Welcome. My presence on these forums has dwindled the past few months, for a variety of reasons, but I still read and appreciate and there's little in life I love more than lists, so I'm back to present my top 100 songs of the year. Simple as. Let's get stuck in.

 

100 - 091

 

 

100 Banks -

099 Taylor Swift - Wonderland

098 Adore Delano - Give Me Tonight

097 Ella Henderson - Empire

096 TĀLĀ - Serbia

095 Ryn Weaver - Promises

094 Röyksopp & Robyn - Monument (The Inevitable End Version)

093 Tinashe - Wildfire

092 Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat

091 iamamiwhoami - Hunting for Pearls

 

 

It's not until you start compiling these lists that you realise just how good the year in music was. Never did I think that 'Serbia', the first thing we heard from the sensational TĀLĀ, would end up nearly outside the list altogether. Or that Ryn Weaver's 'Promises' - the confirmation of a genuine talent after her hyped introduction, still to appear here - would be its neighbour on these lowly ends. But such is life. Several entrants here have their first of three songs on the countdown - the morbid swirl of 'Drowning', the effervescent 'Wonderland', the dark beauty of 'Wildfire' and the strident howl of 'Give Me Tonight' all serve as this chart's introduction to some of the finest albums of the year. Ella Henderson bests them with 4, the first being the majestic boom of 'Empire', and Royksopp triumph all comers with 5, the first being their album's rework of Robyn collab 'Monument', which I found much more impactful in this abridged, punchier form.

 

That leaves us with the last two of the section. Lorde's curated soundtrack for the latest Hunger Games instalment provided no tune finer than her own contribution, with its glorious marching chorus and rather mysterious lyrics, delivered with that rather sardonic drawl of hers. And iamamiwhoami, who'll return later, went under the sea on the production of this typically enigmatic song, synths scattered across a smooth, enchanting vocal.

090 - 081

 

 

090 Röyksopp - Here She Comes Again

089 Oliver $ & Jimi Jules - Pushing On

088 FKA twigs - Give Up

087 Jhené Aiko - Spotless Mind

086 Röyksopp - Sordid Affair

085 Taylor Swift - How You Get the Girl

084 George Ezra - Budapest

083 Cyril Hahn feat. Rochelle Jordan - Slow

082 Higher Self feat. Lauren Mason - Ghosts

081 Ella Henderson - Yours

 

 

Royksopp smashes come at you thick and fast: here we have the delicately constructed 'Here She Comes Again', with the gorgeously mournful vocals of Jamie Irrepressible, while on the epic 'Sordid Affair', Ryan James' soft tones fly across the glittering synth soundtrack.

 

There are similarly gorgeous vocals elsewhere in this collection: one-time Syndare flop Rochelle Jordan channels Aaliyah on Cyril Hahn's intoxicating production 'Slow', owning that totally slick chorus; Jhené Aiko makes her first of three appearances with a slam dunk title on the sweetly sensual 'Spotless Mind'; and FKA twigs matches Royksopp's five with the first of her own quintet, the jerky kiss-off 'Give Up'. Ella's vocals on 'Yours', meanwhile, might be her best ever, making what could be a routine ballad a truly haunting experience as she echoes with such emotional clarity.

 

The energy goes up a notch on two of the year's finest dance tunes: 'Pushing On' is a pulsating, gyrating house groove that slides coolly through its seven minute running time, while 'Ghosts' takes a darker tack, Lauren Mason's fiercely barbed vocals lording over a menacingly bouncing synth.

 

Oh, and there's Taylor Swift back already, brushing past what might be the worst song intro of the year to get to a cracking pop tune, with a chorus that bangs in with such gusto it nearly knocked me flat first time I heard it.

