So, it's that time of the year again, lots of listening in December to put a lot of songs in an order. It all seems kind of pointless but I love doing it, this is now my 9th End of Year chart. So what will join the following 8 songs to be crowned my favourite single of the year?

 

2002 - Doves 'There Goes The Fear'

2003 - The Libertines 'Time For Heroes'

2004 - Franz Ferdinand 'Take Me Out'

2005 - The Futureheads 'Hounds of Love'

2006 - Stellastarr* 'Sweet Troubled Soul'

2007 - Robyn 'With Every Heartbeat'

2008 - Elbow 'One Day Like This'

2009 - Animal Collective 'Summertime Clothes'

 

Three of those have released singles this year and they all feature in my top 100, but can any become the first act to ever top my End of Year chart twice?

 

I shall race through 200-101 this evening, and will do the rest at a slower pace over the next 10 days or so. I don't have any particular rules about what can and cannot chart, however everything is released or promoted somewhere and if it didn't make my personal chart, I need to have known of it at the time.

 

Nine songs appear which I never charted and there are 6 UK number one singles. Any guesses on which? Two acts appear 5 times and one appears 7 times, helped by releasing a single every fortnight for the first 10 months of the year.

200

[H] 25-19-24-35-37 (5 weeks)

199

37-28-21-21-36 (5 weeks)

198 The Futureheads 'I Can Do That' 29-20-19-26-39 (5 weeks)

197

40-25-18-20-34 (5 weeks)

196

38-35-35-29-26-21-19-17-26-37 (10 weeks)

195

32-24-21-21-25-32-37 (7 weeks)

194

36-27-23-21-38 (5 weeks)

193 Four Tet 'Love Cry' 38-32-30-34 (4 weeks)

192

28-22-19-16-12-11-16-22-39 (9 weeks)

191

DNC

 

 

Not a great deal to get excited about just yet, especially as over half of these have at least another entry to come. The first of 7 for Ash, Mystery Jets disappointing follow-up to their excellent 2008 singles, a project from the drummer of Razorlight, a 9 minute epic from Four Tet and the weakest of Roll Deep's two number one singles, but still a decent mainstream party song.

I'm still compiling mine but I can exclusively reveal that we will have at least one song in the same position this year. :o

 

190

30-24-17-13-16-24-28-36 (8 weeks)

189

DNC

188

35-27-20-18-18-22-24-39 (8 weeks)

187

31-22-16-26 (4 weeks)

186 Glasser 'Tremel' 37-33-26-30-39 (5 weeks)

185

32-29-32-40 (4 weeks)

184

29-23-19-16-15-33 (6 weeks)

183 Band of Horses 'Factory' 31-24-19-21-35 (5 weeks)

182

27-18-15-20-29-38*

181 These New Puritans 'Attack Music' 35-33-39 (3 weeks)

 

 

Again, a lot of artiss that are going to appear again. Mystery Jets are the first act to feature twice, this time as a featured artist on The Count and Sinden's track. Tinie Tempah gets a first entry, I didn't particularly like 'Frisky' when it first came out but it has grown on me a lot, even if it is an inferior version of 'Pass Out'. Gorillaz first entry is their most recent hit, featuring Sound of 2011 act Daley.

 

*Still on chart

 

I'm still compiling mine but I can exclusively reveal that we will have at least one song in the same position this year. :o

:o

 

I doubt you'll have charted many from that first 10, either M.I.A. or Los Campesinos!? Are you doing yours on chart points again?

No I'm not, I haven't kept a record of points this year at all and it's far too much effort to begin doing it at this stage in the year. Instead I've gone for the singles and album tracks that have made my year via itunes plays and general enjoyment and decided upon the order primarily by gut feeling (although I've tried to keep the ones that did really well in my chart towards the top). More so than ever before there is a distinct lack of things that made the top40 this year. :(

 

I do think that's a better way of doing it, when it's done on points it doesn't take account for slow/fast times of the year, there are songs which didn't make my top 10 which would've easily been top 5 if released at a different time of the year, and stuff towards the end of the year never does as well as it should. The top 40 gets worse every year, although when I voted in the Worst Songs of the Year thread I went through all the stuff that charted this year and there was a distinct lack of songs that I thought were awful. Everything is too generic and average to be rubbish these days.

180

22-16-10-09-08-11-14-22 (8 weeks)

179 Beach House '10 Mile Stereo' 34-28-28-36 (4 weeks)

178 Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip 'Get Better' 34-22-19-15-17-28-37 (7 weeks)

177

30-27-24-22-29-39 (6 weeks)

176

28-21-16-20-37 (5 weeks)

175

30-20-09-07-04-09-19-37 (8 weeks)

174

35-29-23-34 (4 weeks)

173 I am Kloot 'Fingerprints' 35-31-26-23-25-30-37

172

35-32-38-30-25-20-21-31-40 (9 weeks)

171

38-36-32-26-21-21-32-40 (8 weeks)

 

 

The lowest placed top 10 and then top 5 singles of the year appear from The National and The Drums. I think it's safe to say I was too worked up in my love for the acts to realise that 'Anyone's Ghost' and 'Best Friend' aren't that good. A first entry for Plan B and Beach House too, Lady GaGa got 4 top 100 entries but her first falls way short this year. Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip get another entry, I don't like it as much as previous efforts but it's got some fantastic lyrics; The system might fail you but don't fail yourself.

