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18 Beggin for Thread BANKS Twix375Me4Q BANKS' debut album Goddess betrays its feminism from the off, but the construction of it within the music is more intriguing than some sort of gung-ho kiss-off. The entire tracklist is alive with the empowering force of sexuality, and perhaps nowhere more so than on 'Beggin for Thread', which comes equipped with deliciously inscrutable refrains that make the chorus something so teasingly macabre you know Bjork or Kate Bush would be proud. BANKS' vocals manage the elusive feat of being confidently sexual and vulnerably open at once, leaving the listener in a state of utter confusion as they're forced to simply succumb to the twilight treacle of the production and her wildly oscillating tones. While the majority of the song is a deeply evocative and playful construction, the highlight may well be the late middle-8, as BANKS suddenly pitches up the disdain and intones "my tracks are better", which suddenly takes the song into the realms of professional rivalry and sexism - a surprise revealing the depths that Goddess proves to have hidden within itself on closer inspection. Not that BANKS herself ever hid the goddess from us.

They said not to Popjustice: http://www.popjustice.com/interviewsandfea...terview/133648/ Of course, it's probably not their decision.

YES @ 'Warm Winds' :wub: (glad it beat Chandelier which I don't love tbh) Still to come in my own chart and on a par with 'Julia' for me now. So special, poignant, and mysterious in its construction - reading how much it means to you is a real treat and makes me miss your face. :heart:

surprised Meadowlark got even that high really!! mainly delighted that Tchami made it :wub:

19 Ugly Heart G.R.L. BxRQNO8vg2Y The tragic passing of Simone Battle might have been a bittersweet boon to the chart success of 'Ugly Heart', but in any case, this anthemic pop song is a great legacy for her to leave behind. Sisterhood goes beyond the divide between life and death, and even as the lyrics to the song are a stonewalling kiss-off to an ugly man with a gorgeous visage, the song offers the camaraderie of friendship as an alternative, a response, and a support system. The girls chant that glorious chorus as one, boots stomping in the background, some winsome strumming making the experience one of victory, a battle statement in the face of an increasingly vicious world. The tinge of sadness, regret that this is what the girls have come to, rings through the glorious cry that smashes us into the last chorus, and it's this lingering melancholy, underlined by the hidden pain of the now absent member, that will ensure this diamond of a pop song endures.

20 Make Me Feel Better Alex Adair 3fEXvwQTrgo From the first ripples of that percussion, this feels like something magical. Few other songs this year have matched the direct, open joy ensconsed within the repeated trills, alternating male and female, and then that absolutely divine percussion riff that seems like the instrument dancing on its own. Within the track's very simple lyrics is a hosanna to the bond of romantic love and partnership, the balming power of having someone by your side who can help when maybe these delirious rhythms aren't what's in your head. Ultimately, though, 'Make Me Feel Better' is a real showcase for the tuneful power of an often undersung and definitely underused section of the orchestral line-up, and the instant connotations of freedom and happiness it conjures up.

025 - 021 qyDKgyYoty8 025 Ella Eyre - Comeback 024 Tove Lo - Not on Drugs 023 Bright Light Bright Light - I Believe 022 S O H N - Artifice 021 Oscar and the Wolf - Princes abXzR8J7aHY All unlucky enough to end up just outside the vaunted top twenty are this motley lot. Ella Eyre wouldn't take this shit, you sense; both of her singles this year have been powered by a raucous anger, particularly the jangling outrage of 'Comeback', in which she drawls to her fellow girls about the pathetic nature of men. It's delicious, it's euphoric, it's empowering - why isn't she a star? Same goes for Tove Lo, whose release strategy seemed to fall apart after the surprise success of 'Stay High'. Abandoned follow-up 'Not on Drugs' might be her crowning moment - that blasting paean of a chorus is a short, sharp shock, the delirium ringing clear through her sublime vocals. The euphoria is matched in 'I Believe', the latest pop smash by Bright Light Bright Light, who may just be the best male popstar around at the moment. This is, from the clanging synth to the drums to the cymbal smashes to the triumphant cry of Rod's vocals, an absolute triumph. There are a couple of other males here, though - Berlin-based London-born S O H N won BJSC and my affections with this rhythmic jam, which really peaks with that jazzy line that marks the vocal pauses of the chorus. The instrumentation of the whole thing is just a delight to let ripple through your body. And then, from Belgium, we have D'yermak'er flop Oscar and the Wolf, with the haunting 'Princes', all delivered in a sort of limpid, creepy vocal that is sodden with despair and emptiness. It's just a divinely powerful song.

