'Von dutch' runs it close but 'Guess' is probably my favourite moment from 'BRAT'. I like both versions but I think I give the slight edge to the original. I thought Billie didn't suit the sound at all on my first few listens but I've got into it now. 'So I' is a really emotional track but it wasn't one I went back to often. However, I was so happy that both versions got their chance to shine on the tour as they really felt like a moment.

 

'Fortnight' and 'So High School' both exploded for me after the Eras Tour. I didn't know what to expect from Taylor and Post Malone but they work together surprisingly well. It would have been nice for him to get a verse though instead of almost just getting the Lana Del Rey backing vocal treatment :lol: 'So High School' is the fun, bordering on cringe style of pop that she's mastered.

 

It's nice to see your namesake appear with 'FANTASY'. I really liked it but I never fully got to the stage of loving it. I think I'm enjoying 'IT girl' more already. I'm interested to hear what your early thoughts are on it!

 

And I'm of course happy to see more Ari since I last commented :heart:

'Guess' is a fun pick of favourite! On paper Billie does feel like a wild choice of feature (especially as she so rarely does them) but it just works and they're clearly having a blast in the video. I'm so jealous that you got to see Charli live, especially with support from Shygirl! I did get to experience the Eras tour as well though of course and it was incredibly special.

 

Maybe one day we'll get Fortnight (feat. more Post Malone) a la the more Lana Del Rey version of 'Snow On the Beach' :lol:

 

'Fantasy' was a slow burner for me but I did appreciate that shift in sound in the end :wub: fair that you didn't take to it quite as much and I see that 'IT girl' seems to be going down really well on here, I wish it was at least 30 seconds longer as it flies by but it's a banger nevertheless, what a star!

 

thank you for commenting <3

TOP 100 SONGS: 40-31

 

 

40. London Grammar - Into Gold | 287 points

39. FKA twigs - Perfect Stranger | 290 points

38. Addison Rae - Aquamarine | 292 points (peak: #4)

37. SPRINTS - Cathedral | 292 points (peak: #3)

36. Mannequin Pussy - Sometimes | 298 points

35. Everything Everything - Cold Reactor | 305 points

34. Them Are Us Too - Floor | 307 points

33. JADE - Angel Of My Dreams | 315 points

32. Vampire Weekend - Mary Boone | 321 points

31. Waterbaby - Butterfly House | 324 points

 

London Grammar were back with a fourth studio album titled The Greatest Love last year. 'Into Gold' was the third single to be taken from the project and proved to be a slow burner, both sonically and in terms of my relationship with it. At first I was a bit dismissive but had a lightbulb moment upon a re-listen, after it was added to Radio 1's playlist. 'Into Gold' has very soft beginnings, with a gentle piano introduction that is soon followed by a complimentary synth and the soothing vocals of Hannah Reid. However, during the final two minutes there is a pounding explosion of melodic house goodness. The song is about mourning loss and overcoming heartbreak but framed in a celebratory way, such as the line: "All of these things that I've seen turned darkness into gold". 'Perfect Stranger' was the second single to be released from FKA twigs' upcoming studio album Eusexua. This is a more commercial-sounding follow-up to lead single 'Eusexua', with its catchy, accessible lyrics and future garage production that instantly reminded me of Kylie Minogue's 'Can't Get You Out of My Head', due to the similar bouncing bass on the off-beat. I needed a bit of time with this sonic shift after obsessing over 'Eusexua' but I got there and it soon became pretty infectious. The visuals are a work of art as ever from Twigs! These images are an exploration of fluid sexuality, juxtaposing scenes of traditional family life with more primal, overtly sexual set-ups. Twigs is also joined by the fabulous singer Yves Tumor, actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge and fashion designer Mowalola Ogunlesi in the video. We're mere weeks away from getting the Eusexua album in full now as it is out on 24th January, bring it on. I didn't entirely get the online hype for influencer-turned-singer Addison Rae at first but commercial breakthrough 'Diet Pepsi' was a turning point, followed by an even better follow-up in 'Aquamarine'. This ethereal, deep house direction suits Addison's sensual vocals so well, the "give me (more)" parts in particular are heavenly. 'Aquamarine' reminds me a little of Madonna's Ray of Light era, with the aquatic imagery, production pointers from 'Nothing Really Matters' and even the lyric "I'm the ray of light", in amongst themes of self discovery. Rae shines in the video as she commits to choreography both indoors and in the streets. It's a shame that this stalled at #45 in the U.K. but at least it was still another chart entry for her. Irish alt-rock band SPRINTS achieved a top 20 placing for their debut album Letter to Self last year. I checked out the record in full and album track 'Cathedral' was my biggest standout by far. This song explores the anxieties and shame faced by queer vocalist Karla Chubb growing up in Catholic Ireland. The band have stated that the lyrics are also a defiant cry against the rise of anti-trans vitriol in the media and online. I admire their values and these words are delivered so passionately, as Chubb displays an impressive range. Production-wise, I love the punky, grunge feel to the instrumentation and how it explodes throughout, especially the added distortion. 'Cathedral' was later sent to the guitar-heavy Nuggets song contest on this forum so I'm pleased that it has received more exposure around these parts. Indie-rock band Mannequin Pussy put out 'Sometimes' as a third single in the lead up to the release of their I Got Heaven album. The band have stated that this song is about the internal conflict between the deep need for your independence and accepting that you are longing for someone, who would be enough to draw you away from your solitude. This song is a brilliant mix of soft, shoegaze influences and also some harsher punk energy in the delivery, I particularly love the way the track ramps up during the bridge and then slowly drops into a blissful comedown, with a shift in spotlight to the rich instrumental. They were a fantastic 6Music discovery for me.

