#56

 

 

Slaves / Soft Play

 

Points: 741

Date first charted: 31/08/2015

Number of entries: 11

Total weeks on chart: 123

Most Successful Year: 2016, 1st

 

 

The singles leading up to the release of Slaves debut album had completely passed me by, I'd have heard a couple but as punk-rock isn't really my thing they weren't a band to investigate further. The final single from it, Sockets, was where it changed - 3 and a half minutes of immense fun quickly rose to a top 3 peak and after I caught them performing The Hunter on TV I was interested in them, it was seriously impressive how just two people could make that much noise and perform with such energy.

 

Each single they've subsequently released has charted, with all bar one making at least the top 20, and that only missed out by a place. Where's Your Car Debbie, re-released from the expanded edition of Are You Satisfied, is quite funny for a period but is the one song here I've grown tired of, but it set them off in becoming my top act of 2016, with their song with Chase & Status, Control, charting exactly mid-way between their two previous and continued a 100% top 10 record, it was a great combination of the two acts sounds. Spit It Out was the lead for their second album, which was a continuation of their previous sound, with that and the more mellow Lies both hitting the top 5. I listened to the album quite a lot but found myself going back to their debut much more.

 

Two albums of that sound was likely to be enough for me but Cut and Run, the lead single to their third, was somewhat different, more of a distorted vocal, a pop hook and a music video with a dance tutorial. It wasn't for everyone but had me hooked for a third album, it became their biggest hit as it reached #2, and was joined there two months later by its follow-up Chokehold. After reaching the top 10 with 7 of their first 8 singles the subsequent 3 have all fallen just short, including the lead of their last EP release and their contribution to the last Gorillaz album, which probably did deserve more. Last month they announced a name change to Soft Play, and will soon release new music, so there's a good chance of them climbing into the top 50.

 

Chart History:

31/08/2015 Sockets 22-12-04-03-04-05-06-08-09-14-16-22-31-40 (14 weeks)

18/01/2016 Where's Your Car Debbie? 37-23-12-09-10-18-34 (7 weeks)

14/03/2016 Control (w/ Chase & Status) 29-17-10-06-09-19-30-40 (8 weeks)

29/08/2016 Spit It Out 26-17-12-09-06-04-05-09-12-21-27-37 (12 weeks)

10/10/2016 People That You Meet 37-30-27-25-21-32-39 (7 weeks)

26/12/2016 Lies 30-24-15-11-08-05-05-09-14-25-38 (11 weeks)

18/06/2018 Cut and Run 18-10-06-03-02-02-03-03-06-09-13-20-26-34-38 (15 weeks)

13/08/2018 Chokehold 30-21-15-09-05-03-03-03-02-02-02-04-06-09-13-19-28-35-40 (19 weeks)

12/11/2018 Magnolia 26-17-13-11-16-28-39 (7 weeks)

10/08/2019 One More Day Won't Hurt 37-29-21-15-13-12-12-18-24-32-39-40 (12 weeks)

22/02/2020 Momentary Bliss (w/ Gorillaz & Slowthai) 37-30-23-18-19-17-18-23-30-38 (10 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Sockets

02 Cut and Run

03 The Hunter

04 Chokehold

05 Control

 

I haven't got quite enough time right at this moment to comment in full but I did just want to let you know that I'm absolutely reading all of this... I know it can feel a little like posting to yourself sometimes in these things!

 

My overall impression is that there's a clear split between acts I really like and then more of those mid-tier indie bands that I'm not quite as fussed on - or at least have never given any time to.

#55

 

 

iamamiwhoami / ionnalee

 

Points: 749

Date first charted: 30/04/2012

Number of entries: 11

Total weeks on chart: 120

Most Successful Year: 2014, 3rd

 

 

Not technically the same act with ionnalee being more a Jonna Lee solo project, but as the second part of the iamamiwhoami duo Claes Bjorklund fulfils largely the same role of producing and mixing I’ve combined the two, otherwise they’d be around #150 and #300 rather than the much more deserving place of being just outside the top 50.

 

The final act in here which I discovered first due to being sent in Unknown Pleasures when T was sent, the debut album proper Kin in 2012 was something I had some anticipation for, although whilst first single Play was hugely popular it’s never been close to being a favourite of mine and it was Idle Talk that gave a first chart entry, later followed by the more upbeat banger of Goods, as they both ended up with similar chart runs, and the album went on to become something I listened to a lot.

 

I had much more anticipation for 2014s follow-up Blue, and they were quick to match the #4 and #5 peaks of previous singles, Fountain was a huge grower and Hunting For Pearls an excellent pop song. Three more singles were released and all charted making them the third most successful act of 2014, with Blue Blue being the pick of them meaning iamamiwhoami ended with 5 of the 7 charting singles being top 5 hits, but none of them managed to make the top 3. The less said about 2022s music they released, the better.

 

Where iamamiwhoami couldn’t quite reach the top 3, ionnalee did straight away with first release Samaritan making it as high as #2. Whilst it was released under the new moniker it felt like a natural progression of previous work, with some excellent percussion. Follow-ups Not Human and Gone are both decent but didn’t stick around for long and listening back are the weakest two in this bunch. The most recent charting single is also the most successful, with her teaming up with TR/ST to release Harvest. TR/ST are another act who’ve had a decent amount of success but fall just shy of 100 points short of this countdown. It’s comfortably my favourite song either of them of been involved in, a combination of two fairly unique artistic styles and sounds to create something great.

 

Chart History:

iamamiwhoami:

30/04/2012 Idle Talk 24-17-09-05-04-06-09-19-24-33-35-39-38 (13 weeks)

06/08/2012 Goods 34-27-13-07-05-09-11-16-27-33-40 (11 weeks)

03/02/2014 Fountain 34-22-16-07-04-05-06-10-14-18-23-35 (12 weeks)

31/03/2014 Hunting For Pearls 31-25-19-16-13-08-05-08-13-16-22-27-34 (13 weeks)

19/05/2014 Vista 29-20-13-11-11-17-26-35 (8 weeks)

25/08/2014 Tap Your Glass 35-29-26-22-27-39 (6 weeks)

29/09/2014 Blue Blue 27-17-10-06-05-09-12-18-27-33 (10 weeks)

ionnalee:

27/03/2017 Samaritan 30-19-10-06-03-02-03-04-04-06-08-10-14-20-30-40 (16 weeks)

26/06/2017 Not Human 28-22-16-15-21-29-37 (7 weeks)

08/01/2018 Gone 25-19-14-14-23-33-39 (7 weeks)

26/03/2018 Harvest (feat. TR/ST) 37-26-13-08-03-02-02-02-03-05-05-05-09-14-20-27-36 (17 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Harvest

02 Goods

03 Samaritan

04 Idle Talk

05 Hunting For Pearls

 

I haven't got quite enough time right at this moment to comment in full but I did just want to let you know that I'm absolutely reading all of this... I know it can feel a little like posting to yourself sometimes in these things!

