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| Chez EOY 2023, Complete! |
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 5th January 2024, 12:50 AM
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#21
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 my mind is ready for fun
Joined: 28 August 2017
Posts: 10,723 User: 38,591 
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Hi Chez, I'll catch up on some of the songs I don't know soon, but of those I do, 'Over' and 'Now And Then' are my faves, followed by 'Strong' and 'Fai Fighter'. Several others I remember from song contests, the Kate NV song and video from my BJSC debut one was quite an experience!
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5th January 2024, 08:44 PM
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#22
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 Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,896 User: 23,247
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Nice to see Strong make an appearance here! One of my favourites from both of these artists. Giving a quick listen to the Rainbow song now (although I probably can't do an 8=minute song justice with a 'quick listen'!) - I can't make out what the singer is saying but the music sounds pretty good.
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6th January 2024, 07:19 PM
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#23
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 Alone and wounded
Pronouns: She/her
Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,191 User: 12,810 
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 again Chez, since I last commented my favourites to pop up here are: 'Concrete Over Water', 'Zone 1 to 6000', 'Stargazer', 'Fai Fighter', '2322332323233333333' + 'Strong' <3I gave '50/50' by Jockstrap 15 points in BJSC and also really liked 'Concrete Over Water' but was lazy when it came to checking out the album until Mercury Prize season. Glad I did eventually, it was fab! Did you catch their Mercury performance? It was pretty beautiful. Speaking of BJSC... '2322332323233333333' was a Terra highlight (10 pointer ftw x) and 'Zone 1 to 6000' really kicked off 2023 with a fab winner! Here's hoping our first champion of 2024 is even half as good 
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6th January 2024, 07:24 PM
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#24
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 The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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Thanks all once more <3 The Rainbow vocals aren't the clearest as it's not an official upload, but you can look up the lyrics. They're an epic tale of a Wizard obessed with flying who commands a legion of slaves to build a huge tower only for it to fail, leaving many not sure what they believe in. As said, it reminded me a bit of the Wizard of Oz just darker
-x- 21. Heartworms Retributions of an Awful Life 22. Phoenix feat. Clairo After Midnight 23. Mitski My Love Mine All Mine 24. Peggy Gou It Goes Like (Na Na Na) 25. Kelela Contact Two unlikely chart hits now, certainly to me but maybe Tik Tok's getting a better sense of taste, nonetheless. I was vaguely aware of Peggy Gou and I remember quite enjoying a few songs from her, maybe I got into this one more through increased exposure, but it is just a host of hooks with verses and chorus that are instantly infectious right from the outset, and an instrumental that certainly owes a lot to ATB's 9PM, but that just makes it feel so summery and evocative as well as a real banger, a deserved hit. Mitski is another artist I've got more into with her immense critical acclaim and The Only Heartbreaker was a wonderful discovery last year, My Love Mine All Mine, slightly awkward title but beautifully understated song and anchored by her silently powerful. I first heard it while walking with noisy cars to the left of me so for it to shine through even with that shows its power even with being so stripped down. An extremely unexpected hit but wonderful to see and I hope the rumours of this being her last album aren't true x I really enjoy what I know of Phoenix, but I wasn't really following them for any of their chart eras at the time. I was interested in new material two years back but I really didn't get into Alpha Zulu at all compared to their other work. Good then that this new version of After Midnight with fellow critical darling, Clairo, was much more to my tastes. Call me basic, but some great production, a strong chorus and classic male-female duets are always going to appeal to me and this is no exception. Heartworms were a great discovery at the start of the year, I didn't quite get into their song in Nuggets as the vocals got a little unpleasant but it certainly was interesting and had a great build, but I'm pleased to have found one a lot more listenable that maintains that tense build-up and the contrast between the conversational, pristine vocals and the dark, murky post-punk production that gets gradually more intense as it goes along to create a morose epic which suggests an exciting artist. Finally, I'm not usually that tapped into the blogosphere but Contact by ex-Terra Avium artist and now serial BJSC veto artist, Kelela is a wonderful track. Understated and intimite in it's delivery and with some excellent and sometimes trippy production that is captivating, even if you're not quite in that intimite moment that it clearly is aiming to soundtrack. |
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6th January 2024, 07:33 PM
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#25
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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QUOTE(Jade @ Jan 6 2024, 07:19 PM)  again Chez, since I last commented my favourites to pop up here are: 'Concrete Over Water', 'Zone 1 to 6000', 'Stargazer', 'Fai Fighter', '2322332323233333333' + 'Strong' <3I gave '50/50' by Jockstrap 15 points in BJSC and also really liked 'Concrete Over Water' but was lazy when it came to checking out the album until Mercury Prize season. Glad I did eventually, it was fab! Did you catch their Mercury performance? It was pretty beautiful. Speaking of BJSC... '2322332323233333333' was a Terra highlight (10 pointer ftw x) and 'Zone 1 to 6000' really kicked off 2023 with a fab winner! Here's hoping our first champion of 2024 is even half as good Ooft, so close to you coming into more of your favourites  Yes, Mercury was how I first discovered it, was a good thing I remembered to turn it on this year x |
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6th January 2024, 07:39 PM
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#26
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my mind is ready for fun
Joined: 28 August 2017
Posts: 10,723 User: 38,591
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I've caught up on the earlier songs I didn't immediately recognise and 'Concrete Over Water' is one I may have heard before but it's stuck a bit more now, Jockstrap seem a consistently interesting proposition! Going to be predictable with my faves from these last 5, as two of the best chart surprises of the year were Peggy Gou and Mitski scoring Top 10 hits - even though I wasn't really aware of the former beforehand, '(It Goes Like) Nanana' was an irresistibly blissful tune, and 'My Love Mine All Mine' seems so simple but captivating in its short runtime.
