05 - Röyksopp feat. Susanne Sundfør 'Running To The Sea' (#01)

 

 

The problem with doing End of Year charts is that sometimes you do them to early and something great that's unexpected comes along which you haven't included which is what this did in mid-December last year, but then it only has a couple of weeks of the year to fully grow anyway so wouldn't be in an accurate position. Instead it has to go in 2013, after spending four weeks at number one in January and February, and it did bizarrely get a re-release last month so fully justified to be classed as a 2013 single. It completes a Röyksopp trinity of perfect collaborations with wonderful Scandanavian females after the successes of 'What Else Is There?' with Karin Dreijer Andersson and 'The Girl & The Robot' with Robyn.

 

It's hard to pick a favourite of the three, they're all so close to perfection, but 'Running To The Sea' is certainly as good as anything they've released before. It builds so well and they have a superb knack of picking the perfect vocalist for their collaborations, Susanne's haunting voice really suits the song so well.

 

Previous entries:

Royksopp:

Poor Leno (#45, 2002)

Eple (#21, 2003)

Only This Moment (#15, 2005)

What Else Is There? (#08, 2005)

This Must Be It (#97, 2009)

The Girl & The Robot (feat. Robyn) (#07, 2010)

 

Susanne:

White Foxes (#61, 2012)

Oblivion (feat. M83) (#79, 2013)

 

04 - Jon Hopkins feat. Purity Ring 'Breathe This Air' (#02)

 

 

Spending six weeks in the top 3 (plus a couple at #04) this never quite made it to the top of my chart, held off by 'Elevate' and then 'Reflektor' but it has shown greater longevity and I've not even begun to tire of it yet. Purity Ring's 'Shrines' was one of 2012s best albums and 'Fineshrine' one of 2012s best singles but this manages to beat everything from it. The version of 'Breathe This Air' is a stunning piece of music but the addition of vocals from Megan James turns it into something so much more. There's some added beats to the original as well which increase the layering of it and makes it build fantastically only adding to its greatness.

 

Purity Ring previous entries:

Fineshrine (#15, 2012)

 

03 - Arctic Monkeys 'Do I Wanna Know?' (#01)

 

 

As good as 'Breathe This Air' is it was some way behind the top 3. Picking a favourite single of this year has been as hard as its ever been and realistically any of the top 3 could've taken the title, for each of them I think "no, that can't ONLY be #3". Between them they spent a third of the year at the top of my chart, 'Do I Wanna Know?' 7 weeks equalling the longest ever run with three others (The Killers 'Mr Brightside', The Shins 'Turn on Me' and another from 2013).

 

'Do I Wanna Know?' wasn't instant with me, my love for the band had gradually dwindled and I never took to 'R U Mine?'. I saw this as an extension of it also being at the heavier end of their output, but it doesn't take long for THAT riff to really grab you, and then once you're in there's no going back. Lyrically it's both simple and perfect, and was something that was so easy to relate to over the late summer months. It also shows how much Alex has improved as a vocalist, the way he delivers some of the lines is unlike what we've heard before. And it will always be excellent to hear local dialect in song lyrics, especially when it's something I use myself, the return of the word 'summat' (previously heard in 'When The Sun Goes Down' and 'Despair in the Departure Lounge') is a joy to behold. Their 13th End of Year entry, more than anyone else, and they highest they've ever been.

 

Previous entries:

Fake Tales of San Francisco (#56, 2005)

I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (#34, 2005)

When The Sun Goes Down (#95, 2006)

The View From The Afternoon (#89, 2006)

Fluorescent Adolescent (#28, 2007)

Teddy Picker (#21, 2007)

Brianstorm (#16. 2007)

Crying Lightning (#49, 2009)

Cornerstone (#17, 2009)

The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala (#44, 2011)

Suck It And See (#09, 2011)

Black Treacle (#98, 2012)

 

I shall post the top 2 tomorrow, but here's 100-03 in list form.

 

100 Andy Burrows 'Hometown'

99 Miguel feat. Jessie Ware 'Adorn'

98 The 1975 'Chocolate'

97 Say Lou Lou feat. Chet Faker 'Fool of Me'

96 RY X 'Berlin'

95 Thumpers 'Dancing's Done'

94 The Kite String Tangle 'Given The Chance'

93 Duke Dumont feat. A*M*E 'Need U (100%)'

92 Wolf Alice 'She'

91 Beat Connection 'Saola' (ODESZA Remix)

 

90 Lewis Watson 'Into The Wild'

89 Primal Scream 'It's Alright, It's Ok'

88 London Grammar 'Strong'

87 Parra for Cuva 'Something Near'

86 Chris Malinchak 'So Good To Me'

85 Miles Kane 'Don't Forget Who You Are'

84 Ben Pearce 'What I Might Do'

83 Summer Camp 'Two Chords'

82 Foals 'My Number'

81 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz 'Thrift Shop'

 

80 British Sea Power 'Machineries of Joy'

79 M83 feat. Susanne Sundfør 'Oblivion'

78 Volcano Choir 'Comrade'

77 Thumpers 'Unkinder (A Tougher Love)'

76 Say Lou Lou 'Better in the Dark'

75 Tom Odell 'Another Love'

74 John Grant 'Pale Green Ghosts'

73 Ghost Loft 'Seconds'

72 Toro Y Moi 'Say That'

71 The Naked And Famous 'I Kill Giants'

 

70 Katy B feat. Geeneus & Jessie Ware 'Aaliyah'

69 Neon Neon 'Hammer & Sickle'

68 Vampire Weekend 'Diane Young'

67 Gaz Coombes 'Presents Break the Silence'

66 Le Youth 'C O O L'

65 Bombay Bicycle Club 'Carry Me'

64 Mt. Wolf 'Life Size Ghosts'

63 Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'Sacrilege'

62 Disclosure feat. AlunaGeorge 'White Noise'

61 Atoms For Peace 'Judge Jury and Executioner'

 

60 Tim Burgess 'The Doors Of Then'

59 MTNS 'Lost Track of Time'

58 Steve Mason 'Oh My Lord'

57 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 'Let The Day Begin'

56 The Naked And Famous 'Hearts Like Ours'

55 Julio Bashmore feat. Jessie Ware 'Peppermint'

54 Lulu James 'Closer'

53 Crooked Colours 'Come Down'

52 Justin Timberlake 'Mirrors'

51 Ejecta 'Afraid Of The Dark'

 

50 Vampire Weekend 'Unbelievers'

49 Ghosts 'Wlvs'

48 Foals 'Bad Habit'

47 Rachel Zeffira 'The Deserters'

46 Public Service Broadcasting 'Signal 30'

45 M.I.A. 'Come Walk With Me'

44 Deptford Goth 'Union'

43 Jagwar Ma 'Man I Need'

42 dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip 'You Will See Me'

41 Pulp 'After You'

 

40 Cloud Boat 'Wanderlust'

39 The Juan Maclean 'Feel Like Movin''

38 dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip 'Stunner'

37 Jake Bugg 'Broken'

36 Primal Scream '2013'

35 Bat For Lashes 'Lilies'

34 Joywave feat. Kopps 'Tongues'

33 Klingande 'Jubel'

32 Keep Shelly In Athens 'Oostende'

31 Holy Ghost! 'Dumb Disco Ideas'

 

30 Cosmo's Midnight feat. Nicole Millar 'Phantasm'

29 Josh Record 'Bones'

28 Roses Gabor 'Stars'

27 Belanger 'Take Me Home'

26 Daughter 'Youth'

25 Flight Facilities Feat. Christine Hoberg 'Clair De Lune'

24 Postiljonen 'Supreme'

23 Junip 'Line Of Fire'

22 David Bowie 'Love Is Lost' (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA)

21 TCTS '1997'

 

20 John Newman 'Love me again'

19 James Blake 'Overgrown'

18 Public Service Broadcasting 'Night Mail'

17 HAERTS 'Hemiplegia'

16 POLIÇA 'Tiff'

15 Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams 'Get Lucky'

14 Goldroom feat. Say Lou Lou 'Sweetness Alive'

13 Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'Despair'

12 St. Lucia 'Elevate'

11 Sailor & I 'Tough Love'

 

10 Arcade Fire 'Reflektor'

09 Ghost Loft 'So High'

08 Jessie Ware 'Imagine It Was Us'

07 Arcade Fire 'Afterlife'

06 I Am Kloot 'These Days Are Mine'

05 Röyksopp feat. Susanne Sundfør) 'Running To The Sea'

04 Jon Hopkins feat. Purity Ring 'Breathe This Air'

03 Arctic Monkeys 'Do I Wanna Know?'

Very good list so far Mark. Running To The Sea is gorgeous, Do I Wanna Know is the best Arctics single since 2006 for me, and lovely to see Jessie Ware and Daft Punk top 20! Going a little further down, and nice to see Lewis Watson there, he strikes me as a slightly more credible Ed Sheeran (vocally similar too), surprised he hasn't had much success to speak of so far.

