So its that time of year again that I shamelessly jump on the bandwagon and bring you my top tracks of the year (expanded to a top 60 this year). This rundown may not be all that shocking if you know my tastes, and it will not be ran in a particularly imaginative way but hey ho :D

 

I am hopefully gonna get started this week, but first I will give some brief insights into the a few album I've listened to this year (and two from 2011) Not a 'chart' or 'rate' as such as I don't really listen to enough of them, not necessarily an 'albums' person as such and indeed my grand total stands at around four this year but it makes it easier to put the spotlight on.

 

I shan't bother with a hate list as that would be time consuming and its pretty much the same as everyone else's (Chris Brown does indeed feature highly)

 

Here, though are the fifteen tracks that just missed the cut:

 

61. Fun. – Some Nights

62. Mumford & Sons – I Will Wait

63. Ellie Goulding – Figure 8

64. DJ Fresh – The Feeling

65. Katy Perry – Wide Awake

66. Katy Perry – Part of Me

67. Pink – Try

68. Cheryl – Under The Sun

69. Lumineers – Ho Hey

70. The New Division – Kids

71. Sean Paul – She Doesn’t Mind

72. Maroon 5 - Payphone

73. Coldplay feat. Rihanna – Princess of China

74. Disclosure feat. Sam Smith – Latch

75. Rihanna – Where You Have Been

 

Mostly songs I didn't feel I had enough to say about to include them, songs that I've only just discovered or songs that have just got boring after a while. A lot of these artists will still feature with their other hits.

 

Notable that Mumford & Sons will not feature in my top 60 despite being one of my most anticipated comebacks of the year. I don't have the album just yet granted, but I Will Wait has unfortunately not really clicked with me in the same way Little Lion Man and The Cave did. Similar story with Muse but I will discuss that when I review the album.

 

Anyway, the album reviews will come tomorrow and, providing we're all still here, the singles countdown after that :o

Edited December 31, 201212 yr by Auld Lang Wombat

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Muse - The 2nd Law

 

The new album from my second favorite band of all time was always gonna be one of my most anticipated releases of the year. My reaction when I heard Survival? Hmmm, That wasn't expected. I still can't warm to it, Madness was better and certainly an interesting change in pace but even that hasn't aged very well, but Survival really does personify all the criticism that is thrown at Muse - just far too OTT, overproduced and a little pretentious, exceedingly disappointing seeing as they were the perfect act to record the Olympics official song. My excitement for the album was considerably dampened after these two singles.

 

Now for the album itself, thankfully, it isn't an album full of pretentiousness that it could've been. Survival, Panic Station, Follow Me? Yeah, they won't win any new converts but that is more what I'm here for and it gets the album off to a flying start. Worth noting that I do love the concept of this album, from resisting from the powers of tyranny and the unknown to a world spiralling out of control, mankind losing its power, becoming more selfish and the dark powersa above taking over. It's all the more appropriate considering the year of release. The start is fantastic and Animals is a great personification of this story, its just a shame that the middle completely runs out of steam, all the songs start to blur into the dreaded category of 'filler Muse' which is essentially Survival but a lot less memorable, and just WHAT on earth were they thinking when they got the bass player to sing?! No thanks.

Thankfully this is short lived and the ending is brilliant, Exogenesis from Resistance didn't really work that well unfortunately (even when I saw it live) . A simply fantastic way of concluding the story with an all out, lets-literally-go-fucking-mental explosion - the dreaded dubstep may not please devotees of Muse, but to me, it doesn't come across like some of the tracks - trying too hard and the end result being intriguing but lacking something (which is unfortunately where second single Madness falls), the ending of the album is very foreboding and even a little disturbing, but its only the most appropriate, is the world really getting into a better state? Hmmmm....

 

Overall? Solid, if not amazing, probably not as good as Resistance if only cause that had a bit more in terms of CHOONS on it and whilst I wasn't really expecting another Uprising, the singles this era remain a let down, BUT Muse still prove that they are very happy with exploring grandiose topics, going melodramatic to the point where its amusing and just going out and out bonkers at times....and don't we all LOVE them for it? Well I guess not, but I certainly do. I have doubts over whether when I see them again next year that it will be as mesmorising as 2010, but I certainly feel this album has given them scope for some new, live ideas.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51blGVOHW1L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

 

Ellie Goulding - Halcyon

 

And if that's not your thing, maybe this will be. Ellie's come quite a long way since that shy little blond girl who picked up the Critics Choice award in 2010. She's even cracked the States, the constipated-on-a-toilet expression while singing live unfortunately hasn't changed, but this album certainly has.

