Top 40 of 2019 (So Far)

As we reach the half way stage of 2019 it's time for me to unveil my favourite forty songs of the year so far in order of preference.

It would be great to hear your thoughts on my list. Let me know in your comments which songs I've missed and which should be higher!

40-31

YouTube playlist: 40-31

40 Noble Jacks - Rely On Love (Feb)

39 Christian Loffler feat. Mohna - Like Water (Feb)
38 Mark Shepherd - The Grand Scheme Of Things (Feb)
37 Meghan Trainor - Badass Woman (May)
36 Nina Nesbitt - Love Letter (Apr)
35 The Young Punx - Wonderland (June)
34 Halsey - Nightmare (May)
33 Frankie Swain - Hook Line and Sinker (May)
32 Marina - Handmade Heaven (Feb)
31 Calvin Harris and Rag 'n' Bone Man - Giant (Jan)

30-21

YouTube playlist: 30-21

30 Larkins - TV Dream (Feb)

29 Tamara Stewart - Haunted House (Feb)

28 George Ezra - Pretty Shining People (Mar)

27 The Veronicas - Think of Me (May)

26 Sigrid - Don't Feel Like Crying (Mar)

25 Rayelle - Get Dat (Mar)

24 Lizzo - Juice (Jan)

23 Callum Beattie - Connection (Apr)

22 Lucy Spraggan - Lucky Stars (Mar)

21 Bob Sinclar feat. Robbie Williams - Electrico Romantico (Jan)

20-11

YouTube playlist: 20-11

20 Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved (Feb)

19 The Impersonators - Sad Café (Mar)

18 Spray - I Wonder Where the Wonder Goes (Original Mix) (May)

17 Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen (Jan)

16 Léon - You And I (Feb)

15 Rob Thomas - Timeless (Apr)

14 Dua Lipa - Swan Song (Jan)

13 Emma Stevens feat. Kevin Jeremiah - Because It's You (May)

12 Kaiser Chiefs - Record Collection (May)

11 slowthai & Mura Masa - Doorman (Jan)

Top Ten

10 Taylor Swift feat. Brendon Urie - ME! (Apr)

It may be much poppier and cheesier than much of her recent popular material, but if you can stomach the precocious promotional video you'll discover a rather catchy pop hit which benefits from the call and response vocals of the pairing.

09 Bear McCreary feat. Serj Tankian - Godzilla (Apr)

A more upbeat cover of the 1977 Blue Öyster Cult song, this is from the end credits of the recent Godzilla sequel and proved to be the best thing of the lacklustre movie. A strong tongue-in-cheek catchy number.

08 Busted - Shipwrecked in Atlantis (Mar)

Busted back to their best with their first album sound. It may come across as a cross between 'Crash and Burn' and their Thunderbirds song but it's fun and irreverent in equal measure.

07 Walter Martin - Do-Dilly-Do (A Friend Like You) (Apr)

From the delightful film 'Missing Link' this is a quirky and gentle little number with a sweet heart.

06 Keith Urban feat. Kassi Ashton - Drop Top (June)

Its lyrics aren't particularly highbrow but the tempo shifts and the country-pop vibe make this a great memorable number.

05 Keane - The Way I Feel (June)
Taken from their new upcoming album this bouncy ode to dealing with mental health is a strong juxtaposition between upbeat pop music and darker lyrics.

04 White Lies - Tokyo (Jan)

A very welcome return for 'White Lies', 'Tokyo' is a song that will quickly stick in your head thanks to its catchy, chantable chorus, which I imagine will be a live favourite.

03 Robbie Williams - I Just Want People To Like Me (Jan)

With some baiting lyrics aimed at his fans as much as his detractors, this lead single from his b-side collection is better than some of his bigger hits, and has a huge, singable chorus.

02 Ward Thomas - No Filter (Jan)

The duo that continue to release some brilliant singles as well as albums, this social media-referencing lead single employs one of the best bridges from verse to chorus in many years.