170

34-26-19-13-10-13-18-35 (8 weeks)

169

31-20-14-09-09-14-22-31 (8 weeks)

168 Yeasayer 'O.N.E.' 30-23-16-11-13-25-40 (7 weeks)

167 The Joy Formidable 'I Don't Want To See You Like This' 33-27-27-31-25-33* (6 weeks)

166

40-35-32-38 (4 weeks)

165

DNC

164

24-13-10-22-35* (5 weeks)

163

38-22-17-12-14-20-29-40 (8 weeks)

162

32-27-35 (3 weeks)

161 Caribou 'Leave House' 32-29* (2 weeks)

 

 

Two songs from Ellie Goulding in this 10, her first single of the year 'Starry Eyed' and her most recent; the rather lovely cover of 'Your Song'. Yeasayer and Band of Skulls both get their first of three entries, and whilst it took a while 'California Gurls' turned out to be too good pop song for me not to be succumbed to its charms.

160 Kasabian 'Vlad the Impaler' 30-21-16-11-13-21-34 (7 weeks)

159

28-18-32-39 (4 weeks)

158

39-35-28-26-21-20-33-38 (8 weeks)

157

39-29-21-16-13-19-29-34 (8 weeks)

156

30-19-14-10-07-14-23-33 (8 weeks)

155

DNC

154 Cut Copy 'Take Me Over' 39-35-28-23* (4 weeks)

153 Chemical Brothers 'Another World' 34-32-29-25-20-11-10-17-30-39 (10 weeks)

152

27-18-16-13-20-34 (6 weeks)

151 Stornoway 'Zorbing' 26-19-15-12-12-20-36 (7 weeks)

 

 

If someone had said that the best the Pipettes would come back with for their second album is a song no where near worthy of a top 100 of the year place I wouldn't have believed them, but a huge fall from grace sees 'Stop the Music' as their best, a decent pop song but no where near what they were once capable of. Of course I say they like they're not the original Sugababes with the amount of lineup changes. Something they could easily have made follows in the form of The Like, a song far more poppy than I heard of their first album. Swedish House Mafia have been one of the better mainstream acts of the year and 'One' is their second entry in quick succession.

Holiday - Vampire Weekend :wub:

150

33-23-19-27 (4 weeks)

149 Two Door Cinema Club 'Something Good Can Work' 34-34-30-29-38 (5 weeks)

148 I Blame Coco 'Self Machine' 21-17-07-08-10-12-20-32 (8 weeks)

147

35-29-26-22-18-19-29-36-40 (9 weeks)

146

28-15-09-07-08-11-17-29-37 (9 weeks)

145

40-36-27-20-14-13-26 (7 weeks)

144 The Courteeners 'Scratch Your Name Upon My Lips' 37-34-27* (3 weeks)

143 I Blame Coco ft. Fyfe Dangerfield 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' 26-18-14-17-23-28-35 (7 weeks)

142

27-14- 10-07-14-23-34 (7 weeks)

141

33-24-16-11-11-15-20-35 (8 weeks)

 

 

Two songs for I Blame Coco, the second of which is the rather beautiful cover of 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' she did with Fyfe Dangerfield, it's much better than the solo version that's on her album. There are first entries for five other acts too...

Holiday - Vampire Weekend :wub:

It's a good song, but I think it's the weakest of the singles they've released from 'Contra'/

140

38-33-25-15-14-18-28-38 (8 weeks)

139 Kings of Leon 'Pyro' 28-23-18* (3 weeks)

138

31-27-17-12-10-12-17-21-32-40 (10 weeks)

137 Editors 'You Don't Know Love' 25-19-17-17-29 (5 weeks)

136

31-20-13-10-06-10-20-36 (8 weeks)

135 School of Seven Bells 'I L U' 30-26-21* (3 weeks)

134

33-30-32-28-22-29-22-16-20-33 (10 weeks)

133

30-27-29-36 (4 weeks)

132 Jonsi 'Go Do' 39-33-24-19-18-17-30 (7 weeks)

131

34-31-24-15-14-23-35 (7 weeks)

 

 

The quality is definitely getting a lot higher now. Just the one song which made the UK top 40, something that's becoming all too familiar, that being the lowest one 'Bubbles', one of Biffy's better efforts. Kings of Leon had far better songs on their album than 'Pyro' which could've put them into the top 100 again, The ten minute effort from The Knife is weird even for them, although still very good. No Age's 'Glitter' was very much a slow burner falling from three different personal chart peaks, and featured is the first of two entries and current hit from School of Seven Bells, the material I've heard this year is far better than what I'd heard from them before.

