http://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/2014/12/12/noahstalgia2.png

 

Uni assignments finally out of the way...

 

Realisation made of minimal social life and freezing temperatures outside...

 

Username roped clumsily into thread concept...

 

 

I'm ready to start my EOY countdown!

 

 

:o :yahoo: :w00t:

 

 

(Well actually please calm down, remember to breathe and don't get too excited just yet cos I'm still undecided as to the format of this and if it's even likely I'll ever finish it :drama:. Think I'll do a top 100 songs starting ~soon~ with varying levels of commentary effort and maybe some albums later when I've re-listened to stuff but nonetheless, HYPE!)

Edited December 17, 201410 yr by Mistletoahspike

Looking forward to this :wub:

I hope you do finish it! :) *hype* :w00t:

Ultra-V and Nelly ready to get noahstalgic :yahoo:

 

TY <3

 

Ok I've just realised the 'End Of Year' text in my banner thing is slightly left of centre (which I guess could represent my v inspired music taste??? No) and that'll annoy me but I'll try my best to forget about that now cos I'm about to start my TOP 100 SONGS OF 2014 COUNTDOWN and I'm bloody excited tbqhwy :D

 

Firstly, here are 38 beauts which unfortunately failed to make the cut cos yolo~

 

Ariana Grande ft. Zedd | Break Free

Avicii | Addicted To You

Banks | Brain

Banks | Drowning

Cathedrals | OOO AAA

Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Tyga | Loyal

Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne | Real Love

David Guetta ft. Sam Martin | Dangerous

Disclosure ft. Mary J Blige | F For You

Elijah Blake | Give Me You

Ella Henderson | Yours

Ellie Goulding | Beating Heart

Foster The People | Coming Of Age

Foxes | Let Go For Tonight

George Ezra | Budapest

James Bay | Hear Your Heart (Tontario Edit)

James Wolf | Can’t Get Enough

Jess Glynne | Right Here

Jessie Ware | Say You Love Me

Katy B | Still

Kiesza | Giant In My Heart

Klingande | Jubel

Kwabs | Pray For Love

Little Mix | Salute

London Grammar | Sights

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Schoolboy Q & Hollis | White Walls

Maroon 5 | It Was Always You

Meghan Trainor | Lips Are Movin

Paolo Nutini | Scream (Funk My Life Up)

Parra For Cuva ft. Anna Naklab | Wicked Games

Route 94 ft. Jess Glynne | My Love

Sam Smith | Leave Your Lover

Sigma | Nobody To Love

Sinead Harnett ft. Snakehips | No Other Way

The Vamps ft. Demi Lovato | Somebody To You

Tiaan | Devil’s Touch

VÉRITÉ | Weekend

Wretch 32 | 6 Words

 

In amongst some BJSC standouts, there are regrettable losses of some of my favourite artists such as Katy B, Kwabs, Jessie Ware and Banks (all of whom have made my top 100 with superior offerings). Also, please spare a thought for poor Jess Glynne who did not fare well there at all, losing three of her four contenders :(

 

100-96 coming up next :o

Edited December 17, 201410 yr by Mistletoahspike

So much injustice right off the bat, the first being "Break Free" missing out :cry:

Wait wut!? Break Free didn't make it :o Noooo! Sam Smith :lol: What a flop!

 

Foxes :nocheer: Too under-appreciated here Noah :/

^ This was a bloodbath, guys :cry:

 

 

#100 | Tinie Tempah ft. Labrinth | Lover Not A Fighter

 

UK | 16

Ire | 30

 

Kicking off the top 100 is the third single from Tinie Tempah's second album 'Demonstration' which features long-term collaborator, Labrinth. I seem to remember this generally being disliked at the time it charted but I was always a fan. While not quite reaching the heights of the duo's previous efforts and indeed being somewhat derivative of former glories, it's the lyrical content that makes this for me, as is so often the case with Tinie's output. There's a quirky wit to many of his verses, exemplified by lines such as 'I feel like Cruella de Vil the way I be stealing the spot', 'I used to sit on the settee eating a tin of spaghetti' and of course the cleverly phrased verse about ~reuniting~ with his former teacher. :o