030 - 026 GP9tBO9qU7s 030 James Wolf - Can’t Get Enough 029 George Ezra - Song 6 028 Becky Hill - Losing 027 Josef Salvat - Shoot and Run 026 Broods - Never Gonna Change PCulrBwoeqc Some undersung gems as we enter the top thirty. George Ezra album track 'Song 6' is probably the least well known, and it starts so unassumingly that when the plaintive chorus hits - "We are only dreaming / And I'm dreaming only of you" - it's a truly unexpected wallop in the face. His vocals aren't even overly emotional, just at a slightly higher pitch than the moribund verses, his inimitable, rather unlikely deep tones a genuine intoxicant. Not unlike the rich, reedier voice of Josef Salvat, who really does sound that good live, and when matched with the brooding production of 'Shoot and Run', a menacing title matched with the bubbling synths, it really sings. Speaking of brooding (har har), here are Broods, who certainly live up to their name on their desolate debut album. 'Never Gonna Change', the hangover highlight from their initial EP, lets Georgia Nott's cool voice pitch the song at a level of low despair, the chorus a rumble of futility, before that truly inspired blitz of blaring synths, the song's sadness abundantly clear in their round pitch. Becky Hill won't take this shit, though - she's through with 'Losing', a song that sounded more like a hit than most songs this year and so, of course, wasn't one. From the first blared repeat of "Hold on", this song announces itself as something special. Hill's vocals sound lost themselves, slightly, as if she's singing from the depths of a cave, but the words are one of resistance, rebellion. Truth be told it's just a f***ing good dance tune and it carries me away on its tearful tinged dancefloor production. For true joy, we can stop by James Wolf, whose Balearic toe-tapper didn't serve me too well in BJSC, but continues to serve me well on a daily basis as the kind of song you want to do this to: http://37.media.tumblr.com/da1c0519a1e86ba5be55cf4b79a93af6/tumblr_mive13SMtv1rdutw3o1_400.gif And sometimes that's all you need. (Plus, he's real cute.)

035 - 031 D11EDd7gaG0 035 Ariana Grande feat. Zedd - Break Free 034 Betablock3r feat. Vic & Gab - Don’t Take Me Home 033 Ace Wilder - Busy Doin’ Nothin’ 032 Emerson Jay - Fghting Finding 031 Jungle - Busy Earnin’ BcsfftwLUf0 We near the top thirty with a couple of strutting anthems. Zedd's empathic production on 'Break Free' is matched by the often incomprehensible cry of Ariana's vocals, making for a hosanna that is just deliriously empowering. Jungle, meanwhile, top a strong debut album with the bold as brass 'Busy Earnin'', a tune for anyone who has ever hated their job as much as I have this year. Those trumpets that sound almost like the group imitating them with their vocal chords, that swirling noise in the background - it all makes for a triumphant ode to the downtrodden. On a totally contrary note is Ace Wilder's slacker celebration 'Busy Doin' Nothin'', unfortunate loser in the Melodifestivalen battle (sorry, fans, Sanna is nowhere to be seen in these parts this year) and somehow inexplicably never released in this country. The mashing of lazy honky tonk production in the verses and booming modernist chorus means the song goes by in a flash, all presided over by Ace's caustic vocals. And finally we turn to Buzzjack and its occasionally appalling taste. Emerson Jay's oddly spelt 'Fghting Finding' was another of my disastrous flops in Unknown Pleasures, despite bright, melodic production and gorgeous male vocals. Oh, wait - male vocals. Hmph. As the guitars strum and the rest of the song swirls into a frenzy, I'll always be caught up. Lastly we come to mysterious BJSC flop 'Don't Take Me Home', which I'm glad wasn't my own entry because the heartbreak of its failure is already too great. The ethereal, flighty gorgeousness of this triumph is just absolutely magical, but it seems I was the only one under its spell.

