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Thursday, July 31, 2014

My Summer Playlist 2014


My Summer Playlist 2014

Here’s my Summer Playlist for 2014; twenty-seven songs that I listen to over and over again as I motor about.  They make for perfect road trip music or a musical score to, ummm, score!

I’ve reviewed most of these in the past few months.  The big surprise?  Several of the songs I initially disliked have grown on me big time.  Even the Disney Princesses and Nickelodeon Queens have won me over and have become guilty pleasures. 

Now, these aren’t in any particular order, but I guarantee if you pull these together on a playlist, you’ll have the perfect soundtrack for what remains of the summer.

Happy listening!

Cool Kids
Echoesmith
Reductive pop (see Quarterflash), but goes down like a vanilla shake.  Love singing harmony on the chorus.


Break Free
Ariana Grande Feat. Zedd
Great little pop song with a bit of substance.  Zedd synths it up, old school.  Hate the ending.


Tongues
Joywave Feat. KOPPS
Quirky, silly, fun.  “Speaking in tongues”, indeed.


Do It Again
Royksopp & Robyn
Simple, but unstoppable.  Love this. Every time I hear it, I want it to play again, immediately.  Great throb and Robyn nails the vocals.


I Will Never Let You Down
Rita Ora
Smartest pop song of the summer.  It’s cribbed from a few sources, but makes for a wonderful listen.


Aviation High
Semi Precious Weapons
Part of a whole new breed of power pop.  Cryptic, quirky, and unmistakably cool.  Gives one hope.


Alienation
Morning Parade
See: ‘Aviation High’.


Transpose
Bad Suns
See: ‘Alienation’


A Little Bit Faster
Cocktails
Miss Elvis Costello?  He could have given birth to Cocktails, an on the money homage with a genuine heart – they embody this sound.



Who Needs You
The Orwells
Brash, with a garage band esthetic that engages the ear. Cribbed, but with an authority that makes it their own.  Superlative vocals that make me think rock may not be dead.



Flume
Holding On
A gritty, throwback Stax song grafted onto an eclectic modern production. 



I Got U
Duke Dumont Feat. Jax Jones
Seductively lilting; Caribbean steel drums, a sweet pulse beat, and perfect vocals.


Habits (Stay High)
Tove Lo
Saddest song of the summer.  Haunting.  A pop nightmare fully realized and captured.


I Walk Alone (JRMX Club Mix)
Cher
Love this mix; very old school, but wonderfully so.



I Found Out
Bimbo Jones & Beverley Knight
Classic disco soul, al a the Philadelphia sound, with a modern, propulsive club beat.  Beverley Knight in perfect diva form.


Rather Be
Clean Bandit Feat. Jess Glynne
Enchanting.  Sweet.  Endearing.  Great strings.  Perfect arrangement.  Lovely vocals.



Cheap Sunglasses – RAC Feat. Matthew Koma
More steel drum fun with an Owl City aesthetic.  Very 80’s; a modernized Nu Shooz.


Really Don't Care
Demi Lovato Feat. Cher Lloyd
Demi takes over Kelly Clarkson’s tough pop territory.  The vocals, like Clarkson’s can be, are a bit shrill, but the song’s empowering theme rules the day, so who cares?  Sometimes to be heard you have risk being overbearing.


If I Fall
Cole Plante With Myon & Shane 54 Feat. Ruby O'Dell
Wistful, plaintive, yearning.  Love the message.  I am such a sucker for this waifish sort of dance music.


I'm Not Coming Down
Martha Wash
Powerhouse diva vocals? Check.  Empowering message? Check.  Sweet melody? Check?  On the mark production?  Check?  What more could a gay ask for?



Love Sublime
Tensnake Feat. Nile Rodgers And Fiora
Silky, slinky, seductive.  Be sure to get the original mix.  This will take you back to the glory days of Chic, in the best way possible.  Sublime, indeed.


Calling All Hearts
DJ Cassidy Feat. Robin Thicke & Jessie J
A bit earnest, but delivers the simplest of retro-disco fun. Jessie J has chops!


Sia – Chandelier
Delivering a searing, aching, over the top vocal, Sia does Rihanna in her own idiocentric style. 


Summer – Calvin Harris
Big, big synths teased higher than a hair hopper’s dream.  As predicted, a perfect summer theme, despite the novelty vocals.



La La La  - Naughty Boy Feat. Sam Smith
A very deep song wrapped around a childish taunt.  Great vocals, very unique.  A marvelous diss song


Latch - Disclosure Feat. Sam Smith
Incredible.  Propulsive.  Totally original.  Inventive vocals, engaged production.


Ain't It Fun  - Paramore
Yes, it is.  A delicious slice of power pop.


2 comments:

Robert said...

I hate myself for admitting this, but I'm loving "Bang Bang" by Jessie J. and Ariana Grande.

Stan said...

I like "La La La - Naughty Boy Feat. Sam Smith." It's got a good beat.