10. Future Islands : Seasons (Waiting On You)
Months on from that performance on Letterman, Seasons (Waiting On You) still holds true as an irresistible retro-indebted soft-rock belter. If you haven’t at least attempted an imitation of the drama-teacher-swagger dance moves yet, you’re doing 2014 wrong.
9. Lil B – Fuck KD (Kevin Durant Diss)
FUUUUUUUCK KEVIN DURAAAAAAAANT.
8. Jonathan Boulet : Hold It Down
I don’t believe Jonathan Boulet when he gives a grunt and a “hoo!” at the beginning of Hold It Down. It comes across as a sardonic embrace of rock ‘n’ roll cliché, but it makes sense, leading into a track saturated with rock‘n’roll cliché, to the point of being beyond the ridiculous, and the track thrives as a result. It’s an all out assault that only stops by any ‘safe’ musical territory to spit on it.
7. Client Liaison : That’s Desire
Details are still scarce on Client Liaison’s upcoming debut full-length. If the quality of CL tracks so far is any indication, it’s destined to become one of the strongest first LPs from an Australian act in years. Don’t let its B-side status fool you, That’s Desire is on the money like Rene Rivkin, nailing the early ‘90s dance-pop aesthetic, backed with rave gospel decadence to boot.
6. The Harpoons : Unforgettable
Ridiculously uninhibited vocal lines thread throughout dextrous and danceable instrumentation on Unforgettable, elevating The Harpoons to the top echelon of the current crop of electronica proponents in Australia. Tasty.
5. Nicki Minaj : Yass Bish
All signs indicate that this could well be the year of Nicki Minaj. After landing on a varied array of remixes, Nicki unleashed the Soulja Boy-produced Yass Bish like it was nothing, cannonballing forward ahead of the release of The Pink Print. Who knows what’s in store with that album – the stellar Pills N Potions threw another curveball following the hard-hitting string of spitfire raps – but in Yass Bish we have killer bars that go for the jugular and a Soulja Boy hook that effortlessly pervades the vernacular.
4. Shocking Pinks Feat. Gemma Syme : St Louis
Evoking an unparalleled, melancholic beauty, now Wellington-based project Shocking Pinks employs the affecting vocals of fellow Kiwi Gemma Syme for the heartbreaking and magnificent St Louis. “I wonder what they’ll put on my grave / At the end of all my days.” Repeat listens won’t diminish its emotive potency. Right in the heartstrings, every time.
3. Total Control : Flesh War
One of many highlights from the just-released Typical System, single Flesh War is a beguiling mix of elements, diverging btoh away and into the band’s confluence of melodic synths and punk precision. There’s a certain detachment that falls wonderfully into place on the cinemascope chorus.
2. Drunk Mums : Plastic
Plain and simple, this is just a fuckin’ top-notch rock ‘n’ roll song. No-nonsense riffs and licks, and the greatest shout-along chorus in recent memory. By no means hifalutin, but it’s a perfect slice of garage acumen and raucous energy. Almost impossible not to spill your drink with this blasting outta your speakers.
1. Sia : Chandelier
Sia is one of the greatest pop songwriters Australia has ever produced. After a decade-plus of being largely unappreciated, then into an ostensibly indie phase, Sia is now leading the charge with compositional chops to rival the omnipresent likes of Max Martin and Dr Luke, with a powerhouse set of inimitable (well, almost inimitable) pipes. Chandelier has an unassuming bridge, keeping it simple with a mere count-in, but it sets the scene for the unassailable triumph of the superpower-ballad chorus.
