My Favorite 22 singles of 2013

This year the industry showed signs of life again - rewarding some bold moves (Macklemore's DIY success, Beyonce's secret album.... and can we say Miley was a risk taker? I think so) and punishing those who played it safe (Sorry Britney Army, KatyKats and Little Monsters).

But business aside, when I reflect on 2013 it will be through the music itself - each big memory trapped in a song, video or live performance.

Here is my year, boiled down to the 22 brilliant pop ditties that shaped it.

... happy 2014!






MY FAVORITE 22 SINGLES OF 2013

#22 "There Goes Our Love again" - White Lies

What if you threw in some New Wave + Emo + Bro Music + The Killers in a blender? 

#21 "Madness" - Muse

Muse does Queen ...with a healthy dose of pheromones. 

#20 'Miracle' - Sir Sly

Melancholic.

#19 "Walking Lightly" - Junip

Scandinavian pop brilliance.

#18 'The Way We Touch' - We Are Twin

Soulful Pop.

#17 'Darkness' - Du Tonc

Best Video of the year. Brings back story telling. Very sweet.

#16 'Elevate' - St. Lucia

I only have so much room for trendy hipster pop  (Sorry CHVRCHES, Haim, Say Lou Lou).

#16 'When the Night is Over' - The Magician

Favorite dance tune of the year.

#15 'Hanging On' - Active Child

Haunting.

#14 'I need Your Love' - Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding

Infectious. Although, Dear Calvin, time to take a year off or you'll end up as tired as Guetta.

#13 'Cups' - Anna Kendrick

No matter what your day threw up in your face, it's kinda hard to stay angry after listening to this.

#12 - 'Carried Away' - Passion Pit.

Manic pop. Last of the hipster pop entries.

#11 - 'Promises' - Presets

This will probably hit a radio near you in a few years (Following the trend set by Capital Cities and Gotye)

#10 - 'Can't Hold Us' - Macklemore

Epic Attitude. My pick for Sexiest Man Alive... move over Adam Levine.

#9 - 'Hunger' - Born Gold

"My bones are bending from how sick you've kept me love"

#8 - 'When I Fire Starts to Burn' - Disclosure


I didn't care for 90's house when it first happened, and I don't care for it now. The album everyone gushed about put me to sleep. But this propulsive song was just strange enough and fun enough to make a strong dent in my summer.

#7 - 'Stay' -  Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko

Rihanna is one uncanny sci-fi miracle. A sexy, lifelike robot created by record labels to crank out 20 hit singles per minute . 90% of its output is understandably putrid. But occasionally, it/she strikes gold and... feels almost human.

#6 - 'Afterlife' -  Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire prove they can rule the dance floor too.

#5 - 'Do What You Want' -  Lady Gaga

If she only stopped trying so hard..... the most straightforward and best song on ARTPOP.

#4 - 'Casino Lisboa' -  Dirty Beaches

I want to live inside this song.

#3 - 'Headshake' -  Saturday, Monday

Best summer song. And you can't have a decent 'best of' music list without Swedes on top.

#2 'Fall'

Dance pop perfection.

#1 - MACKLEMORE - 'THRIFT SHOP"

Best pop tune of the year. It was the rarest of things...a catchy song you're not ashamed to hum in public. Anti-bling and full of humor....  'Probably should have washed this, smells like R Kelly's Sheets... pisssssssss...'

A must if you're going to hole up in the Catskills for an icy winter.

Happy new year everyone!

My 5 Favorite albums of 2013

After sifting through over 100 CD's (I still buy those.. why are you looking at me funny?), I've landed on my favorite albums of the year.  2013 saw established artists - and a couple of brave newbies - experiment,  go rogue and annihilate some of pop royalty's most overblown yet dull offerings (Gaga and JT - I'm looking at you, snooze).

Enjoy...


1. BEST ALBUM OF 2013: "Drifters/Love is The Devil" - Dirty Beaches

The most original album of the year.  A surreal, David Lynchean blend of  love poems and seedy, dangerous energy. One track sinks you with longing, the next flicks you into a NYC nightclub circa 1983: smoke... shadows...  possibility. I want to turn this album into a movie. Alex Zhang Hungtai, get in touch with my people.

Tracks: "Au Revoir Mon Visage", "I Don't Know How to Find my way Back To You" 

2.  "Random Access Memories" - Daft Punk

Alors, you think you can blend Moroder, Panda Bear and Nile Rogers into one seamless electro odyssey? And succeed? Ah, the French...pfft.

