We are ALL about diversifying the POP landscape... & let's face it, the Billboard Hot 100 could certainly use some more variety. Recently, we've noticed a shift in popular tastes in our native USA. We hope that this trend continues, & by doing so, adds some spice & flavor to the POP music charts & airwaves. Here are the 6 songs to which we scream "keep climbing!"
Calvin Harris - Feel So Close (#15) - Oh Calvin! The Scottish raver behind international hits deserves another chart-topper of his own. It's that simple. And after the smash success of We Found Love, America will easily welcome him with open arms & neon disco balls (we feel so close to you Calvin, it's a force-field).Fun. - Some Nights (#70) - Although a bit more complex than other tracks on their second record, Some Nights has the potential to become a collassal hit-- especially with its accessible chorus & witty lines like "here they come again to jack my style." But for now, Fun.'s current reign at #1 with We Are Young will continue to reinvigorate the POP-friendly indie band.
M83 - Midnight City (#75) - Fellow blogger Nico Lang wrote an excellent article entitled "Why We Should Make M83's 'Mightnight City' the #1 Song in America," encouraging POP-savants to mobilize behind Anthony Gonzalez's alternative masterpiece. We completely agree with him. Midnight City has earned an outpouring of critical acclaim since the release of Hurry Up, We're Dreaming last year. M83 has produced some incredible cult classics during its 10+ year lifespan, & it is about time for the band to reach popular music audiences. The beautiful & expansive Midnight City could be the ticket.Adele - Rumor Has It (#44) -We're so proud of Adele. As someone who started as an indie singer-songwriter and catapulted to mainstream stardom, she hasn't compromised her vision nor her sound. She's still writes from the heart and puts out singles that aren't standard POP tracks in the vein of Rihanna or Katy Perry. Though she works with some big name producers, she's able to get a sound of out them that is unlike anything they've done for their other POP clients. Rumor Has It is the best example. Produced and co-written with Ryan Tedder, the One Republic frontman behind Beyonce's Halo and Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love, Rumor Has It is missing his signature synths and bum ba da bum bum bang beat, instead sounding like a bluesy time-capsule to another era. Our favorite part is the bridge, when Adele puts the uptempo attitude on pause and balladeers with a piano accompaniment. Without a doubt, this is the best song on the album. It most definitely deserves the top spot on the Hot 100.
Ellie Goulding - Lights (#66) - Across the pond, Ellie Goulding has turned her electro-folk into a POP staple. She's a bit like Taylor Swift, but with a larger vocabulary, writing songs that possess catchier hooks and more experimental song structures than any of Swift's recent singles. Lights is Goulding's most straightforward pop song to date, written with and produced by Richard "Biff" Stannard, the man behind the Spice Girls' biggest hits. Together, they've created a track about Ellie's childhood fear of the dark. Cute.
Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know (#4) - Though this song has finally made it to the Top 5, it's still not regularly played on Clear Channel stations, which boggles our minds. Such a high climb without much airplay indicates that it would be a surefire hit on radio. Times are-a-changin'. We're entering a '90s like period where indie bands (Fun., Foster the People) and singer-songwriters (Adele, Gotye) sit beside manufactured POP on the Hot 100. It's time for radio to catch up.
Ellie Goulding - Lights (#66) - Across the pond, Ellie Goulding has turned her electro-folk into a POP staple. She's a bit like Taylor Swift, but with a larger vocabulary, writing songs that possess catchier hooks and more experimental song structures than any of Swift's recent singles. Lights is Goulding's most straightforward pop song to date, written with and produced by Richard "Biff" Stannard, the man behind the Spice Girls' biggest hits. Together, they've created a track about Ellie's childhood fear of the dark. Cute.Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know (#4) - Though this song has finally made it to the Top 5, it's still not regularly played on Clear Channel stations, which boggles our minds. Such a high climb without much airplay indicates that it would be a surefire hit on radio. Times are-a-changin'. We're entering a '90s like period where indie bands (Fun., Foster the People) and singer-songwriters (Adele, Gotye) sit beside manufactured POP on the Hot 100. It's time for radio to catch up.Unapologetically,
Gregory & Minna
