Jadaver

I curated a couple of themed compilations for my nation (I'll stop being lazy and post about them properly in my own national thread soon so I don't derail yours too much!) and this one is 25 of my darkwave/post-punk/witch house etc. entries from main contests and spin-offs:

'Malarone' an all-timer from Deandria and I really like Zanias' solo stuff too. I actually thought of that song a few days ago, as I put together a playlist called Jadakissnia: The Midnight Archive and it came up as a suggested song based on what I added. The recently mentioned 'Capitol' got my 18 (yay for my favourite winning out of such a massive selection of songs for the 100th) and 'Dr. Mabuse' was an amazing entry too <3

Cannot get enough of this collaborative project from real life item Iglooghost and Daisy* (fka BABii) at the moment 🔥🔥🔥

Banging album! TIL friends can be found on Facebook Marketplace x

I didn't join BJSC until 2015 so the vocal version of 'Tsunami' was the first one I knew. Therefore, I don't seem to dislike it as much as others even if the original is superior, now I know that as well. Much preferable to Tinie's last appearance here for me. It was quite impressive that 'Me And My Broken Heart' even managed to chart as high as #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, in addition to the #1 status here! I can see the Maroon 5 comparisons although I think their follow-up 'Wait On Me' was even more of a pastiche. I loved 'Problem' in 2014 but the horn trend has aged so badly for me. 'Love Me Harder' and 'One Last Time' from that era have stood the test of time much better. Ari's star power has also come a long way since that music video. Crazy how popular Iggy was for a hot minute, simultaneously occupying the top 2 Billboard positions with 'Fancy' and this, only to burn out just as quickly.

Oops missed the last round but going for that Fierce cover now

Marianne oh Marianne 'Sanctify' is my favourite Years & Years song so very pleased to see that here!

'Bittersweet', 'Cloudbusting' and 'I Am Not A Robot' are all gorgeous choices

Well done for top marks in the first round yesterday, Rollo! today's game: Round 1: 30 (didn't get: Simple Minds, M People) Round 2: 33 (didn't get: Randy Crawford, Tanita Tikaram) 3-in-10: 3 (Song 2, Girls & Boys, Coffee & TV)

Voted for Daniel Powter did anyone else unironically listen to the Alvin & The Chipmunks version of 'Bad Day' back in the day because same

Congrats Scene on the win! 26th is not the greatest result for my song oops but a far more satisfying outcome is my top 3 (Trance To The Sun, Modest Mouse and Kaku P-Model in that order) all finishing next to each other in the 8th to 10th zone on the scoreboard 🤩 fantastic picks from Brer, dhwe and uhsting. Thank you Rollo for a great hosting job.

I did wonder if you would appreciate the choral elements of 'Take Me To Church' too based on what I've gathered from your taste so far, yay <3 Choosing between Pure Heroine and Melodrama is liking picking a favourite child for me but I do appreciate how accomplished the latter is too, especially for such a young mind - "I'm 19 and I'm on fire" indeed! 'Homemade Dynamite' is my absolute favourite from it so nice shout there, I always nominate it in ROTD <3 'Writer In The Dark' is wonderful too, has quite a Kate Bush quality to it.

Ooh so it was Bré behind my favourite entry this time, by some considerable distance glad that's currently top 10. Thank you for the points in return!

Sophie B. Hawkins was my guess for Rollo but a 12 for her is close enough. Peter Gabriel makes a lot of sense, great pick. Happy to have points from our hosts!

Jim makes a lot of sense for Bruce Springsteen! Thank you for the 5 points. 💕

Oh this looks like a potentially good semi for me?? I'm not sure if I'm super familiar with anything in the opposite semi but I already know and love Pestolia, Terra Avium, Skall and Bøtanikkä's songs

Chez self recycling? Good entry though (as you can see it snuck into my points) and thank you for the silver medal

Phew Damien Well I'm glad Lewis' mentor already used my favourite song of his in the first round!

@Bror the people have spoken

Fontaines and M83 were my top two in that round so that was going to hurt either way! Relieved Fontaines are still in but thanks to whoever sent M83 for unleashing 'Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun' as it was a really good discovery for me <3

