Howdy folks! My top 100 of 2016 countdown was super fun, so I decided to do another one :D ...the end of this year's a long way off :o

 

Since a lot of you who read my posts and countdowns have commented that you like when you discover something new, I figured a long-term countdown thread might be a good way to do that. It's 2012-2017 not for any smart or sensible reason; I just don't have any records (itunes, lastfm etc.) going back further than that as I've switched to new devices without copying anything over since before then. So it's effectively an all-time to date.

 

The format this will take: I've counted up my top 100 most-played artists across the time period. For each one I'll be sharing my most-played song by them (with a link), with a wee bit of commentary of what I can remember about it and why it's got that spot. Plenty of the artists on here you'll probably recognise, but my top track by each of them may be a little more left-field. So you might come across something new that way - or at the least you'll see how wack my taste is to have that :o as my favourite track by them.

 

There's a good mix of artists and bands here, some who've since seen more mainstream success since I started playing them, and so will have an older tune as their most-played. An opportunity to go back in time if you only know their more modern stuff!

 

(Also as this goes back into the mists of time, there'll be a few on here I've since gone off or don't like so much - be gentle criticising! It's a time capsule!)

 

Next post will get us started with #100-96. As ever with things I post, I'm very happy to hear comments, positive or negative ;) or questions if you have any. Or anything else along those lines :3

#100 (The) Gossip

 

 

released: 2012

 

Beth Ditto's band have recently(ish) switched from going by 'The Gossip' to just 'Gossip' (which tbh I think is a worse name), hence the titling. They're probably best known in the UK for a brief splash of fame surrounding successful single Standing in the Way of Control back in 2007, a top 10 hit, which is for once actually when I came across them too. I remember seeing them on TV doing a festival (Glastonbury?), Beth Ditto looking punk as hell in a tight pink lycra dress and bare feet, performing a few songs before diving right into the crowd and needing to be extracted by security. What a show. Their star faded a bit, but I kept following on for them. Follow-up album Music for Men in '09 was one I played to death and yielded a UK top 40 hit, Heavy Cross. Fred Falke's 8+ minute remix of that song (which also featured on the album) is still a song I enjoy a lot. They then came back again with 2012's A Joyful Noise which went in a bit harder on the dance side of the dance-punk they'd shifted to from their previous album. And it's from that album my highest Gossip track comes; Casualties of War wasn't a single, but it picked up a large chunk of plays when the album was first released and has gained steadily since. It's helped by being from their most recent release; if plays from pre-2012 were able to be counted, it definitely wouldn't be top of the list. It's an interesting track, a mellow-ish and thoughtful acousticy midtempo from a band best known for pumping, pounding punk. Gossip have since parted ways, but Beth Ditto, after taking a few years off music, will be releasing solo album Fake Sugar later this summer.

 

#99 M.I.A.

 

 

Released: 2013

 

M.I.A. and myself go back a long way. Galang was the first song of hers I came across, on the radio of all places, back at a time when the radio wasn't just as saturated with just pop and what seem to me generally quite tame flavours of indie. Having said that, while I have a lot of respect for her talent and creativity, I've never found myself able to get into some of her harsher sounds. M.I.A. picks up the lion's share of her plays from 2014, just after she released parent album Matangi, in general a lot more radio-friendly than her previous three efforts. A few tracks from that dominated that year; it's close at the top between the midtempo Exodus and the more upbeat Come Walk With Me and Y.A.L.A. Since then however Exodus has been more steady with the plays and has gained enough to be M.I.A.'s top track. Matangi stands out amongst her work as the album I've played, and generally enjoyed the most, and with probably the best singles run including Bad Girls and Bring the Noize in addition to the tracks I already mentioned. I did like Paper Planes at the time, but I've gone off it a bit since. I was surprised to see her this high but realised there's no way she'd be here without that 2014 success buffing her up, as when I looked she's only picked up 40 plays in the 2 and a half years since. Talk about hit and miss!

