December 23, 201113 yr FLAWLESS top 3 so far :wub: I'm leaving STIUTK for my 2012 year end seeing as it's only grown on me now and is likely to be a UK hit in 2012 :P
December 23, 201113 yr Author http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/2605/experimentsb.png // 01 // Florrie // I TOOK A LITTLE SOMETHING "I'm looking right behind me / And it's you I've found" I Took A Little Something is pure, effervescent pop joy from the moment it begins, as that doubled synth beat strikes up and makes you do some sort of incredibly cheesy dance move where you roll your fists in the air. This is a song that moves, and its every step is alive with bounce, vitality, energy - all the things that hair products are supposed to give beautiful ladies, only they'd get there sooner if they soundtracked their lives with this. Even when it goes low, squashing its synths for the middle-8, it's only so they can spring back and renew their beauty. And why is all so beautiful? Well, it's another disco classic with sadness at its centre, as Florrie asks to stride purposefully away in time with the beat, "paper over the cracks". In the end, it might all be in her head, but that's where the best of us spend our time. Maybe we should all take a little lead from Florrie.
December 23, 201113 yr Put up a full list and I shall comment! I have been following though :D Chart Music :wub:
December 23, 201113 yr Author But of course, Rich! :D (Chart Music appears to have REMOVED FROM THE INTERNET :o) Full list: 100 // Tom Vek // Aroused 99 // Katy Perry // E.T. 98 // HURTS // Sunday 97 // Adele // Rumour Has It 96 // Kati Wolf // What About My Dreams? 95 // Maverick Sabre // Let Me Go 94 // Friendly Fires // Live Those Days Tonight 93 // M83 // Midnight City 92 // Emeli Sandé // Heaven 91 // Breakage feat. Jess Mills // Fighting Fire 90 // Strange Talk // Climbing Walls 89 // Katy B // Easy Please Me 88 // SX // Black Video 87 // Wynter Gordon // Dirty Talk 86 // Sanna Nielsen // I'm In Love 85 // Laura Marling // Sophia 84 // Washed Out // Eyes Be Closed 83 // Florrie // Experimenting with Rugs 82 // Tinie Tempah feat. Ellie Goulding // Wonderman 81 // Simon Curtis // Flesh 80 // Arcade Fire // City With No Children 79 // Neon Indian // Fallout 78 // Chase & Status feat. Tinie Tempah // Hitz 77 // Chase & Status feat. Delilah // Time 76 // Jess Mills // Live for What I'd Die For 75 // Summer Camp // Better Off Without You 74 // Miike Snow // Devil's Work 73 // Alesha Dixon feat. Jay Sean // Every Little Part Of Me 72 // Take That // Kidz 71 // The Wanted // Glad You Came 70 // Ed Sheeran // The A Team 69 // Alexandra Stan // Mr. Saxobeat 68 // One Direction // What Makes You Beautiful 67 // Florence + the Machine // What The Water Gave Me 66 // Washed Out // Amor Fati 65 // The Knocks // Brightside 64 // Kanye West feat. Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Tony Williams, The-Dream, Charlie Wilson, John Legend, Elly Jackson, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie, Ryan Leslie, Drake, Alvin Fields, and Ken Lewis // All of the Lights 63 // Phantogram // Don't Move 62 // Jess Mills // Vultures 61 // Coldplay // Paradise 60 // Adele // Someone Like You 59 // Lady GaGa // Judas 58 // Lana Del Rey // Video Games 57 // Eric Saade // Popular 56 // Olly Murs feat. Rizzle Kicks // Heart Skips A Beat 55 // Nero // Guilt 54 // Adele // Rolling in the Deep 53 // Cut Copy // Blink and You'll Miss A Revolution 52 // Marina & the Diamonds // Radioactive 51 // HandS // No Romance 50 // Candy Coated Killahz // Neon Black 49 // Bastille // Laura Palmer 48 // Charli XCX // Nuclear Seasons 47 // Bright Light Bright Light // Disco Moment 46 // Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi // Beautiful People 45 // Adele // Set Fire to the Rain 44 // SBTRKT // Pharoahs 43 // Loreen // Sober 42 // Jenny Silver // Something In Your Eyes 41 // Tove Styrke // Call My Name 40 // Elisabeth Carew // You'll Never Love Me 39 // Jamie Woon // Lady Luck 38 // Oh My! // Kicking and Screaming 37 // Will Young // Jealousy 36 // Nerina Pallot // Put Your Hands Up 35 // Lady GaGa // The Edge of Glory 34 // Radio Killer // Lonely Heart 33 // Sunday Girl // Love U More 32 // Jamie xx // Far Nearer 31 // Selena Gomez & the Scene // Love You Like a Love Song 30 // David Guetta feat. Sia // Titanium 29 // Martin Solveig & Dragonette // Hello 28 // Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull // On the Floor 27 // Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera // Moves Like Jagger 26 // Metronomy // The Bay 25 // Snow Patrol // Called Out in the Dark 24 // Tom Vek // Someone Loves You 23 // The Weeknd // The Birds Part 1 22 // SoundGirl // Don't Know Why 21 // Chart Music // All My Life 20 // Amanda Mair // Doubt 19 // Foster the People // Pumped Up Kicks 18 // Neon Indian // Polish Girl 17 // Ola // All Over The World 16 // Katy B // Broken Record 15 // Bombay Bicycle Club // Shuffle 14 // Ellie Goulding // Lights 13 // Beth Ditto // I Wrote The Book 12 // Florence + The Machine // Shake It Out 11 // Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah // Earthquake 10 // Oh My! feat. Scrufizzer // Dirty Dancer 09 // Jamie Woon // Shoulda 08 // Azealia Banks feat. Lazy Jay // 212 07 // Metronomy // The Look 06 // Nicki Minaj // Super Bass 05 // Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris // We Found Love 04 // Patrick Wolf // Together 03 // Loreen // My Heart Is Refusing Me 02 // Gotye feat. Kimbra // Somebody That I Used To Know 01 // Florrie // I Took A Little Something Edited December 28, 201113 yr by råndomfurlöng
December 23, 201113 yr Author FLAWLESS top 3 so far :wub: I'm leaving STIUTK for my 2012 year end seeing as it's only grown on me now and is likely to be a UK hit in 2012 :P Fair enough - I'm the opposite, my love was likely strongest in this year (I can't see how it can get much stronger!) so I had to include it. It was on UK iTunes! (Loreen wasn't, but I'm flexible :P) Glad you like! :D
December 23, 201113 yr Faves and comments then: 99 // Katy Perry // E.T. 98 // HURTS // Sunday 97 // Adele // Rumour Has It 96 // Kati Wolf // What About My Dreams? 94 // Friendly Fires // Live Those Days Tonight 93 // M83 // Midnight City 92 // Emeli Sandé // Heaven 91 // Breakage feat. Jess Mills // Fighting Fire 90 // Strange Talk // Climbing Walls 89 // Katy B // Easy Please Me 87 // Wynter Gordon // Dirty Talk 86 // Sanna Nielsen // I'm In Love Schlageriffic :wub: Sanna is a legend 85 // Laura Marling // Sophia 83 // Florrie // Experimenting with Rugs 82 // Tinie Tempah feat. Ellie Goulding // Wonderman 78 // Chase & Status feat. Tinie Tempah // Hitz 77 // Chase & Status feat. Delilah // Time 76 // Jess Mills // Live for What I'd Die For 75 // Summer Camp // Better Off Without You 73 // Alesha Dixon feat. Jay Sean // Every Little Part Of Me 72 // Take That // Kidz 71 // The Wanted // Glad You Came 70 // Ed Sheeran // The A Team Pleasing to see this here, the hipster crowd can do one, this is a stunning song 69 // Alexandra Stan // Mr. Saxobeat 68 // One Direction // What Makes You Beautiful 67 // Florence + the Machine // What The Water Gave Me 64 // Kanye West feat. Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Tony Williams, The-Dream, Charlie Wilson, John Legend, Elly Jackson, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie, Ryan Leslie, Drake, Alvin Fields, and Ken Lewis // All of the Lights 62 // Jess Mills // Vultures 61 // Coldplay // Paradise 60 // Adele // Someone Like You 59 // Lady GaGa // Judas 58 // Lana Del Rey // Video Games 57 // Eric Saade // Popular 56 // Olly Murs feat. Rizzle Kicks // Heart Skips A Beat 55 // Nero // Guilt 54 // Adele // Rolling in the Deep 52 // Marina & the Diamonds // Radioactive 51 // HandS // No Romance 47 // Bright Light Bright Light // Disco Moment 46 // Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi // Beautiful People 45 // Adele // Set Fire to the Rain 43 // Loreen // Sober 42 // Jenny Silver // Something In Your Eyes 41 // Tove Styrke // Call My Name 40 // Elisabeth Carew // You'll Never Love Me 38 // Oh My! // Kicking and Screaming 37 // Will Young // Jealousy 36 // Nerina Pallot // Put Your Hands Up 35 // Lady GaGa // The Edge of Glory 34 // Radio Killer // Lonely Heart 33 // Sunday Girl // Love U More 31 // Selena Gomez & the Scene // Love You Like a Love Song 30 // David Guetta feat. Sia // Titanium 29 // Martin Solveig & Dragonette // Hello 28 // Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull // On the Floor 27 // Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera // Moves Like Jagger 25 // Snow Patrol // Called Out in the Dark 23 // The Weeknd // The Birds Part 1 22 // SoundGirl // Don't Know Why 21 // Chart Music // All My Life WHY has all trace of this been removed from the internet :drama: I guess that'll have to be rectified in time for TBO final... 