another thing I will say about Odo is that it was nice to see it in a rhythm game a couple months ago *.*

another thing I will say about Odo is that it was nice to see it in a rhythm game a couple months ago *.*

 

incidentally, rhythm games have been really quite close to providing an entry (possibly even my next entry) from me for a little while now

 

that must be a good one though if it's doing Japanese hits

I actually finished ordering the top 50 so er, let's get on with that.

 

There's a lot of good songs that missed out here, but these are some of the best entries in the contest for me this year. Mostly discoveries although there's few enough songs that I know beforehand these days that I'm including those that weren't as well, to support them:

 

 

50 - Trifoski - Fox Stevenson - Dreamland

49 - Jadakissnia - YEИDRY - YA

48 - Mosquetania - BYRTA - Minnist Tú

47 - Jupiterdonia - Palaye Royale - Punching Bag

46 - Fljótavík - Namasenda - Wanted

45 - FARC - Wind Rose - Diggy Diggy Hole

44 - Suedeonia - McAlmont & Butler - Falling

43 - Elëdan - LiSA - 紅蓮華 (From THE FIRST TAKE)

42 - Flynnonda - UNIIQU3 - Microdosing

41 - St. Burbia - Cat & Calmell - dramatic

 

A really solid and relistenable dance track with 'Dreamland', one of my favourites from my hosting stint with Jadakissnia's 'YA', and then 'Minnist Tú' is a fave from the latest contest what with delving into Faroese and sounding out some gorgeous synths besides.

 

'Punching Bag' is great Maneskin-adjacent rock that I hope to see more of in the upcoming rock revival, and its just behind one of BJSC's most unexpected hits with 'Diggy Diggy Hole', at least for me. That one is inspiring me to find some new ways to promote metal in the contest, I guess its similar to what I did with Alestorm, but those sorts of entries are always fun, if I find a good one, I'll do it.

 

'Wanted' was one of the really high-quality dance tracks from 131, which does feel really long ago now, but it's hung on in rotation since then, and just two ahead of it is another song from that contest, Pavel entering the Demon Slayer OP

one of the most famous anime tracks ever

, I love LiSA* so much that this was pretty much guaranteed a spot, one of the best voices in pop period and always a highlight whenever she does a song for an anime, and though it took its time for me, 'Gurenge' has become one of her best.

 

'Falling' was a really great rock song from Suedeonia from 136, stuck with me after that. Flynonnda's 'Microdosing' was a great attention-grabbing track that is the first of three silver-medalists in here (along with four bronze medalists and only one winner lol). And then the first ten ends with a great pop track from St. Burbia, 'dramatic' really grew on me from the seven points I gave it initially, has a great instrumental line.

 

*the Japanese one. Obviously.

wonder if you’ll speak about the countries who didn’t make it onto the list

wonder if you’ll speak about the countries who didn’t make it onto the list

 

I shall not.

Like, yes, it was fun to do that in past years but it also took a LOT out of me trying to remember every single track entered over the year, all to say various diplomatic variations of 'most of your entries didn't hit me but a couple were quite enjoyable'. This is just me speaking about my absolute favourites this year (and doing so has given me a renewed appreciation for especially the ones high up) because I like rounding off the year in some fashion. Those who did good with others but not with me will probably find it more enjoyable to hear someone who really liked their entries talk about them. So I encourage others to do one of these too if you want to!

 

besides there's quite a few repeats in here. egalitarian Iz is dead, I killed them.

 

~~

 

 

40 - FSR Rontvia - Self Esteem - I Do This All The Time

39 - Quintessa - MINSEO - Is Who

38 - Bøtanikkä - Polo & Pan - Dorothy

37 - Terra Avium - Crows In The Rain - Unfinished Dream Of Sadako

36 - Aelandor - Florian Bur - Cry Of Peace / Forever (Feat. IIINO, Luciana Zogbi & Asja Kadric)

35 - Oslol - Isaac Dunbar - scorton's creek

34 - Republic of Adonia: Schnuffel - Ich Hab' Dich Lieb

33 - Terra Avium - Hunter As A Horse - The Breaking Of The Shell

32 - Botanikka - able machines - Narcissist

31 - Danæviia - Worakls & Rusanda Panfili - Storm

 

 

Self Esteem's album is really quite good, but the contemplative 'I Do This All The Time' was a perfect introduction to a slightly eccentric artist that I hadn't come across before. Maybe it does feel like a modern take on Baz Luhrmann but that stuff always stands out over here. 'Is Who' was some really amazing swinging K-Pop that got my 18 in 133, it is the lowest of my 18s here, but that was quite a flat contest for quality at the top and the rhythm and piano keys still really stand out here.