 

 

#99 | Jamie T | Zombie

 

UK | 36

Ire | -

 

'Zombie', taken from his third studio album 'Carry On The Grudge' (strong contender for album title of the year right thurr) returned Jamie T to the UK Top 40 after a five year absence. I was very pleasantly surprised to see him achieve mainstream recognition once more, especially considering he was away for so long, as he was one of the standout artists from my school years and I still regularly listen to tracks like 'If You Got The Money', 'Sheila' and 'Sticks 'n' Stones', if only for their no(ah)stalgic value :heart:. As such, the real appeal of 'Zombie' for me lies in its catchy, poppy, heavily-accented chorus, which isn't much of a departure sonically from his late noughties (HATE this word ugh) heyday.

 

 

#98 | Aloe Blacc | The Man

 

UK | 01

Ire | 04

 

Possibly another unpopular choice considering the lukewarm response to it on Buzzjack, Aloe Blacc's first credited #1 hit, 'The Man', is somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me. I recognise the criticisms; the shameless 'Your Song' sample, the repetition in the chorus, the fact it sort of plods along without really going anywhere and sounds very dated in the process, but I still find it catchy and have a lot of time for it (well, four minutes :mellow:). Although I haven't heard anyone else sing it, I imagine it's Aloe's rich tone that's the real selling-point here for me. It was a shame that his album campaign pretty much collapsed after this passed, as I'd love to have heard more of him in the charts.

 

 

#97 | Nothing But Thieves | Graveyard Whistling

 

UK | -

Ire | -

 

Speaking of great voices being the selling-point of songs, it's the dulcet tones of Nothing But Thieves' lead vocalist which always seem to elevate the band's mellow indie-pop offerings for me - 'Graveyard Whistling' being no exception. The song, which explores the virtues of atheism, begins in a typically understated style and gradually builds and builds to an angsty middle 8 which then explodes into a final chorus. Although I found that it didn't stand up too well to repeated listens (and there was a period over the summer when I was hammering this song on the daily), I felt it was only right that it made my top 100 of the year as it proved very popular on the site, giving me my first ever BJSC hit. :D

 

 

#96 | Ella Henderson | Hard Work

 

UK | -

Ire | -

 

Premiered as a promo track in the run-up to the release of Ella Henderson's album 'Chapter One', 'Hard Work' caught my attention immediately, helped undoubtedly by the simple and effective accompanying video of her travelling the world to record her debut record. While Ella is known for her powerful vocal delivery and range, the strength of this track is in its simplicity and stripped-back...ness :huh:. I like the sentiment of the song - 'You're hard work but you're good for me'. It's short and sweet and thankfully isn't overshadowed by ambitious production or vocal acrobatics.

Edited December 17, 201410 yr by Mistletoahspike

Tinie making the top 100 and not Foxes :drama:, not much of a fan for the song, but Labrinth sounds alright on it! Not a general fan of Tinie as a whole tbh :lol:

 

I don't think I was here for that BJSC so missed out clearly on Nothing but thieves :/ Regardless, just listened to it and it's fab! Anything indie-related tends to attract my attention as it is :kink:

 

Oh Ella :drama: As Mirror Man would say 'she gonna get dropped :cry: :( other sad emoticons' . Nah I actually really like the track, very stripped back compared to a lot of the tracks on the album. I like how vocally soft Ella's voice is on this when she tends to go all out on songs like 'Ghost' and 'Mirror Man'. Glad this made it to your chart :cheer:

 

Great start to your chart Noah :D

Edited December 17, 201410 yr by NellyXmas. S

Banks | Brain

Sam Smith | Leave Your Lover

VÉRITÉ | Weekend

Wretch 32 | 6 Words

:snif:

 

Yay for VÉRITÉ and that Sam Smith BEAUTY getting mentions but EEK i expected the other 2 to be well in the top 100 here! Hope that's a sign of the QUALITY of the hundred and not a sign of your sillybeanness :angry:

 

'Graveyard Whistling' is wonderful and you know i love it, so that's a good start !!

