Pop Pilgrim's Hopes For 2015

We all have hopes and dreams of what 2015 will bring and I, like most people, hope that by this time next year I'll have hysterically shit myself when my Euromillions numbers come up trumps. However, this isn't a blog about being rich, how much you want your life to improve, blah blah wah wah. It's about music and most of the time it's about pop music, music you'd have been bullied for liking in high school. So here are ten things I plucked (rapidly) from my head that I'd love to see and post about in 2015:

10. BRITNEY SPEARS CONTINUES VEGAS RESIDENCY FOR ANOTHER TEN YEARS

Britney's last album Britney Jean was a cockup. Let's face it, it was a fucking disaster and she needs to learn from this mistake. It's unlikely she will because she is still completely 'hands off' when it comes to her music (not that she's ever been hands on). The only way to avoid another catastrophe is for her to continue miming in Vegas for another ten years and leave her ageing fans to enjoy the diamonds of her back catalogue without this 'modern music' nonsense.  

09. A NEW JANELLE MONÁE ALBUM IS OVERDUE

There's never an unsuitable time for a new Janelle Monáe record and right now I feel very much that I would enjoy such a thing in my life. Her music gets better and better over time which surely means her next installment in the Suite series will be perfect? If you've not immersed yourself in the world of Monáe you need to do so post haste. 

08. RITA ORA GETS ON WITH IT AND STOPS COLLABORATING 

That money from Katy Perry penned collaboration 'Black Widow' with Iggy Azalea won't last forever so Rita needs to get a move on with her next studio album. Her debut album ORA wasn't perfect (no it wasn't super Ora fans!) and really only had a few brilliant tracks on it, which ended up being the singles. So, my point is confirmed. The lead single from her sophomore album, 'I Will Never Let You Down', narrowly missed out on my Top 30 songs of 2014 and is actually very promising stuff.

07. SAM SMITH GETS OVER HIS ONE NIGHT STAND

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour and I'm sure everyone can relate to the material in some way. However, as beautiful as mega single 'Stay With Me' was/is, it's time to move on, dump the jonny and look to the future. I anticipate a new album by the end of 2015 because I'm certain Sam is probably at the eye rolling stage when he's asked to perform said single. 

Madonna - Rebel Heart (So far...)

"We go hard or we go home, We gon' do this all night long, We get freaky if you want, Bitch I'm Madonna" states Madonna on the chorus of 'Bitch I'm Madonna', a cut from her 2015 album Rebel Heart which features rap stylings from sensitive, good living, emotive performer Nicki Minaj. It's the kind of lyric you'd expect on a Rihanna album, one of the cheaper tracks that lack imagination and originality. Rihanna's most recent album Unapologetic was her least appealing to date, harnessing a rougher sound that sounded rushed and lacked any heart bar a handful of very well written ballads. The reason I compare in this instance is that if Rebel Heart follows a similar path, a path Madonna has riskily teetered on past albums, it could end up being another disappointment a la Hard Candy.

The album isn't due out until March 2015 but due to the wonders of the internet and the cruel nature of humanity, some twat leaked demo versions and of course many fans run with the idea that these are complete and thus have a poor indication of the incoming body of work. So, Madonna went and did a "Beyoncé" and surprise released five of the album's finished tracks to console her loyal fanbase until the official release and of course, itunes was close to implosion shortly after.

If you're curious about Madonna's new material I urge you not to listen to the hyperactive babble of 'Bitch I'm Madonna' or the reggae infused beats of 'Unapologetic Bitch' which has a line I enjoyed, "You never really know how much your selfish bullshit costs me" and a squeezed siren I despise. These are examples of tracks Madonna shouldn't be releasing at all right now because anyone else could be releasing them. Madonna was a pioneer for the young white females of today's pop landscape in the same way Janet Jackson is for young black females in the business (of course racial background is not exclusive yada yada yada). Now, when she sings about getting down and drinking from bottles you can't afford I can't help but feel it's all very much a reflection of the genericism of some modern pop music, which I hate.

Some Christmas Joy

From Leona Lewis and myself...

POP PILGRIM'S TOP 30 SONGS OF 2014

Ah pop music was good in 2014 wasn't it? The latter quarter didn't really offer anything particularly revolutionary other than an amazing collaboration between Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars (not in the countdown although it should be shouldn't it?) and of course amazing future popstar Fleur East who will no doubt become huge in the coming year(s). However, the early to middle parts of 2014 contained some pretty incredible stuff. Katy B had her biggest hit to date. Ella Eyre hit the top 15 without a DJ holding her hand. Taylor Swift made a spectacular comeback, almost pipping Britney Spears' Oops! I Did It Again for the highest first week sales of all time by a female artist (she lost out by like 8000 copies or so). There were huge hits from Ella Henderson, One Direction, and Jessie J. There were also career takeoffs from the likes of Iggy Azalea who had Rita Ora clinging on for dear life, British singer of lovely song Sam Smith who couldn't let go of his one night fumble (could be about a bag of chips after a night out) and of course teeny tiny Ariana Grande who is older than anyone thought making many men feel a lot less guilty about their sordid fantasies. 

This year's countdown is from 30 to 1. I've gone for 30 this year because when I tried to do 25 again I struggled like Lindsay Lohan in Boots Pharmacy. So many great songs didn't make it through no fault of their own. Well, if they'd been a bit better then sure they'd have made it, so it is their own fault really. I'm sure there will be some controversy in here. If you have a complaint about a song not being here or not being placed high enough or too high then please send this grievance to poppilgrim@couldntgiveafck.com. Enjoy!

