Songs of 2013 - MKS - Flatline

One of my favourite tracks of 2012 was "Losing You" by Solange Knowles, produced by Dev Hynes (aka Lightspeed Champion or Blood Orange). This track by the act originally known as The Sugababes   is also produced by him. It is a track that despite the lyrics seemingly to be about a relationship breakdown (the chorus begins "Stay gone, darling I won't hang on\ I can feel the flatline that ought to be away") has a really uplifting vibe to it! I think that is partly because it is great to hear the original Sugababes back making music together. Plus the choir sounding"ohh's" that come in at 2:28 always sound cool. The video is great too. It's like there are 3 women re-connecting with each other after being kept apart for reasons none of them know why. Which I guess is what has happened.

Unfortunately the song was not a big hit and only got to number 50 in the UK charts, despite critical acclaim. That's not a good sign. I imagine there is a bit of label money behind them, so MKS would expect to have significant chart success. I hope this happens, but not at the expense of quality music. Hopefully there will be more tunes like "Flatline" that meet with great success and a great album to follow.

Songs of 2013 - Dizzee Rascal - I Don't Need A Reason

Dizzee Rascal has certainly had an interesting year. He was a prominent part of Glastonbury, covered by the BBC, tearing it down on the main stage, yet he has had a Twitter war after having a big disagreement with Radio 1 over the fact he was not getting on their playlist.

And "I Don't Need A Reason" was a tune that didn't receive much radio play. It was meant to be an official single release, but shortly after this great video was released it was seen that it wasn't making much traction on the charts, so it was never officially released as a single. I love it though! It's got Dizzee's playful rapping and his amazing flow, in combination with a heavy beat. The video is delightfully weird. There are so many moments where the people in the video are doing something crazily funny and then the scene gets repeated, multiplying the craziness!

There are always going to be people longing for the grittiness that Dizzee exhibited on "Boy In Da Corner", his debut album. Not me. The never-ending party is more a reflection of Dizzee's life now. But Dizzee has always done things in a unique way, which is what makes him one of the UK's best acts of the 21st century. Shame "I Don't Need A Reason" wasn't bigger, but I still loved it!

Songs of 2013 - Disclosure - White Noise

This has been a great year for Disclosure, with a number 1 album, festival crowds going mental, awards galore and this brilliant single "White Noise". Disclosure's success has served as somewhat of an antidote to some of the predictable chart fare that has been thought of as Electronic Dance Music, with loud synths and predictable build-ups/breakdowns.

The slinky synth line, rising up and down the scale, is a great backbone to this tune. It feels like it constantly moving, propelling the tune along. Add to that the unique innocent vocals of Aluna Francis and the deep-house drums and bassline and you have a tune that's both sexy and anthemic. My personal favourite bit is the breakdown where Aluna's voice echoes saying "Back" and the bassline comes right to the forefront at 3:12 in.

I can't say that the video was what I was expecting, but there is something easily relatable about the security guard dancing in his own world with his headphones on. I know I have done this many times, especially to this track!

I saw Disclosure live in Brixton Academy in November and there was definitely a celebratory air to their performance. Both of them seemed ecstatic to be headlining a venue as historic as Brixton. They are coming back to London in February to play the even bigger venue of Alexandra Palace. It should be interesting to follow their progress over their years.

BBC Sound of 2014 Poll - Jungle - The Heat

The annual BBC Sound of 2014 poll is always a fascinating read. The winners will often have great success. Last year's winners were HAIM and they have certainly have had a good year, with an UK number 1 album. The longlist was revealed earlier this month and for me the most intriguing of all the acts was Jungle. On their Soundcloud page they list their tracks as "Electronic Soul". They are still a bit of a mystery, but the 2 main people behind whatever they consist of seem to be two people named T & J. If that is them really skating in the video they are great roller-skaters as well as talented musicians!

The police-siren and the laid-back nature of the groove remind me of London on a quiet summer afternoon. In "The Heat". I also think the background noises such as what sounds like a kid playing and radio commentary stages add to the atmosphere they have sought to create in the track. But the main thing that makes it stand-out from the crowd is the Curtis Mayfield like vocals, which kick in at 0:25. There is something great about a vocal that sounds multi-tracked. You can almost imagine a live performance where the whole band is grooving along and singing at the same time.

The video is great because it looks like London. It's simple, but mesmerising because you are kept glued to the screen by the choreographed roller-skating routine. It's a grimy scene lit up by the creativity  and talent. That's something you see around London so frequently.

Knowing how these polls work it's unlikely Jungle are going to win the whole thing, but they may get a top 5. I hope they do and that 2014 is a really successful year for them. Whoever they are!