Too. Low. Girl. Really.

+150 Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk +140 Ella Henderson - Ghost +130 Kiesza - Hideaway +120 Oliver Heldens & Becky Hill - Gecko (Overdrive) +110 Sigma feat. Paloma Faith - Changing +100 Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang +090 Route 94 feat. Jess Glynne - My Love +080 Sigma - Nobody To Love +070 Take That - These Days +060 Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne - Rather Be +050 5 Seconds of Summer - She Looks So Perfect +040 Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea - Problem +030 Nico & Vinz - Am I Wrong +020 Pitbull feat. Ke$ha - Timber +010 Rita Ora - I Will Never Let You Down -10 Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud

I now have!! 'Cry' is amazing. are they doing a gig here?! ty very much!! and hold that thought about 'Comeback'...

040 - 036 Ltm3dHLnDe0 040 Hudson Mohawke - Chimes 039 Röyksopp feat. Susanne Sundfør - Save Me 038 Calvin Harris feat. Haim - Pray to God 037 Kleerup & Susanne Sundfør - Let Me In 036 Skit & Tijani - Sweat qxX4rqBsFps We kick off the top forty - which, as all chart geeks know, is where you really start caring - with Hudson Mohawke's bewitching 'Chimes', which certainly lives up to its name, at least until that booming chorus (? it's hard to tell without words) comes along and blasts your ears off the side of your head. Final Royksopp appearance 'Save Me' is a similar sort of whirlwind - there was no way I wasn't going to adore the reunion of 'sopp with Susanne Sundfør, whose tortured vocals are as effortlessly enrapturing as ever atop the swirl of electronic panic. She's here twice, as you can see, and Kleerup just about comes out on top with this sharp piece of magic, a strident plea in both vocal and marching, insistent beat. This section is all about producer-vocalist magic, and though Calvin Harris has largely gone off the boil lately, he aces in with 'Pray to God', which from its first seconds feels like something different from the man. It helps to have the Haim girls on vocals, a chanting wall of sound that matches the blasts of Harris' production beat for beat, until they "give in" for the stunning chorus. We turn things down for #36, which might be the most unfairly overlooked song of the year. A complete failure for me in BJSC, Skit & Tijani's 'Sweat' has stuck with me ever since, a ghostly, sensual ode to sex that wraps itself around your body like a python. The whispered, echoing vocals are just absolutely sublime.

Truth Serum is so majestic. I still haven't got around to the full album, but that EP is just pop perfection from start to finish. Surprised to see Josef quite low on that chart, actually - I guess it's a shorter EP but it's also close to perfection. rly do need to listen to Schoolboy Q as that's two trusted recs on it I have now!!

'Toy Soldier' out before the Ice songs? Outrage.

Video: dYGKxxTXqSs

Tuck in: Immortal :wub:

050 - 041 LVDAIxti3fU 050 Tinashe feat. Devonté Hynes - Bet 049 FKA twigs - Two Weeks 048 iamamiwhoami - Vista 047 Elizabeth Rose feat. VCS - Only Me 046 Ella Henderson - Missed 045 SZA feat. Kendrick Lamar - Babylon 044 Paradis - Garde le pour toi 043 Eternal Death - Head 042 Indila - Dernière Danse 041 Embody feat. Barnaby - Make A Stand RXDOcZLmrKU We're really into the good stuff now. As in, I can't believe Tinashe's ethereal 'Bet' is only #50, when in my head it was bound for the top 20. Currently my alarm tune - there's little better to drag you into consciousness than the swirling magic of this track, really showcasing Tinashe's strong voice as she teases and repels. Two other former alarm clocks are also here: 'Vista' dances into life with a gentle call before the battalion of synths bursts into glorious life. Her coos on this track are her triumph of the year, for this is her highest placing. Sorry, Pav, should you ever read this. And then there's 'Garde le pour toi' - not quite the highest French language track of an unusually good year for the language, as Indila's BJSC winner 'Derniere danse' pirouettes tenderly two spots above it - a marching wonder with ghostly vocals to really put a spell on you. There's more sensual sorcery from FKA twigs, as lead single 'Two Weeks' stutters in at #49 - remember, she has one more entry to come. As does Elizabeth Rose, whose EP was a real surprise after 'The Good Life' (or whatever it was called) alienated me so. Such crackers as 'Only Me' showcase her fine, soaring tones to maximum effect, backed by a kind of staccato synth parade, and make her one to really keep an eye on. SZA will also be back in the higher reaches, but don't let me catch you sleeping on 'Babylon', a majestic sort of lament with what might be Kendrick's finest guest rap to date. Ella has her last bow here, with a polished version of her X Factor audition song. 'Missed' is another exquisite ballad from the youngster, acres of pain and desolation that should be unfamiliar to someone of her age. Her vocal quavers are just perfection to shed a tear to. Eternal Death's 'Head' really augurs for something special from a bad I know I need to listen to the album from, Jake!! This ghoulish electropop pulsates with life, the reedy vocals an apparition between the echoing soundscape. And just missing the top forty is one of my few BJSC success stories in the form of Embody + Barnaby's super-cool house tune, a truly uplifting piece of music that floats along with the sweet harmony of triumphant love.

"I wanna be a silk flower / Like I'm never gonna die" DAMN. ready to be deceased from this.

thanks ultraviolence! I really did enjoy Taylor this year, a turnaround for me (though I did have 'I Know You Were Trouble.' here a couple of years ago). I didn't even know 'Wonderland' was a bonus track! shame.

060 - 051 etmFT1OQSnc 060 Bombay Bicycle Club - Feel 059 Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again 058 Jessie Ware - Tough Love 057 Kiesza - Hideaway 056 Adore Delano - D T F 055 FKA twigs - Numbers 054 Ariana Grande & The Weeknd - Love Me Harder 053 Tove Lo - Timebomb 052 SPEAK - Gates 051 Ella Henderson - Ghost MlTShNhwmYA I didn't expect BBC to ever produce a tune worth my time after the stunning 'Shuffle', but they've come close to matching it with 'Feel', a track alive with carnival spirit and one of the most joyous pieces of music you'll hear all year. Speaking of joy, here's Tove Lo with the cacophonous 'Timebomb', which continues to blow me away by sheer force of the production and the breathless spiel of the vocals. Quite literally breathtaking. SPEAK's 'Gates' similarly clangs loudly, its booming production having proven impossible to shake off after I first encountered it some time ago. It's goodbye here to Jessie, whose album wasn't quite what I wanted but did kick off with this exquisite single, named in quite a few quarters as one of the year's best. Not quite here, my love, but this gorgeous paean to the difficulty of love ("So you want to be a man about it / Do you have to" might be the lyric of the year) is still an absolute triumph. It's also goodbye to Adore, whose cracking album is better than any Katy P album has managed to be, with probably 1% of the funding. 'D T F' was the introduction, and it's a perfect one; rather nasty, rather zeitgeisty, and rather f***ing anthemic. let's get down to it~ Sex is on the mind of Ariana and her unlikely partner The Weeknd here, on a song that sounds almost too sweet to be about what it is about. Still, if she's going to be sticking around, this is what she should be doing: slick, sensual, smooth pop. Sex is always on the mind of twigs, on her hump day appearance here (that's 3/5) with 'Numbers', her voice peaking orgasmically and sometimes just dissipating altogether into the plonking synths. This chart isn't allergic to the charts, but Kiesza's 'Hideaway' and Ella's 'Ghost' are two of only three UK chart toppers to feature (can you guess the third?), two completely different but equally anthemic songs that I loved from the off. And then we're left with the second of the Royksopp/Robyn collabs, which was exactly what I expected, wanted and got from the pair. Never break up.