 

I was a big fan of Bright Lights even if the general reaction was that of disappointment. It had a few really good pop songs and her voice may divide some, but I find it very quirky and really adds to some of the songs. If there was anything that I was doubting, it was if she had future potential. It looked doubtful...the sudden success she had in the States obviously told me she would be back, but even I wasn't prepared for the maturity this album showed...

 

The whole album is so much darker and so much more sophisticated than Bright Lights. Sure there's still some little catchy songs like lead single Anything Can Happen, but I really couldn't have foreseen that this is the same girl that sung Starry Eyed. Her vocals on My Blood really emphasise this, filled with sadness, desperation, but the theme of freedom, an outlook of shining through the rain. The backing and instrumental only support this with constant bleak beats throughout the album. Sure, they all start to blend together a little but by the end, Atlantic in particular is where things started to tire for me. But overall, this was a really good album, gone is the cuteness (and I guess symbolically, the blond hair) and here is the sense of artistic, and even better, natural progression. It may not be to everyone's tastes (indeed, I'd be surprised if this even reaches half of Bright Lights total sales) but a one trick pony she is not.

 

http://www.contactmusic.com/images/content/jessie-ware-devotion.jpg

 

Jessie Ware - Wildest Moments

 

I don't feel I actually have as much to say about this as the other three, but I still cared enough to listen to her album. I guess its a relatively inoffensive first album from her. Still, I do like it. I checked her out after the gorgeous 110% (more on that later) and found that that is still far and away the best song on the album for me, the rest of the album may not be that original or memorable, but the genuine sincerity and sadness of her voice is what really makes this a very worthwhile debut, Night Light and Wildest Moments reflect this the most. I feel she has a lot more to give and could potentially go even darker or more interesting the second time around. So she's an artist I will keep in my sights and that I recommend if you've not already listened to her.

Edited December 20, 201212 yr by ApocaWombat!

The Second Law was a good album by Muse's standards, it's probably my favourite album from them actually. Halcyon is very good as well, Devotion isn't as good as those two albums though. :( I do adore 110% though. :wub:

Hi CW!

 

Good album choices I guess, though (shockingly) I can't say I've listened to Muse. Your feelings on Halcyon and Devotion are very much aligned with mine (though personally I think Halcyon only falters after 'Atlantis' and your two non-'110%' highlights from Devotion are rather subpar to my ears). Looking forward to your top 60 singles!

Eh, for Devotion, I do like some of what she's done but based on the singles it's only 110% and a bit of Night Light that I've enjoyed. It seems so massively overrated by the internet if most of it sounds like Running/Wildest Moments, which is what I suspect.

 

Halcyon tho :wub: I still need to listen to The 2nd Law at some point in the future.

Eh, for Devotion, I do like some of what she's done but based on the singles it's only 110% and a bit of Night Light that I've enjoyed. It seems so massively overrated by the internet if most of it sounds like Running/Wildest Moments, which is what I suspect.

 

Oh my god! I share the exact same opinion as you on this subject. :o

Edited December 20, 201212 yr by ★ G R I E F ★

Jessie Ware's was the only one that I listened to quickly on spotify out of those, I certainly don't put it in the same league as the other two but it was good enough for an artist I knew nothing about bar one song.

 

Hi CW!

 

Good album choices I guess, though (shockingly) I can't say I've listened to Muse. Your feelings on Halcyon and Devotion are very much aligned with mine (though personally I think Halcyon only falters after 'Atlantis' and your two non-'110%' highlights from Devotion are rather subpar to my ears). Looking forward to your top 60 singles!

 

I sense you may approve of my final album choice :D

 

-x-

 

 

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Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

 

...or more specifically, the Paradise edition was the one I own, but I haven't quite got round to listening to that yet (would it drastically change my opinion)....

 

Lana was an artist I was always intrigued to hear more of after the sublime Video Games and the great Born To Die. Then I saw her live performances...oo-err :( Thankfully, the album showed that (in the studio at least) she does still have the knack to a great song. Her voice is very unique and tracks like Off To The Races and Radio (rhyming Vitamin & Cinnamon though, what?!) have a lovely retro feel, and I find her contrasting tones of singing work very well on the singles Born To Die & Blue Jeans. In terms of other highlights, National Anthem is of course a fantastic showcase of her vocals and although its not necessarily a fan favourite, I do quite like Diet Mountain Dew (although mainly for the Oxford remix) in particular.

