Jam of the Day: Sia - "The Greatest"

Moving tribute to the victims of the Pulse nightclub shootings this summer.

Jam of the Day: Sia - "Sweet Design"

This song is so over the top bonkers it is an instant classic.

Jam of the Day: FKA twigs - "Elastic Heart (Sia cover)"

FKA twigs performs this stunning version of the Sia hit song.

Videos of the Week

Happy Easter Weekend everyone, let's get on with some videos:



This clip from Sia is just a closeup of Maddie Ziegler, the dancer in Sia's most recent videos, showing how oddly expressive she can be.



Kendrick Lamar takes a tour of his old neighborhood in this video.



Mesmerizing computer animated video from Liturgy.



Surreal, time-loop video for this sleek track from Hot Chip.



Arty clip from Mew.



Strange and trippy visuals highlight this clip from Nocturnal Sunshine (aka producer Maya Jane Coles).

Jam of the Day: Sia - "Elastic Heart (Clams Casino Remix)"

For me, a good remix transforms a track, taking it to a different place. Sia's "Elastic Heart" in original form is an intense emotional track, with the music keeping up with Sia's tortured vocal delivery. Cloud-rap producer Clams Casino goes in the opposite direction, providing a counterpoint to Sia's strong voice, enveloping it with pillowy synths and muted percussion. You feel the struggle more acutely now. It is a stunning remix.

Videos of the Week

First week of the new year, let's see what videos are starting the year off right:



Buzzed about video from Sia featuring Shia LaBeouf and “Chandelier” star Maddie Ziegler in an interpretative cage dance off. It's definitely a video that will get people talking.



George Clanton, a.k.a. Mirror Kisses, takes random clips from the 1995 Angelina Jolie movie Hackers and puts in animations and video of himself throughout. The song itself seems to fit right in with the visuals.



Fun performance clip from Brooklyn band LVL UP.



If you are looking for a video with a drug-dealing ape, go no further than this collaboration between AlunaGeorge and DJ Snake.



Amazing clip of Wild Beasts performing their song "Wanderlust" on a 7,800 pipe organ.



Gorgeous animated clip from Panda Bear.

My Favorite 25 Albums of 2014: 20-16

20.

Broods - Evergreen

Although the comparisons with Lorde were inevitable (both hail from New Zealand, both worked with producer Joel Little, and both haunt realms of icy synthpop), brother/sister duo Broods find their own unique voice on their exquisite debut album Evergreen. Alternating between infectious, crowd pleasing sing-a-longs like "Superstar," "Mother & Father," and "L.A.F" and more introspective, headphone-centric numbers like the stunning title track and moody "Medicine," the tracks are all grounded by the gorgeous vocals of Georgia Nott and excellent instrumentation provided by her and brother Caleb.

19.

Kindness - Otherness

Pop chameleon Adam Bainbridge, a.k.a. Kindess, continues his eclectic blend of 80s pop, glossy R&B, and funk, taking it further and further into uncharted directions. Working with a bevy of Class A collaborators, Bainbridge shows more emotion this go around. Whether it is the haunting pianos and aching vocals on standout track "This Is Not About Us," throbbing and pulsating horns on opener "World Restart," or the restrained centerpiece of the album "Who Do You Love?," his brilliant connection with singer Robyn, Otherness exudes warmth and heart.

18.

Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear

It is doubtful a darker, bleaker record than Sia's 1000 Forms of Fear could reach the top of the charts and be this damn catchy and earnest. Finally saving her best tracks and melodies for herself, Sia throws the gauntlet down quickly with so many hooks it would make your neck snap off. The record is so solid it almost plays out like a greatest hits collection. Although most people are beholden to her mammoth single "Chandelier," and rightfully so, it was other moments that kept me coming back to this record time and time again. "Eye of the Needle" is a master class in vocal build and release, "Big Girls Cry" stuns with stadium ready bombast, and other quirky tracks like the kicky pop punk of "Hostage" keep things from getting too bleak. But overall, it is Sia's razor sharp songwriting, gorgeous vocals, and the wide range of styles that keep this record honest and breathtaking.

17.