080 - 071

 

 

080 SLK - Call

079 Jhené Aiko - The Pressure

078 Erkka - Plastic Flamingos

077 Katy B - Everything

076 Etta Bond feat. Delilah - Bubble

075 How To Dress Well - Pour Cyril

074 Rae Morris feat. Fryars - Cold

073 Kyla La Grange - Get It

072 FKA twigs - Hours

071 Shannon Saunders - Sheets

 

 

Some one hit wonders here, but they're no less special because of it. I'd particularly love people to listen to 'Bubble', which finally bests 'Go' as the finest thing Delilah's put her name to, joining forces with rising star Etta Bond in this magical, slightly creepy track full of wild production flourishes that all add up to a rhythmic intoxication. Just as fine is 'Call', produced by Syndare hitmaker Embody (who'll turn up later), which has some of the most robust vocals of the year. BJSC features 'Sheets' and 'Plastic Flamingos' are quite different beasts; the former is a sly pop tune, Saunders' delivery tart and salty, while the rolling synths of the latter rise and fall in some mysteriously enchanting way, compacted and elongated in varying fashions for a genuinely unpredictable repetitiveness.

 

'Cold' almost won the whole contest, while we're on the subject, although its melancholy majesty took a while to really overtake me as it does now. 'Pour Cyril' plumbs sadder depths, its beautiful strings reminiscent of the tragic beauty to the climactic music of Romeo + Juliet. I didn't give HTDW's album the quarter it deserves, partly because this number consumed me so heavily when it arrived.

 

The remainder of our lot here are chart mainstays; Katy B's first of two is album track and should-be single 'Everything', which bounces with her patented pleading dancefloor energy, while Kyla La Grange also scores her first of two with 'Get It', a punchy album track that swirls with power; it's the allowance to give those synths a long lead-out that really secured it a place here.

 

And finally we have further appearances from Jhené, with elegantly bare single 'The Pressure' ("have you seen my f***s to give?"), and twigs, with a song so sexy I want to drape myself over the end of a chase longue as I sing along. No pictures, please.

Hello :o i suspect we'll have a lot of crossovers this year again so let's see...

 

100 Banks - Drowning beautiful track, the chorus is so well done. i love the album & her more with every listen <3

099 Taylor Swift - Wonderland 1989 is SO GOOD and this is one of the many highlights. more to come from her here hopefully!

097 Ella Henderson - Empire

096 TĀLĀ - Serbia

094 Röyksopp & Robyn - Monument (The Inevitable End Version)

093 Tinashe - Wildfire

091 iamamiwhoami - Hunting for Pearls

089 Oliver $ & Jimi Jules - Pushing On

088 FKA twigs - Give Up

087 Jhené Aiko - Spotless Mind

085 Taylor Swift - How You Get the Girl o there is more already, and this is definitely a favourite of mine (y)

084 George Ezra - Budapest

083 Cyril Hahn feat. Rochelle Jordan - Slow

079 Jhené Aiko - The Pressure

077 Katy B - Everything

074 Rae Morris feat. Fryars - Cold

072 FKA twigs - Hours

071 Shannon Saunders - Sheets

 

Good bjsc tracks in there too. Woop, glad this has got underway as i was waiting for it ~

hi bal :o cheers, glad you're liking it so far! I have been reading urs but I owe u a comment or two I know. the final Taylor is coming up next...

If it is anything but 'Wildest Dreams' i will not be happy ^_^ x

hey hey! my personal faves ~

 

100 Banks - Drowning excellent tune

099 Taylor Swift - Wonderland one of the best on her album, too bad it was relegated to deluxe status

095 Ryn Weaver - Promises I prefer octahate but this song is very very good

093 Tinashe - Wildfire every tinashe touches turns to GOLD

092 Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat very fitting track for the hunger games, too bad it wasn't bigger

091 iamamiwhoami - Hunting for Pearls

089 Oliver $ & Jimi Jules - Pushing On such a good track, should've smashed in BJSC but oh well

085 Taylor Swift - How You Get the Girl very underrated, another one of my faves

082 Higher Self feat. Lauren Mason - Ghosts should've done better in BJSC, very oliver heldens-like and it pulls the genre off so well

