Pop is a big word, and one that tends to offend as much as it excites these days, but that’s part of the fun, isn’t it? Here are 10 records that fitted the bill for us in 2014, ranging from piano confessionals to the glitziest Polaroid collection in history.
1. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
So, do we listen to pop music because we’re miserable? Or are we miserable because we listen to pop music? I paraphrase (sorry, Rob), but it’s an apt sentiment to consider when talking about ‘Are We There’, an album of true emotional heft. But, the tangled hurt of a broken relationship was only half the story here. This is the best record in a pretty unbeatable run from Van Etten, a songwriter of insight and intelligence who can drop you with a turn of phrase and drag you to your feet with a surge of melody.
2. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Absolutely batshit and utterly accessible all at the same time. Having collaborated with David Byrne on ‘Love This Giant’ a few years back, Annie Clark set up shop in territory once occupied by Talking Heads with album four, taking pop music beyond the dancefloor to somewhere otherworldly. Clever, adventurous and packing some of year’s killer riffs, this one really had it all.
The album’s title might have been a knowing nod to the tough road Elly Jackson took to release the second La Roux record, but once Uptight Downtown jumped from slinky bass to chattering guitars, that sense of turmoil faded. This was one of the most consistent, uproariously enjoyable albums of the year and in Sexotheque it possessed perhaps the best straight-up pop song. In fairer times, ‘Trouble In Paradise’ would have levelled the charts.
4. Lorde + Friends - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
‘Curating’ has become a more tangible thing in recent times and Lorde, a year on from ‘Pure Heroine’, pulled together a seamless, atmospheric collection here, dismissing the phrase’s PR-speak origins. Her own Yellow Flicker Beat was the headline act, but elsewhere Chvrches, the Chemical Brothers and Miguel, Tove Lo and Bat For Lashes chimed in with expert contributions to a record that succeeded in fleshing out its ties to the parent film.
A little old fashioned, but in the best possible sense. A rambling slice of west coast pop, driven by Lewis’s confessional storytelling and the aftermath of a rough few years, ‘The Voyager’ dripped with classic songwriting and some neat touches from producer Ryan Adams, who gave the whole thing a warm, lived-in quality.
Mike Hadreas goes pop. With ‘Too Bright’ he slipped away from the hushed ballads of previous albums, tackling homophobic abuse with a blunt, powerful statement on the mighty, electro-driven Queen, dabbling with ethereal synths on Fool and rewriting the classics with the grand, opulent piano of Don’t Let Them In. A brilliant reinvention.
Unquestionably the album that 2014 will be remembered for. A chart behemoth in a year crying out for someone to contribute something worthwhile to music’s increasingly bland mainstream, ‘1989’ found Swift embracing the neon synths of modern pop in full for the first time and, while nothing here topped I Knew You Were Trouble, hitting her target between the eyes. Savvy, quick-witted and packed with hooks.
With its title lighting the way ahead, the New Pornographers released their most succinct, outwardly pop record in years with ‘Brill Bruisers’. The collective rallied behind AC Newman once again, with Dan Bejar also enjoying an excellent outing, particularly with the shimmering War On The East Coast. Neko Case and Kathryn Calder, meanwhile, still can’t put a foot wrong. As ebullient as Newman promised it would be.
Delightfully strange, off-kilter and all the better for it. The hype that bubbled up before its release was potentially ruinous, but Twigs had tricks up her sleeve that we didn’t see coming. Much of the record balanced on the precipice between being alluring and unsettling, offering fresh perspectives on sex amid complex lyrical metaphors and a maze of beats. Nothing else released this year was quite like it.
Another comeback to savour, as Kelis ditched the EDM trappings of ‘Flesh Tone’ and took up with Dave Sitek for an album that bridged the gaps between soul, R&B and old school pop nous. Ushered in by some of the year’s best singles - particularly the effortlessly cool Rumble - the album backed up the preview buzz with more of the same as Kelis’s husky vocals matched perfectly with Sitek’s Technicolour production.
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