Zombie is amazing and one of my favourite indie songs this year so great to see it here :wub: Hard work and the man are also good

I completely agree that 'I saw my teacher from college, she says she thinks that I'm great

I'm gonna give her the D cause she never gimme an A' is the highlight of the lyrics in LNAF :lol: He really is a lyrical genius, definitely my favourite of the rappers of the past few years. Pass Out/Frisky are ofc very good too

 

Zombie is very good as well, I agree the heavy accent increases my love for it but it's very strong on its own accord. Even my dad likes it a lot :lol: Rabbit Hole is slightly better for me though :D

Tinie making the top 100 and not Foxes :drama:

Stay tuned :o

 

(Also, glad that you made a discovery in 'Graveyard Whistling'!)

 

:snif:

Yay for VÉRITÉ and that Sam Smith BEAUTY getting mentions but EEK i expected the other 2 to be well in the top 100 here! Hope that's a sign of the QUALITY of the hundred and not a sign of your sillybeanness :angry:

I may live to regret it but unfortunately I had to make a few tough decisions and those tracks were particularly close to making it in. I am unsure if this makes me a sillybean but please feel free to call me out on that as you see fit!

 

Zombie is amazing and one of my favourite indie songs this year so great to see it here :wub: Hard work and the man are also good

Very glad to get your approval as I've seen that you have high standards (thinking specifically of your comments on Riser's thread for 'All Of Me')!

 

I completely agree that 'I saw my teacher from college, she says she thinks that I'm great

I'm gonna give her the D cause she never gimme an A' is the highlight of the lyrics in LNAF :lol: He really is a lyrical genius, definitely my favourite of the rappers of the past few years. Pass Out/Frisky are ofc very good too

Zombie is very good as well, I agree the heavy accent increases my love for it but it's very strong on its own accord. Even my dad likes it a lot :lol: Rabbit Hole is slightly better for me though :D

Haha, I've always loved that verse and it's good to see it has another fan here. Great to see some 'Zombie' love too but I've yet to hear 'Rabbit Hole' so will check that out soon!

 

Thanks for the comments!

#95 | Eliot Sumner | Information

 

UK | -

Ire | -

 

Having previously released an album, 'The Constant', under the name I Blame Coco, 2014 saw Sting's daughter Eliot Sumner ditch her band and moniker to go it completely alone. I've been a fan of her voice since 'Self Machine' (which I originally thought was sung by a man :o) and was delighted that she returned with an EP this year, the title track of which perfectly displays her brooding, husky vocals. Somewhat darker than her previous material, 'Information' is a guitar-led, synthy track building to a huge chorus in which Eliot longs for answers following a break-up, with lines such as 'I need to know you're thinking of me/I need to know you're there' shouted out in desperation.

 

 

#94 | Gorgon City ft. MNEK | Ready For Your Love

 

UK | 04

Ire | -

 

'Ready For Your Love' proved a big hit in the UK (but not in Ireland, what's that about? :angry:) for Gorgon City and MNEK at the beginning of the year, spending an impressive 16 weeks in the Top 75. The minimalistic, atmospheric house track took its time to grow on me, with MNEK's laid-back vocal delivery eventually winning me over after repeated Chart Show listens. I was perhaps a little biased against this from the outset due to it being locked in a tight three-way chart longevity battle with (*SPOILER* omg :o) one of my favourite songs of the year along with a typically disposable but widely-appealing will.i.am single. The standout part of 'Ready For You Love' for me is undoubtedly the soaring, effortlessly sung middle 8.

 

 

#93 | Ella Eyre | If I Go

 

UK | 16

Ire | 80

 

From one BBC Sound Of 2014-shortlisted artist (MNEK) to another, Ella Eyre only managed to really capture my attention this summer with the release of 'If I Go', despite a high-profile feature last year. Her highly distinctive, soulful tone, coupled with an almost snarling vocal delivery, is front and centre in the song over a tempo-shifting drum 'n' bass track that builds to a thundering chorus. Ella was unfortunate (or depending on your perspective, fortunate enough) to finish runner-up to Sam Smith for both the Sound Of 2014 and BRITS Critics' Choice awards and has since experienced moderate commercial success, with two short-lived top 20 singles. I can't help but wonder how different things would have been had she triumphed over Sam (as it's always hard to determine how self-perpetuating these types of awards are) but for now I anticipate her album in the new year and hope it'll lead to her well-deserved breakthrough.

 

 

#92 | JUCE | Call You Out

 

UK | -

Ire | -

 

I believe I was introduced to this track via a Buzzjack thread started by Griff (so cheers Griff, if you ever come back and read this :D) and it was very much an instant hit with me. JUCE, a female trio from London, have been likened to early Sugababes with their 90's-inspired R&B/pop output and it's not hard to see why based on their spring blog hit 'Call You Out', which is definitely the best track I've heard from them. I find it infectious on its own merits but the video, which is full of 90's references including an ode to TLC's 'Creep', really elevates it to a new level of enjoyment. If you remember the decade (so I'm talking pretty much exclusively to you, Bal, out of those who have commented in this thread so far :lol:) it's well worth watching!

 

 

#91 | Foxes | Holding Onto Heaven

 

UK | 14

Ire | 46

 

Foxes hasn't managed to top her 2013 hit 'Youth' for me, but 'Holding Onto Heaven' definitely comes the closest of everything I've heard since from the Grammy-winning love child of Jameela Jamil and Diana Vickers. I felt at the time of its release that it was generally underrated on here, much like in the charts, but it wasn't until revisiting the track recently that I appreciated it in all its glory (< half-arsed reference to her album title :magic:). Starting off with a vulnerable vocal, the song builds to an anthemic, synth-ridden chorus and the whole package is really quite beautiful. :o

'Holding Onto Heaven' and 'If I Go' really are highlights of the year, aren't they? :heart: Amazing quality countdown so far, can't wait to see more soon!

Ready For Your Love is LUSH :heart: glad it really smashed, if only Real/Here For You were massive chart hits too :( can't get everyting my way i guess.

 

I love Ella Eyre's voice but her songs don't do too much for me sadly.

 

Holding Onto Heaven (and Let Go For 2nite as well) were quite disappointing efforts from Foxes especially following from Youth and of course the stunning Clarity.

 

Lover Not A Fighter is really poor by Tinie's standards :no: I even muted it on the chart show a few times oops, mostly due to Labrinth's chorus being annoying tbh.

 

Will stay tuned and hope for some more banging tunes~

Holding Onto Heaven (and Let Go For 2nite as well)

 

Ehem. Hater :rolleyes:

 

FOXES! Omfg, she made it :yahoo:, my favorite track from her definitely. One of the best songs this year for me and vastly under-appreciated :(

 

If I go :wub: stunning as well! I really hope Ella can crack success next year (although top 20 singles aren't awful :) )

Ehem. Hater :rolleyes:

oops I meant Let Go 4 Tonite :banghea: :hithead:

oops I meant Let Go 4 Tonite :banghea: :hithead:

 

*Takes deep breath to avoid inevitable meltdown* Thanks for posting :)

Nelly. S was a disappointing effort...

 

:kink:

 

-x-

:hi:

 

I popped round to see if I could steal your awards

 

Now I'm here I may as well comment though. I have a feeling that I may have put Nothing But Thieves higher on my EOY chart :o Don't have access to mine though on my phone so I'm probably lying haha.

 

Looking forward to the rest of this, such high quality already including 'Ready for Your Love' :wub: Loving the commentaries, you articulate everything so well!

 

CFNR to win :cheer:

Edited December 17, 201410 yr by Reindeer Froot

Sweet, can't wait to see how much overlap we have! So far Foxes and Aloe Blacc are potentials. They'd end up pretty low for me too, but love 'em both!

 

Hard Work :wub: Very glad you linked me to that. I'm shocked that you've grown tired of Graveyard Whistling!

 

Awesome start :D

Edited December 18, 201410 yr by Riser