randomfurlong

YAS CARLY SLAYE. As just published, I liked your #1s almost as much as you did. She really is a godsend, isn't she? SAVIOUR OF POP. QUEEN RAE JEPSEN. etc. I didn't know you were such a fan, god we need to reconnect properly :( 'Good for You' I only just cut from my 50, but it really is a sensual jam. 'I'm A Ruin' is still sneaking up on my Marina rankings and DAMN IT, can't believe I forgot to mention 'Love Me Badder' in my list!! Such a good pop song. Hadn't heard 'Shades of Blue' so I'm just listening now, a keeper for sure! Rather bewitching.

And that's it! Hooray, I finished it before February arrived. Thank you, thank you, if you commented or read and especially if you took a new favourite away from any of my choices or recommendations. Here's the full list, and I'm off to read yours now. 50 | Bitch Better Have My Money - Rihanna 49 | Hourglass - Disclosure feat. Lion Babe 48 | Lost and Found - Ellie Goulding 47 | Make Me A Bird - Arcane Station feat. Marianne Hekkilæ 46 | No Words - Erik Hassle 45 | Warrior - Laura Marling 44 | America - XYLØ 43 | Drive - Halsey 42 | in time - FKA twigs 41 | My Gun - Tove Lo 40 | I’m In It With You - Loreen 39 | Baby Love - Petite Meller 38 | One Last Night - Vaults 37 | Hula Hoop - Brenmar feat. UNiiQU3 36 | Apart - Kasper Bjørke feat. Sísy Ey 35 | Pyramids - Noonie Bao 34 | Sorry - Justin Bieber 33 | Savages - Marina & the Diamonds 32 | Hopscotch - Emmelie de Forest 31 | Can’t Feel My Face - The Weeknd 30 | You Don’t Own Me - Grace feat. G-Eazy 29 | Perfume - Ji Nilsson 28 | BITE - Troye Sivan 27 | Confident - Demi Lovato 26 | Keep It Movin’ - Serayah & Yazz 25 | Dancing On Glass - St. Lucia 24 | King Kunta - Kendrick Lamar 23 | Bandit - Justine Skye 22 | Here for You - Kygo feat. Ella Henderson 21 | Paper Light (Higher) - Loreen 20 | World Princess part II - Grimes 19 | How Deep Is Your Love - Calvin Harris & Disciples 18 | I’ll Wait For You - Iris 17 | Be The One - Dua Lipa 16 | Player - Tinashe 15 | Lean On - Major Lazer feat. MØ & DJ Snake 14 | Decay - Tove Styrke 13 | American Oxygen - Rihanna 12 | Under the Shadows - Rae Morris 11 | Flesh without Blood - Grimes 10 | Somebody to Love - Kacey Musgraves 09 | Queen of Peace - Florence + the Machine 08 | Can’t Deny My Love - Brandon Flowers 07 | Slumlord - Neon Indian 06 | Nights Like This - W. Darling 05 | Better - Banks 04 | King - Years & Years 03 | White Light - Shura 02 | Run Away With Me - Carly Rae Jepsen 01 | Slowly - Susanne Sundfør

01 | Slowly | Susanne Sundfør | JvD3EALtKXE "We have different heartbeats but all the same heartbreak..." Sometimes, writing about music is easy - my bullshit can roll off my fingers quite easily. But sometimes, writing is fucking hard. Finding the words to express how much this song means to me is quite hard, because the emotions it instils in me aren't connected, as is so often the case, to any real life drama or heartbreak or excitement. I relate to this song, I think, on a level of pure emotionality that eschews reality - it's almost spiritual. From the moment it begins, with the wispy echo coming off Susanne's vocal like misty morning air, 'Slowly' feels elemental. It feels crystalline, with the production giving her vocals a protective border with this echo, as it her emotional fragility is guarded by the effect, but this also serves to distance her and make her tremulous cries more heartbreaking. She thought it was going to last forever, but it isn't, and she isn't ready for that protection, be it the vocal effect or the embrace of her lover, to drop away. As the song builds, her voice strengthens, as she seems to crack through something and find that her loneliness and solitude isn't unique and that she may have found her kin, and the song fades away into, perhaps, forever. And for me, it can go on forever, the endless loop of getting ensnared in this song's smooth, icy, virtuosic grip catching me all too often. Like this? Try... , Susanne Sundfør - for more of this impeccably crafted album.