Ariana Grande - My Everything

While Taylor Swift gets credit for the best pure pop record of 2014, Ariana Grande wins for the catchiest pop/R&B record. Showing remarkable growth from her rather twee debut, Grande eschews ballads for the most part in favor of bangers like her infectious EDM collaboration with Zedd, "Break Free," and strutting single "Problem" featuring Iggy Azeala. But even when she does revert to a more Mariah Carey-esque balladeer she does so with more confidence than ever on tracks like "Just A Little Bit Of My Heart." Grande is still very young and has a lot more room to grow, but My Everything shows she is not afraid to take chances and break out what she is predicted to do.

16.

Lykke Li - I Never Learn

I Never Learn is nine intensely personal tracks from Lykke Li painfully detailing a breakup that sent her reeling, packing herself up from Sweden and encamping herself half a world away in LA. The fresh thing about the record is that it is not a bitter one-sided view of what transpired, like Dylan's Blood on the Tracks or Beck's Sea Change, but instead, Li dissects everything she did to bring about the dissolution. Fitting the tone of the record, most of the songs themselves are minimal and stark, putting Li's voice out front and center like on the blistering title cut, the haunting and bare "Love Me Like I'm Not Made Of Stone," or the intense piano-led closer "Sleeping Alone." Which is not to say that the album is a dark slog through a tormented journey. There are plenty of amazing productions here that do provide some moments of light. "No Rest For The Wicked," moves from a hushed opening to an almost operatic chorus, "Just Like A Dream" swirls itself into a Phil-Spectorish wall of sound, and album highlight "Gunshot" literally explodes at the chorus with pounding drums and piano chords. I Never Learn is a difficult record to listen to, the emotions are so raw, open, and naked, but it is essential listening, part of the shared experience we all go through with relationships.

Favorite Songs of 2014: Numbers 25-1

25.  Aphex Twin - "Minipops 67 (Source Field Mix)"

Not so much a return to form as a reminder that Aphex Twin was so far ahead of anyone else in the electronic music field that it took this long for people to catch up. And still, he pushes the envelope even farther.



24.  Warpaint - "Teese"

The one word that constantly came to mind when listening to Warpaint's sophomore record was liquid. Every song sounded like it moved underneath layers of calm waters. "Teese" is the aural equivalent of immersing oneself in a warm bath under the stars, with only the sounds of your heart and breath to keep you comfortable.



23.  Neneh Cherry - "Blank Project"

Roaring back after an absence of 18 years, Neneh Cherry came back as if no time had passed. "Blank Project" is one of the many standouts on the album of the same name, with the music growing from a steady buzz and pulse into something nearing anarchy, with Ms. Cherry standing in front of the chaos, always and sublimely in control.



22.  Dawn Golden - "All I Want (Nudist Remix)"

I usually don't pick remixes of songs on best of lists, preferring to choose the original version of a track to something that is essentially someone else's vision. With Dawn Golden, their single "All I Want" is a perfectly enjoyable Coldplay-esque track that I can see being used in 10,000 movie trailers and key movie moments. It just ever really jumps ahead into a "must hear" track for me. Nudist's remix, however, takes the song and gently tweaks it, making it more lonely and more longing, and has made it that "must hear" song for me. He really makes you hear the desperate longing that is missing from the original by merely warping the vocals, adding verse repetition, and the heart wrenching piano, creating a haunting classic.



21.  Capital Cities - "One Minute More"

This festival ready sing-a-long is one of those songs that makes you want to dance and not think about a damn thing.



20.  We Were Evergreen - "Daughters"

Melancholy electro-pop from the French trio We Were Evergreen. I love the wistful interplay between the dual vocalists.



19.  Hercules and Love Affair ft. John Grant - "Liberty"

I always like Hercules and Love Affair more when they are slamming you hard on the dance floor. With the urgent vocals of singer John Grant, "Liberty" leaves you gasping for breath.



18.  Róisín Murphy - "Ancora Tu"

From her EP of Ital-disco tracks Mi Senti, Róisín Murphy's track "Ancora Tu" is a gorgeous, minimalist song that focuses on her amazingly emotive voice. While I have no idea what she is singing about, you get every emotional cue from her impeccable delivery.