20 // Amanda Mair // Doubt 19 // Foster the People // Pumped Up Kicks 17 // Ola // All Over The World A male Release Me I guess but I never truly LOVED this for whatever reason which is odd because generally Ola is my favourite Scandi male 16 // Katy B // Broken Record 14 // Ellie Goulding // Lights 12 // Florence + The Machine // Shake It Out 11 // Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah // Earthquake 10 // Oh My! feat. Scrufizzer // Dirty Dancer 08 // Azealia Banks feat. Lazy Jay // 212 06 // Nicki Minaj // Super Bass 05 // Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris // We Found Love 04 // Patrick Wolf // Together 03 // Loreen // My Heart Is Refusing Me I do slightly prefer Sober I guess but actually both missed my EOY top 100! I've never been as into her as I feel I ought to be... 02 // Gotye feat. Kimbra // Somebody That I Used To Know I wonder if this could be my 2012 EOY #2? :lol: 01 // Florrie // I Took A Little Something Gorgeous song, but again one that narrowly missed my own top 100...
December 24, 201113 yr Good #1, although I must admit, I only listened to it recently, but it's amazing. Gotye will probably be high in 2012 EoY for me, and Rihanna and Loreen are both several shades of awesome, so excellent top 5 overall. Very nice list, only a few of the more indie songs I haven't heard, so very good overall. :D
December 25, 201113 yr Some comments for the latter part of your countdown: 34 // Radio Killer // Lonely Heart Very much a highlight of 2011 from the eurodance genre! 33 // Sunday Girl // Love U More Superb cover, a shame she was missed off the Sound of 2012 poll 21 // Chart Music // All My Life Strange how this track seems to have been erased from everywhere! Such a brilliant electropop track! 17 // Ola // All Over The World A shame this wasn't a big hit in the UK, it really could and should have been 08 // Azealia Banks feat. Lazy Jay // 212 2012 must surely be huge for her? I don't normally like this genre of music, but 212 is infectious! 07 // Metronomy // The Bay Not a huge fan of them, but I do really like this track! Hadn't heard of it prior to it's use in NMTBJs 04 // Patrick Wolf // Together Stunning track, the best song on his recent album imo. 03 // Loreen // My Heart Is Refusing Me One of my favourite tracks from this years Eurovision season, and definitely my favourite song from Melodifestivalen. Let's hope we get an album following her next MF appearance! 02 // Gotye feat. Kimbra // Somebody That I Used To Know It's one of those tracks everyone else loved but me. I can see it being a UK hit if given the right amount of promotion! 01 // Florrie // I Took A Little Something I never got into Florrie, her sound was too similar to Girls Aloud and Mini Viva and I found her a little pointless as a result :heehee: . I can understand why you like it though as this would make a great Girls Aloud track! Fabulous chart overall! Some really excellent choices! :D
December 25, 201113 yr Favorite songs from your Top 100: 98 // HURTS // Sunday 93 // M83 // Midnight City 84 // Washed Out // Eyes Be Closed 83 // Florrie // Experimenting with Rugs 80 // Arcade Fire // City With No Children 67 // Florence + the Machine // What The Water Gave Me 66 // Washed Out // Amor Fati 63 // Phantogram // Don't Move 61 // Coldplay // Paradise 41 // Tove Styrke // Call My Name 25 // Snow Patrol // Called Out in the Dark 19 // Foster the People // Pumped Up Kicks 14 // Ellie Goulding // Lights 01 // Florrie // I Took A Little Something
December 28, 201113 yr Author Faves and comments then: 86 // Sanna Nielsen // I'm In Love Schlageriffic :wub: Sanna is a legend 70 // Ed Sheeran // The A Team Pleasing to see this here, the hipster crowd can do one, this is a stunning song 21 // Chart Music // All My Life WHY has all trace of this been removed from the internet :drama: I guess that'll have to be rectified in time for TBO final... 17 // Ola // All Over The World A male Release Me I guess but I never truly LOVED this for whatever reason which is odd because generally Ola is my favourite Scandi male 03 // Loreen // My Heart Is Refusing Me I do slightly prefer Sober I guess but actually both missed my EOY top 100! I've never been as into her as I feel I ought to be... 02 // Gotye feat. Kimbra // Somebody That I Used To Know I wonder if this could be my 2012 EOY #2? :lol: 01 // Florrie // I Took A Little Something Gorgeous song, but again one that narrowly missed my own top 100... I thought you'd just quoted the whole list then - hooray for fav'ing most of it! :D 70 Exactly - I'm not going to exclude something because other people might thing it's "uncool"! Though I was unimpressed with the album, this still wows me 21 I see you did upload it again, hurrah! Really curious as to why it had been erased though... 