Music Top 10 from 2014

Like last year and the year before, here’s the list of music I’ve listened to most as scrobbed to Last.fm.

Top Artists

  1. Above & Beyond – 120 listens
  2. Tensnake – 67 listens
  3. Brika – 57 listens
  4. Chromeo – 56 listens
  5. She & Him – 54 listens
  6. Pink Martini – 50 listens
  7. Phantogram – 45 listens
  8. Rise Against – 42 listens
  9. Porter Robinson – 39 listens
  10. Tycho – 38 listens

Top Songs

  1. Brika – Options – 27 plays
  2. Indifferent Guy – Danger – 15 plays
  3. Above & Beyond – We’re All We Need (feat. Zoë Johnston) – 13 plays
  4. Styles – Good Times – 12 plays
  5. Ed Sheeran – Sing – 12 plays
  6. Mystique – Brand New  – 12 plays
  7. Brika – Expectations – 11 plays
  8. Naughty Boy – La La La – 10 plays
  9. Kiesza – Hideaway – 10 plays
  10. Chromeo – Over Your Shoulder – 9 plays

Observations

  • While I’ve been continuing to listen to house and electronica, the style has changed quite a bit to be less four on the floor and dancey and more low key and mellow. Examples such as Mystique’s Brand New and Danger by Indifferent Guy.
  • There’s only one hip hop song this year and that’s quite a throw back with Style’s Good Times.
  • Brika was one of my favorite new artists last year and I’m excited that she just released a full album which includes two songs from the most played list: Expectations and Options.
213 Words

Music Top 10 from 2013

Like last year, here’s the list of music I’ve listened to most, as recorded by my scrobbling to Last.fm.

Top Artists

  1. Above & Beyond – 135 listens
  2. Avicii – 98 listens
  3. Daft Punk – 96 listens
  4. Jay-Z – 77 listens
  5. The Delfonics – 71 listens
  6. Alt-J – 69 listens
  7. Delorean & Hardwell – tied at 60 listens
  8. Morgan Page & Toro y Moi –  tied at 54 listens
  9. Hall and Oats & CHVRCHES – tied at 52 listens
  10. Bastille – 50 listens

Top Songs

  1. Bastille – Pompeii – 31 plays
  2. Hardwell – Spaceman – 28 plays
  3. Zedd – Clarity – 27 plays
  4. Swedish House Mafia – Don’t You Worry Child – 16 plays
  5. Avicii – Addicted To You – 16 plays
  6. Hardwell – Apollo – 15 plays
  7. Stevie Nicks – Edge of Seventeen – 13 plays
  8. CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share and  Walking Def – Running All My Life – tied at 12 plays
  9. Fastball – The Way and Frank Sinatra – I Love Paris and Swedish House Mafia – Greyhound and Alt-J – Something Good and Hall and Oats – Private Eyes and Avicii – Wake Me up – tied at 11 plays
  10. Kansas – Carry on Wayward Son – 10 plays

Observations:

  • Clearly the trend that started towards more electronica (specifically house and trance) continues this year.
  • Jay Z made a strong showing, largely due to me going to the Manga Carta world tour which sparked a re-interest in his epic catalog
  • Couple of really old songs and artists showed up, like Kansas, Hall and Oats and Frank Sinatra. This is because I started using Spotify in addition to iTunes/Amazon which has made getting to older music much easier and fun to rediscover stuff I haven’t heard in a long time.
276 Words

Track of the Week: Hey Now by London Grammar

This week’s track is Hey Now by London Grammar off of Metal and Dust, and the Arty Remix of the same. Not a new song by any measure, but I heard it for the first time on KCRW earlier last week, and then again in a house podcast in a house remix. So today’s track of the week is presented in two parts. First, the haunting yet slightly electro-poppy original, and then the dance remix which ups the tempo, adds in a classic four on the floor dance line and synths.

91 Words

You’re No Good by Major Lazer

This week’s track if You’re No Good by Major Lazer, featuring Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Danielle Haim and Yasmin. There’s been a dearth of good music the last few weeks, hence the lack of tracks of the week. I’ve finally gotten around to going through a backlog of albums that came out in the last month plus (Yeezus? Blerg, what a joke). I’ve finally made it to the latest Major Lazer album and the opening track from the album stood out, mostly since it sounds like a James Bond title track: “It’s for your eyes only, living for you solely.”

 

100 Words

Track of the Week: Wake Me Up by Avicii

This week’s track is Wake Me Up by Avicii. Originally found on his 2013 promo mix, which debuted a lot of new material, this new track is a totally different direction from traditionally house and dance/electronica. Much more pop, much more designed for mainstream listening, and definitely a tad country (stripped guitar, anyone?). Aloe Blacc (who, coincidentally, went to my high school a year ahead of me) lends his vocals to the track, giving it a touch of Blacc’s typical soul flair as well. I’m excited to see what else is coming in the new Avicii album, it could be an interesting and exciting new direction for electronica.

108 Words

Track of the Week: 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago

This week’s track is 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago off of Chicago. Recorded at the end of the 60s, but with a sound that’s squarely past the 60s, this song opens with a rocking horn line on top of the melody carried by the guitars and drums. Toss in Peter Cetera’s vocals (singing about who-knows-what), the song is a classic.

59 Words

Track of the Week: Get Lucky by Daft Punk

This week’s track is Get Lucky by Daft Punk (featuring Pharrell). Fantastic song that does all the talking for itself, so just a few notes: (a) it’s classic Daft Punk, down to the computer-Mr.-Roboto voice, (b) it’s Pharrell singtalking, and (c) it’s awesome funk.

45 Words

Track of the Week: Hey Love by Delfonics & Playa Hater by Notorious B.I.G.

This week’s track is a twofer, a classic and a classic in two very different genres. We start with Hey Love by The Delfonics and close with Playa Hater by the Notorious B.I.G. Start listening first to Hey Love, a fantastic soul song from a group that provided the inspiration for many hip-hop samples. Then move on to Playa Hater, where Ditty and Biggie not only sampled it, but basically made a cover of the song with thuggier lyrics.

81 Words