Final Ranking

 

6: Lucia & The Best Boys - Perfectly Untrue

(BJSC 129 - Singerpurear - +18)

 

It's rare to see an indie song do so well that I can absolutely get on board with. The verses have a real nostalgic feel to them, as if they're similar to a song from yonks ago I just can't put my finger on. Combine this with a chorus that just grows and grows and we really have something close to the perfect song. Looking forward to seeing whatever Lucia and her Best Boys decide to come up with next - I will be mightily impresssed if it comes anywhere near to the masterpiece that is this song.

 

5: Rat City - Kind of Love (ft. Isak Heim)

(BJSC 112 - Tinnmark - +18)

 

A completely different genre to Lucia but just as fantastic. The combination of modern dance beats and a real swing vibe to the track makes this something that just leaves be coming back for more. The call and response in the chorus is something that really hits the right spot for me, plus the off-beat piano and brass intertwined through the song makes this Rat City's best song by quite a margin.

 

4: Zuzu - Skin & Bone

(BJSC 123 - Utopia - +15)

 

I think I've played this soong so much over the past year so much that it might have worn off on me just a touch, but either way it was so close to third place and I really can't separate this song from the one above. As with the songs preceding it it's an absolute masterpiece, her vocals made me sit up the first time round but now that is definitely the reason I come back to this song so much. I love the fact that she's not trying to sound like one of the many female pop stars who have seemingly 'perfect' vioces yet are indistinguishable from each other, it really does add another dimension to the song that makes me love it even more. And I'm captured by her new song 'The Van Is Evil' as well!

3: Les Rhythmes Digitales - (Hey You) What's That Sound

(BJSC 99 - Zanmatony - +18)

 

Into the medal positions now! I knew this song from being quite young, when I downloaded select songs from the Darkdancer album and this one always stood out to me. Whether it's a deliberate re-working of the Rock Steady Crew song I don't particularly care, this is one of the most fun songs I've ever heard and hearing it in this contest brought back that nostalgia and a whole lot more, it is such an absolute tune and a real earworm, with an electro feel that's almost unheard of in songs nowadays. Top this off with a music video that is definitely dated but has a real charm (that guy with the red hair really has a likeable look to him) and you truly have one of the best dance songs of the 90s.

 

2: CYNEMA - Radio Love

(BJSC 122 - Vulkyria - +18)

 

Separating the Top 2 was an absolute chore and really I could quite happily have gone Olympic high-jump and awarded two golds. But one of the songs had to miss out, so here is Irish producer CYNEMA at #2. I feel like I'm using the same words to describe all the songs but this really has such a deep synth-y-electro-y feel to it, combined with the slightly robotic vocals it really is a song I absolutely could not get enough of back then and still can't now, I'm having to stop myself getting up and doing a weird dance to it just listening to it now. I would happily hear this all day long and most of those 1,760 Youtube views are probably me! :P

Oh wow a medal position for Les Rhythmes Digitales! :o

 

I thought that this already featured in your countdown already! But I am glad to see the love for it, and until this year it was my final entry sent, and one that I wish had performed better than 39 in the final!

1: Drones Club - Hurricane

(BJSC 94 - Trifoski - +18)

 

And here we have it - my favourite medallist of all time! :wub: Again this sounds just as fab as it did the first time I heard it and it became a favourite of mine almost instantly, sticking around for the whole year so much that I changed my own EOY rules to get it into my Top 100. Again I don't really know how to describe this other than a song full of synth-y beats and robotic sounding voices that is such an earworm. And of course it went on to win its contest which shocked me at the time as it followed a string of female pop winners so to see this take the prize was such a pleasant surprise (and of course popularity may have just been the reason it pipped CYNEMA here as I could hardly separate the two). Such a strong song and that's about as much as I've got to say!

 

So thank you all very much for following along with this, I hope it's brought back some fond memories of past contests. Here's to the future of BJSC!

Yesss, amazing #1! 'Hurricane' has always sounded absolutely epic, such a quintessential BJSC winner. Honestly I often associate it with your own winner in that same regard!

Yeah great winner, not a song I revisit too often but there's time to address that.

 

Also interesting to see a +15 at #4 when you're +18 from that contest was quite a bit lower!

 

I enjoyed this lookback over old entries, there hasn't been many threads like this of late so was a good reflection.

Great to see 'Grand Coeur de Pierre' popping up here since I last commented! The synths hooked me in and I really enjoyed the way the song progresses, with those flourishing right at the end with a mix of guitar instrumentation too. I love their harmonies also <3

 

'Hurricane' is a fantastic winner here *.* I remember coming across it on New Music Friday at the time and not considering it for the contest at all :lol: so that was a bit silly, but I didn't love it enough on first listen anyway, was definitely a massive grower once it was sent :heart: very standout winner.

