Top 50 Singles of 2014: 40-36

40. 2NE1 - Crush



This is the Japanese (ie: single) version of the song that opened their brilliant second full length album. So much attitude crammed into three minutes.

39. Martin Stenmarck - När änglarna går hem



A chest-beating anthem from this year's Melodifestivalen. It's criminally underrated, and is guaranteed to boost your energy.

38. BoA - Shout It Out



BoA's been around for a long time, but she's rarely sounded so youthful and carefree as she does on this track. She could teach Western divas a thing or two.

37. iKON - Wait For Me 



At the time this was released, the group wasn't even fully formed yet. I predict that iKON will be 2015's major success story. This emotive midtempo is certainly a promising start.

36. Alex Metric - Heart Weighs A Ton (ft. Stefan Storm) 



In a year without a new release by The Sound Of Arrows, this track featuring the band's lead singer was a welcome treat. Lush dancepop at its best.

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: 20-19

20. BoA - Who's Back?



More of a compilation than an actual studio album, this collects many of BoA's Japanese singles from the past few years. That said, it still flows remarkably well, except for maybe one overlong ballad too many in the middle. It's a great place to start if you're interested in BoA's current output, though in general I tend to prefer her Korean releases, which are becoming few and far between these days.

19. Lovelyz - Girls' Invasion



In K-pop, there's a whole genre of "cute" girl group music. Not all of it is to my taste, and this group's overly girly/cutesy name certainly turned me off at first, but I was surprised just how much I ended up liking their debut album. It won't be to everyone's taste, but the first half especially is filled with wonderfully produced, slightly off-kilter dance pop.

BoA - First Time

While it's been awhile since global superstar BoA has released new music in her native Korea, she's been rattling off single after single in Japan, culminating in her new album, which is ostensibly a best-of compilation with some new tracks. The new single is First Time, and I'm ridiculously addicted to it. It's the kind of track that I loved the very first time I heard it, due to that driving beat and uber-catchy hook. The anthemic production helps as well. I especially like those filtered background vocals that bubble up in the chorus, like a Eurovision choir kept just at bay. I also love when BoA sings in her lower register, where her vocals have an almost gritty sound. The seesaw melody here allows her to do just that, creating a dynamic piece of timeless pop.



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

BoA - Shout It Out

"Let's dance the night away"

From a Kylie Minogue track yesterday, to something that could pass for a (mostly) foreign language version of a Kylie Minogue track today! BoA is the queen of Asian pop, and although she's been releasing music pretty steadily over the last few years, I think this is the type of single that could really reignite her across the globe. As far as Kylie comparisons go, this would fit right in on Light Years. It's got that simple, carefree summery dance vibe to it, kind of like Spinning Around. At first it might seem a little slight, but that chorus is deceptively catchy. Add to that a music video that's like complete happiness bottled into four minutes, and you've got something that makes me want to go to the beach and get some froyo!



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