We've got the TOP 25 THROWBACK HITS done, we have 3 more tops to go!
ON PROCESS!
#25 Katy Perry - This is How We Do
#24 Arca - Xen
#23 Pitbull - Timber (Feat. Ke$ha)
#22 Charli XCX - Break the Rukes
#21 Tobacco - Streaker
#20 Beyoncé - Drunk In Love (feat. Jay Z)
Best tracks released between December, 2013 and December, 2014 with a couple of exceptions.
TOP 25 ALBUMS
Best albums of 2014.
TOP 25 MUSIC VIDS
Best music videos of 2014.
DONE!
#25 Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day (1970)
#24 Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop (2013)
#23 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege (2013)
#22 Christina Aguilera - Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti (2000)
#21 Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild (1968)
#20 Britney Spears - From the Bottom of My Broken Heart (1999)
#19 No Doubt - Settle Down (2012)
#18 Cheryl Lynn - Got to Be Real (1978)
#17 Daft Punk - Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) (2013)
#16 Azealia Banks - 212 (feat. Lazy Jay) (2011)
#15 Hole - Letter to God (2010)
#14 Garbage - Felt (2012)
#13 M.I.A. - Meds and Feds (2010)
#12 Lorde - Tennis Court (2013)
#11 Arcade Fire - Reflektor (2013)
#10 Tortoise - I Set My Face to the Hillside (1998)
#9 Rihanna - We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) (2011)
#8 Godspeed You! Black Emperor - We Drift Like Worried Fire (2012)
#7 Led Zeppelin - What Is and What Should Never Be (1969)
#6 Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains (1995)
#5 The Strokes - You Only Live Once (2006)
#4 Lady Gaga - Applause (2013)
#3 Britney Spears - Work Bitch (2013)
#2 Portishead - All Mine (1997)
#1 Ty Segall Band - Wave Goodbye (2012)
Ty Segall is awesome, what I like most about him is how melodic he is. I have a problem with the rock genre, a part of it is terribly unmelodic, and it's the problem with guys being this originally a guy genre, rock itself, not rock and roll. Melodies, that express a lot of feelings don't go along with guys, they have to make the most out of riffs, changes, rhythm, paces, solos, etc and that channeling of energy is great but it's different from a woman voice singing pop that "just" goes up and down like crazy and real, doing with the vocal melody more than a guy usually does when singing. That woman voice can make you travel but it's just a voice, right? Rock bands have to put a lot of effort into the instrument playing and they can achieve great things, they already have but melody making have been best with the bands who didn't fall on the machismo of being tough and therefore making not very expressive melodies, except when doing furious ones which is a rock forte. Of course, not to say that because a band that decides to be not so melodic and more complex with the instruments is bad or that is naturally associated with machismo. The problem is that there are bands who are neither melodic and their instrument playing or songwriting isn't anything to write home about. And that's when there's a problem.
The great thing about Ty Segall is that he manages to be both things, hard rocking and very melodic and in this song his songwriting talents shines. The bass line and riff are pretty much the same but the way they complement each other feels pretty accomplished. His voice sounds adolescent and emotional, also angry going along just fine with the feelings of breakout and rebellion described in the lyrics. The vocal melody he chose exhudes pain in liberation, while on the verses it sounds pretty fine, right about the half he just goes "oh-oh-oh-oh-oh" on the same melody and it feels just glorious, extremely cathartic like the end of one of the best songs ever but it doesn't stay there, right after that, Ty and company go on a guitar solo trip, that builds up from bass and drums that would make me remember Kill Bill Vol. 2 where Elle Driver is driving through the desert all determined and menacing looking. Then the guitar explodes fitting in another scene, the fighting scene in The House of Blue Leaves in Kill Bill Vol. 1. This song could be used in so many intense scenes of great movies but it doesn't actually talk about fighting. The lyrics talk about being fed up with the system, giving it the middle finger and a wholehearted goodbye to do what your soul and heart calls for. Ty described it, paraphrasing, as a song of two lovers saying goodbye to the stupid rules that don't permit them to be happy.
This song shouts classic from wherever you see it. It has everything, unique lyrics, raw emotion, incredible melody, awesome structure and a superb performance. I can't compliment Ty Segall enough for 'Slaughterhouse' and this song. If rock comes back hard to the mainstream, this guy should be one of the people leading the pack, a sincere musician with a lot of deserving recognition. I kinda feel a little Kurt Cobain in him, don't get me wrong, they're both very different people but he has that thing of making really emotional and catchy melodies buried with all the rock sapience they have, and both have different influences but Ty demonstrated what not all successful rockers do, loving the genre for the music, not for the pose, even when he likes to crowdsurf. With 7 albums as a solo artist, 1 with the Ty Segall Band and many others with other people being just 27, Ty Segall is a force to be reckoned with. And this song is a magnum opus.
