#3 - The Naked and Famous - Higher
The Naked and Famous are an international force to be reckoned with, and it's about time they landed on the Top 20. I'd say #3 is a pretty great place to debut yourself on a countdown like this as well. The band is the brain-child of guitarist Thom Powers and singer Alisa Xayalith and garnered massive alternative hits in 2010 with Young Blood and Punching in a Dream. Their previous album "In Rolling Waves" featured the song Hearts Like Ours, which just missed out on our 2013 version of the countdown. I felt that that album was not as strong as their debut work "Passive You, Aggressive Me", but I still found myself listening to their newest effort "Simple Forms" while decorating last year for Christmas and falling in love with the band all over again. It was the first song to be considered for the 2017 Countdown and never left the top 3.
The band has always been synth and chorus-heavy and relied on the high-pitched shrieks of Xayalith, similar to contemporaries like Chvrches and Passion Pit. Powers provides fantastic harmonies and also sings lead on a few songs per album, shining on My Energy this time around. The only downside I have with the album is that it seems like every song seems to shoot for the stars when the chorus comes around, and sometimes there just isn't enough power behind them to make an impact. I also enjoyed the harmonious Falling and the stripped versions they released of Last Forever and Higher. "Simple Forms" debuted at 110 on the Billboard 200 and made it up to #10 on the US Alternative and #9 on the US Independent charts.
Higher is the opening track from the New Zealanders and it immediately drops bouncy synths and Xayalith's ability to capture ears with her range. There's beeping keys and a clapping bassline that pushes you forward. The absolute line of 2017 comes from the songs refrain - "better believe the sea of changes, and put these battered bones to rest. Nothing invisible or nameless - leave no reason to confess". The song doesn't let up until the final note drops and is well worth the almost 18M streams it garnered on Spotify. The song made it to #39 on the US Alternative list while rocketing up to #2 on the New Zealand Heatseeker chart.
Title: Higher
Artist: The Naked and Famous
Album: Simple Forms
Previous #3s
2016: POP ETC - What Am I Becoming?
2015: Slipknot - (A) Skeptic; (B) The Devil in I
2014: Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)
2013: The Airborne Toxic Event - Timeless
2012: Walk the Moon - Anna Sun
2011: Matt and Kim - Good for Great
2010: Fear Factory - Final Exit
2009: Owl City - Fireflies
No comments:
Post a Comment