#34

Alternative Ulster

Wonder Villains

 

 

Album: Shooting For Socrates Soundtrack

 

Northern Irish pop group Wonder Villains have made our list of top songs of the year more times than any other artist since we began compiling them in 2008, and this year appears to be no different, even if it looks like it may be their last time making the list. “Alternative Ulster” is a cover of Stiff Little Fingers’ punk classic which was covered for local film Shooting For Socrates, and whilst it doesn’t have the same anger and venom as the original, it does have that spark of something within it.

 

Previous chart positions:

2010 SpaceJam - #4

2011 Zola - #8

2012 Ferrari - #5

2012 TV - #27

2014 Golden Five - #3

#33

Let Go

The DLX

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Mississippi band The DLX have made what is perhaps the happiest sounding song of 2015 with “Let Go”, which uplifts you more than the Polyphonic Spree having eating a mountain of chocolate cake.

#32

Time of Your Life

Chris Tall

 

 

Album: N/A

 

A love a bit of saxophone, and have a real soft spot for it being used within dance music. So “Time of Your Life” by Swedish producer Chris Tall ticks all the metaphorical boxes. The sax line will get stuck in your head for hours after hearing it.

#31

Complexity

Eagles of Death Metal

 

 

Album: Zipper Down

 

Whist Eagles of Death Metal will probably be remembered mainly for the tragic events that happened during their Paris concert in 2015, they did release some great tunes this year, like ‘Complexity”, a great blues-rock stomper.

#30

Swarm

The Bohicas

 

 

Album: The Making Of

 

Essex band The Bohicas released their debut album this year, and taken from it is “Swarm”, which is a very apt title for the song in question, given that the guitars on this song sound like thousands of angry, buzzing wasps.

 

#29

Premier League

The Wood Burning Savages

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Derry’s furiously-charged rockers The Wood Burning Savages gave us another stormer of a song in 2015 in the form of “Premier League”, a song where the band rant about all the things that they don’t care about, which includes, but is not limited to, the FTSE 100, oil barons, Tony Blair and yes, the top division of English football.

 

Previous chart positions:

 

2014 Boom - #40

#28

Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)

Father John Misty

 

 

Album: I Love You, Honey Bear

 

Despite his misleading name (he’s never even said mass), Father John Misty has charmed the pants off everyone this year with his baroque-pop single “Chateau Lobby #4”, which tells the tale of how he first met his wife. It’s sentimental without being too drippy, and lyrically deep without being too clever.

#27

Communion Girls

Malojian

 

 

Album: Southlands

 

Northern Irish singer/songwriter, aka Malojian really charmed in 2015 with the single and video for his song “Communion Girls”, which was inspired by a fantasy he had as a child of a paramilitary breaking into the church during mass, at which point he would kung-fu kick them into submission and win the love of the local girls.

 

#26

Can’t Feel My Face

The Weeknd

 

 

Album: Beauty Behind The Madness

 

One of the biggest pop songs of 2015 next from The Weeknd, an artist who I’ve found it hard to like with the exception of this one. It starts off as a typically okay song, until THAT bass drop comes in and you realise that you’re in the presence of something wonderful, funky and enjoyable.

Your #26 is undeniably good as well as EODM's "Complexity".

So we've hit the halfway stage of the top 50 countdown, so what are your thoughts so far? And what are your predictions as to who will feature higher up in the countdown?

#25

Kathleen Sat On The Arm Of Her Favourite Chair

Hooton Tennis Club

 

 

Album: Highest Point in Cliff Town

 

Some great slacker-rock from the spunky Liverpudlians Hooton Tennis Club, who have a tendency to have song titles that are seemingly longer than the songs themselves “Kathleen Sat…” is a great example of this, a brief yet energetic song which has an infectious riff at its heart.

 

#24

Johnny Delusional

FFS

 

 

Album: FFS

 

Of all the surprising collaborations that could have come about in 2015, perhaps the most surprising was the amalgamation of electronic duo Sparks and indie rockers Franz Ferdinand, who came together under the moniker of FFS (see what they did there). Taken from their self-titled album was “Johnny Delusional”, which pointed more to the Franz-y end of the musical spectrum.

 

#23

One Great Song And I Could Change The World

Swim Deep

 

 

Album: Mothers

 

Swim Deep semi-broke through in 2013 with the indie-rock stylings of their debut album “Where the Heaven Are We”. In 2015, they reinvented themselves somewhat with a more groove-based and electronic sound than the guitar-heavy debut. The highlight from them this year was “One Great Song And I Could Change The World”, a tune that owes more to Royksopp than the early 90s indie sound that characterised their early work.

 

Previous chart positions:

2013 King City - #4

 

#22

I Need a Connection

Jane Weaver

 

 

Album: The Silver Globe

 

Some ethereal electro next from Liverpudlian singer/songwriter Jane Weaver. More known for her folk output, "I Need A Connection" marked a change in direction for weaver, with synths and electronics veing the vehicle for Weaver's wonderful voice. Simply sumptuous.

#21

This Is Your Captain Speaking

Daveit Ferris

 

 

Album: 365 Sparks

 

Derry rocker Daveit Ferris embarked on an ambitious quest in 2015 - to release one song every day during 2015. One of the early tracks from the project however really stayed with me during 2015, and that was “This Is Your Captain Speaking”, a great emo-rock song that wouldn’t sound out of place on Kerrang! Radio.

Lots of things here that I have never heard before... I shall aim to find time to listen to them over the next week or so and let you have a more detailed response then!

Can't Feel My Face is very good, albeit it has got quite boring in the last couple of months :(

The Weeknd *.* So feel good :wub:

 

Swim Deep their album is good and so glad it got critical acclaim :heart:

 

Also FFS they had good songs :D

Hey Chris! Very interesting list so far: of the ones that I've heard I really liked “Heroine”, “Cause I’m A Man”, “Chunky”, “Can't Feel My Face” and the tracks from Hooton Tennis Club and Swim Deep.

 

Hoping for some more Tame Impala high up as well as C Duncan’s brilliant “Garden” and maybe some Chemical Brothers or PSB or Everything Everything. :D