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6th January 2024, 08:00 PM
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#27
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Alone and wounded
Pronouns: She/her
Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,191 User: 12,810
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QUOTE(Chez Wombat @ Jan 6 2024, 07:33 PM) Ooft, so close to you coming into more of your favourites Argh!  Heartworms, Peggy Gou AND Mitski?! Truly spoiled there  I can see why 'Consistent Dedication' from the former wasn't the most palatable song (was surprised it did so well tbh!) but I did find it fascinating, however, I do think 'Retributions of an Awful Life' is even better so very pleased that you have taken to that one in a big way *.*The British Public chose taste providing both Peggy and Mitski with commercial break-throughs I fear. I think you would love the accompanying album to 'My Love Mine All Mine' if you haven't heard it. x |
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6th January 2024, 08:33 PM
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#28
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Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,896 User: 23,247
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Nice to see Peggy so high up here - a fantastic dance track and my mainstream pick of the year! I remember hearing After Midnight earlier in the year and that sounded fairly decent as well.
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7th January 2024, 08:21 PM
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#29
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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19. Weyes Blood God Turn Me Into a Flower 20. Caroline Polachek feat. Dido & Grimes Fly to You Weyes Blood has always been someone I should probably check out an album from, Titanic Rising is still on my list but her 2022 effort, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, is at least off my list even if a year late, and is one of my best listens of the year with it's gorgeous orchestral-heavy compositions and powerful vocals. It's an album filled with stripped down soundscapes yet a warm positive and hopeful feeling, reflecting the title. And the single, God Turn Me Into a Flower, was a particular standout example, the last two minutes as the piece evolves with her vocals and the blossoming soundscape taking certain stage is stunning. I may be a year late, but I couldn't not give this one a shoutout. Another album of the year and still with one more song to come is Caroline Polachek, accompanied with friends Dido and Grimes. An incredibly unlikely collaboration that seems almost randomly generated between 21st Century names but it works very well, the song makes use of drum'n'bass which is always up my street and the different vocal styles work well to make it seem pretty seamless with Grimes' more quirky, frantic delivery contrasting with Dido's more restrained take, yet the chorus brings it all together in a neat package. It's been one of the songs from the album that I've gone back to the most. |
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7th January 2024, 09:49 PM
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#30
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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17. The National – Deep End (Paul’s In Pieces) 18. Joanna – WHERE’S THE LIGHT? I've always liked the little I've known of The National, but in the summer, following hearing a song that is still to come, I decided I really needed to check out more of their stuff. I just really like their morose style of indie, it's a wonder I didn't get into them earlier as this used to be all I used to listen to. Bloodbuzz Ohio has become a particular favourite of mine with its sombre take on childhood homecoming. So it was good that they blessed us with not one but two new albums this year, and while I do feel this is rather excessive for any artist and compromises quality, it's fortunate that the lead single still had that classic National style I've come to enjoy, with it's slowly ascending guitar and token sombre vocals. It's not exactly new ground, yet in a year when I've finally delved deep into their material, feels as satisfying. One of my favourite BJSC discoveries now, I know very little about Joanna but the mystery surrounding this if anything, adds to the wonder. The soprano-esque vocals, French language (which all the best songs have ofc. x) and feeling of desperation as the track gradually reaches a beautiful, synthy crescendo. The wonderful soundscape is accompaned by a strange video that could be the trailer for a show about ancient forest spirits. Kate Bush was the first thing that comes to mind and anything that reminds me of her, particularly the conceptual suite on the Hounds of Love album, is a worthy discovery. |
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9th January 2024, 07:28 PM
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#31
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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15. Hemlocke Springs sever the blight 16. Confidence Man & Daniel Avery On & On (Again) Another BJSC song (and also from St. Burbia x), however I did actually know this before the contest and I did briefly consider it as a potential so we'll wonder if I ever could've got two wins if I'd be brave enough. Either way, Hemlocke Springs is an instantly standout song that is so distinctive in it's structure, vocal style and instrumentation. The wild falsetto echoes that of Kate Bush and the vibrant production straight out of the 80s as she's been open about. It's short, but so much is packed into that runtime that it's impossible to forget. After his smash hits in my EOY last year, Daniel Avery is back 6Music favourites Confidence Man, they have been increasing their profile a bit recently with lots of dance collaborations and this one really hits the spot. From some more relaxed beginnings, the frantic, chaotic production accompanies the chorus elevates the song and the immersive production grabs you in. This has all the makings of a dance classic, it's a shame it wasn't more widely known to become that :'( |
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9th January 2024, 07:53 PM
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#32
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Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,896 User: 23,247
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It's been a while since I've heard any Confidence Man! Giving On & On a listen now - it's certainly a decent dance piece, has somewhat of a retro feel to it!
