I mean really. It’s 2016, and I am finally getting to this? Listen, this is all because of two things: work and school. Both of which are full time. I wanted to go ahead and do this really quick, and I will be brief, so that I can do 2015 as well. I am THAT behind. BAD BLOGGER! Oh well… as they say, life gets in the way. Here they are, my favorite albums of 2014.
I am only going to say a little bit about my top 5, the rest are just albums that I enjoyed that year, and that’s all we’ll say about that…
1) You + Me – rose ave.
– So what do you get when you mesh two of my favorite vocalists together, harmonizing beautifully, playing my favorite type of music? A dream come true. City and Colour + P!nk = You + Me. Heaven. This album is absolutely perfect; scratch that, it would be perfect it had more tracks! Here’s hoping for more from You + Me.
2) Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour – What can I say, this guy is amazing, and really took the music scene by storm in 2014. I expect to hear many more great things from him over his career, which should be long and fruitful. Great album, and tons of single-worthy tracks here.
3) Betty Who – Take Me When You Go – I first heard the single Somebody Loves You, and after that, I was smitten with Betty Who. When her album came out, I was even more mesmerized; it is fantastic. I have high hopes for her getting more airplay and exposure; she is a majorly talented artist, and this is great pop music!
Sia – 1000 Forms of Fear – First and foremost, Chandelier. Killer. Sia can not only write a killer hook and penn some real pop hits, but she can fucking SING. I loved this album, and just when I thought I had heard all of it, a new song would become my favorite of the moment. This is pop, and this is excellent.
Bear’s Den – Islands – I saw them open for Mumford and Sons, and then went to see them again at a local smaller venue because they were so great. This is an incredible album, and one that is very well crafted and plays spectacularly from beginning to end; not a bad track to be found. If you like Mumford and Sons, give them a try; you won’t be sorry!
And now the rest… not really in any particular order.
- Beyonce – Beyonce (Platinum Edition)
- Lady GaGa and Tony Bennett – Cheek To Cheek
- Nina Persson – Animal Heart
- Robyn & Royksopp – Do It Again
- Taylor Swift – 1989
- Trampled By Turtles – Wild Animals
Broods – Evergreen- Iggy Azalea – The New Classic/Reclassified
- Ingrid Michaelson – Lights Out
- Danity Kane – DK3
- FKA Twigs – LP1
- Ariana Grande – My Everything
- Jessie J – Sweet Talker
- Olly Murs – Never Been Better
- One Direction – FOUR
- The Script – No Sound Without Silence
- Tove Lo – Queen of the Clouds
- Jessie Ware – Tough Love
MKTO – MKTO- Bleachers – Strange Desire
- Nicole Scherzinger – Big Fat Lie
- Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack: Awesome Mix Vol 1
Why this took me so long? Who knows. Either way, here ya go. Next up, 2015. Geez.
I was desperately in need of a summer song that was capable of blowing me away, and this song is all that and more. This is a major dance floor filler by Ms. Kelly Rowland, who in my opinion is a severely underrated 1/3 of what used to be Destiny’s Child. While Beyonce broke out of Destiny’s Child and became a full fledged diva, I feel like Kelly has been getting less attention than she deserves; but after this song tears up the airwaves this summer, there is no doubting that she will earn some of that attention back. The first time I heard this song, I immediately played two more times; it is massive. Kelly’s working with David Guetta on his equally dance-tastic, When Love Takes Over was clearly the beginning of a beautiful musical partnership, as evidenced by the magnificent direction they took with Commander. Expect to hear this in clubs all over the place this summer, with people marching to this infectious beat. Kelly, my dear, keep David’s number, because you two have something hot going on.
I have definitely been one of those waiting on the new Scissor Sisters album with bated breath, and after falling head over heels in love with the first single off of the forthcoming album Night Work, I am sure that I won’t be disappointed. While it is definitely a more full-on dance direction than their previous work, I think the heart of the Sisters is still beating strong; only now it beats in unison to the dance beat! I will admit that it took me a few listens to fall in love with this song, but now that I have, I can’t seem to get enough of it. This is another one of those perfect summer songs that will keep me dancing in these way too hot summer months; I’ll just have to be sure to turn up the AC a little higher to keep cool. All of the anticipation is almost over, as Night Work is out next week!
I was incredibly surprised, and down right elated to see that the magnificent Stars released a new album, The Five Ghosts, earlier this week. While a lot of the album is a bit different from their previous work, I found myself loving many of the tracks; especially this one. This song in particular, sounds a little bit like Alphabeat or Dragonette, or at least, that they decided to collaborate with either one of them; which again, is pretty different from their other work. The good news, is this is really, really good, and I am so glad that I got the heads up about this new album; thanks internets, and thanks Stars for continuing to make great music!
