Posted December 29, 2025Dec 29 It's that time of year in that dead gap between Christmas and New Year where I rank my favourite songs of the year. I do want to actually do a full countdown this time as I think I'm in a better place to. 2025 has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me personally, but throughout I have managed to keep up pretty well with music of the year and have a very solid list. Though mainstream-wise, it's definitely been a huge step down on 2024 which culturally felt like the best year for music in a long time. I blame Alex Warren xI will also start with my countdowns in Film, TV and Albums, I don't want to burn myself out so they'll just be standard lists with no commentary, but I may have posted thoughts on them in the relevant thread xI as always appreciate all comments and reading throughout!
December 29, 2025Dec 29 Author Albums1. Night Tapes – portals//polarities2. Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker I Will Always Love You3. Snapped Ankles – Hard Times Furious Dancing4. Sudan Archives – The BPM5. Maria Somerville – Luster6. Gelli Haha - Switcheroo7. Ethel Cain – Perverts8. Lily Allen – West End Girl9. Wolf Alice – The Clearing10. Oklou – Choke EnoughSubject to change as I do still need to listen to a few acclaimed albums once the lists are out (LUX is definitely top of my list, but I do want to do a deep dive with her), all of these artists will have one song from each era appear in my top 50 as per my own self-imposed rules (the Ethel Cain albums are both very different beasts so feels right to acknowledge them both), the exception is Lily Allen which I did feel worked better as a single piece of work rather than having individual highlights.FilmsFlowNo Other LandNosferatuHallow RoadOne Battle After AnotherSinnersMemoir of a SnailWeaponsFrankensteinBring Her BackAll We Imagine As LightDreams/Love/Sex: DreamsSorry BabySavagesFinal Destination: BloodlinesK-Pop Demon Hunters28 Years LaterSeptember 5BugoniaThe BrutalistMay still be able to add Marty Supreme this year depending on if I see it before Wednesday. A pretty decent year for films overall, Flow I think will go down as an all time favourite which I haven't found in a while <3TVPluribusAdolescenceSeveranceThe StudioBlack MirrorThe Traitors + Celebrity Traitors (probably the first reality show I am ever putting on here x)The Last of UsOnly Murders In The BuildingPrehistoric Planet: Ice AgeSean Combs: The ReckoningA few I do need to finish like The Beast in Me, Alien: Earth, The War Between the Land and the Sea and Invincible and a few names I will probably belatedly start. Didn't think Adolescence could be challenged but Vince Gilligan proved me wrong x
December 30, 2025Dec 30 Author Saltillo – Hair on the Head of John the BaptistKneecap & Paul Hartnoll - Sayonara Perfume Genius feat. Aldous Harding – No Front Teeth HUNTR/X - Golden Yndling - It's Almost Like You're Here Jinkasei - angels Fcukers – I Like It Like That Four Tet – Into Dust (Still Falling) Sabrina Carpenter - ManchildBlood Orange – Look at YouStarting the top 50 off is Blood Orange, I'm aware of a few songs by him but this cut from his fifth album is the most I've been captivated by him, his sparse and soulful vocals blare over a minimal, ambient synth and orchestral backing that is striking and atmospheric, it changes midway though as he switches to a softly spoken vocal where it takes a more poignant, elegiac tone. He was struggling with grief from his close friend Mac Miller and his mother when he recorded this and it shows, it does make me interested to check out the album even if I'm not familiar with his past work. Another here you may not know is Jinkasei, I get recommended several of what I would call moody breakcore in the style of Sewerslvt with classical instruments thrown in and they are always great, sometimes hard-hitting if sometimes blending into one another, Jinkasei stood out to me as it interpolates the verses from Linkin Park's Numb and putting it in a breakbeat context is the sort of innovative reinvention that works really well and it jumps into a beat frenzy at the end somewhat reflecting the tormented mood throughout.Several songs here from the ever-reliable 6Music/critic sphere, Four Tet is a slow building minimalist dance track made up of just one lyrical couplet: 'Still Falling/Breathless at once' over a lush string and beat backing which creates a wonderful slow build. Fcukers were not an act I was familiar with but this single (and Play Me) were both pretty banging electronic tracks with a catchy hook, some summery and silly lyrics as well as some addictive, throwback production that make it instantly memorable that could easily fit in amongst a Charli XCX album. Perfume Genius is an act that's been around a while but I've never fully checked out, I've got to say his voice is still 50/50 for me, but No Front Teeth is a great song with ever-changing tempos and switch-ups that goes a lot of places over it's six minute runtime and Harding gives a wonderful wistful vocal in the chorus that is part ballad and part full on rock stomper.I first became aware of Kneecap with their excellent (loose) biopic last year, they specialise in Irish language hip hop and are unashamedly forthright in their solidarity with working class culture, Irish Republicanism and rights of language, as you can expect, still it was great to see their music getting airplay at the start