Wow Jade, I'm kind of blown away by the thought that's gone into those commentaries considering they're for your 91-100! Hope you won't feel too burdened by it all as you get through the list, but then it's coming across as an effortless passion for the songs so far so I'd imagine you'll be fine (compared to what I'd be like after starting with that standard)! ^_^

 

Lots of great stuff featured here already - I'm a fan of all three Espen tracks ('Waterfall' being my fave too), 'The Hardest Mistakes', 'Dynamite' and 'Highland', which grew massively on me with repeated listens after finding it almost laughably awful initially :unsure:! Fair play to Rich for not only taking a chance on it but nabbing another top 10 in the process. :o

 

I looooove 'Shade of You' and funnily enough the lyric you mentioned always stood out to me as well. A nicely simple expression of self-awareness re: beginning a relationship/falling in love...or at least that's how I interpret it. <3

 

Excellent start, both in terms of the music and otherwise. I'll be sure to check out what's to come and hope 'Can't Have' is among them!

Edited December 1, 20159 yr by Joyeux Noah

The essays!! Oh gosh Jade that's fantastic already, I can't wait to see what'll come. I'm not even sure I'll have essays to match those this year (although I haven't started yet so we'll see)

 

Indeed, love the commentaries, and some great choices so far, particularly with 'Highland', 'Happiness', 'Heaven Sent' and 'You' and then there's one of my own entries getting the special treatment

 

I'm really glad I got around to finally sending that, particularly as it seems to be a highlight of my year for some people. I know Cassadee more as the lead singer of pop-punk (read: Paramore-esque) band Hey Monday, who only put out one album back in 2008 (I've actually disowned most of her post-Voice work as it's not very good :( ) and with that in mind the genre is probably less of a surprise but still I See Stars are another thing again and I wouldn't normally send things from them either as their normal stuff is a bit too hardcore electronicore for BJSC. But this one song is a fantastic happy medium. Really glad it's grown on you.

^ Thanks so much Noah and Iz for both of those lovely comments <3 really appreciate that you guys are actually reading! liking the essays and I shall try not to burn out too quickly! Haha. x

 

Time for more:

 

---♫---

 

~BJSC EOY - TOP 100~

 

90

 

Audien ft. Parson James - 'Insomnia'

Aquafina | BJSC 74

 

I remember being completely engrossed with this contest, participating in and observing a lot of discussion that was going on around it. I remember a lot of "this isn't as good as Audien's other stuff" regarding this song. This was the first I'd heard of Audien so I was able to listen to it without being able to hold that opinion. Even without my own sleeping pattern being a complete mess, I still would've loved 'Insomnia'. Despite the struggles in the lyrics of the verses, I come away from listening to this feeling good due to the determination of the chorus and the high-energy production. The combination of this and Parson James' vocals (that I'd later come to appreciate again on Kygo's 'Stole The Show') really work for me. Ultimately it's really enjoyable, leading me to point Aquafina straight away with 2 points in this final.

 

89

 

Tkay Maidza - 'U-Huh'

FARC | BJSC 74

 

After being blown away by 'Air It All Out (7th Heaven Remix)' before even being a part of the contest, I was very much looking forward to what else FARC had to offer. Straight away they did not disappoint. This stood out in the final for all the right reasons! Tkay brought a lot of confidence, swagger and most importantly a mighty impressive flow to this edition. This really does grab your attention from start to finish thanks to her delivery and due to the lyrics being rather quirky and fun. Who knew the repetition of 'Chitty Bang Bang' would make such an enjoyable bridge. A very impressive offering from her, with the middle 8 stealing it as the best part overall. I must check out more of her stuff, though I'm happy to report that her collaboration with Troye Sivan is also really good. Tkay picked up 3 points in this final meaning points in the bag straight away for FARC, though it didn't end there as this will not be their only appearance.