I've heard they enjoy the silence

2010s #06 Hozier - 'Take Me To Church' (2013) #05 Lorde - 'Ribs' (2013) Irish singer-songwriter Hozier first unleashed 'Take Me To Church' as part of an EP of the same name in 2013. He was a struggling musician who wrote and recorded a rough demo of this song in his parents' attic, with a programmed backing track. Hozier and drummer Fiachra Kinder were the only musicians present on this recording. The demo caught the attention of independent label Rubyworks, who paired him with producer Rob Kirwan. The final version of 'Take Me To Church' was overdubbed with live instrumentation but the original vocals remained. BuzzJack was ahead of the curve on this occasion as our very own gooddelta sent 'Take Me To Church' to BJSC towards the end of 2013. It performed solidly and finished 11th in the final. That result is perhaps a bit lower than I would've expected for a future chart smash but the contest had much worse casualties than this, like 'Pink Pony Club' DNQing, albeit with a deduction. I did not join BJSC until 2015, so found out this information retrospectively and would not discover 'Take Me To Church' until 2014, when it began to impact the chart. I remember enjoying 'Take Me To Church' at the time, as it made an appearance in my personal chart, but I soon became sick of it as its chart run was so lengthy. I evidently needed a break from it for a while. This worked wonders, as in time I began to appreciate 'Take Me To Church' more than I ever did originally. This song metaphorically compares a lover to religion and also acts as a critique of institutions that try to repress natural human desires. My favourite lyric is probably: "I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies", as a condemnation of those who vilify people for their sexuality, as it's a striking descriptor of blind loyalty. I also particularly like the reframing of the criticisms as "there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin". Hozier refers to a female partner in the song, but the music video instead takes an LGBTQ+ direction, as he wanted to bring attention to the persecution and repression faced by the gay community in Russia. I find the lynch mob attacking one of the men in a gay relationship an incredibly difficult watch, but it's certainly a powerful video. Hozier also provides a lot of power with his commanding voice. I can see why this vocal performance survived from the demo right until the end. The instrumental stays in a pretty similar lane throughout but I enjoy the appropriately cathedral-esque atmosphere it creates, from the organ to the gospel style piano and backing vocals. The guitars are also a pretty ominous touch. 'Take Me To Church' reached #2 in the U.K. for four non-consecutive weeks in early 2015. It was blocked from the top by the juggernaut 'Uptown Funk' by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, as well as Ellie Goulding's 'Love Me Like You Do' for the latter three weeks. Hozier also stalled at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Incredibly, he would later achieve a #1 across both sides of the pond with 'Too Sweet', almost an entire decade later. ... New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde is an incredibly special artist to me. I've always felt a particular connection to her to music, as she was born just 10 months before me and refers to age quite a lot in her lyrics, so I felt like I was growing up alongside her. Debut album Pure Heroine took me through sixth form, while sophomore record Melodrama was a University soundtrack and both are two of my favourite albums of all-time. I considered 'Tennis Court' to be my favourite Lorde song for years but it has now shifted to 'Ribs' in recent times. I always loved this song but there was something really special about hearing it live, in an intimate setting, during her Solar Power tour in 2022. The track also experienced some traction on TikTok last year and this reminded me how much I enjoyed it once again. So, while I could name a number of Lorde songs as favourites of the 2010s, I have settled on this as my #1 now. Lorde blew up at just 16 years old when 'Royals' became an unconventional chart-topper. I remember the Pure Heroine album being absolutely everywhere on then very popular blogging website Tumblr, as the moody music and monochrome artwork slotted perfectly into the 'soft grunge' aesthetic on there. I was fascinated by Lorde's dark, introspective sound and thought she sounded incredibly unique in the charts at the time. 'Ribs' is track #4 on Pure Heroine and really spoke to me lyrically at the time, when I was a fellow 16-year-old, as it's about the bittersweet feeling of ageing into adulthood. Lorde was inspired to write it after she was given the responsibility to throw a house party, while her parents were away. This was an exciting prospect but also made her fearful, as this was a step closer to adulthood, so did this mean there was no going back to the more carefree times of childhood now? I highly related to this sentiment at the time even if I wasn't throwing house parties myself. I did still attend quite a lot of them during sixth form, though! My feelings were mixed, as I was quite a socially awkward person, but did have fun with close friends at them and loved getting to control some of the music. I remember a washing machine getting damaged at one of them so no wonder my own parents weren't keen for me to host one! The lyrics really take me back to those times, but I can still appreciate her perspective on the record even now I've been a fully-fledged adult for over a decade. There's a timeless, vulnerable quality to the songwriting and the sentiment "it feels so scary, getting old" is one that can apply to any stage of life. The refrain is gorgeously human and nostalgic with lines like: "you're the only friend I need" / "sharing beds like little kids" / "and laughing 'til our ribs get tough". This really paints a picture of more innocent times before we're all bogged down with adult responsibilities. Sometimes it would be nice to experience that totally carefree joy again indeed. I appreciate Lorde's fragile delivery of these words during the verses and the more soaring, frantic chorus. Another incredibly standout and atmospheric feature of 'Ribs' is the layered, choral backing vocals that travel from one headphone channel to another. They feel overwhelmingly emotional and quite transcendental. I appreciate the minimalist synth production provided by Joel Little too. What a magical song.

Imagining I PROMISE YOUUUUUUU playing as the soundbed each time Leona is announced through

Trance To The Sun stood out in the field for me too!

Rubber Soul the timeless album you are