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know

"Do I Wanna Know" was a song that hit me instantly as one of the best tracks of 2013. I have always been a fan of the Arctic Monkeys and have seen them numerous times and it has been great to see them develop into the greatest rock band of the 21st century in my opinion.

I think that only Queens of the Stone Age can rival them for that title. And I think that the reason that the Monkeys have evolved into the greatest band can be directly attributed to the work they have done with the lead singer of QOTSA, Josh Homme. QOTSA have always had a slower, more powerful sound than the one the Monkeys exhibited in their first two albums and it was from the moment that I discovered Josh Homme would be working on the third Arctic Monkeys album "Humbug" that I knew it would be a banger. And it was!

For me the strength of the Arctic Monkey's fifth album "AM" was that it melded some of the everyday storytelling lyricism of the first two albums, with the heavier elements of the third and fourth albums and the fact that Alex Turner lyrics are sung now, rather than the rapid-fire delivery of their earlier work (which I seen him attribute to the fact they were playing in grimy venues with really dodgy microphones at the start).

Added to the developments from the Arctic's previous work was that this was the first album where they took some of the sonic elements of rap production from the late 90's/early 2000's era, particularly the work that Dr Dre was doing around this time. It is clear that the band has always been rap fans; I saw a great bit in an interview where Alex Turner proclaims Roots Manuva's "Run Come Save Me" as a seminal album. Except it's in America and the host clearly has no idea how amazing that album is! In "Do I Wanna Know" there's something about it that reminds me of "The Watcher", the first proper track on Dr Dre's 2001 album. Except replace the funky bass on that with a powerful guitar riff. I love the backing vocals on the track. Especially when there is the call & response element to them in the chorus.

I think one of my favourite moments this year was when Arctic Monkeys walked out on stage at Glastonbury, kicked off with this track and you can hear the audience cheer and sing the opening guitar riff. At this point the song hadn't been out for very long and to start a Glastonbury headline appearance with it must of been considered a risk. But it wasn't. When you've got a song this amazing it's never a risk.

"AM" has been called Arctic Monkeys best album in some circles. That is a valid argument. I have gone back and forth and what is my favourite track on it. That is always a good sign. But this was an announcement track to me. It was an indicator of the forthcoming album and that is probably why it's a favourite. Plus the video is mesmerising too!

Bombay Bicycle Club - Carry Me

As we come to the end of another great year in British music I am going to list my favourite tracks. I think the thread that they all have in common is that I wish I had created something as amazing. And I am going to start with Bombay Bicycle Club's "Carry Me".

My perception of Bombay Bicycle Club was that they were a folk-type act in the vein of Mumford & Sons. Then I heard this track, by luck, when one of those infernal YouTube adverts came up. Luckily it was for this song, which had been released a few days earlier.

That insistent bassline gets you at the start! It's really infectious and is danceable and powerful. And there is a element to the beginning of the track and throughout the song that reminds you of a 90's rave track re-imagined by a band. The parts in the chorus that sound like a trumpet, the high male vocal in the verses, the repeated sung parts "You Carry Me" and the far-away sounding guitar parts all sound triumphant, but with such power behind them. I guess that comes from the drum part with the powerful sound of toms and snares melding together.

Bombay Bicycle Club have a new album called "So Long, See You Tomorrow" which is due out on February 3rd 2014. It's definitely much-anticipated and they released another taster called "It's Alright Now" earlier in December. That's a banger too. But "Carry Me" is easily one of the best tunes I have heard in years!

Franz Ferdinand - Love Illumination

Franz Ferdinand are shortly to return with "Right Actions, Right Words", which will be the first album they have had since 2009. There have been a couple of taster tracks, but the first single will be "Love Illumination". I am a big fan of Franz Ferdinand for many reasons. They brought a danceability back to British indie rock music when they first appeared. This to me led to numerous other bands I love such as Bloc Party, Friendly Fires, Arctic Monkeys and Foals for example.

They have always had catchy sing-along choruses and Love Illumination is another fine addition to their catalogue. The lead guitar line captures you right at the start of the song and hooks you in. Franz Ferdinand have always been great with guitar riffs and this 60's/70's style sounding line is the type that gets you humming straight away. This is coupled with a tight bass/drum part providing a strong foundation while snatches of the guitar hit through the verses. Then we hit the excellent insistent chorus. I also love the brass and organ that get added at this point. The verses sound as if they are sung with at least 2 or 3 singers, but I can't tell if this is Alex Kapranos double-tracking his vocals or all the band joining in, but it does sound retro in some kind of way.

It doesn't sound like Franz Ferdinand are going in a new direction. They are dancing with what brought them to the table. Guitars, catchy melodies and anthemic choruses. But why change something that has worked so well before?