Top 50 Singles of 2014: 15-11

15. Josef Johanssson - Hela Natten



I love a choir in a pop song, but this galvanizing anthem is more than just its choir. It was the best song in this year's Melodifetivalen, even though it didn't make it to the final.

14. HyunA - Red



A demented and fun nursery-rhyme gone mad. This was the party track of the summer, with a deliriously in-your-face, irresistible hook.

13. Taeyang - Eyes, Nose, Lips



One of the biggest tracks in Korea in 2014, this ballad has immense staying power. Honestly, I'd already consider it a classic-in-the-making. And I'm not even a ballad guy!

12. Wolf Gang - Black River 



Undeservedly, this modern rock masterpiece flew under the radar this year. It's all about those layered, Fleetwood Mac-esque vocals that pop in more and more as the song grows and becomes a total epic.

11. Henry - Fantastic 



Just like I love choirs, I adore classical instrumentation in a pop song. The violin that forms the spine of this song elevates it into something really special. Add to that the amazing dance beat, and you've got something impossible to resist.

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

Wolf Gang - Lay Your Love Down

"Do you hear me at all?"

Wolf Gang are the band responsible for one of my favorite singles of the year, the gorgeous and epic Black River. This is their follow-up, which was always going to suffer a bit in my eyes having to follow River. But even though it's not nearly as over the top, the guys have created a really solid indie pop track. The hook sounds instantly familiar to me, like a mix between Bastille and Florence + The Machine. I like the verses even better, with that majestic opening and drumbeat. It definitely has the feel of mainstream crossover success, which this band is well overdue for. It just needs to be featured in the right movie or TV show or something. For now, they're one of music's best kept secrets.



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

Wolf Gang - Black River

"Raise a glass, looking at the sun"

Oh, lord yes! There is nothing better than when a band with bucketloads of potential but a somewhat underwhelming debut album comes back with something that just knocks your socks off. I adored Wolf Gang's singles Lions In Cages and The King And All Of His Men from 2011, but for me the album didn't quite live up to their potential and I quickly forgot about it. Fast forward three years and I feel like I need to revisit that album because this new single, Black River, hit me like a train. It's massive. I don't even want to describe it much more, just do yourself a favor and LISTEN. It's, quite frankly, most everything I love about music in one song. If the upcoming album is up to this standard, I'll be unconscious by the end of it... knocked out.



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

Wolf Gang - Stay And Defend

"What to do? Who to see?"

After months of waiting (and several push backs of the release date), Wolf Gang's album is out! It's a wonderful mix of old-school glam, electro and indie-rock. He really succeeds when it comes to lush, catchy hooks. Most songs have a grandiose sound to them, befitting his stage name. They're epic, but in a subtle way. The singles are the immediate standouts (I've decided that Lions In Cages is probably now my favorite), but there are some amazing album tracks as well. Stay And Defend out Mikas Mika. It's got that jolly piano-pop feel but some interesting vocal arrangements and production as well. There's definitely a psychedelic MGMT influence at work. It's a perfect example of what to expect on the album, as the sound throughout is very consistent. Beyond that, I feel a lot of potential. After a strong debut, I bet the second album is going to knock it out of the park.

Wolf Gang - Stay And Defend by alienhits

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

Wolf Gang - The King And All Of His Men (New Version)

"Why don't you stop fighting me?"

Quick post today. I wrote about this song two months ago, but it's been re-recorded for the album and is EVEN AWESOMER! Yes, in the case of this song, "awesomer" is a word. I loved it before, but I love it even more now. There's an electronic oomph added to this version that fulfills the enormous potential that the song's always had. We'll see if the album follows suit (I've liked all of the singles so far), but if not, at least he's given us this fantastic song.

The King and All Of His Men by wolfgang

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Listens to the other tracks on the sampler here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Wolf Gang - Something Unusual

"We'll be something out of this world"

Wolf Gang's debut album was originally planned for March, but unfortunately it's been pushed back to June (making for quite a busy May/June season for album releases). It's irritating because I want to hear the thing now. While initially a little skeptical, his music has grown on me immensely and I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that the full length emphasizes the "pop" portion of "indie pop." Something Unusual, a recently revealed album track, is from the MGMT school of pop. It's a slow-building, synth-dripped, slightly psychedelic sounding kaleidoscope. And I like it! Phew. I imagine driving around in the Summer listening to something like this. It's subtle enough to have real staying power, but it's not boring. That's a tricky line to walk in indie music.

Wolf Gang - Something Unusual by wolfgang

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

Wolf Gang - The King And All Of His Men

"Why don't you stop fighting me?"

I love it when readers share songs with me. I get dozens of "recommendations" from labels and PR people every day but so few of them are anything I'm even remotely interested in. But you readers know my taste! This is one such track. Wolf Gang is a new band/project (though it's really the brainstorm of one man), recording piano-influenced rock music that's in keeping with some of my all-time favorite groups. There's no album yet (we'll have to wait a few months for that), but there have been three single releases... all of them amazing. My favorite, though, is the first track that was released last year. The King And All Of His Men is one of those rare songs that I knew I'd fall in love with after about ten seconds. Sometimes it happens that quickly. There are shades of the Ark and the Mo in this track, which can only mean that it's pretty damn close to perfection in my eyes. It's an example of a specific type of guitar/piano/synth-based pop that doesn't come around nearly often enough. If you like this, be sure to check out the other singles as well (I swear that I had heard Lions In Cages prior to being introduced to it this week... is it in a commercial or something?).
On another note, though you can't see it in the counter at the bottom of the page (I added that shortly after starting the blog), Alienhits reached its millionth view today. WOW. Never thought that would happen when I started five years ago!

The King And All Of His Men - Wolf Gang by dragonflyenergydrinks

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