17 This is easily his best song so far for me - I think Danny has had more consistency but I like Ola more 03 :o I would've thought they'd both have been shoo-ins for the top forty at least! I can't wait to see her return at Melodi... :heart: 02 :lol: I would've been surprised... 01 :drama: Thanks for your comments! Good #1, although I must admit, I only listened to it recently, but it's amazing. Gotye will probably be high in 2012 EoY for me, and Rihanna and Loreen are both several shades of awesome, so excellent top 5 overall. Very nice list, only a few of the more indie songs I haven't heard, so very good overall. :D As I always say to everyone, chase up all of Florrie's material. Some absolute GEMS in there. Thanks Eyes! :D Some comments for the latter part of your countdown: 34 // Radio Killer // Lonely Heart Very much a highlight of 2011 from the eurodance genre! 33 // Sunday Girl // Love U More Superb cover, a shame she was missed off the Sound of 2012 poll 21 // Chart Music // All My Life Strange how this track seems to have been erased from everywhere! Such a brilliant electropop track! 17 // Ola // All Over The World A shame this wasn't a big hit in the UK, it really could and should have been 08 // Azealia Banks feat. Lazy Jay // 212 2012 must surely be huge for her? I don't normally like this genre of music, but 212 is infectious! 07 // Metronomy // The Bay Not a huge fan of them, but I do really like this track! Hadn't heard of it prior to it's use in NMTBJs 04 // Patrick Wolf // Together Stunning track, the best song on his recent album imo. 03 // Loreen // My Heart Is Refusing Me One of my favourite tracks from this years Eurovision season, and definitely my favourite song from Melodifestivalen. Let's hope we get an album following her next MF appearance! 02 // Gotye feat. Kimbra // Somebody That I Used To Know It's one of those tracks everyone else loved but me. I can see it being a UK hit if given the right amount of promotion! 01 // Florrie // I Took A Little Something I never got into Florrie, her sound was too similar to Girls Aloud and Mini Viva and I found her a little pointless as a result :heehee: . I can understand why you like it though as this would make a great Girls Aloud track! Fabulous chart overall! Some really excellent choices! :D Thank you Ghosty! :D 33 I don't really see her as having much hit potential (despite this amazing song!), and since she could've feasibly been on it last year her absence didn't really shock me 07 Oops, I typed The Bay again instead of The Look :drama: Love both though! 04 Agreed, I played it on a loop when the album came out, so glad it got the single treatment 03 I do hope so! Did we ever get the promised EP even? :o 02 I am (obviously) rooting hard for it, was basically love at first listen for me! 01 My Girls Aloud love is not a secret? :drama: :lol: She's a bit 'cooler' than their other acts but yes, some of her songs would make great GA tracks! Much as I adore her, I doubt she can make hits of anything herself :( Favorite songs from your Top 100: 98 // HURTS // Sunday 93 // M83 // Midnight City 84 // Washed Out // Eyes Be Closed 83 // Florrie // Experimenting with Rugs 80 // Arcade Fire // City With No Children 67 // Florence + the Machine // What The Water Gave Me 66 // Washed Out // Amor Fati 63 // Phantogram // Don't Move 61 // Coldplay // Paradise 41 // Tove Styrke // Call My Name 25 // Snow Patrol // Called Out in the Dark 19 // Foster the People // Pumped Up Kicks 14 // Ellie Goulding // Lights 01 // Florrie // I Took A Little Something Thanks for reading! :D I'll be starting the album countdown a little later tonight! Edited December 28, 201113 yr by råndomfurlöng
