Song Of The Day: "Someone Who Can Dance" by Icona Pop (with bits by Zara Larsson & Elliphant)

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Track By Track Throwback: "THIS IS … ICONA POP" by Icona Pop

This throwback is dedicated to the almost debut album by Swedish 90's bitches Icona Pop. Though it was not their first LP, Icona Pop's revamped album of balls to the wall bangers was a reckless thrill ride across every dance floor. So let's get into shall we?

1. I Love It feat. Charli XCX

We've been through this before, but "I Love It" is OFFICIALLY the best song of last year and possibly this decade. Thanks to Charli XCX, we got an insanely catchy kiss off that every college freshman had screamed in clubs across the world. Pretty much my theme song for any occasion. At 2 and a half minutes, the three girls managed to take over TV, airwaves, movies, and anything else you may have thought of. With this being their first song on the album, Aino and Caroline set the bar pretty high.

2. All Night

"All Night" was the follow up to "I Love It" and would have removed Icona Pop from their one-hit wonder status if people would give it a chance. It starts off with a fun little guitar lick before finding the girls back on the dance floor (where they belong). Though not as immediate or anarchist, it is an aspirational feel-good jam that is especially great live. And the video should give you LIFE in so many ways.

3. We Got The World

The girls first foray into EDM territory also happens to be Tove Lo written. I wonder what it sounds like? BLOODY INCREDIBLE THAT'S WHAT! By now, Icona Pop's signature can be heard as a carefree statement of being who you are and just having fun. And it's a lesson a lot of popstars need to remember.

4. Ready For The Weekend

By now, it's pretty dizzying the pace that this album is going. The BPM is probably averages above every other album from last year. However, with "Ready For The Weekend" Icona Pop decides to mislead us into thinking that Gregorian chant would be there the entire time. Then the auto tune and beat comes in and we realize Aino & Caroline were just joking. Not the most amazing song but one of the most interesting for sure.

5. Girlfriend

Yes that is them sampling Tupac. But don't let that turn you off. The song is all right. It just kind of ambles on with steady electronic beats pairing up with the girls declaration of female camaraderie (ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND). It would have probably been better if they had replaced this with a song from their Swedish album like "Nights Like This" or "Downtown." Oh well.

6. In The Stars

We start to enter some pretty cool stuff now. "In The Stars" has the girls declaring their future as "pharaohs on the throne" before going into a rock n roll esque chorus. One of the catchier songs on the record, it will have you jamming in about 10 seconds. The best bit is when you hear one of them shouting in the background!

7. On a Roll

This Shellback-produced joyride is a definite favorite. That beginning with Icona Pop "do do doo"ing is pretty awesome. It's a headbanger from beginning to end and uses a guitar wisely for a dance song. And for some reason sounds very distinctly Swedish. Way to represent Icona Pop!

8. Just Another Night

The only real ballad on the album is the delicate and heartfelt "Just Another Night." For some reason, this appears to be Icona Pop's favorite off the album and is no doubt a nice song. For Hilary Duff. Or Celine Dion. Or Adele. Just not Icona Pop. It's sad when an act can't deliver a ballad properly but it's better to just accept it and move on to the next banger. Fortunately, this is the only really skippable song on the album.

9. Hold On

Back on the dance floor, we see the girls get a little more angsty and steer the boy-hating "I Love It" energy into a little darker territory. Then that slightly country-ish chorus comes in like sunshine and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The most straightforward pop song for sure, a little boring compared to the others. But the chorus is still great.

10. Light Me Up

The second to last song on their album happens to be their best (besides I Love It cuz duh). Another Tove Lo co-write, it bridges the gap between older indie reggae Icona Pop and newer EDM Icona Pop.  From the islandy guitar to the "Oh Oh's" in the background, "Light Me Up" pretty much sums up the girls aesthetic for marrying organic and electronic sounds perfectly. That "Even If I go down in flames" part is really great.

11. Then We Kiss

The last song on the album is an energy filled smash that somehow incorporates an electric harmonica. Bearing a similarity to the Sugababes' "About You Now," it's a bouncy and fun song with Icona Pop recounting stories of falling in love and that amazing first kiss. It pretty much writes itself.