Such nice words about Skin and Bone :heart:

 

This is ultimately why I enter BJSC, to introduce unknown songs to other people, and if some like them then great. I'm glad it had such an impact, I listened to it so much last year it's absolutely brilliant. Lyrically superb and I love when she goes into the scouse accent on it. Pleased you've continued to follow her, I do like The Van is Evil but My Old Life is one of my favourites of hers, I'm sure I'll give her album multiple listens and will probably buy tickets for her Nov/Dec tour <3

 

Good to see some other Utopia songs in there too, love the randomness of WH lung lyrics so glad you've pointed it out too, the lead single from current album has "As the saying goes I feel like a tethered dove with a broken nose" :lol:

Wow g’won Hurricane! I remember you liking it a lot back then, glad it’s still held up *.*

 

Great to see Chromeo in there too, a killer pop tune!

Oh wow a medal position for Les Rhythmes Digitales! :o

 

I thought that this already featured in your countdown already! But I am glad to see the love for it, and until this year it was my final entry sent, and one that I wish had performed better than 39 in the final!

It appeared when it was announced as a finalist and now it's in the Final :magic: I don't think I remembered how well it did in the Final but it definitely deserved a lot better than that. Thanks Wardy!

 

Yesss, amazing #1! 'Hurricane' has always sounded absolutely epic, such a quintessential BJSC winner. Honestly I often associate it with your own winner in that same regard!

Interesting, I've never really compared the two but I guess there are similarities! Hurricane really is a fantastic song though, there wasn't much separating that and CYNEMA but I think it definitely has the 'memorable' factor.

 

Yeah great winner, not a song I revisit too often but there's time to address that.

 

Also interesting to see a +15 at #4 when you're +18 from that contest was quite a bit lower!

 

I enjoyed this lookback over old entries, there hasn't been many threads like this of late so was a good reflection.

My +18 from that contest wasn't too far down (it was Top 10 in its decade), it's just the fact Skin and Bone completely overshadowed it in terms of how much it grew on me after the contest. Glad you've enjoyed scrolling through and remembering old entries, thanks Dobbo!

 

Great to see 'Grand Coeur de Pierre' popping up here since I last commented! The synths hooked me in and I really enjoyed the way the song progresses, with those flourishing right at the end with a mix of guitar instrumentation too. I love their harmonies also <3

 

'Hurricane' is a fantastic winner here *.* I remember coming across it on New Music Friday at the time and not considering it for the contest at all :lol: so that was a bit silly, but I didn't love it enough on first listen anyway, was definitely a massive grower once it was sent :heart: very standout winner.

Yes, Hurricane definitely does stand out in the list of winners for the contest. And 'Grand Coeur de Pierre' remains great as well, whilst I wouldn't say it 'grew' on me after the contest it definitely stuck around in my head and on my playlist for quite a while and definitely overshadowed the two songs above it. Thanks Jade!

 

Such nice words about Skin and Bone :heart:

 

This is ultimately why I enter BJSC, to introduce unknown songs to other people, and if some like them then great. I'm glad it had such an impact, I listened to it so much last year it's absolutely brilliant. Lyrically superb and I love when she goes into the scouse accent on it. Pleased you've continued to follow her, I do like The Van is Evil but My Old Life is one of my favourites of hers, I'm sure I'll give her album multiple listens and will probably buy tickets for her Nov/Dec tour <3

 

Good to see some other Utopia songs in there too, love the randomness of WH lung lyrics so glad you've pointed it out too, the lead single from current album has "As the saying goes I feel like a tethered dove with a broken nose" :lol:

I really do love Skin & Bone and it's a song I don't think I'd ever have come across if not for you entering it (I'd heard the name Zuzu before but never really looked much further). I definitely need to listen to more from her, 'Cool With Me' never really took off for me so she sort-of went off my radar but both 'The Van Is Evil' and 'Timing' have resonated with me a lot more! I'll try and give more of her discography a listen when I get a chance. Same goes for W. H. Lung, I do love a bit of randomness in a song :lol: Thanks RFC!

 

Wow g’won Hurricane! I remember you liking it a lot back then, glad it’s still held up *.*

 

Great to see Chromeo in there too, a killer pop tune!

It most certainly has :wub: Both that and 'Raise It Up' are what make Drones Club still an artist that excites me even if they haven't released anything in a few years. And to think I never would have heard of them if not for BJSC. Thanks Seven!