 

'Dorothy' is one of those excellent concept tracks that I couldn't easily forget, the way it moves faster and faster through its journey has had me coming back to it quite a bit over the year. I've come back slightly less for 'Unfinished Dream Of Sadako' but as a proud member of postrockbloc, this is the sort of music that I will always be drawn to, making wonderful use of its short 11 minutes to create a beautiful build.

 

'Cry Of Peace' or 'Forever', whichever one of those is better, (it's 'Forever', because of the swelling music and longer length) were a great reminder that BJSC needs more Christopher Tin-like tracks, coming at a point in the year when Aelandor was really on their best game. As were Terra Avium around this time as just a contest after Crows In The Rain they brought 'The Breaking Of The Shell', short but dramatic for what it has, I think there are few lines more impactful in BJSC than a song creepily descending into 'nothing to fear but fear itself'.

 

I think when Isaac Dunbar was first entered I wasn't grabbed, and though 'Scorton's Creek' is from the same album as 'makeup drawer', this was the one that got me to listen to the whole album, which is a whole lot better than I'd thought it'd be. 'isaac's insects', and particularly 'scorton's creek' is some of the best of new generation pop that I've heard in quite some time, really clear voice and pathos in it. Didn't expect to like it but this is my olive branch to the pop bloc, this stuff was great.

 

Schnuffel is way more my sort of thing, a completely unhateable and adorable song that makes me feel better just with a few of its chords. German is generally a plus, I was glad this was able to do quite well even if it's a little niche in 139.

 

One (1) entry from BJFest, able machines was easily the standout from that contest, some great synthpop with a few great grinding sounds. And then one (1) winner in the whole of this top 50, the first winner of the year (it was the only winner in my top 2 of voting or anywhere near that so I guess that's how it goes - though for reference, 'Boy Like A Girl' and 'Hero' both made my top 100 shortlist). Storm is one of those awesome absolutely huge dance tracks that really lives up to its name and takes you on a really exciting journey throughout its length, I was really pleased that won 131, Danaeviia's winners are actually all really good.

Two great Terra picks there, both when I was in a dark and moody phase x I love how mysterious and yet dramatic both of them are, Sadako tells a great historical story through music and Breaking... has some very haunting lyrics and visuals.

 

Nice to see one of these come back again, don't know if I'll get round to doing one, but I think a few will make my overall EOY. Dorothy, Self Esteem and Storm are particular favourites.

 

30 - Republic of Adonia - Magdalena Bay - Chaeri

29 - N DNTN - Himera - You Make It Look So Easy (S.M.I.L.E.Y)

28 - Aelandor - And One - Military Fashion Show

27 - Aquafina - Chris Lake & NPC - A Drug From God

26 - East Rukahavian - Priyanka - Come Through (feat. Lemon)

25 - Hendinia - Ayesha Erotica - Literal Legend

24 - Cumulonimbia - CLUBKELLY - DO YOU EVEN BLISS?

23 - Yehesi - Gabry Ponte, LUM!X & Prezioso - Thunder

22 - Persephonia - Quadeca - Sisyphus

21 - Cumulonimbia - Daniel Bortz - You Can Stay Forever

 

I definitely felt the effect of hosting love when taking on 136, as I remember songs from that contest better than the rest, and it was good for my taste as 'Chaeri' rounded off one of the best top 3s of the year, a beautiful building synthpop song that well deserved its success.

 

N DNTN's Himera took me right back to 2014 or whenever it was PC Music was dominant, this sort of ultra artificial computerised pop music that sounds brilliant for bringing a bright tone behind its instrumentals and drowning everything else in a wall of sound.

 

I'm not sure what 'Military Fashion Show' is genre-wise but again, loud synthy songs are easy routes into the top end of my votes and this has the bonus of arresting vocals and a great rhythm. A really great unexpected entry from Aelandor.