THIS IS… was Icona Pop's introduction to mainstream pop music and is a solid effort regardless of its lack of critical success. It may have been a lot less charming than their Swedish debut but it's a fun-filled thrill ride that succeeds in getting you to move. So let's hope Icona Pop continue to achieve the success they deserve and if not let's just remember

Best Songs Of 2013: The Top 5

Every one of these songs are stone-cold hits. Make sure to check out the rest of the list on the blog!

5. "American Girl" by Bonnie McKee

For those of you that didn't know, "American Girl" was the very first Song Of The Day post on Nonstop On Top Pop! And rightfully so. This patriotic slice of good old-fashioned electropop comes courtesy of certified hit maker Bonnie McKee and easily takes the cake as her best work to date. Ultimately, Bonnie has all the goods to be 2014's greatest popstar and she has all of Q4 to do it.

4. "Habits" by Tove Lo

"Habits" holds a special place in my heart as I discovered Tove Lo early on and thus, knew a trendsetting popstar before most others even knew she existed. Now, Habits is sitting nicely just outside the iTunes charts and Billboard Hot 100. Come on, "I eat my dinner in my bathtub, then I go to sex clubs" is the best opening line in the history of pop. And Tove's album has shaped up to be the best of 2014. All in all, you go Tove Lo (a la Mean Girls)!

3. "Beloved" by Say Lou Lou

Technically, this was a B-side to another really amazing song. But seriously, the fact that Say Lou Lou created a B-side better than the vast majority of hits from the past decades just boggles the mind. First off, a ballad has never gotten this high in my rankings before. But "Beloved" was so devastatingly beautiful, so poignantly heartbroken, and just so fantastic it had to make it to 3rd place. And the girls already have claim to best album of 2015. Amazing.

2. "SuperLove" by Charli XCX

It happened. Out of all the hits Charli XCX has made since she was seventeen, she managed to top them all with SuperLove. How could this be possible you ask? Well, it takes all her quick fire pop hooks that made you fall in love with her and matches it with a fun pop-rock melody. And it came 6 MONTHS after her album dropped. Charli is nothing if not a hard worker and 2014 finally saw how good of a popstar she is. And that's why she will always be my favorite.

1. "I Love It" by Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX

I'm sorry to say that it was rather obvious that "I Love It" was going to be the best song of the year. A simple 2 and a half minutes of pure recklessness, joy, anger, and general fucklessness. It never occurred to anyone that Icona Pop had it in them, but I Love It seemed destined to be the worldwide hit that gave the girls a reputation as Sweden's best export of party music. But more importantly, it set the stage for Charli XCX's takeover as the best songwriter in the industry right now. It's always great when good pop is recognized and thankfully, "I Love It" will go down in history as a success story for all music. And I will forever be a 90's bitch. 

Congratulations 2013 for having amazing music and here's to 2014 for giving us the same!

Song Of The Day: "Get Lost" by Icona Pop

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ICONA POP ARE BACK! That's right, Swedish girl group, masters of the shouty pop song, and the artist's behind THE BEST SONG OF 2013!!!!! have returned to give us more music. Before blowing up with their Charli XCX co-write, Aino and Caroline were known for a more indietronica sound but they made the correct decision to become true popstars and their debut album in the states was a nonstop joyride of anthemic pop songs.

Unfortunately, the public kind of thought they were one-hit wonders despite "All Night" being amazing as well. But the girls aren't fucking around now. Their new single, just released today, "Get Lost" is a signature Icona Pop song, complete with rollicking piano riffs, a slight retro feel, and a no fucks given chorus. Much like "I Love It", just try not to sing along to this while driving down the coast, "leaving this fucked up world BEHIND!" Could Icona Pop repeat their success and claim BEST SONG OF 2014 too?!? "Get Lost" may just do that!

The Best Albums of 2013

Miley wishes BANGERZ was on here

2013 was a great year for music, with a lot of old pop divas coming for their thrones and newish artists finally get their first LP out in the open. We saw Miley's Wrecking Ball and Britney Jean's Work Bitch slaying the charts but both those albums failed to really amount to anything (my opinion alone, don't kill me). So now I've compiled the best albums of 2013 in order of amazingness, and keep following the blog for Track by Track Throwbacks where I go deep into each track with my thoughts!

18. Summer Camp by Summer Camp

Just by their name, you can tell that Summer Camp have your vacation in my mind with their fun and effervescent brand of pop. So roll down your windows and play this album as you're driving along the coast and think about a fun 60's summer adventure.

17. Night Time, My Time by Sky Ferreira

It's taken Sky Ferreira a long time to get it together but she finally released her debut album in 2013. Dropping her bubbly electropop persona for a scuzzy pop-rock alternative, the album suprisingly doesn't run dry on pop hooks despite the Kurt Cobain-esque styling. Good job Sky!

16. Woman by Rhye

Rhye came on the scene in 2012 with the excellent "The Fall" and their new album lives up to all the hype. A collection of blissed out cuts that wrap around you like a cashmere sweater made of clouds.

15. Beyonce by Beyonce

Katy Perry's gold truck has nothing on Queen Beyonce's surprise release of last year. While we were all freaking out and trying to comprehend how this was even possible, the music was also pretty good! So all I have left to say is, Bow Down Bitches.

14. Settle by Disclosure

With the 90's house revival in full swing, we can thank Disclosure for getting our inner 90's kid out with their debut album. Though a little repetitive at points, this record sounds scattered and chaotic, in the best way possible.

13. Body Music by Alunageorge

Electro R&B is the new genre we never knew we needed. Thanks to Alunageorge and their first album we can now jam to sum of the weirdest and funkiest music of the 2010's.

12. Trouble by Natalia Kills

Everything about Natalia Kills' return to music was amazing. After ditching the goth Lady Gaga persona, Natalia finally releases music that sounds inexplicably like her: powerful, witty, and epic.

11. The Bones Of What You Believe by CHVRCHES

The year's smartest electropop comes from the Glasgow formed CHVRCHES. An exciting and captivating adventure from beginning to end, this is a strong debut on what is sure to be a long and successful career for the band.

10. Days Are Gone by Haim

The BBC Sound of 2013 winners deliver an excellent record that blends the California rock scene with the best of 80's pop. The Haim sisters are the coolest band in whatever country you're in and would make Fleetwood Mac proud.

9. This Is... Icona Pop by Icona Pop

The baddest bitches of Sweden Icona Pop broke the soundwaves of America in 2013 and their first album stateside is a nonstop stream of shouty bangers. Though the Swedish release has a lot more substance to it, any album with "I Love It" deserves to be in the top 10.

8. The Beat Becomes A Sound by Late Night Alumni

This Kaskade side project returns to the chilled out breezy trance music that made their second album so spectacular. Late Night Alumni's mix of acoustic guitars and dance beats was ahead of its time and the angelic vocal is a great bonus.

7. Skyer by Postiljonen

The most majestic music this year comes from Sweden (obviously) as Postiljonen warms you up with lush production and beautiful electronica. The M83-esque release innocently calls for your attention and is worth every moment of listening.

6. Samson & Delilah by V V Brown

Grace Jones has got some competition as V V Brown reincarnates herself as a dark princess of edgy pop-noir. Making the biggest 180 of 2013, V V manages to pull of one of the year's most avant-garde and exciting releases in recent memory.

5. ARTPOP by Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga may be flailing around a bit with this whole ARTPOP schtick but the album really is pretty great. A typical Lady Gaga album, you've got everything from pop to EDM to hip/hop to Middle Eastern trance music. You can always count on Mother Monster to deliver some of the weirdest and often times brilliant songs in music today.

4. Music To Make Boys Cry by Diana Vickers

The X Factor alumni's sophomore album is a work of art. Thanks to some help from master songwriter Miranda Cooper, Diana Vickers has never sounded so comfortable with each song reflecting the bubbly personality and wide-eyed romanticism that made us fall in love with Vickers to start with.

3. Nocturnes by Little Boots

With a promise to create the music she had always wanted to make, electropop mistress Little Boots returned to us with Nocturnes, a collection of moody night time electronica. The most cohesive album on the list, Boots doesn't mess around with getting us to cry on the dancefloor and many vogue houses would play this record nonstop.

2. Heartthrob by Tegan & Sara

Who knew that these Canadian twins had it in them to create one of the best pop albums of the decade? Certainly not me. One of the first releases of 2013, Tegan & Sara made sure that their debut into electropop would leave a mark and luckily, they achieved that with spectacular results.

1. True Romance by Charli XCX

It's hard to believe that Charli XCX's first album was released over a year ago and she is still releasing new music. After teasing the public with the occasional amazing single and brilliant mixtape, Charli's lovestruck (or love struck down) album is a magical testament to Charli's skill as a songwriter and there is not a single dud track amongst all the dark pop odes to romance.

There you go, the best albums from last year. Overall, I think music was the real winner. Let me know if I missed out on anything and stay tuned for further reviews of each amazing album!

The Next Big Thing: Tove Lo Brings Swedish Pop To New Heights Without Drugs

http://www.mostlyjunkfood.com/video-tove-lo-habits-live/

For those of you who don't know, Sweden is the birthplace of literally some of the greatest pop music every created. The country is responsible for the creation of ABBA, Icona Pop, and the goddess that is Robyn. Throughout the consistent string of singles that exit the country and infect our minds with amazingness, there is usually one or two popstars a year that simply take over your life with just a couple of songs. This happened with Icona Pop in 2011 before the behemoth called "I Love It" was written by Charli XCX. So now you might be asking who that popstar was for 2013? Well, meet Tove Lo.

As with any girl singing about lost love with mascara dripping down her face in agony, Tove Lo was destined for stardom. After attending a famed music school in her native country of Sweden, Tove basically made her career writing hits for other artists after pop legend Max Martin (just go through your Britney and Kelly Clarkson singles) realized what a brilliant singer-songwriter Ms. Lo was. After releasing her debut single "Love Ballad" in 2012, Tove made a name for herself after playing a part in creating songs for Icona Pop and Victoria Justice, but nothing can top the fact that Tove wrote the comeback single for Girls Aloud. Once again: TOVE WROTE THE COMEBACK SINGLE FOR GIRLS ALOUD!

After the Aloud decided it was time to disband (#NEVERFORGET), Tove Lo decided to save pop and give me a birthday present by dropping her second single "Habits" in March 2013. With a typically tribal synth beat and ominous background vocals, Tove describes her journey after a break up with drugs, alcohol, sex, and tears. "I eat my dinner in my bath tub, then I go to sex clubs, watching freaky people getting it on" is probably the best opening lyric of the decade and its video perfectly captures the way anyone would feel after a bad break up (though the original video is 20x better). With comparisons to Kesha, Charli XCX, and Lorde, Tove Lo laid waste to the pop arena before anyone knew it.

Not satisfied with just that, Tove has also collaborated with dance producers to create some of the most euphoric trance music you will ever hear. Lucas Nord's "Run On Love" is a prime example and should have been a hit around the world for sure. Tove also has a soundtrack to her name after collaborating with Seven Lions and Myon & Shane 54 on "Strangers" for the Mortal Instruments movie, one of the best songs of last year to be specific.

Unfortunately, Tove did not manage to break the mainstream market with these songs. That is, until indie electronic outfit Hippie Sabotage decided to remix Habits into the eerie and hypnotizing "Stay High" which has managed to crack the American iTunes top 100 and #6 on the UK charts. Riding the success off the single, Tove Lo released one of this year's best EPs with Truth Serum back in March (happy birthday to me!), with 6 spectacular songs, back to back. "Paradise" perfectly captures the feeling of love you have for your soulmate while "Over" and "Out of Mind" tell off a lover that clearly didn't know that Tove was perfect. Each song is massive, earthshaking, and poignant with the epic synth background topped with a heartbreaking scream of a vocal that has become Tove's signature sound.

Tove is poised to take over the world at large now and is slowly doing so. After writing hits for Cher Lloyd and Lea Michele, Tove managed to snag a TV spot on Late Night recently, introducing her to US fans for the first time. And if that's not enough, today Tove Lo casually dropped her lyric video for one of 2014's best songs "Not On Drugs." That chorus will never leave you, which I suppose is counterintuitive to the whole drug thing but anyway. Take it all in now, because Tove Lo is ready to set the world on fire.

Song Of The Day: "What Are You Waiting For?" by The Saturdays

Don't cha wish you were in this selfie?

The Saturdays are back and better than ever. After four and a half adequate studio albums, around 20 singles with varying degrees of success, and one number one single ("What About Us" but let's try and forget that, shall we?), the new experts at this whole girl band game The Saturdays have decided it's time to release a greatest hits album with the single-referencing Finest Selection later this year (brownie points for anyone that can name it). And as with any greatest hits compilation, the girls have decided to record a couple new songs and have released "What Are You Waiting For?" as their newest single.

First off, no it is not a Gwen Stefani cover, although that would be equally as amazing. This insane pop song screams Song of the Summer. Created by the pop gods over at Xenomania, who created their other greatest single "All Fired Up," What Are You Waiting For? is a shouty singalong joyride that could be listened to just as well on a road trip or in da clerb. It has the same reckless quality that made Icona Pop and Neon Jungle songs so addictive but amped up 3x as much at least. I mean, there are three choruses. THREE BLOODY CHORUSES! ONE AFTER THE OTHER! This ridicumazing bonkers anthem is officially my new summer anthem and should be yours too. So as the girls would say, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? (repeated at least 20 times)

Future Smash Alert: Are You Ready for "Trouble" by Neon Jungle?

Let's not beat around the bush (did you catch that jungle reference?). We are in a severe girl group shortage at the moment and pop can never really be amazing unless one is going about somewhere making amaze balls music. In 2013, we saw the end of Girls Aloud (WE WILL NEVER FORGET) and Sugababes 2.0, which really could have ended after that last forgettable single they released. Meanwhile, the Origibabes, aka Mutya Keisha Siobhan, came back with a brilliant single and decided to go away into obscurity for a while, as all major artists do. Currently, The Saturdays are readying a Greatest Hits album only, Little Mix is nearing the end of their album campaign for Salute and Danity Kane was cut down to a trio before the release of their comeback single (Fifth Harmony who?).

Indeed, it looked as if we may have entered a dark age where girl groups died out and desolation could be heard from every corner. We may as well have gone through another ice age that killed all the dinosaurs, that's how cold life felt.

Then, out of nowhere, Neon Jungle decided to casually go about saving the world as we know it and reinvigorating life into the cliché idea of what a girl group should sound like. In summer 2013, "Trouble" by the Jungle came out and signaled the arrival of a hurricane sized force in pop. Who were these four stunning modelesque beauties trashing this house while playing with puppies? Well they happened to be Jess Plummer, Asami Zdrenka, Shereen Cutkelvin, and Amira McCarthey. With "Trouble" being their debut single, Neon Jungle cemented their position as the new girl group in town. 

The song's revolutionary ability to set itself apart from the rest of mainstream radio is thanks to its writers, the amazing pop entities known as Cocknbullkid and Fear of Tigers (those names alone deserve a Grammy).With enough swagger and badassery to earn themselves a place on Bad Girls Club, the high energy Icona Pop-like catchiness of "Trouble" will not get out of your head for at least 72 hours and this is coming from a premed student so you know it's true.  Not only did it give the girls their first top 20 chart hit in the UK and become one of the best songs of 2013, it gave them enough traction to cross the pond and perform at last year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show alongside pop juggernauts like Taylor Swift and Fall Out Boy.

The girls kept the momentum going by releasing 2 more top 10 hit singles "Braveheart" and "Welcome to the Jungle" which was essentially their way of saying, "Remember 'Spice Up Your Life'? Yeah, we're Neon Jungle, bitches!" The reckless clubby feel of these songs fit along with their debut single and their album set to be released at the end of July is sure to be among one of 2014's finest.

The best part about the band is that they know they're awesome. So awesome that they release covers of other amazing music, thereby compiling the collective amazingness into one performance. So awesome that the girls regularly show how much they love their fans through different media. And so awesome that the UK can't possibly contain their amazingness and they have decided to release "Trouble" in America THIS SUMMER! If that doesn't become a smash hit in the States, I will have lost all faith in college girls in the club who would eat this song up. But in the meantime, I'll be bouncing up and down to this song until the 72 hour rush it gives me dies away, which will probably never happen. And all I have to say to that is...