January 25, 20169 yr Author 05 | Better | Banks | uOsGx25HvmI Vibrates with despondent bitterness, its beat and construction like a metronome or a heartbeat having to decide to continue beating with every thump. Alive with the sexual writhe of her previous work but crisper, blacker, more aggressive, like a fist clutching at your heart. Like this? Try... , Dawn Richard - for more gossamer sensuality sodden with despair.
January 25, 20169 yr Author 04 | King | Years & Years | g_uoH6hJilc Instant pop thrill. I was already big on Years & Years after seeing some astonishing early live gigs, and we heard this song, and it was glorious, but nothing can prepare you for the spirited haze of the song on record. Olly Alexander's vocals soar, pushing towards that irresistible chorus. That vocal refrain trills, laying out the ceremonial carpet for the king to spin onto, a neverending call to freedom and joy. Like this? Try... , Adam Lambert - for more blazing synthpop euphoria.
January 25, 20169 yr Author 03 | White Light | Shura | U-MTZ4bF-0c A dream, both in the sense that it is an utterly gorgeous song and that it feels like something nestling in your subconscious, a whispered, magical echo of something just forgotten. The synths glitter softly, never overwhelming the soft, sweet vocal, and even when it clatters a bit more loudly, it still feels subdued, ghostly. It's an undefinable, mysterious plaything of a song, melancholy enough to provoke tears but hopeful enough to strengthen your resolve. Just something really special. Like this? Try... , Sabella - for more rich, sweet vocals leading a soft, sweet song.
January 25, 20169 yr Author 02 | Run Away With Me | Carly Rae Jepsen | TeccAtqd5K8 From the triumphant saxophone announcement, I am weak at the knees. Absolutely, a perfect pop song - beautifully paced, effortlessly voiced, euphoric joy and hope with an undercurrent of sadness at her own naivety. There are so many indelible moments, from the hold-your-breath drop after the first chorus to the echoes of the title bursting into the chorus to oh my GOD that gorgeously layered middle-8 to the irresistible chants at the end. Run away? I'm already there waiting for you, Carly. Like this? Try... , Krista Siegfrids - for more BOUNCE.
January 25, 20169 yr Author 01 | Slowly | Susanne Sundfør | JvD3EALtKXE "We have different heartbeats but all the same heartbreak..." Sometimes, writing about music is easy - my bullshit can roll off my fingers quite easily. But sometimes, writing is fucking hard. Finding the words to express how much this song means to me is quite hard, because the emotions it instils in me aren't connected, as is so often the case, to any real life drama or heartbreak or excitement. I relate to this song, I think, on a level of pure emotionality that eschews reality - it's almost spiritual. From the moment it begins, with the wispy echo coming off Susanne's vocal like misty morning air, 'Slowly' feels elemental. It feels crystalline, with the production giving her vocals a protective border with this echo, as it her emotional fragility is guarded by the effect, but this also serves to distance her and make her tremulous cries more heartbreaking. She thought it was going to last forever, but it isn't, and she isn't ready for that protection, be it the vocal effect or the embrace of her lover, to drop away. As the song builds, her voice strengthens, as she seems to crack through something and find that her loneliness and solitude isn't unique and that she may have found her kin, and the song fades away into, perhaps, forever. And for me, it can go on forever, the endless loop of getting ensnared in this song's smooth, icy, virtuosic grip catching me all too often. Like this? Try... , Susanne Sundfør - for more of this impeccably crafted album.
