Army has really cemented itself as an Ellie fave for me after a very slow start. I hope it at least becomes a decent hit, it deserves much more than the On My Mind.

Big Girls Cry and Love Me Harder are my big highlights so far. Both utterly fabulous for different reasons! FROOT and Good For You too <3

Both shine bright on the respective artists' already glimmering discographies. Hopefully both can deliver with their upcoming albums, although Sia I'm not too sure of going by recent instant grats.

 

Army and Tame are my two ofor my faves there as well as Ariana :cheer:

I so wish Tame Impala could have had a hit with ''Cause I'm a Man' because it is so utterly unique compared to the dance and Sheeran-type ballads that have flooded the charts.

 

Army has really cemented itself as an Ellie fave for me after a very slow start. I hope it at least becomes a decent hit, it deserves much more than the On My Mind.

Glad you're a fan! I've seen too much under-appreciation for it, although I get the impression that's because people know she's got 'Something in the Way You Move' sitting on her album. 'On My Mind' is not the sort of thing she should be going for due to many reasons; one being the fact it doesn't give her voice credit at all as live performances have harshly shown.

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080 | 243 | 243 Dr. Kucho! & Gregor Salto featuring Ane Brun - Can't Stop Playing (Makes Me High) 01

079 | 244 | 244 The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face 10

078 | 251 | 251 Kygo featuring Ella Henderson - Here for You 08

077 | 257 | 257 KDA featuring Tinie Tempah & Katy B - Turn the Music Louder (Rumble) 09

076 | 257 | 257 Sam Smith - Writing's on the Wall 04

 

Faceless, generic, doesn't go anywhere. That was basically my first thoughts of the Dr. Kucho! track 'Can't Stop Playing'; just another dance track quickly stuck together and thrown out to become a cheap hit for 5 minutes. But just as quick as it is to judge it is for it to become your dance floor jam and you literally...can't stop playing. The Weeknd features for the third and final time with the MJ-esque 'Can't Feel My Face' although, despite being higher, I think it still ranks below 'The Hills' (and behind 'Twenty Eight' which remains my fave from him). It's clear he took advantage of the commercial breakthrough 'Earned It' gave him by becoming another artist to update the disco and funk sounds of the 70s which would near-guarantee him a hit, but that doesn't mean it's any less of a cracker of a song. At face value this appears as a song of intense love but, going by his previous songs and the fact describing the effect of a romantic interest of not being able to feel your face is weird, it doesn't take long to realise the supposedly covert lyrical meaning to this song is about drugs. Kygo was at first an artist who kind of passed me by: I didn't get the universal love for 'Firestone' and it wasn't till much later that I got into 'Stole the Show', but there was something so unavoidably magical about his collab with Ella Henderson. The production is much more restraint and it is up to Ella's deep, soulful voice to carry the song which she does so in such a way to create a mysterious and almost eerie atmosphere. A title of 'Turn the Music Louder' or something of a similar vein is never usually a good sign but there is something special about the KDA, Tinie Tempah and Katy B hook up. The lyrics are pretty nonsensical and naff ("bare likes when I'm looking at your insta" really?) but, dare I say it, that's actually part of the appeal, especially when those blaring horn sounds are blasting out at full volume in the club; a place where everyone thinks they can master the OTT but oh so wonderful power vocal from Katy B at the end of the middle 8. It's fair to say people didn't have high expectations of Sam Smith pulling of a Bond hit and, for most, their doubts were confirmed. I agree his constant falsetto is a bit much to endure for a 4 minute stretch but, when it's necessary, it has the ability to send chills through my body (i.e. the "how do I live / how do I breathe" with the "pling" sound on the piano) and even when it isn't, Disclosure's production that just epitomises Bond more than makes up for it.

Like all of them apart from Sam Smith :D

Writing's On The Wall is a good song, but I want to hear is sung by someone who has proper vocal control. Sam has the ability to sing the song perfectly, but he just doesn't know HOW, yet.

Writing's On The Wall is a good song, but I want to hear is sung by someone who has proper vocal control. Sam has the ability to sing the song perfectly, but he just doesn't know HOW, yet.

Yeah, I'd say that was fair. There's nothing wrong with a falsetto but singing nothing but does get too much. Sam even admitted himself he doesn't particularly enjoy singing it because it's too high - perhaps they should have spent a little longer on the recording rather than using the demo vocals!

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075 | 258 | 258 Giorgio Moroder featuring Foxes - Wildstar 13

074 | 258 | 258 Petite Meller - Baby Love 01

073 | 261 | 261 Jason Derulo - Cheyenne 04

072 | 421 | 266 David Guetta featuring Emeli Sandé - What I Did for Love 12 (05 in 2014)

071 | 267 | 267 Florence + the Machine - Queen of Peace 10

 