 

#98 Rae Sremmurd

 

 

Released: 2014

 

First venture into full-on rap-hip-hop and impressively, Rae Sremmurd (albeit helped out a lot by Nicki Minaj) have managed to claw themselves into 98th on the totals after only 2 and a half years. I first came across the lads through Nicki, and that collab remains their highest-played track for me, just ahead of... No Flex Zone Remix, also featuring Ms. Minaj. Probably best-known now for marmite meme track Black Beatles, I first heard them on their previous album Sremmlife, from 2014-15. They're everywhere as producers these days building up an empire of influence (and money no doubt), which perhaps explains why their second album wasn't quite as good. Some of y'all might also know a few of their tracks from vine vids and meme challenges from the last wee while. They're pretty successful in the US but so far haven't matched that in the UK, but given the popularity of radio rap right now that might be set to change, especially if they collab with a bankable name.

 

#97 Wild Belle

 

 

Released: 2013

 

Right up until they landed a collab with Major Lazer, I thought for sure Wild Belle would end up another one of those bands hotly-tipped for success only to fall by the wayside, as they were back in 2012 or so when I first heard of them. The video for debut single

, with it's incredibly and unashamedly retro 60s vibes and clothes had me hook line and sinker from the off, and I (at that time, completely an indie fan and not at all into pop) was excited to see what they'd do next. The answer turned out to be not much. They dropped off the map, and I turned to remixes to get my fix. Eventually an album was released with little promo or fanfare, and at the time I flicked through it and didn't find anything much that caught my eye, and that was that. Skip forward a few years and I catch their name collaborating with Major Lazer on the new album, a potential follow-up to smash hit Lean On. (I was not disappointed by the song, either). Eager for more, I mined the halls of spotify, and found a little song called Shine on a sountrack album, and we went off from there. The track's chirpy yet alternativey nature was pretty perfect to soundtrack my 2015; a summer where it seemed that everything in my life that could possibly go wrong, did. The following year they released album #2 with Lana Del Rey-lite Americana vibes, several songs of which picked up moderate plays and have landed on my weekly charts, and here we have it for Wild Belle, catapulted from one-hit wonder all the way to being my 97th most-played artist to date. What a turnaround. I would say I'm excited to see where they go next, but I don't want to jinx it.

 

#96 Vampire Weekend

 

 

Released: 2008

 

I always feel like Vampire Weekend are underappreciated, having the misfortune to debut and peak just as the UK was getting sick of indie music on the whole, and especially their brand of cheery, off-beat, real-instruments-not-synths based sound. The band have three albums so far, and are (probably) launching number 4 later on this year if rumours are to be believed. Unlike M.I.A. and some of the others so far, they don't really have any one song that's gained a large number of plays from me, instead making it this high by the strength of having picked up a moderate number of plays on a large number of their tracks. So far all three of their albums, but especially the first and second, are the kind that you can just listen to the whole way through, even on repeat + shuffle, and so their plays are pretty evenly spread. Oxford Comma tops the list though, by virtue of being around that bit longer and the kind of track that can slot into lots of different kinds of playlists. It also straddles the line quite neatly of being of-its-time and quite timeless, still sounding pretty contemporary nowadays nearly 10 years since it came out. They're probably still best-known in the UK for A-Punk, but imo this song is far superior.

#95 Fergie

 

 

Released: 2015

 

Fergie makes it all the way up to 95th, managing to get there off the back of just one album and a handful of extra singles; one of the lowest bodies of work of any artist or band in this countdown. Fergie is a really interesting artist, starting off her career in a teeny pop band, transitioning to frontwoman for a hip-hop group who themselves moved into dance-EDM, and all while having a powerful rock voice and swagger. Seriously, her live rock performances are really something. Fergie's biggest persona though, where she holds her biggest pop culture impact, casts her as a trashy queen, a niche that shifts most of her music into guilty pleasure territory, but which in itself makes it oddly alluring. The YG remix of LA Love is at the minute her top song for me, although Big Girls Don't Cry is also up there, as is Clumsy, an underrated part of her discography running off a left-field sample that I wouldn't put it past Fergie to have nicked directly from trashy cult film Pink Flamingoes, where I heard it first. Questionable lyrics aside, going full-pelt into a DJ Mustard beat is a masterful updating of her sound for the 2010s. Admittedly though, it's just Fergie's recent singles from 2016 buffing her up enough to let her sneak into the top 100; unless that rumoured second album finally drops, she'll find herself slipping out soon.