oops sorry :) hi math, thanks for stopping by! as do I, it's coming up quite a bit later ooh ^_^

070 - 061 LXet-FuJxY8 070 Jessie Ware - Want Your Feeling 069 Indila - Ego 068 Taylor Swift - Style 067 Elliphant feat. MØ - One More 066 Banks - Brain 065 Ella Eyre - If I Go 064 Trust - Icabod 063 TĀLĀ - Alchemy 062 Kito & Reija Lee feat. Zebra Katz - WORD$ 061 Adore Delano - I Adore U FPAktW0-G74 We kick things off in the top seventy with this smooth, funky slice of Jessie Ware's heavenly voice, a highly addictive track that is her first of just two appearances this year (sophomore album blues :( ). It's the final appearance for both Taylor and TĀLĀ, meanwhile - 'Style' best be a future single, a belter of a pop single if ever there was on, while 'Alchemy' worked its science on me right from those opening bell chimes or whatever they are; the perfect exemplar of her intriguing musical trickery. It's 2 of 3 for Banks, with the devilish 'Brain', and Adore, with the sumptuously devastating 'I Adore U' (goddamn but she looks fine in her videos). Indila pops up for the first of two with the crunching passion of 'Ego', as does Ella Eyre with the fiery 'If I Go' - girl really deserved the star that Sam Smith stole this year. The rest are one-hit wonders this time around: Trust with the strident electro of 'Icabod', an instant Buzzjack smash that still holds me in its growling grip; Elliphant and MØ teaming up for the swagger of 'One More', which has the finest change of pace in any song all year, probably, when it cranks into an electronic swirl halfway through; and Kito, Reija and Zebra (whose '1 Bad Bitch' fell just short of the 100) on this dynamic, smashing electropop song (which I included in my CDswap - Oliver, hold that thought, I'll explain it all eventually!) that contrasts their honeyed tones and his low growl to great effect.

hi bal :o cheers, glad you're liking it so far! I have been reading urs but I owe u a comment or two I know. the final Taylor is coming up next...

080 - 071 080 SLK - Call 079 Jhené Aiko - The Pressure 078 Erkka - Plastic Flamingos 077 Katy B - Everything 076 Etta Bond feat. Delilah - Bubble 075 How To Dress Well - Pour Cyril 074 Rae Morris feat. Fryars - Cold 073 Kyla La Grange - Get It 072 FKA twigs - Hours 071 Shannon Saunders - Sheets qLNbfUFu3EA Some one hit wonders here, but they're no less special because of it. I'd particularly love people to listen to 'Bubble', which finally bests 'Go' as the finest thing Delilah's put her name to, joining forces with rising star Etta Bond in this magical, slightly creepy track full of wild production flourishes that all add up to a rhythmic intoxication. Just as fine is 'Call', produced by Syndare hitmaker Embody (who'll turn up later), which has some of the most robust vocals of the year. BJSC features 'Sheets' and 'Plastic Flamingos' are quite different beasts; the former is a sly pop tune, Saunders' delivery tart and salty, while the rolling synths of the latter rise and fall in some mysteriously enchanting way, compacted and elongated in varying fashions for a genuinely unpredictable repetitiveness. 'Cold' almost won the whole contest, while we're on the subject, although its melancholy majesty took a while to really overtake me as it does now. 'Pour Cyril' plumbs sadder depths, its beautiful strings reminiscent of the tragic beauty to the climactic music of Romeo + Juliet. I didn't give HTDW's album the quarter it deserves, partly because this number consumed me so heavily when it arrived. The remainder of our lot here are chart mainstays; Katy B's first of two is album track and should-be single 'Everything', which bounces with her patented pleading dancefloor energy, while Kyla La Grange also scores her first of two with 'Get It', a punchy album track that swirls with power; it's the allowance to give those synths a long lead-out that really secured it a place here. And finally we have further appearances from Jhené, with elegantly bare single 'The Pressure' ("have you seen my f***s to give?"), and twigs, with a song so sexy I want to drape myself over the end of a chase longue as I sing along. No pictures, please.