create the most gravitating tracks. It's daring, subtle, quiet, moody, sad, self-reflective. If you don't know who twigs is, you will by these songs. I call it the spiritual successor to my favorite album of all time, Vespertine (by my queen, Björk). Intimate tracks that are explored through experimental beats. Personal favorite tracks include "Lights On," "Pendulum," "Video Girl" and "Give Up."
Favorite non-pop albums include releases from Beach Slang, Perfect Pussy, Black Wine, PUJOL, Ex Hex and Priests in case you thought I was super lame from this post. Happy 2015!
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