 

My overall impression is that there's a clear split between acts I really like and then more of those mid-tier indie bands that I'm not quite as fussed on - or at least have never given any time to.

 

Thanks Dandy, I suspect the last two encapsulate that difference quite well!

 

Most of it is already written anyway so it's just a copy/paste job when I'm on the site, but yes always nice to see a new comment! :D

#54

 

 

The Horrors

 

Points: 751

Date first charted: 30/10/2006

Number of entries: 13

Total weeks on chart: 128

Most Successful Year: 2009, 6th

 

 

The Horrors were the latest in a long line of UK indie bands to emerge in 2006 but the initial sound of their first album wasn’t for me, I thought they were a much worse version of Klaxons, who were far from my being one of my favourite bands of the time, and only one single from their debut charted, for the solitary week. That changed immediately when they next put out music at the beginning of 2009, the 8 minute long Sea Within a Sea taking on a more shoegazey feel, Faris Badwan’s distinctive vocals were still there but the music behind it was much more refined and to my tastes and became a top 5 hit. They soon went two places higher with the follow-up Who Can Say, which remains their highest charting hit at #2. 13 years on and both of these have become such favourites of mine, it’s really difficult to pick a favourite of the two, but I doubt there are more than 5 acts in this 100 whose top 2 I’d now rate higher. At the moment, the majestic length of the former just wins out, but Who Can Say is such a beautiful tale, and the spoken word part gets me every time.

 

The whole of that 2009 album Primary Colours was brilliant, and remains one I love a lot, and they added a couple more songs to it and the end of the year, with Whole New Way sending them to the top 5 again. Their third album, Skying, arrived in 2011 and begun with two more top 3 singles, to make it five consecutive top 5s, something which they’ve not got that close to reaching since. Again, it was an album that was one of my favourites of the year, with Still Life being a perfect lead single, taking on the sound they’d continued to develop and making it more refined. It was perhaps less ambitious and more simple than expected, but there were others on the album which made up for that, including follow up I Can See Through You.

 

Their presence in my chart since has become less, but each album still producing a couple of decent efforts. I still thought 2014s Luminous was one of the years best albums, but wasn’t necessarily reflected in the choice of singles, whilst 2017s V was less good it still had its moments, Machine in particular deserving of better, although I quite like the three consecutive #25 peaks. Albums every 2-3 years have stopped and it’s now been 5 ½ since the last one, with a couple of standalone singles and EPs since. Fire Escape and Water Drop was their best for a while, a classic Horrors song merging into an instrumental very nicely, and they begun last year heading for the top 10 for the 7th time with Twisted Skin, again nothing special but classic Horrors sound.

 

Chart History:

30/10/2006 Count In Fives 21 (1 week)

30/03/2009 Sea Within A Sea 23-09-07-05-04-04-05-06-10-14-17-21-24-33-35-39 (16 weeks)

11/05/2009 Who Can Say 34-26-12-05-03-02-02-03-03-04-04-05-07-09-14-16-21-30-38 (19 weeks)

02/11/2009 Whole New Way 34-27-15-13-09-08-05-08-12-22-33 (11 weeks)

14/06/2011 Still Life 32-23-16-13-06-03-03-03-05-09-14-22-32 (13 weeks)

03/10/2011 I Can See Through You 27-24-12-08-06-03-03-04-05-08-10-13-19-23-25-32-39 (17 weeks)

20/02/2012 Changing The Rain 27-21-18-17-17-22-35 (7 weeks)

10/03/2014 I See You 31-24-18-17-23-38 (6 weeks)

05/05/2014 So Now You Know 39-30-25-30-38 (5 weeks)

17/07/2017 Machine 28-25-26-33-36-40 (6 weeks)

28/08/2017 Something To Remember Me By 31-26-25-29-38 (5 weeks)

16/04/2018 Fire Escape 30-23-19-12-09-14-22-27-32-38-40 (11 weeks)

04/12/2021 Twisted Skin 30-19-13-13-12-10-11-17-27-36-39 (11 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Sea Within a Sea

02 Who Can Say

03 I Can See Through You

04 Mirror’s Image

05 Whole New Way

 

Since I last commented, Paper Planes and Flesh Without Blood are also my faves by those artists, and I've much love for 5 Years Time and Acceptable In The 80s from your 5th places. My favourite Fratellis song is one you didn't chart, Flathead, although perhaps it wasn't promoted as a single (and is in much the same vein as Chelsea Dagger). My favourite Goldfrapp song predates 2003 and their biggest commercial successes - Utopia, which I've just realised shares its name with your BJSC nation, coincidentally or not!

#53

 

http://exclaim.ca/images/points_go_team.jpg

 

The Go! Team

 

Points: 760

Date first charted: 26/09/2005

Number of entries: 12

Total weeks on chart: 116

Most Successful Year: 2007, 12th

 

 

The Go! Team's mix of genres and use of samples has made them stand out since their debut album, parts indie, hip-hop and funk, occasionally instrumental but usually with vocals by Ninja, they were a band I found a huge amount of fun since I was first introduced to them with their single Bottle Rocket. It made me buy their album Thunder, Lightning, Strike which was a great decision, 2005 was a superb year for albums and the first year I really bought loads of them, and it was up their with the best. Its follow-up single Ladyflash made it a pair of #2s.

 

Subsequent singles would each peak at a new position in the top 5 until all of them had been filled, 2007s follow-up album Proof of Youth didn't disappoint, with Grip Like A Vice picking up from where they left off, Doing It Right and The Wrath of Marcie both being huge catchy anthems. It was the lead single to their third album that would take them all the way to the top though. Released right at the end of 2010 and going on to be in my top 5 most successful singles of 2011, Buy Nothing Day was something a bit different from their previous work, for the first time featuring outside help, with Best Coast singer Bethany Cosentino providing most of the vocals, it remains my favourite of theirs, a superb sing-a-long happy song.

 

Until the final week I was counting, that was their last appearance in the top 10. They're up to album 7 now, with their most recent being released next Friday, and each one has been home to at least one hit, with 2015s The Scene Between and 2020s Cookie Scene being the biggest of those until Whammy-O returned them to the top 10 on the last chart of 2022, and top 5 on the first of 2022, 3 minutes of hip-hop influenced perfection with uncredited rapper Nitty Scott having a significant part in it. To add points up to my current chart, the four weeks it's continued to chart would have pushed them up to the top 50.

 

Chart History:

26/09/2005 Bottle Rocket 02-03-05-06-09-08-09-13-15-17-20-24-27-28-30-33-38 (17 weeks)

30/01/2006 Ladyflash 03-02-04-12-25-26-29-32 (8 weeks)

11/06/2007 Grip Like A Vice 18-09-05-04-04-06-10-23-33 (9 weeks)

27/08/2007 Doing It Right 35-22-10-05-05-08-13-18-25-35-40 (11 weeks)

19/11/2007 The Wrath Of Marcie 37-25-25-19-13-06-03-12-14-21-28-36 (12 weeks)

27/12/2010 Buy Nothing Day 23-20-16-15-08-02-02-01-01-01-02-06-09-13-16-23-27-27-33-38-39-37-39 (23 weeks)

26/01/2015 The Scene Between 39-35-29-26-22-17-23-33-39 (9 weeks)

18/05/2015 What D'You Say? 38-31-22-19-22-29 (6 weeks)

01/01/2018 Mayday 32-26-30-37 (4 weeks)

22/08/2020 Cookie Scene 35-29-22-19-16-14-18-23-28-38 (10 weeks)

22/10/2022 Divebomb 37-30-31-36 (4 weeks)

17/12/2022 Whammy-O 26-18-06* / -04-05-08-09- (3 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Buy Nothing Day

02 Ladyflash

03 Bottle Rocket

04 Grip Like a Vice

05 Everyone's a V.I.P. to Someone

 

#52

 

 

The Joy Formidable

 

Points: 761

Date first charted: 15/11/2010

Number of entries: 12

Total weeks on chart: 131

Most Successful Year: 2011, 13th

 

 

If I were to rank these 100 acts based on how much I enjoy them, or how much of a fan I'd say I was, then The Joy Formidable would definitely be in contention to have the biggest gap between the two positions, as they'd be a nailed on top 10, I've listened to them more than most of the acts to come and there's no act I've seen live more times, but they come six points shy of the to half here. They'd gained a significant following in the late 00s with their Balloon Called Moaning EP, but it wasn't until they were on the campaign for their debut album The Big Roar that I first heard them at the end of 2010, as I Don't Want To See You Like This debuted. I'd listened to a lot of indie rock in the preceding years, but few of the bands around were female fronted, and Ritzy Bryan's voice was excellent, and they felt like they were as heavy as it got where I'd still really enjoy the music.

 

I enjoyed each single more than the previous, and Whirring coincided with the albums release, the full version of almost seven minutes propelling it all the way to the top, the second half being entirely instrumental as it builds up to a thrilling crescendo which has closed most of their sets ever since. Longer songs are somewhat of a speciality, this top 5 is less than a minute shy of half an hour, the riff opening The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade, the build up in both The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie and The Leopard & The Lung all make for a fantastic listen.

 

Wolf's Law has probably gone on to become my favourite album of theirs, but only Cholla from it charted, and a general lack of singles released from each campaign means chart entries haven't been as numerous as they could have been, but each release has produced at least one top 10 single, The Last Thing On My Mind being a more mellow, but still quite long, single which is the route they've generally gone down more since, The Better Me and Into The Blue especially are a world away from their early singles, the latter giving them a second number one a decade after their first. Aside from the singles, Y Bluen Eira in their native Welsh is the pick of the bunch from the newer albums.

 

Chart History:

15/11/2010 I Don't Want To See You Like This 33-27-27-31-25-33 (6 weeks)

20/12/2010 Austere 28-22-12-05-04-04-07-12-18-22-32-40 (12 weeks)

28/03/2011 Whirring 30-21-08-01-01-01-06-06-09-12-14-17-21-22-25-30-30-30-35-39 (20 weeks)

04/07/2011 A Heavy Abacus 34-38-32-25-22-20-18-17-24-37 (10 weeks)

24/10/2011 Cradle 35-28-15-14-16-25-35 (7 weeks)

05/11/2012 Cholla 37-30-22-15-08-09-19-29-34 (9 weeks)

28/03/2016 The Last Thing On My Mind 28-21-16-11-08-13-15-20-21-28-35 (11 weeks)

04/06/2018 Dance of the Lotus 25-24-20-16-15-18-29-37 (8 weeks)

01/10/2018 The Better Me 25-15-12-08-05-05-07-10-14-18-23-30-35 (13 weeks)

10/04/2021 Into The Blue 27-14-07-03-01-01-03-08-14-20-28-37-40 (13 weeks)

03/07/2021 Chimes 37-31-29-25-21-19-17-12-11-10-07-10-15-21-34 (15 weeks)

01/10/2022 CSTS 38-28-25-18-24-34-40 (7 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Whirring

02 The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade

03 The Leopard & The Lung

04 Cholla

05 The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie

 

#51

 

 

Vampire Weekend

 

Points: 765

Date first charted: 25/02/2008

Number of entries: 11

Total weeks on chart: 117

Most Successful Year: 2008, 12th

 

 

Vampire Weekend were a breath of fresh air when they first came onto the scene, with short punchy tracks taking in a range of styles and influences which gave them a very distinctive sound, typified by breakthrough single A-Punk, which became one of my most listened to tracks of all time and remains a favourite of mine. The first quarter of 2008 was an incredibly strong one for music and so just fell short of the top spot, but they would make it twice with later singles.

 

Lead singles have always been great songs which make me glad of their return, Cousins and Diane Young both being classic in their sound. They would make it to the top of the chart eventually with Giving Up The Gun, not necessarily one of their signature songs but it was always something I loved, longer and poppier than they'd previously released. A solid run of top 10 singles followed, Unbelievers being my favourite of them, with the likes of Obvious Bicycle and Hannah Hunt on the album being amongst their best.

 

Their next incredible song came to lead off album #4, Harmony Hall was a bit of a slow burner compared to some of their tracks, but it's completely infectious and up there with A-Punk as their best. Despite Harmony Hall's quality, there was precious little on its parent album I wanted to listen to and they didn't climb as high up this countdown as I would've anticipated. It meant that 2019 became the third consecutive year that a previous favourite act of mine released what was quite comfortably the worst album I listened to that year, the representatives from 2017 & 2018 are a long way off appearing yet.