Also new this month is the new release, Laws of Illusion, from the ever-beautiful Sarah McLachlan. While I haven’t gotten into the whole album as much as I have been enveloped by her work in the past, the first time I heard Forgiveness, I felt the same way as I remember feeling the first time I heard some of my favorite songs by Sarah, like Angel or I Will Remember You. I honestly think this represents the best that she is as an artist, and I am glad to see that she’s clearly still got it. This song is beautiful, and oh-so Sarah McLachlan, which to fans of hers like myself, is sweet music to my ears. 
I was pretty torn about whether or not to post this one. See, I think Christina has an amazing voice, and is incredibly talented… BUT, she has proven, especially recently, to be somewhat full of herself, to say the least. Her attitude has all but turned me off to her talent, and only seems to get worse with each time she opens her mouth to do anything other than sing. My advice to her is to shut the fuck up and let her music speak for itself; something that even it isn’t doing collectively as good as it used to do. That being said, when I first heard her sing this on American Idol’s finale, I knew it sounded somehow familiar, and my hunch was right when I looked up who co-wrote it; this song has Sia Furler written all over it. Perhaps that is why I love it, despite the fact that too-big-for-her britches sings it. Word on the net is that this will be her next single, which honestly, is a great move, because it is an amazing song; regardless of the fact that it is 100% Sia, and at parts, even sounds as if it IS Sia singing it. Now, that is not something I am complaining about, as I love Sia, and as I mentioned before, I’ve had about enough of Christina and her attitude these days. Regardless, I have to give credit where credit is due, and this is, quite simply, an amazing song. 
I have this strange relationship with Keane; most of their stuff falls under my radar, but every once and while, they release a MAJOR single that completely captures my attention. Last time that happened was when they released the massive Spiralling, and I literally couldn’t get enough of that song. Now, they have done it again with this insanely catchy track, which has one of the best choruses of any song on the radio right now. While I’m not super hype on the rap portion of the song, the massive chorus won me over instantly, and has me playing this song on major repeat right now. This is definitely one to roll the windows down and blast as you ride around enjoying the beautiful spring weather we are having right now. 
While I will openly admit that this one took a while to grow on me, it has managed to take me completely by storm over the past couple of weeks. The more I hear this song, the more I love it. The beat begs to be danced to, and I like how fresh and different it is from most of the other stuff circling the airwaves out there right now. While Bossy will probably (see definitely) always be my favorite of Kelis’ songs, this one certainly highlights the fact that Kelis is not a shot in the pan; she has changed her style and done something brilliant in every endeavor she has taken musically. I can’t wait to see what her upcoming release, Flesh Tone (out July 6) has in store for us. 
Remember earlier when I said that there was some stuff that would be a little “out there” this week? Well, here it is. This ethereal track is from the recently released solo album, Go, from the lead singer of the Icelandic rock band, Sigur Rós. While I really can’t understand most of what he is singing in this song, I absolutely love the beautiful vocals and the accompanying airy and fanciful music. The first time I heard this, I had a bit of a WTF moment, but I will admit that I was instantly turned around, and was kicking myself for my doubt by the end of the song; this song is awesome. There’s definitely some strange stuff going on in Iceland, as evidenced by this, and the type of music fellow Icelander Björk makes. However, after hearing this, I honestly think that the Icelandic strange is the kind of strange that I am pretty sure that I love; after all, I love a lot of Björk’s music, and I find myself really loving this as well. Side note: apparently, he’s openly gay, so that’s a bonus to be featuring an out artist today!
Sia managed to fly under my radar for almost a year, only to take me by storm with her previous release, Some People Have Real Problems. As such, I was pretty excited to see that her next release, We Are Born will be released very soon (June 7th to be exact). Subsequently, when I heard this song, which is the lead single from the upcoming album, I was a bit on the fence; I didn’t love it instantly. However, Sia has proven to be a grower for me, and that is exactly what happened with this one; it has really grown on me, and I am loving it more with each listen. This one is definitely more upbeat for her, but it works, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the new album has in store. 
I have fellow music blogger 
I don’t know why, but initially, I didn’t get into this album. I listened to it once, even liked it, but I moved on; which I think may have been partly because of all the hype that I saw about it. For a while, you couldn’t go in a Starbucks without seeing something about Sia’s album, 
plastered about, which I think put me off of it for some stupid reason. Months passed, and one day, I decided it was time to give the album another go (after all, I DID like it). After ONE listen, I almost kicked myself; I had been ignoring one of the best records of the year all this time… for no reason! The soul, the emotion, the deep sentiment, the aching melodies; all of it captured my attention on the second go ’round, and I have since realized that I was a fool for forgoing it initially.