of the year, sadly their forthright calling out of genocide didn't please the corrupt capitalist suits and they wasted no time in digging up past clips (out of context mainly) to run them in the media and paint them in the worst possible light, thankfully they have avoided any charges and still got to play at Glastonbury, this whole thing only appealed them more to me but it is a shame it meant their music was blacklisted by BBC, thankfully then this remix of Sayonara came about later in the year when the dust had settled a bit (and Bob Vylan had stole most of their outrage x) which allowed me something, it might not be as raw as their other work but the pulsating, fast paced beats combined with their typically brash Irish delivery is still a treat and I'm glad I got to include them in some way here.On the mainstream side, some of these certainly seem divisive but I am unable to resist - K-Pop Demon Hunters has been the cultural phenomenon of the year, a movie of that title certainly had no business being as good as it was and the excellent soundtrack by fictional group, HUNTR/X is definitely part of it's appeal. Golden is your classic 'I've realised who I am and going for it' centrepiece song that we've seen in many Disney films, and I initially preferred others from the soundtrack for being a little more musically interesting like How It's Done and the Saja Boys' Your Idol, but the sheer ubiquity of Golden just made it quite irresistable, it's much like Let It Go in that the power of the vocals (BAAARNABY), context of the film and anthemic, singalong factor (experiencing this a lot in real life too) really makes it memorable, it's one of the more interesting chart stories this year and one I'm fully behind. Sabrina Carpenter was also back for more, I just really like how she so easily pisses everyone off while clearly having the best time doing it and there's not many that can pull off a song about men that can't get it up and still get a massive hit with it, I do think the synth line apes Chappell's Good Luck Babe quite a bit, but Manchild is still a really fun, endearing song that really throws everything at that post chorus that makes it quite addictive.Finally some Buzzjack discoveries, BJSC moves so fast and with so many other song contests and just general life duties, I'm sad to say I forget more songs I vote for than I remember these days, but there is still some absolute hidden gems that I love discovering - The entry from Yndling is a beautiful, atmospheric journey with a suitably subtle and enigmatic Bjork-style vocal that culminates in a great guitar solo, it could fit very easily into a Twin Peaks soundtrack and that's always wonderful x Saltillo was a late year find but is the sort of under-the-radar thing I'd have never discovered without Buzzjack, a 2006 song off one of the only musical works from a multi-instrumentalist who is primarily a painter, but he clearly beings his experimental passions to his music as well, with a distinctive title, the song is primarily built around excerpts from William Shakespeare's Hamlet with a trip hop and classical backing with the chorus occuring as a refrain, I'm not clued up enough on religious lore to see how John the Baptist links with Hamlet, but I'm sure he knew what he was doing and the result is a haunting, unique blend of modern and classical styles that stands out for miles.
December 31, 2025Dec 31 Hi there Chez!Nice to see "Golden" and "Manchild" at the start of your top 50 list!Can't wait for the rest!
December 31, 2025Dec 31 Just giving Look At You a listen now - the lyrics are certainly cryptic and need a bit of mulling over I think! Seems to go quite well with the backing track though.
December 31, 2025Dec 31 Chez, Happy New Year, looking forward to following your countdown as always!portals//polarities is a fantastic choice of favourite album and also made my top 10 when I quickly chucked a list together ❤️ I also really enjoyed those projects from Ethel Cain x2, Snapped Ankles, Sudan Archives, Lily Allen and of course, Jadakissnia alumnus Oklou - so taste on point as ever. I wanted to love The Clearing more, as the bar was so high from previous projects, but it does still have its moments.You planning a ROSALÍA deep dive is music to my ears 😍 her last three albums have been my AOTY for 2018, 2022 and 2025 (just to balance out the stanning, her more flamenco style first album isn't quite as earth-shattering for me, but still solid and contains the BJSC DNQ 'Catalina') so I hope you enjoy them even a fraction as much.At some point I'd definitely recommend a deep dive of Dave's three albums too. All critically acclaimed with a lot of interesting commentary, wordplay and beautiful piano/string instrumentation. So I think you could potentially enjoy them as well even if rap isn't usually your genre of choice.I've really slowed down the movie watching recently due to BJSC hosting, getting ill, 2006 #1s and now EOY planning oops but I'll aim to get back on top of it in the new year, Oscar season is usually good motivation. From your list I've only seen One Battle After Another and The Brutalist but will expand on that, especially Flow!!My favourite songs to appear so far are: 'I Like It Like That', 'It's Almost Like You're Here' and 'Hair on the Head of John the Baptist' <3 love that those two entries performed so well too, especially for two nations who don't end up in that top tier very much.