 

Aquafina may be using Grimes' new AI girl group on 'A Drug From God' but it got me to listen to it and it's really good so I don't mind too much, it's an intense and unforgettable experience, a clear highlight of the last contest.

 

'Come Through' was a really pleasant surprise too, an intense shouting match with fedde le grand beats in the drop, that's my sort of song for sure. I especially like it when a drag queen's song hits with me, because those being entered is I assume much the same as what I do with anime or vtuber songs, just from another fandom dimension.

 

#Iz' musical moods are powerful and focused. This might give you some insight into these songs.

 

'Literal Legend' was another great surprise from this latest contest as I'd never really thought to check Ayesha Erotica, but she has some great bars, intensity and self-confidence on this song.

 

Audial dance perfection is what I got from 'DO YOU EVEN BLISS?', a fantastic listen especially for a song that's not on Spotify, I've had to put aside some time to listen to it since, some great drops throughout. Actually there's two Cumulonimbia great dance entries in here, 'You Can Stay Forever' is one of those that sounds like it MUST have been a monster hit at some time or place, it's one of those songs that just simply works, awesome linear build and some slightly too high vocals, brilliant stuff.

 

'Thunder' has some really ambitious lyrical and instrumental drops, which what drew me to it to give it an 18, really addictive while we were in the contest. 139 is at that point where the songs are starting to feel a little tired which might have disadvantaged it here ever so slightly, it'll probably go back up in the future, which I'm only saying because I do absolutely adore it, it feels like one of those old Eurodance anthems, one that's full of energy and makes you so even if you aren't.

 

'Sisyphus' benefits from my huge love of Persephonia rap entries, especially when they have harsh synths and ambitious lyrical references. It's really filled with a lot of pleasing drama, threatens to crash my headphones at multiple times throughout the song, a good thing of course. Overall an extremely well-produced song from a Youtuber (says the vtuber fan) and was an easy 15 in its contest.

 

 

 

 

 

one of my songs has appeared so I am now obligated to comment

 

I have been reading all of this though x Oof at Holo Bass being yeeted off the Internet, I did not know about that, I think that is still the most I have got into one of your VTuber-adjacent entries. Also justice for 'masquerade', unfortunately it seemed to fizzle out pretty quickly as is sometimes the way with TikTok hits but it was still gloriously out of nowhere to see that showing up as a minor Spotify hit months after unjustly flopping in BJFest. Palaye Royale, Namasenda, Crows In The Rain, CLUBKELLY and Daniel Bortz have been my highlights of the other songs in this countdown so far (Cumulonimbia have really been great in general lately, I actually purchased 'DO YOU EVEN BLISS ?' off Bandcamp to get a decent mp3 to add to my Spotify local files and all).

 

Re 'Sisyphus' I am still shook at how much I genuinely love that song, YouTuber music just tends to have at least some level of cringe to it (obviously some moreso than others) with the exception of like... Joji, who isn't even a YouTuber any more, and that's about it as far as I can think. But I quite enjoyed Quadeca's YouTube content and heard good things about this song so decided to give it a shot and yeah it is just so far over and above nearly every other YouTuber song I have bothered to listen to so I had to take the chance to send it here, I'm glad it managed to find an audience as I was kind of expecting it to go over similarly to most of your VTuber entries :lol: I haven't felt the same connection to any of his other songs unfortunately but apparently this was the last song he recorded for his album so hopefully it'll be reflective of his style going forward.

 

20 - Danæviia - Reba McEntire - Fancy (Dave Audé Remix)

19 - Skall - Masayoshi Takanaka - Santiago Bay Rendez-Vous

18 - Dobago - Faux Tales - Atlas (ALPHA 9 Remix)

17 - Sovarasma - Promis3 - Future Funeral

16 - Chestoria - Silver Sphere – football game

15 - Niceland - Stereo Honey - The Bay

14 - Taahino ~ Stand Atlantic ft. nothing,nowhere. “deathwish”

13 - Arcodesia · lost in kiev 'insomnia'

12 - Flynnonda - Hot Milk “I Think I Hate Myself”

11 - Pagasa - Explosions In The Sky - Have You Passed Through This Night?