 

Its an impressive debut doubtless, the only thing that unfortunately sets it and her back is that it does seem to lack a certain sense of personality or identity. I do feel that with some tracks including the likes of Without You & Radio (again) it becomes a little standard and her rather unique tone of singing and personality is slightly wasted in the material. the fierceness of Born To Die feels like a one off for the majority of this album. for the most part. I mention this because it makes me a little uncertain about future success for Lana as I'm not sure where she can go from here, and of course her rather sombre ways won't really please everyone. But this was a worry on my mind that I had for Ellie as well, but she really impressed me with Halcyon, so I do really hope that Lana can do the same.

 

-x-

 

I think that's enough for the albums, singles will start tomorrow!

Edited December 20, 201212 yr by ApocaWombat!

OK, lets get started on this then. I'll aim to get the first ten done today, next ten tomorrow etc. obviously I'll probably not do any on Christmas/Boxing Day but it should be done before the year is out.

 

These are all songs that I have first discovered/learnt of existence in 2012, its not necessarily based on how well they've done in the charts this year, so even though Titanium has been at its most successful this year, I first discovered them in 2011 and they charted in the EOY chart there, so I didn't feel it necessary to put it on this year's too.

 

 

Speaking of which, that man starts us off with the second single from his surprisingly solid Nothing But The Beat album, which was nowhere near the mish mash of the same beats/raps over and over again which I thought before I listened to it. Its certainly no Titanium or Without You, but its an infectious pop record that I really liked at the time. The rather imaginative video also makes it clear that there may be a little bit more to him than the standard generic club filler that he seemed to have built such a name for himself on.

 

 

Whoops :ph34r: I do shamefully like this. I don't think anything special of this band, Coldplay they are not and they seem to be this generation's Busted/McFly with a little less cheer. But something about this really stuck in my head - I guess I am a sucker for a good cheesy, MOR anthem. It went almost as quickly as it came, which I suppose was good as it didn't leave room to get bored of it, so this is alright with me. (Their other songs are certainly not though)

 

 

The first of many BJSC songs with the most recent entry from Skall, its rather recent which explains its slightly lowly position. Admittedly, I wouldn't love it anywhere near as much if it weren't for those synths, the instrumental is just so great all the way through that it would almost work without vocals, in particular 2:42 where everything seems to just go crazy. The vocals are great too though, the two leads harmonise perfectly, putting across an excellent sense of sadness and emotion.

 

 

Another one from BJSC, but I was more surprised this was even entered considering it had been a UK hit beforehand. Pure dance song about being the best you can be, nothing new but a certainly a big CHOOON and that bassline is quite something.

 

 

Were you tuning out there, Iz? :D GOSH, I really shouldn't like this, but its just so infectious, likeable and inoffensive that I just can't help it. Sometimes, a record like this is what you really need, and I found this to be a lovely slice of happiness in the rather dull early months of the year. As for the group themselves, I can't sing similar praises as I really see NOTHING interesting about them and its not too surprising to see them not having much success apart from this (and as I understand, dropped from their label!). Clearly they were never destined for big things but listening to this now, I guess it tells me for all of five minutes, that it was fun while it lasted.

Edited December 21, 201212 yr by ApocaWombat!

55. B>E>A>K - Kehaar

 

The first of three Unknown Pleasures entries in this countdown. It may seem a bit like a novelty song for Tom & Jerry. But looking into it, it really is a very interesting, if polarising, piece of music. A completely balmy but wonderful, vintage combination of orchestra and guitars. I believe I was more into Young War at the time as I didn't give this the full 20, but since, its grown on me a lot far more so and just about enters my chart. They're also dressed as birds, which is a pretty cool gimmick.

 

 

Speaking of gimmicks, this video is possibly the ultimate gimmick, and indeed without it, I probably wouldn't love this as much as I did - I mean its SOCK PUPPETS *.*. Its just such an inspired idea, and I was quite sad that it flopped in BJSC (not that this was new to me by this point considering its my most recent entry). The song itself is also wonderfully infectious with an excellently uplifting keyboard line and a very catchy chorus. A must listen if you've not heard.