December 31, 2025Dec 31 Interesting to see Night Tapes as your favourite album. I need to give that another chance as I listened to it a couple of times but then it got a bit drowned out by other big albums around the time for me - but I felt it would be a grower and I do vibe with the overall feel of it.But mainly I'm commenting to say that this has just made me realise that I have completely forgotten to watch Flow, even though I'm convinced that I would definitely love it. I may have to rent it tomorrow as I feel like that would be an excellent way to begin 2026 - so thank you for reminding me of it!
January 1Jan 1 Author Thanks for the comments all <3 I'm always here to remind people of Flow x-x-CMAT – Euro-CountrySofia Kourtesis & Daphni - UnidosRobyn - DopamineJane Remover & Danny Brown – PsychoboostTropical f*** Storm – Dunning Kruger’s Loser CruiserKelly Lee Owens – ASCENDNuovo Testamento – Picture Perfectbdrmm – Lake DisappointmentSmerz – You Got Time & I Got Money Ionna Lee – STILL BLUECMAT had a very good year last year, while I have liked and appreciated a lot of the wit and clever songwriting her songs, not a lot of them have withstood the huge overplay, so I'm pleased that the title track from her recent album made me get the hype a bit more. A song written about the post Celtic Tiger economic downturn in Ireland after the 2008 financial crash includes an Irish language opening which feeds in nicely to the feeling of disconnection from her cultural identity that persists in the song, deceptively produced in quite an upbeat manner, the song is a great example of her anger wrapped in gloss. Also here is Peruvian DJ, Sofia Kourtesis, also sent to BJSC this year, with a great dance tune that melds multiple house, soul, disco strings and R'n'B styles into a great progressing dance song that moves along at a leisurely pace but never loses you. Another female dance producer is Kelly Lee Owens, I'm sad I wasn't more aware of her work earlier in all honesty as this led me to her past work in Dreamstate and this dreamy, trance-inspired production is right up my street, ASCEND is no exception with a progressing beat and breathy, subtle vocals about being outside your mind takes you on a rave journey (The album cover is a choice though x).Norwegian duo, Smerz had Pitchfork's #2 song of the year, I'd never heard of them before so it came out of the blue, and it's certainly a subtle kind of beauty but one that does really sneak up on you, it's Lounge style with prim strings and a hazy synth backing along with some relaxed vocals about taking it easy and some frank vocals about her having enough money to cater to them both, it's got that refreshing Scandinavian wit (I saw Sentimental Value yesterday, a Norwegian drama so am fresh off experiencing more of that) that makes it stand out. On the less subtle side is Tropical f*** Storm, a random Apple Music new music find and you can kind of tell from that conundrum of a title you're in for a ride and it definitely is with eclectic vocals slurring along to a loose song structure that still throws up a few surprises, it's difficult to really convey that zaniness in words so if you're a fan of experimental rock, then do take a listen x Jane Remover was another crazy Apple Music find, probably recommended from that being in BJSC and me listening to the playlist but predictably I don't remember that one x But I definitely don't remember it being as striking as this one - Danny Brown's frantic, lightning fast verses fit wonderfully with the mad hyperpop-esque production that is grounded by Jane's refrains, one for the running playlist xRobyn's comeback after many years was instantly distinctively her, getting that emotional yet danceable mix just right, fittingly for a song titled Dopamine, it's relentless with it's energy and catchiness and was a pretty instant favourite however late in the year it came. Finally, some BJSC adjacent acts starting with Nuovo Testamento, this is just a really addictive little song, with so much feel good energy and great vibes in it's pristine synths and her sunny vocals, just a really nice summery track in (just about) less than three minutes. A former BJSC act, bdrmm is next and they continue to be one of the most interesting and underrated alternative acts at the moment, if my last BJSC entry felt like a classic Radiohead track, this one keeps those atmospheric sounds of dread with a drum'n'bass beat, the distorted vocals add a further unease as the atmosphere takes over, and a retro BJSC artist combining her previous guise (iamamiwhoami) with her birth name to be just known as ionnalee but you may better remember her as iamamiwhoami in which it's been at least a decade until I thought about, I confess her older songs were a bit hit and miss, I wasn't quite as much as an indie hermit then though. This one came to my attention as it was used as the trailer song to the London Film Festival, one of my favourite experiences of last year so I will naturally associate it with that, however the song itself is a lovely song with her extensive range being used just right here in a beautiful chorus and some lovely strings accompanying it. Fitting for a trailer as it's bursting with life.