17.  Lykke Li - "Gunshot"

Lykke Li's "Gunshot" begins with Li's delicate voice and muted backing before erupting into a stunning anthem. I could have put almost any track from her impeccable album I Never Learn on this list, but I kept coming back to this one, its haunting melody a siren's call.



16.  Interpol - "All The Rage Back Home"

El Pintor had almost too many singles to consider in making my list, however, I have always had a soft spot for the opening track whose humble beginnings masks a prototypical Interpol barn burner.



15.  Klo. - "False Calls"

Where pop, R&B, electronica, and hip-hop all collide in this modern world, Aussie duo Klo. mesmerize with this dreamy track.



14.  Sia - "Eye of the Needle"

One of the simpler tracks on her record 1000 Forms of Fear, Sia's "Eye of the Needle" is breathtaking in how she maintains such control over her voice, but that she lets flaws come through at the end. The beauty to me is always in the flaws.



13.  Blonde Redhead - "Penultimo"

Quirky art-pop from Blonde Redhead. I love how the awkward male and female vocals twist and turn around each other in slow dance, their perceptions of place changed by time and distance. An evocative tale of how music was once so dangerous and threatening and now has become something pale and timid.



12.  Tinashe - "The Leap"

Although I easily could have picked a number of tracks from her stunning debut Aquarius, I chose her track from the Mockingjay soundtrack. I love her expressive voice matched against the moody, textural background of the music.



11.  Cathedrals - "Unbound"

Achingly beautiful track from San Francisco duo Cathedrals which mixes delicate guitar work, impassioned vocals, and a buzzy electronic undercurrent.



10.  Lorde - "Yellow Flicker Beat"

Lorde's talent keeps growing with this track that is all about mood, and the build and release.



9.  Oyinda - "Rush of You"

London-based, Nigerian-born singer Oyinda singer's "Rush of You" is a fairly minimal alt-R&B track that hits all the right marks for me. Her subtle voice is the key to this track, as it equates love to a drug addiction, with the withdrawals giving her false hope that her lover will come back. The end of the track is simply the voices in her head clipped and chopped into another instrument as the feelings wash over her.



8.  Manatee Commune ft. Marina Price - "White Smoke"

Gorgeous chillwave from Seattle bedroom producer Grant Eadie, a.k.a. Manatee Commune, featuring luminous vocals from Marina Price. The track is deceptively simple, yet the layers and layers of sound he builds are intoxicating and transcendent.



7.  Kindness - "This Is Not About Us"

There is a ramshackle charm to this track that is infectious. I love how each element is so distinctive, as if created in a vacuum separate from the others, then by some found method are aligned to each other in harmony.



6.  FKA twigs - "Pendulum"

"Pendulum" is the haunting centerpiece to FKA twigs' astonishingly assured debut record LP1. How she can use her soft voice to create a hold over you without the music overtaking her is astounding. And who hasn't been in the situation where you love your partner more than they love you, and you feel helpless watching them slip away. She nails it with the lyrics "So lonely trying to be yours/When you're looking for so much more."



5.  Arca - "Held Apart"

Venezuelan producer Alejandro Ghersi, better known as Arca, is best known for his technical virtuosity, and his ability to twist machine sounds into completely new directions. His work with Kanye West, FKA twigs, and on his early EPs is staggeringly complex and ahead of its time. When selecting a track from his masterful debut Xen, I could have chosen a number of tracks that highlighted this side of this work. But Arca is more than everything but the kitchen sink showing off, there is talent, drive, and purpose with what he does. And never more does he shine brighter than on the heartbreaking treated piano track "Held Apart." This my friends, is looking into the eyes of god.



4.  Wild Beasts - "A Dog's Life"

As they move towards being almost the electronic version of later period Talk Talk, Wild Beasts allow their innate understanding of mood, texture, and emotion to dictate where their songs head. This gut-wrenching tale of a dog's death is the perfect example from their brilliant record Present Tense, reaching an apex of almost unbearable sadness that floods one with memory and regret.



3.  Spoon - "Do You"

I have never included an album or song from Spoon in any of my lists before. I am sure I never truly gave them the attention they deserve, and for that I apologize. Their hooky as hell single "Do You" just kept gnawing at me like a hunger all summer, never shaking it from my head. It is just one of those perfect pop songs.



