Commisserations to all the eliminated mentors, I know there are plenty here I'd have loved to hear more from (Tove Lo only getting 2 songs?!), and as a big M83 stan I know they had so many more great songs they could have used. Also knew that both Agnes and Leona had good chances of getting back in but I didn't count on Kate Bush getting knocked out and then straight back in with her classic, feel for them.

Pretty decent acts getting back in but with good song choices from all so I'm happy on the round front.

So M83 weren't actually my first choice this time and someone beat me to it. That act is still in the competition so I will keep quiet for now, but I've always been a big fan of their massive soundscapes and epic scope (so good they cause @Brélican persistent amnesia x) so like with Bowie, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to explore their music a bit more, I did decide to mainly stick to Hurry Up We're Dreaming and before as the material since has been patchy - and I was really pleased to experience that along with Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, Before the Dawn Heals Us and Saturdays = Youth, they were fantastic albums which indeed just reinforced they good they are great soundscapes.

The groups looked competitive and I didn't think I'd be able to make it all the way to the live shows, I didn't really have a strategy and was just playing round by round with a handful of big ones I was saving, Oblivion was a good start, being a past BJSC winner, and Kim & Jessie was one of their most pop-leaning and well known of their singles, I sadly flew a bit too close to the sun with my next one...

I guess with how well Warszawa went down for me last time, I had some confidence that Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun may pick up similar levels of support but sadly it didn't quite click as I'd hoped with my intended crowd and I clearly got too overconfident in a pop music competition. I think the song reflects what M83 do best with the long, ambient soundscapes that create a resounding epic feeling , it might seen a bit static to some but this is what I love them for so I don't regret sending it and I would've at some point even if not then. And I think it very much fits the brief of 'could've been a single' within their context - M83 are hardly hitmakers and they've released instrumental tracks of the same length before, this one also received a music video and an edit which none of their album tracks have, plus it's their highest rated album track on RateYourMusic and was ranked as their best or amongst their best songs by many publications. M83 aren't really a singles band apart from the obvious one, a lot of what they didn't release are mainly longer, instrumental works so almost anything I'd picked would've likely been the same.

Outro though was always going to be my last pick, it's one of my all time favourites despite it's overuse in Media and just works so much better closing out anything. It would've been wiser for me to use this as my album track and I did consider it, but I would've been sacrificed this poetic moment otherwise. If I'd have sent Midnight City, I would've been doing it just to get back in, and I'm not sure it would've beaten Enjoy the Silence anyway (I would've ranked it lower myself!), and it would've gone unsent (and a bit of a hot take, it's far from their best for me, it's very good, but not sure I'd put it in my top 5 songs from them!) It was far more satisfying knowing I had no chance and being pleasantly surprised I finished in the top half with the perfect closer.

In the version of events I went with strategy and did send Outro to the album tracks round and that saved me (and for those of you that were interested in discovering some more songs from them) then I probably would've gone: Don't Save Us From The Flames for part 2 of Boot Camp > We Own the Sky for Six Chair > Wait for Judges Houses and I have literally no idea what I would've sent to the next part as they're almost all soundtrack interludes I'm not familiar with! Off the chance I made it through, it would've left me with Midnight City for this round. I would've also really wanted to send something like Dead Seas... like Run Into Flowers at some point.

Anyway, thanks all for having me again if for a shorter time this time, I still had a great time and good luck to those left, I of course will continue to throw my support behind the old men and women of the live shows as long as possible x And I may or may not have an idea of sneaking in an old woman to the Females round next time, let's see x

'Moonchild' or 'Don't Save Us From The Flames' or 'Teen Angst' or 'Farewell / Goodbye' would have been amazing to see at some point to say nothing of what 'Car Chase Terror!' would have done to everyone's minds <- delusional Before The Dawn Heals Us stan

But going out with 'Lower Your Eyelids' was really some rotten luck, well played Chez; 'Outro' was a good choice and my top score for this round.

Oh yeah, had I made it to another album track round, Car Chase Terror and Farewell/Goodbye would've been top of my list!