|
TwistedElegance's Top 50 Singles of 2014 | No. 1!
Member Since: 2/3/2014
Posts: 142
|
Thanks for the feedback, everyone.
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/3/2014
Posts: 142
|
You Ruin Me
The Veronicas
The Veronicas
Written by Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci, Jessica Origliasso & Lisa Origliasso
Produced by DNA
Sony
| By rights, they should be out of here. But The Veronicas have two significant strengths. The first, their songwriting, is clear to anyone smitten by Untouched from their previous record, Hook Me Up. The second is their ability to surprise and delight fans despite the huge void attributed to label conflicts which ultimately led to the shelving of their third disc under Warner Music. That's right, in the time since the Brisbane twins' last album Janet Jackson has released twice, gone on two tours and starred in as many films. Things could be worse - and in more ways than one, given that wagering a comeback on a piano ballad is about as unsound as you will get in today's music market.
Don't Tell 'Em
Jeremih feat. YG
Late Nights
Written by Michael Münzing, Luca Anzilotti, Thea Austin, Jeremih Felton, Mick Schultz, Benito Benitez, Keenon Jackson & Dijon McFarlane
Produced by Mick Shultz & DJ Mustard
Def Jam
| Seems like we've been here before. Don't Tell 'Em is not quite the step forward Jeremih needs if he wants to be perceived as anything more than a sex-starved lothario, but with the DJ Mustard-produced track earning the R&B star his third Top 10 hit he's probably not bothered. Thankfully for us, he has a knack for seasoning his singles with a satisfying montage of sounds - here it's the perky force in his voice and the sly interpolation of Snap!'s Eurodance classic Rhythm Is a Dancer. YG's bawdy rap isn't needed, but couched in such luxurious aural surroundings it's easy not to notice.
Head Up High
Oh Land
Earth Sick
Written by Nanna Øland Fabricius
Produced by Oh Land
Tusk or Tooth
| Though love, loss and wasted years are singer-songwriter staples, the brutal, hair-tearing passion of Oh Land's brilliant Earth Sick album displays a self-belief rarely heard. Now four albums in, her signatures are all over everything from the pure and thrilling harmonies and backing vocals to the aerated sounds at the back end of Head Up High. And so tangible is her emotion here that it's almost possible to hear the tears rolling down her cheeks as she stomps through its almighty chorus. It may be that nobody is going to like Oh Land who doesn't already, but this is a song full of vaulting ambition and finds the Danish singer and producer in her element.
Talk Is Cheap
Chet Faker
Built On Glass
Written by Nick Murphy
Produced by Chet Faker
Future Classic/Opulent
| There's abundant character in everything Chet Faker does. Having set the agenda on last year's sterling Flume collaboration Drop The Game, the Melbournian maintained the ambience beautifully on Talk Is Cheap, the highlight of his excellent Built On Glass album. The spirit of great jazz and even Motown artists is evoked by the first chorus, but it's Faker's simple, raw songwriting and self-belief that so clearly spells success. He chases themes of solitude and regret through a variety of textures from shuffled percussion to bluesy sax, stirring in its simplicity. Talk Is Cheap shows his skill in investing electronic music with great pathos and a kind of solemnity.
Let It Go
Idina Menzel
Frozen (OST)
Written by Kristen Anderson Lopez & Robert Lopez
Produced by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Christophe Beck, Chris Montan & Tom MacDougall
Walt Disney
| Having clocked up nearly 20 years on Broadway, Idina Menzel's leap to the Hot 100 (Top 5 to be precise) was quite a surprise. Harking back to the good old days when big Disney movies produced big Disney soundtracks, Let It Go soared in more ways than one thanks to songwriting duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who poured their imagination into Frozen's glittery centrepiece. It would be easy to discredit the song's broad appeal to banality but in truth it shares the same gene-pool as any other stocky ballad out there. Plus, the widescreen atmosphere of the large-lunged Menzel adds depth and texture which is sorely lacking from Demi Lovato's pop treatment.
35-31 coming soon.
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/18/2013
Posts: 61,634
|
Don't Tell 'Em is so good, it's underrated here
Let It Go
|
|
|
Member Since: 11/17/2008
Posts: 28,694
|
Don't Tell 'Em and Talk Is Cheap are my favorites from this set
|
|
|
Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
|
Don't Tell 'Em is amazing! but I really wanted a music video
Let It Go my fave from this set! and I like Talk Is Cheap too so good.
|
|
|
Member Since: 10/3/2009
Posts: 35,844
|
I like Let It Go.