January 25, 20169 yr Author And that's it! Hooray, I finished it before February arrived. Thank you, thank you, if you commented or read and especially if you took a new favourite away from any of my choices or recommendations. Here's the full list, and I'm off to read yours now. 50 | Bitch Better Have My Money - Rihanna 49 | Hourglass - Disclosure feat. Lion Babe 48 | Lost and Found - Ellie Goulding 47 | Make Me A Bird - Arcane Station feat. Marianne Hekkilæ 46 | No Words - Erik Hassle 45 | Warrior - Laura Marling 44 | America - XYLØ 43 | Drive - Halsey 42 | in time - FKA twigs 41 | My Gun - Tove Lo 40 | I’m In It With You - Loreen 39 | Baby Love - Petite Meller 38 | One Last Night - Vaults 37 | Hula Hoop - Brenmar feat. UNiiQU3 36 | Apart - Kasper Bjørke feat. Sísy Ey 35 | Pyramids - Noonie Bao 34 | Sorry - Justin Bieber 33 | Savages - Marina & the Diamonds 32 | Hopscotch - Emmelie de Forest 31 | Can’t Feel My Face - The Weeknd 30 | You Don’t Own Me - Grace feat. G-Eazy 29 | Perfume - Ji Nilsson 28 | BITE - Troye Sivan 27 | Confident - Demi Lovato 26 | Keep It Movin’ - Serayah & Yazz 25 | Dancing On Glass - St. Lucia 24 | King Kunta - Kendrick Lamar 23 | Bandit - Justine Skye 22 | Here for You - Kygo feat. Ella Henderson 21 | Paper Light (Higher) - Loreen 20 | World Princess part II - Grimes 19 | How Deep Is Your Love - Calvin Harris & Disciples 18 | I’ll Wait For You - Iris 17 | Be The One - Dua Lipa 16 | Player - Tinashe 15 | Lean On - Major Lazer feat. MØ & DJ Snake 14 | Decay - Tove Styrke 13 | American Oxygen - Rihanna 12 | Under the Shadows - Rae Morris 11 | Flesh without Blood - Grimes 10 | Somebody to Love - Kacey Musgraves 09 | Queen of Peace - Florence + the Machine 08 | Can’t Deny My Love - Brandon Flowers 07 | Slumlord - Neon Indian 06 | Nights Like This - W. Darling 05 | Better - Banks 04 | King - Years & Years 03 | White Light - Shura 02 | Run Away With Me - Carly Rae Jepsen 01 | Slowly - Susanne Sundfør
January 25, 20169 yr Just popping in to say I've loved following this and glad you finished it! You have an amazing writing style that really makes me want to listen to the songs in question if I don't know them! That is the case for the number 1, but Run Away With Me and White Light are both really great, and King is pop perfection. Also great to see some love for America and Make Me a Bird, both amongst my favourite entries of the year, fantastically dark and distinctive.
January 25, 20169 yr HELLO. I will be messaging soon for a proper update (my timehop shows me I came down exactly 2 years ago for a weekend of fun :( where does the time go~) but YAY for some appreciation for 'American Oxygen'. We might be the only two people that properly appreciate it <3 Really happy to see Carly doing so wonderfully here, although missing out on the top spot in albums and singles :nono: She made last year so incredible for me musically, when it wasn't a wholly vintage year for me away from her. There is a lot, as usual, that I will need to listen to and familiarise myself with but what I do know, I love so a brilliant countdown (and read!) for me throughout.
January 25, 20169 yr I have also been reading through David, I guess I've been drawn in by the concept of extra songs being sneaked in (and I spotted Goodbye Tomorrow in one of those, hurrah), I'm having to check out the ones where I know and like only one of the pair. Wonderful #1, I love the entire album, Delirious is the one that stood out to me the most but Slowly is definitely one of the next strongest.
January 26, 20169 yr Carly, Banks and Years and years so high :heart: Edited January 26, 20169 yr by HarryEzra
January 31, 20169 yr So happy to see Kacey Musgraves here! I don't think her album matches the quality of her debut but it's still great and 'Somebody To Love' is indeed a highlight. Also hugely in love with 'Queen Of Peace', 'Nights Like This', and 'Run Away With Me' in your top 10, and I've just come across 'Dancing On Glass' in the past couple weeks and am really enjoying it. This was a fantastic read!
February 10, 20169 yr A stellar top 10 (and those write-ups are great too, certainly put any of my efforts to shame :lol:), Run Away With Me/Slumlord/King are my faves!
Create an account or sign in to comment