Top 50 Singles of 2014: 5-1

5. 5 Seconds Of Summer - She Looks So Perfect



Quite simply, it's the perfect pop song. It also happens to be the highest ranked English-language track on the countdown. Of all the singles that were successful in the West this year, this bombastic, fizzy anthem was the one I kept going back to. That chorus is one-in-a-million. Bottled lightning.

4. Josef Johansson - Blickar Kan Mörda



I wish that more people were familiar with this song. Through his work this year, Josef Johansson has become the Swedish artist I'm most anticipating. The song itself reminds me of something Darin would put out, yet it's got a quirky edge that compliments the surging, addictive production and hook.

3. Akdong Musician - 200%



There are so many ideas and surprises hidden in this bubbly mix of pop, folk and hip-hop. It's like pulling open a nesting doll. Some tracks settle for one or two strong hooks. In 200%, every strum of the guitar and vocal adlib are hooky, which makes the song a little hard to click on first listen. But, it's also what makes it the pop song that keeps giving the more you listen to it.

2. B1A4 - Lonely 



Its soaring melody and icy hip-hop beat might seem fairly simple at first, but it's the little turns in leader Jinyoung's songwriting that make this midtempo ballad stand out. The accented high notes in the chorus, the key change at the end, the way the rap winds through the song so seemlessly, the hints of trumpet buried in the mix, and the final, repeated refrain of the title. It's utterly affecting, and much more emotional than you'd expect it to be as it steadily builds to its explosive climax. Honestly, it's probably the best ballad I've heard in years, without really being a ballad at all. I had it placed at the top spot several times.

1. Infinite - Back 



The best pop songs have a standout moment. The absolute best have more than one. Back is like one perfect moment right after the other. That first, dramatic beat drop after the climbing balladry that opens the track -- the aggressive dance breakdown after the first chorus, cut by distorted guitar -- the seemingly disparate orchestral suite underpinning not only the middle eight but the entire song. Somehow, it manages to sound exactly like K-Pop yet nothing like K-Pop at the same time. Infinite has always been known for their powerful vocals, but you can feel the energy and desperation dripping from every note in Back. The track itself is an ambitious gamble with song structure that pays off to almost jaw-dropping effect. It's just ballsy... the kind of thing mainstream groups rarely attempt. In fact, the song is so good that it made me go back and reconsider everything else the guys have done, and put Infinite at the very top of my K-Pop obsession.

Don't forget, if you'd like to listen to the Top 50 Singles Countdown in full, download the audio version!

Top 20 Albums of 2014: 12-11

12. Robin - 16



Finland's Robin Packalen has become one of the most reliable producers of excellent pop music in the world. This is already his fourth album, and the rate and consistency of his releases is pretty staggering. I'm not sure that I like it as much as last year's Boom Kah, but the single releases are amazing. There is a little bit of experimentation when it comes to sound, and the general vibe seems more mature and subtle, but the quality of the melodies and production remains very high. He could be one of the few teen stars to actually make a successful musical transition into adulthood.

11. 5 Seconds Of Summer



One of my bigger surprises this year, as I generally don't like the "pop punk" realm of teen pop. But on this album, and the many, many b-sides released alongside it, the guys infused just enough pop sheen to make the album stand out. More importantly, the melodies and hooks are there in spades. This isn't the kind of album where it's three singles and a bunch of other, lesser tracks. It has a high level of consistency and, more importantly, a real sense of youthful fun and mischief.

5 Seconds Of Summer - Long Way Home

"You know this is the way it's supposed to be"

So, I've been really enjoying the newly released 5 Seconds Of Summer album. It's a bit surprising, since I don't normally enjoy this type of teen punk/pop, but the fact that the guys wrote or cowrote almost anything gives the songs a lot of authenticity. I know music snobs will shout at me that there's nothing authentic about this kind of young, major-label band, but there are different kinds of authenticity. What I mean is that this actually sounds like teen music written by teens. And besides, I've never pretended that I'm into serious hipster indie music. I like pop with a capital "P." The bigger the chorus, the better. And these guys have a knack for churning them out. Take Long Way Home, for example. That chorus is melodically sticky, but is complemented be a second refrain that adds an extra punch. It's great stuff, and has a summery California vibe that's addictive.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

5 Seconds Of Summer - She Looks So Perfect

"I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart"

Sometimes my rapid consumption of music proves to be my own worst enemy. I scan global itunes charts like a fiend and scroll through blogs at hyper speed. When I see something that's suddenly blowing up around the world, my first thought is that it's probably trendy, lowest-common-denominator stuff, soon to be overplayed on every American radio station. I don't know why. I mean, I'm not a music snob (clearly, since most of what I post here would be called "guilty pleasures," at best, by "cool" music aficionados). But, I also know how music these days is as viral as youtube videos. Just because something is suddenly everywhere, it doesn't mean that it's a good song, or even a song at all (The Chainsmokers' godawful Selfie immediately comes to mind). So, a few months ago I saw that this 5 Seconds Of Summer track was surging to the top of the charts worldwide. I gave the itunes preview a spin, and within thirty seconds judged that it was the kind of teen pop-punk that I wasn't really into. What a mistake. Had I bothered to listen to the song in full, or watch the music video, I would've realized that the track shares just as much with bombastic 80's stadium rock as it does with... let's say... Sum 41 or Fall Out Boy. This is a pop track that deserves the hype. Every once and awhile something like this comes around, like with One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful a couple of years ago. It's just a brilliant, classic slice of pop that would've smashed in any decade, and will forever be the band's calling card. You only need to listen to it once to be won over, and even if you wanna be snobby about it, you really can't deny that hook. I hope the band's album follows suit. Their newest single, Don't Stop, is a good start. The world could use another Mcfly-ish power pop band.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.