THE SOUND OF 2015 : 76-100

So, it’s that time of year to look back at the twelve months just past, and this blog is no different.

Totally unscientific and totally guesswork, time to present to you the Top 100 Songs Of 2015, to see who will join Kasabian, Feist, Sons and Daughters, Little Boots, Marina and the Diamonds, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Taylor Swift, Haim and Jamie T on the honours list.

Spoiler alert. There are four former winners in the Top 100, and there are two acts who appear on it who also have a cover of one of their songs in the countdown.

I’ll let you guess them, and the winner. Here’s the first 25 to get you going. Another 25 will appear every Thursday for the next three weeks.

76. Hidden Cities ft Tim Halperin – Hungry Like The Wolf
77. The Libertines – Gunga Din
78. Coasts – Modern Love
79. The Charlatans – Come Home Baby
80. Walk The Moon – Shut Up And Dance
81. Mans Zelmerlow – Heroes
82. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Lock All The Doors
83. The Vaccines – Give Me A Sign
84. Marina and the Diamonds – Blue
85. Bear’s Den – Agape
86. Gun – Every 1’s A Winner
87. Years and Years – Desire
88. Muse – Lies
89. Olly Murs – Kiss Me
90. Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You
91. Miguel – Waves
92. Seasick Steve – Summertime Boy
93. Jason Derulo – Want To Want Me
94. The Courteeners – Has The Told You That He Loves You Yet
95. The Maccabees – Marks To Prove It
96. James Taylor – Montana
97. Coldplay – Adventure Of A Lifetime
98. Brandon Flowers – I Can Change
99. The Charlatans – Let The Good Times Be Never Ending
100. Years and Years – Shine

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 27.11.2015

1. David Bowie – Blackstar
2. James – To My Surprise
3. Foo Fighters – Saint Cecilia
4. Chvrches – Empty Threat
5. Olly Murs – Kiss Me

This coming Monday, is St Andrew’s Day. It would be rude not to have a musical celebration of all things Scottish, and all things Andrew.

FIVE SONGS BY SCOTTISH ACTS

1. Chvrches – Lies
2. Nina Nesbitt – He’s The One I’m Bringing Back
3. Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me
4. Biffy Clyro – The Captain
5. Prides – Messiah

FIVE SONGS BY SINGERS CALLED ANDREW OR BANDS FEATURING SOMEONE CALLED ANDREW

1. Wham! – Freedom
2. Hozier – Take Me To Church
3. Roachford – Cuddly Toy
4. Andrew Gold – Never Let Her Slip Away
5. Andrew WK – Party Hard

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 3.7.2015

1. James Bay – When We Were On Fire
2. The Staves – Teeth White
3. Olly Murs – Beautiful To Me
4. Friendly Fires – Jump In The Pool
5. Duran Duran – Pressure Off

And now, the first of two national celebrations. Wednesday was Canada. So, for my Canadian readers, here’s a chart for you.

FIVE SONGS BY CANADIAN ACTS

1. Tegan and Sara – Closer
2. Nelly Furtado – Do It Again
3. Barenaked Ladies – One Week
4. Celine Dion – It’s All Coming Back To Me Now
5. Appleton – Fantasy

And for their Southern neighbours, it’s Independence Day tomorrow. So, here’s a chart for you.

FIVE SONGS BY AMERICAN ARTISTS

1. REM – The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
2. Buffalo Tom – Going Underground
3. Madonna – Rain
4. Paramore – That’s What You Get
5. The Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl

And to finish, i’m going to see James in Edinburgh in August. Fifth time in a fifth different town (after Sheffield, Glasgow, Belfast and Bray) and i’m very excited about it.

It’s part of a Festival called Magners Summer Nights, a series of outdoor concerts in Glasgow and Edinburgh in August. If you’re going to it, here’s some songs to get you in the mood.

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS PERFORMING AT MAGNERS SUMMER NIGHTSS

1. James – She’s A Star
2. Echo and the Bunnymen – Nothing Lasts Forever
3. The Waterboys – The Whole Of The Moon
4. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test
5. Ben Folds – Battle Of Who Could Care Less

50 YEARS OF TOP OF THE POPS : MAY 9 – MAY 15

Welcome to this week’s look through the Pop Tardis, beginning with a Happy Birthday to the lead singer of Fast Fashion. However, if you’re not a French speaker, it’s Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode. You just can’t get enough of him.