 

88

 

Rationale - 'Fuel To The Fire'

Mulgracia | BJSC 78

 

Here we have the first BJSC 2015 winner to appear in the countdown! Of course me being so oblivious to what can do well in this contest meant that it didn't even cross my mind that this would be in contention. A fabulous moment when this took the crown in the end. The main thing that draws me to this is how gorgeous and rich Rationale's vocals are. They're truly striking. This heartfelt delivery coupled with the lyrics make for a very powerful song. I also really love the production and the simplicity and vulnerability of the video. Brilliant stuff! I was also introduced to 'The Mire' by him as well, it's rather different to this but so good too. Mulgracia really struck gold with this one, and I was happy to reward them with 2 points in this contest.

 

87

 

machineheart - 'snøw (Myles Travitz Remix)'

#00274E | BJSC 74

 

Here is appearance numero uno of many from #00274E, one of our absolute favourite countries of the year. Back to BJSC 74 again! I already had a taste of machineheart's vocals from Florina entry 'Circles' and I really enjoyed how sweet they were. Clearly her vocals are MADE for dancey songs, with them working so well alongside 'Circles' and now 'snøw' too. This is one of those songs that I forget how much I like it until I go back and listen to it, as it usually results in spamming the replay button. This is truly wondrous: great if saddening lyrics, stunning vocals and killler production. This was a taste of many future points to come as we awarded it with 5.

 

86

 

Wet - 'Deadwater'

Trifoski | BJSC 76

 

Before we have a chance to be melted by this absolute beauty of a song, the super adorable kitten at the start of the video goes and melts us first. All I knew of Wet beforehand was that they had a song called 'Dreams' (hehe) so this was my first foray into their music thanks to everyone's favourite defiers of the odds Trifoski. Even though I pointed this at the time I still feel like I underrated it a bit, and it only actually *fully* clicked with me a couple of months ago after coming on shuffle. It's so breathtaking from start to finish, really sincere vocals and rather heartbreaking lyrics. The production is also lovely and minimal, I love in particular when the piano comes in during the middle 8. 'Deadwater' gave Trifoski back to back points from us, though now I wish I had given it more than just the 3 that I did!

 

85

 

Conrad Sewell - 'Hold Me Up'

The Actual Republic of Bellamia | BJSC 76

 

Appearance one of two for the Sewell siblings! I'm glad that The Actual Republic of Bellamia quickly turned around my musical opinion of Conrad, after not getting 'Firestone' at all. What I really like about this is that despite the romantic subject matter of having someone to lift you up, it doesn't come across as overly schmaltzy or anything. In fact the song is really fun with it and really feel-good. It's very catchy and memorable, he sounds great here too. We did our bit this contest by awarding this entry 6 points. I wish this had lived up to some of the top 10 predictions!

 

84

 

Samantha Urbani - '1 2 3 4'

Aeroche | BJSC 75

 

Here is a country that is no stranger to success! We were soon won over by the Aeroche charm, pointing them just two contests in. How could I not point something so fab though! This is so up my street in how wonderfully 80s it is, taking the best bits of early Whitney and Madge and mixing them with rather Wynter Gordon-esque vocals. It's a really smart track and I found myself loving a lot of lyrics, particularly: "The cheater never wins, even if he ends the game with the highest score. And the liar never knows love, you can't earn that through force." I guess I can't claim to be too hot on the lyrics though when for ages I thought "You are the perpetrator" said something about a potato. Hehe. This scored Aeroche another top 10 hit, finishing just above my ONUKA. We contributed to this with 5 points in the final.

 

83

 

Martin Solveig & GTA - 'Intoxicated'

Republic of Adonia | BJSC 73

 

Ooh a BJSC song that turned into an actual hit! This was doing the rounds a bit on plug.dj before it smashed and I loved it from first listen. Such a vibrant banger, matched up well with the colourfulness of the video. Not exactly a lyrical masterpiece with only a couple of handfuls of actual words throughout, though it's effective in letting the massive production do the talking. This was entered one contest before I joined so unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to point it.