 

#94 Metronomy

 

 

Released: 2011

 

Metronomy run on the opposite track to Fergie; they're the first artist so far not to have a single track in my all-time top 500, making it into top 100 artists by breadth of releases rather than any one standout song buffing them up. I've been a fan off and on since 2011 or so, they veer between strongly alternative electronica and more mellow indie, generally making pretty solid background music. I'm unsure how well-known they are outside of indie circles though. Unfortunately they hit their stride just about as the UK (and international) music scene moved away from the indie sound and swung back towards pop, dancepop and rap, which has limited their chances of grabbing mainstream recognition like the likes of MGMT or Hot Chip were able to capitalize on. On their last album, they collabed with Buzzjack fave Robyn on track Hang Me Out to Dry. They're a group I go on and off with and tend to loop in and out of this top 100 rather than being the solid mainstays some of the acts so far and to come are.

 

#93 Inna

 

 

Released: 2014

 

Inna slips in at #93, but unlike the former two, she's a top 100 mainstay, consistently moving up or holding her position with new releases every summer for about the last five years, or so it seems. I'll never not be impressed with how the Romanian dance queen's managed to snare a long-running career from what originally seemed like a one-hit wonder destiny. Her sound is always on point with summer trends and she's something of a fashionista, even if her style usually trends towards the soft porn style of things. Unsurprisingly her music videos are very popular on youtube (150mil views for this one!), but the music in them is pretty awesome too. Cola Song makes it to the top this time round, but she's got plenty tracks waiting in the wings to upstage it for the near future.

 

#92 Drake

 

 

Released: 2013

 

Drake next, and this is mainly pre-major-international-success Drake; the artist he was for five years rather than the artist he's metamorphosed into since Hotline Bling and One Dance. Top track here also marks the first appearance of my queen Jhene Aiko, who'll be appearing in her own right further up the list. I've always enjoyed Drake's slower jams and most of the tracks that put him this far up are collabs too, Take Care with Rihanna, Too Good also with Rihanna, and Crew Love with The Weeknd - all artists that'll also be making a second appearance later.

 

#91 Disclosure

 

 

Released: 2013

 

Finally for this segment, Disclosure, and with a track I was pretty surprised to see as their top track. I think I remember hammering this while studying a while back, back when I had the time to do such things...ah, memories. I think Disclosure are pretty awesome, and I've liked quite a few of their tracks - but not really the biggest fan of some of their best known singles. Their remixes are where it's really at for me, both their own of other artists' (where I initially came across them, back in the day), and other artists' remixes of their tracks. Full Crate and MNEK's remix of White Noise with alternate vocals is just fab, while a remix by Syd breathes new life into the Lorde-featuring Magnets that never felt like it reached its full potential in the original version. Lost Kings' remix of Latch and Baauer's remix of You and Me are also big standouts for me, while the original version of the latter is my highest-played non-remix of their tracks. Another underrated gem by the lads, no offence to White Noise and Latch.

Edited June 12, 20178 yr by 360Jupiter

Nice to see Wild Belle, Vampire Weekend and Metronomy here!

#90 Biffy Clyro

 

 

Released: 2013

 

Ten down and we hit our first rock act. Biffy miss out on a large amount of all-time plays from their albums released before the cutoff point, which racked up a large number of plays that unfortunately I have no record of. As such their whole top 3 tracks as of now come from their second-last album Opposites, and it and 2016's Ellipsis are the top 2 most-played albums for now - although the others do definitely have replay value. I'm not the biggest rock fan in the world, it's more pockets of rock, or certain acts and genres that really take my fancy, but it's still probably of all the genres the one I listen to least. I've been a Biffy fan since '08 or so and it's been great to watch their sound evolve. (Christ, I've just realised that's nearly ten years T_T). Top track here Black Chandelier didn't really hit me as a single and picked up the bulk of its plays in 2015 after I'd heard and liked a few of the slower songs on Opposites. Altough I'm not so hot on rock as a whole, rock ballads are definitely one of my favourite kinds of tracks and I've always thought they're very underrated. They currently make up 3/5 of my top 5 Biffy tracks.

