Chez Wombat

4. Snapped Ankles - Pay The Rent My introduction to Snapped Ankles, a post-punk group with elements of performance art and art rock, whom keep their identities secret, performing in ghillie suits, claiming to be 'forest folks...descended from the trees' (was I ever not going to stan them with that description x) came earlier in the year with Raoul that was played on 6Music, it was a rather brilliant standout song with a great electro-rock chorus to match the quirky vocals. The follow-up though was when I knew that I was fully on board - Pay The Rent is a fast-paced song with quickfire vocals focusing on social commentary of the cost of living crisis in the UK and how it affects people in the arts, presumably including small-scale bands themselves. They have called it 'dancing at the misery of the situation' and you can certainly believe that, it's an immediately infectious track with a synth line that echoes throughout and a wonderful industrial soundscape, it feels raw and homemade and that is certainly intentional given the subject matter and is the sort of thing you won't find on mainstream radios. The accompanying album, Hard Times Furious Dancing, expanded this moribund dancefloor to a whole album and was one of my highlights of the year. Oh yeah, and this one DNQed in BJSC as well, you're all weird xx

5. KASHIWA Daisuke - Ice Acclaimed Music was a great music geek resource listing aggregated lists for the most acclaimed songs and albums of all time and serves as a great directory to the best music, I loved browsing the lists and going on the attached forums. Sadly this year, they announced there would be no more updates as the creator has various personal commitments that means time for it is limited, however I still make several good discoveries on their forums that are still continuing, I was fortunate enough to check this one out in the Unacclaimed section listing albums that haven't got enough attention and it really gave me one of my favourite artist discoveries. I already have a penchant for Japanese modern classical/art-prog-type music (see films/ricco label for more on that x) so adding another one was great. KASHIWA has been making music a while, but remains quite under-the-radar, I'm not sure how to describe his music other than quite transcending - taking the genre of classical and spanning various genres including electronic, ambient, shoegaze, industrial, his songs really take you on journeys and throw just about everything at them to create a truly rich and absorbing soundscape. His hour long composition Sons is a great example of it if you do happen to have a spare hour, I very nearly trolled BJSC with this but decided this one was more apt x Ice (nothing to do with US Immigration thugs don't worry x) starts with a calm, serene piano that instantly pulls you into a calming atmosphere, it blossoms throughout with strings, orchestra, drums, percussion, just about everything you can throw at it and yet stays around that core piano melody to create an immersive experience. It really made me wonder where this artist was all my life and I will be quick to check his future work out x

6. Daniel Avery feat. Allison Mossheart - Greasy Off the Racing Line Daniel Avery has established himself as one of my favourite dance producers over the last few years, his intense, atmospheric and dark industrial style really stands out and Tremor was an excellent album. There were several great collaborations on the album, including Ellie from Wolf Alice finally getting her time to shine not to mention the instrumentals, but this one, featuring the lead singer of The Kills, is my favourite. A sense of menace surrounds this track, from the very hushed verses to harsh drops in the chorus and the gritty techno-industrial production , it's sold particularly well by Mossheart who sounds positively ready to pounce with her restrain in the verses turning into full grown lust in the verses and adds a post-punk edge to a song, which adds to the diversity and genre exploration that really marks the album out.

Congrats Scene, I forgot you won last year as well, very impressive! Despite what I said earlier, I do think it is good that we have a more inspired winner, and it was a really good one (most I've liked a Marina song in a while). I'm very happy with 3rd behind those two juggernauts, obvs this definitely had the well known factor, but I still wasn't quite sure it would catch on that much so that veto was a blessing in disguise! many thanks all for voting x Would've liked Artemas, Sophie Powers and especially Aitana doing a bit better but it's always quite hard for less well known songs here. Thanks for hosting, Jonjo!

I know I have deducted for cheapness before, but in this case I can't pretend the next best song was even a tenth as good as Headphones On, so I am happy for the obvious winner on this occasion x CUNTISSIMO is a hell of an earworm too so glad to see that doing well. Very pleased with 3rd so far, thanks very much all, it was my second choice, my first one wasn't quite pop enough, (doing really well with the vetoes recently *__) but it is my favourite from her songs this year and shows her incisive and emotional songwriting and this has made me appreciate it further.

Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger Sylvian Sakamoto - Bamboo Houses / Bamboo Music (Favourite discovery made here, always love more Sakamoto) Pink Floyd - When The Tigers Broke Free Duran Duran - Save A Prayer Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five - The Message The Cure, Talk Talk and Carly Simon just missing out

Yes, this was a really great film. I did enjoy the first one, but I did understand some of the criticisms with regards to tone and focus throughout, this one got it much more on point. One plot strand being a brutal and bloody exploration of the depravities of evil and also the loose nonsense that can arise from cults (I do gather the Saville look was meant to add to them being evil, although in the timeline of the films given the outbreak was in the 2000s, his crimes weren't widely known then so I'm wondering how they symbolised him given he wasn't that prominent in the 90s and they were also children of the Teletubbies...but that's just my mind picking at things x) and one being a rather beautiful exploration by Kelson with him bonding and treating the Alpha, it was really wonderfully done with his gradual transition and little hints like him initially seeing the human as an infected, eating berries, saying 'moon' and the train scene which felt like a brilliant, poetic ending to it. The conversation between lead Jimmy and Kelson was excellent too, felt like a real meeting of minds that was intense yet calm. Asides though, it was still wonderfully brutal and yet very funny at the same time. The Iron Maiden scene is indeed fantastic, Ralph was having the absolute time of his life there x Pleased to hear the third one has been greenlit, it looks like it can expand a lot on the themes of this one and with some original characters back as well. I did read this had underperformed a bit in it's opening weekend, but hopefully it can stabilise, especially as there is certainly viral potential with THAT scene!

01; Can't Get You Out Of My Head -x- 02; I Should Be So Lucky 03; Slow 04; Spinning Around -x- 05; Especially For You 06; Hand On Your Heart -x- 07; XMAS 08; Tears On My Pillow I agree her number 2s are much better overall, Can't Get You... is the only one I really like.

Ooh yes, that is a really good set of songs, that second half is amazing <3 Vengaboys a fairly easy first pick x

I'm like Jade in that I have near encyclopaedic knowledge of my first few years in the contest (it was back in the days of MP3s so still have a lot of them in my library), that gradually tapered off and now, with contests coming so quickly and having to balance day to day adult life around it, I forget the majority of songs after the contest is finished, even those I pointed, though I do store my own entries on a playlist so I never forget them.

With Every Heartbeat definitely my number 1 of the year too, it was quite remarkable seeing a song like that get to number 1, I didn't really know who she was at the time and the song came out of nowhere, but I do remember it getting a lot of plays on the music channels and the memorable video really stuck with me. Over time, I've definitely grown to appreciate the raw emotion, vulnerability and heartbreak she conveys and the shimmering production throughout culminating with strings and then the heartbeat like synth outro, it's wonderfully structured. She'd do this again with Dancing On My Own a few years later, but it's an excellent example of dance pop with real emotion. Mika definitely felt like a name that was everywhere at the time (when Sound Of... actually meant something and didn't just use previous chart success as a deciding factor), I did get a bit sick of his other songs, but Grace Kelly still really works, conveys his very quirky style well and the chorus is a hell of an earworm.

Quite strange that the traitors looked utterly hopeless a week ago and now look in a very strong position. A real shame to lose Jessie, definitely the best faithful this year after Harriet totally imploded, but definitely the right thing to do as she'd have worked up enough for support for Stephen eventually. Really quite surprising he didn't pick up a single vote, and Rachel could easily take the second dagger and this lot don't seem to be able to know any better. Hopefully can go down to the wire (and please not completely destroying the tension like last year's Seer) I do love how Roxy is just always one step away from actually being right and then falters again, worst faithful this year surely unless there's a last minute escalation x

Mellow Yellow's a real classic, shame to see that so low down. Only other of my votes to drop so far is Peanut Butter Jelly, which is still a lot of fun but I'll give you that it hasn't dated the best.

7. Maria Somerville - Projections I technically discovered this at the tail end of 2024, but it still was a great soundtrack to the dark, grey days in the following January. I had never heard of this artist prior to this year so was very pleased to discover another shoegaze/post-punk/dreampop singer-songwriter. It took me until the end of the year to check out the parent album, Luster, but it was worth the wait with it's atmospheric and dreamy nature in much the same way as classic 90s dreampop from Cocteau Twins. Projections is my favourite though, an unfortunate BJSC flop, it has nonetheless stuck with me. Her vocals are soft on this but they are masterful at conveying a mood, with minimal backing and an ambient soundscape with light guitars, it is these alone that convey the sense of longing and the dream-like feel of the song. It's really quite striking and I would highly recommend the album if you like this one x

8. Addison Rae - Headphones On I'm here and there with these young hyped Influencer/Tik Tok, it's not a sphere I'm fully engaged with and sometimes I feel a bit like an old man yelling at a cloud, but I can definitely appreciate when some genuine talent shines through and Addison Rae's debut was a fantastic, diverse pop album with several atmospheric gems, but I wouldn't have checked it out if it weren't for this one. A gorgeous R'n'B/electronic song with Trip Hop influences, the song describes the universal remedy of music as an escape from her problems, you certainly feel the dark and vulnerable undertones to the suffering she must be facing yet the soothing vibe and relaxing feel of the instrumental reflects that joy that comes from music and it really is a comforting track for me as well, and it's aided by a beautifully realised Icelandic-set video which has a clever play on double meaning and music transporting you somewhere else. The whole package could easily fit on a 90s Bjork or Madonna album so...what's not to like x