Jadaver

I think Lauren and Mark have great chemistry (Jacqueline Jossa's facial expressions in his presence are particularly brilliant) but the impact of this storyline feels diluted, as affairs have been so overdone recently, especially that damp squib of a Max/Priya one. I remember saying Ned had leading man potential when he arrived, as the actor was charismatic, but I'm not warming to this villainy speed-running either.

Apple Music: 89 Fontaines D.C. & ROSALÍA - Where Is Gone? 🥰

Well done John and Rollo for the 39 scores yesterday 🥳 today's game: Round 1: 27 (didn't get: Carly Simon, Paul Simon - that surname tripping me up today!) Round 2: 21 (didn't get: The Christians, Nazareth, Genesis, Matchbox) 3-in-10: 3 (You'll Never Walk Alone, I Like It, Ferry Cross The Mersey)

I voted for 'Riptide' but do enjoy both of these (and even heard 'Shake It' live when they supported Miley on tour many years ago lol)

Favourite: Out Of The Woods (this and exile are my top 2 Taylor songs, a 'Sophie's choice' moment!) Least favourite: Down Bad (this one has always just washed over me sadly)

Yeah what a singles run <3 felt like a proper old school rollout with all of them having music videos too. It was quite special to hear Lana and Addison duetting 'Diet Pepsi' together (and an unreleased Lana song called '57.5') when I went to the former's concert last year! I cannot wait to see where she goes next too. I'm a sucker for the synth pop sound (with 'Blinding Lights' and lost classic 'Less Than Zero' also particularly standing out, the disco-pop stuff with Daft Punk was great too) but he indeed had some amazing pre-breakthrough music, I'd be tempted to say 'House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls' is my second favourite song of his overall 🤩

ready for a redemption arc after my Boy Harsher soundalike cruelly flopped last time x

The new Fontaines / ROSALÍA collab is out now, I'm going to need the public to find some taste and make it a future #1 please 🤩

Wow this is stunning 😍 I immediately need a live performance. Even more excited for the album now based on this collab and the strong reviews. This week’s release schedule is stacked for me with new albums from Angèle, Fontaines and Sophia Stel <3

Oh it has to be Hurts 🖤 should've been way bigger than that!

Time to finally stan a Kai pairing again for the first time since he was with AJ Odudu as Delta is fab

Final update... BJSC 189Devil's Witches - Porno Witch Devil's Witches is a U.K. based project formed by multi-instrumentalist James Abilene, also known as Witchdoctor General, but has since welcomed several honorary members. This spooky artist name (as well as the 'witch' in the song title) comes at an apt time with Halloween just around the corner. I discovered this song when I was looking for similar music to 'Venus in Furs' by The Velvet Underground, after falling in love with it all over again, when counting down my all-time favourites. That song is inspired by an S&M novella, so unsurprisingly, I came across quite a few similarly lewd songs and 'Porno Witch' really caught my attention. 'Porno Witch' is inspired by Mary Millington, who was an English model, escort and adult film actress who also ran a sex shop, selling consensual adult magazines. She faced depression and pressure from frequent police raids on this shop and sadly later took her own life in 1979, aged just 33. Devil's Witches aim to uplift women (with "witch" a term of endearment) and chose Mary as inspiration for this song, as her life "stands a testament to sexual freedom in a time where explicit pornography was a punishable crime". 🕊️ The short lyric portions of the song are as follows: Playbird, Miss Bohrloch, Forbidden pleasure Your open eye Over your shoulder People try to put you down Your generation Brusied for Selling paper The song is otherwise largely instrumental and we were blown away by the sound of the in-your-face, fuzzy guitars. Devil's Witches use the tag 'doomwop' for this sound, which is heavily inspired by '60s and '70s psychedelic rock and doom metal. Indeed it's not actually a retro song and dates back to 2019 instead. We hope this can be a special 100th qualifier but semi 2 is looking like a total blood bath, so we'll see. Devil's Witches can be found in slot #17.