 

#89 Texas

 

 

Released: 1991

 

And from one rock ballad to another; although Texas are much more pop rock these days. You discoverers out there should be happy with this one; Dream Hotel must be over 20 years old by now and wasn't even a single, but it's by far my most-played Texas track with over double the plays of its closest rival. (I've just realised this is two Scottish bands in a row too, nice.) I'm also a pretty long-term Texas fan, first hearing them back around the White on Blonde era (Inner Smile, Summer Son) and enjoying their early 00s resurgence (Carnival Girl, Getaway - my #2 Texas track) and then promptly forgetting about them. I rediscovered them in 2010 or so when I had a few hours to kill in Cambridge, of all places, and so picked up some CDs second hand at a market stall of bands whose names I recognised; that was the start of me getting into discovering artists' and bands' back catalogues, which has since been really lucrative for finding new favourite songs. Dream Hotel is a lush acoustic ballad nothing like anything else on the Mothers Heaven album that brings to mind Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Maps and really lets Sharleen Spiteri show off her vocal chops. Even now she's got a really emotive voice full of feeling that really enhances the band's music. Dream Hotel tends to pick up plays consistently every year, it's a pretty timeless classic track without much chance of being shaken off the top of the Texas tracks tree.

 

#88 Beyoncé

 

 

Released: 2016

 

Well, wow. Last year saw an incredibly successful rise for Ms. Knowles who completely won me, a previous non-fan - or even anti-fan - over, letting her climb from nowhere on the radar into my all-time top 100 artists. Honestly, before Lemonade, I'd listened to bits of Beyoncé here and there, but overall found her offputting musically and as a person. But I see her differently now, and Lemonade - and her self-titled, now that I've gone back to listen to it - solidifies her in my eyes as a creative and ultimately, a brave woman. I'm still not quite a member of the Cult of Queen B, but she's got some good stuff for sure. Fittingly, Formation's about the pinnacle of that - going full pelt into urban territory instead of sticking mainly within pop as she'd always previously seemed to do. The whole album rarely plays it safe and we get a great breadth of genre that yet somehow comes off as natural. My Beyoncé top 5 in total is generally missing her standard fan faves, featuring alongside this, 7/11, Haunted, 6 Inch with The Weeknd and All Night. Excited to see what she does next.

 

#87 Nelly Furtado

 

 

Released: 2006

 

Nelly Furtado returned this year with sixth studio album The Ride, coming 17 years after her debut, and once again genre-shifting. Nelly's commercial success has been mixed, but her discography is super interesting to see the personas and styles she's shifted between, almost Madonna-esque. She's best known internationally for her successful Loose era, her third studio album, helmed by then-A-list Timbaland production and the hit songs Maneater, Promiscuous, Give It To Me, and my personal topper, Say It Right. The single had an odd run in the UK, becoming one of the first non- official single tracks to see chart success thanks to the then-new medium of digital downloads allowing the song to rack up individual sales on its own merit. Just about 11 years old now, the song's aged pretty well thanks to its deceptively simple production and high production values on the video. Nelly's latest album is funk and punk inspired, she's previously done pure pop, folk, two albums of R&B, and a Spanish-language album, not to mention flirting with dance on her Greatest Hits effort and featuring on a few hip-hop tracks during her career. Who says you can't have it all?

 

#86 MGMT

 

 

Released: 2008

 

Back over to alternative now for MGMT, a band who've had a career that went off in an odd direction after their first, alternative-but-close-enough-to-cross-over album Oracular Spectacular back in '07. Even though the bulk of their releases came before the starting period of this list, their music is pretty consistent as as such I find myself going back to their older stuff all the time. Time To Pretend benefits a lot from a second wind, suddenly striking me again in 2014, after for many years being my third-most-played single from their debut, behind Electric Feel and the wildly popular crossover hit Kids, which is probably their best known tune today. Oracular Spectacular's still their top album for me plays-wise, but sophomore effort Congratulations isn't far behind; the indie psychedelic sound has aged really well and might have been more commercially successful if released as a third album, not a straight follow-up to their commercial peak. Shame their actual third album was such a dud. Apparently album #4 will be coming this year, but I'm not holding my breath.

