Remember When (Push Rewind)

       I don't have time to write a full post right now and I apparently don't have the foresight to prepare something ahead of time, so just listen to this (on repeat). 

       I played Wallace's music so often last year that my friend now groans when she hears these opening notes and he was mentioned on last year's 'bands to watch in 2013' list because he should have so much more than he does now. Push Rewind was catchy as hell and you know that, even though they are so pop fueled it could rot your teeth, you just want to sing along to "Invincible" and "Keep Me Crazy".

       In 2014, we should all just accept Wallace's greatness and stop acting like him and his voice aren't perfect.

"Remember When (Push Rewind)" Chris Wallace

- E

Best Comeback

       Justin Timberlake. Justin Timberlake is the sole winner of this title (and of life). He took a hiatus from music during which time he focused on his acting career and we listened to the scraps he threw out like "Dead and Gone", "Carry Out", and "Follow My Lead" and waited anxiously for him to get over his acting stint and come back to our radios (and our hearts).

       "Suit and Tie" was the first song released from The 20/20 Experience in early 2013 and it was the first song about clothing that you accepted, without question, and gladly sang along to, since "Blue Suede Shoes". After that, singles began to tumble onto the radio; "Mirrors" stole our hearts, "Take Back the Night" proved that he would forever be the master of getting songs permanently lodged in your brain, and "TKO" set him as the king of pop (thenceforth and forever).

       He wins for dancing like this, singing like this (and forever providing us with that song), growing up in the spotlight but somehow managing to come out the other side seeming decent, rising from 90's fashion to a good fitting suit [and tie] (I can't), and giving us this SNL performance followed by this one, showing us all his fantastic range as an artist and giving us the first Christmas presents we could all, gladly, sing along with. 

       Justin Timberlake wins comeback of the year for 2013 by not even allowing us to notice that he left the music scene, but then giving us two albums in one year to remind us all of why he should stay.

       A lot of this was facetious, but Justin Timberlake did have the most seamlessly perfect comeback of 2013 (and possibly of all time) and he's ridiculously good-looking (he's been on television sets since the '90's and never has he appeared less than perfect to the at home audience; I'm both awed and jealous) and definitely deserves comeback of the year. 

- E

Second Best

       Hudson Taylor released, yet another, ridiculously good video of them performing a fantastic song on Christmas Eve and I can't get enough of this band. The combination of those vocal harmonies and two acoustic guitars complimenting each other perfectly is almost too much. 

      Check out their acoustic version of "Second Best" from the band's Osea EP and see why they may be my number one pick for band to watch in 2014. 

       If you live stateside, you cannot pick up their latest EP (you can only cry and lament the fact that you had to be born in the US when, obviously, all the cool things are available in the UK first).

"Second Best" Hudson Taylor

- E

Walk You Home (Night Vision Binoculars)

       It's an oldie, but a goodie. The beginning sucks you in with sweet verses like "I see you nearly everyday, I see you, but you don't see me. I wish I had something clever to say, and I wish I had something better I could be" and "I just wanna walk you home" but by the time he gets to "I see you nearly every night, I see you when you're down in your house. With my night vision binoculars, I creep quiet as a mouse" you realize that it's everything you never wanted to hear your stalker say. 

       Regardless, I maintain that it is one of Rosenberg's catchier songs and that, despite this year's amorance of "Let Her Go" and all the other amazing tracks that were featured on 2012's All the Little Lights (listen to "Keep On Walking", "I Hate", "Patient Love", and "Things That Stop You Dreaming" [actually, just listen to all of them]) any one who really wants to listen to some amazing music should head back to Passenger's debut Wicked Man's Rest and work their way through all the albums (I previously explained Mike Rosenberg's use of Passenger as his stage name but: Rosenberg was part of a British band called Passenger whom released their debut album in 2007 [Wicked Man's Rest] then the band broke up and Rosenberg, heading out as a solo act, kept the moniker for the next four albums [Wide Eyes Blind Love, Flight of the Crow, fan released Divers and Submarines and, everyone's favorite, All the Little Lights]).

       Check out "Walk You Home" for a track you should know before heading into the new year. 

"Walk You Home (Night Vision Binoculars)" Passenger

- E