 

'Cold Reactor' by Everything Everything first appeared in my 2023 EOY countdown, placing at #21. This year it is back at #35 as its run continued into a new year, following an impressive 7 weeks at #1. The band have since released their accompanying seventh album Mountainhead which scored them another top 10 chart placing, albeit their lowest position since debut album Man Alive, as it peaked at #9. 'Floor' by Them Are Us Too dates back to 2018 but came into my life last year, after sending it to BJSC for contest 166. This duo comprised of singer Kennedy Ashlyn (who has since released solo music under the moniker SRSQ) and Cash Askew, who tragically passed away at just 22 years old in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire back in 2016. 'Floor' was put out as a posthumous release after Ashlyn was determined to finish off the work they had already started on this project. Her vocals are incredibly powerful on the song as she cries out lyrics such as: "I should have asked for more... I wasn't cut out for this". She also commands a striking presence in the video. I was of course immediately sold on the darkwave production too. This outperformed my expectations in BJSC when it achieved a top 10 placing, finishing in 7th, a third top 10 hit in a row for me at the time. JADE was late out of the gate with her post-Little Mix solo debut, becoming the final member to release music outside of the group, but she made it worth the wait. 'Angel Of My Dreams' immediately prepares the listener for an idiosyncratic pop experience with an interpolation of a 1960s Eurovision winner, 'Puppet on a String' by Sandie Shaw. It is a fitting choice, both for JADE's love of pop music through the decades and also as a metaphor, for a song and video that details her complex time in the industry as an X Factor product onwards. The first chorus of 'Angel Of My Dreams' starts in an overblown ballad fashion, not too far removed from the archetypal talent show winner's single, but with her own dreamy stamp. However, she soon flips this sound completely, as club beats arrive and turn this into a dance-pop stomper for the remainder of its duration, until the cool down of the final chorus. I admire that JADE didn't want to play it safe and opted for this frankensteined vision instead, coupled with a fun video that boasts many different looks. I'm also here for the crossover of Grian Chatten briefly appearing in the video and JADE returning the favour for Fontaines D.C.'s 'Starburster' video. JADE's debut sound paid off and achieved a #7 peak in the U.K. chart. 'Mary Boone' was shared as a final pre-release taste of Vampire Weekend's latest album Only God Was Above Us before it dropped in April last year. This song steps back in time to rose-tinted, youthful first impressions of living in New York before setting up proper foundations. Mary Boone herself is a famous NY art dealer whose story took quite the turn, as she was recently sentenced to 30 months in prison for tax fraud, oops. The band say the song is not so much specifically about her but instead the waves of new, ambitious, talented people coming to New York trying to get her attention. The lyrics are poetically written, especially the bridge with its arty references. I also love the trip-hop feel of the production, which includes a drum loop sample of 'Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)' by Soul II Soul. The gorgeous choral touches expand this sonic world even further. Waterbaby first came to my attention when I sent 'Strawberry Jam' to BJSC in 2023, a song that appeared in my EOY countdown last year. The sister duo are back this time with 'Butterfly House', a song that was put out as a 'final chapter' to their 22° Halo era, alongside a short 0:52 track called 'Trash' that was also tagged on to this Butterfly House release. The titular track, which just misses out on a top 30 placing, is a fully fleshed out 5 minutes and 28 seconds of their ethereal art pop sounds. 'Butterfly House' is an existential, otherworldly journey to an imaginary auditorium within a dream. I enjoy the escapism of the lyrics, soft vocals and hazy, experimental synths. This song appears to be very underrated as it only has 3896 Spotify plays at the time of writing.

Poor brave 'Cold Reactor' having its run split cleanly in two resulting in missing the top 20 both years </3 but 2 years in the top 40 is great going I suppose, still a 10/10 no notes indie pop track.

 

Can't remember if I've heard 'Into Gold' before now, I thought I had but it wasn't really coming back to me so maybe I'm thinking of another song from them, in any case it's pretty much the classic London Grammar sound and great stuff from them as always (particularly love the ramped up instrumental near the end), it's a shame they seem to be in decline commercially now with this album falling a fair bit short of giving them another #1 but still top 3 with decent sales so could be worse. 'Perfect Stranger' is sounding better than I remembered, perhaps helped by seeing the video for the first time which as usual from twigs is excellent, I knew I recognised someone in the video but couldn't place who it was, from your commentary I now realise it was Yves Tumor :magic: Obviously a less artsy offering from her but considering 'holy terrain' was my favourite single from 'MAGDALENE' that's not a deal breaker for me. I felt a little gaslit by people claiming Addison Rae's music was good actually for a long time (still think 'Diet Pepsi' is highly overrated oop) but 'Aquamarine' is the first song I have liked from her so I'd like to see her continue with this sound, shame it fell off pretty quickly commercially though aw. A brilliant back to back of punchy female fronted rock songs in the middle of this section, knew SPRINTS already from their great BJSC entry which primed me to want to check out their album anyway (agreed with this being one of the big highlights although my absolute fave was 'Shaking Their Hands') but Mannequin Pussy were a discovery for me from your chart, their album is also on my list to catch up with so hopefully it can bring some more bangers like this x

 

'Floor' was the only Jadakissnia entry to get an 18 from me in 2024 but it's still only my second favourite, I presume my biggest fave is still to come unless I'm badly misremembering its chart run for you! Another glorious darkwave tune with an absolute killer hook, was quite heartbreaking to read about the circumstances behind the album it came from but I suppose it's good that Cash's last work still got to see the light of day eventually. Your Waterbaby entry got 5 points from me and I think I like 'Butterfly House' about as much as that one, a lovely dreamy track. Finally heard Vampire Weekend's album now and it's pretty fantastic from front to back, 'Mary Boone' is my least favourite of the singles but still very good, love the trip-hop influence in the production. I have grown to quite like 'Angel Of My Dreams' and I definitely appreciate the boldness going with it as a lead single, in stark contrast to Perrie's first solo single being the definition of safe radio filler for example, but there's something holding me back from fully stanning it still, it has moments of greatness throughout but I think the song as a whole is just a little bit too all over the place and inconsistent (the pre-chorus part in particular I don't really like, sounds too much like a throwback to Little Mix's more middling singles). The video existing in the same cinematic universe as 'Starburster' is kind of iconic though. I have high hopes that she'll be capable of making some really good stuff in the future anyway (and as posted before I am a bigger fan of 'Fantasy'), I do need to check out 'IT girl' soon ofc x

Memories of Aquamarine at haus the week it came out *.* a lush track, shame it didn't catch on more, though I do prefer Diet P slightly x

 

Angel of My Dreams was such a good debut single, great to see it so high here :wub:

Poor brave 'Cold Reactor' having its run split cleanly in two resulting in missing the top 20 both years </3 but 2 years in the top 40 is great going I suppose, still a 10/10 no notes indie pop track.

