That famous philosopher (and banjo picker) Steve Martin once said, ''Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.'' I couldn't agree more. Of all the things I write about for EW, pop music's the hardest, because a columnist doesn't get paid for saying, ''I dunno, I just like it.'' But can I really explain why I love ''I Kissed a Girl'' by Katy Perry and would be delighted never to hear Taylor Swift's ''You're Not Sorry'' again? No. All I can say is that I find ''the taste of her cherry ChapStick'' in ''Girl'' entrancingly sexy, while everything about ''You're Not Sorry''... makes me sorry. So pardon me if I sound inarticulate in what follows. It's my list of the best music I heard this year, the stuff that hit my sweet spot. If you disagree, it's because you dance to different architecture.
Image Credit: Amy Guip/Corbis Outline
EW's pop culture columnist picks his favorite music of the year: See where Al Green, AC/DC, and Coldplay ranked, plus his (tie) for No. 1