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/3/2014
Posts: 142
|
Down On My Luck
Vic Mensa
Down On My Luck (Single)
Written by Peter Cottontale, Om'Mas Keith, Victor Mensa, Cameron Osteen & Stefan Ponce
Produced by Vic Mensa & Stefan Ponce
Virgin/EMI
| As claims to fame go it's slender, but Vic Mensa was a founding member of short-lived indie band Kids These Days. They released one album before splitting in 2013, and since then the Chicago rapper has found his own voice and toured with J. Cole. Boasting mellow harmonies and a thick, pounding beat, he's accessible and fearless on Down On My Luck, his debut single. But the punchy simplicity of Mensa's lyrics are the high point here which, despite being set against a club track lend a real level of warmth and intimacy. It's also compulsive stuff.
Two Weeks
FKA twigs
LP1
Written by Tahlia Barnett & Emile Haynie
Produced by Emile Haynie & FKA twigs
Young Turks
| Suitably unimpressed after spending time as a backup dancer for Kylie Minogue, Taio Cruz and Jessie J among others, FKA twigs chose to approach music from the opposite end of pop's spectrum with a set of alternative R&B-laden EPs which this year gave way to her debut album. At first, it jars: the mixture of lush trip-hop with breathy, over-syllabled vocals is initially disorienting. But, gradually, such despondency proves to be her trump card. It doesn't always work, but on Two Weeks her and producer Emile Haynie's panoramic vision is ambitious, impressive and, utimately, cohesive.
My Offence
Hercules & Love Affair feat. Krystle Warren
The Feast of The Broken Heart
Written by Andrew Butler & Krystle Warren
Produced by Andy Butler
Moshi Moshi
| Fame and commercial success evidently matter little to Andy Butler, the man behind Hercules & Love Affair. The nu-disco project's third album is an even more dangerously playful take on matters, with the delightfully obscene My Offence in particular centred around the word 'c*nt' and its documentary-style video comprised of performers from New York's gay community discussing how the term is used to lavish praise rather than hurl vitriol. Of course, no song could survive on profanity alone so the win here lies in the ragbag elements of funk, spacey dance and cracking disco vocal that is as technically accomplished as it is musically compelling.
Rather Be
Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne
New Eyes
Written by Jack Patterson, James Napier, Nicole Marshall & Grace Chatto
Produced by Grace Chatto & Jack Patterson
Warner
| The ingredients - blips and beeps, violin and lyrics like "As long as I am with you, my heart continues to beat" - sound unpromising. But Rather Be is smeared with the influences of classical/dance heirarchy ranging from Mozart to SBTRKT, and it shows in their honeyed FM irresistibility. Forget the annoying video and the fact that their name is a translation of the Russian term for "dirty bastard", this is fine crossover house music that combines sounds both ancient and modern, and a monstrous hook few dance hits could rival this year.
2 On
Tinashe feat. Schoolboy Q
Aquarius
Written by Tinashe Kachingwe, Quincy Hanley, Bobby Brackins, Nathan L. Walker, Dijon McFarlane, Jon Redwine, Marley Waters Myron Birdsong, Sean Henriques & Troy Rami
Produced by DJ Mustard, Redwine & Marley Waters
RCA
| Her single name suggests a trajectory about to outstretch similar in fashion to other R&B sweet things of the past ten years like Amerie, Cassie or Ciara. Because it's not like they didn't smash as hard as 2 On with their own signature tracks. But despite their best efforts, one undeniable edge Tinashe has over them and countless others is a crackerjack album. With her smooth, sweetly seductive vocal firmly to the fore, she works through a set of predominantly slow and steamy numbers, all clipped beats, luxurious melodies and even a Janet sample for good measure. Although nothing stands out quite like the bodacious 2 On. Framed by a snappy DJ Mustard beat and graced by an in-form and filthy Schoolboy Q, the song's unanticipated high point actually comes courtesy of a clever reworking of Sean Paul's dancehall classic Gimme The Light, replete with accent and all.
30-26 coming soon.
|
|
|
ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 9/2/2011
Posts: 21,728
|
2 On, Rather Be, Down On My Luck are all really great
Two Weeks is a masterpiece!
|
|
|
Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
|
Rather Be is good! I can't stand that song anymore though and I really love 2 On! that song was a grower this year.
|
|
|
Member Since: 9/17/2010
Posts: 2,592
|
Let It Go is okay. I prefer Demi's version
Rather Be & 2 On two of my faves of 2014
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
|
Talk Is Cheap, Two Weeks, 2 On, Rather Be
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/13/2012
Posts: 62,082
|
Two Weeks, Rather Be, 2 On
|
|
|
ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/3/2014
Posts: 34,134
|
You Ruin Me from the last set.