 

53. Kaskade feat. Skylar Grey - Room For Happiness

 

And here ladies and gents, is my most successful BJSC entry ever...getting all the way to 28th place in the final. Its certainly not my favourite of my entries, but its held up very well. Skylar's vocals are so haunting and really work perfectly for the growing feeling of paranoia the song has, the production is excellent too, making this a really capitivating listen from start to finish. I always had a feeling that it would be a good song to start my BJSC career off...I dunno what the hell happened after that :(

 

52. Nicki Minaj - Starships

 

Here she is again, I must admit I was not convinced by Nicki Minaj at all at first. Then she reverted to an instantly poppy sound and I started to like her a lot more. [/popslut] Starships is about as poppy as you can get, its got the space/flying reference, the guitar riff, the breakdown, autotune, backing vocals, it really is just tailored for that market. It certainly does this well and its a great pop record, at the same time though, It is very easy to see how some wouldn't be so keen as it really lacks a sense of identity and releasing Pound The Alarm straight after this just gives a reek of desperation about her. Still, I can't deny that I really enjoyed this at the time.

 

 

YES, believe it or not, I might actually be contributing to this inevitably storming the Buzzchart of the year. Its definitely not the best thing since sliced bread and I did get increasingly annoyed with how everyone was making it out to be this, but at the same time, it is an excellent record of its type. That single burst of joy, a light through the trees, the sun behind the clouds after the rain, the light at the end of the tunnel that explodes into something amazing. Everyone loves the feeling of Euphoria taking over and this song essentially 'songifies' it with an incredible production, great vocals and I guess it helps that she herself isn't just a pretty face and can certainly sing. It is just perfect for the joys of Eurovision and its certainly not an appeal that wouldn't fit in with that of the UK, so its success here and across Europe really isn't too surprising. Still possibly my favourite Eurovision song ever (I may be missing something out there, not an expert as such).

 

-x-

 

That'll do for today, 50-41 coming tomorrow. Feel free to comment, but at the same time please don't feel the need to state your opinion on every song, especially if its that of indifference. :P

Edited December 21, 201212 yr by ApocaWombat!

Eh, for Devotion, I do like some of what she's done but based on the singles it's only 110% and a bit of Night Light that I've enjoyed. It seems so massively overrated by the internet if most of it sounds like Running/Wildest Moments, which is what I suspect.

 

I'm going to try and not get too passionate and defensive over this Jessie Ware slating in here, but please listen to the album, there's more variety than you think. Based on your likes, I reckon you might be drawn to 'Still Love Me' and 'Sweet Talk' especially. (But really the whole thing is sublime and you're all f***ing nuts)

 

After 'Euphoria' (natch), my favourite entry on this countdown so far is probably 'All I Know' - really strong production. (I saw Luke Bingham live though and his own material is dull as dishwater, like Craig David circa 2004) I'll be keeping an eye on this, you have really eclectic taste!

I love Euphoria because of the same reasons that you love it. It's an exceptional song of its kind and it sounds like an incredible and a euphoric (no pun intended) dance anthem at the same time as it sounds like a Eurovision song. :wub: It's my favourite Eurovision song by far as well! :D

Jessie Ware's was the only one that I listened to quickly on spotify out of those, I certainly don't put it in the same league as the other two but it was good enough for an artist I knew nothing about bar one song.

I sense you may approve of my final album choice :D

 

-x-

http://extramusicnew.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/lana-del-rey.jpg

 

Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

 

...or more specifically, the Paradise edition was the one I own, but I haven't quite got round to listening to that yet (would it drastically change my opinion)....

 

Lana was an artist I was always intrigued to hear more of after the sublime Video Games and the great Born To Die. Then I saw her live performances...oo-err :( Thankfully, the album showed that (in the studio at least) she does still have the knack to a great song. Her voice is very unique and tracks like Off To The Races and Radio (rhyming Vitamin & Cinnamon though, what?!) have a lovely retro feel, and I find her contrasting tones of singing work very well on the singles Born To Die & Blue Jeans. In terms of other highlights, National Anthem is of course a fantastic showcase of her vocals and although its not necessarily a fan favourite, I do quite like Diet Mountain Dew (although mainly for the Oxford remix) in particular.

 

Its an impressive debut doubtless, the only thing that unfortunately sets it and her back is that it does seem to lack a certain sense of personality or identity. I do feel that with some tracks including the likes of Without You & Radio (again) it becomes a little standard and her rather unique tone of singing and personality is slightly wasted in the material. the fierceness of Born To Die feels like a one off for the majority of this album. for the most part. I mention this because it makes me a little uncertain about future success for Lana as I'm not sure where she can go from here, and of course her rather sombre ways won't really please everyone. But this was a worry on my mind that I had for Ellie as well, but she really impressed me with Halcyon, so I do really hope that Lana can do the same.