 

Can't remember if I've heard 'Into Gold' before now, I thought I had but it wasn't really coming back to me so maybe I'm thinking of another song from them, in any case it's pretty much the classic London Grammar sound and great stuff from them as always (particularly love the ramped up instrumental near the end), it's a shame they seem to be in decline commercially now with this album falling a fair bit short of giving them another #1 but still top 3 with decent sales so could be worse. 'Perfect Stranger' is sounding better than I remembered, perhaps helped by seeing the video for the first time which as usual from twigs is excellent, I knew I recognised someone in the video but couldn't place who it was, from your commentary I now realise it was Yves Tumor :magic: Obviously a less artsy offering from her but considering 'holy terrain' was my favourite single from 'MAGDALENE' that's not a deal breaker for me. I felt a little gaslit by people claiming Addison Rae's music was good actually for a long time (still think 'Diet Pepsi' is highly overrated oop) but 'Aquamarine' is the first song I have liked from her so I'd like to see her continue with this sound, shame it fell off pretty quickly commercially though aw. A brilliant back to back of punchy female fronted rock songs in the middle of this section, knew SPRINTS already from their great BJSC entry which primed me to want to check out their album anyway (agreed with this being one of the big highlights although my absolute fave was 'Shaking Their Hands') but Mannequin Pussy were a discovery for me from your chart, their album is also on my list to catch up with so hopefully it can bring some more bangers like this x

 

'Floor' was the only Jadakissnia entry to get an 18 from me in 2024 but it's still only my second favourite, I presume my biggest fave is still to come unless I'm badly misremembering its chart run for you! Another glorious darkwave tune with an absolute killer hook, was quite heartbreaking to read about the circumstances behind the album it came from but I suppose it's good that Cash's last work still got to see the light of day eventually. Your Waterbaby entry got 5 points from me and I think I like 'Butterfly House' about as much as that one, a lovely dreamy track. Finally heard Vampire Weekend's album now and it's pretty fantastic from front to back, 'Mary Boone' is my least favourite of the singles but still very good, love the trip-hop influence in the production. I have grown to quite like 'Angel Of My Dreams' and I definitely appreciate the boldness going with it as a lead single, in stark contrast to Perrie's first solo single being the definition of safe radio filler for example, but there's something holding me back from fully stanning it still, it has moments of greatness throughout but I think the song as a whole is just a little bit too all over the place and inconsistent (the pre-chorus part in particular I don't really like, sounds too much like a throwback to Little Mix's more middling singles). The video existing in the same cinematic universe as 'Starburster' is kind of iconic though. I have high hopes that she'll be capable of making some really good stuff in the future anyway (and as posted before I am a bigger fan of 'Fantasy'), I do need to check out 'IT girl' soon ofc x

Oops, 'Cold Reactor' a bit robbed with the year-splitting :'( but they'll always have those 7 weeks at #1 for me and this may not be the end of the road for EE this year... :o

 

I forget if you've mentioned 'Into Gold' to me before but better late than never if not! I agree that the ramped up production really elevates this one. Sadly the buzz just didn't seem to be there for this era, I remember the release of 'House' feeling particularly flat despite enjoying it myself. True that their circumstances could definitely be worse anyway, top 3 nothing to be sniffed at. 'Perfect Stranger' was a grower for me as well after instantly falling head-over-heels for 'Eusexua'. Glad I cleared up the Yves Tumor mystery for you :lol: a serve as ever visually. Yeah, I really didn't get Addison's music pre-'Diet Pepsi' at all, which made me feel a bit out of the loop when I usually love plenty of pop music. I even agreed with you re. 'Diet Pepsi' at first, which I thought was a Lana pastiche but not as effective, until it suddenly grew on me loads out of nowhere. But 'Aquamarine' was an instant home run and I'm glad this has been the one to convert you a bit too! SPRINTS and Mannequin Pussy were great to revisit back-to-back, hope you enjoy the latter album if you do end up checking it out.

 

Happy that 'Floor' secured an 18 from Persephonia last year *.* there may or may not still be one or two more Jadakissnia entries on the way...! Agreed that the trip-hop production on 'Mary Boone' is fantastic <3 glad the whole project made it to the short-list of 'best albums' in the BJ Awards this year. I remember thinking that parts of 'Angel Of My Dreams' felt a bit underwritten on first listen but it grew on me more and more in time, glad it's grown on you more too even if you're not quite fully on board, intrigued to see what you'll think of 'IT girl'.

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Memories of Aquamarine at haus the week it came out *.* a lush track, shame it didn't catch on more, though I do prefer Diet P slightly x

 

Angel of My Dreams was such a good debut single, great to see it so high here :wub:

The haus meet came into my head as well when revisiting 'Aquamarine', good times <3 I know right, if only it had been another top 40 for her.

 

'Angel of My Dreams' really helped JADE to stand out straight away after leaving her solo career the longest, great stuff :wub:

 

thank you for commenting <3

TOP 100 SONGS: 30-21

 

 

30. Billie Eilish - L'AMOUR DE MA VIE | 337 points

29. TR/ST - Robrash | 347 points

28. Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER | 353 points

27. Charli xcx - 365 | 354 points

26. Floating Points - Fast Forward | 359 points

25. Fat Dog - Running | 365 points

24. Tove Lo & SG Lewis - HEAT | 380 points

23. Halsey - Lonely is the Muse | 381 points (peak: #3)

22. Billie Eilish - THE GREATEST | 381 points (peak: #2)

21. Ariana Grande - yes, and? | 390 points

 

Taylor Swift experienced a triple feature in an earlier section and now it is the turn of Billie Eilish. 'L'AMOUR DE MA VIE', or 'the love of my life' in French, is the seventh track on her latest album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT and is only beaten by closer 'BLUE' in terms of length. This song reflects on the toxicity of a past relationship in Billie's life ("it isn't asking for a lot for an apology, for making me feel like it'd kill you if I tried to leave") and is delivered like a traditional ballad for the first few minutes. However, this is followed by a sonic shuffle to the second act, which Billie dubs "OVER NOW". Suddenly the production undergoes a dance makeover and her voice has a vocoder effect on it. Billie transforms from heartbroken to happy in this part of the song, as she says good riddance to infidelity. The transition completely took me by surprise on first listen and still stands up as one of the most memorable moments on the album. 'Robrash' by TR/ST was the first new #1 single in my personal chart last year. This song appears on TR/ST EP, a little warm-up before his full-length project Performance last year, when he was fresh off signing to Dais Records who also house talent like Drab Majesty. 'Robrash' instantly commands with its stomping gothic, darkwave synths. This instrumental, created with Nightfeelings, was in fact strong enough to receive its own release alongside the full song. The chorus, which poses the question "oh no am I in love this time?" is hooky, light relief amongst the darkness. 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' was released as the second single from Billie Eilish's latest album. It was a slow burner for me after initially fighting with more left-field moments on the album. However, its beauty as a well-crafted pop song shone through to me in the end. Billie uses the "birds of a feather flock together" idiom to explore themes of a lasting connection with somebody. It is quite breezy on the surface but Billie has said in an interview that it's not necessarily a happy song. The music video illustrates this as she is being dragged by an invisible force, or the absence of someone she loves. Her vocals suitably soar as this song contains the highest belt in her career to date. Billie would later get the opportunity to perform 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' at the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. It was a big hit for her, peaking at #2 both here in the U.K. and across the pond on the Billboard Hot 100. '365' is the closing track on Charli xcx's latest album Brat. She had a cyclical vision for the record after opening with '360' and even sampling its motif on '365'. This closer, later remixed to include Shygirl, is all about a wild party girl lifestyle, where "bumping that" refers to both bumping music and drugs. Production-wise, this is an acid techno song that develops quite harshly. Overall it is a euphoric note to end the standard edition of Brat on. 'Fast Forward' was my first taste of Floating Points' new album Cascade and may be the best that I've heard from him to date. This progressive house instrumental contains incredibly layered and powerful synths, with additional drumming provided by Caribou. The pretty, kaleidoscopic visuals suit this hypnotic, almost 8-minute long experience very well too.

