"A Sky Full of Stars"
COLDPLAY
(Parlophone UK/Capitol)
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"I think I saw you," sings Chris Martin, almost with a touch of smitten sensationalism. He's then raptured away by a vacuum of angelic EDM controlled by the fingertips of Avicii. Joining a league of other uptempo synth jams, this Coldplay offering exposes what making love sounds like on the dance floor. |
"Never Say Never"
BASEMENT JAXX
(Atlantic Staxx/PIAS Recordings)
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Basement Jaxx's dancey house-powered 2014 super jam blends the best of Crystal Waters craft with intergalactic club mania. At its core are animated futuristic bleeps, sleek rhythms. It's the perfect disguise for ETML, whose modest lead vocals never really reach the apex of disco diva nirvana. That one bit of information isn't all that important; glimmers of insecurity are needed for these type of dance rituals. Sometimes the science of perfection will ruin a good song, especially if you're trying to tell a story. |
"Water Fountain"
TUNE-YARDS
(4AD)
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Joyful handclaps and non-western musical traditions unite on this fun, bubbly rhythmic jam. With multi-instrumentalist Merrill Garbus leading the way, “Water Fountain” sounds like the Beastie Boys have jumped in on a Vampire Weekend drum circle.
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"I Won't Let You Down"
OK-GO
(Paracadute)
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Alt-rock band OK Go, best known for their blistering performance on 2007's “Here It Goes Again,” turns to funky disco on “I Won't Let You Down.” The riffs are a worthy tribute to sharp Eurodisco strings, New Edition pop and ‘80's what we used to like about Maroon 5. And if you haven't seen the concept video yet, shame on you. |
"Right Now"
MARY J. BLIGE
(Capitol)
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Mary J. Blige has proven time and time again to be a queen of the night, but she may have added a few more stones to her crown with the blazing disco inferno “Right Now.” Disclosure's futuristic sounds atop Blige's “no more drama” lyrics prove to be a fierce combination, making “F for You” appear to be the B-side track. |
"If You Say So"
ESCORT
(Island)
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Escort's brilliant self-titled disco inferno LP gave dance floor revelers the notion that Studio 54 was back in business. Dropped in the middle of Pharrell's Summer of Love, this non-album single spreads those familiar juices across 80's synths, dreamy backing vocals and an entrancing pop-flavored chorus buttered with Sister Sledge kneejerks. The tune is riveting enough to cause Daft Punk to do a recall on "Get Lucky." |
"Drunk in Love"
BEYONCÉ
(Parkwood/Columbia)
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Songs about forbidden sex are usually earmarked with controversy, but that doesn't mean they aren't good songs. "Blurred Lines" was guilty to the third degree, mostly for its careless sampling of Marvin Gaye. Beyoncé's alcohol-sex odyssey also was hit with a red flag for its cruel Ike & Tina domestic violence endorsement via hubby Jay-Z's cameo rap. Nevertheless sex can still be naughty, scandalous and obliviously the average listener. Like most Bey post-2010 singles, "Drunk in Love" is a grower and is nowhere as definite as her most prized sing-a-longs. In some cases, her singing about watermelon and surfboards and being "up all night" seems outright silly. But when you're that intoxicated, knotting really makes sense. And that's probably why "Drunk in Love" works so well. |
"Problem"
ARIANA GRANDE feat. IGGY AZALEA
(Republic)
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A wacky sax solo, Iggy Igg's street sass ("I got 99 problems but you won't be one") and a fierce '90s contemporary R&B bounce atop Grande's stratosphere soprano frills gave "Problem" the ignition it needed to become a stellar standout on radio. |
"Boom Clap"
CHARLI XCX
(Warner Music Group)
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"Fancy" might be the unavoidable hook of Charli XCX's career, but she proved herself to be more than a fly-by-night one-hit wonder — thanks to the atmospheric synth pop of "Boom Clap." This kind of intoxicating love is best described using comic book action references, much like all the other "boom boom" songs that came before it. But this one sounds good and refreshing even after the 20th consecutive play. |
"Leave Your Lover"
SAM SMITH
(Capitol)
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Heartbreak is Sam Smith's winning card and he used it to the best of his ability in "Leave Your Lover." It's a sad tale of being the other man and waiting on the balances, hoping for his turn in his lover's arms. And in that world of desperation, Smith croons a painful lyric so difficult to hate that it solemnly replicates a maelstrom of sympathy for the infidel: "But if I can't have you I'll walk this life alone."
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