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

New Music Review #100

Another ten tracks? Oh go on then!

Big Tide - Half The Time

With a retro sixties sound that combines the vocals of Elvis Costello and the sound of the Byrds, this a smooth warming track with a throwback feel. (6.5/10)

Franko Fraize feat Alex Joseph - Side By Side

A strong mix of slow-rap delivery and lighters-out chorus with a simple but building production that all combines well into a soaring number that empowers you. (7/10)

HAIM - Little of Your Love

Having recently enjoyed their full album this funky song definitely stood out and it's good to see it releases as a single as it balances a very singable chorus with a strong crisp production. (7/10)

Kelsea Ballerini - Legends

After the punchier XO we get the more touching, sentimental and well-written 'Legends', which will certainly pull at the old heart strings. Beautiful. (7.5/10)

Niall Horan - Too Much To Ask 

A little bit overly sentimental and covers familiar ground for the genre but this is a touching, nicely written and sung ode to break ups which resonates well. (7/10)

P!nk - Beautiful Trauma

Though not quite as big as her recent comeback single this is still a strong emotionally written ballad with throwbacks to her big drug-related hit. Neat enough. (6.5/10)

P!nk - Whatever You Want 

It's double pink for this edition with this gentle yet soaring ballad. It's not quite got the bite of her other big records but has a smooth and likeable vibe to how it progresses. (6.5/10)

PVRIS - Winter

With plenty of attitude in its electronic-influenced rock sound, this is quite an experimental sounding piece but one that works to bring together many elements into an interestingly produced piece. (6/10)

Roy Orbison feat. Ward Thomas & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) -  I Drove All Night

Taking a break from their work with Elvis Presley's back catalogue, the orchestra move onto the Big O with this spirited, yet faithful, re-imaginging of one of his biggest hits. The strings really compliment it, as do the voices of Ward Thomas on the second verse and harmonies. A cool take on a classic. (7.5/10)


Voice of the Sea - Life's an Elevator / Cosmic Dancer

Acting as a tribute to Marc Bolan and T-Rex, this is a delightful pairing of covers from Voice of the Sea, combining her strong vocals with a sweet and touching backing that pairs back the originals. The first track is much more fun than the latter, but both boast strong production. Pleasing. (6.5/10)

Top 100 of 2016 - The Top 10

And here we are - our favourite ten songs from 2016. Do you agree or disagree with my countdown? Let us know in the comments!

10 Ward Thomas - Guilty Flowers (Released: October)

09 Nina Nesbitt - Chewing Gum (Released: February)

08 Aurora - Conqueror (Released: March)

07 Glass Animals - Life Itself (Released: May)

06 Gwen Stefani - Make Me Like You (Released: April)

05 Robbie Williams - Party Like a Russian (Released: September)

04 Jesse & Joy - More Than Amigos (Released: September)

03 Tegan and Sara - Stop Desire (Released: November)

02 Travis - Magnificent Time (Released: April)

01 Tom Odell - Magnetised (Released: April)

Before we go there's also time to do our top 10 albums of the year!

1. Travis - Everything At Once
2. Ward Thomas - Cartwheels
3. Kaiser Chiefs - Stay Together
4. obbie Williams - The Heavy Entertainment Show
5. We Are Z - Animal
6. Dave Hanson - Almost Horizontal
7. Seafret - Seafret
8. Tom Odell - Wrong Crowd
9. Izzy Bizu - Moment of Madness
10. Dick Valentine - Quiet Time

Ward Thomas - Cartwheels

Country duo Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas return with their second album and this fourteen-track album is a delightful example of solid harmonies, touching melodies and country-pop crossovers, on an album that’s surprisingly downbeat for the pair, especially in light of the debut singles, with most songs lyrically quite dark and introspective, touching on negative aspects of love and relationships.

The LP opens up with the first single ‘Carry You Home’, a lighters-out opening to the record, and one that certainly builds up from its almost acapella opening to something with much more beat, and becomes a little perkier than its initial lyrics would suggest and becomes pretty uplifting, and feels like a solid anthem to open up with.

‘Almost Easy’ again keeps things subtle and low-key, but showcases the beautiful voices of the pair. ‘Material’ which follows, though still of a similar tempo, is a much stronger number, its finger-clicking beat and Fleetwood Mac feel proving a delight.

The titular track comes next, a twangy guitar-led number that once more mixes up the harmonies with stripped back production and quite down-played lyrics.

Second single ‘Guilty Flowers’ is the first time the album really hits anything resemble a quick tempo and though the lyrics are as solemn as previous tracks the music has a bit more punch and is a great single thanks to its catchy hooks and chorus.

‘Lose Me’ is one of my favourite songs on the album, its bouncy music off-setting its biting lyrics, and feels like the next single, plenty of confidence injected into the rhyming chorus and subsequent calls of the chorus. ‘Good On You’, meanwhile, starts off with a Radiohead vibe, settling firmly into ballad territory though lacking the spark found elsewhere.

‘When It’s Not Me’ has more an indie swagger to it and some great tongue-in-cheek lines such as ‘I Bet He Gets Laid…ies.’. One of the best tracks on the album, this sees Catherine and Lizzy on spunky form and feels like a strong change of tempo from the rest of the album, and feels like a future cut from the album. Follower ‘Boomerang’ is just as great, its funky drum riff and catchy chorus really selling the track and making this another highlight of the album.

‘Dirt and Gold’ is another strong song lyrically and musically and feels more upbeat in both respects. ‘Where the Sky Is’ goes all Adele with its piano riff and the title-focussed chorus and gradual building up works well. ‘Proof’, is rather Simon and Garfunkel and another of my favourites on the album thanks to its gentle feeling, building harmonies and lyrical hooks.

‘Cartwheels’ wraps up with two more quieter numbers, the gentle ‘Who I’m Not’ and the introspective ‘Safe’ whose ‘you’re safe here riff’ compliments the opener well.

Ward Thomas’ follow up to 2015’s ‘From Where We Stand’ is a surprisingly quiet affair with a sustained gentle feel to it, with little of the upbeat vibe common in their previous hits like ‘Push To The Stride’, ‘A Town Called Ugley’ and ‘Guest List’ and I found myself wishing they’d kick up the pace a little bit more. The best tracks outside of the two singles are definitely ‘Love Me’, ‘When It’s Not Me’, ‘Boomerang’ and ‘Dirt and Gold’, my personal preference is when they lift the pace up.

What’s on the LP has lots of heart and though the overall tone is darker and more solemn in tone and in terms of lyrics, there’s still pleasant of passion, quality harmonies and polish within the music. (7/10)