 

Fat Dog were back to their unhinged ways for single #3 'Running' after 'All the Same' was a bit more of a cool down. This exhilarating release appears to detail the fall of a cult leader, brought to life with reliably zany visuals that follow a group of cow-skull worshipping outcasts who appear to develop powers along the way. If all of this wasn't enough, the production ensures a bonafide banger with its thrilling new rave energy. The development of the synths and percussion promise the perfect hype song in addition to the flashes of more shouty delivery. I find that the "wake me up, wake me up..." hook is particularly addictive. The band were on 3/3 strong releases at this point in the lead up to their album WOOF. coming out, such promising new talent. I was excited by the announcement of a new collaborative EP from Tove Lo and SG Lewis called HEAT, after 'Pineapple Slice' was my favourite album track from Tove's Dirt Femme project. This team-up did not disappoint and the title track ended up soundtracking my summer. 'HEAT' is a scorching dancefloor anthem with a piano hook that calls back to 90s electronic banger 'Move Your Body' by Xpansions. The accompanying music video is an NSFW ode to queer dance floors around the world, suitably premiering during Pride Month last year. Revisiting this has brightened up a chilly, icy England winter day for sure. Halsey returned last year with a new project called The Great Impersonator. Lead single 'Lucky' was not my cup of tea but follow-up 'Lonely is the Muse' made me sit up and take notice. To date, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is my favourite era of hers by far and this song felt like a return to that industrial inspired sound. Halsey is impersonating different icons throughout this project and for 'Lonely is the Muse' she took inspiration from Amy Lee, lead singer of Evanescence, who they said was "[her] OG dark rock queen". The vulnerable lyrics on 'Lonely is the Muse' see Halsey questioning her worth and reflecting on those who have wronged them in the past. I love how the alt-rock production develops throughout, beginning in a moody, more restrained fashion until around the three minute mark when the drumming ramps up and ushers in an explosive finale, including a cathartic vocal performance. 'THE GREATEST' is the sixth track on Billie Eilish's latest project, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. This was an immediate highlight during my first listen of the album and quickly reminded me of a previous hit of hers, 'Happier Than Ever', structurally. This track similarly begins with sparse strings and a soft singing style before later passionately evolving. The later vocal performance on this song may be one of Billie's finest to date. I always get chills when 'THE GREATEST' is building up to the dramatic finish, with backing vocals creeping in and then sudden isolation of the production as she wails "man, am I the greatest?" with an elongated note. So good. In this song she uses sarcasm to explain how she gave her all in a relationship while these feelings were not reciprocated. She explores loneliness, anger and mourns what could've been. Just missing out on a top 20 placing is Ariana Grande with 'yes, and?', the lead single to be taken from eternal sunshine. Ari dropped this first taste of the era exactly one year ago today and it was certainly a sonic shift, even if not entirely representative of the whole accompanying album. 'yes, and?' is a diva house song that pays homage to 'Vogue' by Madonna, although the production actually reminds me more of 'Deeper and Deeper' by her. Ariana boldly chose to lead 'yes, and?' with a long instrumental beginning, a refreshing choice in today's commercial landscape. The lyrics promote confidence in your own decisions and not caring what other people think. She tackles personal subjects head on, such as her well publicised relationship drama and also commentary about her body. I was unsure about her robotic delivery during the bridge at first but it eventually clicked and the accompanying flutes are a gorgeous production touch. The homage to female icons extends to the music video with the similar set up to 'Cold Hearted' by Paula Abdul, complete with a slick dance routine. 'yes, and?' was unlucky to stall at #2 in the U.K. as it registered strong first week sales, but was up against a juggernaut, 'Stick Season' by Noah Kahan. She did manage to claim a new #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 though.

Well my relistens of the Billie Eilish songs in this section didn't go the way I expected! I still have the album on my catchup list as I've not listened to it as an album proper yet but I have heard all the songs individually and I had pinned 'THE GREATEST' as one of my favourites on first listen while 'L'AMOUR DE MA VIE' was the only song that didn't really click with me much but it's almost the opposite this time, I remember on my first listen of the latter I thought the second half was pretty good but not worth sitting through the first half but this time I not only liked the second half even more but actually really liked the first bit too so I don't know what I was hearing the first time! Reminds me a bit of 'Billie Bossa Nova' which I loved straight away, also definitely quite a Laufey-esque tone to her voice (I was thinking both of these things while listening and then checked and saw both are mentioned on its Wikipedia article haha). 'THE GREATEST' is still good too but I think I overrated it a little bit, the big rocky crescendo is still a highlight though. At least my opinion hasn't changed on 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' which is still comfortably my favourite song of the era, the general public got it right this time around, such a gorgeous and timeless sounding song and a shame it fell just short of #1 on both sides of the Atlantic!

 

'Robrash' was a great tune to kick off your #1s of the year, serving TR/ST's signature dark grooves as usual. '365' is definitely one of my faves from 'BRAT' as well (I'd say probably my 3rd favourite after 'Sympathy is a knife' and 'B2b'), I love how she basically built an entire new song around a 1 second sample from '360' but tbf 'bumpin' that' is probably the best 1 second of pop music of the year xx love how the production just keeps ramping up the intensity throughout, I'd love for it to go on for longer than it does... which makes it all the more frustrating that they actually made it shorter for the remix version :'( Shygirl is a great fit for that but the length alone makes it a bit of a missed opportunity from the remix album unfortunately! Aside, I still love that she mentions 666 in the lyrics of '360' and 999 in the lyrics of '365', the most iconic bookend lyrics since 'Pure Heroine' I fear x 'yes, and?' still sits midtable for me among Ariana lead singles and not sure how memorable it'll be in the long run but she does do this style justice and I love the music video (will need to remember that Paula Abdul comparison considering that's coming up soon in the US #1 listenthroughs) - still waiting for that Ariana brand artisanal hummus tbh x

 

I think this was my first listen of 'HEAT' (again, if I'd heard it before I don't remember it), I definitely did hear 'Desire' from the EP before and found it a little underwhelming but this one is a lot better albeit still not quite as good as their collabs from Tove's previous album. The rest of the songs in this section I do really like and ought to listen to more (all three are from albums on my catchup list so they'll be getting at least one more spin from me in the not too distant future x), I think 'Running' has the best hook from any of Fat Dog's releases to date, definitely agree on it being an improvement from 'All The Same', also just finally listened to 'Peace Song' earlier and loving that too, hoping the fact they moved onto a brand new single so soon means a new project might be coming up in swift succession! Floating Points doesn't really miss with his electronic work so I'm glad he's come back to that after his brief excursion into classical (much as I did quite enjoy the 'Promises' album). Expecting the Halsey album to probably be a mixed bag but I loved her industrial sound on the previous album and 'Lonely Is The Muse' sounds like it wouldn't have been out of place there.

There's more crossover with my faves than I was expecting in terms of tracks I've paid for :cheer: I think it's around 15% or so, so far, with my standouts being BIRDS OF A FEATHER, Into Gold and Fantasy, I see the former as being a career high for Billie to date and easily one of the top 20 of 2024, Into Gold is gorgeous, and Fantasy is just delicious funk pop that deserved better. Others include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Fontaines DC, and the top 2023 tune Houdini hanging in there in 2024.

 

So will the top 20 have any of my faves?!

My favourites from 60-41 are 'I want to be with you' (yay for it doing so well in BJSC and following BLACKSHAPE as a post rock 2nd placer), 'Alone', 'Punish' and 'All The Same' - on the penultimate of those, I did give Ethel's album a listen at work last week as it popped up on my Spotify and I had 1h30 left so I thought why not, but I could hardly hear any of it over the background noise! I've since relistened to 'Amber Waves' and that's starting to click at least. Loads more faves in 40-21 so will comment on those sometime when I'm at a keyboard ^_^

Edited January 13Jan 13 by jimwatts

'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' just missing out on my End of Year Top 40 there.

Sorry that this has slowed down, I've been so busy (and a bit sleep-deprived) since returning to work, hoping to continue at the weekend.

 

Well my relistens of the Billie Eilish songs in this section didn't go the way I expected! I still have the album on my catchup list as I've not listened to it as an album proper yet but I have heard all the songs individually and I had pinned 'THE GREATEST' as one of my favourites on first listen while 'L'AMOUR DE MA VIE' was the only song that didn't really click with me much but it's almost the opposite this time, I remember on my first listen of the latter I thought the second half was pretty good but not worth sitting through the first half but this time I not only liked the second half even more but actually really liked the first bit too so I don't know what I was hearing the first time! Reminds me a bit of 'Billie Bossa Nova' which I loved straight away, also definitely quite a Laufey-esque tone to her voice (I was thinking both of these things while listening and then checked and saw both are mentioned on its Wikipedia article haha). 'THE GREATEST' is still good too but I think I overrated it a little bit, the big rocky crescendo is still a highlight though. At least my opinion hasn't changed on 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' which is still comfortably my favourite song of the era, the general public got it right this time around, such a gorgeous and timeless sounding song and a shame it fell just short of #1 on both sides of the Atlantic!

 

'Robrash' was a great tune to kick off your #1s of the year, serving TR/ST's signature dark grooves as usual. '365' is definitely one of my faves from 'BRAT' as well (I'd say probably my 3rd favourite after 'Sympathy is a knife' and 'B2b'), I love how she basically built an entire new song around a 1 second sample from '360' but tbf 'bumpin' that' is probably the best 1 second of pop music of the year xx love how the production just keeps ramping up the intensity throughout, I'd love for it to go on for longer than it does... which makes it all the more frustrating that they actually made it shorter for the remix version :'( Shygirl is a great fit for that but the length alone makes it a bit of a missed opportunity from the remix album unfortunately! Aside, I still love that she mentions 666 in the lyrics of '360' and 999 in the lyrics of '365', the most iconic bookend lyrics since 'Pure Heroine' I fear x 'yes, and?' still sits midtable for me among Ariana lead singles and not sure how memorable it'll be in the long run but she does do this style justice and I love the music video (will need to remember that Paula Abdul comparison considering that's coming up soon in the US #1 listenthroughs) - still waiting for that Ariana brand artisanal hummus tbh x

 

I think this was my first listen of 'HEAT' (again, if I'd heard it before I don't remember it), I definitely did hear 'Desire' from the EP before and found it a little underwhelming but this one is a lot better albeit still not quite as good as their collabs from Tove's previous album. The rest of the songs in this section I do really like and ought to listen to more (all three are from albums on my catchup list so they'll be getting at least one more spin from me in the not too distant future x), I think 'Running' has the best hook from any of Fat Dog's releases to date, definitely agree on it being an improvement from 'All The Same', also just finally listened to 'Peace Song' earlier and loving that too, hoping the fact they moved onto a brand new single so soon means a new project might be coming up in swift succession! Floating Points doesn't really miss with his electronic work so I'm glad he's come back to that after his brief excursion into classical (much as I did quite enjoy the 'Promises' album). Expecting the Halsey album to probably be a mixed bag but I loved her industrial sound on the previous album and 'Lonely Is The Muse' sounds like it wouldn't have been out of place there.

Oh my, I was surprised that you weren't that fussed about 'L'AMOUR DE MA VIE' at first but didn't anticipate such a flip in your opinion *.* well I am pleased that it has clicked for you now then, yay! 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' was my big grower <3 shame it didn't get to #1 indeed, hopefully she'll tick off a non-soundtrack chart-topper here one day :lol:

 

Yeah I was expecting to love the '365' remix a bit more considering the quality of the original and Shygirl jumping on board, aw! The Glee version of 'Cold Hearted' paid tribute to the music video so I first knew it through that and recognised some similarities with the set in Ari's video. Omg THIS @ the artisanal hummus.

 

Glad that 'HEAT' took your fancy more after not caring too much for 'Desire'. 'Peace Song' a good tune from Fat Dog indeed, I actually heard it on Radio 1 today when travelling home from the office *.* sadly I wasn't too fussed about Halsey's latest album on the whole but at least it gave me 'Lonely is the Muse'.

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

There's more crossover with my faves than I was expecting in terms of tracks I've paid for :cheer: I think it's around 15% or so, so far, with my standouts being BIRDS OF A FEATHER, Into Gold and Fantasy, I see the former as being a career high for Billie to date and easily one of the top 20 of 2024, Into Gold is gorgeous, and Fantasy is just delicious funk pop that deserved better. Others include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Fontaines DC, and the top 2023 tune Houdini hanging in there in 2024.

 

So will the top 20 have any of my faves?!

Ooh happy to see a decent amount of crossover with you :cheer: Billie has been on a roll this era and totally agree that 'Fantasy' deserved better.

 

Watch this space... :o

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

My favourites from 60-41 are 'I want to be with you' (yay for it doing so well in BJSC and following BLACKSHAPE as a post rock 2nd placer), 'Alone', 'Punish' and 'All The Same' - on the penultimate of those, I did give Ethel's album a listen at work last week as it popped up on my Spotify and I had 1h30 left so I thought why not, but I could hardly hear any of it over the background noise! I've since relistened to 'Amber Waves' and that's starting to click at least. Loads more faves in 40-21 so will comment on those sometime when I'm at a keyboard ^_^

Yes the BJSC success for 'I want to be with you' really blew me away <3 the taste was on point with both that and BLACKSHAPE, gave that 15. Haha yeah Perverts definitely doesn't strike me as a background listen kind of album! Glad you're enjoying 'Amber Waves', within my top 3 of the record for sure :wub:

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' just missing out on my End of Year Top 40 there.

Aww I see! Happy to see so much appreciation for 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' in the thread.

 

thank you for commenting <3

Plenty of my faves in the 40-31 section as I charted 6 of those songs ('Into Gold', 'Perfect Stranger', 'Aquamarine', 'Cold Reactor', 'Angel Of My Dreams', 'Butterfly House') and it would have been 7 if I'd included pre-2020 songs - I gave 'Floor' 7 points in BJSC, but that contest was stacked (I could only manage 2 points for ascendant vierge but it still made #26 in my chart) and it sounds fantastic on relisten! 'Into Gold' does strike me as a slow-burning kind of song, and I think it has held up better than 'House' and their other singles from the era.

 

In the 30-21 section, I went back to 'L'AMOUR DE MA VIE' when it got its turn at a minor Top 100 placing, and the switch-up near the end has become one of the highlights of the album for me - there's an '[OVER NOW EXTENDED EDIT]' with that section stretched into a full song which I ended up charting higher than 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER', although that is also gorgeous and it's been extraordinary to follow it becoming such a long-running commercial hit. 'Running' was in my EOY too, and I forgot how close 'yes, and?' got to UK #1 with a big opening week until you mentioned it!

Yes Andrea :wub:

 

BIRDS OF A FEATHER has definitely cemented itself as a Billie fave for me, this album in general was much more up my street than the last one! 365 is one of the most exhilarating listens of the year too so glad to see that so high!

Giving 'Fast Forward' a quick listen now (not all 8 minutes of it though!), it's sounding quite nice, lots of different instruments in there and a lot of mood changes throughout the song it seems!

Plenty of my faves in the 40-31 section as I charted 6 of those songs ('Into Gold', 'Perfect Stranger', 'Aquamarine', 'Cold Reactor', 'Angel Of My Dreams', 'Butterfly House') and it would have been 7 if I'd included pre-2020 songs - I gave 'Floor' 7 points in BJSC, but that contest was stacked (I could only manage 2 points for ascendant vierge but it still made #26 in my chart) and it sounds fantastic on relisten! 'Into Gold' does strike me as a slow-burning kind of song, and I think it has held up better than 'House' and their other singles from the era.

 

In the 30-21 section, I went back to 'L'AMOUR DE MA VIE' when it got its turn at a minor Top 100 placing, and the switch-up near the end has become one of the highlights of the album for me - there's an '[OVER NOW EXTENDED EDIT]' with that section stretched into a full song which I ended up charting higher than 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER', although that is also gorgeous and it's been extraordinary to follow it becoming such a long-running commercial hit. 'Running' was in my EOY too, and I forgot how close 'yes, and?' got to UK #1 with a big opening week until you mentioned it!

Glad that we have so much crossover! I initially considered ‘House’ as my favourite single from this London Grammar era (it made low top 10 por moi) but ‘Into Gold’ overtook in time once it properly clicked, what a song.

 

Oh yes I was using one of my Spotify-generated ‘Mix’ playlists on the treadmill for a while and that version of the Billie song was on there. ‘yes, and?’ really was unlucky to run in to ‘Stick Season’ although at least it claimed #1 in the U.S.

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Yes Andrea :wub:

 

BIRDS OF A FEATHER has definitely cemented itself as a Billie fave for me, this album in general was much more up my street than the last one! 365 is one of the most exhilarating listens of the year too so glad to see that so high!

Glad you were back on board with this Billie album, it’s very special 💙

 

Hard agree that ‘365’ is an instant pick-me-up *.*

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Giving 'Fast Forward' a quick listen now (not all 8 minutes of it though!), it's sounding quite nice, lots of different instruments in there and a lot of mood changes throughout the song it seems!

Poor brave ‘Fast Forward’ getting the abridged treatment :lol: but I’m glad that you liked the sound of it.

 

thank you for commenting <3

TOP 100 SONGS: 20-11

 

 

20. Twin Tribes - Monolith | 415 points

19. Soltera & Santiago Salazar - Got No Reason To Forgive | 416 points (peak: #1, weeks at #1: 1)

18. Everything Everything - The End of the Contender | 416 points (peak: #1, weeks at #1: 2)

17. Caroline Polachek - Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth | 417 points

16. Dua Lipa - Training Season | 420 points

15. Fontaines D.C. - Favourite | 434 points

14. Chalk - Claw | 439 points

13. The Horrors - The Silence That Remains | 453 points

12. salute & Rina Sawayama - saving flowers | 479 points

11. Billie Eilish - CHIHIRO | 519 points

 

Twin Tribes represented my BJSC nation Jadakissnia in contest #165 last year. 'Monolith' had the very me bait genre tags of: coldwave, darkwave, goth rock, new wave and post-punk, plus thematically I'd recently watched 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time. I quickly fell in love with the commanding vocal style of Luis Navarro, one half of the duo along with Joel Niño, Jr., plus the irresistible back-drop of synths and contrasting guitar work. The video is also a striking experience as a dark metamorphosis unfolds. This was thankfully a hit in BJSC, placing in 4th, a unique finish for my nation which ensured the completion of every position in the top 10 after 9 years of competing. 'Got No Reason To Forgive' by Soltera & Santiago Salazar was another BJSC entry of mine, a dance pivot sent to contest #167. This song is taken from the album Sol y Santi which is a collaborative project between the two artists, Soltera on vocals and Salazar producing. I found this trippy music video on a late night YouTube crawl and was immediately hooked by the 5 minutes of hypnotic acid techno. The synth line reminded me of 'I Feel Love' by Donna Summer which is one of my all-time favourite songs, so high praise indeed. This did make the final of the contest but didn't really set it alight on the back of three top 10 finishes, instead placing 29th. Everything Everything achieved their latest personal chart #1 for me with 'The End of the Contender', the third single from Mountainhead. This track was inspired by a viral video when amateur boxer Ronnie Pickering was involved in a road rage incident (with a cyclist who had a camera on their head) and said: "Do you know who I am? I'm Ronnie Pickering." The band took this source material and wrote a song about a certain era of men who were respected in their prime but have struggled to connect and adapt with the times. 'The End of the Contender' is also about how capitalism has seeped into everything, with lines like "it's all about the Benjamins" and scenes of the band littering money notes across the beach in the music video. I find the melodies of this song so addictive, particularly the build-up to the "my battery's a hundred per cent" line which proved to be an instant earworm. I also love the synth production, effective deployment of falsetto and the Everything Everything quirk in the lyrics, yes they did just call me an antelope and a sack of wine and I'm not mad about it. 'Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth' is taken from the Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: Everasking Edition deluxe album by Caroline Polachek. Her record was re-packaged in February last year so the perfect time to start embracing spring around the corner. 'Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth' was originally an Operating Theatre song from 1986, but given the Caroline twist. She replaces character names with Louise (theorised to be a reference to the book The Medusa Frequency by Russell Hoban) and Daniel (likely producer Danny L Harle). Polachek also interpolates her own work from the standard edition of the album as the second verse contains lyrics from 'Blood and Butter'. Her ethereal vocal display, the bouncy synth-pop production and hopeful changing of the seasons theme provides a welcome, uplifting addition to the main body of the album. 'Training Season' was released as the second single from Dua Lipa's latest album, Radical Optimism. This song was inspired by a string of bad dates that Dua had been on. She had felt like enough was enough and wanted to write about boundaries and standards in a relationship plus your own self worth. 'Training Season' was produced by Kevin Parker of Tame Impala just like lead single 'Houdini'. He brought a 70s disco-pop soundscape to the table, with ABBA-esque piano lines, charging synths and syncopated guitar work. Dua keeps up momentum throughout a fairly long chorus with a strong vocal performance and hooks aplenty. The music video is nothing to write home about but was apparently a last minute rush job after the initial concept was scrapped, so that can be forgiven. 'Training Season' was the second top 5 hit to be taken from Radical Optimism, peaking at #4 in the U.K.

 

Fontaines D.C. achieved two personal chart #1s for me last year, the second being 'Favourite'. This is taken from the band's latest album Romance which seems to have taken on a life of its own. The dreamy jangle-pop production and cyclical lyrics (serving as the perfect album closer) instantly gave me a longing, nostalgic hit when listening for the first time. This feeling held up on repeat listens and I'm sure 'Favourite' will continue to sound timeless as the years roll on. The music video shows the band hanging out now but is spliced with childhood footage of their lives before they crossed paths. The evocative "you were my favourite for a long time" lyric really makes me think of a parent, especially with those throwbacks in the video. What a gorgeous release. 'Favourite' has climbed to a new peak of #64 in the U.K. chart as recently as this week so I'm thrilled that more people are discovering it. 'Claw' by Belfast band Chalk was an excellent 6Music discovery last year. The intensely delivered lyrics are a juxtaposition of feelings as they explore the theme of falling in love within a nightmare. The thunderous synths and equally atmospheric guitar work creates a gloriously twisted electronic, post-punk sound fit for a seedy 3am nightclub. The black-and-white music video has an epilepsy warning so approach with caution if interested! 'Claw' is taken from four-track EP Conditions II which continues to delve into the subconscious throughout. Last year I noticed that new material from The Horrors was on Spotify's New Music Friday UK playlist. I'm not too well-versed in the band's back catalogue but I'm so pleased that I gave 'The Silence That Remains' a go as it was love at first listen. This song has done phenomenally well to place within the top 15 of a points-based EOY as it was only released during October. 'The Silence That Remains' is fittingly about putting the past to bed, as the current iteration of the band includes new members keyboardist Amelia Kidd and drummer Jordan Cobb, on top of founding frontman Faris Badwan and bassist Rhys Webb. Badwan offers a smoky, captivating vocal performance while Kidd also effectively adds to the atmosphere with her whispery backing vocals. The goth-rock meets post-punk production, with its gloomy guitars, quietly alluring drums and electronica elements really creep up on you during the verses and ramp up into an electrifying rush during the chorus. 'The Silence That Remains' is taken from the band's upcoming sixth album Night Life, to be released in March. DJ salute finally made a Rina Sawayama collaboration happen last year after being friends for a decade and producing on her first album. The result was 'saving flowers', a speed garage meets French house floorfiller that samples 'Asayake' by Casiopea, a deliberate homage to Rina's Japanese heritage. Sawayama is a great fit in the electronic world and delivers her fluffy, romantic lyrics so dreamily, as the 'hands in the air' moment of the song before the drop. This was a staple on my Spring playlist and hung around in my personal chart top 10 for a long time despite never making #1. I was already hyped for Billie Eilish's new album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT but that anticipation only grew stronger upon learning that one of the tracks was called 'CHIHIRO'. I would count Spirited Away as one of my favourite films so was intrigued that Billie had named a song after the protagonist of the movie. She claims to be a big Studio Ghibli fan and the inspiration bleeds into the song through themes of being lost and found. 'CHIHIRO' blends quite a few genres with its alt-pop sounds, R&B flavours and even ambient house exploration. Those electronic synths are given a lot of room to breathe and develop beautifully throughout. I also love the guitar grooves and twinkly keys. The song structure shifts throughout and the same can be said for Billie's vocal performance, which reaches stunning highs during the elongated chorus. The music video depicts a toxic relationship and also stars Nat Wolff, a name I have not thought about in a long time, as he featured on the Nickelodeon show The Naked Brothers Band when I was a kid. 'CHIHIRO' was a top 10 hit in the U.K. where it peaked at #7 thanks to album release week support.

Aww so close to my favourite Jadakissnia entry of the year also being the highest on the list, only a 1 point gap! 'Monolith' also settled for being a 15 pointer but I think my top 2 of that contest was my favourite of the whole year (it lost out to Backxwash) so it was unfortunate to not be another gold medal from me, another gloriously moody track, very Drab Majesty esque and another one that works really well as a nighttime driving song. :wub: 'Got No Reason To Forgive' is also a great entrancing track though, I think I liked it more than I remembered on this relisten, but it was one that 'only' got 8 points from me.