MASTAMAIND'S 2014 TOP 25 TRACKS
Tracks released from December, 2013 to December, 2014 with a couple of exceptions.
#25 KATY PERRY - THIS IS HOW WE DO
This girl took over singles wise with her 2010 album "Teenage Dream", extremely wise marketing, catchy songs and incredibly poppy creative videos. On 2013 Katy Perry came back with "PRISM" and while it did provide her two big smashes, this song couldn't quite replicate the success of previous hits. I don't know why, this song is quite neat, the problem is that all the focus group lyrics Katy seemed to have to propel the success of her previous singles don't seem so assertive this time with this song. The lyrics are completely ridiculous, trying to be a college chill out party song but it's incredibly left field. Some of the activities described by Perry here don't seem fun at all but oddly, it contributes to the song having a happy funny and subtlely sarcastic feel like a funny 'Stay High (Habits)' by a person in denial. The main synth riff is nice, the bass is groovy and Katy is on the verge of sing speaking, making the humor of this song drier and harder to detect but the flow is so nice that it doesn't matter, this song achieves being fun pushing the wrong buttons. Maybe it was on purpose.
#24 ARCA - XEN
Venezuelan producer, Arca, takes us to a trip of interrupted dance. The track evolves slowly and it seems much longer than the 3 minutes and near half that is. It's slightly melodic. Arca makes me remember The Haxan Cloak, only that Arca is dancier and more upbeat. He is still dark. There is structure to this even though it sounds pretty irregular. I see this being played at an avant-garde artsy dark club, where people aren't so worried about a track stopping it beats for a while. 'Xen', the song, is menacing, trippy, obscure and inviting. The sexy but broody nature of the body presented in the video is distorted in the end as if fun might be something inviting and pleasurable at first but in the end is satiating, rotten and perverted. Arca explores the depths of of pleasure, impact and curiosity with 'Xen' (also the album name) in sound and image.
#23 PITBULL - TIMBER (FEAT. KE$HA)
Pitbull is the ultimate party bop maker with undeniable tracks like 'Hotel Room Service', 'Give Me Everything', 'Don't Stop the Party' and many more. He never fails, incredibly since 'Culo', can you believe it? He doesn't take himself seriously in his songs, but he's incredibly positive, also friendly cocky and has a very fun delivery. Raspy voice on a rapper isn't the norm, his voice tells "I have partied, a lot." On this high energy stomping track, his delivery is crisp and has a nice flow, I don't know, Pitbull could be talking about making ceviche and I'd still enjoy it. Ke$ha's chorus is great, I love the melody, this song gives me such good vibes as the personality Pitbull projects in his music. That harmonica riff, super neat. Pitbull has a great ear. Keep on that buddy and dale!
#22 CHARLI XCX - BREAK THE RULES
"I don't wanna go to school, I just wanna break the rules" What's up highschoolers, this is not cool? I guess you really have to study, unless what they're teaching you isn't really helping you, whatever. Charli mixes acoustic guitars with sugary synths for the second single of her second major label album after the sweetly bombastic (wink) smash, lead single and soundtrack of The Fault in Our Stars, 'Boom Clap'. Charli's voice is seducing and the drums here are a mix between MGMT 'Kids' and Blur's 'Song 2'. The song is very playful and fun. Kinda has that teenage rebellious feel, the one you have when you start doing things you're not allowed when you're living with your parents, hell there are a lot of people living under their parents roof way later than they should have under social norms. So this song could be talking to anybody. Someone who just doesn't wanna study and have fun forever. This song is not reasonable under what you would consider normal even with the carefree lyrics, it kind of has left field fun feel to it. Great tune. Grab a vodka and some strawberry juice with milk with this and dance silly.
#21 TOBACCO - STREAKER (FEAT. NOTRABEL)
Tobacco came down on 2014 with a compelling off-center electronic album, "Ultima II Massage". 'Streaker', the opener, uses a low register voice sort of doing gibberish through what seems to be a talk box. Pretty cool, it appears through the whole song with drop breaks that are kinda hypnotizing. The music video unveils the power of this song, revealing its slow corrupted dance nature. Screamed, a couple of phrases are thrown in the song that intensify its vicious ways: "But if you feel like someone's coming!". Alternative dance with exploding cymbals, a broody tune that can make your party a horror movie setting, this track is not to be missed.