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12th January 2024, 08:38 PM
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#33
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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I'd recommend Confidence Man's material to you, it's all got a retro tinge which is really cool x
13. Lankum – The New York Trader 14. Enola Gay feat. Mount Palomer – terra firma The penultimate song from Lankum is the second release from False Lankum and with the male vocalist taking over, and continues the dark Irish storytelling in a slightly different folk-esque light, the tune at first appears a bit brighter in tempo and manner with it's strumming guitars and tuneful vocals, yet a darker feel emerges as the storytelling lyrics gradually uncover a dark tale of a cruel captain whose wicked misdeeds are discovered and after a lull after the big secret, suddenly intensity heightens and the pace quickens, with some low chanting joining in and reflecting the mutinous lyrics. The song closes out with a two minute instrumental traditional Irish outro which sounds jaunty as any Irish music, but has a seriously dark undertone after the story we've witnesses. Lankum remain absolutely master storytellers with this and I was pleased to see it become my second storytelling folk hit in BJSC x And another BJSC entry now courtesy of 6Music early morning playlists. I became so swamped at the end of the year that I just didn't have a lot of time for new music, but the first time I heard Enola Gay, it was pretty unforgettable. A great noise/post-punk fusion, the dark murky vocals and soft guitars contrast brilliantly with the industrial/Drum'n'Bass inspired backing to create a sinister song that peruses silently before all the elements combine into an intense rush, and all of this in just three and a half minutes. Apparently not quite as heavy as usual from this band, but I think this is the right level of intensity for me. I can't not talk about the coincidence of the title, not just for my BJSC country but also the band name coming in the same year as Oppenheimer and by extension, me rediscovering the wonder of Enola Gay by Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark, it is for this reason I am categorising this as part one of the Barbeheimer impact on my EOY, the other half you say?...  |
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12th January 2024, 10:08 PM
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#34
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 11,851 User: 39,723
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Really like both "My Love Mine All Mine" and "It Goes Like (Na Na Na)" from your latest selection!
Also if "Voryva" and "Loveher" are #11 and #12, what are #13 & #14? |
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12th January 2024, 10:33 PM
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#35
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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You saw nothing
(can you tell it's the end of the working week x)11. Dzivia - Voryva 12. Romy - Loveher My favourite BJSC discovery of the year is a dark ancient folk-style song by Dzivia, a genre I've come to really love seeing pop up in the contest when it does. I never know where to find this, but I'm extremely pleased I did. An eight minute epic starting softlywith deep mumbles building to a full blown orchestra and wide scale chanting with a distinctive ancient European feel, you have to be thankful for YouTube for uncovering these hidden gems. I must admit a lot of my love for it comes from the stunningly animated and symbolic unofficial video, which I loved so much I used it as an animation to analyse for one of my lessons for my SpLD qualification this year. This really needs to be viewed so many more times than it is and the channel also has other great uploads so thank you Rahasia-Diati x It continues to give me chills and while I'd love to have seen it win BJSC, the song that did beat it is just that little better for reasons still to come x Loveher is the highest here from Romy. This feels like the contrast between the optimistic and infectious Enjoy Your Life and a more melancoly, downbeat sound demonstrated here. Romy's dulcet tones are beautiful here perfectly depicting an intimite, ethereal atmosphere before a gradual electronic sound joins the orchestra to build the intensity to create a pained and unrequited romantic ballad that you could easily dance to. Nothing on the album quite came to the standard of this beauty. Top 10 hopefully starting/finishing this weekend, if I'm not too wiped out :'). |
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12th January 2024, 11:01 PM
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#36
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my mind is ready for fun
Joined: 28 August 2017
Posts: 10,723 User: 38,591
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'Fly To You' has stuck with me the most from Caroline's album, with a particularly memorable chorus from her as well as the cameos from Grimes and Dido with their voices weaving together. 'Sever The Blight' is one I also liked pre-BJSC, maybe I wouldn't have seen it as a potential winner but it was a very welcome one. 'The New York Trader' got a silver from me, very engrossing in the way the instrumentation builds the drama alongside the story.