02 | Run Away With Me | Carly Rae Jepsen | TeccAtqd5K8 From the triumphant saxophone announcement, I am weak at the knees. Absolutely, a perfect pop song - beautifully paced, effortlessly voiced, euphoric joy and hope with an undercurrent of sadness at her own naivety. There are so many indelible moments, from the hold-your-breath drop after the first chorus to the echoes of the title bursting into the chorus to oh my GOD that gorgeously layered middle-8 to the irresistible chants at the end. Run away? I'm already there waiting for you, Carly. Like this? Try... , Krista Siegfrids - for more BOUNCE.

03 | White Light | Shura | U-MTZ4bF-0c A dream, both in the sense that it is an utterly gorgeous song and that it feels like something nestling in your subconscious, a whispered, magical echo of something just forgotten. The synths glitter softly, never overwhelming the soft, sweet vocal, and even when it clatters a bit more loudly, it still feels subdued, ghostly. It's an undefinable, mysterious plaything of a song, melancholy enough to provoke tears but hopeful enough to strengthen your resolve. Just something really special. Like this? Try... , Sabella - for more rich, sweet vocals leading a soft, sweet song.

04 | King | Years & Years | g_uoH6hJilc Instant pop thrill. I was already big on Years & Years after seeing some astonishing early live gigs, and we heard this song, and it was glorious, but nothing can prepare you for the spirited haze of the song on record. Olly Alexander's vocals soar, pushing towards that irresistible chorus. That vocal refrain trills, laying out the ceremonial carpet for the king to spin onto, a neverending call to freedom and joy. Like this? Try... , Adam Lambert - for more blazing synthpop euphoria.

05 | Better | Banks | uOsGx25HvmI Vibrates with despondent bitterness, its beat and construction like a metronome or a heartbeat having to decide to continue beating with every thump. Alive with the sexual writhe of her previous work but crisper, blacker, more aggressive, like a fist clutching at your heart. Like this? Try... , Dawn Richard - for more gossamer sensuality sodden with despair.

Thanks guys! Okay. Finally going to get this finished tonight. Onward!

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Spotify playlists are here! As ever, a few omissions :( SEMI 1 11 | New Lexico // Gutarra 'Let's Get Fxxxed One Last Time’ 14 | Dobago // Imany 'Don't Be So Shy (Filatov & Karas Remix)’ 30 | Jayrusalem // Keke Palmer 'I Don't Belong To You’ SEMI 2 11 | D'yermak'er // Smerz ‘Because' 21 | Suedeonia // In Hoodies ‘Healing' 22 | Espen // Dahlia Sleeps ‘Hessian' 29 | Hushkanukia // Jillea ‘Shattered’ 30 | Jadakissnia // Sonia y Selena 'Yo Quiero Bailar' [this is on Spotify but in a 2011 edition - not sure if I should include it?] 32 | Seyetana // Nao Hiiragi 'Requiem (Stygia Bootleg)'

oh my GOD Rachel Bloom http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/images/smilies/disco.gif

06 | Nights Like This | W. Darling | sdljggqhl-Y The highest entry that I discovered through the ever-rewarding experience of BJSC; thank you, Jake, as per usual. On first listen, this might seem quite unassuming, but it works a kind of witchcraft over time, a perfectly pitched vocal reaching out to the listener, a quietly propulsive rhythm throwing her forward to the enrapturing chorus. The punctuation of silences in the song are so arresting; it's a breathtaking construction, a magical whirlwind. Like this? Try... , Odessa - for more music swirling in the wind.

If someone isn't wowed by her work in the final scene, I don't think I can ever understand them. She's superb. Such deep inner conflict delivered with such naturalism and without any dialogue. Which isn't to say Tom Courtenay wasn't also great; that he never entered the Oscar conversation is a travesty.

07 | Slumlord | Neon Indian | Hw6LDVPst_0 Frenetic, interplanetary electronica from a fiesta in the slums, dancing the troubles away even as the lyrics overflow with the desperation of money's trenchant pressure on our lives. A breathless dance to the death. Like this? Try... , Zedd feat. Troye Sivan - for more ethereal disco.

