Top 20 Songs of 2014

credits to Weknowthedj.com for the picture.

Welcome to the first of my most biased list of 2014. Here I'll be sharing my TOP 20 SONGS OF 2014. They don't have to be the best nor the worst, but if I liked them, loved them or just enjoyed the hell out of them, they'll be on this list. 

If some of your favorite song(s) are not on this list, it's probably because I've never heard of them or I never really liked them.

So without further ado, here's my list..

20) All About The Bass - Meghan Trainor

With some really bubbly-light catchy tunes and an "almost" good message, there's no denying that once this song pops into your head, it's all pink with blonde-chubby girl and big-fat-black guy(or gay) dancing and singing to this song. 

19) Jealous (Remix) - Nick Jonas featuring Tinashe

I guess the youngest of the Jonas Brothers threw his purity ring away for this one. The song's sexy and by that I mean REALLY sexy. It's even sexier thanks to the addition of Tinashe's angelic-but-provocative voice. Which is probably why I prefer this version than the original.

18) Fancy - Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX

This was the first song I've ever heard from Iggy and when it comes to head-turner songs, she definitely got my attention. Her overall confidence really did bring this song to a whole new level, backed up by some really cool hip-hop/pop-party anthem beats

17) Magic - Coldplay

I may have mixed feelings with Ghost Stories, but its lead single is definitely one of the songs from the record that you should listen to when you want to look up into the night sky and journey deep inside your broken heart. The pop-ballad song will bring serenity to your troubled thoughts towards your past love life and trust me, this song can bend you to your weakest points. 

16) The Man - Aleo Blacc

With the song's powerful and moving soulful vibe, this is the kind of song you'd want to listen to while doing some work, going to the gym or whatever that makes you confident about yourself. If you are a person who likes to sport, then you sure are the man. 

15) The Negative One - Slipknot

Out of all the songs from .5: The Gray Chapter, this is the song that is easiest to hook with. It's everything you want and everything you expect when they said the record was going to be a mix between Iowa and Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). You want pissed off Slipknot? Here you go.

14) Coconut Dracula - Islander

It's nice to see some fresh faces pick-up where bands like Deftones and Limp Bizkit left off during the end of the 1990s. It's pretty much basic rap-metal/alternative rock track you'd expect from that era, but added with some modern flavor. Thank you Islander for bringing back those good times, you should check them out if you can. 

13) Ain't It Fun - Paramore

Undeniably the happiest, jumpy-est, purest of fun and simply the best Paramore song I've heard, ever. Period.  

12) She Looks So Perfect - 5 Seconds Of Summer

Move over One Direction, 'cause these Australian quartet are taking the spot of 2014's boy band. There debut single takes your regular bubble-gum pop boy-band song formula to an edgier and slightly punk-ish side. Believe me, school rock has never been this big since The All-American Rejects and Boys Like Girls.

11) Good Kisser - Usher

Now here's an Rn'B song that is not too loud, but not too soft. I remember seeing a TV commercial for a clothing company. The model was wearing underwear and was being provocative and all, until she put on a shirt, still a sexy shirt though. The tagline at the end was sexy isn't always about being naked or something like that, but you get the point. That commercial reminds me of this song, it has the right amount of sexy and it's soulful funky beats can keep that heat going 'till the end.  

10) Guilty All The Same - Linkin Park featuring Rakim

Linkin Park has never been this aggressive in a long time. They certainly didn't pull any punches when it comes to introducing the identity of their new record through its lead single. And they got one of the best rappers of the yester-years to back them up with his own rage-filled verse. It's basic rap-rock, sure, but don't let that make you underestimate this song.

9) Boom Clap - Charli XCX

The only artist to have tow entries on this list, one from a collaboration and the other for her signature song that has infectious synthpop beats accompanied by her hypnotizing voice. It's a perfect feel good song for a pretty sad movie.