 

I know 'Fancy' is a huge country hit, but I'd never heard it and being a uncultured swine, a good dance remix is exactly the thing to bring the swaggering lyrics alive, lending a nice sense of urgency to its structure that I appreciate for similar reasons that I liked nightcore, this remix now sounds full of energy compared to the times I've tried the original. A great melding of genres and a lovely silver in its recent contest.

 

My first 18 of the year was an easy one, 'Santiago Bay Rendez-Vous' is 80s Japanese music, that wonderful genre known as city pop (see also: my ill-fated entry 'Auto Ban' from last year), 80s music that is distinctly Japanese, as they were using a lot of tropical and American soft rock influences from about 20 years before, with the result that city pop almost always has this magical 'out of time' quality (or like proto-vaporwave if you squint hard enough). Santiago Bay Rendez-Vous sells the image of a past summer day, perhaps driving down one of those Japanese coastal roads that jut out into the ocean, beautifully.

 

'Atlas' is one of the soundtrack greats of BJSC, a pulsating electronic background slowly getting louder and louder, very Porter Robinson in its application, at least it sounds that way, a very enjoyable discovery.

 

'Future Funeral' is manic, I really feel that whenever it gets put on, somewhat robotic voices that go from 'how I hope to die' into an intense 'survive the night but my mind is stuck' while the synths go on behind it, this feels like cutting-edge pop with a whole load of influences from other genres, I've kept coming back to it a lot.

 

'football game', now apparently done by Sophie Cates rather than Silver Sphere (she changed her name) is an autotune masterpiece, reminding me of why I love 100 gecs even when they don't do crazy shit (it's actually kinda similar to their new single 'mememe' which I love), again, great modern pop music that isn't for everyone but artfully using technology to create an interesting and captivating song, that easily gets my attention.

 

Then we got 5 rock songs hanging about outside the top 10, indie-rock, post-rock and pop-punk.

 

It's partly the story behind 'The Bay' that first got my attention when it was entered, when I was researching info for BJSC 136 entrants I found an article stating that this song was about the 2004 Morecambe disaster, specifically the two bodies that were never found. It could be generically about two individuals drowning together, but it does have a basis in reality and that makes its lyrical structure more poignant. But besides that, it's excellent musically, indie-rock that fills the audio space as if with water, building to a beautiful climax.

 

'Insomnia' is a 7-minute trippy dream into post-rock, some beautiful vocal samples, 'it's like I'm closing my eyes on my own life' getting repeated so often it's burned into memory before we get an uplifting grindy set of instruments, it's quite harsh for its genre but that doesn't really matter to me.

 

'deathwish' and 'I Think I Hate Myself' are two of the best rock songs entered to BJSC this year, there was a reason I was going so hard for those two. 'Deathwish' has a great rap part but beyond that, I really feel the chorus in all of my bones, the way the singer delivers 'I think got a f**king deathwish' is fantastic. 'I Think I Hate Myself' too, it feels epic when it crashes down for the chorus, the cry of 'is it real or in my head' topping off a great build. Both of these are so brash and reawaken my pop-punk love which is otherwise a little dormant, I always have to think about them together.

 

I've always loved Explosions In The Sky whenever I've gotten around to hearing a song from them, and 'Have You Passed Through This Night?' doesn't disappoint. It's one of the quieter forms of post-rock and that really sells it to me, you can sit back and enjoy letting your imagination wander in a contemplative instrumental as the track slowly ramps up behind you before exploding into a wave of sounds. I need to listen to their albums as every song I've heard from them has been a banger of exactly this form.

 

my top 10 contains 1 of my original 13s, 2 15s, 5 18s and 2 songs which didn't qualify in their original contest, both of which were in the opposite semi to me.

welp guess you didn’t like any of mine this year. gotta try harder next time :(

Two great Terra picks there, both when I was in a dark and moody phase x I love how mysterious and yet dramatic both of them are, Sadako tells a great historical story through music and Breaking... has some very haunting lyrics and visuals.

 

Nice to see one of these come back again, don't know if I'll get round to doing one, but I think a few will make my overall EOY. Dorothy, Self Esteem and Storm are particular favourites.

 

Oh gosh yes I had just clicked where the Sadako name came from, haunting, indeed.