Friday at 20:285 days Author 21. Model/Actriz - Cinderella22. HAIM – Relationships23. Tame Impala – End of Summer24. Merely & Malibu – Arpeggiated Romance25. Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke – A Fake in a Faker’s World26. Ethel Cain – Amber Waves27. PinkPantheress - Tonight28. Lady Gaga - Abracadabra29. Kieran Hebden & William Tyler – Secret City30. Mount Palomar & Makeshift Art Bar – Pass The ParcelFirst up in this section is the second release I've heard from Mount Palomar, they were the act behind my 2023 BJSC entry, terra firma with Enola Gay, this has a strikingly similar sound vocally (in fact, that was the reason I didn't send this one to BJSC too!) but Makeshift Art Bar are a different band, so I guess he just has a clear style and type of artist he works with. Anyway, the song itself merges electronic ambience with post-punk in the same excellent combination, with pulsating beats and a vocal style that slowly evolves in intensity leading up to a memorable chorus and dark atmosphere throughout, reminds me a lot of the Prodigy and that can only be a good thing. Kieran Hebden & William Tyler was entirely a pitchfork discovery, I'm quite surprised they are so charitable to a seven minute guitar ambient instrumental, I can now see this is actually Four Tet under his real name so I guess he features twice! The collaboration with avant garde folk artist, Tyler, is a lovely, slow building guitar instrumental with a rising synth backing that never really takes off in a sense, but is happy to lull in it's feel good, languid pace and while that might be a lot for some, I personally think it's a really nice track. Hey, speaking of, there's another artist here with two songs - Ethel Cain, while on the surface appearing like another folk singer-songwriter type, always had an experimental streak as seen by the brilliant Ptolemaea from Preacher's Daughter, and the Perverts release at the start of the year, preceding Willoughby Tucker..., is a 90 minute long album doubling down on this sound, with various ambient, drone, super unsettling songs with not many vocals and lengths going up to 15 minutes, it feels like a bit of a troll release in a way, but it's right up my street and my favourite from it was Amber Waves - starting with the spoken line 'I would recommend you take as much as you need to make you feel good' and ending with 'I can't feel anything' sets a precedent for the dark tone to come, I think this is one that manages to merge Ethel's styles well without being too intense (that'd be housofpsychoticwomn shudders), with Ethel's mournful and restrained vocals and devastating lyrics ambling over the delicate piano, it's heartbreakingly beautiful and the guitars ramping up ever so slightly at the end match the rising intensity.Of the more well known artists, HAIM's album is still on my list to listen to, but I was a fan of the singles and Relationships felt particularly distinctive for them, merging an R'n'B, distorted sound to match their usual blues guitar sound feels fresh and really suits Danielle. Lyrically, it's as blunt and tight as always from them. Lady Gaga is not an act that's produced an essential song in a long time for me, as unpopular an opinion as that is, the Sour Candy era just didn't click. That's definitely changed with Abracadabra though, nothing will top Edge of Glory for me but I'd put in safely on par with most of the Fame Monster/Born This Way era. It sounds classically Gaga (on first listen, I thought it was just aping Bad Romance, yet I came to realise that it just has that same charm she exuberates on that song. It's so nice to hear the safe, radio-friendly pop out the window and instead bringing a wonderful chaotic, extravagant charm to the verses and that chorus is just glorious and even a choir at one point, it's everything I came to admire about Gaga and refreshing to hear she's still got it. PinkPantheress has had a great year and though Illegal seems to be the critics choice, I do prefer this one, the wonderful garage based production, infectious repeated vocals (like what?) and wonderful flow between verses and chorus, she's come a long way from the bedroom garage she became famous for yet glossier production aside, she hasn't strayed too far and still produces bitesize throwback bangers. Tame Impala continue to be an act I enjoy most of the work from though I've been hesistant to engage more this time due to the poor reviews and the fact that the other singles have been probably his worst oops x but End of Summer at least is a favourite, it's progressive dance sound and great synths proving a very good fit for him, the continual beat drops and switch ups over the eight minute length make it an intense song to explore.I am still trying to work my way through all the Radiohead albums (heard Kid A the other day and predictably enjoyed it x) but this project by Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke was a good thing to check out in the meantime, 6Music played This Conversation is Missing