 

82

 

Grace Mitchell - 'Jitter'

Fljótavík | BJSC 78

 

Everyone's jittering. I would be part of this everyone. A fab pop song from Grace Mitchell here, we do appreciate quite a bit of pop despite our largely indie ways. The lyrics of this are super fun and chaotic, poor gal losing her pen and crew in particular. The production is really fantastic too, especially towards the end. I love the little quirks in this, like how I sometimes chuck in a bit of Spanish into perfectly English sentences, she does the same but instead randomly adding "Do you want to dance with me?" in French. I appreciated this little touch. A really cool song that earned Fljótavík first time points from us with 3 awarded to 'Jitter'!

 

81

 

Alessia Cara - 'Here'

Republic of Adonia | BJSC 75

 

A little bit more of Republic of Adonia now to round off this section. Even though I pointed this in the semi where it CRUELLY DNQed, it has still grown on me immensely even since. 'Here' acts as an ultimate introvert anthem, and it's one of the most relatable songs I've heard this year. I think what draws me to it so much is that she tells the story in a way where I can picture myself in her position. Awk flashbacks to the first time I went to a party and felt completely out of my depth. On top of the lyrical content, she has such a smooth voice. I must check out her other stuff. 'Here' was awarded three points by us in that semi before it was given the chop, it needs to do the business in Rejects now!

 

---♫---

Edited December 1, 20159 yr by Slade

OMG Such tunes here :heart:

 

Alessia Ciara :wub: Wet Machineheart :heart: Rationale :heart:

I think now I agree with the statements that "Insomnia" isn't among Audien's best, but I still question why he didn't put it on his EP.

 

I also found it random how "Hold Me Up" started to gain traction in the US out of nowhere. :P

Conrad :wub: My best entry this year IMO, delighted you really like it. Must show you some more Conrad songs in the future :heehee: x

Snow and Insomnia have really grown on me since their contests, both adorable tracks. Especially Snow I probably should have given far more, I think it's my favourite #00274E entry this year.

---♫---

~BJSC EOY - TOP 100~

80

Francesco Yates - 'When I Found You'

Kluminican Republic | BJSC 74

We begin this section with Canadian Francesco Yates. He is currently making waves around the world thanks to his featured appearance on Robin Schulz' 'Sugar', but BJSC is of course where I'd heard of him first. I'm still so shocked that this didn't fare better in this contest! It was pretty much getting good odds across the board but unfortunately failed to live up to them. It did find a fan in me though! Firstly, his voice is wonderful and ever so smooth. It's a great song too though of course! The lyrics of this are ridiculously cute and are elevated further by the rather cool production. Kluminican Republic received 6 of our points for this entry.

79

Låpsley - 'Hurt Me'

Joedonia | BJSC 78

Joedonia were very quick to establish themselves in the contest and in our affections. It was second time lucky as they brushed off a DNQ with this smash. On first listen this song actually passed me by a bit despite the hype, so this actually turned out to be a bit of a grower for us. The moment it hit was wonderful as it all suddenly just fell into place! I've just checked out the video too and it's enhanced the emotion of it even more in its simplicity. Anyway, Låpsley has such a powerful and deep voice that stands out from the crowd. I feel so captivated throughout. The lyrics themselves are rather heartbreaking, the chorus in particular being really impactful. The production also manages to be interesting but in a way where it doesn't overpower the magic of the rest of it, instead sitting very well alongside. 'Hurt Me' received 5 points from us.

78

Transviolet - 'Bloodstream'

Florina | BJSC 78

Another BJSC 78 grower right here. It was taking me a bit of time to warm to the vocals at first, but after a few listens I began to appreciate them and indeed the whole package of the song. I love how explosive the chorus is in particular! The swirly visuals are rather nice as well. Apparently there was a bit of issue with them though, with an article saying that it was some stock footage they licensed to make their whole video, and then Sony filed a copyright notice against the original stock footage. Urm. What even. Grab that relevancy I guess. Anyway, this was the first time I voted for Florina (It would've been a different story had I been around when 'Circles' was entered) as it was awarded 6 points.

77

Justine Skye - 'Bandit'

Aprogonia | BJSC 76

Here we have the first appearance from one of our fellow BJSC 74 debutants. This was the first Aprogonia entry to properly grab me! Justine manages to out-Rihanna Rihanna in 2015, trumping her mostly subpar material that I've heard so far this year and not a Tidal exclusive in sight. Success! Justine does seem like she should be more of a thing with those vocals, plus she appears to be a great dancer as well. I love the attitude of this and the production is on point too. Aprogonia scored their first final points (as we did give them 1 semi point in BJSC 74) with 8 from us.