 

one of my songs has appeared so I am now obligated to comment

 

I have been reading all of this though x Oof at Holo Bass being yeeted off the Internet, I did not know about that, I think that is still the most I have got into one of your VTuber-adjacent entries. Also justice for 'masquerade', unfortunately it seemed to fizzle out pretty quickly as is sometimes the way with TikTok hits but it was still gloriously out of nowhere to see that showing up as a minor Spotify hit months after unjustly flopping in BJFest. Palaye Royale, Namasenda, Crows In The Rain, CLUBKELLY and Daniel Bortz have been my highlights of the other songs in this countdown so far (Cumulonimbia have really been great in general lately, I actually purchased 'DO YOU EVEN BLISS ?' off Bandcamp to get a decent mp3 to add to my Spotify local files and all).

 

Re 'Sisyphus' I am still shook at how much I genuinely love that song, YouTuber music just tends to have at least some level of cringe to it (obviously some moreso than others) with the exception of like... Joji, who isn't even a YouTuber any more, and that's about it as far as I can think. But I quite enjoyed Quadeca's YouTube content and heard good things about this song so decided to give it a shot and yeah it is just so far over and above nearly every other YouTuber song I have bothered to listen to so I had to take the chance to send it here, I'm glad it managed to find an audience as I was kind of expecting it to go over similarly to most of your VTuber entries :lol: I haven't felt the same connection to any of his other songs unfortunately but apparently this was the last song he recorded for his album so hopefully it'll be reflective of his style going forward.

 

Yeah, Holo Bass was doing so well but failed to realise an important part of creating fanworks is to accept that you're not going to make money off of them, minor miracle it was on Spotify for as long as it was.

 

I shall have to keep an eye on Quadeca for the future, I have no idea what he does as a Youtuber but he seems cool from this alone.

 

welp guess you didn’t like any of mine this year. gotta try harder next time :(

 

 

10 - Quintessa :: YOASOBI – 夜に駆ける

 

#voteforYoriNiKakeruinTBO

 

I was all ready for YOASOBI to dominate BJSC, to be quite honest. Japan is really weird when this place is taken into account as it's basically the one place in the developed world that has a chart hit almost completely untouched by international hits, and its own domestic stuff does well in Taiwan, HK, Singapore, SE Asia etc, but nowhere near the West. Yet it's high-quality music with expensive production values and so... ON paper, it should be a gold mine. Especially for what is in essence its biggest song of the last 12 months, Japan's charts are to this day filled with YOASOBI in the same way ours are filled with Adele (yes a little cheap, yes it was fine). Now in reality it isn't that gold mine because Japanese pop sensibilities are quite different from ours and we're entering a contest where people like dance and indie more. But, nevertheless, 'Yori Ni Kakeru' is a fantastic pop song, filled with great hooks, and that bubbling instrumental, and has been the secondary cornerstone of my YOASOBI standom for much of this year. It's also the closest song in this 50 to being an entry of mine as I would have double confirmed it if I hadn't been able to see the staff forum (incidentally we worked out what to do in this situation behind the scenes in part because I used it as an example), which is another reason I've been so vocal in my support of it.

 

9 - Cumulonimbia - Rare Facture - Verse Girl

 

Cumulonimbia have really had an excellent year, so many songs in my top 50 and even one just outside, but of all of them, my favourite is 'Verse Girl', a song that opens with a beautiful melodic drop before some lovely slightly autotuned vocals. It was one of the songs I was really cheering on while hosting, and it did do really well in the semi and afterwards in the final, and it remains one of the principal reasons I enjoyed hosting so much - and it let me hand off hosting to Doc Blind as it happens.

 

8 - Singerpurear - Buffy Sainte-Marie & Tanya Tagaq - You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)

 

World music is really a hit with me, I think one of my past #1s here was 'Ilumbarada', so that's no shock. I can definitely feel the indigenous vibes that Buffy (who I hadn't come across before) apparently espouses throughout her career. There's so many other great influences here though, 'You Got To Run' feels like going on a spiritual journey but you also have crashing rock sounds, some great production underpinning it, and apparently this came when she was in her mid-70s, and thankfully still going! It's stuck with me greatly throughout the year.