Your Voice, but on the album, my favourite was definitely A Fake in a Faker's World, an eight minute creeping track which combines Thom's ever-distinctive falsetto with Pritchard's murky and slow-building production, this charm is felt throughout the rest of the album, but this one stood out to me in particular. Lastly, two songs with song contest links, I liked what I knew of Model/Actriz mainly from Bre sending them to BJSC, but this one getting 6Music airplay and being sent to BJSC really caught my attention, it's eclectic production and personal lyrics about the frontman's story of becoming the person that can admit who he'd like to dress up as for his birthday parties a great piece of experimental work with meaning behind it. The collaboration between producers Merely and Malibu is a holdover from last year but still fed into this year, especially with the success in Club Bizarre. Merely's Backdraft was a favourite BJSC discovery of mine, this is something of a different style with a beautiful ambient atmosphere throughout, a wonderful track to walk to and triumpn ofc. for female producers x
Saturday at 23:194 days Love seeing "Relationships" on here and I like seeing "End Of Summer", "Tonight" and "Abracadabra" in the top 30.
Saturday at 23:424 days A top 3 of TV shows I know and love! All ambitious and remarkable in their own way. I think Severance was my favourite of the three though, I was gripping from start to finish (especially both finales!!). Obviously loving the Traitors representation too.West End Girl in the albums and loving Abracadabra, Golden and Manchild from the songs so far!
Tuesday at 20:491 day Author 11. james K – Play12. Wolf Alice – Bloom Baby Bloom13. Oklou feat. Underscores – Harvest Sky14. Gorillaz feat. Trueno & Proof – The Manifesto15. Florence & The Machine – Everybody Scream16. Gelli Haha – Funny Music17. Princess Nokia – Blue Velvet18. Bambie Thug - REDRUM19. Another Country $$$$ - TETHER20. Barry Can’t Swim – The Person You’d Like to BeThe top 20 starts off with Barry Can't Swim, I've really liked the few songs I've heard from him and am pleased about his gradual rise to award nominated superpower, but I don't think any have been quite as striking as this one. Instantly kicking off with harsh sirens and an atmospheric, slow guitar line, the spoken word section says 'Change, there is nothing permanent except change', this then changes to a spoken word vocal with, as you'd expect from a title like this, motivational statements in a similar style to Baz Luhrmann's iconic 1999 number 1, Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) saying 'you are an exceptional person' and 'Try not to laugh so hard at everyone's jokes', so far so amusing, but as the production becomes more layered and dream-like, using laugh soundbites and maintaining those blaring calls and steady bassline, the lyrics grow darker 'You miss something/you miss something you cannot name, or touch' and 'Can you hold my hand?/ I am frightened', which creates a really uneasy feeling and deeper look at the themes explored in ...Sunscreen and bears resemblence to the work of former BJSC act, Headache. I'm sad the January release kinda made me forget about it and that it didn't make more buzz as it's a real standout track and a great example of his talents in creating an immersive soundscape. A similarly quite under-the-radar Apple Music find, Gelli Haha, formerly known as Angel Abaya, this is the first time I've heard from her thanks to Apple Music and it was a really distinctive find. The Giorgio Moroder-esque synth line coupled with her angelic, almost soprano vocals, bizarre modified vocal samples and frequent changes in tempo in the verses and even a nonsensical bonk effect to end the track with make for something trippy and intriguing with lyrics contrasting the sometimes cartoonish track looking at the nature of playing the clown. The album, Switcheroo, is full of this sort of weird and wonderful cartoonish and playful songs combined with zany experimentation and diverse sounds so would recommend if you're into that xWe have three of my BJSC entries in a row, not intentional but pleasing nonetheless. First up, Princess Nokia, David Lynch's death was one of the hardest hitting for me, still exploring his material and working my way through Twin Peaks, he was a truly unique voice in cinema, so I'm pleased this song came along. Hip hop has been one genre it has been hard for me to find something I like and feel confident enough to send to BJSC and that has been bothering me so I'm pleased this came along to break that spell. The song itself in much the style of Lynch himself, is a dark, moody song that takes sexism and double standards back through history, naming the teachings Lilith, Adam and Eve enforcing these beliefs in the first verse to mythical depictions of femininity like Hades and Persephone before relating it to her own brutal r*pe experience, using Laura Palmer as an example of how women are objectified and mistreated. It's hard hitting and