76

Mz. 007 - 'Important'

Aquafina | BJSC 78

Infamous but iconic entry time now. Introduced to the BJ masses by Senrei on plug.dj, Aquafina incorporated this jam as their own and gave it a second lease of life. This was a tough one to rank amongst everything else but I think this is about right for now. Mz. 007 is quite the character and she delivers incredible lyrics such as "I'm coming through bitch I'm gorgeous" and "I can fix fat, you can't fix ugly" effortlessly. This is legitimately fabulous though despite slight novelty vibes. Aside from the life-giving lyrics, the production is also up there too. This would have made quite the winner in a year of eclecticness, though unfortunately was ultimately disqualified.

75

Mediate - 'What You Do'

Danaelanda | BJSC 73

One of Danaelanda's most underrated entries of the year! Of course it made the final and whatnot, but in a poll of their entries recently it didn't quite fare as well as some of the others. This is a wonderful bit of house that particularly sounded great in the summer. It's essential as a chill out track, with the very lush vocals and added simple but effective production. Not the best lyrics ever granted, but I'm drawn to the chorus nevertheless. Unfortunately I didn't quite have the opportunity to vote for this but I most certainly would have.

74

Bagarre - 'Claque-le'

#00274E | BJSC 78

Another numbers song from their excellent 2015 catalogue of entries. One of the most zany entries of the year which meant of course it was right up our street. It stood out for miles in the semi that it was in! I just adore the chaotic nature of it and the lyrics even though I haven't a clue what half of them mean. I'm pretty sure they say something about ice cream and sudocrem though. The video is also everything, #00274E have very much delivered on the visuals this year as well. This bonkers entry grabbed 8 of our points in this contest, quickly helping this nation to climb up our most voted for list.

73

Lost Kings ft. Jessame - 'Bad'

Joedonia | BJSC 79

A second helping of Joedonia in this section! A very strong hat trick of entries they brought to the contest this year, but ultimately this one pipped the other two in the end. Spinnin' Records can unleash gems from time to time, and this is indeed one of them. I just adore how feel good this is, instantly something that lifts the mood as soon as I listen to it. The beach video and general vibes of it leave me desperately pining for summer, but I'll let that slide. Exactly what I want from a 'generidance' song really, it doesn't have to be the most complex lyrically but it makes me feel good. 8 points were given to this from us.

72

Grace ft. G-Eazy - 'You Don't Own Me'

Unovia | BJSC 75

Unovia were on a roll in the spring! The first of their excellent duo is still to come, but this was the second of those. I'm so thrilled that 'You Don't Own Me' has transpired into a real hit (outside Australia) as it is way too good to just be swept under the carpet. This is just phenomenal. It has such an old school feel to it but in a totally refreshing way. I absolutely love the way it builds throughout, the verses filled with a lot of suspense of what is to come until the song builds up to that MAGNIFICENT final minute or so. Grace gives such a confident and even quite sassy performance on this, excellent vocals throughout. The lyrics are really powerful and a great message. G-Eazy's part is hardly pointless either, I find that his feature breaks up the song quite nicely. This received 6 points from us in a very strong final.

71

Audialist - 'Burning'

Persephonia | BJSC 75

Jadakissnia including a Persephonia song in their countdown? Well I never. Haha, this is one of many to come as you might have guessed. It says a lot about the quality of their entries when something as good as this is the lowest of those that are appearing. Anyway, 'Burning' was used as Persephonia's AQ opportunity in Perseventyfive and entry well chosen I say. There's something so entrancing about this! I do love a good instrumental, but even moreso when it's slightly haunting and spooky as well. Or a song full of cool noises. 'Burning' is all of those things wrapped into one which makes for a very hypnotic and grand almost-4 minutes. This contributed to Persephonia's hefty points total for the year from us, as we awarded it 7 points.