December 28, 201113 yr Thank you Ghosty! :D 33 I don't really see her as having much hit potential (despite this amazing song!), and since she could've feasibly been on it last year her absence didn't really shock me 07 Oops, I typed The Bay again instead of The Look :drama: Love both though! 04 Agreed, I played it on a loop when the album came out, so glad it got the single treatment 03 I do hope so! Did we ever get the promised EP even? :o 02 I am (obviously) rooting hard for it, was basically love at first listen for me! 01 My Girls Aloud love is not a secret? :drama: :lol: She's a bit 'cooler' than their other acts but yes, some of her songs would make great GA tracks! Much as I adore her, I doubt she can make hits of anything herself :( 33 - I dunno, she could have a few hits with covers, she released a Pixies cover last week and she's got Self Control and of course Love U More, all she needs is the right amount of promo! 03 - I don't think we did, hopefully she's just saving the tracks for the album! 01 - I have to agree, if it was 2009 she might have had a chance!
December 28, 201113 yr Author Here we go then, my top 25 albums of the year - with, no doubt, some appalling omissions, for various reasons, but oh well. --- 25 // Nico Muhly // SEEING IS BELIEVING Making a name for himself as a film composer (The Reader, Margaret, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), Muhly has also worked with Grizzly Bear, Jonsi and Antony & the Johnsons. So I took a chance on this, an original set of new compositions, and found much to admire in his jagged, icy string melodies and unpredictable flourishes of woodwind and percussion. The opening, titular piece, running just under 25 minutes, is a startling introduction. best track // Seeing is Believing 24 // Laura Marling // A CREATURE I DON'T KNOW Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, or maybe it's just lacking the torrid intimacy of her previous record, but Marling's third album never really connected with me the way I expected it to. But second-rate Marling is still better than the best efforts of most people. Perhaps it's because there's a bit more joy in this one, and even the darker moments feel larger, less personal, and the melodies, grander and grungier, sweep rather than embrace. But the lyrics still sting with truth, and it sounds gorgeous. best track // 23 // Simon Curtis // R∆ The (still?) unsigned Simon Curtis takes electronic music one step further - his soundscapes are so steeped in echo and reverberations that they feel very physical, as if there's a squadron of 14 robotic soldiers marching towards you. And yet he doesn't fail to also stick a very fleshy heart into the distorted vocals, adding animalistic cries, sexual moans and desolate laments amongst all the crunch. Very stimulating. best track // 22 // Foster the People // TORCHES What surprise to find such a dextrous, fizzing pop album behind Pumped Up Kicks, from the whirring, strident opener Helena Beat to the anthemic joy of closer Warrant. In fact, the distortions of the record's most successful seems like a red herring when you look back from the vibrant melodies and summer beats of this dazzling debut. best track // 21 // Tom Vek // LEIZURE SEIZURE The jerky rhythms of Leizure Seizure hold an entirely different fascination from those of Simon Curis - his distant, arch style of singing makes for an experience observed, not lived - Vek is a man critiquing, laughing at, proving his disengagement from. But the pleasures are ultimately similar - discovery of unusual melodies, different arrangements of rare instrumentation, and catching familiar stories in a refreshing way. best track //
December 30, 201113 yr Author Apologies for the delay... here's 20 to 16. 20 // Cut Copy // ZONOSCOPE Astonishing this, my favourite album for the first part of the year, has ended up right at the bottom of the top twenty, but some of the magic just didn't hold up, especially in the album's latter half. Perhaps it was 'Sun God' just NOT WORKING live. Nevertheless, they're still excellent craftsman at beautiful synth lines and glittering instrumentation, and if you don't love the percussion on 'Blink...' you can't be my friend. best track // Pharaohs & Pyramids 19 // Lady GaGa // BORN THIS WAY It's a bit of a scattershot mess, especially if you add in the bonus tracks (though I rather like that she stuck them in at various points rather than at the end), but I can't really deny the immense pop power of the majority of the record. Lunacy might reap some terrible moments but it also lands more electrifying moments than playing it safe does. Long live Scheiße and all that. best track // 18 // Wynter Gordon // WITH THE MUSIC I DIE