Brer

Why does it look so evil with inverted colours

Those are the exact songs I am referring to as being significantly worse than 'End Of Beginning' ('Basic Being Basic' in particular is really obnoxious imo)

I do think the use of AI in the Headache song is a different case because it's an artistic decision that actually does enhance it in context, and it's only for the actual 'recording' of the vocals, every other element of the song is human. So there is some room for nuance. x

Just for u (my ability to draw circles freehand has not held up very well I fear so it's more like a rounded countrypentagon)

Well they're all geoblocked in the original threads in the UK now because of Imgurgate whoops - I was going to say I have all the files saved on my laptop still but I actually don't, I've saved my own one and another bunch which I think are the ones I newly made for hosting the BJSC 89 semis (plus a few others that I don't recall why I made them as they're for countries that didn't appear in any of the contests I hosted), the rest are still on the Imgur servers but inaccessible to me now. edit: forgot about the Instumentals spinoff which I've also linked below now x ...but looks like the Wayback Machine has successfully saved all of the graphics for my contests so you can see them below (they're quite slow to load at least for me though) BJSC 68: https://web.archive.org/web/20230422133614/http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=169572 BJSC 75: https://web.archive.org/web/20230422133726/http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=177728 BJSC Re:LOADED IV: https://web.archive.org/web/20230422134825/http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=181065 BJSC Instrumentals: https://web.archive.org/web/20230422134831/http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=194201 BJSC 89: https://web.archive.org/web/20230424220609/http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=194390 (BJSC Re:LOADED is kind of its own little lore thing in itself - the idea was abandoned after the 9th one due to a general lack of interest I guess but they were basically just reruns of the early contests)

We need to let me win again already so I can bring back my rudimentary MS Paint skills and unleash some new countryballs on you all. AI could nevah

I find 'End Of Beginning' pretty mid but the other songs I've heard from Djo are significantly worse oops

Today I learnt that 'Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy' was a posthumous release (for Bing)! (Though I do wonder what prompted them to wait 5 years to release it...)

Indeed definitely much more here for the twigs representation in this section <3 'Striptease' I think is probably my 2nd favourite song from 'EUSEXUA' after 'Drums Of Death', I don't think I actually knew about there being a version with Eartheater (I was pretty out of the loop on the whole re-release / new album stuff) so may have to check that out, I always think of Purity Ring when I hear this song but that may or may not just be because 'Fineshrine' is probably the only other song I've ever heard that contains the word 'sternum' haha. Man/Woman/Chainsaw is a very standout artist name (I remember spotting it on the lineup of a local music festival around here a while back x), don't think the sound of their music matches the vibe of the name really but 'Only Girl' is a great wholesome indie tune, definitely an act to keep an eye on. 'Summer Forever' I think is a better showcase of Lana vibes from Addison than 'Diet Pepsi' was (even though that did grow on me eventually) but still thought she had better songs on her album, salty that when we saw her live her set snubbed both my favourite of her singles ('High Fashion') and her album tracks ('In The Rain') </3 but this one was a fun one to hear live iirc. I hadn't heard 'Unidos' before the other day, I was kind of hoping from that collaboration that it'd have a bit more of a Latin flair to it but it's still a very infectious house tune, a lot better than a lot of Dan Snaith's Caribou output of late. I mostly flopped at listening to albums from 2025 again so I need to do some catchup for that at some point and The Horrors' album needs to be a high priority there, 'Lotus Eater' is a bit more lowkey than the other tracks I've heard from it but still a wonderful atmosphere builder. Also need to check out the PinkPantheress album, 'Nice To Know You' is the best of the album tracks I've heard from it I think, actually didn't know about it sampling 'Spiral', that was sent to BJSC as République d'Áskorza (or Ashton at the time)'s 50th entry before the anniversary entry rules existed but they snuck it through anyway. I did hear The Weeknd's album and I think it's quite underrated on BuzzJack (albeit maybe some of the songs do blend in with each other a little too much x), happy that 'Timeless' delivered him a big hit from the era even though it doesn't really fit the aesthetic of the rest of the album and yeah the whole Carti AI thing is a bit of a side-eye to it but at least we can presumably trust that the vibey instrumental and Abel's own parts are actually legit Was cool that we had a snap favourite in Eurovision, a shame the UK diaspora support for Lithuanian entries does not extend past voting numbers and into the actual charts as it would have been wonderful to see 'Tavo Akys' becoming a hit but at least it did do decently in the contest despite not sounding at all like typical Eurovision fare, we stan a moody jam. Shame the vibes around Eurovision have turned quite rancid now, still not quite sure but thinking I might give the show a miss this year but I'll plan to listen to the songs again at least and hopefully there'll still be a few good discoveries to be made there. Think I recall 'I Search For A Sign' being at one of the BJSC semi listenthroughs that you weren't able to attend so I heard it before you and knew immediately it'd be a big fave for you haha, I did rank it in the top 5 of its semi as well so boo at the DNQ but was good to see it making your chart anyway as I feel DNQs usually don't show up there (same with the massively robbed Snapped Ankles from the same semi x). 'Butterflies' is another song like 'Sushi' that I think takes a little while to get good but then I get very into it towards the end, think it is my 2nd fave of the songs I heard from the TV Girl/George album after 'Take A Trip'.