Sharing a birthday is Hull’s finest export, even though, whisper it, he’s a Scouser by birth.

Another Paul born this week is Paul McGuigan, best known as Guigsy from Oasis. Yes, there are members of Oasis not called Gallagher. Bassist on the first three albums since you ask.

And another (Greater) Manchester popstar celebrating this week, Graham Gouldman, with the greatest Reggae song from a bunch of guys from Stockport ever.

DISCLAIMER : If you are ever robbed at gunpoint, it’s not advisable to try and start small talk about Cricket.

Also blowing out candles, possibly from a 30 foot Lemon Cake, is Bono.

Now, a Steve Winwood double of sorts. Here he is being covered …….

…… and sampled.

Talking of 80s rockers and Dance music, this is the only David Byrne TOTP appearance on Youtube.

Ian Astbury of The Cult is 52 this week. No surprises what video will accompany that fact.

Natalie Appleton from All Saints celebrates a birthday this week. Does anyone remember the All Saints spin-off Appleton?

And finally, Olly Murs hits the big 30. If TOTP was still on, he’d be on it every week, either performing or presenting. Just think about that.

THE SOUND OF 2013 : 1-25

1. Haim – The Wire
2. The 1975 – Chocolate
3. Phoenix – Entertainment
4. Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?
5. Frank Turner – The Way I Tend To Be
6. One Republic – Counting Stars
7. Bastille – Pompei
8. U2 – Ordinary Love
9. Foxes – Youth
10. Editors – A Ton Of Love
11. The Wombats – Your Boys Is A Weapon
12. Beady Eye – Iz Rite
13. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – Same Love
14. Olly Murs – Army Of Two
15. The Courteeners – Van Der Graaff
16. Birdy – Light Me Up
17. Foals – My Number
18. Eminem – Berzerk
19. Matthew Koma – One Night
20. Franz Ferdinand – Right Action
21. Selena Gomez – Come And Get It
22. Mark Owen – Stars
23. Suede – It Starts And Ends With You
24. Professor Green ft Miles Kane – Are You Getting Enough?
25. The Killers – Shot At The Night

So, congratulations to Haim for winning The Sound Of 2013. See you all again this time next year for The Sound Of 2014.

If you haven’t heard the winning song, here it is, as well as the previous winners.

The Sound Of 2012

The Sound Of 2011

The Sound Of 2010

The Sound Of 2009

The Sound Of 2008

The Sound Of 2007

The Sound Of 2006

THE SOUND OF 2013 : 26-50

26. Phoenix – Trying To Be Cool
27. Classified ft Olly Murs – Inner Ninja
28. Primal Scream – It’s Alright, It’s OK
29. Miles Kane – Give Up
30. Vampire Weekend – Diane Young
31. Nick Mulvey- Nitrous
32. The Uncluded – Delicate Cycle
33. Frank Turner – Recovery
34. Nina Nesbitt – Way In The World
35. Emmelie De Forest – Only Teardrops
36. Stereophonics – Indian Summer
37. Gary Barlow – Let Me Go
38. Tom Odell – Hold Me
39. Katy Perry -Roar
40. Mutya Keisha Siobhan – Flatline
41. Arlissa – Into The Light
42. Vampire Weekend – Step
43. Simple Minds – Broken Glass Park
44. Bastille – Things We Lost In The Fire
45. Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes
46. Franz Ferdinand – Evil Eye
47. Gabrielle Aplin – Please Don’t Say You Love Me
48. Taylor Swift – I Knew You Were Trouble
49. Haim – Don’t Save Me
50. The Vaccines – Melody Calling

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 29.11.2013

1. U2 – Ordinary Love
2. Birdy – Light Me Up
3. Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes
4. Imagine Dragons – On Top Of The World
5. Rudimental ft Emeli Sande – Free

So, last week’s X-Factor celebrated ten years of X-Factor. X-Factor. Yep, lots of nice Product Placement for X-Factor. X-Factor.

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM X-FACTOR

1. Matt Cardle – It’s Only Love
2. Olly Murs – Army Of Two
3. Little Mix – Wings
4. Leona Lewis – Forgive Me
5. Jedward – Lipstick

And don’t worry Scottish folk, I haven’t forgotten you. Happy St Andrew’s Day.