 

7 - FSR Rontvia - ishi vu - This Is Your Life

 

ishi vu, I loved at the time, but that was only off a few short listens of it. Since, it's really grown to be ever more perfect. It's all but made up of 'this Is Your Life' and 'it's REAL TIME' going throughout the song building to drown everything else out, but that just sounds really awesome. I was in no doubt that it'd do as well as it did and I hope it does a lot in TBO.

 

6 - Persephonia - Gupi - What's Known Now

 

What's that genre that gupi is? *searches gupi* ah, associated with 100 gecs, yeah, that. Futuristic electronic noise that's sorta close to rave that could sound like squeaks to those not big brain enough to get it, but ends up sounding really melodic and hype actually. My 18 from the beginning in 135, was my first song that I'd put on to listen to for at least a couple of months afterwards, and actually I'm surprised that it's only my 5th-highest 18, but I had a lot of very clear 18s this year.

 

okay tbf some of these i didn't expect you to like (although Olga is a good shout :o)

 

I also want to shift your attention to another Seyetan vet who made their way into DDR

 

okay tbf some of these i didn't expect you to like (although Olga is a good shout :o)

 

I also want to shift your attention to another Seyetan vet who made their way into DDR

 

 

that tracks, still love nanobii and that sounds like a great one!

 

 

5 - Wholune - Greta Van Fleet - Heat Above

 

'Heat Above' is a really strangely constructed rock song, but that's no bad thing, it really made it stick in my mind, particularly those opening guitar chords that come back like a leitmotif throughout the whole song. The singer really sounds a lot like Kate Bush, at least that was my first thought when hearing it in the contest, and that combination, a really strong voice combined with strong rock backing that sort works up towards a subtle build but instead of doing a normal chorus, weaves up and down with its energy. Very few songs sound like this and I want to collect as many of them as possible into my playlists. I think, much like Wholune's Majestica last year, this one is going to stick with me for a while. Very welcome presence in the contest.

 

4 - Aelandor - Phil Lober – Alive

 

I didn't know this was vocaloid until Jacob pointed it out to me, but it was too late, I was already madly in love with it, and that was just another reason to make it even better. 'Alive' feels like the very best of a fantasy anime soundtrack (especially thinking something like 'Made In Abyss'), orchestral sounds crashing throughout, a light, distorted voice delivering the best of epic, minimalist dance lyrics, I will eat up anything like this that is ever entered here, I've come back to it many times throughout the year and it's always been an experience that I've welcomed. One of the best orchestral entries ever entered into BJSC, and an inspiration for me to find more vocaloid highlights someday, I don't think I've done all I can with them here.

 

 

3 - Lotunia - Aimyon - 生きていたんだよ

 

look sometimes BJSC sleeps on Asian entries and I get it, because it's just pop from another country, sometimes I don't even vote for them because they don't stand out enough, but not with this. Well, I get it not qualifying, I just really wish I had been able to lend this song some support at any time ever, because it's a perfect discovery for me - I'd have never heard it without this contest, haven't really come across Aimyon before, and it's bright, beautiful pop with some incredible lyrics. The title lyrics of 'Ikite, ikite, ikiteitandayo' getting repeated over and over again is essentially saying 'I lived, I lived, I lived', and for that really uplifting sentiment to come in among the steady guitar and serenely rapped verses, on a base level, that really struck me right from the start. Looking into it, it also has some pretty deep lyrics hidden in the rest of the song that aren't immediately apparent with my level, looking it up, it seems to literally be an anti-suicide song, or at the least it starts describing the aftermath of a suicide and then later contrasts it throughout the rest of the song with the joy of being alive, and indeed, once you're past that first verse the song just really makes me feel happy after the rather somber start. And that's why it's great, had it on repeat these last few days. If you passed over this one, please give it another listen, it's musically awesome and lyrically rewarding to look into. Thank you Lotunia, I love it - will have to start listening to Aimyon more.