Two Weeks, 2 On and Rather Be
|
|
|
Member Since: 10/13/2003
Posts: 48,022
|
You Ruin Me & Rather Be
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/3/2014
Posts: 142
|
Quote:
Originally posted by lovesong
2 On, Rather Be, Down On My Luck are all really great
Two Weeks is a masterpiece!
|
Yes! Took me a while to get into it but I love it. I wish Give Up had been a single, though.
Quote:
Originally posted by AshleeSimpsonFan
Rather Be is good! I can't stand that song anymore though and I really love 2 On! that song was a grower this year.
|
I wore that song into the ground! lol
Quote:
Originally posted by DejaEntendu
Let It Go is okay. I prefer Demi's version
Rather Be & 2 On two of my faves of 2014
|
I just can't get into Demi's version.
Quote:
Originally posted by holyground
Talk Is Cheap, Two Weeks, 2 On, Rather Be
|
I didn't know Talk Is Cheap had so much love on here. It's great!
Quote:
Originally posted by collin
Two Weeks, Rather Be, 2 On
|
Yes.
Quote:
Originally posted by Amaloner
You Ruin Me from the last set.
Two Weeks, 2 On and Rather Be
|
You Ruin Me was such a nice surprise.
Quote:
Originally posted by Brandon
You Ruin Me & Rather Be
|
Great taste.
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/3/2014
Posts: 142
|
90s Music
Kimbra
The Golden Echo
Written by Kimbra Johnson, Mark Foster, Timon Martin, Stephen McQuinn & Matt Morris
Produced by Rich Costey, Kimbra & Major Dudes
Warner
| A loose-limbed multifaceted collection of sounds, Kimbra's wondrously exuberant 90s Music is about as far removed from Somebody That I Used To Know as you could get. On her second album The Golden Echo, the New Zealander displays a dedication to expanding the already elasticated boundaries of her indie pop bubble. 90s Music strikes out in a scattershot of operatic directions, using the kicking drums and pounding bass as an anchor to bolt down the experimental vocal and musical callisthenics on show. Amid the craziness she even manages to namecheck her favourite artists of the decade from MJ and Mariah to Nirvana and TLC. This is pure audio sculpture.
Talk Too Much
Andy Bull
Sea of Approval
Written by Andrew Bull
Produced by Andy Bull
Island
| Sounding like a collision between Jake Shears and a Bee Gee, Andy Bull's flighty vocals pirouette over his brilliant album, Sea of Approval. Lovingly orchestrated, Talk Too Much is a fine portrait of the Sydneysider's eclecticism which finds him at his blunt best, almost antagonising a partner with the line "I heard you crying to yourself, I pretended I was asleep." A similarly acerbic tone hovers above, but it's the arrangement which triumphs. The rousing organs, offbeat cleverness and involving theme should be enough to put this multi-layered grower high on any must-hear list.
Don't Wanna Dance
MØ
No Mythologies To Follow
Written by Karen Marie Ørsted & Ronni Vindahl
Produced by Ronni Vindahl & MØ
Chess Club/RCA Victor
| Previous releases from Danish singer-songwriter MØ have seen her likened to Lykke Li and Grimes in terms of her tone and minimalist delivery. The difference is MØ's Top 40 sheen and the endearing quiver in her voice. Don't Wanna Dance is the fifth and most accessible single from her debut No Mythologies To Follow. The addition of Motown-style arrangement adds a new dimension to her work as the song wanders from psychedelic kitsch to the kind of retro pop perfected by Amy Winehouse. The result is a captivating trip. MØ's vocals are joyous and the lively, coming-of-age hopelessness dreamed up here makes for a provocative experience.
Love Never Felt So Good
Michael Jackson
Xscape
Written by Michael Jackson & Paul Anka
Produced by Michael Jackson, John McClain, Giorgio Tuinfort & Paul Anka
MJJ/Epic
| Familiar MJ themes of love and happiness bleed into Love Never Felt So Good which, while not on Don't Stop Til You Get Enough's towering level, still does well to recall the shimmering wizardry of his pre-Thriller solo efforts. The legendary performer's masterful charm which was painfully lacking from 2010's Michael is in full uninterrupted swing here, playing to his strengths rather than aping them like too many posthumous releases do. True, not every attempt on Xscape is so successful, but this is an oddly satisfying curio.