Foxes was one of the acts disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder teamed up with for his comeback album last year. 'Wildstar' wasn't released as a single (it is in fact the highest placed album track) but soon climbed up my affections when I heard it in H&M changing room and it remained a constant earworm. In fact, at that moment, my first thought was that it was a new Foxes single for its sound fits so well with the rest of her discography. It is quite far and away the song that exudes the most joy - the "light up the sky" chant is a real throw-your-hands-in-the-air moment for sure. Equally as cheerful is 'Baby Love' by Petite Meller. Her cutesy vocals certainly contrast with the euphoric house-style piano and the mad sax playing that kicks in for the finale. There's a hell of a lot going on which encourages you to just lose your shit but it did get a bit too much and that impacted its chart run following a debut at #1. Fast becoming my favourite Jason Derulo song, 'Cheyenne' harks back to the 1980's with its brooding synths and drums which fits perfectly with his signature fallesto. The chorus is impossible not to sing along to and proves that Jason doesn't need to rely on a chorus instrumental for a hook. Following two hugely successful era, I suppose it was inevitable that David Guetta would start running out of ideas. However, he did have one gem left up his sleeve in the form of Emeli Sandé-featuring 'What I Did for Love' which had me addicted from the X Factor performance before its official confirmation as a single. It starts as an Emeli solo track and the momentum is built with essentially just a piano before breaking out into some glorious EDM that was neither a rip off of Avicii or incessant noise. Not forgetting to mention the song's clever use at the end of Eastenders' 30th anniversary live episode which put a real focus on the lyrics. Last but very much not least is 'Queen of Peace' which is definitely now my favourite from Florence + the Machine this era, despite there being one more song to come. The strings arrangement at the beginning makes me envision what the break of dawn would sound like, whilst replacing them with horns before and after the final chorus makes me feel proud and empowered and want to stomp along.

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070 | 267 | 267 Everything Everything - Distant Past 04

069 | 268 | 268 Lianne La Havas - Unstoppable 09

068 | 269 | 269 Disclosure featuring Sam Smith - Omen 01

067 | 270 | 270 Marlon Roudette - When the Beat Drops Out 16

066 | 272 | 272 RHODES + Birdy - Let It All Go 03

 

Everything Everything made a spectacular comeback with a song that grabbed my fully fledged attention. 'Distant Past' celebrates the very best of the band's style: high energy, bizarre lyrics, genre-fusions but, most importantly, enough pop hooks to make you want to return to the song again and again. 'Unstoppable' starts subtly enough but the development of the elegant strings and piano creates the most hypnotising grooves that transports you to absolute perfect state of mind, whilst Lianne La Havas' dreamy vocals are able to impress without ever really needing to take off. After a successful first album campaign, Disclosure struggled to triumph with their follow-up with two singles missing out on Top 40 placings. Lucky for them, they had another Sam Smith collaboration up their sleeves. Comparisons to 'Latch' are inevitable but, whilst 'Omen' certainly doesn't have the same classic status and originality, it still had the power to have a helping part in defining Summer 2015 with its ecstatic chorus and finger-clicking beat. From a song that's guaranteed to get you pumped up for a night out to a song that is perfect for winding down before queuing up for a kebab, Marlon Roudette's 'When the Beat Drops Out' takes its time to work on you but, once it does, you really appreciate the understated steel-drum and the poignant message of sticking by a loved one through the dark times that's disguised under the overt lyrics of essentially pulling a hottie by the end of the night. 'Let It All Go' brought together the voices of RHODES and Birdy in what could quite possibly be the most perfect match for a collaboration of the year. The mood is already set by the sorrow brought from the piano melody but the duo's complimenting voices bring huge amounts of depth, emotion and insight so effortlessly. I love Birdy's music but still this really took me by surprise to the point it brought a tear to my eye (and I rarely feel that genuinely moved by a song).

Yessss to all of them :heart:

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065 | 273 | 273 Nothing But Thieves - Wake Up Call 03

064 | 274 | 274 David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack - Hey Mama 06

063 | 274 | 274 Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney - FourFiveSeconds 05

062 | 276 | 276 Little Mix - Black Magic 07

061 | 283 | 283 5 Seconds of Summer - She's Kinda Hot 03

 

Nothing But Thieves became one of my favourite up-and-coming acts of 2015 thanks to their blend of rock with pop melodies and Conor's Muse-esque vocals; something perfectly demonstrated in 'Wake Up Call': the intro and opening verse suggests something slightly heavy to be expected before the chorus breaks out into something more poppy and melodic that's complemented beautifully by gentle vocals. 'Hey Mama' may suggest that David Guetta is running out of ideas by lapping up the trend of horn-blaring melodies but it still serves as a club-essential with Nicki's chanting chorus and the roller-coaster momentum. Rihanna's first attempt at a comeback came as a bit of a surprise: instead of returning with a huge pop moment and obvious #1 like 'Only Girl' or 'We Found Love', 'FourFiveSeconds' was a much more understated performance, relying on the jolty acoustic guitar playing of Paul McCartney(!) and Rihanna and Kanye's untouched vocals that are, slightly surprisingly, strong enough to carry the song. The lack of big production does mean the song takes its time to grow but, in full appreciation, it shows that Rihanna's certainly not lost the knack of creating a tune that has great replay value or encouraging the listeners to sing along. Following the slightly urban route that was taken for Salute, Little Mix returned to the pure pop sound that made 'Wings' so special. 'Black Magic' has attitude with its funky, foot-stomping melody before breaking out into a glorious chorus that makes you wonder why it's now a trend to use an instrumental for what is meant to be the peak of a song. The third album era was essential to get right for the girls, but 'Black Magic' has more than secured their place in the music industry, it's propelled them to whole new heights. 5 Seconds of Summer have always been referred to as a pop-punk band but I was failing to see why until 'She's Kinda Hot' came along. We're teased of a huge chorus following the first verse with a "1-2-3-go" yell and sudden heavy guitar that fades back into another verse, but the song soon explodes after that with all the ingredients of a great pop-punk song: clapping hooks, "na na na" chants" and lingo that's reminiscent of My Chemical Romance.