 

Chart History:

25/02/2008 A-Punk 19-04-02-03-04-07-12-09-12-15-18-25-35-38 (14 weeks)

19/05/2008 Oxford Comma 31-21-11-06-07-08-14-19-25-34 (10 weeks)

15/09/2008 Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa 24-18-14-12-15-29 (6 weeks)

14/12/2009 Cousins 35-26-14-08-05-05-14-22-33-38 (10 weeks)

29/03/2010 Giving Up The Gun 24-13-05-02-01-01-03-05-07-11-16-21-25-31-38 (15 weeks)

07/06/2010 Holiday 35-27-20-18-18-22-24-39 (8 weeks)

16/08/2010 White Sky 34-23-19-14-08-06-12-15-19-26-37 (11 weeks)

08/04/2013 Diane Young 31-24-19-15-09-07-10-17-32 (9 weeks)

01/07/2013 Unbelievers 26-18-14-12-06-05-08-12-18-28-40 (11 weeks)

09/02/2019 Harmony Hall 37-31-25-19-08-01-01-01-02-03-04-06-08-10-13-16-24-38 (18 weeks)

20/04/2019 This Life 37-29-23-31-39 (5 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 A-Punk

02 Harmony Hall

03 M79

04 Giving Up The Gun

05 Cousins

 

The halfway point... Links are to their posts.

 

100 - Fontaines DC

99 - The Coral

98 - HEALTH

97 - The Mysterines

96 - How To Dress Well

95 - Santigold

94 - Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

93 - Phoebe Bridgers

92 - Lily Allen

91 - Snow Patrol

 

90 - Animal Collective

89 - Guillemots

88 - Mystery Jets

87 - Beyoncé

86 - Jamie xx

85 - Little Boots

84 - Belle and Sebastian

83 - Alpines

82 - Bicep

81 - The Vaccines

 

80 - The Shins

79 - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

78 - Editors

77 - Bloc Party

76 - CHVRCHES

75 - The Naked and Famous

74 - Jamie T

73 - Feeder

72 - alt-J

71 - London Grammar

 

70 - Sleigh Bells

69 - Christine and the Queens

68 - Noah and the Whale

67 - M.I.A.

66 - George FitzGerald

65 - Basement Jaxx

64 - The Fratellis

63 - Poliça

62 - Public Service Broadcasting

61 - Grimes

 

60 - The Maccabees

59 - Crystal Castles

58 - Goldfrapp

57 - Calvin Harris

56 - Slaves

55 - iamamiwhoami / ionalee

54 - The Horrors

53 - The Go! Team

52 - The Joy Formidable

51 - Vampire Weekend

 

 

Since I last commented, Paper Planes and Flesh Without Blood are also my faves by those artists, and I've much love for 5 Years Time and Acceptable In The 80s from your 5th places. My favourite Fratellis song is one you didn't chart, Flathead, although perhaps it wasn't promoted as a single (and is in much the same vein as Chelsea Dagger). My favourite Goldfrapp song predates 2003 and their biggest commercial successes - Utopia, which I've just realised shares its name with your BJSC nation, coincidentally or not!

 

Thanks Jim, all good choices. I do like Flathead, that whole album was really great, and it's still a song I listen to a bit now. It is not a coincidence, no... I was listening to it at the time I realised you needed a country name! :D

#50

 

 

Blood Red Shoes

 

Points: 767

Date first charted: 07/07/2008

Number of entries: 15

Total weeks on chart: 125

Most Successful Year: 2012, 12th

 

 

Kicking off the top half are Blood Red Shoes. Much like The Joy Formidable yesterday, they're a band who I'd rank as a bigger favourite than this, and also like them they're a rare female fronted (the majority of the time) indie-rock act emerging in the late 00s. The main difference though, is that it's only in recent years I've come to truly appreciate Blood Red Shoes, a filter of my last.fm account puts them my most listened to act since the beginning of 2019. They're an enough band, a lot of noise for just a duo of a drummer and a guitarist, and both Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell take vocals on different tracks.

 

From their debut album, I liked This Is Not For You enough for it to make the top 10, and You Bring Me Down was a previous single I listened to and liked a lot, but I didn't expand my knowledge of them any further until their second album was released, with the three singles getting remarkably consistent chart positions around the half way mark. The album was good, with better songs than the three singles which were standard indie-rock fare and a step down on those from their debut, the seven minute closer Colours Fade being the standout track. I quite liked their next one too, which brought about another top 10 hit in Cold and their first top 5 in In Time To Voices, but with limited commercial success despite a significant fanbase in Europe and the US, that was it the end of the road for them on record labels, so they set up their own for the next album, which I only heard the lead single that became their lowest charting entry.

 

There was a much bigger gap before they next released music, with God Complex being their 2018 return and Mexican Dress later that year as the first single from their 5th album Get Tragic. Neither were as loud as the majority of their previous work, and there was a slight move towards synths, I enjoyed them both but not quite enough to chart them, it wasn't until the even more synth heavy Elijah was released that I really took any notice as it became their biggest hit, their first and only top 3. I listened to the album, saw them live twice later that year and got into them much more. There are plenty of songs I adore which I didn't appreciate fully or even know before - the drumming on Cold, the early singles I Wish I Was Someone Better and It's Getting Boring By The Sea (their most popular song on streaming by miles due to film/tv features), the short snappy Je Me Pards.

 

Since then chart entries have been much more frequent, with their collaboration with label mate Queen Kwong giving them a 5th top 10, and their entry on their own AA Sessions Project (where a bunch of musicians are invited to their studio and whoever turns up all work together to make a song) ticking them over until their next EP and album releases, for which they continued their move away from the heavier rocky songs and relied even more on the synths with the likes of Morbid Fascination.

 

Chart History:

07/07/2008 This Is Not For You 35-29-27-10-07-12-20-35 (8 weeks)

22/02/2010 Light It Up 33-23-19-27 (4 weeks)

10/05/2010 Don't Ask 32-24-21-21-25-32-37 (7 weeks)

16/08/2010 Heartsink 30-27-24-22-29-39 (6 weeks)

19/03/2012 Cold 33-25-20-15-12-08-07-11-15-19-23-37 (12 weeks)

04/06/2012 Lost Kids 35-33-32-29-27-34 (6 weeks)

27/08/2012 In Time To Voices 28-21-15-10-05-04-09-18-25-37 (10 weeks)

17/02/2014 The Perfect Mess 39-33-32-30-31 (5 weeks)

16/03/2019 Elijah 27-16-07-03-02-03-05-06-13-17-23-31-37-40 (14 weeks)

19/10/2019 Kid Don't Be So Shy (feat. Queen Kwong) 32-23-13-07-08-11-17-23-27-35-40 (11 weeks)

08/03/2020 Eye To Eye 29-19-16-14-13-16-20-28-36-40 (10 weeks)

20/02/2021 I Just Wanna Lie In Bed and Drink My Wine (as AA Sessions w/ Projector & Nancy) 34-27-28-33-38-40 (6 weeks)

03/07/2021 A Little Love 30-23-17-18-22-34-39 (7 weeks)

06/11/2021 Morbid Fascination 33-20-12-07-06-10-14-17-24-33-37 (11 weeks)

22/01/2022 Murder Me 37-31-28-23-22-23-29-38 (8 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Elijah

02 You Bring Me Down

03 Cold

04 I Wish I Was Someone Better

05 Colours Fade

 

#49

 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/quietus_production/images/articles/10554/daphni_caribou_dan_snaith_1351851669.jpg

 

Caribou / Daphni

 

Points: 773

Date first charted: 12/04/2010

Number of entries: 13

Total weeks on chart: 129

Most Successful Year: 2014 & 2017, 18th

 

 

A quite incredible rate of success right at the top for Canadian musician Dan Snaith, with five tracks released under either of his Caribou or Daphni monikers reaching the top 10, and four of those going all the way to the top, one from each of his first four album campaigns from discovering him. 2010 was my introduction to his work, as my tastes veered more towards electronic music, with the combination of synths, percussion and his rather soothing vocal being a winning combination on his album Swim. It’s one of those albums which is a greater listen as an album as a whole than the individual tracks on it, but Odessa is wonderful, becoming a debut number one before a couple of smaller hits rounded off that campaign.

 

I thought 2014s Our Love was a much stronger album, the lead single Can’t Do Without You is perhaps a bit repetitive but that’s generally the way with his style with the looping of vocals, but it’s utterly infectious and been a huge grower over the years to the point I’d listen to it over some of the number ones. The title track Our Love followed and matched Odessa in spending a couple of weeks at the top, the standout from a great album. I don’t remember if I wasn’t aware of his first work as Daphni or wasn’t fussed by it, probably the former, but I enjoyed his Joli Mai album in 2017, which followed the standard pattern of providing a 2 week number one and a couple of smaller hits. Generally more upbeat and containing less vocals than his work as Caribou, Tin and Medellin were the albums standouts.

 

The most recent Caribou era, 2020s Suddenly, became the first to have two singles chart highly, as the majestic and understated Home (#3) was followed up by Never Come Back which became a fourth number one. It’s a song I’d have described as Caribou’s biggest banger, but that title lasted all of about three weeks until the album was released and contained Ravi; containing a sampled vocal rather than his own it’s a song I’ve grown to love so much in the last three years that I’d now rank it as my favourite of his, and was certainly the standout of the two live sets of his I’ve seen. You Can Do It became a long running bottom-half hit in 2021, and last years return for Daphni saw a 13th hit overall with Cherry, but I wasn’t fussed enough on the rest of the singles to check out the album.

 

Chart History:

12/04/2010 Odessa* 28-17-08-05-05-02-01-01-03-05-09-17-24-32 (14 weeks)

16/08/2010 Sun* 39-31-27-27-40 (5 weeks)

13/12/2010 Leave House* 32-29-25-33 (4 weeks)

23/06/2014 Can't Do Without You* 32-25-20-14-12-17-23-32-39 (9 weeks)

15/09/2014 Our Love* 36-20-11-06-02-01-01-02-04-05-09-14-21-29-38 (15 weeks)

23/02/2015 Silver* 30-23-19-17-13-18-26-39 (8 weeks)

12/06/2017 Face to Face~ 38-33-31-39 (4 weeks)

10/07/2017 Tin~ 29-19-07-02-01-01-03-04-05-07-10-15-20-30-38 (15 weeks)

30/10/2017 Carry On~ 29-25-24-25-26-27-30-36-38 (9 weeks)

26/10/2019 Home* 36-27-18-12-06-03-04-06-08-10-17-24-32-39 (14 weeks)

15/02/2020 Never Come Back* 37-23-11-06-04-03-01-05-07-10-13-18-25-32-39 (15 weeks)

11/09/2021 You Can Do It* 38-28-22-23-28-35-40-33-31-40 (10 weeks)

09/07/2022 Cloudy~ 27-19-13-13-18-30-39 (7 weeks)

 

*As Caribou

~As Daphni

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Ravi

02 Odessa

03 Our Love

04 Can't Do Without You

05 Never Come Back

 

#48

 

 

The Streets

 

Points: 776

Date first charted: 06/01/2003

Number of entries: 14

Total weeks on chart: 118

Most Successful Year: 2004, 5th

 

 

Present in the first ever recorded week of this chart with the end of the Original Pirate Material era, Don't Mug Yourself still ended up spending 10 weeks despite being released in mid-October. It remains one of the finest albums of all time and was nailed on to have produced a quad of top 3 singles here if this began further back, The Streets have done pretty well to end up top 50 here considering Mike Skinner's best work came prior to this.

 

2004s A Grand Don't Come For Free was also incredibly highly rated, and again produced four excellent singles which all reached the top 10 including comeback #1 Fit But You Know It. Whilst it's the one of these that I now go back to the least it's still an anthem, followed up by Dry Your Eyes which became a surprising UK #1. As a collection of four singles they showed every side to Skinner brilliantly. They were followed up with a couple of features from other stars of the UK rap scene and a third album in 2006 which was terrible in comparison to previous, but did still produce three charting singles.

 

I thought that was it for The Streets, with anything I listened to in the following decade being pretty bad, but that changed at the beginning of 2018 with a string of singles which begun with a release of 2 songs in Burn Bridges and Sometimes I Hate My Friends More Than My Enemies, the former itself was his best work in ages, but it was the latter that I absolutely loved, a banger reminiscent of his earliest work. A couple more from this run managed to hit the top 20 too, before 2020s collaboration mixtape brought one more hit with Tame Impala.

