randomfurlong

11 Zero Chela eoHqHGPLqW0 "I never wanna play along," sings Chela, "if I go back to zero". On this chorus, her voice strains a little higher and tighter, the cutting emotional core of the song coming to the fore. It's rather at odds with the casual, rhythmic jazz of the synths, which burst in starry excitement, little exclamations of '80s-style coolness. First and foremost 'Zero' is just a really good pop song, jumping straight into the juddering baseline and the frankly groovy refrains. Chela herself looks like someone too cool for me, and the insouciance of her dance moves betrays the song's Kitsune home - this isn't retro pop, it's referential pop, and the way the song devolves in its last minute, ceding control to that awesome guitar lick and never returning, as perhaps expected, to the chorus, betrays that cultural status. None of this makes the song any less exhilarating in that coolness, and the final moments see the song's subject free to proclaim her freedom. Those dance moves and that devolution are a shift to empowerment, a move away from feeling like nothing, not accepting what whoever wants to be, and that's a bloody good message.

I've blitzed through this this week and it is my new favourite show. Cookie is LIFE and the music is really impressive. Glad that it's both smashing AND such good quality. Feels so important in terms of who it's depicting as well.

dead. to. me. 'Heroes' sounds pretty good, his star power definitely gives it the boost it needs even in that short clip. So smooth and confident. (lovely commentary as ever Tirren, I did guffaw at the JTR bit)

That doesn't make sense either, do Thursday sales just stop counting? I imagine the chart would be announced on Fridays.

12 Untrue (Extended Mix) Tchami DPHsToh4z3Y I can't write about the lyrics of 'Untrue', because there aren't any. Not really. There's a person, making noises, and maybe, if you contort your ears, you might hear a word or two, or a sentence might make some sort of vague sense. But you'd still be unsure if you'd heard it correctly, and that's all intentional. It certainly doesn't mean there's no emotion within the song, because those noises, oh!, those noises. The utter sorrow and desolation in those noises gets me right down in my stomach, because that's where they seem to be coming from - guttural cries of absolute despair. They drop out just after halfway through and only return for a few muted seconds, the death throes as the ruthless dance beat finally destroys them completely. 'Untrue' is a great dance song in the tradition of something like 'Dancing On My Own', only here, the upset is so great that it's incoherent, and thus tragically beyond redemption.

13 OctaHate Ryn Weaver hTVZdW8pTEM Ryn Weaver arrived fully formed, it seemed - not many singers arrive with a song co-created by Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos, Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, and Charli XCX. 'OctaHate' endures, though, in large part because it's an ingeniously constructed and divinely catchy pop song, but also because it blends mood so poignantly. The percussive refrain that seems so light and flirty becomes contorted into a melancholic lament, while the absolute blast of a chorus disguises earth shaking heartbreak, anger and sorrow conflating over a euphoric conflagration of instruments. The song is a great introduction to the dexterity of Weaver's voice, working at a wild variety of speeds throughout the song, often having to keep pace with the production at almost breathless pace. The lyrics are playful and evocative without venturing into the kind of poetry that might seem typical of someone of Weaver's type. But most of all, 'OctaHate' is a dynamic rush of a pop song, adjacent to current trends but just oddball enough to stick firmly in the memory.

14 Sensibility Elizabeth Rose TV4r-cy677g 'Sensibility' whirls into life, not just with the tentative crash of the drum machine and those frantic synths, but with Rose's wild, nervous cries, an intriguing way to introduce herself. But even during her smoother vocalisation of the verses, there's a shivering timbre to the way she realises the song's uncertain mania, one that effortlessly matches delicately dramatic electronic production with the soft wail of her voice. By the end, she's totally broken down, only echoed phrases of the lyrics swirling around as the song devolves into a desolate fade out, the purveyor of the song lost, perhaps forever. 'Sensibility' is a song about feeling utterly confused by the world around her, a woman completely destabilised, reaching out to someone - a lover, a friend, but either way someone who doesn't seem to hear her - but Rose wisely restrains herself from letting things become too weird, for to keep the song within the realms of melodic and earworm-y is to make it bed itself inside the listener without them even realising.

my current options are a Broods-esque entry and a Banks-esque entry. so on trend~

very nice!

How on earth did Love on Top get this high?!

*fans self*

Syndare's votes are in! a little less difficult than the semi, but still a solid final.

Up, up and OUT (glad to see the back of Wall-E, truly a movie of two wildly different halves)

??! I mean it's not peak Scorsese but it's still a blast. 1. 12 Years A Slave 2. Slumdog Millionaire (sometimes I still have nightmares about the camerawork) 3. 'Lose Yourself' distressed to see The Artist winning the 'worst' poll. what's the deal? it's lovely!

he's so handsome so I hope so~ this song is SO good so I do hope it starts happening properly here. looking forward to his gig in a couple of weeks!

This album is absolutely astonishing. I've been obsessed with 'Slowly' today, the "way you hold me" bits make me shiver. Her voice is just so glorious. Seriously gutted I already have a gig on the same day and now she's sold out - she was stunning last time but hearing these songs live would be a real treat.

oh wow! thank you :heart: shame few others felt the same, but then Alex Gardner always was underappreciated and I'm not really surprised in the slightest.

Syndare have voted! Excellent semi, best I can recall for ages.

Even I didn't know that! Explains why I like him so much, I loved him back then :heart:

good gravy, a prediction to go through!

UTOPIA. I died. incredible.

the whole album is on Spotify now. the opening two tracks are absolutely astonishing, like ACTUALLY being taken to church

yay I did well again! thanks all <3 very good winner too, congrats jake. and lovely hosting dan <3

oh I did vote in this. ftr. some good songs but not the strongest contest.

How is Ratatouille winning? :( Probably my favourite Pixar movie!