All of that said, some pure, simple pop can be just as pleasing when it comes down to it. Wynter Gordon's long-awaited debut initially sounded a bit cheap to my ears, but either the synths became less tinny or I just stopped caring. (Proof being, I'm listening to tracks to write this guff and I don't want to stop.) There's joy in this music, freedom, and sexuality that never seems desperate or debasing - songs like Dirty Talk, where she reels off a list of sexual kinks, and Buy My Love, where she invites a man to buy her company, are delivered with a knowing, adult sense of humour. I sense the title might be a bit tongue-in-cheek. best track // In The Morning 17 // Rebecca Ferguson // HEAVEN The surprise of the year. After I heard the album's lead single - a song which I continue to find slightly dreary - I had low expectations for the album from a woman who I'd found technically on-point but rather lifeless on last year's X Factor. So, witness my jaw slowly dropping as the jazzy, swinging delights of Heaven unfolded. I'm not the only one to compare it to Duffy's Rockferry, and Rebecca's vocal stylings may have one-upped Duffy's squeakier tones. Heaven is full of blissfully simple melodies, and it zips by almost too quickly. best track // 16 // Neon Indian // ERA EXTRAÑA Neon Indian's second album leapt much more easily at my taste buds - more vibrant, immediate synths and eerie melodies. The album is soaked in creepy 1980s sounds - if Angelo Badalamenti scored Donnie Darko, I think it might sound like this. It crunches and shimmers at the same time, as if it's turning both inwards and outwards, and it's basically very exciting. best track //
December 31, 201113 yr Author Aiming to finish this today... here's 15-11. 15 // Florence + The Machine // CEREMONIALS Lungs was my favourite album of its year, so this is a bit of a comedown. Ceremonials does feature the same sort of epic melodies that really captured my heart on Lungs, but something about those on Ceremonials feels less raw and evocative. Nevertheless, Ceremonials continues one of the most distinctive careers currently running, with exceptional use of percussion in particular. best track // 14 // Lykke Li // WOUNDED RHYMES A much denser sound for Lykke Li on her follow-up to Youth Novels, with the booming crash of drums a wonderfully prominent feature. The whole thing has a slightly tribal feel, a whirling dance through a snowscape, thanks to frequently double-tracked vocals and an often maddening clash of instrumentation. Add in some delicious lyrics (the shock of hearing "I'm your prostitute / You gon' get some"!) and you have a blackly enjoyable experience. best track // 13 // Patrick Wolf // LUPERCALIA Lupercalia starts with the joyful stomp of 'The City', and it's immediately clear that this is a record full of happiness and life and love and all that stuff. Which you'd think would make me hate it, because what's more enviable than genuine happiness. But instead, I came over all warm and happy and by the time the album finishes, I genuinely feel better about my life. But it's not his best. Probably because it's too happy. best track // 12 // Sneaky Sound System // FROM HERE TO ANYWHERE Basing my expectation from the singles, I didn't have high hopes for this record. Then in it stomped, alive with the dirty synths of the 1980s, and my head went into a tailspin. Miss Connie's round, booming vocals are unmistakable, providing the album with a tough vulnerability, often despairing but in a fashion that demands answers rather than sobbing on the dancefloor. Basically, every track (even We Love) is an utter TUNE. best track // 11 // Friendly Fires // PALA Seeing them live for the second time this year, it turned out Pala didn't translate nearly as well to a live setting as their self-titled debut, but, on record at least, Pala is a second triumph, and an advance. It's a freer, lighter record, continuing on from Kiss of Life as an embrace of a samba sound, only this translates to a multitude of moods - breathless fear, sensual abandon, joyful community, doomed dependence. All covered in glittering synths and exuberant percussion. best track // Pala