2.  Damon Albarn - "Everyday Robots"

"Everyday Robots" is the lonely and haunting title track from Damon Albarn's first solo record. Albarn's voice is front and center over the lurching rhythm, African samples, strings, and plaintive piano, lamenting a world where personal interaction has been reduced to the sidelines.



1.  Totemo - "Host"

I can't really provide a concrete reason for why this song has intrigued me so. It has basically been on repeat ad nauseum for months. The song is so textural, you can get lost for days in its many layers, finding new sounds and feelings with each listen. Thematically, "Host" is definitely up for multiple interpretations, for me though, it feels like a spirit taking possession of a person, feeling them fighting against them. The music plays along like a horror film, with eerie creeks and noises echoing all around, adding to a sense of haunted loss.

Non-Sequiturs

Just yes.

Great beard and chest.

Sexy man in repose.

Beautiful stomach.

Amazing fur.  Love the patch of white.

Beautiful.

UNF.

Sexy daddy.

So damn hot.

Fur.

Wet bear.

Sexy man.

Woof.

Grrr.

Hot worker.

Just stunning.

Damn.

Beefy bull.

Come in, the water is fine.

Turkish wrestling needs to have a World Cup.

Wow, what a chest.

It always boggles my mind when you meet someone over and over and over and they can't remember meeting you.

I've never understood the appeal of Big Brother.

Not that I fault people who do enjoy it, knock yourself out, but I truly dislike camping.

Don't be creepy.

Yes please.

I love all these people are following me on Pinterest and I don't even use it.

We decided against going to NYC Pride this weekend, and I am ok with that.

Money, money, money.  Sigh.

Apparently I have truly reached the "Daddy" stage; getting hit on all the time by very young men.

Exactly.

Sometimes my mouth needs to just have a lock on it.

I miss Mad Men and Game of Thrones already.

It always shocks me how vicious some people can be.

LOL.

I would be most pleased if this week would hurry up and end.

The new season of True Blood started out with a zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I hate that I am so impatient.

Your cute for the day.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"Party girls don't get hurt
Can't feel anything, when will I learn
I push it down, push it down

I'm the one "for a good time call"
Phone's blowin' up, they're ringin' my doorbell
I feel the love, feel the love

1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink

Throw em back, till I lose count

I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier
I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist
Like it doesn't exist
I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry
I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

And I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight
Help me, I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight
On for tonight

Sun is up, I'm a mess
Gotta get out now, gotta run from this
Here comes the shame, here comes the shame

1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink

Throw em back till I lose count

I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier
I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist
Like it doesn't exist
I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry
I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

And I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight
Help me, I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight
On for tonight."

Sia
"Chandelier"

"It's all over like steps in the first snow
Something's been building up and it's gonna blow
My momma called me last night, she said what nothing else fits
Pick up the pieces and move on
I see the flashing lights, just can't make sense of the bits
It's like my mind is gone

I got, got to get
Get my head back on
I got, got to get
Myself together
When this hurt is gone
I got, got to get
Myself together

I got, got to get
Can't tell what's right or wrong
I wish there's something could be done
I'm not that clever
When this hurt is gone
I got, got to get
Myself together

Can't stand to see you upset
But you already know
The more close it gets
The less I wanna go

I saw my brother last night
He said I know you too well
You can't pretend that's nothing wrong
I see the fuse that ignites, like I'm outside of myself
It's like my mind is gone

I got, got to get
Get my head back on
I got, got to get
Myself together
When this hurt is gone
I got, got to get
Myself together

I got, got to get
Can't tell what's right or wrong
I wish there's something could be done
I'm not that clever
When this hurt is gone
I got, got to get
Myself together

My daddy put me aside
Like when I was a child
He said I trust you decide
On what you know is right
And for whatever it's worth,
I am on your side
There's no denying the mess
That I got us in
And I've been trying my best
Not to make a scene
Just can't make a sense of it all
It's like my mind is gone

I got, got to get
Get my head back on
I got, got to get
Myself together
When this hurt is gone
I got, got to get
Myself together

I got, got to get
Can't tell what's right or wrong
I wish there's something could be done
I'm not that clever
When this hurt is gone
I got, got to get
Myself together

I got, got to get
Can't tell what's right or wrong
I wish there's something could be done
I'm not that clever
When this hurt is gone
I got, got to get
Myself together."