02 - Bibio 'À tout à l'heure' (#01)

 

 

The song which became my obsession after 'Get Lucky' and released at the absolute perfect time of the year, just before the beginning of summer. It sounds so perfect on a warm day/evening that it's unsurprising that Bibio (Stephen Wilkinson) came up with the idea for it and recorded it in his garden. Simple and catchy, it's the type of song that'll stick in your head for days on end but you won't mind. Although the title is in French it's the only lyric in the song which isn't in English, loosely translated as "see you soon / later", I love the way it just rolls off the tongue.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/1/31/1359656334505/Jagwar-Ma-010.jpg

 

01 - JAGWAR MA 'THE THROW' (#01)

 

The second best act I've seen this year, the second best album released this year, the best single released this year, and 'The Throw' has held that title since about the end of February when it started a run which would see it become only the third song to spend as long as 7 weeks at the top of my chart, and the 7th to spend half a year in it, not leaving until July. They've had various comparisons thrown at them to British music 20 years ago and listening to the full 6 and a half minutes of this you can see why, it does seem to epitomise the 'baggy' side of rave quite well with influences of the likes of Happy Mondays and Primal Scream. It is like a modern take on the 90s and how can you not love that?! It's also absolutely incredible to hear live, such a crowd-pleaser, the second half especially.

 

That they've removed all links to the full version off YouTube is shocking, the radio edit just can't do it justice.

 

 

 

Á tout á l'heure :wub: One of my favourite BJSC entries this year, should've finished top 10! (although it did alot better than I imagined it would)

 

It's great to see that someone else loves the Purity Ring mix of Breathe This Air, so gutted it didn't end up first in its respective contest!

 

And I had no idea you liked Broken, such a beautiful song :wub:

Edited December 29, 201311 yr by ★ G R I F F ★

That's a really strong Top 10 right there Mark!

 

Firstly, it is great to see Arcade Fire represented not once, but twice inside the Top 10. "Reflektor" and "Afterlife" both blew me away the first time I heard them - and even after the 20th play both tracks are still growing, especially "Afterlife" which is exceptionally addictive.

 

Great also to see the wonderful Röyksopp and Susanne Sundfør at number 5 with another of my 2013's favourite tracks. That single, "Afterlife", "Do I Wanna Know?" and "The Throw" all hit #1 for me this year and therefore would probably soundtrack much of my year. Purity Ring's remix of Jon Hopkins' track "Breathe This Air" also made #2 for me and was a big single - I love the way the beat powers in about halfway in on the album version and they stay true to that on the single. Jessie Ware also reached #2 with the amazing and fabulously camp "Imagine It Was Us" and was a big favourite of mine in the Spring; finally ARcade Fire ALSO hit #2 with "Reflektor" and were unlucky to miss out on #1 also. In fact Ghost Loft peaked at No. 5, meaning the only single in your Top 10 that wasn't a big hit for me was "À tout à l'heure" (which peaked at No. 13) and I feel like I under appreciated it a lot, listening back to it now.

 

Jagwar Ma's "The Throw" at #1 I called :P , but is a solid choice. The track is a deliciously brilliant slice of early '90s throwback, particularly reminiscent of the Madchester scene of 1989/1990 perpetuated by the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. When the beat/bass comes in at around the minute and 5 second mark, that's when it is impossible to keep yourself from dancing! It was pretty good live at Latitude I have to say, and the track equally ~slayed~ my chart this year too.

 

Great stuff and a nice read - thanks for sharing.

Really good top 10, Mark. I can't remember if I gave points to The Throw at the time, but its a great tune. Bibio is also amazing, the variety of guitar solos is especially brilliant, I thought it was a foreign song when I saw the title. Reflektor took a long time to fully click, but its another brilliant single from a very solid album - I agree with the harmonising vocals being a strong point. Just a shame Regine didn't feature much on the album...

 

Much love also for Do I Wanna Know, So High, Sweetness Alive (still much prefer that to Embrace) and 1997/Afraid of the Dark (two really great BJSC entries from you this year, both really beautiful :heart:)

Edited December 29, 201311 yr by Father Walrus