December 31, 20159 yr Author 14 | Decay | Tove Styrke | Haff_Bawmpo Kiddo is an absolutely superb album, and this, for me, is the cream of its crop. It was the exhilirating, jittering finale that alerted me to it, but the more I pressed play in search of that particular drug, the more the eloquent beauty of the whole song made itself apparent to me. Tove sings the plaintive lyrics with such tenderness that lets the listener unpack the mournfulness of the song's subject - betrayed by its initially inscrutable title. Like this? Try... , Tame Impala - for another jittering mess bubbling through the production.
December 31, 20159 yr Author 13 | American Oxygen | Rihanna | Ao8cGLIMtvg A thesis statement made in song; except more guttural, more unpolished and anguished, a raw cry from a woman who is hooked on the brutal illusion of the American Dream. Rihanna's success may be rooted in the USa, but her Bajan-born status is integral to what makes this song work so powerfully; she, like many, looked from the outside in as a child, and now looks back, proud proof positive of the possibility of the dream coming true, but, an adult now, aware of the manipulative machinery that makes the country tick, and of the side effects on the millions within and outside of the country for who Rihanna's story couldn't be farther from their reality. It really makes me wish that Rihanna had managed to shape whatever Anti is into, well, anything, because in this majestic song, she has the beginnings of a truly revelatory album. Like this? Try... , Madonna - for more American history.
December 31, 20159 yr Author 12 | Under the Shadows | Rae Morris | eYgXSoA5njA A rousing ghost song. The beat marches underneath like soldiers, the drums creating a vast orchestral soundbed for Morris' voice to swoop and cry over the top of, a wild and defiant call into the abyss. It's beautiful, but haunting, forever echoing in the back of my brain. Like this? Try... , Shannon Saunders - for more lithe cries from the subconscious.
December 31, 20159 yr Author 11 | Flesh Without Blood | Grimes | Tv9YoYCKNoE A flamboyant, delightful kiss-off, using Grimes' effortless vocal dexterity to combine various tones and registers into one monster of an earworm. It's flirtatious, with an aftertaste of acid. Like this? Try... ‘Never Get Enough’, Lianne La Havas - for another clash of moods into one whirlwind of a song.
December 31, 20159 yr Author As promised, a little breather now with my top albums of the year. I debated a little between the top two, as both are almost faultless creations. May history remember them. http://www.electricity-club.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Susanne_Sundfor_tenlovesongs.jpg 01 | Ten Love Songs - Susanne Sundfør 02 | Emotion - Carly Rae Jepsen 03 | FROOT - Marina & the Diamonds 04 | Kiddo - Tove Styrke 05 | Pageant Material - Kacey Musgraves 06 | Art Angels - Grimes 07 | Queen of the Clouds - Tove Lo 08 | Making Time - Jamie Woon 09 | Blood - Lianne La Havas 10 | Communion - Years & Years 11 | Dark Sky Island - Enya 12 | How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful - Florence + the Machine 13 | Wildheart - Miguel 14 | In Colour - Jamie xx 15 | Every Open Eye - CHVRCHES
December 31, 20159 yr I wasn't a huge fan of FROOT compared to Marina's previous material but 'Blood' and 'Queen of the Clouds' are both surprisingly good albums.
January 1, 20169 yr 11 | Flesh Without Blood | Grimes | A flamboyant, delightful kiss-off, using Grimes' effortless vocal dexterity to combine various tones and registers into one monster of an earworm. It's flirtatious, with an aftertaste of acid. I love this, brilliantly written, I particularly love the line I don't see the light I saw in you before. Very clever! Presumably the 'without blood' is a reference to former friend and collaborator Blood Diamonds.
January 1, 20169 yr Grimes and Rae Morris *.* Also great album chart EOY....Carly, Marina, Kacey Musgraves, Grimes, Tove Lo, Jamie Woon, Lianne La Havas, Years and Years, Florence :heart:, Miguel, Jamie XX and CHVRCHES :heart:
January 2, 20169 yr Really enjoying this, great format and your commentary captures each song wonderfully. I particularly love both Tove Lo songs featured, been unbelievably impressed with her artistry and talent. Also I prefer 'Love Myself' over 'Confident', Demi's song has great intent but just lacks something whereas Hailee's song sounds much more well-rounded. All the songs you match with each other are so spot on though, I love it--although the Tinashe/One Direction one was a bit of a curveball! :o Can't wait to see what you've saved for the top 10!
January 10, 20169 yr Don't give up! And excellent choice for album of the year, definitely up there for me too.
January 15, 20169 yr Author Sorry dandy*! It wasn't giving up, but I had my tonsils out and moved house (not a recommended combination) so I was in pain physically and then in pain without internet. Onward imminently!
January 15, 20169 yr Author 10 | Somebody to Love | Kacey Musgraves | ZESSF76ELfs Such a beautiful clarity of emotion; the lyrics are universal and deeply intimate at once, with Musgraves singing with a kind of reflective wisdom that then cranes upwards with melancholy and gentle tragedy. Feels unassumingly simple but is deeply affecting as it fades sweetly away. Like this? Try... , Ryn Weaver - for more wistful, melancholy reflection.
January 15, 20169 yr Author 09 | Queen of Peace | Florence + the Machine | KSM0lLbVYOo Astonishingly bold composition: it wants to be a grand epic statement and it succeeds. All of Florence's best tendencies are harnessed in a song that lifts the listener into another dimension with the triumph of the orchestration and the vocals. Like this? Try... , Giorgio Moroder feat. Sia - for a glitzier but equally epic whirlwind of a song from a powerhouse vocalist.
January 15, 20169 yr Author 08 | Can't Deny My Love | Brandon Flowers | 9iiDlU4rhlY Brandon Flowers finally finds a solo song that really lives up his gorgeous voice. Not only that, it makes exceptional use of them, with that rasping bridge providing a beautiful counterpoint to the fierce cries of the marching chorus. I'm not gonna deny you anything. Like this? Try... , LEV - for more undeniable bombast.
January 15, 20169 yr Author 07 | Slumlord | Neon Indian | Hw6LDVPst_0 Frenetic, interplanetary electronica from a fiesta in the slums, dancing the troubles away even as the lyrics overflow with the desperation of money's trenchant pressure on our lives. A breathless dance to the death. Like this? Try... , Zedd feat. Troye Sivan - for more ethereal disco.
January 15, 20169 yr Author 06 | Nights Like This | W. Darling | sdljggqhl-Y The highest entry that I discovered through the ever-rewarding experience of BJSC; thank you, Jake, as per usual. On first listen, this might seem quite unassuming, but it works a kind of witchcraft over time, a perfectly pitched vocal reaching out to the listener, a quietly propulsive rhythm throwing her forward to the enrapturing chorus. The punctuation of silences in the song are so arresting; it's a breathtaking construction, a magical whirlwind. Like this? Try... , Odessa - for more music swirling in the wind.
January 18, 20169 yr Queen of Peace! Definitely a highlight of the year for me, quite possibly my #1, certainly top 5.
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