8) Not A Bad Thing - Justin Timberlake

Wanna serenade a girl the old school way? and by old school, I mean with an acoustic guitar a couple of friends who can sing well? If you want to catch her attention with some lovely Rn'B acoustic, this is the go-to song of 2014. Plus, it's by Justin Timberlake, how can she say no to that? Don't sing that other song, it's annoying, stupid and rude (get it? get it?)

7) Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

Now you got the girl, and you had good run with her for let's say 2 to 3 years (?). What better way to celebrate your anniversary (or monthsary) by going to a ball room and take her to a dance with this slow-dance, pop-ballad love song from our favorite Irish busker? Trust the guy who strive to learn how to dance for the music video, it's very romantic and worth the shot. 

6) Somebody To You - The Vamps featuring Demi Lovato

I guess you can say 2014 was the year I got attached to numerous love songs. This song featured the collaboration of two of modern pop-rock's finest and together they've just made everyone's beach-party tropical-getaway love song anthem of the year. 

5) Animals - Maroon 5

Let's be all honest, Maps was simply a disappointment. Which is why I'm glad the second single was a savior. It is the perfect song to unite old and new fans. There's no better dirty and sexy song to listen to than the one that came from PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive of 2013 and his band. 

4) Heaven Knows - The Pretty Reckless

Rejoice post-grunge, troubled teens and glam rock fans! Taylor Momsen and company had not only made the full-on stomp chorus for you, but they also made the rock anthem of 2014. And they did that with just this song. Trust me, it's so catchy and it's so good.

3) Shake It Off - Taylor Swift

Upbeat tempos might not be new for a Taylor Swift song, but saxophones are. This is T. Swift telling us she can makes a song sound different from her previous works and still maintain her lyrical identity. It was a close call between this and Blank Space, but you just gonna have to choose the one who introduced T-Swizzle's new sound better. 

2) Love Runs Out - OneRepublic

Believe it or not, this is actually my jogging song and you can't blame me. With some marching-like drum beats, spine tingling piano riffs and some power vocals by Ryan Tedder that will make you get up and do epic stuff. In my ears, my mind and my heart, this is the Adele-like male-version song of the year, screw the other guy. 

Before I reveal my number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Human - Christina Perri

Geronimo - Sheppard

Classic - MKTO

Moth - Hellyeah

All Of Me - John Legend

The Monster - Eminem featuring Rihanna

Air Guitar - McBusted

This Is How We Do - Katy Perry

No Good In Goodbye - The Script

Chandelier - Sia




1) Happy - Pharrell Williams

Coming from a mediocre film, I thought it was going to be hard for this song to get some attention, thankfully it did. People shouldn't miss out this funky, Motown-like, neosoul dance track. This is the best feel good, make you wanna dance cause you feel good song of the year and thus my top favorite song of 2014. 

There you have it, my top 20 songs of 2014. I hope you guys have a great 2014 and i'll see you guys next year with more reviews and shenanigans. See you all in 2015!

Get your music here at CD Universe!

Music IN ONE GO! - Top 10 Forgotten Nu Metal Records

Credits to the owner (c).

For those who didn't know, Nu metal is a sub-genre of metal which fuses a lot of music elements you wouldn't imagine would mesh well with metal, which includes; hip-hop, electronic, funk etc. 

Believe it or not, Nu metal has a large impact on metal/rock music until today, encouraging metal/rock acts to experiment with their sound and to not be afraid of thinking outside the box. This genre was so big in the late-90's artist from this genre are still active as of today. 

But, despite of it's everlasting influences, Nu metal just ended being irrelevant by today's musical standards. Forcing bands of this genre to either abandon their Nu metal image altogether and go full on metal or experiment in the fields of alternative rock. 

As the first episode of Music IN ONE GO!, I have gathered 10 Nu metal records that some of us used to loved and have forgotten as time goes by. My basis for this list are simple:

1. These records must have failed to succeed at any charts, but has gained attention from the underground scene.
2. These records are completely unnoticed by the time of its release, but has gained attention after the band has achieved success with succeeding records. 
3. These record have succeeded on the charts and have very popular singles, but has completely vanished from the radar, along with the band themselves, as time goes by. 

Keep in mind that this is not an exhausted list. There are many more forgotten Nu metal records out there that might not have made it to this specific list. I have gathered the ones that I am familiar with. 

Time to wash those baggy clothes and wear them again, spike up your haird dye them with color and wear all your piercings 'cause here are...

Top 10 Forgotten Nu Metal Records

1. Tribal Ink, Surrounded By Freaks (2003)

If you're one of those people who pirated Linkin Park's single What I've Done, you've probably heard of this band, or more specifically their song Refugee. Taken from the album Surrounded By Freaks, this Swedish rock band has completely shown great potential of showcasing edginess to their more alternative driven Nu metal record. It's no doubt a fan mislabeled their song to those of Linkin Park's, Tribal Ink has seriously picked up what Linkin Park has left off from Meteora.

2. Crazy Town, Darkhorse (2002)

Let's be honest, no matter how bad the song is, we all used to love Crazy Town's mega-hit single Butterfly. But it looks like the band themselves hated that record as well, and their follow-up Darkhorse is case-in-point. Featuring heavier and much more aggressive sounds, Shifty and the crew has proved that they are much better than the Red Hot Chilli Peppers rip-off band they used to be. Sadly, seems like almost everyone gave up on them before they could prove they're worth the time. 

3. Hed PE, Blackout (2003)

In case you didn't know, PE stands for Planet Earth. Hed stands for something that I honestly don't know and probably never will. Regardless of their confusing name, this band has achieved moderate success at the billboard charts with this record and has been touring with acts like Korn and System Of A Down. To me, that's a lifetime achievement. 

4. Static X, Wisconsin Death Trip (2003)

If you have trouble listening to Ariana Grande's sweet, but non-audible voice, wait until you hear this guy. Wayne Static and  company debuted their Industrial-inspired Nu metal record Wisconsin Death Trip. Imagine flashing neon lights on an underground pub with a pretty hot mosh pit, this is probably the record you should give to the DJ. Now enjoy dancing to the song and try to sing every single word this guy's saying. 

5. Thousand Foot Krutch, Set It Off (2001)

You know there has to be at least one Christian metal act on this list and Thousand Foot Krutch definitely deserves that spot. After all that hard work Trevor McNevan had to go through, his efforts finally pay-off with their first indie label record Set It Off. With a little help from his friends, T-Rawk has gained success locally with this hip-hop inspired nu metal record and has gained even more attention after the success of their follow-up Phenomenon. 

6. Incubus, Enjoy Incubus EP (1997)

Before vocalist Brandon Boyd looked like a slimmer, sexier version of Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty with a beard, he used to look like a cave man with dreadlocks and he smells a lot like a crack head. This EP serves as the band's first major label release which features remastered versions of songs from their first record Fungus Amongus made to sound a bit closer to the Nu metal sound we're all familiar with S.C.I.E.N.C.E. Don't worry, the lyrics haven't changed, they still love cocaine. 

7. Helmet, Meantime (1992)

The oldest record of this list, this record takes us back to the early years of creating Nu metal. Sure the band themselves hated to be classified as Nu metal, it's completely understandable. The record itself sounded more alternative than Nu metal. But if Nu metal acts praises this band and consider them as heroic inspirations, even going as far as featuring vocalist Paige Hamilton on Linkin Park's latest release The Hunting Party, the deserve a spot on this list.

