Of course, you know, this is Mama Kath so this list is not tracks you heard on the radio this year. They were not millions sellers. They will not be nominated for Grammys, AMAs or have a shot at an MTV moonman. Nope, this is the truly GREAT pop music that the industry does not want you to know exists. They want you to keep believing the drek they promote is quality art. IT'S NOT SO WAKE UP! Fire up Spotify and lets do this.
10) "The Best Thing (That Never Happened) We Are The In Crowd. This band is another that stands to take on Paramore and win. Fun, dance and in your face.
9) "Give Me Your Hand" remixes. This was the only way I could legally get The Ready Set into 2013 releases. This is an artist that is way under-rated. Jordan is everything Justin Bieber can only hope to be. He writes his own music and sings it live. The guy OWNS a stage and an audience.
8) "Cool Kids" from Echosmith's debut album "Talking Dreams" is a great pop song. This is a band with some super potential. After a full run on Vans Warped Tour this summer, they got to play Nickelodeon/TeenNick's Top10 Countdown for New Year's. Echosmith is a family act from L.A. that is genuine competition for Paramore and Katy Perry.
7) "I Still Dream" from Young London's 2013 release "Instincts". These two do an amazing job taking techno dance out of the studio and performing it live. I dare anyone who goes to one of their shows to stand still. Sarah and Matt have perfect synergy and are such a fantastic musical team.
6) "Get Lucky" Daft Punk were another group that came back in 2013 with killer material. This song was the product of the full-house collab between the robots, wunderkind Pharell Williams and guitar legend, Nile Rodgers. There was no way this song couldn't be a great pop track. All the collaborations on this record were genius.
5) "Savior" and "Geisha Dance" by Ricky Rebel. Two singles released from his upcoming "Blue" album. This guy has such a solid grasp on pop music and his creative eye should have him everywhere. His music videos are beautifully theatrical and his sound engineering is impeccable. I can't decide between these two tracks.
4) "Benny and Joon" William Beckett's "Genuine and Counterfeit". This guy was totally on to it as far as phenomenal pop right out of the gate with The Academy Is... He found his stride again immediately in his first solo release last year and it just keeps getting better. Beckett also has a hard, steel grip on social media and is using every bit of it to his advantage including the new Stage-It site. He is touring starting in February with another favorite, previously mentioned, We Are The In Crowd.
3) "Girls/Girls/Boys" Panic at The Disco "Too Weird To Live-Too Rare To Die". This album is brilliant but I wouldn't expect less from Brendon Uri. I picked this track due to it's balls. The lyrics play with subject matter that is in the headlines and deals with it fearlessly. The video is even more fearless.
2) "Fight or Flight" off Sam Sparro's EP Quantum Physical Vol. 1 is that smooth Sparro I love so much. But honestly I don't think Sam can do a bad song. This whole EP is on loop often. The rest of this EP series is highly anticipated and should just keep giving us more killer Sam.
1) "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)" Fall Out Boy. This song is so anthemic. Fall Out Boy came back with a vengence in 2013. They closed this year by performing at the Victoria's Secret fashion show. They are far from done smashing the pop-punk world.
2014 has a lot more great pop to look forward to. Feel free to weigh in with your choices. Nothing from mainstream though. People already know who the industry is pushing. Look behind the curtain, beyond the smoke and mirrors.
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