---♫---

MZ. O07 :heart:...Lapsley....Grace...Lost Kings....Transviolent and Mediate :heart:

I thought no one was going to rank "Important"! :P

Mars for the win pls.

I thought no one was going to rank "Important"! :P

Mz. 007 too iconic to escape despite infamous connections clearly! ;o

 

(Thanks 4 comments also Hazza and Regigi :heart: You will just have to wait and see regarding 'Mars' x)

Some love for 'When I Found You', 'Hurt Me' and 'You Don't Own Me' (which has only JUST connected with me, mainstream whore I am :')).

 

I don't ever recall a song called 'Important' being entered though :unsure: Are you sure about that one?

Yay for Transviolet, did not know about that copyright incident. :lol:

 

Really good commentaries for all the songs so far, look foward to the rest. :o

Ooh very shocked to see one of my songs on here :o (:P)

 

Bagarre, Mz. 007 (even with its infamy ~), Francesco Yates, Grace Mitchell and Tkay Maidza also big highlights from 90-71 :heart:

^ Thanks guys :wub: Apologies that this commentary today is a bit shorter/not very good but that'll be down to lack of sleep/lack of brain functioning right now as a result. Really wanted to get it done today though so I didn't fall behind. I'm sure you'll all breathe a sigh of relief though at the shorter part. x

 

---♫---

 

~BJSC EOY - TOP 100~

 

70

 

Lo-Fi-Fnk - 'Nightclub Nirvana'

Sandebörg | BJSC 75

 

We begin a new section with an entry that was head and shoulders above the other songs sent by this country in 2015. It was most definitely a 'love at first listen' situation as we were immediately swept up by the charm of 'Nightclub Nirvana'. It's just so infectious and a lot of fun. Everything from the super happy vocalists to lyrics such as 'I'm feeling so free' are all so uplifting, thus acting as a perfect pick-me-up. Lo-Fi-Fnk snuck in the top 10 of this contest just behind our very own entry 'Time', and we gave it 8 points.

 

69

 

Shamir - 'Call It Off'

Altyr Muunilinst | BJSC 74

 

The first of quite a few appearances from Altyr now, who ultimately landed in our top 5 countries of the year points-wise. We were impressed from the off-set as this soon wormed its way into my brain. What stands out to me most about 'Call It Off' is the huge production, the melody of that alone is super catchy. However I also warm to Shamir's voice and even the little 'no more basic ratchet guys' middle 8. A fabulous and confident ditching someone anthem. The video is a laugh as well with the morphing into muppets. This received 7 points from us in our debut contest.

 

68

 

Elicit - 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'

Mulgracia | BJSC 74

 

Here was our favourite Mulgracian dance entry of the year! I actually knew of this song before entering the contest due to randomly checking out the new releases in the iTunes thread one week, but my love for it grew moreso after this second lease of life. The Prince sampling 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' is pretty simple, no masterpiece or anything, but it's the little things about it that I love. For example the different elements of the production and added in little vocal bits such as the 'sing it y'all' part. Essentially an old school sounding feel good bit of dance that won us over with its sweetness. Mulgracia received 8 points from us for this.

 

67

 

LORIS - 'Crazy'

St. Burbia | BJSC 79

 

Next up is the debut entry from new nation St. Burbia. It's such a shame this DNQed! BJSC 79 clearly wasn't good for debutants as other fave Diablo Swing Orchestra's 'Justice For Saint Mary' also DNQed in the same contest for What. St. Burbia were off to a very strong start as I quickly took to this. There's something really likeable about the vocals in this, they come off rather sincere and needy, which is understandable when singing as strong statements as "I need you to survive". Indeed it appears to be a song all about the getting really attached element of a relationship, quite relatable for a lot of us. I like the simple production also, particularly the incorporation of the guitar. 'Crazy' received 7 points from us in that semi final.