Edited June 22, 20178 yr by 360Jupiter

#85 HONNE

 

 

Released: 2015

 

One of the newest bands on the list caps in at #85, I'm pretty sure HONNE were in the running to be a BBC Sound Of band back in 2015 or 16, but they've been on my radar since about 2014 which helps them out here. They've evolved a lot from back then, their frist track I heard, The Night, was a very understated Chet Faker-esque slow jam. They've since moved a bit more into pop with collabs with JONES and Izzy Bizu, but maintain an indie sound thanks to singer Andy's deep soul voice among their synthy production. I bought their debut album last year, but unfortunately it was quite a big soundshift from what they'd put out before, so it made me a bit more lukewarm on them. The Night is still their #2 song for me and this one, Coastal Love, is also one of their earlier efforts; for me, they've seen diminishing returns for a while now. They recently released a new song, Just Dance, which shows a new new direction. And no, it isn't a Gaga cover!

 

#84 Jessie Ware

 

 

Released: 2014

 

Jessie Ware's one I discovered comparatively late, completely missing her first album when it came out (I wasn't really into that kind of music at that time, either) and only picking her up on her second release. I've since actually gone off this kind of music again a bit; Jessie Ware is a great singer and very talented, but you really have to be in the mood to listen to her music because a lot of it taps the same sound and themes. Want Your Feeling just edges out Wildest Moments to be her top track for me, with Champagne Kisses not far behind at #3.

 

#83 Avril Lavigne

 

 

Released: 2011

 

Guilty pleasure time! Avril makes it in thanks to a surge I had of re-listening to her old material around a year after she released her most recent album, maybe around the same time she released that awful Hello Kitty song. If ever there was evidence needed that she died in the early 00s and 'Avril' is an impostor lookalike... Anyway, Avril tends to pick up about 20 plays a year for me, so she definitely wouldn't be up here without that 150+ binge back in 2014 or so. I tend to prefer her ballads, so What The Hell is quite the outlier there. It's a really fun pop track though and reminds me a lot of when Paramore went pop. Goes well on a playlist with them, too.

 

#82 Frank Ocean

 

 

Released: 2012

 

Frank Ocean does well to get this high, but has resided just about on the outskirts and 90s of my top 100 since Channel Orange, buffed by a summer where I absolutely hammered Thinkin Bout You in the plays. It comes as a bit of a surprise, then, that that isn't still my top Frank Ocean track; instead, Super Rich Kids gets that crown. It's a track from the album I missed first time round, and subsequently was glad to enjoy in the long wait between Ocean's first and second album. It's second album Blond(e) that pushes Ocean back into the top 100, courtesy particularly of tracks Nights, Ivy, and Pink and White, my personal top picks from his sophomore release.

 

#81 Heart

 

 

Released: 1987

 

And from very new to very old, Heart represent the older end of the scale on this list - but aren't quite the oldest band on the list, there's a few more classics to come further up - care to guess who? Embarrassingly enough, I actually discovered Heart in the first place very late, well into the 2010s, from that awful loan company advert with the singing orange. (How can I get you a loan). As it happened though, back when I was doing my degree, I ended up writing my thesis on 80s films, and while studying and researching for that...I listened to a lot of 80s music to 'get into character', so to speak. That's where Heart really shone for me. Straddling the line between cheesy and earnest, their music in the 80s, their pop period, is just so...extra. Perfect for studying energy. For such a cheesy band, it was interesting to find out that Heart actually had their start in harder rock and folk, and I've enjoyed discovering some of those tracks by them too - notably, Magic Man and Lighter Touch, if you're looking to chck out some gems.

Edited July 12, 20178 yr by 360Jupiter

#80 Kiesza

 

 

Released: 2014

 

Kiesza heads off this next batch, impressively for having only had a single album campaign and a handful of singles. Hideaway of course was my first introduction to the feisty Canadian dance singer and dancer, but follow-up singles Giant In My Heart - featured here - and No Enemiesz hit me just as hard as great 90s-inspired dancefloor classics, more so than the British public took to them. After a solid debut year and a while longer of still listening to her singles, some Kiesza remixes by the likes of SeeB and Syn Cole last year and this year broke her dry spell of new material, additionally buffing up her existing plays to catapult her all the way to my 80th most played artist. I've most recently been enjoying her comeback single Dearly Beloved, which drops the dance focus for a slightly rockier edge. The soundshift works much better in summer 2017's funky disco soundscape than it did when originally released last winter.

