The Soundtrack Of My Life's Top 25 Albums Of 2014

25. Kylie Minogue - Kiss Me Once

24. Neon Trees - Pop Psychology

23. Haunted Hearts - Initiation
22. Paloma Faith - A Perfect Contradiction

21. Spoon - They Want My Soul
20. 2NE1 - Crush

19. Beck - Morning Phase

18. Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again

17. The Drums - Encyclopedia

16. Dum Dum Girls - Too True

15. Kiesza - Sound Of A Woman

14. RAC - Strangers

13. Taylor Swift - 1989

12. Lykke Li - I Never Learn

11. Bleachers - Strange Desire

10. Betty Who - Take Me When You Go

9. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

8. Karen O - Crush Songs 

7. Trust - Joyland

 

6. La Roux - Trouble In Paradise

5. Imogen Heap - Sparks

4. Banks - Goddess

3. St. Vincent - St. Vincent

2. Tori Amos - Unrepentant Geraldines

1. Beyoncé - Beyoncé

Kylie Minogue - Kylie + Garibay

Okay, so we all know Kiss Me Once came out earlier this year and it was partially amazing.  Some of it was on the less stunning side of the pop spectrum, and I'm not gonna pin the blame on anyone in particular.  I'm just saying, we would've been just fine without the Enrique Iglesias feature... and "executive producer" Sia.  But that's all said and done, and there's still a nice bundle of standout Kylie moments on the record.

Now here's the exciting news: Kylie just posted a free EP on the wonderful internet without any prior notice.  It's a collaboration with Fernando Garibay, the man who produced some of Lady Gaga's finest work.  I'm talking about "Dance In The Dark" and the majority of her Born This Way album.  With that in mind, the new EP, presumably titled "Kylie + Garibay", is completely different from Kiss Me Once.  It's dark and hard hitting, with Kylie's vocals left in a somewhat raw state.  The first two tracks are especially stunning.  "Glow" is a song that just pummels you with haunting vocals and a drilling synth, while "Wait" has a fantastic bounce that just fuses to a perfect melody.

Several of the tracks on the four song album were featured in the opening video sequence of the Kiss Me Once tour, which kicked off in Liverpool on September 24.  This means that Kylie + Garibay is more than just leftover material from an unused Kiss Me Once recording session.  And I must say, I find this EP to be far more exciting than the full-length album.  It's a daring and unusual move for someone in Kylie's position.  Why give it away for free when the label could slap together an "extended version" of Kiss Me Once with the four new songs?  She does it because she's Kylie Minogue.

Kylie Minogue Announces Kiss Me Once - Listen To The Single "Into The Blue"

 

Remember way back in early 2013 when Kylie shook the pop world a bit and signed with Roc Nation?  Sometimes I like to imagine Kylie and Jay-Z discussing her career plans over a drink or two, when Beyoncé randomly decides to drop by.  That must be how it works.  Anyways, 2013 was pretty light on the new Kylie album side of things, besides the random "Skirt".  But the new year brings good news: Kylie is releasing her twelfth album Kiss Me Once on March 17.

Kiss Me Once has an interesting track listing, to say the least.  Writing credits include Sia, Pharrell, and Enrique Iglesias, with the latter of the three actually being featured on "Beautiful".  Standout song titles include "Sexercize" and "Les Sex", and just look at that pouty artwork.

The lead single is "Into The Blue" and it's been out for a couple days now.  Produced by Mike Del Rio (???), it actually took a while to grow on me.  This single didn't seem to have that immediate "wow" factor like "Timebomb" did in 2012.  After a few more plays I've labeled it a slight "jam" of some sort, but it leans on the predictable side.

You can pre-order Kiss Me Once here and check out both the album track listing and lyric video for "Into The Blue" below.

Kiss Me Once

1. Into The Blue
2. Million Miles
3. I Was Gonna Cancel
4. Sexy Love
5. Sexercize
6. Feels So Good
7. If Only
8. Les Sex
9. Kiss Me Once
10. Beautiful (With Enrique Iglesias)
11. Fine 

 Special Edition Bonus Tracks

1. Mr. President
2. Sleeping With The Enemy 

Kylie Minogue - Timebomb

Australian pop superstar, Kylie Minogue, will spend the majority of 2012 celebrating her past twenty-five years in the showbiz spotlight.  Declared "K25", Kylie's plans include a greatest hits compilation, re-worked versions of classic singles, and an "Anti Tour" with concerts consisting of non-single tracks, b-sides, and rarities.  While K25 is mostly a milestone for Kylie's previous accomplishments, she's still looking forward by releasing a brand new single and music video.  "Timebomb" is her latest track and it already sounds like classic Kylie.  From the "Nu-di-ty"-esque "whoop" to the slinky verses, it's so much fun.  I'm beyond thrilled that "Timebomb" is an edgy dance-pop track without giving into any gimmicky passing trends.  Kylie Minogue remains the classy pop singer that she is.