8. Mushroomhead, XX (2001)

This list can never go on without a Slipknot-knock off band, or it was actually Slipknot who is the rip-off. Doesn't really matter, they're both cool with each other now. But no offense, they both sound the same, at least just a tad bit different. If Slipknot went more industrial, it's the Mushroomhead, if the Mushroomhead went with a more Nu metal sound, it's Slipknot. Don't get me wrong, they both sound really good in what they do and I'm happy that both have been very essential and even friendly to one another nowadays. If only the fans could stop this war like what the band members themselves had. 

9. Alien Ant Farm, Anthology (2001)

The most family friendly record of this list, this Cali based rock band has hit the airwaves and has gained success on the charts with their pop rock inspired Nu metal debut album Anthology. I personally used to be very dismissive about this band, seeing them nothing but a cash cow on the Nu metal scene by just making a Nu metal version of Micheal Jackson's Smooth Criminal as their first single. Perhaps I was a bit unfair, even their follow-up single Movies proves that they can establish an image of their own. 

10. Evanescence, Fallen (2003)

Easily the most successful record of this list. We're talking about chart topping singles, Top 5 at the Billboard charts. Singles played everywhere 24/7, dozens and dozens of covers from radio, YouTube to American Idol. We're talking about Grammy nominations on top of Grammy nominations and Grammy awards on top of Grammy awards. Some might argue they are the pop version of Lacuna Coil, but these people are thinking way too much. Amy Lee and her friends have successfully injected Girl-power to the Nu metal industry and by doing so have gained massive success throughout the entire world. After that, it was just a spiral downward journey for the band as the hype goes colder and colder each record. Where are they now? That's the point, three albums in and PUFF! They just disappeared. And that is why they deserve a spot on this list. 

Special Mention:Drowning Pool, Sinner (2001)

Puddle Of Mudd, Come Clean (2001)

Sevendust, Animosity (2001)

Now that was a long editorial. After going through all this genre binding music, maybe listening to Babymetal ain't such a bad idea..

Subscribe to my blog

Follow me on Twitter

Check me out on Moviepilot.com

TOP 5 BEST Linkin Park Music Videos

Considered as one of the finest Nu Metal band of its time? Check. Is the one and only band (so far) to reach ONE BILLION plus views on YouTube? Check. Has (so far) sold over 60 million records all over the world? Check. Internationally acclaimed? Is the top rock band on facebook with over 61+ million fans? Grammy award winning? One of, if not, the best and biggest rock band of our time? Yes, yes, yes, yes. 

Ahh... Linkin Park. With more than a decade of existence, this group never seizes to amaze their fans with their aggressive and chaotic music, that is also very easy to connect with, even if you're not an avid fan. And, with that long of time, Linkin Park has released more than 30 music videos. Today we pick the 5 of their best music videos and I yours truly, will give you the reasons why they deserve to be on the list. With that said, let's get started. 

5. Points Of Authority (Hybrid Theory, 2001) / Pts.Of.Athrty (Reanimation, 2002)

Two different interpretations, but it's still the same monster just with two different faces. Whether you prefer it to be in its classic Nu metal or it's 90s EDM remix or both (because why not choose both?), Points Of Authority will always be that one Linkin Park song you'd want to blast into your car and go drive to punch someone. 

One's live/studio footage and the other's a CGI-fest, but both videos are really good and awesome and I can't really pick one above the other. Plus we can't really have this list without a live/footage video and a CGI-fest one. So, I put them both together on the same spot, besides, they're just the same song. I'll have to let you guys decide on this one of which video is better, but for me they're both equally awesome. 

The live/footage version that came from their DVD Frat Party At The Pankake Festival.

The one made for the Reanimation version, was the only one of the two that was commercially released.

4. Lost In The Echo (Living Things, 2012)

This list won't be complete without Linkin Park's first interactive video. The video was co-directed by Jason Zada (Take This Lollipop) and Jason Nickel. Shinoda has stated that the video was made to "draw you into the world of the song".

For you to participate, you must go the official website of the music video, Lost In The Echo. You will then log into the website with your Facebook account, yes you will need one to participate. The site will then have access to your photos on your profile and use them in narrative that will concord to the storytelling of the video.  