 

#79 Ariana Grande

 

 

Released: 2014

 

It's Eggy Eggs. Fortunately for our ears, this is the only appearance for the lovely Igloo Australia on this list, alongside everyone's favourite pintsized powerhouse Ariana Grande, the latest in a line of nation's sweethearts since her One Love benefit concert earlier this year. As a slightly older person, I didn't come across Ariana Grande on my radar as either a singer or actress until Problem, one of the defining summer pop songs of 2014. For a long time it was her only song that I liked, her song with the Weeknd not catching me until midway through 2015 and Break Free with Zedd not really hitting me until last year. (The less said about awful supermarket music song Bang Bang, the better) Ariana's latest album Dangerous Woman was similarly slow burn for me, with the exception of Side To Side which I was right on board with since Minaj debuted it before the album's release. That landed just outside my top 10 of the year last year; Problem, back in 2014, was my #2 song of the year just behind an obscure indie song by #1 Dads. I'm intrigued to see what Ariana does with her next era as so far with every album she's released she's grown on me that little bit more. She's one of few young singers who's actually managed to raise her profile and fame tier gradually step by step with every era she's released, and could yet see herself in line for that elusive Queen of Pop throne.

 

#78 Robyn

 

 

Released: 2007

 

And from a new young artist to one who's something of a veteran; I've been a Robyn fan for literally decades now, and in fact used to have a haircut inspired by her look circa '07-08. Be Mine has actually jostled for being my favourite Robyn song for a long time, initially back in '07 or so second to the underrated Handle Me, and since, vying with Dancing On My Own and the similarly-to-the-former-named perky downer anthem Hang With Me, a song that's equally underrated. Be Mine's one of Robyn's comparatively few charting singles in the UK and internationally; the Swedish singer continues to command an impact beyond what her chart success would suggest in the world of pop and electropop. It's nice to see Robyn getting lots of love on the BuzzJack chart countdowns and record of the year threads, even if that seems to be the only place she can manage to take #1s for several years running. More's the pity. Hopefully now thanks to Calum Scott she'll see her profile rising in the UK and a little further afield.

 

#77 The National

 

 

Released: 2013

 

Back to indie/rock music now as we turn to a band I absolutely hammered to death in 2013-14 and have played less and less since. I received as a gift The National's 5th stuido album High Violet back in 2012 or so and was mixed on it, but enjoyed a few standouts. Singer Matt Berninger's deep bass voice led me to think the band was older than they were and possibly retired, hence my surprise when they announced new album Trouble Will Find Me (now my highest-played by a factor of 2) in 2013. That album ended up being a slow burner for me, spurring several tracks to a lot of plays over the following few years for me, resulting in the band making it all this way up despite not notching up much in the way of trickle plays since. Sea Of Love, a timeless-sounding tune with hints of Biffy Clyro and balladeering Johnny Cash, is by far my most-played National song, coming in nearly 40 plays ahead of silver medallist Demons, also from Trouble Will Find Me. High Violet's Lemonworld takes the bronze, as the first National track that really caught me. I'd definitely recommend you check it out. The band's last two albums have gone top 5 on both sides of the pond, and their seventh, Sleep Well Beast is scheduled to be released this September.

 

#76 Jennifer Lopez

 

 

Released: 2002

 

And closing off this section, Jennifer Lopez, the highest artist not to have a single track within my top 500 of all time. JLo gets here on breadth rather than any of her songs being particular standouts that I hammered at any point, indeed, I struggle to recollect any times I've really let myself run loose and had a period of just blasting some JLo discography. That said, she has been taking decreasing consistent returns for me since 2015, charting less and less plays per year. JLo's most played track for me, All I Have was a UK #2 and US #1 smash back in 2002 and holds up well as an R&B-tinged pop ballad similar in style to something Mariah would release. For me, despite being her highest-played song, it only barely clears 25 plays over this five year period, and is only one of nine total JLo songs to total more than ten plays. Her long career and huge discography is enough to push her into 76th place on this chart for now, with many of her album tracks picking up trickle plays here and there from their use on spotify playlists and the like. I'd foresee her dropping out in the next few years though, unless she drops another massive tune and album era.