Next update... We belatedly contributed to Dandy's Create a BJSC compilation/playlist for your country thread, so here's my post taken from there, for those who missed it: Club Jadakissnia Houses 25 of my electronic entries across main contests and spin-offs, from feel-good eurodance to pounding techno. A mix of big hits and personal favourites. I wasn't originally planning to open with FM-84 but it was such a joyful start to proceedings that it stuck. This was quite challenging to sequence due to all the different styles of electronic music but got there in the end! track list 01. FM-84 - Arcade Summer (BJSC 87, 9th) 02. Liv Del Estal - CŒUR TITANE (BJSC 185, 6th) 03. X-Perience - A Neverending Dream (BJSC 138, 1st) 04. Pharao - I Show You Secrets (BJSC 112, 3rd) 05. Paola & Chiara - Vamos A Bailar (Esta Vida Nueva) (BJSC 146, 5th) 06. Lasgo - Something (Dance Anthems [2000-2009], 1st) 07. Rompasso - Ignis (BJSC 117, 1st) 08. MssingNo - Scope (BJSC 88, 3rd) 09. Trudge - strast' (BJSC 131, 5th) 10. EQ - B.S.A.S. (Si Alguna Vez Te Sentís Sola De Noche) (BJSC 175, 27th) 11. BPM15Q - Hakuchuumu (Japan vs. South Korea, 3rd) 12. Cannelle - WATCH ME FLY (Buzzfestivalen 2025, 3rd) 13. Adam F - Circles (BJSC 104, 17th) 14. goreshit - the nature of dying (BJSC 102, 6th) 15. AK & LYNX - Virtual Paradise (feat. Veela) (BJSC 78, 7th) 16. o0o - Wedbecutetoget-her (BJSC 143, 19th) 17. Oklou - choke enough (BJSC 171, 10th) 18. Ross From Friends - Epiphany (BJSC 119, 7th) 19. Real Lies - Boss Trick (BJSC 124, 14th) 20. Soltera & Santiago Salazar - Got No Reason To Forgive (BJSC 167, 29th) 21. Aphex Twin - Ageispolis (BJSC 123, 23rd) 22. Shpongle - Around The World In A Tea Daze (Ott Remix) (BJSC 105, 16th) 23. Claptone - Birdsong (feat. Zola Blood) (BJSC 106, 5th) 24. Arca - Desafío (Pride, 9th) 25. Kraftwerk - Europe Endless (BJSC 173, 4th) and, of course... Jadakissnia: The Midnight Archive I have also put together 25 of my on brand dark entries just in time for Halloween! Think gothic, darkwave, post-punk, witch house and even my haunting pop winner from Erin LeCount... I found this one a lot easier to sequence! This compilation contains quite a few more floppy personal favourites than the clubby one and I had so much to work with from spin-offs! track list 01. Twin Tribes - Monolith (BJSC 165, 4th) 02. Vioflesh - Spring Nostalgia (BJSC 172, 4th) 03. Echoberyl - Salomé (Suffer Me) (Halloween Four, 3rd) 04. Hante. - Wild Animal (BJSC 126, 8th) 05. Rosegarden Funeral Party - Gates of Heaven (BJSC 151, 11th) 06. In Letter Form - Terror (Is A State Of Mind) (Halloween III, 3rd) 07. Erin LeCount - 808 HYMN (BJSC 178, 1st) 08. Them Are Us Too - Floor (BJSC 166, 7th) 09. tlen - patnik (BJSC 188, 12th) 10. Tempers - Hell Hotline (BJSC 127, 37th) 11. Nürnberg - Rasplyvajecca (BJSC 130, 19th) 12. TEMMIS - ICE 579 (BJSC 168, 2nd) 13. Vacíos Cuerpos - Hoy Solo Quiero Odiar (Foreign Language III, 2nd) 14. Unison - Blood Blood Blood !! (Halloween, 7th) 15. She Pleasures Herself - Trust (BJSC 148, 29th) 16. Radost Moja - Pej Solntse (BJSC 153, 13th) 17. BLVCK CEILING - WVFFLIFE (CHVRN Remix) (BJSC 82, 6th) 18. KING PLAGUE - Ave Plague (BJSC 96, 17th) 19. The M Machine - Black (Halloween II, 5th) 20. OVERWERK - Toccata (BJSC 85, 8th) 21. Acid Fader - Keelhauling (BJSC 142, 13th) 22. VIOLENT VICKIE - SEROTONIN (BJSC 182, DNQ) 23. S Y Z Y G Y X - Kill The Pain (Halloween V, 31st) 24. aYia - Ruins (BJSC 93, 21st) 25. moonvampire - cigarette burns (BJSC 169, DNQ) 🪩🦇 🖤🖤🖤