#20 BEYONCÉ - DRUNK IN LOVE (FEAT. JAY-Z)
Oh, when lots doubted her, Beyoncé comes back with a burning lead single, 'Drunk in Love' makes her crusade of transforming monogamous love into a fun story make sense. Extremely sexy and seductive vocals with strong bass on a trap beat and very subtle synths, it doesn't need anymore. Her sexy blockbuster selftitled album is bold in its message, strong sexuality between two people, and it convinces, as the hot 'Partition', this track is a slow dance triumph. Beyoncé has evolved her performance even when she was already a fine singer, she's gained quite a bit of texture, the verses are breathy but fresh and then she builds it up to a explosive chorus. The way she seduces her man, she's sure of her sexual desire and is not ashamed of it at all. She's able to play with and twist everything to make the experience with her varied, Beyoncé's a feminist even when she's making a sexual song, this is not the "Come to me please" song, she's not begging for anything, she's like "Come here baby. I'm the real deal." and yeah, she's the real deal.
Near the end of the fuzzy low-fi and poppy "pom pom" comes this tune. Ariel's voice is emotional and not overdone, the rhythm is slow and accompanies the sad, nostalgic feeling of the song pretty good. This track feels very vintage and retro, if you told me it was released on the 70s or 80s I'd believe you. It's blurry, it kind of has that 80s nostalgia, kind of electric drums thing going on but also that 60s end of summer melody, the one of a very bright love coming to an end with a 70s chilled out rock bar vibe, I kinda remember Led Zeppelin's classic 'All My Love' with that vibe. Look at the cover of "In Through the Out Door", this song kinda has that picture as its representation. Ariel Pink's confidence with his melodies is pretty clear thorough the whole "pom pom" and this song is triumph with being a strong ballad in what would be a generally very positive album. Yeah, we've all got feelings.
#18 SHAKIRA - CAN'T REMEMBER TO FORGET YOU (FEAT. RIHANNA)
I love the wordplay of the song title. In her latest lead single, Shakira mixes reggae, rock and pop for a punchy track with Rihanna. Shakira's kinda been all over the place ever since 'Hips Don't Lie', not being able to score any world smash for her personal projects, she did have a smash for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, though, 'Waka Waka', meaning she was still able to command attention to her on a worldwide scale. Accused many times of losing her latin rock roots, she brings it back with the musicality she's been lacking since "Laundry Service" on this track. Let's remember 'Hips Don't Lie' was commissioned by her label to revive the sales of "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2" as its lead single 'Don't Bother' failed to make any major impact. You see, Shakira hasn't been bad, per se after that, it's that her songs generally lacked the boldness and catchy melodies Shakira could come up since "Pies Descalzos". They all seemed to follow commercial trends or looking to redeem her reputation with tired songwriting based on past successes or hoping on to latin genres. Indeed, she's a great pop and rock songwriter, the vocal melody on the verses on this thing are bright, the chorus is a little angry and painful in a fun way. The guitars are not overwhelming but they're strong enough to have attitude and the reggae influences make the heartbreak feelings of the song lighter and more emotional. Rihanna's delivery is great, it adds a lot of freshness to the song and she owns the song on her parts. This wasn't commercially the smash one would have hoped for her, but it was still very popular, with more than 470 million views to date on YouTube, Shakira still has it going on and also importantly, this is a step in the right direction for her in the songwriting sense.
FKA Twigs voice is extremely intense with her high register. Slow pulsating beats are slave of her voice with synths that restricts and moderates the flow of her singing making the whole combo very sensual. Could this be a lovemaking song? The lyrics talk about convincing a new lover to forget or get over past loves. It could also be talking about two platonic lovers who are finally getting to the realization of their love. All she needs is two weeks to make him forget past heartbreaks. The love here feels very fresh and alive but the slowness in the rhythm and power in the singing expresses the pain of repressed love. It is hard to keep complicated loves alive, and the strength of her performance here is evident showing the rawness needed in love but also the finesse necessary to make it special.
#16 MICHAEL JACKSON - LOVE NEVER FELT SO GOOD
While it was pretty clear his label used him all they could and more after his death for the tremendous amount of money he could make and who knows what else, it was nice of them to keep the solo version of this song, it sounds crisp but has that 'Off the Wall' feeling. The slightly dancier version with Justin Timberlake is pretty neat, too, smart move to make a hit, however Michael needed to shine on his own in a big release, we've all wanted that and we got it. His voice is so velvety, his highs are gentle, the way this track makes you dance is effective, to make you move sweetly, upbeatly and smiling. The happiness expressed here is tranquile but firm, Michael has always been an expert in transmitting strong emotions without sounding forced and this a great example of that. It is unclear if we've got more tracks as great as this in storage for future releases but I'm hopeful, we needed more albums by this great man. Long live to the King of Pop.