Well, Daft Punk have made some of the best music this side of 2000. Hell, Kanye West owes his entire, tacky career to their 2001 "Harder, Faster, Stronger". Their Tron soundtrack cemented their versatility and musicianship.  And here -  their crowning achievement to date - they showcase their inspirations, past and present, and own them (who's your master? whip!).  How to top this next year? Answer: by possibly being in charge of Madonna's new album.... (and making my brain explode into all sorts of skittle colored mania)


Tracks: "Doin' it Right", "Contact"

3. "Trouble Will Find Me" - The National

This album doesn't break new ground. And why should it? Beautiful, poetic, full of insights into the way we live and love. A non nonsense kind of album. These guys can do no wrong in my book.


Tracks: "Hard To Find",  "Don't Swallow the Cap"

4. "The Heist" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Rebels. They took on big labels by recording and distributing this themselves.  They turned hip hop  -  a genre steadily rotting in its own homophobia, sexism and materialism -  into an effective vehicle for a gay rights anthem -  'Same Love' - and anti-bling humor with "Thrift Shop".  And yeah, fuck labels.


Tracks: "Thin Line", "Jimmy Iovine"

5. "Shaking The Habitual" - The Knife

Low on the hooks, high on the unsettling. Together with Crystal Castles - they bring much needed experimentation and mystery to electronic music.


Tracks: "Without You My Life Would be boring", "Full of Fire"

Next up... my favorite 20 singles of 2013... stay tuned... JAPG

22 Favorite Singles of 2012

Musically speaking, 2012 was one for the records - offering us stellar new outings from Dragonette, Madonna, Crystal Castles and - after much waiting - the first official albums from Tanlines and Niki and The Dove. It was also the year that Canadians rivaled the Swedes in pop excellence.

But many of us also seemed to mix up 'inspiration' with plain old plagiarism... people ate up Justin Bieber's note by note rendition of that other - much better - Justin; they turned Bruno Mars' Police rip-off into a number one hit...and yes, millions still praised Gaga's shameless Madonna karaoke act. What happened to new thinking? Do we really believe, as one young Youtuber recently posted, 'everything has been done already so it's ok to copy'? Does pop music have to equal recycled crap? The answer - clearly - is NO ...and the  proof is below.

So next time you are about to waste your $1.49 on a Demi Lovato song - consider any of these 22 singles. The best of the year in my opinion... in descending order for a little suspense. Happy New Year everyone!

22. ‘Golden Light’ – Twin Shadow

From the Dominican Republic. Yes, really. I dig people who break negative stereotypes (Pitbull and J-Lo– can you retire now and stop embarrassing an entire community with your artless, tacky crap?).  This guy writes music for film, has created awesome remixes for people way more famous than he is and – in my opinion – was the best male artist this year.  By the way.. is that the theme of 1987’s vampire flick ‘The Lost Boys’ buried in the chorus? I wouldn’t put it past him.

21. 'You Stood Me Up' - DWNTWN

Just because I'm a sucker for 80's style synth...

20. 'Paddling Out' - Miike Snow

Always fun. Always off beat.

19. ‘Put Me To Work’ – PAPA

What if Bruce Spingsteen had sprung from 2012 Brooklyn instead of early 80’s New Jersey?

18. ‘All Of Me’ – Tanlines

Timeless pop. Could have been a hit anytime between1981 and today.

17. 'Up All Night' - Oliver Tank

Let's get it on...

16. ‘We Are Young’ - Fun.

 Well done American radio listeners. I sort of forgive you for all of the other crap you request. Sort of.

15. 'Sweet Nothing' - Calvin Harris Feat. Florence Welch

This Brit does with Florence Welch what he did with Rihanna last year: he recruited a so-so lady and turned out a golden dance track. One of the best videos of the year.

14. ‘Ghosts’ – ON AND ON

Fresh out of the oven. No album yet. Band to watch in 2013.

13. ‘Time To Dance’ – The Shoes

Irresistible chant-along-indie-dance-track! Now, there’s a micro category for you. Plus, Jake Gylenhaal as a mass murderer in the video? Bring it

12.  ‘Catch My Breath’ – Kelly Clarkson

With 3 big radio hits, this was the year of Kelly Clarkson. What I still love about her – 11 years after I kept voting for her On American idol (TMI?) - is that she can rule the airwaves with unforgettable pop songs , with one of the best voices out there,  and manages to feel very much under the radar. Here’s to the constant underdog.

 11. ‘Days’ – The Drums

Any band that uses Amanda Lepore in their video deserves to be on the best of list. Plus, it’s a kick ass song.

10. ‘Plague’ – Crystal Castles

From the best album this year; it’s also the track with the best video this year. I couldn’t have picked a better film to complement the creepy vibe of this song than 1981’s “Possession” with Sam Neil and Isabelle Adjani.

