dandy*

I’m on holiday now so don’t rule out a repeat of the 11th hour reconfirmation to something I’ve never heard… I have no faith in my current entry this month eeeek

Awwww no with those two eliminations my interest in who wins has evaporated to zero! I get it’s a pop contest though so it was always going to end up with pop voters as the majority, I was spoiled last year with PSBs holding my affections until the very end ☺️

Totally agree Gezza, they really felt like beginning of a new era at the time

Animal Nitrate <3 The song that persuaded me to love guitar music

My year seemed okay at first but I’ve been trying to find something and it’s actually pretty awful

I absolutely love it too, perhaps unsurprisingly! There's nothing I want to skip at all but I think Really Real, Sucker For Love, Light Up and Into The Sun are easily as good as the singles.

Like both China in Your Hand and Got My Mind Set On You, they made a great top two. BTW George did make #1 first time around in 1971 as well, it was the biggest selling single of the year as well 🤩

DanGster’s Paradise Wardy Bum

I know which of the two parts I’d join!! 😂

Both sides of that Annie Lennox AA are great and showcase very different sides of her music. Ordinary World is also wonderful. The album is really quite weak but this and the follow up Come Undone are among their very best work

An alt-y entry? I'll give it 750-1

Definitely Jaz13 - anyone is welcome to join in! I'll brave #13 please Chez 😲

Oh so Joshua actually received the highest number of votes in the end as well - I am quite surprised by that

You say that like it’s a list you’ve already created

Interesting. This is definitely far harder for physical era acts than those who’ve had singles in the streaming era - but also get that if there’s going to be themes then that’s going to happen at points no matter how hard anyone tries to avoid it

My Persephonia choice would have probably surprised you… and right now I can’t even think what it’s called(!) but it made it into my main shuffle playlist after I realised how much I loved it - sadly I don’t think I realised soon enough to give it the points it deserved at the time. I will let you know the more helpful info around what it actually is once I’ve remembered 😂

I've finally got around to creating my own... Discs 1 and 2: My FLJ faves over the years 01 Headache - The Beginning Of The End [02] 02 Agnes Obel - Familiar [09] 03 Ludovico Einaudi - Experience (Starkey Remix) [05] 04 VAULTS - Cry No More [01] 05 yunè pinku - DC Rot [33] 06 Ninajirachi - Infohazard [01] 07 Foxes - Youth [01] 08 Johan Agebjörn feat. Lake Heartbeat - Watch The World Go By [05] 09 Faouzia - Don't Ever Leave Me [03] 10 Melenas - Bang [27] 11 Christine and the Queens - Christine [05] 12 Delaporte feat. Bruno - Rendición [03] 13 Patrick Wolf - Together [05] 14 Hannah Järver - Anekdoter [19] 15 Kenton Slash Demon - Harpe [08] 16 Working Men's Club - Valleys [22] 17 Digitalism - Pogo (Shinichi Osawa Remix) [10] 18 Hagop Tchaparian - Right To Riot [07] 19 Jean-Michel Blais & CFCF - Hypocrite [01] 20 Joshua Idehen - Mum Does The Washing [01] 01 Tori Amos - Spark [03] 02 Astrid Williamson - Pour [09] 03 Fever Ray - Carbon Dioxide [07] 04 Olga Bell - Randomness [30] 05 Argy & Omnya - Aria [01] 06 Karen Harding - Say Something [02] 07 Rex The Dog - Maximize [15] 08 Jam and Spoon feat. Plavka - Find Me (Odyssey To Anyoona) [07] 09 Danger - 11h30 [10] 10 Van She - Strangers (Van She Tech Rework) [14] 11 New Order - Singularity [10] 12 Joon Gloom - Joker [06] 13 George Clanton - I Been Young [04] 14 Destroyer - Hydroplaning Off The Edge Of The World [29] 15 Dan Deacon - Snookered [11] 16 Djrum - Broken Glass Arch [07] 17 Halls - White Chalk [18] 18 judeline - Mangata [19] 19 SAULT - Wildfires [37] 20 Lamb - Gorecki [DNQ] Discs 3 and 4: My favourites from other countries over the years 01 Lana Del Rey - Video Games [Isconia] 02 Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch [Deandria] 03 TR/ST - Sulk [Aeroche] 04 Grimes - Realiti [Republic of Adonia] 05 MISS LUXURY - Deal [Kathaldazia] 06 Ninajirachi - All I Am [Neliönoir] 07 Let's Eat Grandma - Happy New Year [D'yermak'er] 08 Kadie Elder - First Time He Kissed A Boy [Singerpurear] 09 LP - Lost On You [Bøtanikkä] 10 Self Esteem - I Do This All The Time [FSR Rontvia] 11 iamamiwhoami - Play [Elëdan] 12 Janelle Monáe feat. Big Boi - Tightrope [Lotopialand] 13 Oliver $ and Jimi Jules - Pushing On [Ethanola] 14 Special Request - Amnesia [Cumulonimbia] 15 Nabihah Iqbal - Zone 1-6000 [Summericia] 16 College feat. Electric Youth - A Real Hero [Palmyra] 17 Blanck Mass - You [Skall] 18 Belanger - Take Me Home [Syndare] 19 Groove Armada - Paper Romance [Utopia] 20 RÜFÜS DU SOL - Innerbloom [Kluminican Republic] 01 Woodkid - Run Boy Run [Ingermanlandia] 02 Björk - Jóga [B.a.N.G] 03 The Kite String Tangle - Given The Chance [Trifoski] 04 Father John Misty - Screamland [Terra Avium] 05 CMAT feat. John Grant - Where Are Your Kids Tonight [Cheiron] 06 Lissie - Romance Police (Further Away) [Lotunia] 07 Siobhan Donaghy - Medevac [République d'Áskorza] 08 Moyka - Spaces [New Lexico] 09 Kiasmos - Looped [Aelandor] 10 OVERWERK - Toccata [Jadakissnia] 11 Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler [Danæviia] 12 Ill Peach - Comatose [Persephonia] 13 Gesaffelstein - Hate Or Glory [N DNTN] 14 Jane Inc - What If [PopHub] 15 HARD FEELINGS - Sister Infinity [Cor Lupus] 16 Icona Pop - I Love It [Ramrynia] 17 Kiesza - Dancing And Crying [Hendinia] 18 Susanne Sundfør - White Foxes [Caerfyrddia] 19 Ane Brun - Take Hold Of Me [FARC] 20 Röyksopp - The Girl And The Robot [Mdiče] Disc 1 would essentially be my stab at a single playlist, it contains nearly all of my personal favourites and I do still listen to them all on pretty heavy rotation - possible exception of Foxes but as she was my first winner it felt right to include her. Disc 2 definitely still represents my sound over the years though and I do still love all of those as well <3 Some of my bigger hits don’t make the cut at all (not even all the winners did!) but I wanted to stick with songs I’d happily listen to these days. For discs 3 and 4 I limited myself to one song per country and just went with the ones that still get the most plays round mine. I tried to stick mainly to ones that I actually discovered via the contest, although a handful of all time faves have snuck in regardless. A few notable counties that don't get included despite me being a big fan over the years, hopefully they will be forgiving! (edited to include a disc 4 to show more countries some love!)

Sweet Harmony is one of my favourite songs of the decade, absolutely wonderful track. The production is so perfect.

ALTHOUGH I already am nonplussed by these comparatively low scores for Underneath

I’ll need to do a relisten for this, but will enjoy doing so. Remind me about it if I don’t vote as I definitely want to

Wash your mouth out with your mum’s non bio colour care liquid capsules

I’m quite the fan of the results when Silas hosts

Wow at only 10 countries managing more than 4 in a row. All of those top 6 in particular have done amazingly to survive the past year and a half unscathed

I always think it's better to step away from things when you're not getting any enjoyment from them so understand your reasoning - if indeed you decide not to log back on then wishing you all the very best (and thank you for including Joshua in your last votes <3 )

Oh and I rudely forgot to say thank you to @Qween for the wonderful hosting - I am most relieved that the site gremlins disappeared just in time for the results show as that would have been a nightmare to deal with for you. On the note of hosting, I'm afraid I definitely won't be able to host 184 - and not just because I'm still traumatised from hosting last year, I have a genuine excuse as I'm away for a fortnight in a couple of weeks time so there's no way I can make the dates work (and I most definitely do not have the necessary Kath skills required to attempt to host this thing from my mobile)