30

Ella Eyre - Comeback

At 20 years old she's featured on Rudimental's behemoth number one 'Waiting All Night', collaborated with Naughty Boy and Wiz Khalifa, cowritten 'Changing' by Sigma and Paloma Faith and won a MOBO award. Not bad going. I've only got a few silvers from my primary school sports days and writing credits include, well, everything on this blog. Anyway, her third (but really first because I can't recall the other two) solo single 'Comeback' launched to number 12 in September. It's a thumping pop track with a retro soul vibe and an enormous singalong chorus. 

29

Katy B - Crying For No Reason

Katy's sophomore album Little Red didn't get the same rush of applause her debut On A Mission received. It's not a bad album, it just lacked the punch of her first outing. That being said, it did offer it's own fair share of brilliance. '5 AM', a wonderful, heady dance number and of course the album track 'Aaliyah' which featured Jessie Ware, was the strongest song on offer. In the spirit of keeping this countdown about singles, I have to relegate the wonderful 'Aaliyah' and opt for another amazing song 'Crying For No Reason'. This is kind of a 'cool' power ballad with an escalating arrangement which erupts in the final chorus with thudding synths and an array of electronic bleeps and shudders. It proved to be Katy's biggest single success to date and is the most emotive and vocally powerful she's ever sounded. Now, back to 'Aaliyah'. 

28

Indiana - Heart On Fire

Her debut single 'Solo Dancing' hit number 14 in 2014. An array of synth shakes and rumbles below a half-spoken vocal arrangement, the song proved a hit with the more 'alternative' radio listeners out there. However, the follow up 'Heart On Fire' is where the magic happens and if this song were two people, sparks would fly. Things start of slow but once the chorus kicks in, an uptempo marvel is unveiled and the vocals burst into a sumptuous falsetto that sticks in your head for days. If British pop continues on this track we're in for a treat.

27

Kiesza - Hideaway

Not many had heard of Canadian born Kiesza before her debut single shot to number one in April. It's a solid debut, establishing her sound as a 90s dance influenced electro-pop artist. Her throaty vocals couldn't be more distinct and the trend continues on the follow up single 'Giant In My Heart', which is also brilliant. How enjoyable a full album with her vocal tones would be, I am yet to discover. However, Kiesza couldn't have burst onto the scene with a more infectious, well produced track than 'Hideaway' and it looks like in ten years it'll be an Ibiza classic, propelling people to make involuntary pops and slides.

26

Foxes - Let Go For Tonight

You may not know this but Louisa Rose Allen AKA Foxes was the featured vocalist on Zedd's hit single 'Clarity' in 2013. Her second solo single became her biggest hit to date, 'Let Go For Tonight' is an upbeat, exhilarating pop ride with a gorgeous piano intro followed by an escalating pre-chorus. It's that chorus that pulls you in though, an explosion of electronic synths, keys and a stunning vocal performance as Foxes questions "Let love in your life baby, Who needs sleep tonight?". It's wonderful and whether she can trump this release remains to be seen, but for now let's just soak up the awesomeness. 

Meghan Trainor - Lips Are Moving

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If you've never heard Meghan Trainor's debut single 'All About That Bass' you must be a hermit, living in the Himalayas, in a cave and even then I'd be surprised that you'd not heard it booming through the airwaves. Honestly, I hated the song when it burst into the charts but with a ridiculous amount of airplay it spread through me like a virus and now I can say that I enjoy it a lot more than I enjoy Pharrell's 'Happy'. 

Her second single 'Lips Are Moving' probably won't match the mammoth success of its predecessor but that's not to say it's awful. Really this is just more of the same, poppy beats and an infectious sax melody couple with rapid fire lyricism about no good liars. Girl power etc. It doesn't have the instant hook of 'All About That Bass', nor does it have a sterling chorus or original arrangement. What it does have is charm, not oodles, but a splash. 

2.5 / 5

Jessie Ware - You & I (Forever) Music Video

The new Jessie Ware single's video is now on Youtube and it's cute, sentimental, romantic and at the same time if you're single this Christmas, has the potential to make you open a bottle of wine at 11am and sob watching Love Actually. Oh and the song is gorgeous - that middle eight "oooh" section, wow.

Enjoy!

Union J - You Got It All (Single Review)

A wee Union J and their wee musical career. To be fair they've sold more records than I have but that's only because the world isn't ready for my sound, but it will be. They've done alright, three top ten singles and a top ten album and one single that stalled at number 196, but we don't talk about that one guys, right? To get things going again they needed a hit song and latest single 'You Got It All' proves to be just what their career requires. 

Roping in Nasri Atweh to pen the track (Christina Aguilera, Cheryl, Chris Brown) they've managed to record a catchy ballad so sweet and oozing with romantic sentiment that you might need a bag to be sick in, although now that they cost 5p just try and make the loo. It's so strategic, the release of this song, coming out right in time for Christmas when all the little tweens just want Josh under their tree. Jokes aside, 'You Got It All', as gross out lovey dovey as it is, it's actually an alright pop song and the boy's voices sound the best they've sounded to date. It certainly won't be to everyone's taste but there's a paint-by-numbers charm in amongst the predictable arrangement.

2.5 / 5