01 Georgia - About Work The Dancefloor (Mar)

Proving that YouTube adverts sometimes work when they're not trying to flog you a Netflix subscription or Grammarly, I discovered Georgia and this song through an advertised live set. The electronic style, strong production and quirky nature all work together to make this the best song of the year so far, and the video is excellent as well. It's been a long time since I've heard something as genuinely interesting as this.

And before I leave you to the comments, here are four songs I discovered in 2019 that would have appeared somewhere in the list had they been released this year!

• Alice Merton - Lash Out
• Andy Burrows & Matt Haig - Barcelona
• Chasing Deer - Placebo
• Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More

Top 50 of 2017 So Far

To celebrate the passing of the first six months of the year here are is our pick of the best century of songs released this year so far. Agree or disagree? Leave your comments at the bottom!

50. Niall Horan - Slow Hands
Released: May

49. K I D - Taker
Released: March

48. Alex Hulme - Family Tree
Released: April

47. The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This
Released: February

46. Gavin James - I Don't Know Why
Released: February

45. Maximo Park - Get High (No, I Don't)
Released: March

44. Dani Sylvia - Perfection Generation
Released: June

43. JP Cooper - Passport Home
Released: May

42. Mike + The Mechanics - Don't Know What Came Over Me
Released: February

41. Hunter Hayes - Yesterday's Song
Released: March

40. MAN WITH A MISSION - Dead End in Tokyo
Released: January

39. Emma Stevens - Sing Out (Hey La Hey Lo)
Released: June

38. Chlöe Howl - Magnetic
Released: June

37. DJ Premier X Miguel - 2 Lovin U
Released: March

36. Harry Styles - Sign of the Times
Released: May

35. Dua Lipa feat. Miguel - Lost In Your Light
Released: May

34. Be The Bear - Erupt
Released: June

33. Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello - Bad Things
Released: May

32. Hurts - Beautiful Ones
Released: April

31. Hanson - I Was Born
Released: May

30. Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl
Released: May

29. Anne-Marie - Ciao Adios
Released: March

28. Julia Michaels - Issues
Released: March

27. RYDER - Nirvana
Released: March

26. Kirsty Churchill - I Was Not Looking
Released: March

25. Erasure - Love You to the Sky
Released: March

24. Lover - Fallen Famous
Released: April

23. Amy Macdonald - Dream On
Released: January

22. Emeli Sandé - Highs & Lows
Released: January

21. Samuel Sim and Tracy Kashi - Hourglass
Released: January

20. Holly Brewer - Wish I Loved You More
Released: January

19. Deep Purple - Johnny's Band
Released: June

18. DNCE feat. Nicki Minaj - Kissing Strangers 
Released: May

17. Fjokra - Sick Kids
Released: April

16. Calum Foad - You & I
Released: February

15. Brenda Veila - Trouble
Released: March

14. Hafdis Huld - Take Me Dancing
Released: June

13. Lady Gaga - The Cure
Released: April

12. Zedd and Alessia Cara - Stay
Released: April

11. Blondie - Long Time 
Released: April

10. Robbie Williams - Mixed Signals
Released: February

9. Picturehouse - Sunburst

Released: June

8. LP - Lost On You
Released: May

7. Rag 'n' Bone Man - Skin
Released: March

6. Steps - Scared of the Dark
Released: April

5. Keith Urban feat. Carrie Underwood - The Fighter
Released: February

4. Dan Auberbach - Shine On Me
Released: March

3. The Killers - The Man
Released: June

2. Train - Drink Up
Released: May

1. Paramore - Hard Times
Released: April

So what do you think of our list? Let us know in the comments below!

In January we'll be presenting the full 100 songs of the year? Will the above still be in it or what about some of these impending videos out in July so missing out on this list?

The Rocking Horse Club - Straight White Man

Kerri Watt - Old School Love
The Allergies - Entitled To That

Indalo Man - Te Quiero Mucho

Shaun Kelly and the Returned Gifts - Cadillac

(And if you're really into your stats here are some of the songs that narrowly missed out of being in our top fifty, all well worth listening to!)