167 The Joy Formidable 'I Don't Want To See You Like This' 33-27-27-31-25-33* (6 weeks)

 

 

I interviewed their lead singer for the radio earlier this year. You couldn't meet a nicer person if you tried, plus we talked about cake.

130

38-32-16-08-07-15-30-40 (8 weeks)

129 Broken Bells 'The High Road' 29-25-20-20-23-26-33-40 (8 weeks)

128 M.I.A. 'It Takes a Muscle' 36-29-20-17-13-11-20 (7 weeks)

127

27-23-28 (3 weeks)

126 Shy Child 'Disconnected' 32-28-29-25-18-16-21-30-37 (9 weeks)

125

26-20-18-15-11-15-24-29-34-40 (10 weeks)

124 The Vaccines 'Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)' 39-29-24-16-16* (5 weeks)

123

27-19* (2 weeks)

122

30-20-13-09-07-15-22-27-34 (9 weeks)

121

28-17-12-08-08-10-21-33 (8 weeks)

 

 

Once again, just one UK Top 40 here from Example, 'Last Ones Standing' being one of the better songs on his patchy album. My favourite track from 'MAYA' comes int a lowly 128, far from the days of having albums hitting my year end number one, The Temper Trap can't match the success of 2009's 'Sweet Disposition' as their third entry comes not far ahead of their previous two. Shy Child and the Vaccines are the only acts here that haven't previously appeared or won't appear again, The Vaccines song being a punchy 90 second indie jam showing lots of potential and a deserving placing in the Sound of 2011 list.

I interviewed their lead singer for the radio earlier this year. You couldn't meet a nicer person if you tried, plus we talked about cake.

Really? That's cool. I've seen them mentioned a few times before but it's only the last couple of months or so I've actually started to listen to them. 'Austere' is their next single, although I know it's an older song. What's her favourite cake?!

Really? That's cool. I've seen them mentioned a few times before but it's only the last couple of months or so I've actually started to listen to them. 'Austere' is their next single, although I know it's an older song. What's her favourite cake?!

 

Chocolate. She said if I baked her a cake she would reveal the name of the then untitled album. Unfortunately my ability to bake on demand isn't up to scratch. Greyhound in the Slips is my favourite JF song, although Popinjay is good as well.

120

26-21-13-08-04-04-08-11-18-31 (10 weeks)

119 Gold Panda 'Snow & Taxis' 34-29-22-18-14-17-29-38 (8 weeks)

118 Hurts 'Wonderful Life' 17-09-05-06-08-13-21-26-39 (9 weeks)

117

33-26-23-30-40 (5 weeks)

116

36-27-20-23-31-36-40 (7 weeks)

115 Wolf Gang 'Lions In Cages' 35-22-17-15-13* (5 weeks)

114

DNC

113 Tove Styrke 'White Light Moment' 36-15* (2 weeks)

112 Maps 'Die Happy, Die Smiling' 38-29-21-15-12-09-08-11-17-25-39 (11 weeks)

111

32-27-28-20-10-04-04-06-12-20-34 (11 weeks)

 

 

We kick off with One Night Only, possibly the most generic of generic indie bands from 2006-7. 'Say You Don't Want It' is a vast improvement on their previous stuff, I never thought they'd produce something quite as good. Hurts appear, it was a song I didn't really get into properly until its recent re-release, I wasn't a fan of it beforehand. Ash have their 4th of seven entries, the other 3 all make the top 100. Current hit for Wolf Gang, another act who could go on to bigger things next year, as well as the second of Roll Deep's number ones. I always thought it was alright but it's only since 'Green Light' was released I've realised 'Good Times' is actually a fantastic pop song. Speaking of fantastic pop songs, Tove Styrke appears with 'White Light Moment'. I think it's great but I've only known it for about 10 days so I resist the urge to put it in my top 100. Maps, Groove Armada and Arctic Monkeys can't quite add to their top 100 hits this year.

110 Muchuu 'Somebody Told Me' 39-27-18-15-22-25-29-35 (8 weeks)

109 Bombay Bicycle Club 'Evening / Morning' 25-14-07-05-05-08-12-22-33 (9 weeks)

108 I Blame Coco 'In Spirit Golden' 32-22-11-07-07-06-12-25* (8 weeks)

107

40-31-24-19-11-09-09-11-16-22-34 (10 weeks)

106 Sleigh Bells 'Infinity Guitars' 25-18-13-11-12-15-20-26* (8 weeks)

105

30-26-23-19-19-17-21-28-38 (9 weeks)

104

28-12-09-09-14-17-26-39 (8 weeks)

103 I Am Kloot 'Proof' 37-35-20-09-05-04-06-10-19-30 (10 weeks)

102

36-31-24-19-23-25-31-39-37 (9 weeks)

101

31-25-19-17-11* (5 weeks)

 

 

So, the 10 missing out on the top 100. Six of them have entries in the top 100, the four that don't are Muchuu, The xx, I am Kloot and Belle and Sebastian, 'Write About Love' being a typical twee B&S pop song, a lovely record.