 

Chart History:

06/01/2003 Don't Mug Yourself 18-21-22-23-25-26-28-29-31-39 (10 weeks)

26/04/2004 Fit But You Know It 01-01-01-01-04-06-06-06-08-10-14-18-23-25-25-28-33-40 (18 weeks)

19/07/2004 Dry Your Eyes 03-04-05-07-11-20-28-30-33-39 (10 weeks)

27/09/2004 Blinded By The Lights 07-14-15-19-25-26-28-37-40 (9 weeks)

29/11/2004 Could Well Be In 19-23-18-10-05-06-09-12-12-15-21-23-33-38 (14 weeks)

07/03/2005 Routine Check (w/ The Mitchell Brothers & Kano) 25 (1 week)

12/09/2005 Nite Nite (w/ Kano & Leo The Lion) 08-12-21-27-31-37 (6 weeks)

27/03/2006 When You Wasn't Famous 39-X-33-37 (3 weeks)

05/06/2006 Never Went To Church 14-15-21-26-35 (5 weeks)

25/09/2006 Prangin' Out 18-28 (2 weeks)

15/01/2018 Sometimes I Hate My Friends More Than My Enemies 28-19-06-01-01-01-02-04-05-07-10-13-19-22-27-33-38 (17 weeks)

26/02/2018 If You Ever Need To Talk I'm Here 30-23-16-16-24-32-40 (7 weeks)

24/12/2018 Call Me In The Morning (feat. Chip & Grim Slickers) 36-30-23-17-15-15-20-33-38 (9 weeks)

02/05/2020 Call My Phone Thinking I'm Doing Nothing Better (feat. Tame Impala) 37-29-26-25-24-32-40 (7 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Don't Mug Yourself

02 Dry Your Eyes

03 Sometimes I Hate My Friends More Than My Enemies

04 Blinded By The Lights

05 Nite Nite

 

#47

 

 

White Lies

 

Points: 777

Date first charted: 12/01/2009

Number of entries: 13

Total weeks on chart: 113

Most Successful Year: 2022, 14th

 

 

I was somewhat late to discovering White Lies, as To Lose My Life was my introduction to them as it was released just before their debut album. It had a brief chart run, but there are loads of better songs on on the album of the name - Death, From The Stars, A Place to Hide, E.S.T - and over a decade on is one I'd rank as an all time favourite. The biggest success on it came from the hauntingly beautiful Farewell To The Fairground reaching the top 3.

 

Their second album Ritual was a decent enough effort but was a huge step down from To Lose My Life... The first two singles both made the top 10, solid indie in Strangers and Bigger Than Us, which is hugely anthemic with a superb chorus. After that though, I wasn't overly impressed with what I heard (Big TV :mellow:) and they were no longer as high on my radar for checking things out when released, but there were still some decent singles which charted highly - Don't Want To Feel It All into the top 5 eight years after their first, and the 8 minute Time To Give from their 5th album, Five. There were a few others in this period I listened to a bit but didn't like enough to chart, Tokyo being the notable example on this site, not quite sure I see the fuss!

 

My relationship with them changed somewhat though with the release of their 6th album, the lead single As I Try Not To Fall Apart is magnificent, a real earworm which was a massive grower, and I Don't Want To Go To Mars was a decent single I listened to a lot for something I didn't chart, and for the first time in over a decade I listened to a new White Lies album, and went to see them perform tracks from it at an album signing. It rekindled my love for them, and as I went to see them live for a second time in a month on their tour, I began to explore some of what I'd missed - the likes of There Goes Our Love Again, Morning In LA and What I need are all superb. They've gone onto become a huge favourite again after a promising start, and were my most listened to act of 2022 by a considerable margin, 70% more than second place according to my last.fm. Singles Blue Drift and Trouble in America, from the expanded version, both became top 5 hits, the former joining As I Try... as their highest peaking single.

 

Chart History:

12/01/2009 To Lose My Life 29-17-13-20-30 (5 weeks)

23/03/2009 Farewell To The Fairground 28-16-07-03-04-05-07-09-18-24-32 (11 weeks)

27/12/2010 Bigger Than Us 29-24-20-19-10-10-14-26-36 (9 weeks)

14/03/2011 Strangers 29-27-18-12-10-16-25-38 (8 weeks)

01/08/2011 Holy Ghost 39-36 (2 weeks)

01/08/2016 Take It Out On Me 25-14-09-12-21-36 (6 weeks)

05/12/2016 Hold Back Your Love 28-23-25-29-35 (5 weeks)

10/04/2017 Don't Want To Feel It All 38-29-19-11-06-05-06-09-17-26-39 (11 weeks)

08/10/2018 Time To Give 37-29-19-15-11-12-18-25-36 (9 weeks)

23/10/2021 As I Try Not To Fall Apart 25-19-12-06-03-02-03-05-08-12-20-27-32-36-39-40 (16 weeks)

26/02/2022 Blue Drift 22-06-02-02-02-03-03-06-12-22-38 (11 weeks)

03/09/2022 As I Try Not To Fall Apart (TCTS Remix) 34-27-22-23-24-33-38 (7 weeks)

01/10/2022 Trouble In America 31-22-15-09-04-03-03-06-08-13-20-29-38 (13 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Bigger Than Us

02 As I Try Not To Fall Apart

03 Farewell To The Fairground

04 A Place To Hide

05 There Goes Our Love Again

 

#46

 

 

LCD Soundsystem

 

Points: 789

Date first charted: 28/02/2005

Number of entries: 12

Total weeks on chart: 121

Most Successful Year: 2007, 2nd

 

 

Reaching the third act to appear to have had as many as four number one singles, it's LCD Soundsystem, led by the super talented James Murphy. Their debut album produced three entries but without a great deal of success, they were an act I quite liked but not enough to delve any further into them. That changed when their second album came around, as lead single North American Scum took just three weeks to reach number one. It's not really one of my favourites now, but was definitely the song that first made me a fan. The two which followed have gone on to be much bigger favourites, All My Friends going on to become an indie dancefloor classic and Someone Great showing a different side to them, slowed down and much more mellow. A trio of top three singles from an album I grew to love, meant that I was highly anticipating a return.

 

Unfortunately, that return was with Drunk Girls, which only got the limited success it did because of how much I was anticipating a single from them. Over a decade on and it's comfortably the song I'd rank at the very bottom of their discography. Luckily, the album was much better and follow-up single I Can Change returned them towards the top of the chart. The album's best song, however, was its opener, Dance Yrself Clean. No strangers to a long song, it's 9 minutes of pure brilliance, starting quiet and slow before building to a fantastic anthem, great vocals, synths and percussion. If it had ever been given any form of single treatment, it'd definitely have been one of the most successful songs I'd ever had and a 5th number one for them. It delights me seeing it's their top song on Spotify by nearly 40 million streams.

 

They took an official break after that and didn't record or play for over 5 years, returning with a fourth album in 2017. Like the last one, the lead American Dream wasn't much to write home about, but its follow-up was, as Call The Police became a third number one and spent 6 weeks there. They'd hit that spot for a fourth time a year later with a remixed version of Oh Baby, Lovefingers turning one of the albums strongest songs even better. There was a solitary single last year, New Body Rhumba, taken from a film soundtrack. It was good to have them back again, and a solid enough song took them back into the top 5.

 

Chart History:

28/02/2005 Daft Punk Is Playing At My House 11-20-32 (3 weeks)

06/06/2005 Disco Infiltrator 27-40 (2 weeks)

26/09/2005 Tribulations 36 (1 week)

12/02/2007 North American Scum 30-11-01-02-03-07-12-18-22-27-29-27-33-36 (14 weeks)

07/05/2007 All My Friends 32-16-03-06-15-21-33 (7 weeks)

22/10/2007 Someone Great 12-02-01-01-04-05-05-07-10-11-14-18-21-26-31-37 (16 weeks)

05/04/2010 Drunk Girls 37-36-32-27-32 (5 weeks)

28/06/2010 I Can Change 24-17-07-04-04-05-06-07-12-14-18-26-33-38-40 (15 weeks)

22/05/2017 Call the Police 30-16-07-01-01-01-01-01-01-02-04-04-06-07-09-11-13-15-17-21-27-36 (22 weeks)

18/09/2017 Tonite 35-32-25-18-15-21-31-38 (8 weeks)

24/09/2018 Oh Baby (Lovefingers Remix) 31-22-12-09-03-01-01-03-05-07-10-14-19-26-38 (15 weeks)

08/10/2022 New Body Rhumba 37-26-20-14-08-05-05-07-10-15-20-29-36 (13 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Dance Yrself Clean

02 All My Friends

03 Someone Great

04 Call The Police

05 Home

#45

 

http://undertheradarmag.com/uploads/article_images/schoolofsevenbellssviib471.jpg

 

School of Seven Bells

 

Points: 790

Date first charted: 19/01/2009

Number of entries: 11

Total weeks on chart: 135

Most Successful Year: 2012, 3rd

 

 

A chart career of 9 top 10s with a couple of minor hits either side. School of Seven Bells consisted of Benjamin Curtis (formerly of Secret Machines, who had 2 minor hits for me) and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza. Their combination of electronica and indie was excellent and unlike most bands I enjoyed each release more than the previous. I think it was our own Dandy* that posted about Iamundernodisguise which became a small debut hit, before 2010's Disconnect From Desire became one of my favourite albums of that period and its two singles were both stunning, on reflection both deserving of the high peak that only Heart Is Strange managed.

 

By 2012 they'd become a duo with Claudia leaving, and it was their work from that year that I thought was comfortably their best, Lafaye the standout single from album #3 which begun to contain a bit more guitar reached number one, but their Put Your Sad Down EP at the end of the year is their work I hold in highest regard, the heavy synths were back and its promotional single Faded Heart and the two tracks which bookend it, an epic 13 minute title track and Painting a Memory, would definitely all rank in my top 10 of theirs.

 

Three months after that release Benjamin was diagnosed with leukaemia, from which he would not recover and passed at the end of 2013. I assumed that would be the sad end of the band but some posthumous releases happened in the following years, beginning with a 7 minute cover of Joey Ramone's 1970s song I Got Knocked Down (But I'll Get Up), with its incredibly fitting lyrics for the situation, it was entirely recorded and produced from Benjamin's hospital bed and continues to hit me hard. A final album was released in 2016, consisting of previously recorded songs. Any doubts about the potential quality of using old songs were soon put to bed with the release of each single, Open Your Eyes amongst their most beautiful songs, and the two that followed more excellent work in their typical sound to take their top 5 tally to 7.

 

Chart History:

19/01/2009 Iamundernodisguise 39-34-39-38 (4 weeks)

27/09/2010 Heart Is Strange 30-23-09-04-02-02-03-03-06-10-14-21-34-40 (14 weeks)

06/12/2010 I L U 30-26-21-17-11-09-10-18-23-32-39 (11 weeks)

09/01/2012 The Night 30-20-10-05-06-09-13-17-28-39 (10 weeks)

06/02/2012 Lafaye 21-13-09-05-02-01-01-01-01-03-03-04-06-08-11-15-20-24-31-40 (20 weeks)

26/11/2012 Faded Heart 31-21-07-04-04-08-08-12-17-23-24-29-35-39 (14 weeks)

30/06/2014 I Got Knocked Down (But I'll Get Up) 19-10-03-03-04-06-10-15-20-23-23-24-28-34-35 (15 weeks)

30/11/2015 Open Your Eyes 24-15-08-06-07-08-11-14-17-25-34-40 (12 weeks)

01/02/2016 On My Heart 33-24-15-05-02-03-04-05-06-11-11-14-20-24-30-40 (16 weeks)

07/03/2016 Ablaze 29-17-09-07-03-03-02-05-07-11-14-19-27-33-39 (15 weeks)

19/09/2016 Signals 38-36-32-36 (4 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 I Got Knocked Down (But I Get Up)

02 I L U

03 Painting a Memory

04 Lafaye

05 Ablaze

 

#44

 

 

Jessie Ware

 

Points: 794

Date first charted: 05/11/2012

Number of entries: 13

Total weeks on chart: 135

Most Successful Year: 2013, 3rd

 

 

At #44 is Jessie Ware, by far the highest placed act who's highest peak is as low as #3, although it is a spot she's now reached three times. She's been remarkably consistent though, with five other top 10s and only one of her 13 entries failing to reach the top half. Like some other acts here, I was definitely late to Jessie, so my favourite album of hers, debut Devotion, is somewhat underrepresented here, as only the weaker singles from the tail end of the album campaign charted, with Imagine It Was Us, from the expanded edition, being the song that finally gave her a big breakthrough, the first of those #3s. A decade on it remains my favourite of hers, absolutely magnificent pop.

 

That #3 position was equalled a few months later, with vocals provided on Julio Bashmore's Peppermint, a dancefloor banger, a style of music she's definitely suited to. The next two albums were less pop queen and more ballad, and whilst I did enjoy both of them, I don't ever really go back to them now, Tough Love is definitely still the pick from those two, and I do really like Sam on Glasshouse. She was back in the top 10 with a couple of standalone singles, with Overtime being my favourite of her upbeat more recent work.

 

The best of her most recent material, is Remember Where You Are, a stunning closer to a great and varied album. It was a song I enjoyed anyway but like a lot of people, that Graham Norton Show performance really made me enjoy it more, and it became her 3rd #3. Please and Save a Kiss are both great recent bangers, along with What's Your Pleasure, but Free Yourself last year meant she fell someway short of reaching the chart for a 6th successive year.

 

Chart History:

05/11/2012 Night Light 40-34-26-18-15-28-31-33-35 (9 weeks)

17/12/2012 Aaliyah (w/ Katy B & Geeneus) 34-28-23-14-13-10-18-37 (8 weeks)

07/01/2013 Sweet Talk 36-28-24-26-31-39 (6 weeks)

22/04/2013 Imagine It Was Us 27-18-12-08-06-03-04-07-10-10-05-06-09-11-14-20-24-31 (18 weeks)

07/10/2013 Peppermint (w/ Julio Bashmore) 24-18-13-07-04-03-08-14-21-31-36-40 (12 weeks)

30/06/2014 Tough Love 35-26-19-14-09-07-09-12-17-22-30-38 (12 weeks)

23/10/2017 Alone 30-24-20-16-18-21-28-36 (8 weeks)

28/08/2017 Midnight 29-25-16-16-24-36 (6 weeks)

22/10/2018 Overtime 25-19-14-10-06-05-04-05-08-10-14-22-30-36 (14 weeks)

02/03/2019 Adore You 33-26-21-18-15-10-11-16-22-32-37 (11 weeks)

06/06/2020 Save a Kiss 36-31-25-28-27-20-17-21-26-33 (10 weeks)

13/02/2021 Remember Where You Are 20-10-04-03-05-09-11-14-19-23-30-36 (12 weeks)

19/06/2021 Please 25-15-12-08-08-12-19-31-40 (9 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Imagine It Was Us

02 If You're Never Gonna Move

03 Remember Where You Are

04 Peppermint

05 Running (Disclosure Remix)

 

 

#43

 

 

Jay-Z

 

Points: 805

Date first charted: 20/01/2003

Number of entries: 15

Total weeks on chart: 123

Most Successful Year: 2003, 14th

 

 

Jay-Z gaining a place comfortably within the top 50 with a prolific first decade of this period of solo songs, collaborations and features, with 2005 the only year unrepresented in the first 10, but almost nothing since. He'd been a significant UK and US chart presence in the years prior to this, but there's only his one big hit Hard Knock Life which I'd have been familiar with. Two of his four top 5 hits came in 2003, with himself and Beyoncé featuring on each others singles, 03' Bonnie & Clyde being the first song of his I really liked. He ended the year with a feature on Frontin', which reached #11 for both Pharrell and Jamie Cullum a few months later, the latter's Live Lounge cover would always be the version I go back to now.

 

2004 produced what are my two favourite songs he's been involved in, the classic solo single 99 Problems and the incredibly innovative Linkin Park collaboration Numb/Encore. Linkin Park were my absolute favourite band in my early teenage years and Numb had hit the top spot a year before. The combination of their nu-metal sound and Jay-Z's rap worked so well, and took two great singles into something just as good, put peaked a place lower. Some features with some of the world's biggest artists kept him ticking over until his next big solo work, with Umbrella and Lost+, the former I got very bored of very quickly but has grown on me again, the latter he provided a great addition to a decent Coldplay song and saw him hit the top 10 for a 5th time.

 

His biggest solo era came at the end of the 2000s, but the performance of the three big singles varied for me. Run This Town would now definitely be the next one down from my top 5, but shamefully ignored it at the time, I loved Empire State of Mind and whilst Young Forever charted, it wasn't for long and is the only one of these 15 I wouldn't listen to now. The Kanye collabs as The Throne followed, I like H.A.M. a lot more than I gave it credit for at the time, but don't rate Paris quite as much as I did then. He's generally been much quieter in the past 10 years and the only thing he's been involved in that's had any impact on me was Apeshit.

 

Chart History:

20/01/2003 03' Bonnie & Clyde (feat. Beyoncé) 05-07-12-15-19-21-25-32-38 (9 weeks)

14/04/2003 Excuse Me Miss 31-36 (2 weeks)

30/06/2003 Crazy in Love (w/ Beyoncé) 04-06-10-12-15-16-17-22-29-37 (10 weeks)

04/08/2003 Frontin' (w/ Pharrell Williams) 12-11-15-18-27-32-39 (7 weeks)

10/05/2004 99 Problems 07-09-14-22-20-22-27-31-32-40 (10 weeks)

22/11/2004 Numb / Encore (w/ Linkin Park) 02-06-08-06-08-09-12-21-24-21-21-25-27-39 (14 weeks)

04/12/2006 Show Me What You Got 18-29-30-35-32-38 (6 weeks)

14/05/2007 Umbrella (w/ Rihanna) 31-24-23 (3 weeks)

10/11/2008 Lost+ (w/ Coldplay) 38-31-24-15-10-09-09-11-12-22-31 (11 weeks)

26/10/2009 Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) 33-19-11-08-04-04-03-03-05-03-04-06-13-20-33-39 (16 weeks)

04/01/2010 Young Forever (feat. Mr Hudson) 25-23-36 (3 weeks)

17/01/2011 H.A.M. (w/ Kanye West) 35-32-26-22-28-39 (6 weeks)

27/02/2012 Ni**as In Paris (w/ Kanye West) 36-31-22-12-08-06-06-06-11-15-19-24-35-39 (14 weeks)

01/10/2012 Clique (w/ Kanye West & Big Sean) 40-38-36 (3 weeks)

30/07/2018 Apeshit (w/ Beyoncé as The Carters) 38-32-25-19-16-17-24-31-39 (9 weeks)

 

2023 Top 5 Rank:

01 Numb / Encore

02 99 Problems

03 Empire State of Mind

04 Crazy In Love

05 Ni**as in Paris

Since I last commented, A-Punk is a huge fave of mine, definitely in my top 10 songs of the 2000s and one of my most listened to tracks of all time too! Dry Your Eyes is also great. I enjoyed the first White Lies album and especially the singles, with To Lose My Life maybe just ahead of Farewell To The Fairground, although I haven't really got into any of their later eras. My top 4 for Jay-Z would be the same as yours with maybe only Crazy In Love up a couple of places - Numb / Encore may have been outstreamed by Linkin Park's original in the last few years, but it's my preferred version, and when Jay-Z hands back to Chester for the final verse it just elevates the whole thing.