Matt's Books and Music

[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.]

Introduction

There are some years whose music is universally acknowledged as being superlative — 1969, 1984, and 2024 come immediately to mind. For me, and maybe only for me, 2014 is also one of those years. It features three of my all-time favourite pop albums: Taylor Swift’s 1989, the Bleachers’ debut Strange Desire, and the self-titled album from HAERTS. Zooming out, these three albums participate in the broader theme of big, heavily-produced, wall-of-sound-style synth-pop. And I am absolutely here for it! But beyond this specific style of music, the year also featured standout albums from Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Lana Del Rey, and a breakout album from indie darling Ingrid Michaelson. So yes, for me, it’s an all-time great year.

Top 10 Albums

1. 1989 (Taylor Swift): This is an absolute all-timer pop album. There is not a single skip on it, bonus tracks included. While this is Swift’s least confessional and writerly album, the lyrics are still shockingly strong. (It’s not every dance pop album that can inspire a highly successful indie acoustic cover album!) This album is simply unstoppable.
2. Strange Desire (Bleachers): This debut by Jack Antonoff’s band Bleachers is probably the most classically ‘Jack Antonoffy’ thing out there, so mileage will vary. But I had this album on repeat in 2014 and still love to sink into it to this day.
3. HAERTS (HAERTS): This German group’s sound has definitely drifted away from pop over the past decade, but this album is a pure pop confection, placing four songs in the top ten of my top 60 playlist!
4. Lights Out (Ingrid Michaelson): While heavily produced albums make up the bulk of this year’s top ten, this more restrained album is still filled with unbeatable hooks. I’d list highlights, but since six songs made my best of the year playlist, I’ll just suggest you listen to the whole album.
5. Before the Waves (Magic Man): This is one of those right-place, right-time, right-sound albums. In a year when ‘80s-s inspired pop was everywhere, this album fits like a glove. While “Catherine” is the clear standout for me, also check out “Apollo,” “Out of Mind,” and “Waves.”
6. BEYONCE (Beyoncé): There’s a reason this is Beyoncé’s second highest-streamed album. With highlights like “XO,” “Jealous,” “Ring Off,” and “Pretty Hurts,” this is a stellar album.
7. Chapter One (Ella Henderson): It seems like every few years, England produces ‘the next big’ soul-inspired pop star. In 2014, it was Ella Henderson. While “Ghost” is the clear standout (it’s not for no reason that it debuted at number 1 on the UK pop charts), the whole album is strong, hence its place here at number 7.
8. My Everything (Ariana Grande): While it’s a bit of an outlier now that we have more of Grande’s discography, this is my personal favourite album of hers. And “Break Free” is an all-time great dance pop anthem.
9. No Mythologies to Follow (MØ): In a year of strong debut albums, this first release from Danish pop star MØ absolutely belongs. The album’s consistency was a sign of things to come for her as she’s become a reliable source of great music.
10. Ultraviolence (Lana Del Rey): I don’t have much to say about this one. Lana Del Rey is very good at what she does.

Other Albums of Note

• Various (BTS): I admit that I find it hard to keep up with the K-Pop release model, with multiple versions of albums, multi-lingual releases of songs, and songs appearing on multiple albums. But it’s important to note that this was the year BTS broke out big in North America.
• Hozier (Hozier): On the strength of the massive success of “Take Me to Church” (my number 37 song of the year), this album was everywhere in 2014 and ‘15.
• Honest and Monster (Future): My musical tastes lying as they do, rap is always underrepresented in my lists, but these two albums from Future are excellent.

Top 10 Songs

1. “Style” (Taylor Swift): For my money, this the perfect pop song, from a pretty perfect pop album. (Favourite lyric: “And when we go crashing down, we come back every time / ‘Cause we never go out of style”)
2. “Wings” (HAERTS): The production on this song is absolutely impeccable. It’s never gone out of my regular musical listening rotation in the twelve years since I first heard and loved it. (Favourite lyric: “But I broke my wings for you”)
3. “You’re Still a Mystery” (Bleachers): On an album that I enjoy more for its production than its message, this song stands out for me as matching the sounds and hooks that I love with relatable lyrics about the feeling of possibility that comes at the start of a new relationship. (Favourite lyric: “You picked me up in the dead of the night / And gave me a chance to move on inside of your mystery”)
4. “Heart” (HAERTS): While I cynically wonder if this song was included on the album just to show that the band does in fact know how to spell “heart,” the production perfectly complements the soaring vocals. (Favourite lyric: “Blame the silence, the voices, the fear, / But just leave your heart be.”)
5. “Shut Up and Dance” (Walk the Moon): While Walk the Moon is not a one-hit-wonder for me, this is by far their biggest hit, and with good reason. It’s just so much fun. (Favourite lyric: “Helpless to the bass and the fading light / Oh, we were bound to get together”)
6. “Giving Up” (HAERTS): Yes, I really love this album. Again, I love how the production complements the vocals, but I also love the idea at the heart of the lyrics, that some times giving up is a sign of strength, not weakness. (Favourite lyric: “I′m giving in, giving up strong”)
7. “New Romantics” (Taylor Swift): Now that Taylor Swift is in a different phase of her life, it’s easy to forget just how perfectly she captured the spirit of youth in her earlier music, as exemplified by songs like this one. It sounds like a crowded dance floor, while packing a strong surprisingly strong lyrical punch. (Favourite lyric: “Baby, I could build a castle / Out of all the bricks they threw at me”)
8. “Look of Love” (The Jezabels): Pop was so dominant in 2014 that even indie rockers like The Jezabels leaned heavily into pop hooks and synths, and I’m so very glad they did. (Favourite lyric: “Got me lit up with a look of love”)
9. “Hemiplegia” (HAERTS): I don’t have much to say about this song that I haven’t said about the other tracks from the album on this list. It’s just really, really good. (Favourite lyric: “No you can’t move up with your eyes down”)
10. “I Wanna Get Better” (Bleachers): Bleachers have a history of talking about serious mental health issues in absolute bops, and this is the best example. (Favourite lyric: “I didn’t know I was broken ’til I wanted to change”)

Other Songs of Note

• “Catherine” (Magic Man): The Magic Man party proved to be short-lived (and maybe a little cringe), but this smile of a song is undeniable.
• “My Type” (Saint Motel): Saint Motel is one of those bands who every few years just puts out a song as fun as it is unique and infectious. At some point we should just start expecting it.
• “Over You” (Ingrid Michaelson): The plodding, repetitive bass line (essentially Pachelbel’s Canon) perfectly captures the feeling of trying to get over someone.

Most Surprising Inclusion

• “Teenage Millionaire” (The Veronicas): The Veronicas have a wonderful ability to basically disappear for years at a time, then come out with a great album before disappearing again.

Notable Song that Missed the Cut

• “Bang Bang (feat. Ariana Grande and Nicki Mina)” (Jessie J): This isn’t the usual case of a famous song from a year just not being for me. I like this song quite a bit; it just didn’t make the top 60.

[Note: It’s of course impossible to listen to everything, so while I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, omissions are inevitable. For consistency’s sake, I’ve gone with the year music was released, rather than when it became popular. Any ratings or rankings are my own and entirely subjective. This has nothing to do with objective quality but is simply reflective of my personal taste.]