Day 96’s Now! compilation was released on 7th April 2017.
Another new year, some more new hits.
Track 1: Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
I wasn’t sure about this track when I first heard it, but it’s really grown on me – it’s a real singalong classic. Things that are great about it:
- The very relatable poetic evocation of what it feels like to be nostalgic for your teenage years.
- The reference to Tiny Dancer.
- The section describing what all the old friends are doing now – I think it’s lyrically very beautiful.
- The fact that Suffolk Police needed to emphasise road safety in response to the ‘driving at ninety down these country lanes‘ lyric. If you’ve ever driven on British country lanes, you’ll know why ninety miles an hour is not a good idea.
Track 2: Rag ‘N’ Bone Man – Human
Great track – I love the atmosphere on this one! It was also used really effectively in the trailer for Mass Effect: Andromeda, which was a game I actually really loved.
Track 3: Little Mix – Touch
Good solid piece of pop – I really like this tune.
Track 4: The Weeknd and Daft Punk – Starboy
Another great atmosphere.
Track 5: The Chainsmokers – Paris
The tune’s pretty depressing, but the lyrics are quite good.
Track 6: Starley – Call On Me [Ryan Riback Remix]
There’s something I find really irritating about the tune on the vocals, but I quite like the instrumentals.
Track 7: Anne-Marie – Ciao Adios
Great pop track! Really danceable – we did a cooldown to this one in Zumba class for a while – and the tune’s good too.
Track 8: Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
The tune’s a bit generic, but I like the ’80s feel.
Track 9: Zara Larsson – I Would Like
I find this tune really irritating.
Track 10: Katy Perry and Skip Marley – Chained To The Rhythm
Interesting theme, and it’s got a good beat.
Track 11: Sean Paul and Dua Lipa – No Lie
Another irritating tune.
Track 12: Martin Jensen – Solo Dance
It’s an okay beat, but it’s pretty forgettable.
Track 13: Zedd and Alessia Cara – Stay
I really don’t like this tune – it’s very depressing. Also, I was really irritated at the time when the Viva music channel would always mute out the word ‘rum’ in the lyric ‘drinking rum and cola‘, because apparently it’s not acceptable even to say the names of alcoholic drinks before the watershed nowadays.
Track 14: Sigrid – Don’t Kill My Vibe
Boring and slow.
Track 15: Steve Aoki and Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On
Very generic dance track, nothing special here.
Track 16: Dua Lipa – Be The One
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Dua Lipa on track 11.
It’s got quite a good chillout feel, but I’m not keen on the tune.
Track 17: Jonas Blue and Raye – By Your Side
Highly irritating tune, and it’s too high-pitched.
Track 18: Coldplay – Hypnotised
Too slow, forgettable tune, so dull I can’t concentrate.
Track 19: John Legend – Love Me Now
The tune’s okay, but it’s another one where I can’t get onboard with the theme.
Track 20: Robbie Williams – Love My Life
Great to see Robbie Williams still going strong, even if this song is almost tipping into self-parody.
Track 21: George Michael – Fastlove
We’ve already had this one on Now! #35, but as it was included here as a tribute to the late great George Michael shortly after his passing, I’ll let it slide.
See the link for my review.
Track 22: Jax Jones and Raye – You Don’t Know Me
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Raye on track 17.
I really like this track though – the bridge is awesome, and it’s got a great beat.
Track 23: The Weeknd and Daft Punk – Feel It Coming
Double repeated artist alert! We’ve already had both the Weeknd and Daft Punk on track 4.
This one’s too cheesy for me, and not upbeat enough. I like the retro feel though.
Track 24: Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa – Scared To Be Lonely
Repeated artist mega alert! We’ve already had Dua Lipa on both track 11 and track 16. This is getting annoying!
Yet another irritating tune.
Track 25: Kygo and Selena Gomez – It Ain’t Me
Again, there’s something that really annoys me about the tune.
Track 26: Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane – Black Beatles
Great rhythm, but the tune’s very repetitive.
Track 27: Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello – Bad Things
I quite like this one – the tune on the chorus is nice.
Track 28: Sage The Gemini – Now And Later
I find this track pretty dull – it could do with a bit more melody.
Track 29: Tinie Tempah and Tinashe – Text From Your Ex
I quite like the atmosphere, but the tune’s nothing special.
Track 30: Stormzy – Big For Your Boots
Great rap track – the rhythm on this is awesome.
Track 31: Tom Zanetti and Sadie Ama – You Want Me
Takes ages to get going. When it does, the tune’s very irritating and sounds almost off-key.
Track 32: Martin Solveig and Ina Wroldsen – Places
Another annoying tune.
Track 33: Robin Schulz, David Guetta and Cheat Codes – Shed A Light
I’m just not keen on this at all – it’s cheesy and generic.
Track 34: MO and Kent Jones – Not In Love
It’s another very forgettable tune, but I quite like the reggae-tinged beat.
Track 35: Rag ‘N’ Bone Man – Skin
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Rag ‘N’ Bone Man on track 2.
The tune’s very pretty, but it’s too slow for me.
Track 36: Train – Play That Song
Extremely irritating and twee!
Track 37: The Vamps and Matoma – All Night
That chorus is insanely annoying with its kiddie-sounding vocals, and the rest of the track’s not much better.
Track 38: Ariana Grande and Future – Everyday
Too slow for me, and the track’s very messy.
Track 39: Major Lazer, PartyNextDoor and Nicki Minaj – Run Up
Another irritating tune, but it’s got quite a good beat.
Track 40: Post Malone and Quavo – Congratulations
Not keen on the tune on this one.
Track 41: Julia Michaels – Issues
I really don’t like this one – the vocal style and rhythm are kind of stop-start, the tune’s nothing special, and the theme annoys me.
Track 42: Lorde – Green Light
This is a great song – I love the beat and the way it builds. Wonderful track.
Track 43: Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos – Slide
The kiddie-sounding bit of the vocals are just incoherent shouting, and the tune’s pretty dull, but I like the retro-sounding instrumentals.