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14th January 2024, 10:39 PM
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#37
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Alone and wounded
Pronouns: She/her
Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,191 User: 12,810
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Ooh lots of good stuff since I last commented *.*
'Fly to You' didn't quite make my top 100 (just Overmono being greedy with 5 appearances, Caroline had to settle for 2 x) but it was in my weekly chart as part of the relevant album bomb, gotta agree that a track with both Dido and Grimes in the mix was an unexpected move, but a great one at that - the sound is very nostalgic <3 'God Turn Me Into A Flower' was in my previous EOY so nice to see it belatedly making an impact on you as well, her vulnerability on that song is beautiful and the production really allows the vocals to shine. Terra Avium were on fire last year, gave 'The New York Trader' 13 points (not sure if brainrot from watching so much of it in a short amount of time last year but this would slot in perfectly on the Peaky Blinders soundtrack) and 'terra firma' 11, both superb <3 looking forward to hearing your entry this month (I see we're in the same semi) and intrigued to see what you'll think of mine as I know you can appreciate orchestral picks. Elsewhere, other people's entries - 'Voryva' was a huge favourite for me too, gave it 18 and your song that month 15, which ended up being the top 2 but the other way round love that you actually incorporated it for one of your lessons. 'WHERES THE LIGHT?' was beautiful too!Revisited 'On & On (Again)' just today while writing about it earlier, great to see that so high for you  deserves to be a big dance classic indeed, if only x the Romy song is lovely also. <3
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15th January 2024, 08:05 PM
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#38
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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Thanks you both for commenting, That description sounds promising for Terrakissnia to continue going strong this month, I think mine will be quite up your street hopefully x
10. Billie Eilish - What Was I Made For? Here is that second half of Barbenheimer as promised  You can't talk about 2023 in film without talking about Barbie, a true cultural phenomenon in every sense and deservedly so for the most part, a very solid film through and through which was a lot of fun as well as having something to say with a clever message that goes beyond what you might expect from Barbie. I never got round to the soundtrack in full and there were some (ahem Barbie World) that I want to forget immediately, but they all worked rather well in the context of the film. One clear standout though is the ever-reliable Billie Eilish. On a soundtrack mainly filled with the fluffiest, pinkest pop you can imagine, this dark ballad stood out amazingly. Of course, it is played at a pivotal point in the film where Barbie reflects on what her purpose is in the world, it's one of the strongest and most reonant emotional moments in the film and nicely reflects the general contrast with the soundtrack. Even outside context though, this is still gorgeous. Billie's vocals are as haunting and beautifully sung, that same tender, vulnerable rawness on all of her ballads is present here too, and her youthful existential angst is a perfect fit for a song like this. I'm so glad the UK public made this a number 1 to give her a soundtrack number 1 much more worthy of her name, and for also realising, in a parallel sense, what truly made Barbie as standout a film as it was.
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15th January 2024, 08:18 PM
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#39
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 11,851 User: 39,723
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Very happy to see "What Was I Made For?" on here in the top 10.
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15th January 2024, 08:23 PM
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#40
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,132 User: 9,232
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9. Art School Girlfriend A Place to Lie Art School Girlfirend was a revelation from the BJSC contest that I hosted and while I was a little late to getting round to it, the parent album turned out to be a great listen to. The name alone instantly appeals to me, conjuring up images of hipster arts students that I like to aspire to be like x Her powerful voice takes me right back to the early work of London Grammar and Florence and the Machine, her soothing tones give a dreamy trance-like feel with the layered production blossoming as it reaches its crescendo to a truly beautiful final few minutes, the ongoing ocean travel in the video reflects the mood nicely. The whole album reflects similar hazy, moody and danceable sounds and while it wasn't the most varied, it was all very much up my street. This one however still stands out the most as being the greatest representation of her talents. |
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