Robyn
"Get Myself Together"

Appealing Things

Forgiveness
Having the world's most supportive partner
Vacation
Spending the weekend with friends

Annoying Things

Getting conflicting instructions on work
Rain on the weekends

New: Sia - "Big Girls Cry"

Another huge single from Sia's upcoming album 1000 Forms of Fear.

Jam of the Day: Sia - "Chandelier (BASECAMP Remix)"

Nashville Future R&B-ists BASECAMP remix Sia's skyscraping single "Chandelier" and add their slinky, inimitable stamp to it. Somehow it takes it to a minimalist place, yet retains the song's stadium ready appeal.

Jam of the Day: Sia - "Chandelier"

Scrappy, big balled arena filler from Sia.

Album Review: Beyoncé - Beyoncé

Beyoncé
Beyoncé
Rating: Woof Daddy

Dropped with no warning last month as an iTunes exclusive "visual" album, Beyoncé's self-titled fifth album turned the music industry on its head, and showed that Queen Bey is still head of the pack when it comes to pop music. Beyoncé leaves in its dust other pop records released at years end, from Lady Gaga's massive flop ARTPOP, Miley Cyrus's Bangerz, Britney Spears' Britney Jean, and Katy Perry's Prism. Beyoncé is a jaw-droppingly diverse record mixing standard Top 40 pop fare along with more edgy material, showing that Beyoncé is not going to be content to just rest on her laurels. After her disappointing, at least to me, last record 4, which appeared to have Beyoncé coasting on the back of bland arrangements and resorting to too many painfully mediocre ballads, I was not really giving Beyoncé much credit early on. But from my first listen, I recognized that this was perhaps her most fully realized album, not just a collection of singles with lots of filler. Working with a variety of collaborators including Timbaland, The Dream, Drake, Noah "40" Shebib, Frank Ocean, and the relatively unknown producer Boots, Beyoncé somehow remains singular and cohesive, and is perhaps the best pop/R&B record of the year so far.

Usually, when it comes to pop/R&B albums I am drawn more to tracks that step outside the lines a bit. While the more adventurous tracks on Beyoncé kept my attention, I was very surprised that the more conventional tracks were also spectacularly catchy and well done. Commanding, stadium ready ballad "XO" is a prime example of Beyoncé giving a slow build up to the phenomenally epic chorus,



Sia-co-written opener "Pretty Hurts" is another classic Beyoncé anthem that she does so well,



while her collaboration with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake "Blow" is a frothy sex jam that can't help but get under your skin.

Of course, the edgier tracks are, for me, what elevates this from a good pop record to a a great one. "Partition" is a trunk rattling sex manifesto from Ms. Bey that, as my friend Jon opined, will be heard in every strip club in the country all year long,



"Haunted" is a sleek collaboration with Boots that ventures over into future R&B territory that Beyoncé has not normally ventured into,



and perhaps my favorite track is her collaboration with Drake, the mesmerizing duet "Mine" which could almost be an outtake from Drake's latest opus Nothing Was The Same,



Beyoncé is a record that constantly evolves and shifts for me. While there are some weaker tracks on the record, like the trap-influenced feminist track "***Flawless," and her rather unmemorable collaboration with her husband Jay-Z on "Drunk In Love," these are not major missteps but just not the high quality of the other songs. Beyoncé is a treasure trove of great pop tracks that can be mined again and again, and with each listen I discover things I haven't heard before. This year has barely turned and the competition is already fierce. All hail Queen Bey! She is rightly pop royalty and every one else at the moment is grasping at the hem of her garments.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Jam of the Day: Sia ft. The Weeknd & Diplo - "Elastic Heart"

From the upcoming Hunger Games' sequel Catching Fire, Sia teams up with The Weeknd and Diplo for this slow-burning charmer.

Guilty Pleasure: David Guetta ft. Sia - "She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)"

I just love this song.