Noahspike

40 songs to get through before the main event. Those poor voters. :drama:

Another 'shock' Desbuanda qualifier in a Persephonia-hosted contest :o (after 'Graveyard Whistling' went through to the LXVIII final with 0/9 predictions) *.* Clearly Bray is something of a good luck charm for me and should host more contests as I also fluked my way to victory in his round of Pointless in the Lounge. :heart: Seriously though, thanks so much to everyone who voted for 'Calling Out'! I really love it and was convinced it'd DNQ based on the utter lack of hype / overall quality of Semi 2 so it qualifying was a wonderful surprise. :D

Echoing the relief that Simon was the one booted out! I always try not to judge the contestants too much on opening night but I was already getting sick of his attention-seeking act. Still felt a bit sorry for him though and he seemed to take his eviction in good spirits (on camera at least) so fair play to him. Seems like a pretty good mix of personalities this year. Liking a lot of them but I'm instantly drawn to Nick in particular as he seems like quite a complex character, though I found his VT a bit uncomfortable to watch with him being so young and essentially saying he's a 'loathable' waste of space with no true friends, and he was extremely nervous when talking to Emma. I really hope he's stable enough for the experience as I think he could offer a lot and seems quite sharp and funny. Being from Dublin, it's great to hear a familiar accent in there but it's strange how female, uber-confident, assertive model types (Noirin, Caoimhe, Hazel) seem to always be chosen as the token Irish contestant, with Jade instantly reminding me of Caoimhe in particular. Not sure on her potential as of yet but she seems pretty opinionated which is (nearly) always a good thing.

Can't say I was expecting something this ~funky~ or disco-tinged from him :lol:. Not exactly sure what to make of it yet. His voice sounds as outstanding as ever and the chorus is a definite earworm but it doesn't really sound like a hit to me (something I wouldn't usually care much about but he needs one desperately). Regardless, it's great to hear another uptempo and I'll probably be obsessed with it this time next week. ^_^

Surprised Keith Lemon is last! Not a huge fan of him myself and have only seen him present 'Celebrity Juice' but he can be hilarious in small doses/when you're in the mood for it so I thought I'd throw him a few points. ^_^

Yeah, I'd imagine you're right. I've always found 'Afire Love' to be completely arresting and a major standout on the album. It's got a really beautiful melody and extremely evocative and touching lyrics about a grandparent's struggle with Alzheimer's disease, a subject not dealt with often in music to which I'm sure many people can relate (myself included). The prolonged outro is also stunning and I love the storytelling style of the song. For me, 'Photograph' is simply a standard, pleasant love song and nothing more. :P

erm.....................HYPE! :mansoncheer:

Does anyone else think she looks like a ginger Kimberly Wyatt on the cover?! Chart runs mean continued sales and appeal to people outside core fanbases though, so I would definitely say they're important to labels :P. I really can't see how the performance of 'Right Here' could be considered much of a disappointment.

Made sure to tune into Radio 1 just there to hear this (and they played it twice :heart:). An absolutely perfect pop song! The melody of the bridge is doing things to me. :wub:

She performed it and 'What Kind of Man' (very well) on SNL last night, which can be seen here.

^ Really great to hear it made such a big impression on you, Kath, and thanks for the 18 points! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 75 Laid-back instrumentation, beautifully delicate vocals and an unexpectedly POUNDING chorus that just won't stop giving. Those drums. :wub:

^ Thanks for that, Liam. 'Shine' sounds awesome on first listen, and I never generally have a very positive reaction after hearing a song for the first time as part of a live performance but I need to replay it now! Also sounds like it'd lend itself to selling albums. They are so on it in every way.

Voted! Graham FTW but failing that, Konnie to konquer all *.* (soz Rabbit x)

I thought Nicola was generally quite well regarded (relative to her contribution to the show, anyway)? She seemed like a lovely, fun-loving person but not a particularly interesting housemate. Stephanie was the clear female star of that series for me.

That just makes me envious as I have literally no home movies of my childhood because my parents were complete technophobes in the 90s </3. Could have come in handy if I ever become a popstar and can't be arsed making a video for a fifth single, at the very least. <_< Very sweet video though. Still can't really get behind this being a single as I find it a bit dull and there's much better on the album but it's nice enough.

So much great stuff here, Seven! Ariana, Brandon, Erik, Kendrick, Major Lazer and Tkay would all be big faves of mine right now. :heart: I'd heard Django Django's 'First Light' a while ago and found it pretty grating but you'll be happy to know I've done a 180° now (when it counts *.* ;)). A subtle earworm :music:. Not as keen on 'Beginning to Fade' on first listen but I'd imagine their album would be a good one to unwind to so I should remember to give it a listen sometime. Really liking 'S.O.S'. The sort of monotonous and drawn-out delivery works surprisingly well, and the chorus is very nice. :wub: By the way, I may not comment every month but I always check this thread out and tend to make a fair few discoveries from the stuff you embed here, so it's all very much appreciated, thanks! :D

