Song Of The Day: "Stayin' Alive" by Say Lou Lou

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NSOTP Best Albums of 2015

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That's it. 2015 is over. Sad days. But, with a new year we have new music. Same Taylor Swift, but new music.

Still, let's take some time to reflect because seriously, 2015 was somewhat of a renaissance for pop music. After going through the various trends of EDM, dubstep, trap, PBR&B, it was getting tedious to get through the best albums of the year when they all sounded similar. Luckily, 2015 was a varied year with a little bit of everything thrown in, but unmistakably POP. So here is the DEFINITIVE list of the best albums. I've also included the song on the album that should be the next single, because as well know, the best song of 2015 was on an amazing album from 2014 that I had wanted to be a single forever. And then it happened. The influence of NSOTP...

On to the albums:

NSOTP Superstars: April 2015

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Pop has gotten a lot more interesting in Q2. We've seen people rise from the ashes, fall apart, a couple delivering some monumental music and others just remain amazing. Here are the popstars around the world that are doing something right.

NSOTP Superstars: February 2015

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I've decided to keep a record of my favorite people in pop at the moment. It changes often but some people just keep being amazing and if I had done this in 2007, Lady Gaga would have been in this every time (until that dumb jazz album). So here are the top 7 things in pop that have been amazing and will get you excited for a while!

Song Of The Day: "Nothing But A Heartbeat" by Say Lou Lou

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Good news and bad news. The bad news is that the most highly anticipated album of the year has been delayed. UGGGHHH. For those who don't know, the album in question is Lucid Dreaming, the debut by the best twins in music Say Lou Lou. The good news is that Miranda & Elektra have decided to give us a little treat to whet our appetites until the album is out in April. And that would be the heaven-sent ethereal anthem called "Nothing But A Heartbeat." 

After stopping to take a dance break on "Games For Girls," this new single takes all the elegant romanticism of their earlier ballads but turns it into a rollicking tune that would not sound out of place on the last Tove Lo album. Quieter, but no less powerful.

This new album will likely be the greatest thing Sweden and Australia have ever produced, much like the sisters themselves. Take a listen to hear for yourself.

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Next Big Thing: Sweden + Australia= Amazing Music in the Form of Say Lou Lou

Meet your new obsession

Say Lou Lou happen to be those two lovely ladies above. At first, you would probably think they were just your typical models that look very much alike making generic pop music. But they are so SO much more than that. Miranda & Elektra Kilbey-Jansson (Now those are a couple of superstar names) are in fact twins. They are the daughters of music experts Steve Kilbey and Karin Jansson. As such, the girls are half-Australian and half-Swedish.

Let's take that in for a second. HALF-AUSTRALIAN AND HALF-SWEDISH! Two of the world's greatest music suppliers combined. That's like if they were the love-children between Gabriella Cilmi and Tove Lo. Or like Dannii Minogue and Icona Pop.

LIKE THE CHILDREN OF KYLIE MINOGUE & ROBYN! *The world just imploded from that merging of pop*

Thankfully, their music kind of sounds like a mix of all those things. They popped up in 2012 as Saint Lou Lou with "Maybe You", a lush electronic ballad that sounds like it's gliding on ice. The girls deliver heartbreak and melancholy in the most beautiful way and solidified their status as the new lovelorn sirens on the scene.

Since then, the girls have decided to change their name (probably for trademark reasons) and continue their tradition of amazingly beautiful love songs that involve some torrid love affair among the girls. Just look at "Julian" and their cover of Tame Impala's "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards." Their appreciation for epic storytelling and cinematic styling certainly brings them to a higher status than other singers with more fame (ahem, Miley?). They also have the uncanny ability to create B-sides that at some times overshadow the actual single.

This is "Beloved." It's the B-side for Say Lou Lou's 2013 single "Better in The Dark." Now, that song was grade-A pop perfection. Literally one of the best. But "Beloved" though?!?! The soft cooing synths. That chorus of pure heartache. That bridge of anger and frustration. AND IT'S A BALLAD! Never before has a ballad been so close to being the song of the year, but Say Lou Lou managed to do it.

Clearly, these girls were meant for superstardom and became the premiere twin act of 2014, beating out the likes of Tegan & Sara, Jedward, and The Veronicas. Say Lou Lou were so great that they even got nominated for the BBC Sound of 2014 Poll alongside other great acts like Ella Eyre and Chlöe Howl and frankly, they should have won but Sam Smith mania took over the world. Oh well, they did give us "Everything We Touch" and "Peppermint" to show how ready they were to rule the airwaves. Seriously, the lush power ballad should become the new Game Of Thrones theme song, especially since the girls "trained dragons"#DanaerysTargaryenRealness.

With 2014 almost at an end, Miranda and Elektra decided to throw us a curveball. Not only are the girls releasing their debut album Lucid Dreaming on Valentine's Day (which is a missed opportunity to name it SLAY LOU LOU), they have decided to take their talents to the dance floor. Their new cut "Games For Girls" with Norwegian producer Lindstrøm is pure disco voguing bliss as the beat goes from hypnotic Italo disco to euphoric bouncing throughout. Guess ballads aren't the only things Say Lou Lou have mastered and I'm already calling their album as the best of 2015!

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!

Best Songs Of 2013: #15-11

15. "Strangers" by Seven Lions & Myon & Shane 54 feat. Tove Lo

This is where things start to get really good. "Strangers" is an amazing dance song that starts off like a love song, then goes into fun dub step part, then gets all quiet and you can feel all the emotions Tove Lo is bringing, before properly going off into a dance floor belter. All in all, a magnificently romantic EDM song that brings Seven Lions, Myon & Shane 54, and Tove Lo to the top 15.

14. "Sweetness Alive" by Goldroom feat. Say Lou Lou

If there was a song where paradise was personified, it would be Sweetness Alive. Goldroom takes all the heartwarming synths to a tropical land of mystical romance and happiness. He even knew that Say Lou Lou could bring it to the next level thanks to their heavenly vocals. Ultimately, this song should have been number 1 in at least 80 countries. But at least it was number 1 in my heart (this was a really cheesy post I'm sorry, this song is really just that magical).

13. "Gentlemen" by The Saturdays

Oh dear god, now THIS WAS UNEXPECTED. This throwback song by The Saturdays was definitely not something anyone expected. Basically, each Saturday takes a turn talking about how guys are dicks and gentlemen are only from 1995 (the year I was born in may I add!!!) before going into a rap about hot guys. Brilliant. "GO GO GO 90's!"

12. "Work Bitch" by Britney Spears

You wanna hit single? You wanna become an icon again? You wanna create one of the best songs ever? You better work bitch! And that's exactly what Britney Spears did. 10/10 Godney, well done!

11. "Rough 'n' Soothe" by Ronika

Ronika has always been a favorite of mine and once again brought an amazing 70's disco throwback with a tropical twist this time. Even though I have no idea what the hell a Rough and Soothe is. Now, this song is spectacular, which means the top 10 must be really fucking good. Get excited!