 

Really like all 10 songs from this section but my biggest faves are ofc Everything Everything (can do no wrong, more 10/10 no notes indie pop etc., complete nonsense lyrics but hooks for days), Fontaines D.C. (really nailing the wholesome nostalgic vibe on this one, agreed that it's an instantly timeless sound, think this one is narrowly my favourite of the charting songs from this album) and The Horrors (I've heard bits and pieces from them throughout their career - and it just recently dawned on me how long they've been around when I was doing a nostalgic rewatch of The Mighty Boosh and they popped up as guest stars in the finale episode :lol: - but I've never been more excited about them than I am now, this is my favourite song I've ever heard from them and 'Lotus Eater', while very different, is also excellent so can't wait to hear what else is in store on the album). The Chalk song again probably has the potential to be up there as well if I gave them more time as they're right in line with the sounds that I stan of late but this is only my second time hearing this song, will definitely check out the new EP (I see they've released a second single from it this week!)

 

'Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth' was another inspired cover choice (of another song I've not heard the original of :kink:) and love the operatic vocals on it. I found 'Training Season' more instant than 'Houdini' but I think the latter has actually held up a bit better for me so 'Training Season' now my least favourite of the 3 singles but still a very good pop tune. 'saving flowers' definitely delivered for me as a promising sounding collaboration, I remember it seemed to be gaining traction on Apple Music briefly at one point so shame it never ended up charting (Rina not charting shocker etc.), hopefully salute can break through with something one day! And 'CHIHIRO' was another Billie song that took a couple of listens to click with me properly but I do really like it now, particularly love the synth outro but I think the song overall is pretty well paced, it was a bold choice for her to push this song with a music video before the more obvious choice of 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' (and 'WILDFLOWER' which still doesn't have a video!) but I love that such a leftfield song was boosted into the UK top 10 by her fanbase *.*

Hi Jade

 

'Monolith' that was a song that received 7pts in BJSC 165 from East Rukahavian

 

'Training Season' it was a good song from Dua Lipa.

 

'CHIHIRO' again another highlight from Billie Eilish.

 

 

Aww so close to my favourite Jadakissnia entry of the year also being the highest on the list, only a 1 point gap! 'Monolith' also settled for being a 15 pointer but I think my top 2 of that contest was my favourite of the whole year (it lost out to Backxwash) so it was unfortunate to not be another gold medal from me, another gloriously moody track, very Drab Majesty esque and another one that works really well as a nighttime driving song. :wub: 'Got No Reason To Forgive' is also a great entrancing track though, I think I liked it more than I remembered on this relisten, but it was one that 'only' got 8 points from me.

 

Really like all 10 songs from this section but my biggest faves are ofc Everything Everything (can do no wrong, more 10/10 no notes indie pop etc., complete nonsense lyrics but hooks for days), Fontaines D.C. (really nailing the wholesome nostalgic vibe on this one, agreed that it's an instantly timeless sound, think this one is narrowly my favourite of the charting songs from this album) and The Horrors (I've heard bits and pieces from them throughout their career - and it just recently dawned on me how long they've been around when I was doing a nostalgic rewatch of The Mighty Boosh and they popped up as guest stars in the finale episode :lol: - but I've never been more excited about them than I am now, this is my favourite song I've ever heard from them and 'Lotus Eater', while very different, is also excellent so can't wait to hear what else is in store on the album). The Chalk song again probably has the potential to be up there as well if I gave them more time as they're right in line with the sounds that I stan of late but this is only my second time hearing this song, will definitely check out the new EP (I see they've released a second single from it this week!)

 

'Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth' was another inspired cover choice (of another song I've not heard the original of :kink:) and love the operatic vocals on it. I found 'Training Season' more instant than 'Houdini' but I think the latter has actually held up a bit better for me so 'Training Season' now my least favourite of the 3 singles but still a very good pop tune. 'saving flowers' definitely delivered for me as a promising sounding collaboration, I remember it seemed to be gaining traction on Apple Music briefly at one point so shame it never ended up charting (Rina not charting shocker etc.), hopefully salute can break through with something one day! And 'CHIHIRO' was another Billie song that took a couple of listens to click with me properly but I do really like it now, particularly love the synth outro but I think the song overall is pretty well paced, it was a bold choice for her to push this song with a music video before the more obvious choice of 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' (and 'WILDFLOWER' which still doesn't have a video!) but I love that such a leftfield song was boosted into the UK top 10 by her fanbase *.*

I gave Backxwash 12 points so can't begrudge that blocking me from your 18 too much! Happy to hear that 'Got No Reason to Forgive' has grown on you further after a re-listen, woo.

 

Need to educate myself further on The Horrors! Although I read the YT comments and people seem to think this is a return to form after their last couple of eras, so maybe I'm jumping aboard at just the right time. Oh yeah I think Chalk's new song 'Afraid' was in my Release Radar playlist and it was yet another good'un from them <3

 

Both Caroline reworkings introduced me to the original songs too! Inspired Queen. Gah at us usually being so in sync but having the exact reverse order of preference when it comes to Dua's latest trio of singles :o although tbf they all made my weekly top 10 :lol: oh yes I remember that brief period when 'saving flowers' was dipping into the Apple Chart and playlisted by R1, shame it never took off properly. Glad that 'CHIHIRO' did end up clicking with you *.* a fantastic top 10 addition to her catalogue. Oh yes, I wonder when a 'WILDFLOWER' video is coming :thinking:

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Hi Jade

 

'Monolith' that was a song that received 7pts in BJSC 165 from East Rukahavian

 

'Training Season' it was a good song from Dua Lipa.

 

'CHIHIRO' again another highlight from Billie Eilish.

Hey Mack,

 

Great to see the 'Monolith' love in this thread so far *.*

 

I wanted to love Radical Optimism a bit more but 'Training Season' was a fabulous single.

 

Glad you're also a 'CHIHIRO' fan :heart:

 

thank you for commenting <3

'Angel Of My Dreams' was such a brilliant debut from JADE. It sounded so unique in the charts and was a brilliant way for her to show her own identity outside of Little Mix.

 

'yes, and' is obviously a favourite of mine :wub: Ariana had left us waiting for far too long without new music and I was not expecting this to be what she finally came back with. She keeps us waiting even longer with the long intro too :lol:

 

'Training Season' was definitely my favourite from Dua in this era. I'll be interested to see if she goes for a different sound next time she releases music.