 

2 - Jadakissnia - Genesis Owusu - The Other Black Dog

 

'The Other Black Dog' feels like very edgy rap, and well I was the person who entered 'Blood Of The Fang' last year, so it was off to a good start. There's an incredible BPM to this song, it spends over a whole minute at the start of the song ramping up its speed before it gets anywhere near checking its momentum. And I like that, a very good reason to keep it going and listen to the whole song. As I'd expect with this sort of rap it's got great lyrics with just a dash of social commentary before giving into its insanely great beat. A very easy 18, loved it right from the off, I love contests where you can easily identify your favourite song as soon as you hear it, thank you Jade for the wonderful discovery, and as I've played it loads without it tiring a bit, it would have been my favourite BJSC discovery of the year were it not for the following...

 

 

1 - Trifoski - DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - Try Not To Be Afraid (feat. Delilah Brao, Luke Markinson & Anyelisax)

 

As it's a hefty almost 8 minutes in length, it's quite some achievement that 'Try Not To Be Afraid' is still (I think) my most played BJSC discovery of the year, and my easy #1 for this. I quickly identified it as a favourite when going through my first hosting listen and though I did have that playlist on repeat as I prepped the contest, I went back to 'Try Not To Be Afraid' loads throughout the contest a lot more than others, and well after the contest had finished too. It was excellent seeing it finish so well and though it couldn't quite go the whole way and win, 2nd was a fantastic result for one of the best discoveries I've made in years. I think it's the continued lyrics about finding satisfaction in your life, the spoken word bits that underly the whole song, the cheerful feeling that's very much analogous to throwing your hands back in bliss on some beautifully-weathered driving journey, the way the instrumental supports this feeling, and then there the absolutely monstrous album that it's a part of (that I've listened to a few parts of, which are good but not as good as this). Anyway, if you ask me in the future about a 2021 BJSC song, I'll pick this. Thanks Trifoski!

 

 

right, that's that business finished, thank you all if you've been commenting or reading, I tried to get this knocked out in a quick and timely fashion... and go vote in the TBO qualifiers if you've been seeing my thread hog up the main page link for a while and didn't know that was going on!

 

And also I'm very much looking forward to more discoveries in 2022 as always. よろしくお願いいたします！

Wow I personally think that is a wonderful choice for #1 :o great to hear someone was loving the track just as much as me (also Trifoski bookending the top 50 with two of their most iconic entries his year!)

 

I've always loved Explosions In The Sky whenever I've gotten around to hearing a song from them, and 'Have You Passed Through This Night?' doesn't disappoint. It's one of the quieter forms of post-rock and that really sells it to me, you can sit back and enjoy letting your imagination wander in a contemplative instrumental as the track slowly ramps up behind you before exploding into a wave of sounds. I need to listen to their albums as every song I've heard from them has been a banger of exactly this form.

 

my top 10 contains 1 of my original 13s, 2 15s, 5 18s and 2 songs which didn't qualify in their original contest, both of which were in the opposite semi to me.

oooh good to see this at #11, thank you! I'd highly recommend the album this song is from, those who tell the truth shall die, those who tell the truth shall live forever! the earth is not a cold dead place and all of a sudden I miss everyone are good too (the former has the "hits" and the latter was my favorite when I was very into them), but twtttsd is the one I go back to most now... they had a bit of a heavier sound during that album that I think you'd prefer, lots of feedback and less twinkle like in later albums. I think after aoasime they started sounding kind of same-y

Edited December 10, 20213 yr by dhwhore

yasssssss thanks for putting Future Funeral at no. 17!

Polo and Pan and able machines :o that was unexpected but delightful to see you feature it :wub:

This is for you

 

2 - Jadakissnia - Genesis Owusu - The Other Black Dog

 

'The Other Black Dog' feels like very edgy rap, and well I was the person who entered 'Blood Of The Fang' last year, so it was off to a good start. There's an incredible BPM to this song, it spends over a whole minute at the start of the song ramping up its speed before it gets anywhere near checking its momentum. And I like that, a very good reason to keep it going and listen to the whole song. As I'd expect with this sort of rap it's got great lyrics with just a dash of social commentary before giving into its insanely great beat. A very easy 18, loved it right from the off, I love contests where you can easily identify your favourite song as soon as you hear it, thank you Jade for the wonderful discovery, and as I've played it loads without it tiring a bit, it would have been my favourite BJSC discovery of the year were it not for the following...

You're soooooo welcome! It's rewarding when people enjoy your entries to this extent :heart: and definitely can't begrudge DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ beating me as I gave it an 18 :clap: