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Top 10 Songs of 2014 – #3: “Take Me To Church” by Hozier

9 Dec

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I’m going to go out on a limb and proclaim that Hozier had the best year of any Irish musician. That’s not a big limb to go out on though because Hozier has transcended the realms of internet popularity and has entered into the homes of a diverse range of music lovers. His sweet croon, lugubrious lyric, and rough-around-the-edges tint creates an aura of pious music with a hint of melancholy and malevolence. In that, Hozier creates an almost mystical persona that is all the more attractive to his listeners.

Hozier released debut EP Take Me To Church with the eponymous title track in tow back in 2013, but, like one other song on the countdown, I am taking into account when the song jumped in popularity, and that was during 2014. Since then, Hozier has performed on Saturday Night Live and is currently on an international tour with a slew of sold-out dates. The song and its singer have taken off into the stratosphere of music, and Hozier is well deserving of the accolades he has received.

Usually I avoid songs with 40 million YouTube views, but Hozier’s piece “Take Me To Church” is popular for good reason. His sultry vocal carries over drawn-out keys like a dirge. The song carries a dark overtone; Hozier knows the song is downcast and he is proud of it. This leads to Hozier’s unmistakeable chants of “amen,” which is untraditional in a pop song, but carries with sardonicism that is refreshing. It is almost anthemic in its darkness, and that is impressive. Excellent song that is a great #3 on the list!

Check out Hozier’s Website, Facebook, and Twitter

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Top 10 Songs of 2014 – #5: “High” by Young Rising Sons

7 Dec

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Back on July 19 I wrote about Young Rising Sons in advance of its debut EP which dropped a few days after (July 22) and met with success. The Red Bank, New Jersey natives had a breakthrough 2014, and “High,” the band’s first single, is the crowning achievement for a year that featured several television appearances and an ongoing U.S. tour with The 1975.

When I wrote about the band back in July, I had this to say about “High,”the #5 song on our top 10 countdown:

“High,” which you may have heard before (it’s been making its rounds), begins with a sweet whistle followed by lead vocalist Andy Tongren’s effortless vocal. What makes this song? Did you get to the Mika-like chorus yet? Tongren’s falsetto is sweet and uplifting. The whistle is a bit Noah and the Whale-esque. The song is just a testament to the band’s efficacy. I can’t stop listening to it.

While that does sum it up, I will add a bit more laudatory comments to the band’s praise repertoire. Look, the song is clearly catchy. It’s actually more than catchy; it’s downright impossible to get out of your head. Seriously. It has been stuck in my head since July. But, aside from this inherent catchiness, it is also a masterful piece of pop. Young Rising Sons combines all necessary components for an effective pop tune. First, it is short, a sub-3 minute ditty that says what it has to say and then ends so the listener can immediately press repeat. Secondly, it features an upbeat, sing-a-long vocal that quite literally makes the listener sing (or hum). Most importantly, though, the song has an infectious hook. And, come on, it features a great whistle as well. It’s just a perfectly constructed song and well deserving of #5 on our countdown.

Check out the band’s website, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Top Songs of 2014 – #7: “Stolen Dance” by Milky Chance

6 Dec

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We are bending the rules for the next hit. Milky Chance, the eccentric German folk/rock duo, hit it big with its hit “Stole Dance” (our only band/song rhyming couple on the list) in 2013. And when I say big, I mean really big. Seemingly countless charts (usually in the top 10) and 500,000 sales in the United States. While I first heard of this song back in 2013 because if its tremendous popularity around the globe, it didn’t truly take off on U.S. radio stations until 2014, and much of the country first heard of the hit in 2013. That said, “Stolen Dance” is finding its way onto the 2014 chart at #7.

After three years of work on this song, Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch released it in 2013 and it almost immediately found tremendous success; it has eclipsed 90 million YouTube views as I write this. The reason for the success is simple; the song is excellent.

The song, which tells the story of intense loneliness, features music that matches the melancholy lyric. Clemens Rehbein’s voice is drenched in a lagubrious tone that matches the lightly plucked guitar and persistent electronic percussion. The chorus is a bit livelier, but the song is majestic because of its ostensible monotone. In all reality though, Rehbein and Dausch create a song that creates the impression of bedragglement. Yes, that is a partial neologism. Initially the listener thinks the song is eclectic, weird, and tries to run through it to avoid getting poured on, but around a minute into the piece the listener acquiesces and just allows the song to pour over them like an immense rainstorm. In that there is some serious beauty. Well done sirs!

