During the great “radio hits” debate of late 2013, I agreed to dedicate time each month this year to the songs topping the charts. That way I won’t be ignorant of some ubiquitous smash when populating my year-end list with deep album cuts by bands like Belle & Sebastian.
I’ll probably still leave those hits off my list, but at least I’ll do it consciously.
There is no denying the pop mastery of Katy Perry’s 2010 album, Teenage Dream. It produced five #1 singles (the first album to do so since Michael Jackson’s Bad) and another that reached #3.
It also raised expectations for her next release to impossibly high levels — commercially if not artistically.
Based on early sales, that album — Prism — is another hit. Whether it will prove to have the legs of its predecessor (or the number one hits) remains to be seen.
Meet Me In Montauk 