Top 50 Singles Of 2012: 35-31

35. Charlotte Perrelli - The Girl



This is the type of song that could only come out of Sweden. Big, brash, cheesy and pop with a capital "p".

34. Alphabeat - Vacation



Their happiest, dippiest single yet. At first you might find it too saccharine. Then, it worms its way inside your head and takes over.

33. TVXQ - Catch Me



An epic, dubstep-infused state of the art dance track. That chorus just soars.

32. Sam & The Womp - Bom Bom



A deliriously bizarre dance novelty track. It's like an invitation to the nuthouse, in the best way possible.

31. Amelia Lily - You Bring Me Joy 



X-Factor alum's bid for pop superiority. With Xenomania at the helm, she definitely sounds like a worldwide popstar.

Top 20 Albums Of 2012: 20-19

20. Reece Mastin - Beautiful Nightmare



After a string of excellent singles, Reece released an album that didn't sound like an X-Factor winner's debut. This is a good thing, as it positions him as a popstar in his own right. The surprise here was the willingness to play with genres. His pop punk sound is strong throughout, but there are also some musical departures that make this a true surprise.

19. Alphabeat - Express Non-Stop



After a foray into 90's dance music, Alphabeat returned in 2012 with their classic brand of kitschy bubblegum pop. Though not as strong as their first two releases, you can't discount this band's consistency. It's a pure jolt of energy, and you may feel a bit guilty for listening to it, but so what? This is the kind of pure pop that could only come out of Europe.

Alphabeat - Love Sea

"Jump on in, jump with me"

I love Alphabeat. There's no two ways about it. In this day and age, with all its negativity and stresses, it's so amazing and refreshing to find a band that creates such uplifting, upbeat, FUN music. I am counting down the days until their third album, much the way I've counted down the days to every previous release. Last single Vacation was a major grower. This one's not quite as lively, but the melody is incredibly strong and infectious from the first listen. Parts sound quite a lot like Whitney Houston's immortal How Will I Know and the instrumental intro is a close neighbor to The Who's Baba O'Riley (of all things), but the entire package is wrapped up in such a light, bubblegum sound that it really defies comparison to any other artist out there. This is Alphabeat doing what they do best. Thank god.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their last single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Alphabeat - Vacation

"Take me anywhere"

I (and every other pop blogger, it seems) am so excited to be able to write about Alphabeat again. I know I toot my own horn about this all the time, but alienhits was one of the very first blogs anywhere to write about these guys way back in 2006, just as they were about to find mainstream success in their native Denmark. So, I've convinced myself that I have some sort of stake in their career (or something like that!). Anyway, they're back with the first single from their upcoming third album. After some time flirting with 90's dance music, they're back to their ultra-jolly, ultra-poppy brand of euphoric bubblegum. Vacation is like Fascination Pt. II, which is kind of cool because it brings them full circle. It absolutely screams Summer, which is excellent if you're stuck in the gloomy Northwest like I am. Some bands just get how to do pop music. Alphabeat never really puts a foot in the wrong direction. They are pop.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Top 50 Singles of 2010: 50-46

50. Lady Gaga & Beyonce - Telephone



Two of the biggest popstars on the planet and an epic, long form video. It was a deliriously entertaining way to start the new year.

49. Elin Lanto - Funeral



An anthem if there ever was one. She set the chorus to “soaring” and never let up after that.

48. Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me



A deserved hit for its sleek electro shuffle and endearingly catchy hook. One of 2010’s best one hit wonders.

47. Yolanda Be Cool - We No Speak Americano



The year’s best novelty dance tune, it’s as stupid as it is catchy. Infuriatingly catchy, as a matter of fact…

46. Alphabeat - DJ (I Should Be Dancing/Le Kid - We Should Go Home Together




I can’t separate the two because the bands are so similar. Both deserved wider success than they got this year. Two of the happiest songs of 2010.

Top 20 Albums of 2009: 8-7

8. Alphabeat - The Spell



Alphabeat changed up their sound with this second album, which is always dangerous, especially when the first one was such a success. For the follow-up, they amped up the electronic elements and took inspiration from 90’s dance music. The result is a remarkably consistent album that, song-for-song, is probably better than their debut. It doesn’t have the staggering highs of the last one, but it’s a different kind of album and one that grows with time. Bottom line is that this group is one of the best pop bands out there, and they only cemented that fact in 2009.

Myspace

7. Bodies Without Organs - Big Science



What to say about BWO that hasn’t been said already? Four albums in and they remain as polished and immediate as ever. They’ve never released a bad album, so it’s easy to get complacent about their music and forget that compared to anything else in the genre, they are the ones to beat. Big Science might just be their best work yet. Though it didn’t possess the number of hit singles of albums past, it’s an excellent batch of songs that veer ever so slightly in the sci-fi direction, which is always a plus for me.

Myspace

Top 50 Singles of 2009: 50-46

50. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero



The furthest they’ve come to obtaining that infamous label of poptastic. The video, especially, shows Karen O at the height of her power.

49. Alphabeat - The Spell



A reinvention of sorts, which took some getting used to. The adlibs and synthesizers are ever better than the main melody.

48. Aqua - My Mamma Said



The group’s most mature, achingly beautiful song with a dark, artsy video to match. Far removed from novelty pop.

47. Carolina Liar - Show Me What I'm Looking For



The biggest radio ballad of the summer, they stuffed this one to the brim with drama and layered a hands-swaying-in-the-air chorus on top.

46. Janet Jackson - Make Me



The most Janet Jackson sounding single she’s released in a long while, it’s not among her best, but even autopilot Janet is better than most.