Ok, so here’s a reminder of the Top 20 that led us to this point:
20. Gossip – Move in the Right Direction
19. M.I.A – Bad Girls
18. A-Trak, Mark Foster & Kimbra – Warrior
17. Ellie Goulding – Lights
16. Ed Sheeran – Small Bump
15. Goldfrapp – Melancholy Sky / Yellow Halo
14. Rudimental – Feel the Love
13. Major Lazer – Get Free
12. Calvin Harris – Feel So Close
11. Nicola Roberts – Memory of You
10. Fun. – We Are Young
9. Nicki Minaj – Starships
8. Santigold – Disparate Youth
7. Florence & The Machine – Never Let Me Go
6. Icona Pop – I Love It
So let’s get back to it…Because I know that absolutely noone everyone is dying to know what the Top 5 are!
5. Hot Chip – Flutes
Hot Chip are like that amazingly hot boyfriend/girlfriend that all your mates love, is a demon in the sack and cooks you a shit hot brekky in the morning. One day, like that partner, Hot Chip won’t be around and everyone will realise what fuckwits they’ve been for neglecting them.
It took me a while to comprehend the brilliance of Flutes. Unconventional and chaotic yet utterly clever, it’s a challenging mind-fuck of modern dance. It’s also an exceptional piece of work and more exciting than anything else on radio right now.
Unfortunately, the vision hasn’t transferred to the video clip – the camera literally spins for a full minute like it was attached to Regan’s head from The Exorcist. Five spews out of five.
4. Drake & Rihanna – Take Care
More people have worked on this song than Joan Rivers’ face.
Originally a track by the late and great Gil Scott-Heron, Jamie xx of The xx remixed the shit out of it. Drake then picked it up and rapped over it, ultimately inviting Rihanna to sing the chorus.
I’m a big believer in both Drake and Rihanna’s talents, but the pair have generally made public defence quite difficult in the past. Rihanna’s had some scorching tracks (Umbrella being a milestone) but this is the best thing either have, or probable ever will do.
It’s a dark and downtempo R&B/hip-hop affair, with Rihanna’s vocals never sounding better and lyrics that actually involve a thought process, “I know you’ve been hurt by someone else, I can tell by the way you carry yourself, if you let me, here’s what I’ll do, I’ll take care of you.”
Oh…and check out the Florence & The Machine version. No words.
3. Rebecca Ferguson – Glitter & Gold
The most obvious single choice on Ferguson’s sensational album Heaven, Glitter & Gold comes across as Sade’s honey vocals covering Amy Winehouse’s motown pop.
Effortlessly memorable and unique, the track is a prime example of why Ferguson took the UK’s pop crown in 2011. What makes listening to Rebecca Ferguson so amazing, beyond her one-of-a-kind voice and reinvention of classic genres, is that she clearly writes the music herself. When Ferguson sings, it is unquestionable that she sings from experience, “All that glitter and gold won’t buy you happy when you’ve been bought and sold.”
A fitting statement from someone who stuck her middle finger up at the music exes so she could write her own CD. In countless syndications of infinite reality shows, second place X-Factor contestant Rebecca did the impossible last year, she made reality TV credible.
2. Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
What an exceptionally moving piece of music. I want this song to be played at my funeral, which at the current rate of alcohol consumption, should be in September. It’s BYO by the way…
1. Lana Del Rey – Blue Jeans
When I leave voicemails on a guy’s phone after one date, “I will love til the end of time,” it doesn’t go down well. When Lana Del Rey swoons over a gorgeous indie pop ballad, it’s grandiose and epically romantic.
People lost their shit over Video Games, but if you ask me, it’s all about Blue Jeans. There’s also the ambitious Azealia Banks remix from Smims & Belle) but whatever you do, don’t watch her performance on Saturday Night Live. It sounds like Chewbecca passing a kidney stone.