The only real reason this never got higher on the list was because of its obvious errors and the lack of the band's appearance. 

 This is the non-interactive version of the video. So you can still watch it, even if you don't have Facebook (hooray!). 

3. Leave Out All The Rest (Minutes To Midnight, 2008)

Probably the cheesiest video of the list. Why? 'cause who would have imagined Mike Shinoda in an astronaut suit? On top of that, who would have thought that the band would make a video of them embarking on a Space Odyssey? But what really made this video so interesting was the narrative story behind it, and how it reflected so much to the song.

We see in the video that the band are doing their regular protocols on running their space ship. Chester, however, is the one who is being dramatic in his duties. of course, he's the one singing, but the question is why? We see him do his work with holograms like he's Tony Stark in space, goes with some argument with his crew/band mates, hangs out alone in dark places and he sits behind a giant window so he could see the stars and their destination. In all of those situations, you can tell what Chester's feeling through his actions and his facial expressions, guilt. At the end of the video, the band reaches their destination, which would also serve as their impending doom. So what does this tell us?

"When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done..."

Don't you see it?

Highlight the text below

Chester killed himself and his crew/band mates by directing their spaceship towards the sun. He sits behind the giant window so he could see the sun, the yellow star, that will eventually kill them. 

It's just my theory behind the whole thing, but trust me, go see it for yourself. 

2. Numb (Meteora, 2003)

There are several reasons why this is considered one of, if not, Linkin Park's most powerful songs ever made. It has very catchy alternative tune to it. Lyrically, it is one of the most compelling lyrics you'll ever hear throughout the band's entire discography. Chester's power vocals also adds up to the experience. 

This video, was just spot on to message of the song. At one point, we were all teenagers trying to find their place in the world and in doing so, we disappoint a lot of our loved ones. Families, friends, you name it. We'e just kids who's trying to create the best image we can possibly make out of ourselves, to be the person we always wanted to be. But peer pressure and expectations prevent you from becoming that person. People will always see you as the kid who have shoes to fill in, even if you don't want those shoes, they will still try to make you.  

I am maybe getting a little personal here, but it's true. This is Linkin Park's most personal video ever and it definitely earned this spot. 

If watching this doesn't hit you hard, I don't know what will. 

1. What I've Done (Minutes To Midnight, 2007)

THIS SONG/VIDEO IS BUSINESS. At the height of their career where Nu metal seems to be dying, if not, dead. Linkin Park faces the greatest question of their career that every other band of the same genre had come to face, where to go next? Korn, Slipknot and Deftones went alternative metal. Limp Bizkit was still rap metal, but their sound leaned more towards the rock side. So, what's Linkin Park going to do?

Get a new producer, change their image, change their logo, change their sound completely. Thus, Minutes To Midnight was born. Of course they still have aggressive tracks like No More Sorrow and Given Up, of course they still rap rock with Bleed It Out, but the album in its entire just sound different from their previous releases. It's almost like it's not the same band anymore, even if it is still the same band with the same band members.

But thankfully, they manage to introduce their new image with the masterpiece that is known as the first single off the album, What I've Done. Even if you don't like the album, you can't deny that this is a great song.

The song and it's video became the best way to re-introduce themselves to the world of music. With its apocalyptic themes, melodic lyrics and classic alternative structure that connects perfectly to the video that is the very meaning of the word doomsday. It showcases a really cool performance of the band, but the highlight is really the footages of the most daunting and scary real life events of mass destruction, corruption and world domination. If you could sum up the world at its darkest hour with a footage of a rock band's performance, this is that video. 

No words. Just, no words... 

So there you have it, I hope you guys enjoy this list. Be sure to stay tune for Linkin Park's TOP 5 Worst Music Videos. 

Honorable Mentions:

Papercut

Breaking The Habit

Waiting For The End

Castle Of Glass