I personally find using AI graphics a bit tacky as well but it's probably the most innocuous use of AI that's crept into the song contests x

Did the top 4 of the last contest all pass on hosting? (Damn me being 2 points away from being able to host another one of these myself if so ) Intrigue for a very open theme anyhoo ~

Had forgotten that 'Landslide' had never charted before (I see it wasn't even a single) - coming to be their first new top 40 hit since 1988 then (normal reset rules will be back this week and it surely definitely has a 25% increase).

You know a Madonna release is inessential when it finishes quite low down even in a ranking on BuzzJack x 'Thinking Out Loud' is my first major loss so far, granted it's a song I probably don't ever need to hear again but overplay notwithstanding I still think it's a very good and timeless sounding song from Ed (and it was quite a moment hearing it live when he came out as a surprise guest at the Eras Tour x). His later attempts to recreate it have not aged quite as well. We stan the frogs as well obvz

and then still claims it underperformed despite allegedly expecting it to DNQ

Let's not forget everyone thought Djo was a #1 contender before but it turned out he was overperforming on Spotify. Some interesting déjà vu if he does somehow go to #1 though - we already had a parallel to 2025's 'Messy' with 'WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!' being the first new #1 of the year by a British woman with a song that had bubbled below #1 before the start of the year, and 'End Of Beginning' could be this year's 'Pink Pony Club' as a song that's several years old and already had a previous chart run where it appeared to have peaked and fallen off (mind, PPC only fell off because it was starred out but still x). 'The Fate Of Ophelia' returning to #1 would be a parallel to 'That's So True' as well. All of this of course means logically the next thing that will happen is Bad Bunny hitting #1 after dominating the Grammys and the Super Bowl Aside, don't think it's been pointed out yet that 'Gabriela' has hit a new Spotify peak of #55 today!

It is reset already

Love to see 'Midnight Sun' entering, hope it can continue to slow burn its way to the top 40!

Nice surprise to see RAYE snatching the #1, this song is not quite the moment that 'Escapism.' was but it's still one I've grown to like a lot after initially being unsure about it. And it's much more interesting than just seeing Taylor go back to #1 by default (although given RAYE's lead comes from vinyl sales I assume that'll happen next week). 2 years in a row where the first new #1 of the year is a solo British woman! And both good songs. The tease of a potential 'Raindance' #1 not really coming close to materialising in the end but still glad to see it getting a new peak. I had hoped the post Xmas clearout would give new peaks to 'Die On This Hill' and 'Phantom' too but alas not quite - both have debuted in the US Hot 100 this week as compensation though!! And yay that EsDeeKid did still at least get one new peak with '4 Raws', shame the Timothée remix seems to be stuck as a social media exclusive and I feel its impact being released on streaming would be a bit muted now anyway so may have missed the boat. 'Think About Us' is by far the best Sonny Fodera hit so far so also glad to see that with a new peak and for my sins I do find myself quite enjoying 'I Run' as well although glad that it's staying away from the #1 conversation. Kicking off the year in truly fresh style with top 10 re-entries from songs released in 2022 and 2015, a top 30 re-entry for a song released in 1987 and a top 40 new entry for a song released in 2010! I've never cared much for 'End Of Beginning' unfortunately, 'Lush Life' having a second life in the top ten a decade on feels quite surreal but it is one of the few songs of the trop pop era that still holds up quite well for me, and sure why not at the Tiffany revival (plus yay Kate Bush being in the top 20 yet again and fingers crossed The Clash can join them in the top 40 next week, Diana Ross as well although that song isn't quite as much of a fave for me but it clearly does deserve to be charting, it's a bit absurd that Tiffany gets a reset and Diana doesn't when the latter is actually higher on the streaming chart but OCC gonna OCC). First time hearing the Kato song today and I feared it would just sound like a dated mess but I did actually quite enjoy it. Also actually quite liked that new Sabrina Carpenter song, did not have as many lyrical clunkers as her typical output and it had quite an unusual structure for a chart hit, I assume it will be a flash in the pan chart wise but well done Sabby for making another song I can get behind. Also excellent at 'Stateside' making the top 40 and here's hoping for it to continue to rise in coming weeks - it's not as good as 'Tonight' (which has to be a contender for my favourite top 40 hit of the whole of 2025) but I like it more than 'Illegal', both in its original and Zara assisted forms. I heard the original again the other day for the first time in a while and I'd forgotten just how different the production is compared to the Zara version, I have kind of got used to the latter from hearing it plenty on Radio 1. And I do quite like 'CHANEL' as well albeit probably my least favourite of Tyla's top 40 hits to date. Think the quality of the top 40 right now is pretty good in general, the only songs in it I really dislike are 'Opalite', 'XMAS' (for this last straggler week) and 'Manchild'. Of course a few others that I am ambivalent on as well but I'm sure I usually dislike more than that x

I do find the scourge of AI music quite troubling for numerous reasons but I think realistically trying to implement a ban on AI entries isn't really feasible - the two that we know of from the last two contests both got through the research process undetected (I could try to implement more background checks but as I'm sure you all know it's sometimes a struggle to get research done in a timely manner as it is without having to worry about running another check on 50+ artists per month xx) and that's despite the last one being, in retrospect, quite obvious, and my full expectation that it's only going to get harder over time to identify AI artists. I would just encourage people to try and be mindful and look out for some red flags and idk maybe if I happen to notice AI entries in research in future months I might pop a quick PM to check if the person behind it really wants to go ahead with sending it x (I also don't want to invalidate if there are people who genuinely don't have an issue with AI music, although I am hoping we won't ever have a major problem of people intentionally sending AI artists) Most AI music is not exactly forthcoming about being AI and trying to come up with some criteria to enforce a ban runs the risk of catching false positives of artists who just happen to not have major social media presence etc.

The first section being bookended by BJSC faves *.* as I posted in the BJSC FM thread yesterday 'Korku' is I think within my top 3 BJSC entries of the year while Lemondaze was also a medallist for me, we endorse shoegaze x I usually associate KennyHoopla more with pop punk but him also delivering a solid shoegaze track in this section. 'catch these fists' was a banger of an era opener from Wet Leg, quickly became my new favourite song to date from them, love the energy in the instrumental. I thought on first listen that 'Sushi' sounded like one that would grow on me, have relistened to all of these songs now and I think I did like it a little more on second listen but still feel like it takes a bit too long to really get good, love the chaotic ending part though and can definitely see the comparison to Beyoncé. More of a fan of 'viscus', twigs slots in well on Oklou's trademark whimsical production. 'Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti' is a stunner and one of my faves from 'LUX', ofc already got to see her live before and similar vocal focused tracks like 'G3 N15' and 'SAKURA' were big highlights of that so this song just makes me really want to see her a second time x 'yes baby' and 'gossip' are both bangers and a real shame neither of them took off chart wise as I don't see why they couldn't have - I suppose Madison Beer has kind of bubbled under feeling like an artist who could have a breakthrough moment for years and it's never really happened, my introduction to her was a couple of pretty obnoxious BJSC entries oops but she has definitely come more into her own in recent years with songs like this and 'Make You Mine' being great fits for her vocal style imo. 'gossip' is my favourite song to date from the solo Little Mix canon (I've found JADE's output quite hit or miss but she nails this one and I'd love to hear more stuff from her going for this throwback Basement Jaxx vibe) and I think my second favourite Confidence Man song to date after 'Better Sit Down Boy', sad that even the JADE name power (and heavy Radio 1 support) couldn't get them a top 100 hit </3 My opinion on 'Defying Gravity' hasn't changed since last year but will just use this as an excuse to post that I surprisingly found 'No Good Deed' from the sequel a very compelling listen x

A belated official welcome to Ennea from Persephonia x I have voted for both of the songs you've entered to other song contests so far so looking forward to seeing what you'll bring here for your debut!

It's only without the 7" vinyls, the report separates them from the 12" vinyls. Taylor is comfortably #1 when removing all of RAYE's vinyl sales.

'Journey' got 15 points from me, quite the enchanting entry and very inspired choice <3 only topped that month for me by Linea Aspera's 'Malarone' which has to be up there with my very best discoveries ever. I thought I remembered voting for 'Sonotone' but appears I didn't, I may just be confusing it with Orelsan's 'Basique', nonetheless I am sure I do remember enjoying it more than the typical French entry. Meanwhile I wasn't sure if I voted for 'Hello E' yet I gave it 11 points (so I'll notch that down as 'need to listen to it again' too), 'Sonotone' has stuck more in my memory out of the two! 102-104 was a run of winners I didn't vote for (not nearly the extent of my current dry spell x) but then followed by two big favourites for me, 'thoughts & prayers' just missed my medals but then 'Hypocrite' got my 18 and definitely stands out as a surprise winner in the best way possible And ooh for the first Persephonia entry to appear as one of your 18s (and pleasing to see you still hold it in such high regard now, a very flattering write-up there!) - it remains my only entry to the main contest from before the 21st century, and even then I only discovered it because I was specifically looking for a 90s song for the 90s vs. 00s spinoff (the way that concept panned out it wasn't my entry for it in the end, but I still strongly wanted to send it somewhere so I just kept it for the main contest). µ-Ziq is still going strong making bangers to this day, his 2024 album 'Grush' is stacked with tunes. (Yay for 'Yarada Lij' and 'Sisters' being mentioned as well - the former was one I sent with very low expectations and it going as high as the top 20 felt very rewarding, whereas the latter as much as I still enjoy it I think hasn't held up that well and I slightly regret not sending 'Electric Pow Wow Drum' by them instead, I don't know if that one would have made the top 10 but I should have known it'd hold up better in my affections in the long run, it's a rare case of me considering multiple songs by the same artist and my choice being consciously motivated by thinking about which one would do better in the contest which makes it feel like one of my hollower top 10 hits oop)

RAYE and Taylor would have been tied if you take out RAYE's 7" vinyl sales...!

Lost two more of my votes since my previous post (but still nothing more than 4 points from me gone) - 'Dominick The Donkey (The Italian Christmas Donkey)' is an essential addition to the Christmas lore courtesy of Moyles! I'd forgotten about 'Comes A-Long A-Love' but it's a very jovial song, must be one of the better 50s #1s for me. Winifred Atwell nearly got my token instrumental point over The Shadows, I also considered voting for The Archies + the T. Rex, Capaldi and McFly songs are pretty decent. I'm glad Louis Tomlinson moved onto music that fits him more and has seen greater success (at least in the albums chart) with it because oof 'Just Hold On' was bad