End of year lists can be a useful tool for music fans, reminding us of that one album we really should remember to pick up with our Christmas record vouchers. 

There are plenty of 'Top 10' lists floating around out there at the moment, but we thought we'd do things a little differently this year.

Today and tomorrow, we'll review the year in music through the letters of the alphabet. Below, you'll find A to M; check back tomorrow for N to Z.

A is for ARIANA GRANDE and ARCTIC MONKEYS and ARCADE FIRE

Bette Midler may recently have tut-tutted at this young pop star's "ridiculous" habit of "slithering around on a couch" in her videos, but considering the year the 21-year-old has had, we doubt that she cares. Her second studio album 'My Everything' cemented her move from Nickeoldeon teen idol to bona fide star with hits like 'Break Free' and 'Problem'. 

Both Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire turned in pretty-damned-good mammoth gigs in Ireland this summer, both at Marlay Park in Dublin - so we couldn't leave them out now, could we?

 

B is for BLACC, ALOE

Aloe Blacc's been tipping away with his own solo material for the last few years - and very fine nu-soul it is, too - but his major breakthrough came last year when he provided the vocals to Avicii's megahit 'Wake Me Up'. He started 2014 in fine form with the release of the funky-as-hell 'The Man', which samples Elton John's 'Your Song', and later in the year, clocked up a Grammy nomination for Best Album, to boot. But for 'The Man' alone - released in January - he makes the list.

 

C is for 'CHANDELIER'

Sia is known for shunning the limelight, but she can continue to hide in the shadows as long as she keeps producing tracks like Chandelier, taken from her album '1000 Forms of Fear', released during the summer. Not only one of the most powerful pop ballads of the year, it's also one of the best videos, too - featuring dancer Maddie Ziegler's tremendous work.

 

D is for DAMIEN RICE

For a while, it seemed like we may never hear from Damien Rice again; he was in Los Angeles, the rumors trickled through, apparently working on new material for the last few years but with no solid announcement. That changed in 2014 when Rice released his very fine Rick Rubin-produced third record 'My Favourite Faded Fantasy'. True, his tendency for self-indulgence hasn't faded over the last eight years, but we'll let him away with it. This time.

E is for ED SHEERAN

You have to hand it to Ed Sheeran; he conquered the world of pop quite comprehensively with his second album 'X', moving away from the soppy lovelorn anthems of his debut and toward something a lot more mature (for the most part, anyway). Whether you like him or not, 'Sing' is a total jam.

F is for 'FOUR'

One Direction. 1D.  Whatever you wanna call 'em, they're still here and they're still refusing to go away. 'Four' was their record-smashing fourth album and with some of the best pop songwriters on the planet working with them on it, it (and they) could be worse. Will they last as long as it takes to do another album, though? In any case, don't deny you haven't sung along to 'Steal My Girl'. Don't deny it.

G is for GEORGE EZRA

Sensitive young men with guitars were ten-a-penny in 2014 (see also: Vance Joy, Passenger, etc.). What sets George Ezra apart is that remarkable voice - something that no 21-year-old should really be in possession of. He has a clutch of decent songs, too: check out Budapest, for starters, before investigating his debut album 'Wanted on Voyage'.

G is also for… #GARTHGATE

Let's not go there.

H is for HOZIER

It was hard to escape the sound of Andrew Hozier-Byrne's soulful voice in the latter half of 2014, but his dominance is understandable given the quality of his debut album. At 24, the Wicklow man has an uncanny maturity about his songwriting; the lyrics are brilliant, the music and songwriting are top-notch and the voice is stop-you-in-your-tracks awesome. This album is simply the full package: cool enough for musos to stroke their beards to, and just about commercial enough to get played on radio.

I is for IGGY AZALEA

Still only 24, the Australian hip-hop star established her career fairly emphatically in 2014 with a handful of brilliant pop/EDM-tinged tunes. 'Fancy' is the gem in her crown, but other tracks from debut album 'The New Classic' - most notably 'Work' and 'Bounce' - are equally addictive. Also, anyone that riles Azealia Banks is OK with us.

J is for JESS GLYNNE

Her name may not be too familiar, but her voice sure is. Glynne had a bumper year in 2014, scoring hits with Clean Bandit on 'Rather Be' and Route 94 on 'My Love', while her own debut single 'Right Here' did pretty well, too.

K is for KIESZA and KYLIE

Young Canadian singer Kiesza blew up in 2014 with her track 'Hideaway', inspired by her love of '90s dance music (we're in) and was reportedly finished in 90 minutes. Also, she covered Haddaway's 'What Is Love?' for her debut album 'Sound of a Woman'. What's not to like?

Kylie… well, what can we say about Kylie? She blew our tiny minds with a brilliant album ('Kiss Me Once') and an amazing gig at Dublin's 3Arena in November, embodying the sass, sex appeal and bloody-good-voice that explains her enduring pop legacy. You may be 46, Kylie, but you continue to rock our socks, twelve albums into your career.

L is for LA ROUX and LANA DEL REY

La Roux used to be two people, but now Elly Jackson has taken the reins full-time since Ben Langmaid departed their writing partnership. Never fear; long-awaited second album 'Trouble in Paradise' is a BANGER, brimming with clever lyrics, smart dancefloor-fillers and simply great pop songs.

If you read any of her interviews you'll know that Lana Del Rey has had a year of ups and downs; but her third album 'Ultraviolence' was thankfully pretty great and dispelled any notions of 'flash in the pan' about the glamorous New Yorker.

M is for MARK (RONSON) AND MARS (BRUNO)

A two-for-one deal with these geezers, and a late entry into the A-Z of 2014. It wasn't supposed to be released until January, but thank goodness that 'Uptown Funk' was brought forward because it's given Ireland one of the coolest Christmas Number Ones ever. Sure, it rips off Prince and Michael Jackson and numerous other people - but it's whetted our appetite for Ronson's new album 'Uptown Special', regardless.