rough, but brilliantly done with the witchy production, creepy laughing in the background and eerie lullaby like piano echoing the uneasy atmosphere in so many Lynchian works. Speaking of dark and classic film references, Bambie Thug continues to be one of the best things to come out of Eurovision and if Doomsday Blue showed genius in it's dark veering between styles, REDRUM is their rebellious self in all it's anarchic and brash glory, with revolutionary inspired lyrics with that Irish twang still present and that absolute beautiful racket of a chorus, you'd worry you might find yourself dead if you don't believe their cry of running riot. Finally, ANOTHER COUNTRY $$$$ are, as the name suggests, an obscure experimental act I heard on early morning 6Music and it's the kind of weird glitchy dance music I'm really a fan of, the beautiful strings and guitar line throughout add a real depth to the glitchy distorted vocals and the DIY feel is very charming that they can concoct such a well-thought out piece.Tangentially related to my BJSC entries is my former BJSC act, james K whom has broken through quite a bit from late 2024 when I sent the beautiful Blinkmoth (July Mix), Friend has a lot of gorgeous soundscapes and dance exploration held together by her beautiful vocals and my favourite of them is play, is much more pop-friendly than the more lingering aforementioned song, but her falsetto vocals are no less beautiful and work brilliantly with the breakbeat production which still forms a wonderful soundscape on an album that proved her a lot more diverse than I thought. My Oklou pick for this countdown is actually a 2024 song, I know, but it was on the album so I counted it. I must apologise if Jim happens to read this as I didn't actually give it any points when it was in Club Bizarre, maybe a mix of cheapness (I have a right to judge that as I am never, ever cheap I'll have you know) and it just not clicking with me as much, but it really has throughout the year. The hypnotic trance beat fitting to the vocals in the chorus are infectious on their own but it's also got a charming quaint vibe to it in comparison to the rest of the album, especially as the song reflects the singer's childhood memories of bonfires in La Fête de la Saint-Jean (St. John's Eve) and this adds a personal level to the otherwise otherworldly electronic sound.Finally, three more well known names. Wolf Alice are probably my favourite band doing that classic British Indie sound, Blue Weekend was a fantastic album and thus far Last Man on Earth is by far my favourite song of the decade, so there was a lot resting on this follow up, but they've proven here that they still can surprise and innovate. Bloom Baby Bloom is a strikingly different sound which shows Ellie on absolute top form, opening with it's showtune like piano, the verses open with breathy and low key intensity before the chaotic chorus comes with a loud yell followed by a graceful simmering down, which I'm just realising now almost mimics a flower with it's seed, sudden shoot and flowering. It shows them at their most creative, and does stand out on an album largely filled with a retro kind of Fleetwooc Mac-esque rock sound, though a shoutout to The Sofa which was a great, more subtly beautiful moment. Gorillaz's album isn't out until later this year, but I've already heard the three singles several times, of them, I think The Manifesto is my favourite (sadly The Happy Dictator got absolutely rinsed by 6Music which soured it's admittedly-still greatness), a seven minute song with a lot going on - Trueno's Spanish first verse with building chanting in the background, transitioning to a more Gorillaz sound with an Eastern feel to the instrumental as Albarn sings cryptically about mountains before the radio friendly parts end and it descends into a much darker vibe as Proof's angry, vicious sounding verse before Trueno comes back with more intensity than before and Albarn takes back control in a gradual fade out with further ominous vibes. It's really quite striking as a whole and I really like that Gorillaz can still afford to be so experimental and blending many different international styles interesting over twenty years after their last big hit. Don't go for the radio edit for this one, it really takes out a lot of the song. I haven't really rated a Florence & The Machine song in a while, their last era was a bit of a write-off for me, but the witchy, Halloween aesthetic they were going for this time perked my interest and Everybody Scream fits that sound great, over a wailing backing, Ms Welch's always impressive vocals fit brilliantly as she plays the banshee over the dramatic and stadium-ready chorus. I haven't yet got round to the album, but did also like One of the Greats, with it's more restrained feel and candid lyrics.Phew, OK, top 10 coming next where we'll slow down a bit x
Yesterday at 19:021 day Nice to see "Bloom Baby Bloom" and "Everybody Scream" in your top 20 of the year.
Create an account or sign in to comment