081 Ella Henderson - Yours

074 Rae Morris feat. Fryars - Cold I just recently got into this but it is truly stunning

 

070 - 061

 

 

070 Jessie Ware - Want Your Feeling

069 Indila - Ego

068 Taylor Swift - Style

067 Elliphant feat. MØ - One More

066 Banks - Brain

065 Ella Eyre - If I Go

064 Trust - Icabod

063 TĀLĀ - Alchemy

062 Kito & Reija Lee feat. Zebra Katz - WORD$

061 Adore Delano - I Adore U

 

 

We kick things off in the top seventy with this smooth, funky slice of Jessie Ware's heavenly voice, a highly addictive track that is her first of just two appearances this year (sophomore album blues :( ). It's the final appearance for both Taylor and TĀLĀ, meanwhile - 'Style' best be a future single, a belter of a pop single if ever there was on, while 'Alchemy' worked its science on me right from those opening bell chimes or whatever they are; the perfect exemplar of her intriguing musical trickery.

 

It's 2 of 3 for Banks, with the devilish 'Brain', and Adore, with the sumptuously devastating 'I Adore U' (goddamn but she looks fine in her videos). Indila pops up for the first of two with the crunching passion of 'Ego', as does Ella Eyre with the fiery 'If I Go' - girl really deserved the star that Sam Smith stole this year.

 

The rest are one-hit wonders this time around: Trust with the strident electro of 'Icabod', an instant Buzzjack smash that still holds me in its growling grip; Elliphant and MØ teaming up for the swagger of 'One More', which has the finest change of pace in any song all year, probably, when it cranks into an electronic swirl halfway through; and Kito, Reija and Zebra (whose '1 Bad Bitch' fell just short of the 100) on this dynamic, smashing electropop song (which I included in my CDswap - Oliver, hold that thought, I'll explain it all eventually!) that contrasts their honeyed tones and his low growl to great effect.

If it is anything but 'Wildest Dreams' i will not be happy ^_^ x

 

oops sorry :)

 

hey hey! my personal faves ~

 

095 Ryn Weaver - Promises I prefer octahate but this song is very very good

 

hi math, thanks for stopping by! as do I, it's coming up quite a bit later ooh ^_^

Edited December 30, 201410 yr by randomfurlong

Loving the Taylor here. Even though I love Style I am not sure it should be a single and Wonderland should definitely have been on the main edition, it is so stunning :wub:

Yellow Flicker Beat is great, I am really starting to like Budapest again, Yours is beautiful and Empire is definitely one of the highlights from the album and if I go is amazing, still don't know how that wasn't a massive hit :wub:

 

Great start randomfurlong :wub:

Double post :)

Edited December 30, 201410 yr by Ultraviolence1989

060 - 051

 

 

060 Bombay Bicycle Club - Feel

059 Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again

058 Jessie Ware - Tough Love

057 Kiesza - Hideaway

056 Adore Delano - D T F

055 FKA twigs - Numbers

054 Ariana Grande & The Weeknd - Love Me Harder

053 Tove Lo - Timebomb

052 SPEAK - Gates

051 Ella Henderson - Ghost

 

 

I didn't expect BBC to ever produce a tune worth my time after the stunning 'Shuffle', but they've come close to matching it with 'Feel', a track alive with carnival spirit and one of the most joyous pieces of music you'll hear all year. Speaking of joy, here's Tove Lo with the cacophonous 'Timebomb', which continues to blow me away by sheer force of the production and the breathless spiel of the vocals. Quite literally breathtaking. SPEAK's 'Gates' similarly clangs loudly, its booming production having proven impossible to shake off after I first encountered it some time ago.