Alison Krauss - Losing You (January)

Andrew Applepie & Bjurman - Drowning World (June)

Clean Bandit feat. Zara Larsson – Symphony (March)

Earl - Tongue Tied (February)

Fancy Cars feat. Foy - Heart of Stone (January)

Hannah Grace - Praise You (April)

Hannah's Yard - Doin It For Myself (May)

Hebe - Take Him Down (June)

Imagine Dragons - Thunder (May)

Imelda May - Should've Been You (April)

Jack Savoretti - We Are Bound (May)

James Blunt - Love Me Better (February)

Jamiroquai - Cloud 9 (February)

Jazz Mino - Footprints (February)

Jennifer Hudson - Remember Me (April)

Kasabian - Bless This Acid House (June)

Lady Antebellum - You Look Good (January)

Little Mix - Touch (January)

Marc Almond - A Kind Of Love (February)

Mark Villarosa - Hangover (February)

Mauro Dirago - Slave For You (May)

MissinCat - Made of Stone (February)

Nina Schofield - Beat Another Rhythm (May)

Olivia Garcia - Freedom Hearts (January)

Rodina - What If (January)

Sharon Shannon - The Machine (May)

Sigrid - Don't Kill My Vibe (March)

Someday - Clean Couch (April)

Sparks - What The Hell Is It This Time? (May)

Take That - Giants (March)

Tallia Storm - Still In Love (March)

Tape Machines feat. Sam Seg - s.t.u.p.i.d (June)

The Ghibertins - Breath For Me (May)

The Kooks - Be Who You Are

The Pocket Gods - The Perfect Blue (April)

The Shires - Drive (April)

The Slvr Tongues - Ain't Just the Whiskey (April)

The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk - I Feel It Coming (March)

Tuxedo - 2nd Time Around (March)

Young Astronaut - Chasing El Dorado (February)

New Music Review #58

Ten more songs you need to hear!

ARTAN - Opposite Interests

A cooler, more interestingly produced track than the usual entries in the genre, this is a catchy, calm song with a stronger lyrical focus than you'd expect and a production style that reminds me a little of Enigma at their height. (6.5/10)

Father John Misty - Total Entertainment Forever

The best song off Misty's latest album, 'Total Entertainment Forever' doesn't quite live up to its opening lines and flatly avoids anything commercial but it is fun in a quirky way. (6/10)

Jerry Williams - I’m Not in Love With You

With hints of Lily Allen in her vocal style, this is a sweet little stripped back number with an emotional heart and hints of ballsy attitude. (7/10)

JP Cooper - Passport Home

Another great little indie-pop number from Cooper that mixes gentle music, a sweet voice, touching lyrics, gospel-feel and little sparks of interest based around the whistling sections and other neat little tricks. (7.5/10)

Keith Urban feat. Carrie Underwood - The Fighter

Less country than you'd expect from the pair, this is a bouncy, call-and-response focussed pop number with heart. Nice! (7/10)

Linkin Park - Invisible

Linkin Park may have gone a bit more pop recently and - whisper it - a little blander with tracks like this, but it plays out nicely even if the chorus is too repetitive and I miss the louder, rappier band. (6/10)

Sparks - What The Hell Is It This Time?

It might not be as musically different as you'd expect from the ever-changing duo, sounding as it does like 'This is the Renaissance' and songs from that era, but it's another quirky and eccentric pop-electronic number from the musical veterans with an intriguing topic tackled with their usual wit. (7.5/10)

Steps - Story Of A Heart 

A cover of a song by 50% of Abba, some of the lyrics may be a little bland ("staring at the back of a bus??") but it's a touching heart-felt ballad delivered well. (7/10)

Two4Kay - 2 2 Badmind

It may revel in a few genre cliches but it's actually a pretty fun summer-friendly club number with a mixture of rnb and urban styles. (6/10)

The Vamps and Martin Jensen - Middle Of The Night

The Vamps border on sell-out with this club-focussed number but it has a certain amount of catchiness amongst its familiarity. (6.5/10)