Edited July 19, 20178 yr by 360Jupiter

#75 CocoRosie

 

 

Released: 2010

 

Back to left-field for this next installment after a few more pop entries, into the top 75 with CocoRosie's extremely alternative and weird 'freak folk' music. It's definitely an acquired taste, I could compare the gender-bending sisters' output to a more acoustic Peaches, or, to folk, what MIA is to rap and urban music. Generally I prefer their more traditionally-structured tracks, mellow ballads with something of a dark edge in some cases, contrasting with their little-girl voices. The pair's latest outing was probably one of their most mainstream efforts, alongside Anohni of Antony and the Johnsons; RIP Burn Face was about as close as they came to that pre-2017. The sisters have a long and consistent career, releasing their sixth album, Heartache City in 2015, and generally dropping something new every 2-3 years. This one lifts from fourth album Grey Oceans and was produced by Dave Sitek.

 

#74 Tove Lo

 

 

Released: 2015

 

Tove Lo next, although she's moved higher up since I started this countdown. I often feel out in the open on my own as someone who vastly preferred Lo's later work and second album to her debut. I'm actually a hipster twat and knew of her before Habits/Stay High and its infamous remix blew up, having come across her through a Swedish friend in 2013 or thereabouts. Having first come across her as a featured artist - on Lucas Nord's Run On Love, I was quite naturally drawn to her remixes as more of the same. KREAM's remix of Talking Body transforms the original pop song into a dark, almost Banks-esque club banger and, for me, a great workout song. I still am not too hot on the original, but this remix really brings the track to a new level.

 

#73 Phoenix

 

 

Released: 2009

 

Into indie now, and I never know quite how well-known Phoenix are outside of pure indie circles. The band are French, but record mainly in English, and have been active for near enough two decades. They're moderately successful in France, and have one UK top 20 and one US top 5 album, a handful of UK top 75 singles, and a few entries on the US alt singles charts. I first came across them in probably 2012 or so and have since gone back and cherrypicked bits and pieces of discography across all of their six albums. What do they make? Light, airy, indiepop, in general, the band's about as purely an indie pop band as you can imagine. Tracks from fourth album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix top off my top tracks list for them, with Armistice taking the gold, and 1901 and Rome in silver and bronze. I'd compare them to Metronomy, HelloGoodbye, maybe even a little of Foster the People, that ilk. The band picked up the majority of their plays for me across 2014-15, when I took generally a break from pop and listened to a lot more indie. Phoenix's most recent album, Ti Amo came out just a few months back, if you're interested.

 

#72 Lorde

 

 

Released: 2013

 

Lorde's another that's soared since I started this countdown, thanks to the release of everyone's 2017 pinnacle, second album Melodrama. Although Green Light impacted strongly for me earlier in the year and has helped Lorde solidify her claim within the top 75, it's Team that's always been her standout for me, hovering just inside the top 10 of my alltime songs. It's largely on the strength of Team that Lorde is this high; Royals was a hit-and-miss for me and the only other pre-Melodrama song of hers that really caught me was Tennis Court. This section also isn't counting features, if it was, Disclosure's Magnets and Stromae's Meltdown would help her up a few places. As is, it's the dismissive sarcastic tone and great beat of Team that's always let it stand as Lorde's best track for me, and with a lead of nearly 50 plays over it's closest rival, it's likely to hold the top spot for a while yet.

 

#71 Katy Perry

 

 

Released: 2014

 

Katy Perry last for this section, and unlike many fans, she's an artist who I don't like that much of her output. Her placing this high up is anchored by several big hits; Dark Horse, of course, Last Friday Night, Waking Up in Vegas being the main three. A few of her biggest hits I'm an outright anti-fan of - Roar, Part of Me, and the odiously homophobic I Kissed A Girl being the worst offenders. Katy also suffers plays-wise from having released most of her biggest hits prior to this tracking period of this countdown. Dark Horse comes in quite easily on top as Katy doing something a bit different. It's not her so much that sells the track, but the combination of trap and pop with an irresisitible Max Martin production is tough to top. This was robbed of a UK #1.

Edited August 27, 20177 yr by StillJupiter