 

It's goodbye here to Jessie, whose album wasn't quite what I wanted but did kick off with this exquisite single, named in quite a few quarters as one of the year's best. Not quite here, my love, but this gorgeous paean to the difficulty of love ("So you want to be a man about it / Do you have to" might be the lyric of the year) is still an absolute triumph. It's also goodbye to Adore, whose cracking album is better than any Katy P album has managed to be, with probably 1% of the funding. 'D T F' was the introduction, and it's a perfect one; rather nasty, rather zeitgeisty, and rather f***ing anthemic. let's get down to it~

 

Sex is on the mind of Ariana and her unlikely partner The Weeknd here, on a song that sounds almost too sweet to be about what it is about. Still, if she's going to be sticking around, this is what she should be doing: slick, sensual, smooth pop. Sex is always on the mind of twigs, on her hump day appearance here (that's 3/5) with 'Numbers', her voice peaking orgasmically and sometimes just dissipating altogether into the plonking synths.

 

This chart isn't allergic to the charts, but Kiesza's 'Hideaway' and Ella's 'Ghost' are two of only three UK chart toppers to feature (can you guess the third?), two completely different but equally anthemic songs that I loved from the off.

 

And then we're left with the second of the Royksopp/Robyn collabs, which was exactly what I expected, wanted and got from the pair. Never break up.

Loving the Taylor here. Even though I love Style I am not sure it should be a single and Wonderland should definitely have been on the main edition, it is so stunning :wub:

Yellow Flicker Beat is great, I am really starting to like Budapest again, Yours is beautiful and Empire is definitely one of the highlights from the album and if I go is amazing, still don't know how that wasn't a massive hit :wub:

 

Great start randomfurlong :wub:

 

thanks ultraviolence! I really did enjoy Taylor this year, a turnaround for me (though I did have 'I Know You Were Trouble.' here a couple of years ago). I didn't even know 'Wonderland' was a bonus track! shame.

050 - 041

 

 

050 Tinashe feat. Devonté Hynes - Bet

049 FKA twigs - Two Weeks

048 iamamiwhoami - Vista

047 Elizabeth Rose feat. VCS - Only Me

046 Ella Henderson - Missed

045 SZA feat. Kendrick Lamar - Babylon

044 Paradis - Garde le pour toi

043 Eternal Death - Head

042 Indila - Dernière Danse

041 Embody feat. Barnaby - Make A Stand

 

 

We're really into the good stuff now. As in, I can't believe Tinashe's ethereal 'Bet' is only #50, when in my head it was bound for the top 20. Currently my alarm tune - there's little better to drag you into consciousness than the swirling magic of this track, really showcasing Tinashe's strong voice as she teases and repels. Two other former alarm clocks are also here: 'Vista' dances into life with a gentle call before the battalion of synths bursts into glorious life. Her coos on this track are her triumph of the year, for this is her highest placing. Sorry, Pav, should you ever read this. And then there's 'Garde le pour toi' - not quite the highest French language track of an unusually good year for the language, as Indila's BJSC winner 'Derniere danse' pirouettes tenderly two spots above it - a marching wonder with ghostly vocals to really put a spell on you.

 

There's more sensual sorcery from FKA twigs, as lead single 'Two Weeks' stutters in at #49 - remember, she has one more entry to come. As does Elizabeth Rose, whose EP was a real surprise after 'The Good Life' (or whatever it was called) alienated me so. Such crackers as 'Only Me' showcase her fine, soaring tones to maximum effect, backed by a kind of staccato synth parade, and make her one to really keep an eye on. SZA will also be back in the higher reaches, but don't let me catch you sleeping on 'Babylon', a majestic sort of lament with what might be Kendrick's finest guest rap to date.

 

Ella has her last bow here, with a polished version of her X Factor audition song. 'Missed' is another exquisite ballad from the youngster, acres of pain and desolation that should be unfamiliar to someone of her age. Her vocal quavers are just perfection to shed a tear to.

 

Eternal Death's 'Head' really augurs for something special from a bad I know I need to listen to the album from, Jake!! This ghoulish electropop pulsates with life, the reedy vocals an apparition between the echoing soundscape.