The difference between the Globes and the Oscars is that the Globes ruled Mara (and Alicia Vikander) as Leads and therefore they could only be voted for in that category. The Oscars has no system for ruling on performances and so it was up to individual voters to place them where they saw fit. Unfortunately they were swayed by the studio campaigns. They have corrected category fraud in the past - Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider, Kate Winslet in The Reader - but they really need to make official rulings because to have two clear lead performances in the supporting race is unfair for the legitimate supporting players. That said, I wasn't too angry at it because it meant Charlotte Rampling's nomination wasn't stopped by Mara or Vikander.

08 | Can't Deny My Love | Brandon Flowers | 9iiDlU4rhlY Brandon Flowers finally finds a solo song that really lives up his gorgeous voice. Not only that, it makes exceptional use of them, with that rasping bridge providing a beautiful counterpoint to the fierce cries of the marching chorus. I'm not gonna deny you anything. Like this? Try... , LEV - for more undeniable bombast.

09 | Queen of Peace | Florence + the Machine | KSM0lLbVYOo Astonishingly bold composition: it wants to be a grand epic statement and it succeeds. All of Florence's best tendencies are harnessed in a song that lifts the listener into another dimension with the triumph of the orchestration and the vocals. Like this? Try... , Giorgio Moroder feat. Sia - for a glitzier but equally epic whirlwind of a song from a powerhouse vocalist.

10 | Somebody to Love | Kacey Musgraves | ZESSF76ELfs Such a beautiful clarity of emotion; the lyrics are universal and deeply intimate at once, with Musgraves singing with a kind of reflective wisdom that then cranes upwards with melancholy and gentle tragedy. Feels unassumingly simple but is deeply affecting as it fades sweetly away. Like this? Try... , Ryn Weaver - for more wistful, melancholy reflection.

Sorry dandy*! It wasn't giving up, but I had my tonsils out and moved house (not a recommended combination) so I was in pain physically and then in pain without internet. Onward imminently!

UMMMMMMMMMM no. Can't believe I'm the only one to vote for Alice in Wonderland. Bambi at risk?! You monsters.

Grimes - World Princess part II Susanne Sundfør - Slowly Shura - White Light Neon Indian - Slumlord Banks - Better

Very last minute but here we gooooo. Most unpredictable year in ages which is very exciting! I only hope it lands in a nice way and not every worst option possible. BEST PICTURE The Big Short Bridge of Spies Carol Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Spotlight BEST ACTOR Matt Damon, The Martian Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs Michael B. Jordan, Creed Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl BEST ACTRESS Cate Blanchett, Carol Brie Larson, Room Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Christian Bale, The Big Short Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies Michael Shannon, 99 Homes Sylvester Stallone, Creed BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jane Fonda, Youth Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight Rooney Mara, Carol Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

I Know It is one of her finest songs in my book, the hate it gets has always perplexed me. Love Song HAS to be her worst. Although I can't say I've listened extensively to the entirety of MDNA or Rebel Heart to really judge any others. I'll nominate: Love Song B-Day Song Did You Do It? Hey You Basic, soz.

As promised, a little breather now with my top albums of the year. I debated a little between the top two, as both are almost faultless creations. May history remember them. http://www.electricity-club.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Susanne_Sundfor_tenlovesongs.jpg 01 | Ten Love Songs - Susanne Sundfør 02 | Emotion - Carly Rae Jepsen 03 | FROOT - Marina & the Diamonds 04 | Kiddo - Tove Styrke 05 | Pageant Material - Kacey Musgraves 06 | Art Angels - Grimes 07 | Queen of the Clouds - Tove Lo 08 | Making Time - Jamie Woon 09 | Blood - Lianne La Havas 10 | Communion - Years & Years 11 | Dark Sky Island - Enya 12 | How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful - Florence + the Machine 13 | Wildheart - Miguel 14 | In Colour - Jamie xx 15 | Every Open Eye - CHVRCHES

11 | Flesh Without Blood | Grimes | Tv9YoYCKNoE A flamboyant, delightful kiss-off, using Grimes' effortless vocal dexterity to combine various tones and registers into one monster of an earworm. It's flirtatious, with an aftertaste of acid. Like this? Try... ‘Never Get Enough’, Lianne La Havas - for another clash of moods into one whirlwind of a song.