It's time for a few catch-up posts... BJSC 188 ResultsKidskin - HEAVEN 33rd place | 145 points Jadakissnia's latest result wasn't exactly one to write home about, as Kidskin's 'HEAVEN' finished in 33rd place, with 145 points. This is our worst performing finalist of the year so far albeit still a preferable result to VIOLENT VICKIE's DNQ. However, this position was still significant for our nation, as 33rd was a unique finish. Kidskin's result means we've now achieved every final position between first and 37th! We need 38th and 39th now to complete the top 40, as we already achieved 40th with Tetrica's 'Brujería'. Kidskin was our 99th qualifier to date (ooh, so close to the big one) and performed remarkably well in the semi final, finishing in 5th with 81 points! We thought 'HEAVEN' would struggle to qualify so this was quite the revelation. That projection slightly stings but we're happy with the silver lining of a unique position all the same. BJSC 188's champion was Neliönoir who now join us in the 3 winners club, a huge congrats to them! Their winning song was 'Bésala Mucho' by Tamara Flores & Tourist, which we knew pre-contest, so were able to support from the off. We contributed to the win with 4 points in a strong field. Our gold medal on this occasion was awarded to Land of DW's glorious 'Con Corazón' by Calva Louise, which was catnip for the Jadakissnian people, with its Spanish lyrics and dark guitar lines. This finished in a strong 13th place. The 11-15th zone continued to deliver as our silver medal went to the wonderfully weird Angine De Poitrine with 'Sherpa', which finished right behind Land of DW in 14th. Finally, our podium was rounded off with Sovarasma, who sent the striking 'Jaque' by Marina Herlop. Some of the vocal runs in this song reminded us of ROSALÍA, so this was hard to resist. They finished just above the Jadakissnian people, in 32nd. Thank you to the people of Séyetana for your wonderful hospitality! These were our BJSC 188 final votes in full: 18 | Land of DW | Calva Louise - Con Corazón 15 | Lentyll | Angine De Poitrine - Sherpa 13 | Sovarasma | Marina Herlop - Jaque 12 | New Helvetica | Lankum - Ghost Town 11 | Elëdan | Gigi Ros - CREMEN 10 | Herbilore | Cibo Matto - Sugar Water 09 | The Spodic Empire | DJ Shadow - Stem / Long Stem (Medley) 08 | Zephyra Continuum | Livka - poza Tobą nic 07 | POPHub | HMLTD - Blitzkrieg 06 | Dalisska | Chanpan - i got a gun 05 | Neliönoir | Tamara Flores & Tourist - Bésala Mucho 04 | Fljótavík | Juno Reactor - Return Of The Pistolero 03 | Aeroche | Ane Brun - Hold Me (feat. ARY) 02 | Persephonia | Devon Again - cherry cola 01 | Trifoski | Dan English - Across My Jaw Thank you to these nations for the following points in this edition: 18 - Skall 13 - East Rukahavian 11 - Deandria, Scotland 2 + Terra Avium 10 - Neliönoir + Persephonia 9 - Elëdan + Mulgracia 8 - Pestolia + Séyetana 7 - FARC + New Helvetica 3 - Bronzil, FSR Rontvia + Zanmatony 2 - Dalisska + Fljótavík

Little Simz coming for a second top 40 hit after that Coldplay collab? 56 Chase & Status - Carnage (feat. Little Simz)

Slayyyter has indeed debuted on Spotify today 154 Slayyyter - i think he's got a girl

+05 Olivia Rodrigo - the cure +04 Dua Lipa - Training Season +03 Ashe - Stop The Wedding! +02 sombr - My Body Isn’t Ready +01 Sienna Spiro - Great Expectation -01 Ella Langley - Choosin’ Texas -02 ADÉLA - Nicole Kidman -03 Taylor Swift - Patient Zero -04 Jamie Miller - Babydoll -05 Stella Lefty - Boston

2020s We've finally reached the last decade of the countdown! Well, most of it anyway, which isn't too satisfying but there was no way I could wait another three years to kick off this thread when I was raring to go. Therefore, I present to you my ten favourite songs of the 2020s... so far! 2020 was quite the memorable start to a decade. I was 22, still so young and at an age where the world feels like your oyster, but a certain pandemic put all of our plans on hold. I had previously attended an office job five days a week but was now working from home full time. I'd say this aspect of Covid has affected me most long term as I still hybrid work to this day. I personally love this flexibility, as I enjoy being in control of my environmental factors, concentrate well and can eliminate the commute, but at the same time it's nice to have the option to go in and socialise for my mental health, even if it's not my greatest skill. Being stuck at home even more than usual was an interesting time. I generally enjoy my own company, as I have so many interests so rarely get bored, but I did struggle with being in my own head a lot at times. On the plus side, having this extra free time at home lead me to explore so many artists I hadn't before. I got into the weekly TOTP repeats and delved into the discographies of artists like The Cure, Fiona Apple and Nirvana, amongst others. However, the pandemic really put live music on hold. So many concerts I had planned were either rescheduled or flat out cancelled, RIP seeing BROCKHAMPTON. But gigs slowly came back in time and my 2022 was suddenly flooded with them. My favourite concert I've attended this decade so far has to be ROSALÍA's MOTOMAMI tour in London, what an absolute super star. The decade kicked off pretty positively for me in terms of the charts as the '80s synth revival was in full swing, with acts like Dua Lipa and The Weeknd leading the way. Nostalgia really has been a hot topic in the 2020s. But other artists have thrown the rulebook out the window and created some of their finest work in the process, like Taylor Swift surprising us all with the pivot to folklore, or Charli xcx creating a whole movement out of BRAT summer, sounding like the future. There's still been plenty to get enthusiastic about even if the charts aren't at their most exciting at this current moment in time. I've also been hunting out lots of non-mainstream music throughout the 2020s, so there will be lesser known picks in this top 10 again. I've just realised I forgot to mention film in the 2010s so here's a belated shoutout to Parasite, my favourite movie of that decade. As for the 2020s, it has to be Everything Everywhere All At Once, which 'altered my brain chemistry' as they say. That movie made me want to get into film more and that is exactly what has happened since. I feel like I've been winging my 20s for the most part, but that's okay, perhaps my 30s will be my prime from next year onwards. 💃 This top 10 was genuinely torturous to whittle down, as I've been on top of new music releases every single week this decade so far, so the notable omissions list will be endless. But I've given it a good go. So, let's get into the 2020s, with not a drop of AI in sight... #10 Metric - 'Doomscroller' (2022) #09 Heartworms - 'Retributions Of An Awful Life' (2023) I concluded the 2010s with a long song and seamlessly begin the 2020s with a lengthy pick too, as Metric's 'Doomscroller' clocks in at 10:28. This song has become a bit of a cult favourite on the forum, particularly performing well in Record of the Decade a couple of years ago when the pool of alt voters was at its peak. 'Doomscroller' has also been vetoed from the BuzzJack Song Contest on several occasions due to Beaverdonia's repeated attempts to send it, so has infamous status there. Emily Haines fronted band Metric were a bit of a blind spot for me until they were entered to BJSC with the likes of 'Dressed To Suppress' and 'Now Or Never Now' almost a decade ago. They have now featured in the contest a whopping six times with varying degrees of success, from a DNQ to a 7th placer! I soon discovered the band had a rich history that dated back to 1998. Formentera, home to 'Doomscroller', was already album number eight. So I was impressed they were still delivering career bests as late as 25 years into their discography. This song was chosen as single #2 from the album and instantly blew me away. I created an EOY top 100 countdown for 2022, which I have kept up annually since and 'Doomscroller' was my #3 song of the year at the time. I'd say it has since moved up to #2, becoming enough of a favourite to sneak a place into my top 10 of the decade so far. It's no mean feat to create a compelling 10-minute epic and they mastered that here. 'Doomscroller' boldly presents cutting lyrics such as: "scum of the Earth overpaid to rob anonymously ruling classes, trickle piss from champagne glasses". As per the title, this commentary focuses on the anxiety-inducing hellscape that today's news cycle feels like and how it's so accessible, leading to doom-scrolling. But the later part of the song, with resilient lyrics such as "whatever you do, either way we're gonna love you" is a more hopeful, grounding way to round off. In addition to the sharp commentary, the production is a wild ride, as it opens with a dark bassline that morphs into rave-like beats, then slows down to an emotive piano section, only for guitars to kick back in with full force. Phew! 'Doomscroller' also adopts intricate percussion throughout. Haines keeps up with the structural changes of the song like a pro and delivers a multi-dimensional performance - at times cool and detached, but later empathetic and vulnerable as the more comforting section of the song begins. I enjoyed the accompanying album in full, which generally focuses on the pressures of pandemic life, but this song is the clear ultimate standout from it for me. ... Heartworms first entered my life in 2022 when I discovered gothic post-punk song 'Consistent Dedication' on 6Music. The production was right up my street and vocalist Jojo Orme had such a captivating intensity to her voice, especially with the screaming finale. I unleashed this in Nuggets and managed to finish 5th! This was a great start to Heartworms' career but I'd enjoy follow-up single 'Retributions Of An Awful Life' even more. I considered this song my favourite of 2023 at the time and that is still the case now. This single, taken from the bulletproof 4-track EP A Comforting Notion, is so unique and stopped me dead in my tracks when I first heard it. 'Retributions Of An Awful Life' adopts an unorthodox structure, beginning with a very long instrumental section that has a metallic goth synth sound, mixed with sharp guitars and rattling percussion in amongst very textured production. The unmistakable vocals of Jojo Orme, that I'd already fallen in love with on the previous single, once again impress as she tensely tackles words as dark and vivid as: "these aren't even men, just losses, hands of evil touch colossus, so much blood, the grass just glosses, ready flags with crooked crosses". She deals with heavy themes like trauma and fights through the pain with military style defiance, a topic close to her heart, as she even once volunteered at the Royal Air Force Museum. The accompanying black and white visuals are simple but effective, as Orme pushes herself out of her comfort zone with harsh physical training. The "look at me, I can fly..." chorus is particularly addictive with the closest thing to a melody here. 'Retributions Of An Awful Life' promises unpredictability right up until the end, as the bridge packed with youthful anxiety ("when you're young, decisions aren't that fun...") shifts Jojo's style into less of a spoken delivery and more of a sung one, which then morphs into a towering instrumental break and finally one more chorus. Unfortunately I didn't get into Heartworms' full debut album Glutton For Punishment as much as I hoped to ('Jacked' is brilliant though) but A Comforting Notion remains an excellent EP and I'm still interested to see what her future releases look like.