December 31, 201113 yr Author http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9830/penguinprison.png 10 // Penguin Prison // PENGUIN PRISON Penguin Prison had been trickling out material over what seemed like at least a couple of years, and probably remains even now better known as a remixer. So this is, perhaps, the unheralded triumph of the year. The gradual builds of synth beats and electronic percussion melodies isn't dissimilar from his style of remixing, but these tracks are perfectly crafted pop songs that peak, as they should, in choruses that are sharp and punchy. Penguin's vocals are sleek, smooth recall the likes of Prince and Phil Oakey of the 1980s, but the music here makes a thoroughly modern product of its shimmering funk. Essential track: Pinocchio
December 31, 201113 yr Author http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/513/houseofballoons.png 09 // The Weeknd // HOUSE OF BALLOONS The Weeknd's intoxicating mixture of eerie echo and explicit lyricism captured him a great deal of attention this year. Still the finest of his three mixtapes, House of Balloons, the first, had me fully ensnared from the moment Aaliyah's made a ghostly appearance on the second track. Such a sample is emblematic of the album's overall feeling - a record that is lyrically simple and often rather crude, but that is constructed with such a deep, rhythmic soundscape that it reverberates throughout your entire body. Essential track: House of Balloons - Glass Table Girls 8ex38L8xtNI
December 31, 201113 yr Author http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/8603/echoes.png 08 // Will Young // ECHOES Echoes wasn't the storming dance classic that his collaboration with Groove Armada, 'History', set him up for, but it is perhaps a more realistic evocation of the man himself. Always, as you might expect from the winner of a vocal competition, an appealing vocalist, Young here finally couples it with a set of tracks that really spark into a winning combination of smooth, glimmering synth melodies. While it runs an emotional gamut, there's a strong sense of contentment in the confident style Young delivers these feelings - an artist, finally, who has found material to match him. Essential track: Runaway
December 31, 201113 yr Author http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5731/sticksstones.png 07 // Cher Lloyd // STICKS + STONES Short, and sweeter than you might imagine, Cher Lloyd managed to reap the very best of what SyCo had to offer. The infamous Swagger Jagger may have grated on nearly everyone, but Playa Boi swags Neneh Cherry's Buffalo Stance with such exuberant panache that suggests Lloyd is more clued-up that she gets credit for. Sticks + Stones incorporates all potshots at her public image and uses them as party tricks, playfully accepting them through buoyant pop melodies. Inexplicably, an X Factor act has delivered an album that embraces everything people appreciated them for, while also crafting a distinctive and lively pop career. Essential track: Playa Boi u7vMgl1KHLo
December 31, 201113 yr Author http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/9114/withinwithout.png 06 // Washed Out // WITHIN AND WITHOUT Chillwave is oddly named, as the better examples of it always effect me on a physical level that is anything but relaxed. The soundscapes of Washed Out's first full-length record do settle into the kind of otherworldly grooves that are easy to slide into, but the constant reverberations of the bouncing synths ultimately results in an unsettling vibration. There's some magic in Washed Out's mastery of these electronics, a kind of soundtrack to your unpopulated dreams, the images of beautiful vistas tinged in the sadness of memory. Essential track: Before ngZGi_37vv8
December 31, 201113 yr Author http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/1740/onamission.png 05 // Katy B // ON A MISSION One of my favourite memories from the past year was clutching my miniscule umbrella over the heads of four complete strangers in torrential rain, jumping up and down with complete abandon to Katy B at the Lovebox festival. Katy B's combination of pop and dubstep seemed to crystallise the general movement of the chart music scene itself, even if she herself never took off as expected. But there's an emotional keenness to the ordinariness of the scenes Katy describes here, swerving between caustic romantic tangles to dancefloor abandonment, and the mood captured in one of a moonlit London street, the sound of revellers faded around the corner. Keep it loud, and carry on home. Essential track: Go Away
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