#TopTwentyFiveTuesday “…of Twenty Fourteen” : MYFAVORITES

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Alicia Keys, Andre 3000, Andre Benjamin, Babyface, beyonce, Black Keys, Calvin Harris, Christian Falk, Christina Aguilera, Coldplay, Drake, Duke Dumont, Jax Jones, Jessie J, Jhene Aiko, Justin Timberlake, K Michelle, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, MIA, Music 2014, Ola Salo, OutKast, Pharrell Williams, rihanna, Robyn, Royksopp, Shakira, Songs 2014, St Vincent, Tamar Braxton, The Black Keys, Toni Braxton, Toni Braxton and Babyface, Top 25 Music 2014, Top 25 Songs of 2014, Top Music 2014, Top Songs of 2014, Whitney Houston

#TopTenThursday didn’t really happen, but that IS a weekly thing I want to keep going on this here blog. But, in the effort of trying to keep this blog active, I’m going to add another weekly list – TopTwentyFiveTuesday, or maybe this will monthly, we’ll see. (Mind you, BOTH the TopTenThursday and TopTwentyFiveTuesday won’t be exclusive to Music)

This post is to make up for two things actually, the #TopTenThursday thing AND the post I planned on making about my favorite music of 2014 so far. I could have easily posted something quick and easy at the end of June, the official halfway mark of the year, but I have downloaded so much music that I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to yet. I wanted to give those albums (Agust Alsina, The 1975, Beck, Jack White,  et. al.) a fair listen and have a broader, more researched list of my favorite albums of 2014. Unfortunately I still have a bunch of albums in my iTunes that have zero plays… and it’s damn near August already. SO – instead of doing that (it’ll just have to wait until the end of the year) I’m just going to post the songs that I’ve been obsessed with this year. Some new, some old, all great.

And here we go…

25. Toni Braxton & Babyface “Roller Coaster”

Their “Love, Marriage & Divorce” album is really good, and this opening track is one of the stand outs.

 

24. Shakira featuring Rihanna “Can’t Remember to Forget You”

Sexy video. Fun song. And… well, RIHANNA!!!

 

23. Robin Thicke featuring Tamar Braxton “For the Rest of My Life Part 2”

 

22. M.I.A. “Bad Girls”

I was obsessed with this song my last month in New York City. Nice flow.

 

21. Pharrell Williams featuring Alicia Keys “Know Who You Are”

My absolute favorite from Pharrell’s “GIRL” album.

 

20. Jessie J “Thunder”

 

19. Justin Timberlake “Not a Bad Thing”

This is such a cute little Pop song, don’t “fuck around” and sleep on it.

 

18. The Black Keys “Waiting on Words”

Black Keys’ “Turn Blue” is an excellent album, and this has become my favorite.

 

17. Calvin Harris “Summer”

 

16. Christian Falk featuring Robyn and Ola Salo “Dream On”

I OWNED Robyn’s self titled 2008 album, but somehow never paid attention to this. I really got into it this Spring as I was easing back into the Bay Area life.

 

15. Drake “Connect”

 

14. K. Michelle “Can’t Raise a Man”

Great great song with a strong message that ladies NEED to pay attention to.

 

13. St. Vincent “Digital Witness”

Randomly saw St. Vincent on “Saturday Night Live” this Spring, and I fell in love with this quirky (and seemingly Prince-inspired) track. YAAAH!

 

12. Andre 3000 & Beyonce “Back to Black”

I was late to the party on this one, but this Amy Winehouse remake is so weird and strange – right up my alley.

 

11. Kanye West “Hold My Liquor”

 

10. Jhene Aiko “The Worst”

Thank the BET Awards for this, I seriously had never heard the song before the show. Really addictive song.

 

9. Coldplay “Midnight”

Just one word : AMAZING!  (it reminds me of How To Dress Well though)

 

8. Jessie J “Sexy Lady”

Probably the most FUN song I’ve discovered this year, this girl is so terribly underrated and under-promoted. This song could be HUGE, but oh well.

 

7. Robyn & Royksopp “Monument”

Robyn and Royksopp’s collaboration album has highs and few lows, but this opening track is just EPIC!! Amazingly textured and one of the best aural experiences of the year. (It’s just a tad long, but worth it when you get to that Saxophone effect)

 

6. Beyonce featuring Drake “Mine”

I always find myself coming back to this beautifully complex track.

 

5. Duke Dumont featuring Jax Jones “I Got U”

I heard this on some random commercial and just had to have it. The steel drums, the low-key House bump and the Whitney Houston sample just make this one of the best FEELING songs I’ve gotten into this year.

 

4. Mariah Carey “Make It Look Good”

 

3. A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera “Say Something”

Can’t even explain why I love this song, it’s so simple but makes such an emotional impact. Great stuff.

 

2. Mariah Carey “Faded”

This song is so sad, but the groove of it and Mariah’s vocals make it very addicting for me.

 

1. Coldplay “Magic”

Everything about this song is on point, the lyricism, the production and even Chris’ vocals are … well, they fit the song and mood.

My Top 10 Songs of the Week “The Rebirth” : MYFAVORITES

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beyonce, Bon Iver, Coldplay, Drake, Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Ke$ha, Mariah Carey, Robin Thicke, Tamar Braxton

Remember when I used to do a weekly Top 10 on my blog!? Well, IT’S BACK!!! Mainly because I feel like I need to keep this blog active, but also because I want to share to my readers what I’ve been getting into on any given week. So here goes!

 

10. Ke$ha “The Harold Song”

Okay, so here’s what happened. I pulled out a bunch of burned CD’s I made before I went ahead and ditched the physical element of music. I made a compilation of Ke$ha (who I have grown to love without any shame), and THIS song is one of those ones that show me that the girl has some actual talent. It’s such a catchy love song, and though she doesn’t show off amazing vocal technique… it’s just a little deeper than what the radio plays from her.

 

9. Beyonce featuring Frank Ocean “Superpower”

I’m in a Video Editing class (which ends next week!!), and for my Final Project I decided to use Beyonce’s “Superpower” video. Great song! It wasn’t necessarily my favorite from her new album at first, but it has grown on me considerably and I just love how it builds with the harmonies and the instrumentation. And the video is just epic to me, I love the slow-mo Riot vibe of the whole thing and it really does manage to have heart and emotions. Wish me luck!!

 

8. Kanye West “Power”

This song is just amazing, still. The track is INSANE, and there are certain lines that just really speak to me. More on Kanye very soon… like, Right Away!

 

7. Kanye West “Hold My Liquor”

The production on this track is just flawless to me, and it’s just an intensely dark and gritty song. More on this song in a future post about New York City and how this became a sad theme song for me. For now, enjoy!

 

6. Robin Thicke featuring Tamar Braxton “For The Rest of My Life Part 2”

I actually didn’t listen to this song at all this week, but I was scrolling through my LastFm plays and saw it and remembered how effortlessly my Tamar killed the vocals on this remix. Unfortunately, this remix never really got a fair chance to slay the R&B charts.

 

5. Mariah Carey “Faded”

Still my favorite song from “Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse”, but more on Mariah a little later.

 

4. Drake “Houstatlantavegas”

I randomly popped in a mixed CD I made in 2010, and this song came on. I hadn’t heard it in years, and I was kind of blown away that I still knew all the words. And I was blown away, STILL, at how amazing the song is.

 

3. Kanye West featuring Bon Iver “Lost in the World”

Last night, I was so into this song. That “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” continues to amaze me at how timeless and perfect it is in every way. This song is the perfect closer, because I think it’s pretty simple (lyric wise) but easy to relate to. It just spoke to me yesterday.

 

2. Mariah Carey “Make It Look Good”

This song might be the best from the new Mariah album, and it might eclipse “Faded” as my favorite pretty soon. I just couldn’t get enough of this song this week. The lyrics, her vocals, just the overall flow of this old-school sounding ode to being helpless to a bad lover. Good Job Mimi.

 

1. Coldplay “Magic”

Though I’m not the biggest fan of “Ghost Stories”, Coldplay’s latest album, I do think this song is excellent and highly underrated. I have to say that Brandy’s recently released cover of the song reminded me how great it is, and while I enjoyed her cover, I still think Coldplay did the best with the material. Great Great song. (Also a really great video that was snubbed when the MTV VMA nominees were announced this week).

 

 

 

Top 10 #1, Top 10 Singles of 2013… So Far : MYFAVORITES

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Best Singles of 2013, Cold War Kids, Ed Sheeran, Fitz and the Tantrums, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Miguel, Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Singles of 2013, T.I., Top 10 Singles of 2013, Vampire Weekend, Walk Off The Earth, WOTE

One of my favorite blogs on WordPress is LittleByListen. They are a creative bunch of guys that do Music reviews and the like, but one of my favorite things they do is their Top Ten Thursdays. I didn’t want to just outright steal their idea, but for today’s purposes (and the purposes of getting me back into the blog mind-set) I’m going to attempt something a little challenging.

Today, Thursday, will be MY Top Ten Thursday. But what I want to do is 10 Top 10’s, 10 different Top 10 lists. I was thinking about it all yesterday, and jotted down names and songs today, so here is the first of 10.

Since I posted my favorite Albums of 2013 yesterday, it’s only right to make my first list the Top 10 Singles of 2013. I’m going to try to keep in mind only singles that were released in 2013, but I may slip up, and hey, there are some songs from 2012 that are just SO good that I have to include them. So here goes.

10. Justin Timberlake featuring Jay Z “Suit and Tie”

It’s odd to me that so many Timberlake fans say they don’t like this song. Odd because it’s funky, has fun lyrics, a catchy hook and some actual soulful attitude from Timberlake’s vocal.

9. Cold War Kids “Miracle Mile”

8. Walk Off The Earth “Red Hands”

7. Mariah Carey featuring Miguel “#Beautiful”

A lot of Lambs were upset that Mariah played more like a featured artist on her own single, but if you can get over that you’ll get a very lovely R&B track that’s great to sing a long to, and shows that 23 years later Mariah can still collaborate with the new school of talent and make it work.

6. Vampire Weekend “Diane Young”

One of the most fun songs of the year, and the word play is genius.

5. Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I. “Blurred Lines”

Some of you guys may be extremely tired of this song, it’s been played OUT on the radio, but one thing about Pharrell’s productions… that dude will have you dancing before you know it. I dare anybody to try to listen to this song and not wanna shake some things.

4. Fitz and the Tantrums “Out of My League”

3. Ed Sheeran “Lego House”

I can technically include this, even though it was techincally released in the UK in 2011, and I heard the song in 2012, it wasn’t released officially as a single in the US until this year. I just love the way Ed sings, he’s got a soul but he’s also got that fun accent (“knoock it doown”) that makes this well-written song a treat to hear and sing along to.

2. Kelly Clarkson “People Like Us”

What an anthem, for the “damned, the lost and forgotten”, this song will get you amped up.

1. Kendrick Lamar “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”

“I got my drank, I got my music, I would share it but today…”, Kendrick just doesn’t want anybody to kill his vibe. I think we’ve all been there before.

>Album Review : Quick Update!!!

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Album Review, Conditions, Conditions Review, Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear Review, Grizzly Bear Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear Veckatimest Review, Gucci Mane, Gucci Mane Review, Gucci Mane The State Vs Radric Davis, Gucci Mane The State Vs Radric Davis Review, Hot Chip, Hot Chip One Life Stand, Hot Chip One Life Stand Review, Hot Chip Review, Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne Rebirth, Lil Wayne Rebirth Review, Lil Wayne Review, One Life Stand, One Life Stand Review, Rebirth, Rebirth Review, Robin Thicke, Robin Thicke Review, Robin Thicke Sex Therapy, Robin Thicke Sex Therapy Review, Sex Therapy, Sex Therapy Review, Temper Trap, Temper Trap Conditions, Temper Trap Conditions Review, Temper Trap Review, The State Vs Radric Davis, The State Vs Radric Davis Review, The Temper Trap, The Temper Trap Conditions, The Temper Trap Conditions Review, The Temper Trap Review, Veckatimest, Veckatimest Review, Weezy

>So 2010 is shaping up to be a boring year Music wise. There haven’t been many big releases thus far, and reading Rolling Stones “Spring Music Preview” it doesn’t look like there’s much to look forward to either. I’ve checked out a few new releases, and just now getting into some stuff from last year. So here is just a quick run down of what’s standing out to me right now.

Grizzly Bear “Veckatimest“
When I first played this album, only two tracks grabbed me. Those two tracks still remain the standouts on this album, but I grew to love the laid back vibe and beautiful harmonies and melodies this group has put together on their third album which was released last summer. The albums first single (and now featured in a Volkswagen commercial) “Two Weeks” is a light, upbeat and a great showcase for all 4 band members talents. “Ready, Able” is a slower, moodier song that blends perfectly with the vibe of the album — which is very moody, but also very relaxing and also very Earthy (I suppose this is what you might call Contemporary Folk music). Those two benefit from very strong hooks and melodies, but the entire album with their very textured harmonies is a great listen, a great example of a band that blend together perfectly.

The Temper Trap “Conditions“
This groups break out single “Sweet Disposition” grabbed me when I heard it on the radio, but like Grizzly Bear I wasn’t bowled over the first time I listened to the album. And that amazing single is still the only real standout to be honest. The powerful and unique vocals and vocal delivery of Dougie Mandagi, matched with the upbeat instrumentation and strong hook make this one of the better songs I’ve heard in a while. Unfortunately it seems like the group couldn’t match the greatness of this song with anything else on the album. However, if you like that song (and I love it) the rest of the album isn’t a big disappointment. It’s very much in the same vein of that song, power hooks over very polished electronic/rock beats. “Soldier On” shows a lot more restraint than most of the tracks, with a soft guitar backing and very great delivery by the lead vocalist it also stands out a little more than the rest. However, this is their first studio album. So I think this group has amazing potential to be pretty big in the years to come, if they keep in the same direction as “Sweet Disposition”