Thank you so much for the very kind words, Jim 🥰 I'm delighted you're enjoying the commentaries. I used to give 'Pyramids' +30 in ROTD but that was obviously a while ago at this point! Pleased that competition allowed you to become more familiar with the beautiful 'Luna'. I couldn't agree more on your thoughts about 'Somebody That I Used To Know' and 'Take Me To Church', both truly ageing like a fine wine so far. 'Video Games' is getting a lot of love in this thread so far but it's totally deserved, what a debut. 'The Greatest' is an apt title for a favourite Lana song *.* that was always a highlight of the ridiculously strong NFR! album for me too, so nice pick there as well. Thanks for sharing some of your own highlights! You've made me realise I haven't mentioned London Grammar at all so far but they're also a wonderful group from the decade indeed. I still can't get over the revival for 'Go', one of my favourite chart moments of the year. I feel similar to you, in that I already loved it (and had a blast hearing it in a live setting in 2019!) but appreciate it even more now. I understand why the resurgence for older music is getting groan worthy for many at this point but definitely can't begrudge that belatedly turning into such a hit <3

I voted for... Charli xcx - Camera Fontaines D.C. - Marianne Working Men's Club - Devout 🖤🖤🖤

Just noticed this on Apple Music: 173 Chase & Status - Carnage (feat. Little Simz)

This song is being used on Strictly Come Dancing this weekend *.*

Radio 1 producers testing the forum's patience today with Choosin' Drake and these vocals

Shame such an underground band were blocked from the top. I hope their career recovers from this!

Noah willing and able to cleanse our palate after that Drake thing *.*