 

-x-

 

I think that's enough for the albums, singles will start tomorrow!

This is a very fair review, your complaints are all valid (though obviously it affects my view of the quality less than it affects yours). Had no idea you liked Lana so much :wub:

 

Quite a good start to the songs list too, 'Mezzanine' is amazing and its flop was awful :(

Were you tuning out there, Iz? :D

 

Well I do rather like All I Know, but yay for this turning up a notch! :D Perfect song.

 

I also LOVE Room For Happiness, should have beaten far more than just me for your debut.

 

I'm going to try and not get too passionate and defensive over this Jessie Ware slating in here, but please listen to the album, there's more variety than you think. Based on your likes, I reckon you might be drawn to 'Still Love Me' and 'Sweet Talk' especially. (But really the whole thing is sublime and you're all f***ing nuts)

 

I will try Spotifying it, I suppose, will give me more to talk about when 110% appears on my singles chart. :D

Glad you're all enjoying it ^_^

 

 

Criminally, Levels somehow didn't feature in my chart of 2011, I don't even know how, I love it. Anyway, This was the follow up to that, and it may not sound a whole lot different, but thats certainly not a bad thing. The instrumental really sticks in your mind after a while and the vocals (although I must admit, it did take me a while to work out the sex of the singer) actually work well here, unlike Fade Into Darkness, which frankly should've just left the instrumental as it was.

 

 

I guess this is a 2011 song to a lot of people, but I didn't hear it until early this year. Its tired on me a little bit since then, but you can't really refuse an epic synth line like that. It always reminded me of Time To Pretend by MGMT, which I also loved. Only watched the video and its follow up now though - very good :o

 

 

In truth, its not actually the version in the link that I really like. Its a version that's a bit shorter and seems a lot more active, which got really overplayed to the point I don't really like it. I unfortunately can't seem to find a link apart from on Now 82. Oh well. Obviously when Jason Mraz has a hit, he really has a hit and I can see how some would get a bit annoyed, but I still think this is a really nice song. In much the same way I talked about with Cover Drive, sometimes a nice little ditty like this is what you really need.

 

 

I think I wouldn't nearly like this group as much as I do if it wasn't for the actual members - they're just so CUTE! (Perrie in particular) :wub: . It was nice to see Syco making more of an effort with them - a great backing track, an easily relatable subject matter or gaining independence that and a rather great contribution from all the members which allowed personality to be reflected. It was exactly the sort of song for them. I'm not as keen as DNA though its certainly not bad, maybe due to the image they give, which doesn't seem particularly natural for them. I'll await future releases before I judge them further, but I do hope they're more in the vain of this.

 

 

The song I gave 12 points too in BJSC LIV, in which I made three of my best discoveries ever from BJSC. I'm not sure what I was thinking in all honesty as that top 3 has COMPLETELY reversed as shown by this chart! I still like this a lot though; great production, lovely vocals and a killer chorus. I have heard various other material from her and she seems intriguing, but unfortunately quite forgettable (her cover of Only Love by Ben Howard is a very surprising exception though).

Edited December 22, 201212 yr by ApocaWombat!

 

I guess this is a 2011 song to a lot of people, but I didn't hear it until early this year. Its tired on me a little bit since then, but you can't really refuse an epic synth line like that. It alwasy reminded me of Time To Pretend by MGMT, which I also loved. Only watched the video and its follow up now though - very good :o

 

I'm glad that you've included my second favourite song of all time. :wub:

 

Have you ever wondered what Katy Perry & Ke$ha would sound like duetting? Wonder no further, Karmin are here. This is another one that is just so unoriginal I'm quite ashamed to like this, but that chorus is just so killer and the whole thing just sounds so massive. Alas, one of both Katy Perry & Ke$ha were enough for the British public (and who can blame them for that, honestly?) and this unfortunately didn't do that well despite a top 10 placing. Oh well, Cheerio!

 

 

I've always quite liked Kelly Clarkson,(though not quite the extent of my brother) but I find she can be a bit too depressing sometimes (hello Because of You, Behind These Hazel Eyes) and sometimes a little too generic (Never Again). Sure this may be a little generic, but its got everything you could possibly need from a Kelly Clarkson song, with a great harking back to the days of Since U Been Gone.