Lil Wayne “Rebirth”
Sticking in this, “sort of Rock” tradition, let’s talk about Lil Wayne’s much talked about Hip Hop/Rock album. I listened to it twice to be sure, and I’m pretty much certain now that this album is Awful to the point of being one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard. And the thing about it is, it could have been saved. Wayne seems to have gotten too confident that he could pull this off, and he really didn’t. At all. “Ground Zero” is no doubt the best song on the album. Weezy and Producers DJ Infamous and Streetrunners do a great job at keeping the dirty vibe of a rock track and mixing it with the dirty vibe of a Hip Hop track. And there are occasions, on a pure instrumental level, that some of the tracks really do work in that way. The problem is the Auto-Tune. Wayne uses it way too much on this album, and at all the wrong moments. Sometimes, most of the times, listening to the album is unbearable because of it. And really if he wanted to embody a Rock Star, they aren’t scared to have their voice sound off-pitch, gritty or out of tune because it’s Rock and Roll!! I think Wayne thought it was a cool effect and that’s really what ruined this album. And the other problem, is that some of the songs don’t sound like Rock at all. “On Fire”, one of the singles released, is another highlight but it’s hectic drum programming and his delivery are pure Hip Hop and nothing else. And there are times when the producers just seemed to throw a bit of a guitar sound on the track and pass it off as Rock. I honestly wasn’t expecting much, but I was expecting a lot better. (And don’t even get me started on the “Knockout” song, which is just so infuriating in theme)

Gucci Mane “The State Vs. Radric Davis”
The most surprising album so far this year has been Gucci Mane, which I expected NOTHING from. I was a big fan of his single “Wasted”, which led me to download this album. And I think everything I like about “Wasted” is the reason why I actually really like this album and why it actually works. Gucci is very simple in delivery, but he does a great job of matching whatever the track dictates. The album begins with a very underground Hip Hop sound with standouts like “Heavy” and “Stupid Wild”, but they come off as just very fun songs (almost the feeling of Project PAT). The album than flows into the more commercial ready Rap/R&B stuff (collaborations with Keyshia Cole, Bobby Valentino and Usher on the hit “Spotlight”), and than lands back to a grittier sound to end out the album. Still Fun though, and the bottom half of the album is definitely focused on the party with one of the best tracks “Kush is my Cologne” and two versions of “Wasted”. The album is sequenced well, and the guest appearances from the likes of Lil Wayne, Mike Epps, E-40 and Soulja Boy among others are well spaced apart to let the star actually shine. Who knows where Gucci will be next year, there aren’t an extraordinary amount of skills coming from this album, but he does bring back the fun that Hip Hop sometimes lacks.

Robin Thicke “Sex Therapy”
Another huge surprise, Thicke’s fourth album which was released late 2009. I’ve never been a big fan of his and I was so ready to put him in the “One Hit Wonder” group after 2006’s “Lost Without You” made him the “White boy singing R&B Star of the Moment”. Than I heard this albums title track, a very Prince influenced “baby-making” song that is growing into one of my favorite slow burners. I’m not surprised it’s sitting at #1 on the R&B Single charts, because it is a real winner. On his 4th studio album there are a good number of other great songs. The summer-y “Meiple” featuring Jay-Z, the electro-disco sound of “Rollercoasta” featuring Estelle, the slow ballads “Brand New Luv” and “2 Luv Birds”. There are also a good number of songs that sound really dated (like “Make U Love Me” or the god-awful “Shakin it 4 Daddy” with the ever present Nicki Minaj), but my biggest problem with the album on the whole is that Thicke still isn’t really a distinctive singer. He’s a bit recognizable because of his falsetto, but he doesn’t have enough attitude or personality with his vocals so sometimes it sounds like he’s channeling Justin Timberlake sometimes Maxwell sometimes Prince, and never making his own style. I do appreciate an R&B album where the man actually respects women, and that’s a running theme on the album. Even on the sex drenched title track, it’s about pleasing Her. And “Diamonds” with The Game is another standout where he celebrates black women who have worked hard to get where they are.

Hot Chip “One Life Stand”
I discovered this Electronic group last Fall, and once I listened to some of their music I became a fan. I love that their this electronic group, but somehow they don’t over-do it with the effects and keyboards but still make really dance floor ready songs. I became addicted to their second album “The Warning”, and really excited when I saw they released a new album earlier this year. And though it’s not nearly as good as that aforementioned album, it’s a pretty solid and a little more cohesive effort. “I Feel Better” and the title track are clearly the best songs here, and “Brothers” is a sweet love song to brotherly love which has hit potential because it’s speaking so obviously to the younger generation (with references to playing X-Box and “drinking my fill with my brothers”). The rest of the album is alright, but it suffers from an insanely irritating lead vocalist Alexis Taylor. And I’m sure his voice would sound fine over some other tracks, but it just didn’t mesh all that well with me. However, it’s something I could get used to.