 

66

 

Cigarettes After Sex - 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby'

Tartford | BJSC 80

 

The 'shock Q' of the contest that didn't do badly in the final either! Tartford were being predicted for last place by a few, and I'm glad to see this didn't happen. I quite liked this in the semi, though it just missed out on my points. However, it soon became an almighty grower! I did like it at first though it slightly plodded a bit, but it clicked properly from second listen onwards. It's just so relaxing. Both the simple production and the vocalist have such a calming effect on me! The lyrics are so adorable as well, particularly the "Nothing's gonna hurt you baby, as long as you're with me you'll be just fine, nothing's gonna hurt you baby, nothing's gonna take you from my side." Aw, I like the protective and caring nature of it. Cigarettes After Sex ended up getting 9 points from us in the final in the end, so a grower and a half!

 

65

 

SCALES - 'Loves Got Me High'

#00274E | BJSC 79

 

Good ol' numbers smashing it again, this time with a summery dance banger. This is great, pretty much its only fault is the slightly annoying grammatical error in the title. I'll let it slide though. This is another example of being so wonderfully feel-good! Excellent production and smooth vocals. Plus this is a great example where swearing needn't be gratuitous. Bravo. We awarded SCALES with 9 points two contests ago.

 

64

 

Big Data ft. Joywave - 'Dangerous'

Taahino | BJSC 78

 

Representers of rock Taahino scored their first points from us with the infectious 'Dangerous'! While quite a bit of discussion revolved around the rather ~interesting~ video, it was the song itself that had me hooked from first listen. I love the structure of this: the rocky production of the verses, how it grinds to a halt in the bridge and then how it gets a bit synthy in the chorus. A huge bass-filled song that switches up just right throughout. The guy has a great voice too and it's enjoyable lyrically. Taahino received 9 points for this entry.

 

63

 

Zhala - 'Holy Bubbles'

FKA π | BJSC 75

 

After Hot Chip *just* missed out on our votes for BJSC 74, being our 16th favourite, it was Zhala who ensured we quickly gave some points to FKA π. I remember this being a bit of a grower, but once I was into it, it was in a huge way! I didn't remember being so hot on the Zhala song in the previous contest but I'm all over this one! I didn't recall her vocals being this fab for starters. She has a really standout voice and coupled with the production it's a whole lot of fun. The video is EVERYTHING too. The description of the vid on YouTube is enough to win you over in one line tbh: 'Holy Bubbles investigates the concept of a concept where Zhala plays Zhala and Kim Kardashian is on acid in a doom state.' Incredible. We gave Zhala and her loveable madness 9 points.

 

62

 

Kai Tracid - 'Trance And Acid'

Botanikka | BJSC 80

 

We were super glad to find out that Botanikka soon returned to their 'sending trance every month' thing, as much as I also love 'Happiness' of course. This is definitely my favourite from them this year though! Trance is definitely one of my favourite types of dance, and especially so when it's this good! A total banger really, on paper maybe the repetition of trance and acid so much shouldn't work, but as a whole it indeed does. I love a bit of retroness being brought to BJSC as there are always discoveries to be found in the archives too. 'Trance & Acid' received 10 points from us in the last contest.

 

61

 

Sumera - 'Wolf'

Hushkanukia | BJSC 79

 

Ever since hearing this as a potential for Hushkanukia I was itching for it to be sent, so I was thrilled that the nation indeed did make the correct selection process. While 'Wolf' may be a pretty overused title by this stage, it's okay when the song is this good. It's just beautiful! What pushed it ahead of the similar sounding Charlie and Harper in BJSC 79 in the end was that it sounded a little bit more dark. I really adore the vocals and the lyrics of this. 10 points were given to Hushkanukia for this stunning entry.

 

---♫---

"Dangerous" :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

What a stunning commentary for both Hushkanukia entries, Jade! Thank you for the love :wub:

good rundown Jade, some of my major classics of 2015 already popped up, as in they will be in my top 100 Singles of 2015, and not just buzzjack: Rationale, Grace, IAMX. One More Time already did the biz for me first time round, and there are loads of tracks that would def make my top 50 Buzzjack of the year already: Conrad, Ciggies After sex, Big Data, Elicit, and more...

Shamir :heart:

Elicit :heart:

LORIS :heart:

SCALES :heat:

Kai Tracid :heart:

Sumera :heart: