Home run now. Yay.

 

10. Tonight Alive - The Edge

 

But I will fight until the day the world stops turning, and they will fall to ashes, I will just keep burning

 

It isn't amazingly often I follow up my BJSC acts, especially if I wasn't motivated to get any album of theirs or something like that, but 'The Edge' by Tonight Alive proved to be a very valuable exception to that rule - as part of that Spiderman film soundtrack I mentioned down by 'It's On Again', it got a little bit of hype, enough to briefly give me a glimpse of ~chart forum mentions~ for the Australian Paramore, something I was quite sure would never happen, in this country at least, back when I entered 'The Ocean'. And this actually improves on that, it has a great leap down into the chorus from my highlighted lyric up there straight to 'BUT TONIGHT', that sets you up for a fantastic chorus. Lyrically, it's about someone 'too close to breaking' and 'on the edge' which are powerful lyrics and in Tonight Alive fashion, is going for pretty dark subject matter for pop-rock, but that does add to its power, especially with Jenna's voice taking this on. Oh, and as should be natural up here, the guitars come to the fore in delivering a great intro and outro to bookend the song.

 

9. Coldplay - A Sky Full Of Stars

 

'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark

 

I expected great things from a Coldplay song called 'A Sky Full Of Stars' when I learned of it, the name conjuring up the best sorts of epic astronomical feeling that I was sure would produce another Coldplay classic, and I certainly was not disappointed. Shamelessly Avicii produced and pop-attuned, that instrumental reminiscent of some of Avicii's best work does really help the song feel a lot more than any normal amazing Coldplay single, as it makes its way through some lyrics that do repeat themselves a bit, but really, in order to make this song great, the only lyric needed was the title line. I love the feeling every time this dives into the chorus (an instrumental chorus at that), that's something I could never get bored of and that's why it's up this high. It's the obvious hit off Ghost Stories and probably the one we'll be talking about for some time to come, but in that, this cool successor to Paradise (at the closest, it sounds quite different but it gives off the same vibes) really shows off Coldplay at their best, when they do things slightly different for every single and important song, but retain the good riffs that made them. It's hard to believe this and Midnight are on the same album but they are, and while I really appreciate the difference in sound Midnight gave to them, when push comes to shove I'll head to their most uplifting song since Paradise.

8. Zhu - Faded

 

all I wanna do is drive home to you

 

Every time this starts it relaxes me and makes me feel really laidback. There has been very little substitute for this in the entire deep-house wave, it sounds very accomplished, like Disclosure if they made slower music, and despite knowing this months before it hit and still playing it a lot waiting for everyone else to catch on, I never felt like I needed to switch to another track and if anything, it was just growing on me. If Zhu is letting the music doing the talking than he has done so very well indeed, with this and the others on the EP he's probably one of the greatest talents to come out this year.

 

Like A Sky Full Of Stars the lyrics are repeated over and over, and like that it's not really about the lyrics, it's more about the vocals changing back and forth from the deep ones to the normal ones, as well as the backing feeling of coolness that comes with it, although unlike Coldplay it falls much more under a realm of what could be deemed credible. Now obviously I haven't used that as a barometer in my chart but there is something very nice about knowing you like something that has impressed several people and is almost always spoken of highly. To some it may be the most ordinary thing from deep house that exemplifies the overpopularity of it, for me, it's the one of most special things from that genre, it's effortless in production, it's effortless at sounding really great, and as far as big hit songs go, it's certainly an unusual one.

7. Lilly Wood & The Prick And Robin Schulz - Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix)

 

 

See, our world is slowly dying, I'm not wasting no more time

 

And... that's how I credit it. Accept no substitutions. (plus it's one of the coolest credits a song has had this year)

 

I've quite surprised myself at how high this up compared to Waves, which is nice but not glorious like this is. I've checked out the original a couple of times and while this is better, it's the reason why I prefer it over Waves, even with Robin Schulz' influence, Waves was a bit too RnB and slow for my tastes to fully love it, this, folky and employing a happy tune over some thought-provoking lyrics make it a nice charming tune, and Robin Schulz' touching up of this gives it a better sense of urgency. The same reason why I love nightcore comes into the fore as to why I like this song here, I like my music to be delivered to me quite fast, it doesn't have to be upbeat but a faster song makes it all the more enjoyable to sit back to and take it in (and I can do that with a fast song just as well as I can with a slow one). Music just sounds better sped up to me. That's why Prayer In C was a fantastic choice of song to get Schulz a hit, it was a song that probably needed speeding up but when done so, wouldn't sound overdone. It hit me pretty instantly and is probably the main song I associate with my Spanish holiday, not because I heard it out anywhere (somewhat surprising in hindsight), but because I was getting really into it at the time and played it loads of my own volition out there. That brings you round to a hit.

6. Tuomas Holopainen - A Lifetime Of Adventure

 

Story of your life, time of solitude and strife

 

I may have been late to The Last Sled, but I certainly wasn't late to this - indeed this is why I was so eagerly anticipating listening to the latter once I knew of its existence, because this song is so good and along with a couple of the tracks above it, dominated the first quarter of my year. Like with The Last Sled, it's not Tuomas singing, he's hired some nondescript but nice-sounding female voices to take this on, and they do an excellent job of it, because the real strength of this is all Tuomas' influence, the lyrics and the music combining in something that feels really really epic. As one would expect a track called 'A Lifetime of Adventure' to sound, that's how it sounds, grand and reminiscent of times past, coming at the end of the concept album of Scrooge McDuck's life, it's meant to be like this.

 

Becoming a Nightwish fan in 2011, I didn't know at the time I would be setting out on the joint-longest gap that they'd ever had between new albums so I was very ready for new material from Tuomas, even if it was him on his own, and this did very well in helping tide me over. This man really improves the general state of music for me; nearly every track he's made has been one I want to repeat over and over again, and this, the zenith of his solo project, gave me hope and the knowledge that he had in no way lost his touch. Bring on Endless Forms Most Beautiful.

5. Kasabian - Eez-Eh

 

 

Least I ain't sleazy, I'm just trying to put the world to rights, and if you want to, I'll take you out, cause I got the feeling that I'm gonna keep you up all night

 

Now, I wasn't really expecting huge things from a Kasabian single given I'd gotten quite sick of Days Are Forgotten a few months after it premiered, but Eez-Eh turned out to be a different beast altogether. Instantly catchy and groovy-sounding, it's a fun dancey tune from Kasabian, which was probably the last thing I'd expected, but it turned out to be possibly the best thing they'd ever made for me as it nearly single-handedly spurred me on to listen to so many more Kasabian tracks than I ever had before - I had all the albums but I hadn't ventured in them all that often, with this at the forefront.

 

If you were eagle-eyed, you may have noticed that for most of this year my member title included a lyric from this song - while the song isn't exactly serious, I really doubt something about 'being watched by Google' was meant to be a weighty social commentary, and the song has a bit of #lad stuff in it (but hey, at least they ain't sleazy), at least the sentiment of 'trying to put the world to rights' (or alight, sometimes I feel that way too) is there, even if the band and the audience don't have the means to do it and are probably just going to talk about things they'll never do - and that's a sentiment I probably share, even if I'm not always that good at putting the world to rights, at least I can try. It keeps me thinking, at least, and that's the big impact this song had on me, it's the most fun I've ever had with Kasabian musically and the cool instrumental bridges keep me coming back for more all the time, but I can also have a blast listening to the lyrics and working them out.

4. BABYMETAL - Megitsune

 

 

Nameh tara i kanseyo!

 

I think, deep down, we all just want to get crazy and start headbanging to some weird Japanese metal sung by girls aged 14-16.

 

This may have been my philosophy when entering Babymetal to BJSC. It may have gone down in flames, it may have attracted about 6 staunch supporters and nothing else, but I remain true to my assessment that this is my best entry this year and one of the best songs I've ever come across, let alone entered.This is where the 'kawaii' part of my year has come from, after listening to this, I never really looked back in terms of getting right into Babymetal and their album and everything that came along with it. The music is so ferocious and so fast and so pleasing to listen to that once you have it on, very little else matters and you're entirely following the 'story', and after a lot of listens (the most of any song this year according to my last.fm) I can sort of follow that. Well I say I can follow it but without translating the lyrics I wouldn't have a clue what's going on but I can identify how the emotions change in the music and how the music gets scarier and then triumphant at the end. For what reason I don't know but it's also been quite emotional on me, it's probably the most wild song that's ever made me cry.

 

I don't just like Babymetal to be weird, honestly, I like them because the music in this evokes some really strong feelings in me, what they are I'm not really sure of and it's very unusual to me that one of the greatest musical moments of my life has been provided by teenage girls, but it's there, and it's happened. Megitsune is a whirlwind of emotions even if you don't understand Japanese or understand why Babymetal exist, and it is very easy and very enjoyable to, for just over 4 minutes, completely lose yourself in it.

3. Clean Bandit - Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne)

 

 

We staked out on a mission to find our inner peace, make it everlasting so nothing's incomplete

 

You know, throughout this thread I've found it infinitely easier to talk about tracks that I am alone or nearly alone in liking compared to the big hits that everyone will have high up on their EOY chart, because for those what there is to say will have been said already, and probably in a better way than I could phrase it. As the highest UK hit in this list, Rather Be is probably where that comes to its most concentrated, because EVERYONE (or nearly everyone) has this up very high and is going to be talking about it.

 

Fortunately there are some great reasons for why it's done so well for everyone, as Rather Be is about as perfect as you're ever going to get a worldwide hit. Clever with instruments but not to the point where it gets over-complicated, some fantastically judged vocals from Jess Glynne, fun enough to dance to but laidback enough for drive-time, it is all things to all people and it doesn't even suffer from that, which might be expected from other jack-of-all trades songs. The video really helps as well, at the height of its popularity I was watching the video from start to finish and loving the little story of the girl being chased by visions of the band, it's unusual for a hit but that's what makes it stands out.

 

Even though I had been impressed by Clean Bandit in the past with Mozart's House I didn't think they'd come out with something quite this amazing, they stay true to their style on here while giving it enough punch to be their breakthrough and that really works for me, as it did everyone else. When I saw them live this was put off until the very end and the cheer that erupted from the crowd when the first note of it was finally played was probably my favourite moment of that night. This was the other main tune along with Megitsune and A Lifetime of Adventure in the first half of the year and it's continued on from there into the summer, where its summery feel truly shone. For all the reasons I've listed above, it's probably my favourite song to hit the top spot on the UK charts since Fireflies and the year would have been a whole lot drier and less enjoyable without it.

2. Lights - Up We Go

 

It's been a hard year, and I only know, from down this low, it's only up we go, up we go

 

Yes, it's quite a non-commercial top 2 this year, but then those were the hints I gave when I said this year has been the worst for mainstream music in quite a while. There have been glimmers of light, like Rather Be, but elsewise it has been underwhelming.

 

Anyway, on to Up We Go. Lights has always been a perennial favourite of mine but she's been away for a few years with more important things like motherhood so this was definitely going to be an anticipated track by me. Then it came and I really liked it, but like lots of my favourite songs, I let it slip away for a bit before it came back and really hit me and from that moment on until right now I've been playing it loads. Really, a lot. It's called 'Up We Go' so that should be a good indication but it's happy and inspiring and makes me feel very very warm inside as the song goes over lyrics like 'from down this road it's only on we go' as well as the title line, very inspiring stuff. It's always been her vocals that draw me to her more than anything else and here they're going right along with that feeling of the song, to go on and on and on no matter what's in your way.

 

I can use songs like this, they really do lighten up my life a little. In my Lights ranking it is probably getting very near to challenging Ice, which is something I thought Lights could never match, but we'll see how that battle holds up in future years. It is probably a bit of a shock #2 and for a while I was considering the #1 but it hasn't really impacted my year like the #1 has, and if you guessed my #1 when I started this thread, well done, you win a cookie...

 

1. Lindsey Stirling - Shatter Me (feat. Lzzy Hale)

 

 

So cut me from the line, dizzy, spinning endlessly, somebody make me feel alive, and shatter me!

 

Some of the time I dislike being predictable but I don't think that applies here, this is wonderful and life-defining and I would happily have screamed out that this was my #1 at the very start if it wouldn't have made there far less point in counting this down. I will say that it wasn't my #1 from the get-go of hearing it back in June, when I only listened because my brother was planning to get both of her albums and I was also rather interested in hearing more. Over the next month though, helped by me doing a rather successful nightcore version of it on a bit of a whim, it rather solidified itself as a true favourite and it would only get better, there were times in the summer where I would spend an entire night turning this up through my headphones, listening in total awe at the way the instrumental crashes and moves up and down, the movement of the violin as Lzzy yells out 'SHATTER ME' and 'the world is spinning but only in gray' (seriously, every time that happens I get a short feeling of elation running through me). And even without that, it is a rare piece of music where there is a vocalist and you really enjoy what she's doing and really support her being on the song but also just want to sit back and listen to the rushing instrumental on its own, because it is just that good and a testament to Lindsey's talents that she had created her best work and didn't NEED someone singing, but chose to add to the track's greatness by doing so anyway.

 

Nothing, nothing I have heard this year, or even in the past couple of years has had me obsessed quite like this, it is loud and it isn't going to be for everyone but for those who do get it, it's a whole new world of musical enjoyment. Every time I hear the clockwork creak that announces this track starting I prepare myself for love on all fronts, because this is one track really worth obsessing over.

 

Now make me feel alive and SHATTER ME! (oh and thank you for the comments, they've all been very much appreciated)

 

And phew, that's done, so here are some easy bits to post. First, the top 100 recap:

 

1 - Lindsey Stirling - Shatter Me (feat. Lzzy Hale)

2 - Lights - Up We Go

3 - Clean Bandit - Rather Be

4 - Babymetal - Megitsune

5 - Kasabian - eez-eh

6 - Tuomas Holopainen - A Lifetime Of Adventure

7 - Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz - Prayer In C

8 - Zhu - Faded

9 - Coldplay - a sky full of stars

10 - Tonight Alive - The Edge

11 - Tove Lo - Stay High (Habits) (feat. Hippie Sabotage)

12 - Tuomas Holopainen - The Last Sled

13 - Faul & Wad Ad - Changes

14 - Archis - Blood

15 - Babymetal - Gimme Chocolate!!!

16 - Owl City (feat. Lindsey Stirling) - Beautiful Times

17 - Ain't No Love - Love Me Lots (Bridge & Law Remix)

18 - Tove Lo - Not On Drugs

19 - Amaranthe - Drop Dead Cynical

20 - Idina Menzel - Let It Go

21 - The Cab - Angel With A Shotgun (Nightcore)

22 - Lorde - Team

23 - DyE - Fantasy

24 - Clean Bandit - Come Over

25 - Indila - Derniere Danse

26 - Within Temptation - Whole World Is Watching

27 - Zhu - Paradise Awaits

28 - RAM & Susana - RAMelia

29 - Paolo Nutini - Iron Sky

30 - Christina Perri - Human

31 - Lindsey Stirling - Roundtable Rival

32 - Charisma.com - Iinadukeblue

33 - Christopher Tin - Baba Yetu (feat. Soweto Gospel Choir)

34 - Oh, Be Clever - Next To You

35 - Nothing But Thieves - Graveyard Whistling

36 - Imagine Dragons - I Bet My Life

37 - Sia - Chandelier

38 - G.R.L - Ugly Heart

39 - Kiesza - Hideaway

40 - The Common Linnets - Calm After The Storm

41 - Sigma - Nobody To Love

42 - Rixton - Me and My Broken Heart

43 - Heathers - Lions, Tigers, Bears

44 - Calvin Harris - Summer

45 - Jay Dabhi & Moises Modesto - Cry For Freedom

46 - Bakermat - One Day (Vandaag)

47 - Carl Espen - Silent Storm

48 - FKA Twigs - Two Weeks

49 - Orange Caramel - Catallena

50 - Lights - Running With The Boys

51 - Vanic x Machineheart - Circles

52 - Arion - Seven

53 - Calvin Harris - Outside (feat. Ellie Goulding)

54 - Cash Cash - Take Me Home (feat. Bebe Rexha)

55 - Haloo Helsinki! - Beibi

56 - Jungle - Time

57 - Lovelife - Dying To Start Again

58 - Freaky Fortune - Rise Up (feat. Riskykidd)

59 - Ed Sheeran - I See Fire

60 - Alicia Keys - It's On Again

61 - Owl City - Tokyo

62 - WALK THE MOON - Shut Up And Dance

63 - Kyla La Grange - The Knife

64 - Alcazar - Blame It On The Disco

65 - Tove Lo - Timebomb

66 - I.D.A - Fight Me If You Dare

67 - Within Temptation - And We Run (feat. Xzibit)

68 - Oonagh - Gaa

69 - Outtrigger - Echo

70 - Banks - Beggin For Thread

71 - Kasabian - Stevie

72 - Arcade Fire - Afterlife

73 - The Veronicas - You Ruin Me

74 - Olga Un Ligo - Saule Riet

75 - Cristina Scarlat - Wild Soul

76 - Lindsey Stirling - Master Of Tides

77 - Ed Sheeran - Sing

78 - Ananamanaguchi - Prom Night

79 - Fall Out Boy - Centuries

80 - Lana Del Rey - West Coast

81 - Paolo Nutini - Scream (Funk My Life Up)

82 - Sebalter - Hunter Of Stars

83 - Beyonce - Drunk In Love (feat. Jay-Z)

84 - Coldplay - Magic

85 - Donatan & Cleo - My Slowianie

86 - Natural Animal - Who You are

87 - Charli XCX - Boom Clap

88 - Katy B - Crying For No Reason

89 - Bring Me The Horizon - Drown

90 - Ace Wilder - Busy Doing Nothin

91 - Christina Perri - Burning Gold

92 - Meadowlark - Family Tree

93 - Lushington - Settle Down

94 - Albin - Din Soldat (feat. Kristin Amparo)

95 - Colonia - Feniks

96 - E.S. Posthumus - Mosane

97 - Pitbull - Wild Wild Love

98 - Sanna Nielsen - Undo

99 - Conchita Wurst - Rise Like A Phoenix

100 - Team Me - The All Time High

 

And then, because I feel like posting them, my 2014 last.fm stats for my top 50 songs and artists, including old tracks as well, to give a picture of what I was listening to then. Taken a few days ago to be more accurate and all:

 

Songs:

1. BABYMETAL - Megitsune - 73

2. Zhu - Paradise Awaits - 63

3. Lindsey Stirling - Shatter Me (feat. Lzzy Hale) - 62

4. Amaranthe - Drop Dead Cynical - 54

5. Clean Bandit - Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne) - 49

6. Arion - Seven - 43

7. RAM & Susana - RAMelia (Tribute to Amelia) - 41

8. Team Me - The All Time High - 41

9. Tuomas Holopainen - The Last Sled - 40

10. Archis - Blood - 39

11. Charisma.com - Iinadukeblue - 37

12. Kasabian - Eez-Eh - 36

13. Sigma - Nobody To Love - 35

14. Heathers - Lions, Tigers, Bears - 34

15. Tei Shi - Bassically - 34

16. Christopher Tin - Baba Yetu (feat. Soweto Gospel Choir) - 33

17. Tuomas Holopainen - A Lifetime Of Adventure - 32

18. Sweet California - This Is The Life - 32

19. Zhu - Faded - 32

20. KNDR - You Can't See The World In Silence (feat. Adam Lyons) - 32

21. DyE - Fantasy - 31

22. Ain't No Love - Love Me Lots (Bridge & Law Remix) - 31

23. Coldplay - A Sky Full Of Stars - 31

24. The Cab - Angel With A Shotgun (Nightcore) - 30

25. Within Temptation - And We Run (feat. Xzibit) - 30

26. Babymetal - Gimme Chocolate!! - 30

27. The Cat Empire - Two Shoes - 29

28. Ingrid Michaelson - Girls Chase Boys - 29

29. Cash Cash - Take Me Home (feat. Bebe Rexha) - 28

30. The Subs - Trapped (feat. Colonel Abrams) - 28

31. Lindsey Stirling - Electric Daisy Violin - 27

32. Lindsey Stirling - Crystallize - 27

33. Deltron 3030 - Look Across The Sky (feat. Mary Elizabeth Winstead) - 27

34. Helene Fischer - Atemlos Durch Die Nacht - 27

35. Within Temptation - Whole World Is Watching (feat. Dave Pirner) - 27

36. One-T/Cool-T - The Magic Key - 26

37. M83 - Midnight City - 26

38. Ecstasy - Exhale - 26

39. Lorde - Team - 26

40. Idina Menzel - Let It Go - 26

41. Indila - Derniere Danse - 26

42. SOHN - Artifice - 26

43. Lilly Wood & The Prick And Robin Schulz - Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix) - 26

44. M83 - Un Nouveau Soleil - 25

45. Lights - Up We Go - 25

46. Carl Espen - Silent Storm - 25

47. Calvin Harris - Summer - 25

48. Nightwish - Ghost Love Score - 24

49. OneRepublic - Counting Stars - 24

50. Tonight Alive - The Edge - 24

 

Artists:

1. Nightwish - 463

2. Lindsey Stirling - 363

3. Muse - 282

4. Gorillaz - 260

5. Owl City - 259

6. Coldplay - 254

7. Kasabian - 227

8. Rihanna - 223

9. Amaranthe - 219

10. Lights - 213

11. Mika - 194

12. Paramore - 193

13. Arcade Fire - 185

14. Keane - 176

15. Clean Bandit - 176

16. Kyla La Grange - 163

17. Babymetal - 162

18. Oasis - 155

19. Marina & The Diamonds - 149

20. The Killers - 142

21. ABBA - 125

22. My Chemical Romance - 125

23. Arctic Monkeys - 123

24. Howard Shore - 116

25. Tuomas Holopainen - 115

26. Ellie Goulding - 108

27. Green Day - 106

28. Zhu - 105

29. M.I.A - 102

30. Within Temptation - 98

31. Tove Lo - 97

32. Fleetwood Mac - 96

33. Linkin Park - 95

34. The Cat Empire - 92

35. Death Cab For Cutie - 89

36. Katy B - 88

37. Scissor Sisters - 87

38. Christina Perri - 87

39. Lana Del Rey - 87

40. Avril Lavigne - 82

41. Fall Out Boy - 80

42. Kelly Clarkson - 79

43. Evanescence - 78

44. Snow Patrol - 77

45. Ed Sheeran - 76

46. David Guetta - 74

47. Beyoncé - 69

48. The Cab - 68

49. Team Me - 68

50. M83 - 67

I listened to Shatter Me a while back (I missed it when it was entered into BJSC), I really liked Lindsey Stirling's production, but the vocals put me off it a bit. :(

 

Some in the top 10 I don't know yet, but nice to see quite a few obscure stuff as I, too, tend to stick with the more anti-mainstream stuff more and they end up still being great as they don't get overexposed like a commercial hit usually does.

 

Rather Be, Eez-Eh, Prayer In C, Faded & A Sky Full of Stars are all amazing, and a lot of great BJSC entries scattered around as well. I liked The Last Sled, very epic and the Scrooge McDuck concept intrigues me, I assume the rest of the album's a similar style? Come Over was a standout from their album that I hadn't hears previously. I had no idea that was Grace singing though, she's rather good :o

 

Really good read through as ever, Iz, keep up the great taste :D

Edited January 10, 201510 yr by Chez Wombat

WOW, I definitely didn't expect Up We Go in your top 2! Interesting to see Ice as your favorite Lights song (I should have guessed!), it's probably in my top 3 with Drive My Soul at the top. All in all it's so good to still be listening to her in 2015.

 

Thank you for the Team Me recommendations! Both songs are incredibly good. They're like a cross between Silversun Pickups and Grouplove.

Shatter Me really is stunning, was gutted when it didn't win BJSC. The SHATTER ME parts and then the huge violin parts. Really well thought out song and I know you love it so no surprise there. :P

 

Lovely countdown!

I'm not sure why I connected so much with 'Lions, Tigers, Bears' but I did. A very charming pop song, it has a bit of an epic feeling to it and I really got quite addicted to it when it got entered into BJSC. I thought it'd be just another of those ones I love but no-one else does, fortunately I'd forgotten I have a talent of getting those to the bottom end of the final, so that's where it went. But thank you very much for this Noah, great debut entry (and you're not done yet either).

 

Ha, no problem, that's really great to hear! I knew you were a fan but didn't realise it was such a big BJSC highlight of the year for you. I love those girls - to me they sound like a cross between Tegan and Sara and HAIM with an Irish lilt! Don't know if you've heard anything else from them but they've got a lot more good stuff, particularly 'Circular Road' which provided major competition to 'Lion, Tigers, Bears' for my first entry.

 

Also very cool to see 'Graveyard Whistling' so high as well as 'Dying To Start Again' which was a major BJSC highlight for me too.

 

Really excellent countdown - love a load of the songs and enjoyed reading your thoughts on them. :D

Edited January 10, 201510 yr by Noahspike

I listened to Shatter Me a while back (I missed it when it was entered into BJSC), I really liked Lindsey Stirling's production, but the vocals put me off it a bit. :(

 

Some in the top 10 I don't know yet, but nice to see quite a few obscure stuff as I, too, tend to stick with the more anti-mainstream stuff more and they end up still being great as they don't get overexposed like a commercial hit usually does.

 

Rather Be, Eez-Eh, Prayer In C, Faded & A Sky Full of Stars are all amazing, and a lot of great BJSC entries scattered around as well. I liked The Last Sled, very epic and the Scrooge McDuck concept intrigues me, I assume the rest of the album's a similar style? Come Over was a standout from their album that I hadn't hears previously. I had no idea that was Grace singing though, she's rather good :o

 

Really good read through as ever, Iz, keep up the great taste :D

 

Aww, I know they aren't for everyone, Lzzy's got quite the voice on her - but then I was a fan of Halestorm already and while it took me a couple of months to actually make the connection, it made a lot of sense.

 

Yes, I'm getting more and more obscure as days go by I think, which is nice for the reasons you state but also because it feels like you're picking the music you like on your own, which as great as some hits are, don't always come with a personal touch unless you knew them before they hit.

 

Great to see you agree on my big hits though

 

And thank you very much! :D

 

WOW, I definitely didn't expect Up We Go in your top 2! Interesting to see Ice as your favorite Lights song (I should have guessed!), it's probably in my top 3 with Drive My Soul at the top. All in all it's so good to still be listening to her in 2015.

 

Thank you for the Team Me recommendations! Both songs are incredibly good. They're like a cross between Silversun Pickups and Grouplove.

 

It's been a very upward journey for Up We Go with me rather aptly, nearly every listen has had it moving further and further upwards, I think it only just overtook Clean Bandit for me when I compiled this chart, oh and yeah, of course Ice would be my favourite but honestly it's so me what with the fast and breathless stuffs.

 

And you're welcome, great to hear!

 

Shatter Me really is stunning, was gutted when it didn't win BJSC. The SHATTER ME parts and then the huge violin parts. Really well thought out song and I know you love it so no surprise there. :P

 

Lovely countdown!

 

Aww, I think it's the least surprising my EOY #1 has ever been on this site, in the others I've done there's been some degree of ambiguity but I'm always glad to see other fans of the song (who'll hopefully help it get a good position in TBO :o), feels like there are too few of them around now. Thanks as well.

 

Ha, no problem, that's really great to hear! I knew you were a fan but didn't realise it was such a big BJSC highlight of the year for you. I love those girls - to me they sound like a cross between Tegan and Sara and HAIM with an Irish lilt! Don't know if you've heard anything else from them but they've got a lot more good stuff, particularly 'Circular Road' which provided major competition to 'Lion, Tigers, Bears' for my first entry.

 

Also very cool to see 'Graveyard Whistling' so high as well as 'Dying To Start Again' which was a major BJSC highlight for me too.

 

Really excellent countdown - love a load of the songs and enjoyed reading your thoughts on them. :D

 

Yeah I just got stuck in a loop of listening to it over and over again, any BJSC entry where that happens is going to go into my favourites, and that comparison does make a lot of sense as to why I like them so much, I love both Tegan and Sara and Haim. I should check out Circular Road then because I haven't heard anything more and it would be nice to hear a bit - and it does sound rather nice, might need a bit of growing.

 

Thanks, sometimes it feels like I'm just spilling words onto the page so if it's enjoyable for other people to read then I must have done something right.

 

Now I should get around to commenting on those EOYs I haven't commented on yet. Which I will do at some point.