PARTITION :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

 

Idk why but Candice Glover is kinda underwhelming for me... Probs my second-least fave after Lee DeWyze...

 

Charli is phenomenal, can't wait until Sucker comes out

Christina Perri is just a delight :wub: both her albums are amazing and she really deserves to be bigger than she is. Human is especially awesome.

Demi Lovato "Neon Lights"

Demi Lovato featuring Cher Lloyd "Really Don't Care"

http://0.tqn.com/y/top40/1/L/V/L/3/demi-lovato-neon-lights.jpghttp://www.at40.com/cimages/var/plain_site/storage/images/repository/news/music-news/check-out-cover-art-of-demi-lovato-s-really-don-t-care/344417-1-eng-US/Check-Out-Cover-Art-of-Demi-Lovato-s-Really-Don-t-Care.jpg

Demi might be the closest thing I have to a guilty pleasure. "Neon Lights" was pretty tough to like at first because the lyrics stand out as being rather bland, but as the rest of the song grew on me I don't even notice them anymore. Stuff like this is starting to sound dated but at least it was different from Demi's other singles. What can I say, she's good at what she does, and good on her for still doing well for several years now!

"Really Don't Care" was another grower, and perhaps a more surprising one. I'm mostly bothered by the feature because Cher Lloyd only has about eight lines that add nothing to the song. She could have been given something more substantial but instead it leaves the impression that her label just wanted a "feat. Cher Lloyd" on the tracklist to attract her fanbase. Also, this really overshadowed Cher's solo efforts this year, in the States at least. That's a disappointing statement to make but whatever, at least we have her second album finally. As for "Really Don't Care", it turned out to be a decent pop song in the end.

 

DJ Snake & Lil Jon "Turn Down For What"

http://0.tqn.com/y/top40/1/L/C/N/3/dj-snake-turn-down-for-what-columbia.jpg

I fondly remember hearing this for the first time, it was like nothing I'd heard before. Somehow "Turn Down For What" did surprisingly well off its US release, going top 10 on iTunes right away even though neither artist had done so previously (or recently in Lil Jon's case). Its Hot 100 climb was wonderfully slow and rewarding, entering the top 10 at the end of March and peaking at #4 NINE weeks later. That along with its success in other countries was surely beyond everyone's expectations.

Was it just a coincidence, or did someone notice trap's popularity and realize it'd be a good fit for Lil Jon? For the first time in years, there was finally a place for him in popular music. That amazed me for some reason. Realistically it's probably just a brief return to relevance, but very much worthwhile. Always a fun listen and the video is spectacular, one of my most-watched of the year and now a Grammy nominee!

Demi is someone I've had a humongous turnaround for. Didn't care for her much before 'Skyscraper' but she's blossomed into a fab popstar for me <3

 

Also loving the Christina Perri. The girl can do ziltch wrong imo. Shame her 2nd era wasn't just as successful as her first but ah well guess that happens to most artists :(

Turn Down For What is such a party staple now, I love how the drop changes throughout the song too. Completely agree with that video is well, at first it was a complete wtf moment but I ended up loving it. Kind of hoping it snatches the Grammy although I highly doubt it has a chance at all.

Neon lights is amazing :wub:

I hate turn down for what though :puke2:

Edited December 8, 201410 yr by Ultraviolence1989

Demi's been on FORM this era, easily her best to date!! Really Don't Care was always crying out for a release, shame it occurred so late into the campaign. :(

Echosmith "Cool Kids"

http://www.salutleshits.com/images5/Cool_Kids_Echosmith.jpg

Echosmith is one of the best bands I discovered this year. It all started with hearing a fabulous guitar intro on the radio, followed by a voice that sounded like Katy Perry in the verses, and by then I was hooked. That turned out to be a song called "Cool Kids", which to my delight would be inescapable on my car radio for the rest of the summer. Now it's getting a push in the UK where it will hopefully match the top 20 success it's had elsewhere.

The rest of Echosmith's album is quite different in sound, which disappointed me at first but there ARE other gems and growers to be found there. I wouldn't have guessed the band is comprised of four siblings, and on top of that they're surprisingly young, with their ages ranging from 15 to 21. So forgive them for "Cool Kids" lacking in its lyrics, the chorus especially, because otherwise this is a fantastic effort and like I said there's plenty more of that on their album.

 

Enrique Iglesias featuring Sean Paul, Descemer Bueno & Gente De Zona "Bailando"

http://static.universal-music-services.de/asset_new/341016/60/view/c/Enrique-Iglesias---Bailando.jpg

Enrique finally managed a comeback after a year of releasing terrible songs like "Turn The Night Up" and "Heart Attack". In fact, he also released terrible music this year, such as song that inexplicably went top 5 in the UK while the rest of the world waited for this bigger and much better comeback hit. It's a bit ridiculous how Enrique's music is so much less mature than it was 10-15 years ago, so "Bailando" was a welcome return to form. You can't go wrong with a Sean Paul feature either, unless your name is Simple Plan.