2009 +10 Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil' Wayne - Let It Rock +09 MGMT - Kids +08 Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo +07 The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition +06 Alexander Rybak - Fairytale +05 Agnes - Release Me +04 Kid Cudi vs. Crookers - Day 'N' Nite (I didn't realise Kid Cudi is a legitimate one-hit wonder. How awfully unjust :/) +03 Esmee Denters - Outta Here +02 Empire of the Sun - We Are the People +01 A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls feat. Nicole Scherzinger - Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) 2010 +10 Brandon Flowers - Crossfire +09 Edward Maya feat. Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love +08 The Pretty Reckless - Make Me Wanna Die +07 Young Money feat. Lloyd - Bedrock +06 Pepper & Piano - You Took My Heart +05 Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me +04 K'naan - Wavin' Flag +03 Willow - Whip My Hair +02 Yolanda Be Cool & D Cup - We No Speak Americano +01 Fyfe Dangerfield - She's Always A Woman 2011 +10 Yasmin - Finish Line +09 Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks +08 Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello +07 The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris +06 Delilah - Go +05 Lloyd feat. Andre 3000 & Lil' Wayne - Dedication To My Ex (Miss That) +04 Diddy-Dirty Money feat. Skylar Grey - Coming Home +03 Bad Meets Evil feat. Bruno Mars - Lighters +02 Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat +01 Sak Noel - Loca People

Not something I'd ever return to but an interesting and enjoyable listen all the same. She's got incredible talent, confidence and potential for a 14 year old! Definitely one to watch.

Nice, pleasant song and quite reminiscent of 'Shower' in more ways than one. Can see it being another big grower. She/her label has definitely found her niche and is sticking to it, which is no bad thing as the last few singles have all felt very natural and convincing.

Sooooo late to check this out but I've been hooked on it since yesterday! The whole thing's incredibly captivating - lyrics, emotion, melody, video :wub:. Flawless. Would be so great to see such a quality R&B track in the top 40, and also for Ciara to be back there after such a long absence. Really hoping it makes it! (currently #27 on iTunes :unsure:)

+20 Ellie Goulding - Halcyon Days +19 Lana Del Rey - Born To Die +18 Beyonce - 4 +17 Kelis - Flesh Tone +16 Lily Allen - It's Not Me It's You +15 Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials +14 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black +13 Adele - 21 +12 Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster +11 Florence & The Machine - Lungs +10 Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels +09 Marina & The Diamonds - Froot +08 Robyn - Body Talk +07 Girls Aloud - Tangled Up +06 Lady GaGa - Born This Way +05 Katy Perry - Prism +04 Beyonce - I Am…Sasha Fierce +03 Katy Perry - Teenage Dream +02 Ellie Goulding - Bright Lights +01 Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

:hi: 'Shut Up And Dance' refuses to get old so I can definitely get behind it as a surprise #1 here now. Utterly infectious :music:. Unfortunately it's looking like I'll have to miss their gig in Glasgow later this month as friends from home have decided to come over on the same weekend. :( I can't get into 'I Bet My Life' at all - the chorus is just so......unpleasant and seems completely mismatched with the rest of the song :/ ('Shots' is a definite return to form though!) Cash Cash – Surrender [7-11] <<< There has to be a 7-Eleven robbery 'joke' in there somewhere. :thinking: Interesting to see you're loving 'Chains' now after it's had its day - just a slow grower for you? I only went back to it today for the first time since last year and it's way better than I remember! I thought 'Worth It' was pure derivative trash when I heard it first but I later realised that that's exactly its appeal :lol:! I don't know, sometimes stuff like that just works and it's such a jam (and I reeeeally like the bridge in particular :wub:). :rofl: @ #38 (Great chart though :D)

Hi Harry! Love your #1 :heart: and your #2 has been quite a grower for me over the last few days. It's a lot more subtle than Chloe's other tracks but, like them, it has interesting lyrics and her unique style of delivery. Assuming it's a single (?), I hope it gets a video as she tends to do great ones that really bring her songs alive. ^_^ 'The One' is lovely. So great to see a simple, well sung (but not overly bland :o) ballad do (kinda) well in the charts. :D Great that 'Talking Body' is climbing here! I've been playing it loads recently and I'm delighted it's turning into a hit in the UK after all the uncertainty over its release. Also, :yahoo: @ Nothing But Thieves being your highest climber!

:hi: Mango Excellent #1! Not quite up there (yet) with the singles that preceded it for me but another solid track and I adore the middle 8 and final chorus :wub:. Intrigued to see how well it'll do officially, as it wasn't long ago that it seemed 'Chandelier' would be the only hit from Sia's album. Glad that's not the case! Great to see '2Shy' doing well. Really liking it now, having not thought much of it based on an acoustic version I heard a while ago. The dreamy production really makes it but I'd say I still prefer 'Touch' by quite a bit. (Continuing from our earlier conversation,) 'Someone New' is another one I didn't appreciate until it started charting and getting attention :drama:! A much-needed bit of light relief to follow 'Take Me To Church', with a catchy, upbeat chorus so I can see why it was made a single. I really need 'Sedated' or 'From Eden' to get their time in the (UK) spotlight soon though. -_- A lot of other shared faves here, as always - particularly 'Lean On', which just gets better on every listen. :music:

I've just clicked on this thread for the third time in the last week or so, mistaking it for a topic about Rizzle Kicks :nocheer: (not that I'm a big fan of them but they'd be preferable). It doesn't help that they had an album called 'Stereo Typical' either. I would suggest that Rizzle Kicks go full-on Natalia Kills on them and sue for plagiariam or something but it's not like this lot will be around long. :kink: Anyway, the song (or at least the first half of it) is completely uninteresting, as expected. :/