Find out more about the band on its Facebook, Twitter, and Webesite

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Top 10 Songs of 2014 – #9: “Beware the Dog” by The Griswolds

4 Dec

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Formed in 2012 and signed to Wind-up Records in 2013, The Griswolds continued its meteoric rise to Indie stardom in 2014 with the release of its first album Be Impressive in August. And impressive it was. Tremendously impressive. The Sydney-based band’s infectious style of sticky pop tunes that beat around your mind like a maniacal drum circle is simply unavoidable. Unavoidable. This might be the best one-word description I can give to the #9 song on the Music Court’s top 10 countdown: “Beware the Dog”

The first song vocalist Chris Whitehall and lead guitarist Daniel Duque-Perez wrote together, “Beware the Dog” combines an odd lyric with a Spanish-style beat carried by an unavoidable guitar riff; there is that word again. Seriously, though, just listen to that riff: simple, clean, and catchy as heck! The song moves with creative percussion and island synth, but perhaps most impressive is the choral call and response that peaks with the wonderful line:

“We used to walk where the wild things grow
But now you’re f**king crazy.”

The song continues with chants at the bridge and a culmination of all instrumentation and vocals that wraps up the song wonderfully. It’s a ditty in every sense of the word, but one that drips with true melodic weight and a mixture of lyrical sarcasm and seriousness. Put simply, the song is enjoyable and as catchy as the cold, but it is a cold you just want to keep getting. If this is what 2014 held for the Griswolds, I for one cannot wait for the upcoming years!

For more information on the Griswolds visit the band’s Facebook, Twitter, or Website

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Top 10 Songs and Albums of 2014 – Are You Ready?

30 Nov

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There is much truth to the musical pendulum of “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof; time, like the gold attachment on a grandfather clock, swings back and forth and back and forth and suddenly 2011 turns to 2012 to 2013 to 2014 and now, in one month, 2015. With the perpetual swing of the pendulum is the many moments that make up one’s year. And, within those moments, tucked away like a child in bed, is the music that has stuck with you from the year, nestled comfortably in your mind.

So we have reached the almost-end to another year, and, to stay on the topic of the Music Court, we have seen some transformations. Our kick-ass new writer Zoe Brown has taken an active posting role, and she is doing a tremendous job. Stand up and clap for her; yes, get out of your chairs wherever you are and clap! She has helped establish the Music Court as your source for new, eccentric tunes. Many of those songs might be those nestled in your mind as you reminisce on another year in music. Before we officially kick off the annual top 10 countdown, I thought it might be fun to look back on the winners of year’s past and read a little clip from each post (no 2012).

 

2010

#1 “The King of Spain” by The Tallest Man on Earth

Before the song ends, Matsson holds out the word “the” in this vocal climax that is shattering. It is also a perfect way for me to end this countdown. There is an animation in Matsson’s croon that is warm, inviting and aggressive. This is a true strength in his music. He is a folk musician who can provide the erupting emotion that Spector’s “wall of sound” does, but with only himself and a guitar. He is a one-man-band who is significantly stronger then mostly all of his five or more band counterparts. That is an impressive feat. Heck, he might actually be the “King of Spain”

2011:

#1 “The Afterlife” by Paul Simon

… A hypothetical heaven, though, one scribbled down by the consummate raconteur who knows the meaning of excellent music. “The Afterlife” is a keen, hilarious, zany, unexpected, metempirical, almost practical (I cannot list enough adjectives to describe the song’s utter beauty), take on heaven and dying.

2013:

#1 – “Pompeii” by Bastille

“The song begins with a Blue Swede-like vocal rhythm. This rhythmic chanting sets an almost allegorical tone, meaning the melody is representative of intense Roman religiosity. One can almost hear this dark chanting in a temple of worship – overwhelmingly spiritual and subtly lugubrious … While the song is quite literally representative of the destruction of Pompeii, it is difficult not to take it as a metaphorical look at when any unwelcome change occurs in life. Sometimes it is difficult to be “an optimist” and you must “close your eyes” and dream of better days.”

 

Who will hold the top spot in 2014? You will just have to wait to find out. And, this year, at the behest of Ms. Brown, the Music Court will feature a Top 10 Albums of 2014 list as well, which will directly follow the Top 10 Songs of 2014. Get ready! The list begins tomorrow, and will continue almost every day for the majority of December. You better have your eyes ready for some quality music-related reading. We are counting on you!

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