 9) 'Summertime Sadness’ – Lana del Rey

Finally! A summer song for those who appreciate a little misery with our sunshine. Del Rey’s magic trick is to add gloss, allure and sex appeal to tragedy. Very Hollywood.

8) ‘Dj Ease My Mind’ – Niki and the Dove

Disco renaissance done right.

7) ‘Closer’ – Tegan and Sara

These twins came up with the catchiest , most awesome chorus this year. Canada strikes again!

6) ‘To You’ – Young Wonder

I was hooked with the Eastern Undertones on this one. A song of mourning that manages to uplift.  ‘See you, See you in the next life’…

5) ‘212’ – Azealia Banks

Is it fair to compare women just because they’re female rappers? Who cares? I’ll do it anyway. Ms Banks’ chops and gritty feel make Niki Minaj feel as vapid and gimmicky as Lady Gaga. Her EP was huge. Another one to watch next year.

4) ‘Dig Into the Waves’ – Freelance Whales

Yup, Hipster world circa 2008 is still very much alive in this nostalgic tune about relationships that are worth saving.

3) ‘Anything could happen’ – Ellie Goulding

Sonic Prozac.

2) ‘Steve McQueen’ – M83

The best track of 2011’s brilliant ‘Hurry Up We’re Dreaming’. Like the album, it captures the thrill of being a nine year old: That mixture of awe and horror at your newfound powers.

1) ‘PULL ME DOWN’ – MIKKI EKKO

My pick for best track of the year backs up this blog's premise: you can be unapologetically pop and mainstream and still have a soul and some originality. Here’s a love song that’s so well crafted that it makes me wish I wasn’t so damn single every time I hear it … at least for three and a half perfect minutes.

Happy 2013!!!

My 5 Favorite Albums of 2012

My 5 Favorite albums of 2012 (aka. O Canada!)

2012 was the best year in music since 2009 - The only disappointments: still no new stuff from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (hello??), LadyHawke's sophomore album was a huge letdown and Lady Gaga is still around. But - luckily - the great far outweighed the bad thanks in large part to the guys below.... the best of this year's crop...

5) ‘Bodyparts’ – Dragonnette

These Canadians’ last album, ‘Fixin’ To Thrill’ was my pick for 2009’s best album. It was impossible for them – and most artists - to match it. But they do come very close with the perfect harmony of ‘Lay Low’ - or when Martina brings on the sass on ‘Right Woman’. In an alternative universe where tween boys with vocodered voices and silly hairdos don’t rule radio with the same exact David Guetta-ish song, Dragonette would be pop kings. Until then, they remain our best kept secret.

4) ‘MDNA’ – Madonna

If you said - once again (yawn) - ‘crap album, she is over’ – then you surely missed some of her most personal, often progressive music ever  - like ‘Love Spent’, ‘Gang Bang’ and ‘I’m Addicted’.  MDNA is not her best album, nobody can put out a ‘Ray of Light’ or a ‘Like a Prayer’ or even ‘Confessions’ that often, even M. But it does stand proudly within her awesome-albums-with-filler-songs category (ie. ‘Erotica’, ‘Music’). The big difference here is that she inexplicably chose to promote MDNA with the filler songs themselves – she released the songs you skip yet forgive because the rest is so good - the songs she seems to have called in from her Learjet because she had to. Arguably, ‘Gimme all your lovin’, ‘Girl Gone Wild’ and ‘Turn Up the Radio’ are not only the worst songs on the album, but some of the worst songs she has ever put out. And, sadly, it’s the impression most people were left with of MDNA.  But take a look below at the live version of 'Love Spent' and say, again, 'it's crap.. she is over'.. go on, I dare you. 

3) ‘Halcyon’ - Ellie Goulding

While obtuse, corporate US radio is still stuck on 2010’s ‘Lights’, the fact that this woman has put out a new collection of pulsating, smart pop tunes may fall through the tracks. ‘Dead in the Water’ is mournful and haunting, and first single ‘Anything Could Happen’ should be burning the airwaves by now…Ellie Goulding can turn ‘dear diary' music into cool like nobody else.

2) ‘Instinct’ – Niki and The Dove

Mix Stevie Nicks with Kate Bush and add a touch of Scandinavian kookiness and you get close to what these guys are all about. Perfectly poppy and sing along, perfectly strange. Perfect.

1) III – Crystal castles

My Favorite album this year - hands down - belongs to this Canadian electronica duo. They took a slight departure from their earlier, dancier stuff and created a space that packs in the lovely, the exhilarating, the cinematic and yes – the creepy. Good move. Even if you don’t understand what lead singer Alice Glass is screaming about – you get it – you don’t need to have it all spelled out for you. And that – to me - is what great music is all about.  See 'Pale Flesh' below... one of the best tracks of the year also.