FIVE SONGS BY SCOTTISH ACTS

1. Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me
2. Biffy Clyro – The Captain
3. Pilot – Magic
4. Bay City Rollers – I Only Want To Be With You
5. Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 15.11.2013

1. Stereophonics – Handbags and Gladrags (Acoustic)
2. Gary Barlow – Let Me Go
3. Boy George – King Of Everything
4. Classified ft Olly Murs – Inner Ninja
5. Nick Mulvey – Nitrious

Bit of a difference this week, there’s no X-Factor chart, mainly due to the fact that last week’s “Big Band Week” was nothing more than an advertorial for Robbie Williams latest awful album.

Plus, Big Band is an awful genre of music.

Meanwhile, Hugh Cornwell is doing a Belfast gig in January as part of the Out To Lunch Festival, Sounds like a good excuse for a Stranglers Top Five

FIVE SONGS BY THE STRANGLERS

1. Duchess
2. Golden Brown
3. Peaches
4. Big In America
5. No More Heroes

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 8.11.2013

1. Nick Mulvey – Nitrious
2. Classified ft Olly Murs – Inner Ninja
3. The Courteeners – Van Der Graaff
4. Drake – Hold On, We’re Going Home
5. Paul McCartney – New

Last week, was ‘Disco Week’ on X-Factor, and rather disappointingly, nobody sang ‘Disco 2000’, probably because it wasn’t a Disco song. X-Factor isn’t as much fun when they stick to the rules.

FIVE DISCO SONGS

1. Kelly Marie – Feels Like I’m In Love
2. Aneka – Japanese Boy
3. Boogie Box High – Jive Talkin
4. Lipps Inc – Funkytown
5. Blondie – Heart Of Glass

As a bonus, much love popular beat combo Unemployment Benefit 40 are playing a gig at The Limelight in Belfast next year, which is as random as you can get.

As a tribute, here’s a Top Five.

(NOTE : I’ve left out “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” by Robert Palmer cos it’s more of a Robert Palmer song. To include it, would be more controversial than leaving it out.

FIVE UB40 SONGS

1. Red Red Wine
2. Sing Our Own Song
3. Rat In Mi Kitchen
4. Don’t Break My Heart
5. Tell Me Is It True

THE HALF-TERM HALF CENTURY

Six months gone, six months to go, we are officially at the halfway stage of 2013.

As per tradition on this blog, I shall do a Top 50 songs of the year so far, a nice wee preview of my Top 100 in December.

So, here we go …….. the Top 50 songs of 2013 so far.

1. Editors – A Ton Of Love
2. Olly Murs – Army Of Two
3. Phoenix – Entertainment
4. The 1975 – Chocolate
5. Daft Punk ft Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky
6. Suede – It Starts And Ends With You
7. Bastille – Pompei
8. Haim – Don’t Save Me
9. Stereophonics – Indian Summer
10. Gabrielle Aplin – Please Don’t Say You Love Me
11. Wonder Villains – Blonde
12. Foals – My Number
13. Emmelie De Forest – Only Teardrops
14. Nina Nesbitt – Way In The World
15. Frank Turner – The Way I Tend To Be
16. Beady Eye – Second Bite Of The Apple
17. Imagine Dragons – It’s Time
18. Muse – Panic Station
19. Robin Thicke ft Pharrell Williams – Blurred Lines
20. Selena Gomez – Come And Get It
21. Kodaline – High Hopes
22. Mark Owen – Stars
23. Icona Pop ft Charli XCX – I Love It
24. The Uncluded – Delicate Cycle
25. Aluna George – Attracting Flies
26. Frank Turner – Recovery
27. Miles Kane – Give Up
28. Hurts – Miracle
29. Taylor Swift – I Knew You Were Trouble
30. Silhouette – Toss It Up
31. Passenger – Let Her Go
32. Matthew Koma – One Night
33. Phoenix – Trying To Be Cool
34. Tom Odell – Hold Me
35. Suede – Hit Me
36. Pink ft Nate Reuss – Just Give Me A Reason
37. Vampire Weekend – Diane Young
38. The Lumineers – Hey Ho
39. Simple Minds – Broken Glass Park
40. Dizzee Rascal ft Robbie Williams – Goin Crazy
41. Paramore – Still Into You
42. Beady Eye – Flick Of The Finger
43. OMD – Dresden
44. The D.O.T – How We All Lie
45. Taylor Swift – 22
46. John Newman – Love Me Again
47. The Courteeners – Van Der Graaf
48. Justin Timberlake – Mirrors
49. Nina Nesbitt – Stay Out
50. The Strypes – Blue Collar Jane