Cool kids is one of my favourite songs of the last few months. It is just so stunning :wub:

I never realised they were 4 siblings or that young either :o

Edited December 8, 201410 yr by Ultraviolence1989

Me neither I think it's Sydney the lead singer she's 17. It's a great little indie pop track and Marcin needs to jog on :angry:

Calling CK utterly vile is definitely not what I'd describe it as! :P

Edited December 8, 201410 yr by HonkBonkXMAS

Becky G "Shower"

The idea of a Becky G single scared me at first, probably because I didn't know what to expect, having only known her from "Oath" which featured her but not enough to really indicate what kind of artist she is. Judging by the title "Shower" I was expecting something cheap and tacky (I mean, just look at the cover art), but could not have been more wrong! The song is wonderfully innocent and irresistible with a simple but super strong chorus.

I say irresistible, but somehow, unfortunately there was some resistance. "Shower" stalled at #16 on Billboard; despite having enough momentum to go top ten on iTunes, it didn't fully translate to airplay for some reason. Becky's luck was even worse in the UK, as this never was properly pushed and peaked at #80 on release. Now she's on to her follow-up single "Can't Stop Dancin'" which is still good but has less character to it. I hope she can get an album released but there's really no guarantee of that yet.

such a beautiful song, i can't work how much of a talent she is (and based on her follow-up not much of one) bur honestly this is such an effort

Really Don't Care :wub:

Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan "This Is How We Roll"

http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/tasteofcountry.com/files/2014/01/This-Is-How-We-Roll.jpg

The bro-country theme songs just keep coming from these guys...if you don't know what bro-country is, be thankful. It's slowly ruining the genre, basically, but I still judge each song individually, and "This Is How We Roll" passes the test for me. It helps that Luke Bryan barely even features :heehee:. Florida Georgia Line attempted another "Cruise"-like smash with a second version that featured Jason Derulo. Worth a listen but thankfully it didn't have the same success as the superior "Cruise" (feat. Nelly).

FGL and Luke have both become too big for their own good, where they can release anything regardless of quality and have a guaranteed hit. I have a feeling these songs aren't going to age well and that public perception will eventually turn against them, making Florida Georgia Line into the Nickelback of country music. But this might just be me not liking their second era as much as their first one. Either way, enjoy it while it lasts, guys!

 

Foster The People "Best Friend"

Foster The People "Coming Of Age"

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/Yoshi538/aba006be-8874-4c51-8760-8fcd20141e51.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ec/Coming_of_Age.png

It was a long wait of nearly three years for the follow-up to debut album Torches, but finally Foster The People delivered. Their new material seemed to be met with disappointment but everything I've heard sounds just fine! Lead single "Coming Of Age" was especially brilliant, an adventurous throwback to eighties alt-rock addressing the internal struggles of youth. It translates VERY well in the video, which also pays tribute to the 80s.

Of all the songs Radio 1 snubbed this year, this was their worst offense that I can think of. They did redeem themselves somewhat by playlisting second single "Best Friend", but even then it just begs the question of why they ignored the first one. "Best Friend" was good too, more upbeat and the horns were a nice touch. Perhaps hoping for a second "Pumped Up Kicks" was too much to ask, but Foster The People deserved more support than what they got.

Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan "This Is How We Roll"

:puke2: :puke2: :puke2: :puke2: :puke2: :puke2: :puke2: :puke2: :puke2: :puke2: :puke2:

Edited December 10, 201410 yr by #Slayberry

I really enjoyed foster the people new album but pumped up kicks is still their best song

Edited December 10, 201410 yr by Ultraviolence1989

FGL are pretty great actually, really enjoying Dirt at the moment but I didn't really see that taking off much. TIHWR is definitely their best though and incredibly catchy, wish that managed to reach T10 in the US.

 

Luke Bryan is pretty decent too, Drink A Beer *-*

Florida Georgia Line *.*

I'll catch up on replies at some point, thanks so much for reading/commenting!

 

Hozier "Take Me To Church"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Hozier_Take_Me_to_Church.jpg

A surprise appearance here from Hozier. I've known "Take Me To Church" for several months now but spent most of the year wondering why it was so successful and what people thought was so great about it. Only in the past couple of months did I pay close attention to the lyrics and finally understand and appreciate the talent behind this song. Whereas "From Eden" clicked with me the first time I heard it, not long ago! It also helped to watch some of Hozier's live performances; it's always refreshing to hear someone's voice sound just the way it does on the record. It's too bad "Take Me To Church" peaked so low in the UK but seeing as it's still hanging onto the top 40, there's no reason to write it off just yet!

 

Hunter Hayes "Tattoo"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bc/HunterHayesTattoo.jpg

Last year I was the only one with Hunter in an EOY thread, and this year he's been in three or four already :D Despite that it was mixed success for Hunter this year, and nothing could exemplify that more than "Tattoo". With this song Hunter achieved his first ever semi-hit in the UK, reaching the top 100 on iTunes and top 200 officially, but also his worst-performing single in the USA, being the first of his to miss the Hot 100. It's a great song (his best single since "I Want Crazy") that shamefully suffered from two of his previous singles' shortcomings. It's rather unfair but country radio can be just as fickle to some artists as they are feverishly loyal to others. Hopefully I am overreacting and Mr. Hayes can get back on track in the near future!

TATTOO :cheer: Such an addictive track and definitely my favourite of his. It flopping in the US was an absolute travesty :( He's such a talent and I could listen to him all day (and I have in the past lmao).

Take me to church is so stunning and it also took a long time to grow on me