The guitars are not overwhelming but they're strong enough to have attitude and the reggae influences make the heartbreak feelings of the song lighter and more emotional.
I never thought about Can't Remember To Forget You that way before, but it makes total sense now that you say that.
I love the song though.
Cool to see Bey right next to Tobacco. Tobacco's music (and Black Moth Super Rainbow too) is kind of vaguely terrifying; but in the best possible and most captivating way!
A friend needed an electronic track to put it on some video she was working on. I passed her this and she rejected it saying "Too hipster". I think this track does fit in what prejudiced people think of what a hipster is. Hipsters are perceived as people who try too hard while having an "I don't give a ****" attitude. The vocals on the verses of this thing are phrased in a careless way but this track is not careless, the falsetto upbeat chorus is really energetic and the electronics are bright and sharp in what would seem to be modified samples from the game Arkanoid Doh It Again, I love when musicians take samples from games. There's so many musical treasures in games not properly released as music so they get lost in the games, a couple of examples when artists worked successfully with what would seem to be game samples could be Rihanna's 2012 track 'Lost in Paradise' or Garbage's 1998 'When I Grow Up' b-side 'Tornado' and it's that game effects and melodies can work in so many musical genres and can stun with the great things game sound engineers can do. This song manages to be smart, fun, upbeat, energetic and if you like, hipster.
#14 SAM SMITH - STAY WITH ME
Mary J. Blige is a fine singer but this is a love song by a man to another man, I don't know what were they thinking calling her 'cause it twistes all the meaning of the song... just kidding, the Darkchild version is pretty cool, it gives it a Rihanna's 'Stay' vibe. However, while I can accept that, the better version is the solo version, and the power of this song explodes when you know this is a gay love song. Gays are looked down upon for an image of promiscuity but also being sentimentally needy. Here, Sam beautifully touches the subject admitting being close to the image of the second case while trying to be cool being the first one. Loneliness in the gay world is pretty obvious, most have to keep it low profile in fears of discrimination and violence but the bold way Sam is expressing his feelings are big part of what makes this song special, the chemistry of the love described here could be of a cooked love but that's not very satisfactory. The man feels lonely so the emotional urgency in the time together getting over in an encounter shows. The choir adds strength to the delivery and Sam's velvety voice is very pretty. I think it's a bit revolutionary a song like this won Song and Record of the Year at the Grammys, Sam is not closeted and portrays a healthy image of a homosexual person even with the pain expressed in his songs, he humanizes the society-alienated concept of a gay man and with a powerful, simple piano-driven ballad with minimalistic drums. What a great success.
Thanks guys for the input, I'm making reviews to give you the image in which I see these songs.
I had no idea there was a sample from a game though Makes me like the song more.
Quote:
There's so many musical treasures in games not properly released as music so they get lost in the games, a couple of examples when artists worked successfully with what would seem to be game samples could be Rihanna's 2012 track 'Lost in Paradise'
Which game did Lost In Paradise sample? I've always really liked that Rihanna song.
I had no idea there was a sample from a game though Makes me like the song more.
Which game did Lost In Paradise sample? I've always really liked that Rihanna song.
The synth breakdowns after the choruses feature 8-bit style and melody synths used in several NES games music. Also, the synth that begins with the song and accompanies it through it has a Ninja Crusaders vibe, which itself has great music in it. Cool you dig Liars.
The synth breakdowns after the choruses feature 8-bit style and melody synths used in several NES games music. Also, the synth that begins with the song and accompanies it through it has a Ninja Crusaders vibe, which itself has great music in it. Cool you dig Liars.
Got it!
Very cool to know.
Yeah, I've liked Liars since wixiw, and have been slowly going through their discography.
I'm going to have to look up that Ninja Crusaders music. I never had a NES
Yeah, I've liked Liars since wixiw, and have been slowly going through their discography.
I'm going to have to look up that Ninja Crusaders music. I never had a NES
Check it out if you can spot the similarities.
Quote:
Originally posted by AshleeSimpsonFan
I love Break The Rules! and TIHWD is the only song from PRISM that I still use
I love TIHWD but I also use 'Birthday' and 'Walking on Air' a lot, 'Dark Horse', 'Roar' and 'Unconditionally' (with its The Haxan Cloak influences) are pretty decent too.
Hey, guys, been through some serious **** in my life but I'll continue this TOP and finish between this or next week.