 

And just missing the top forty is one of my few BJSC success stories in the form of Embody + Barnaby's super-cool house tune, a truly uplifting piece of music that floats along with the sweet harmony of triumphant love.

daveeeed, listen to the other songs 'cry' and 'fade' are S T U N N I N G

 

we must go and see them together in the new year, i demand it!!!!!

099 Taylor Swift - Wonderland :wub: Her album may be one of the most flawless albums ever ever!

091 iamamiwhoami - Hunting for Pearls

089 Oliver $ & Jimi Jules - Pushing On

085 Taylor Swift - How You Get the Girl

084 George Ezra - Budapest Very annoying but very catchy!

082 Higher Self feat. Lauren Mason - Ghosts

081 Ella Henderson - Yours :wub: This is beautiful!

074 Rae Morris feat. Fryars - Cold

068 Taylor Swift - Style This is great but really wouldn't have picked it as the next single myself.

067 Elliphant feat. MØ - One More

066 Banks - Brain

065 Ella Eyre - If I Go Her music is gorgeous and her voice is Damn fine! Really love Comeback though.

063 TĀLĀ - Alchemy

060 Bombay Bicycle Club - Feel

059 Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again

058 Jessie Ware - Tough Love :wub: She's outstanding!

057 Kiesza - Hideaway This was perfect when it was first release and such a throwback to 90's dance :wub:

054 Ariana Grande & The Weeknd - Love Me Harder

051 Ella Henderson - Ghost

049 FKA twigs - Two Weeks

048 iamamiwhoami - Vista

 

Fabulous so far x

040 - 036

 

 

040 Hudson Mohawke - Chimes

039 Röyksopp feat. Susanne Sundfør - Save Me

038 Calvin Harris feat. Haim - Pray to God

037 Kleerup & Susanne Sundfør - Let Me In

036 Skit & Tijani - Sweat

 

 

We kick off the top forty - which, as all chart geeks know, is where you really start caring - with Hudson Mohawke's bewitching 'Chimes', which certainly lives up to its name, at least until that booming chorus (? it's hard to tell without words) comes along and blasts your ears off the side of your head. Final Royksopp appearance 'Save Me' is a similar sort of whirlwind - there was no way I wasn't going to adore the reunion of 'sopp with Susanne Sundfør, whose tortured vocals are as effortlessly enrapturing as ever atop the swirl of electronic panic. She's here twice, as you can see, and Kleerup just about comes out on top with this sharp piece of magic, a strident plea in both vocal and marching, insistent beat.

 

This section is all about producer-vocalist magic, and though Calvin Harris has largely gone off the boil lately, he aces in with 'Pray to God', which from its first seconds feels like something different from the man. It helps to have the Haim girls on vocals, a chanting wall of sound that matches the blasts of Harris' production beat for beat, until they "give in" for the stunning chorus.

 

We turn things down for #36, which might be the most unfairly overlooked song of the year. A complete failure for me in BJSC, Skit & Tijani's 'Sweat' has stuck with me ever since, a ghostly, sensual ode to sex that wraps itself around your body like a python. The whispered, echoing vocals are just absolutely sublime.

daveeeed, listen to the other songs 'cry' and 'fade' are S T U N N I N G

 

we must go and see them together in the new year, i demand it!!!!!

 

I now have!! 'Cry' is amazing. are they doing a gig here?!

 

065 Ella Eyre - If I Go Her music is gorgeous and her voice is Damn fine! Really love Comeback though.

 

Fabulous so far x

 

ty very much!! and hold that thought about 'Comeback'...

A lot of great stuff here!

 

Love your potential lyric of the year (the 'Tough Love' one) - her delivery of 'Do you have to?' makes it for me.

 

Other highlights so far would be 'Pray To God', 'Two Weeks', 'Love Me Harder', 'Want Your Feeling' and 'Brain' among others. :heart:

I really like two weeks and I absolutely adore pray to god, really hope it is the next single from the album. Calvin's production and especially Haim's vocals are stunning :wub: