2014 : THE HALF-TERM HALF CENTURY

Well, we’re now officially halfway through the year, it’s time to look back at some of the best songs of the year.

At the end of the year, I do a Top 100, but as it’s the halfway point, here’s the Top 50 Songs Of 2014 So Far.

1. Vance Joy – Riptide
2. Beck – Blue Moon
3. Wonder Villains – Marshall
4. Ella Henderson – Ghost
5. One Republic – Love Runs Out
6. Jimi Goodwin – Oh! Whiskey
7. Lea Michele – Cannonball
8. Lorde – Team
9. James – Moving On
10. Fiona O’Kane – I Can’t Help Myself
11. Courteeners – Summer
12. Ellie Goulding – Goodness Gracious
13. Pollaponk – No Prejudice
14. Embrace – Follow You Home
15. The Vamps ft Demi Lovato – Somebody To You
16. Kasabian – Eez-Eh
17. Chvrches – Recover
18. Tove Lo – Habits
19. Florrie – Seashells
20. Coldplay – Magic
21. U2 – Invisible
22. Nina Nesbitt – Peroxide
23. Grouplove – Ways To Go
24. Broken Bells – Holding On For Life
25. Merrymouth – I Am The Resurrection
26. The Pierces – Kings
27. Alicia Keys ft Kendrick Lamar – It’s On Again
28. Foxes – Let Go For Tonight
29. Manic Street Preachers – Walk Me To The Bridge
30. Sia – Chandelier
31. The Pretty Reckless – Heaven Knows
32. Bombay Bicycle Club – Feel
33. Kaiser Chiefs – Coming Home
34. Ed Sheeran – Sing
35. The Horrors – So Now You Now
36. Alexi Lalas – Rio
37. Cher Lloyd – Sirens
38. Bastille – Bad Blood
39. Paloma Faith – Can’t Rely On You
40. Nick Mulvey – Cucurucu
41. Thiago Thome – Brazil Brazil
42. Foster The People – Best Friend
43. Foxes – Holding On To Heaven
44. Luke Sital-Singh – Greatest Lovers
45. American Authors – Best Day Of My Life
46 Tiesto ft Matthew Koma – Wasted
47. Ting Tings – Wrong Club
48. Tinie Tempah – 5 Minutes
49. Katy B – Crying For No Reason
50. DJ Cassidy ft Jessie J and Robin Thicke – Calling All Hearts

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THE FRIDAY FIVE – 27.6.2014

1. Courteeners – Summer
2. The Vamps ft Demi Lovato – Somebody To You
3. One Republic – Love Runs Out
4. Foster The People – Best Friend
5. Jack White – Lazaretto

THE SOUND OF 2012 : 76-100

It’s December, which can only mean one thing …… time to look back at the year just past. As is tradition on this blog, the best 100 songs of the year, in a four part series over the next three Thursdays, and then on Christmas Eve.

If you need a refresher, the list of former winners are :

2011 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA …… What A Life.
2010 Marina and the Diamonds – Shampain
2009 Little Boots – New In Town
2008 Sons and Daughters – Darling
2007 Feist – 1, 2, 3, 4
2006 Kasabien – Empire

Curiously, four of the last five winners have been solo artists.

Anyway, less chat, more chart. Here’s the first 25.

76. The Killers – Miss Atomic Bomb
77. Newton Faulkner – Write It On Your Skin
78. Rudimental – Not Giving In
79. Ladyhawke – Sunday Drive
80. Devlin ft Ed Sheeran – Watchtower
81. Katie Melua – Moonshine
82. Rita Ora – How We Do
83. Stooshe – Waterfalls
84. Stereophonics – In A Moment
85. Girls Aloud – Beautiful Because You Love Me
86. Lana Del Ray – Born To Die
87. Chiddy Bang – Ray Charles
88. Little Mix – DNA
89. Sleigh Bells – Comeback Kid
90. Ben Howard – Only Love
91. Paul Weller – Dragonfly
92. Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Brendan’s Death Song
93. Jake Bugg – Two Fingers
94. Everything Everything – Cough Cough
95. Maroon 5 – Payphone
96. Marina and the Diamonds – Primadonna
97. Ed Sheeran – Small Bump
98. Naughty Boy ft Emeli Sande – Wonder
99. Josh Osho – Redemption Days
100. Foster The People – Don’t Stop

Sound Of 2011

Sound Of 2010

Sound Of 2009

Sound Of 2008

Sound Of 2007

Sound Of 2006

2012 : THE HALF-TERM HALF CENTURY

Amazing to believe, but we are now officially at the half-way point of 2012.

As is tradition, this halfway mark is commemorated by a half-century of the best songs of the year so far.

Enjoy

1. Bruce Springsteen – We Take Care Of Our Own
2. Coldplay ft Rihanna – Princess Of China
3. Emeli Sande – Next To Me
4. Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know
5. Little Boots – Headphones
6. Ren Harvieu – Open Up Your Arms
7. Fun ft Janelle Monae – We Are Young
8. The Shins – Simple Song
9. Black Keys – Lonely Boy
10. Keane – Silenced By The Night
11. Mayer Hawthorne – The Walk
12. Ladyhawke – Sunday Drive
13. Can Bonomo – Love Me Back
14. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
15. Thea Gilmore – London
16. Lloyd – Dedication To Me Ex
17. Hot Chip – Day and Night
18. Paloma Faith – Picking up The Pieces
19. Amy MacDonald – Slow It Down
20. The Maccabees – Pelican
21. Cher Lloyd – Want U Back
22. Gotye – Eyes Wide Open
23. Michael Kiwanika – I’m Getting Ready
24. Ben Howard – Only Love
25. Ed Sheeran – Small Bump
26. Alex Clare – Too Close
27. Chiddy Bang – Ray Charles
28. The Big Pink – Stay Gold
29. Eugene McGuinness – Lion
30. Dappy ft Brian May – Rockstar
31. Rita Ora – RIP
32. Taylor Swift – Ours
33. Will Young – I Just Want A Lover
34. Nicola Roberts – Yo-Yo
35. Marina and the Diamonds – Primadonna
36. Lana Del Ray – Born To Die
37. Professor Green – Never Been A Good Time
38. Maroon 5 – Payphone
39. Jedward – Watermark
40. Marina and the Diamonds – Power and Control
41. DJ Fresh – Hot Right Now
42. Kelly Clarkson – Stronger
43. Foster The People – Don’t Stop
44. Alyssa Reid – Alone
45. Lawson – When She Was Mine
46. Sleigh Bells – Comeback Kid
47. Miles Kane – First Of A Kind
48. Horrible Histories – Flame
49. Gemma Ray – Rescue Me
50. B.O.B – So Good

Half-Term Half Century 2011

Half-Term Half Century 2010

Half-Term Half Century 2009

Half-Term Half Century 2008

Half-Term Half Century 2007

THE SOUND OF 2011 : 21-40

21. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Everybody’s On The Run
22. The Pierces – You’ll Be Mine
23. Ed Sheeran – A Team
24. Florence and the Machine – Shake It Out
25. Miles Kane – Come Closer
26. Manic Street Preachers – This Is The Day
27. A Friend In London – New Tomorrow
28. Hurts – Better Than Love
29. The View – Grace
30. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
31. The Killers – Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
32. Snow Patrol – Called Out In The Dark
33. Red Hot Chilli Peppers – The Adventures Of Raindance Maggie
34. Beady Eye – The Beat Goes On
35. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – The Death Of You And Me
36. Beady Eye – For Anyone
37. Two Door Cinema Club – Come Back Home
38. Duke Special – I’ll Come When You Call
39. Clare Maguire – The Sword and the Shield
40. The Pipettes – Boo Shuffle

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 18.11.2011

1. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
2. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – I Wanna Live In A Dream (In My Record Machine)
3. The Pipettes – Boo Shuffle
4. Coldplay – Paradise
5. Saw Doctors ft Petula Clark – Downtown

So, in keeping with the X-Factor themed chart, this week’s theme was Queen vs Lady Gaga. Further proof that I think they just make up the themes as they go along.

What it also meant, was that I had to think of five Lady Gaga songs I like. Not easy.

Having already done a Queen chart in September for Freddie Mercury’s 65th birthday, I had to think up five new songs. So here goes …..

FIVE LADY GAGA SONGS

1. Born This Way
2. Alejandro
3. Judas
4. Bad Romance
5. Just Dance

FIVE QUEEN SONGS

1. Bicycle Race
2. The Miracle
3. It’s A Hard Life
4. Now I’m Here
5. Somebody To Love

Meanwhile, this week has seen the 20th anniversary of the release of Achtung Baby, so, here’s a U2 top five for you.

The current edition of Q has a free album of covers of songs from Achtung Baby. If you don’t buy Q, try and download the Jacques Lu Cont remix of ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’ and/or The Killers version of ‘Ultra Violet’, as it’s not a very good tribute album

FIVE U2 SONGS

1. The Fly
2. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
3. Night And Day
4. Hallalujah Here She Comes
5. Wild Honey

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 16.9.2011

1. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
2. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA …. What A Life
3. Girl Crisis – The Sign
4. Snow Patrol – Called Out In The Dark
5. Ryan Adams – New York, New York

FIVE MARC BOLAN SONGS

Seeing as today marks the 34th anniversary of the death of Marc Bolan, here’s five songs for you to listen to.

1. Metal Guru
2. Children Of The Revolution
3. Solid Gold Easy Action
4. I Love To Boogie
5. 20th Century Boy

THE SOUND OF THE LAST FEW WEEKS

It’s been a while since the last update, so I just thought i’d keep you up to date with what i’ve been listening to recently.

As an Oasis geek, I am eagerly anticipating the release of Noel Gallagher’s solo album on October 17th.

I am absolutely loving the latest single, ‘If I Had A Gun’

You may recognise ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster The People from a TV advert and the bass riff being link music in various TV shows. It’s a song i’m absolutely loving right now.

Another song from an advert i’m loving at the moment is James Cleaver’s cover of ‘Buck Rogers’ by Feeder.

Something that annoys is the attitude some people in Northern Ireland have that it’s my patriot duty to love Snow Patrol.

To be fair, they have done some good songs. Their latest single ‘Called Out Of The Dark’ is gloriously wonderful.

Another band making a comeback in the singles charts is Red Hot Chilli Peppers with ‘The Adventures Of Raindance Maggie’

I am absolutely loving this song, especially the pumping bassline and drumbeat. It’s classic Chilli Peppers.

Other honourable mentions go to ‘Make You Mine’ by Talay Riley and ‘My Body’ by Young The Giant.