 

 

My my, this is a very Buzzjack friendly section so far, isn't it? I must've overlooked this at the time of the album (although whilst I've always been a massive fan, I've never been too big on her albums) and it did take me a while to warm to it, but its brilliant - success bringing Calvin Harris remix or not. A real ongoing epic that is made so much better by THAT voice - which may divide some, but without it I feel her songs wouldn't nearly hit as hard as they do.

 

 

The bassline before the chorus really making this song as great as it is and though its lower down as its only a relatively recent BJSC discovery, I really love this. Extremely intriguing song subject matter wise as well - seeming to relate to the problems of different people in different socio-economic classes, with Take a Walk possibly meaning a little bit more than the obvious meaning. I don't know much about Passion Pit other than this, but it certainly has triggered my interests.

 

 

The Vaccines 2011 debut was very reminiscent of the landfill indie of years gone by and I really admired the total lack of pompousness in the album and simple structure. Its rather refreshing, and its nice to see a band like this doing well. I've yet to listen to their new album, but this is another great slice of catchy indie pop. The main chorus line really stating the band themselves - they're not any icons, but they're satisfied with it, and all the better for it.

 

-x-

 

on another note, this display name which was meant to be one off seems to be clicking :o

Edited December 22, 201212 yr by ApocaWombat!

Ugh, Karmin, I can't stand that song. :puke:

 

The first and. I can assure you, only appearance from Rita Ora in my chart. Generally one of the stars of the year, which is rather worrying as she is one of the most unoriginal, generic pop sluts of the year - she's really echoed Pixie Lott in almost every sense so far, we can only hope that she doesn't go one better and hire the same stylists for her second album. ANYWAY thankfully, DJ Fresh , whom has quite good reputation when making a floor filler, gives her a helping hand in this club song, and its an upbeat, very catchy dance song. The production still reminds me of Watercolour by Pendulum (RIP :cry: ) but for me, that's only a good thing.

 

 

I foolishly forgot to include my review of their album in my list, I will include it when I go into their other song that is higher in this chart. I much prefer that one and wish that it had the success that this song had, this is still excellent though. The infectious trumpets, an intriguing video and a rather nice little tale of reconcile despite all the hard times and conflict that has happened in the past.

 

 

The wonderfully honourable Marina now, isn't she just the most totes cool, totally indie and different artist like ever? Slaying basic bitches since ohten, your faves could never. Total and utter pretentiousness aside, I can't deny she does have some clever ideas - the utter genericness that was Radioactive was not one, but this parody of the classic ten-minute-fame starlet, whilst its no Hollywood, works very well and has a wonderfully wistful production to it.

 

 

Yep, I went there. Like it or not, this has truly been one of the defining songs of 2012. The 90s had Macarena, the 00s had Las Ketchup and now the 10s have Gangnam Style. Do you know what he's saying? No. Are they particularly inspired lyrics that are going to change the world? Probably not, is it a hell of a lot of fun to just go mental too? Yes, very much so. Clearly not taking itself too seriously and with a massively fun video to boot, in this day and age it really isn't surprising to see it become such a big hit and over a billion hits on Youtube. It was after this that I did become a bit more on board with the whole K-pop and even started considering giving points to a few in BJSC, which I suppose is rather strange given this is not really representative of the genre at all...but nonetheless, if you didn't at least raise a smile at the whole thing, you really need to have a bit more fun.

 

 

From one year defining song to another, although this one is probably slightly less polarising. It took me a while to warm to it, his voice isn't the most enjoyable, but after a while, I just loved it. Complete with a single, universal line that its very easy to sing along and relate too, accompanied with an amazing backing track and a wonderful, positive build up. Its really a song that would just bring a positive state of mind with anyone and that I'm sure will sit as a modern dance anthem in the future. Its a little low considering I said all that, but like a lot of songs, overplay has unfortunately lessened my enjoyment of it. Nonetheless, one of my favourite number 1s of the year for sure.

 

I agree about Spectrum, it's wondrous with or without Calvin :wub:

 

38. Marina & The Diamonds - Primadonna[/url]

 

The wonderfully honourable Marina now, isn't she just the most totes cool, totally indie and different artist like ever? Slaying basic bitches since ohten, your faves could never. Total and utter pretentiousness aside, I can't deny she does have some clever ideas - the utter genericness that was Radioactive was not one, but this parody of the classic ten-minute-fame starlet, whilst its no Hollywood, works very well and has a wonderfully wistful production to it.

Agree.