Stoned
Macy Gray
The Way
Written by Tamir Barzilay, Martin Estrada, Ethan Farmer, Macy Gray, Happy Hinds, Mel Hinds & Adam Waldman
Produced by Royal Z & Macy Gray
429
| Having kissed success goodbye some time ago, people could be forgiven for thinking Macy Gray had farewelled music altogether. After all, her last two releases were covers records which, while being commercial non-starters, also implied she was creatively bankrupt. In truth, she was all out of ideas some time ago with singles like Sweet Baby, She Ain't Right For You and Finally Made Me Happy unsubtly suggesting she has spent the better part of the last 10+ years trying to recreate her vintage-tinged classic I Try. There is no such resemblance here, with the R&B eccentric sounding thoroughly revitalised. Stoned is excellent: concise and hauntingly melodic, at times dark and mysterious, but still so cheekily "Macy." Doubters should tune in again.
25-21 coming soon.
|
|
|
ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 9/2/2011
Posts: 21,728
|
Kimbra's album/songs had to grow on me but I like them now!
Macy Gray I should check it out.
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
|
90s Music is such a guilty pleasure.
Don't Wanna Dance
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/3/2014
Posts: 142
|
Busy Earnin'
Jungle
Jungle
Written by Josh Lloyd-Watson, Tom McFarland, Fraser MacColl, George Day, Dominic Whalley, Andro Cowperthwaite & Rudi Salmon
Produced by Jungle
XL
| Jungle make a far from comforting, modern soul sound. Following Chase & Status and Rudimental out of London, the seven-piece act was founded by lead members Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson before expanding their numbers for the sake of live performances. Their debut album is a hugely impressive example of psychedelic dance blues, a mix that might easily be unique. Backed by hefty bass, whirring keyboards and animal sounds, the quality and texture of Busy Earnin' makes a mockery of the simplicity of the tools used. Their songwriting, too, is equally without frills, opting instead for a winning calm directness. Straightforward, but oddly addictive.
Brain
Banks
Goddess
Written by Jillian Banks & Henry Laufer
Produced by Schlomo
Harvest
| Banks has added a rich, raw dimension to the alternative pop scene. Her debut album has the deep-bass fluidity of R&B-style production, the grooves and hooklines loaded with an edgy sense of controlled outrage. All twirling melody and hypnotic rhythms, the theatrical murkiness of Brain is excellent, with its spacious bridge pitching the singer into an almighty chorus: a sea of woah-oh-oh chants and gurgling bass. But best of all is Banks's voice, creating a sound that is bigger on the inside than its sparse outer shell as it flits between tremulous intimacy and monstrous howl.
A Love Divine
Saskwatch
Nose Dive
Written by Liam McGorry
Produced by Magoo
Northside
| Rising, swooping and teetering like a love song only a true screw-up could write, A Love Divine earns points for sheer singalong fury alone. The brittle rock track is wide-eyed and transcendental throughout its short two minutes and forty-one seconds, with lead singer Nkechi Anele's voice sounding rich yet ghostly, leaving little doubt it could tear out hearts as she sings with cracked intensity while her eight-piece band snake around every hollered note. Offering the essence of rock - racing guitars, pounding drums and screeching vocals - Saskwatch's glory is here for all to appreciate.
Just One of The Guys
Jenny Lewis
The Voyager
Written by Jennifer Lewis
Produced by Beck
Warner
| Quality is assured from a woman that can boast the tag of modern day Stevie Nicks. And certainly, her third album The Voyager is a finely crafted slab of adult-oriented rock. Beck-produced lead single Just One of The Guys finds the jangle pop princess meditating on depression ("I've been the only sister to my own sorrow") and insecurity as she approaches 40 ("I'm just another lady without a baby"). The single may dazzle with its jovial video (featuring a breakdancing Kristen Stewart and Anne Hathaway) but it has turned out to be one of her most succinct and expressive songs, summing up a bunch of conflicting emotions with a beautifully edgy, lonely-sounding backdrop.
No Rest For The Wicked
Lykke Li
I Never Learn
Written by Li Lykke Timotej & Björn Yttling
Produced by Lykke Li & Björn Yttling
LL/Atlantic
| The glamour Lykke Li craves has a price, and No Rest For The Wicked is a sharply poignant example of the Swedish singer-songwriter's consistent subtext - pleasure, so assiduously longed for, is always tainted by pain. The lead single from her third album is built around a smoky-blue chord change which cradles a luscious melodic line, accentuated by a sullen bassline and spectral tinkling piano. She still sings like the worst is never far away, but as always there is depth in more than just subject matter.
20-16 coming soon.
|
|
|
Member Since: 10/3/2009
Posts: 35,844
|
Rather Be and Love Never Felt So Good.
|
|
|
|
|