Indeed, this is my countdown for the past 12 months. It's not very Buzzjack at all but hopefully one or two of you might be interested in what has made my year.

 

 

So without further ado

 

 

#40

 

Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude

 

 

Surprised? So was I. At first I really wanted to hate this but it crept under my skin until finally I loved it. I blame my kids but before I finally had to remove it from their mp3 players for lyrical content I was won over. They now have the radio edit.

#39

 

Foo Fighters - Walk

 

Probably more the sort of thing you'd expect from me but I've never been a huge fan of them. They've always struck me as a bit safe and lightweight overall. This however has such a good hook it's hard not to like it. As always with them the video is great.

#38

 

Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks

 

This felt like it was around forever this year and with good reason. One of those songs you don't really notice at first but becomes ubiquitous. Great chorus drags you in before the verses grab you too.

#37

 

Kasabian - Re-Wired

 

Another band I normally find decent but not brilliant despite the hype. This however caught my attention quickly and soon became my favourite track of theirs. Overtaking the much maligned Shoot The Runner.

#36

 

Rammstein - Mein Land

 

 

Rounding off tonights entries is a track that I feel should be higher perhaps but it's too recent to be sure of that so for now it lives here at number 36. Another band whose videos are always brilliant and this one is no exception. If only Baywatch really was like this eh? Anyway it's a toss up between them and Kraftwerk for my favourite German band

Love "Pumped Up Kicks" - I first heard it in June 2010 thanks to a blog I read and have had it on repeat ever since, was so surprised it became such a massive hit, but deservedly so IMO. Unknown Pleasures re-ignited my love for it earlier this year. *I guess not many people know that its about a disturbed man going on a killing spree!*

 

Not so much love for "Do It Like A Dude" - frankly it's terrible. But if she can get away with using awful lyrics like 'man dem sugar sugar sugar' and sell records then fair play.

I do like all the entries so far!

The video for 'Mein Land' is amazing! I have never liked them as a band even though we used to sing 'Ich Will' during the German lessons :lol: It might be their accent I don't like.

I love 'Pumped Up Kicks', hope there are more Foster The People's tracks in your top forty.

Unsurprisingly I like all of these so far. "Pumped Up Kicks" took a while for me to "get" but when I did I thought it was brilliant. "Walk" isn't my favourite FF single from this era but it's still very good and the video's awesome.

Love Pumped Up Kids, at first I didn't get into it when the track was featured in Unknown Pleasures it just didn't click with me, it took a while before I got into it, and now its one of my favourite tracks of 2011

#35

 

Arcade Fire - Speaking In Tongues

 

 

Appearing on the deluxe or whatever it was called version of The Suburbs this was their only real release of the year and whilst not their best ever it continues their run of very high quality singles. A nice cameo from David Byrne neatly referencing the Talking Heads album on the same name was a good touch too.

#34

 

Barb Wire Dolls - Street Generation

 

A little known gem now from Greece's finest Punk band who are currently somewhere near the vanguard of the revival in 70s styled Punk rather than the post Green Day stuff we've been given lately. I have high hopes for this lot if they can continue the promise shown on their debut mini LP. Short 'n sweet.

#33

 

Summer Camp - Better Off Without You

 

On hearing this for the first time it was like being back in 1988 and listening to the Indie charts back before Indie got 'Majored' and became a genre. A delightful, breezy summer Pop tune. My best performing entry in Unknown Pleasures ever. Given my taste I'll be lucky if I ever better it

#32

 

The Vaccines - Wetsuit

 

This pretty much passed me by on first few listens but when coupled with the video something hit home for me and it became an Autumnal favourite of mine. The Vaccines have definately been one of my bands of the year despite all the flak they've been getting for being posh. Frankly who cares? Some of the lyrics here seem to be coming from someone else and not from a man so young given that I at nearly 40 can relate to this in so many ways

#31

 

The Horrible Crowes - Behold The Hurricane

 

Brian from The Gaslight Anthem's other project still captures that Springsteen-esque windswept New Jersey sound. Much more melancholy than his more well known band are and yet still as impassioned. One of my favourite albums of the year and recommended for all those who like The Gaslight Anthem

Quick recap of the first ten

 

31. The Horrible Crowes – Behold The Hurricane

32. The Vaccines – Wetsuit

33. Summer Camp – Better Off Without You

34. Barb Wire Dolls – Street Generation

35. Arcade Fire – Speaking In Tongues

36. Rammstein – Mein Land

37. Kasabian – Re-Wired

38. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

39. Foo Fighters – Walk

40. Jessie J – Do It Like A Dude

#30

 

Korn - Narcissistic Cannibal

 

Another band I've never been a huge fan of but this collaborative effort with both The Noise and Skrillex revitalised them completely and made them more relevant than anytime since around 1995. An album I really need to spend more time with as it's considered among their best

#29

 

Tom Waits - Back In The Crowd

 

Tom returned this year with another great album to add to his collection and this was the highlight for me. Understated yet pained and mournful in his usual style. A vastly underrated singer and songwriter

#28

 

British Sea Power - Who's In Control?

 

Once in a while this band come up with something truly special and this was the one for this year. There's always something slightly Bunnymen about them. At least the Bunnymens earlier days anyway.

#27

 

Grinderman - The Palaces Of Montezuma

 

Another of Nick's beautiful love songs where he simply promises his desired all the beauties of the world and a few oddities. I genuinely think that one day the public at large will wake up to one of his ballads and give him a massive hit. I'm probably deluded. And I've never quite gotten over the shock of turning the corner in Toys R Us to be conforted with Nick standing there cuddly a giant teddy bear. Not how I ever envisaged my first meeting with the heroin addled, Old Testament 'fire and brimstone ' prophet I first discovered around 1987

#26

 

Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory

 

Ah Lady Gaga meets 'The Big Man'. The much missed Clarence Clemons makes a fine cameo here in what might well be his last piece of work. So glad that I saw him perform before he died. Meanwhile Lady Gaga taps into the spirit of mid 80s cheesy Pop and chucks in a killer chorus that pretty much won me over straight away after Born This Way and Judas had me thinking she'd lost it. I'm aware that's a comment with little support on Buzzjack but whatever. And for the first time ever I find everything about her in this video completely stunning. She looks great and oozes sex appeal. Never thought I'd say that either.