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Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #101

23 November 201824 November 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Today, 23rd November 2018, is the release of Now! #101! It’s also mine and Geth’s sixth wedding anniversary 🙂

We’re now entering a new exciting era of Now! compilations where I only have to review them every four months! The first hundred compilations were characterised by a gradually worsening quality of music. I pray this trend will not continue. Pop music can’t get any worse than it currently is. Right?

Track 1: Little Mix and Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me

Great reggae-style rhythm, but the tune’s pretty dull.

Track 2: Calvin Harris and Sam Smith – Promises

Sam Smith’s voice is great as ever, but the tune is pretty forgettable. Somehow got to number one for weeks on end.

Track 3: Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman

I really like the tune on this one – nice and epic.

Track 4: George Ezra – Hold My Girl

A little slow for me, but it’s a nice tune. Only entered the charts today, so it was definitely not a hit when chosen for this Now! compilation!

Track 5: Rita Ora – Let You Love Me

Great atmosphere on the chorus – tune’s a bit generic, but it’s an okay pop track.

Track 6: Benny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid – Eastside

I reviewed this one for New Hits Friday. It’s grown on me a bit since then!

Track 7: Jess Glynne – All I Am

I’ve never been much of a Jess Glynne fan – I find her stuff very boring and the lyrical content very saccharine, and this track is no exception.

Track 8: Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin – I Like It

Not super keen on the rap (except the enjoyable nonsense in the first verse about Balenciaga et al.!), but I do love the Latin tinge, and it’s very danceable.

Track 9: The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

Black Panther soundtrack song – really like this epic track.

Track 10: Silk City, Dua Lipa, Diplo and Mark Ronson – Electricity

Bored of these ’90s dance-inspired beats now. The tune is very generic too.

Track 11: Dynoro and Gigi D’Agostino – In My Mind

I really like the eerie atmosphere – there’s some great instrumentals here. Not keen on the dance beat though.

Track 12: Loud Luxury and Brando – Body

I reviewed this one for New Hits Friday. I’m still not hugely keen, but it’s a really irritatingly catchy track that’s constantly ending up on my daily earworm playlists.

Track 13: Maroon 5 and Cardi B – Girls Like You

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Cardi B on track 8.

It’s a bit saccharine, but it’s a nice tune.

Track 14: Marshmello and Bastille – Happier

Too slow for me, and the tune’s very dull and generic.

Track 15: Clean Bandit, Marina & The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby

The vocalist on this is calling herself Marina now, but she was formerly known as Marina & The Diamonds (not a band, just a solo artist with a band name, kind of like Florence & The Machine – this was a bizarre 2009/2010 micro trend). I’ve missed her vocal style and way with a tune. This is very Latin-inspired, especially due to the involvement of Luis Fonsi. Great party pop tune.

Track 16: Ellie Goulding, Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Diplo on track 10.

Not exciting or original enough for me, but at least it’s got some semblance of a melody, and it’s starting to grow on me with time.

Track 17: Cheryl – Love Made Me Do It

The lyrics are okay if kind of cheesy, but the tune is terrible.

Track 18: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes

I reviewed this one for New Hits Friday. It’s become one of my songs of the year – really like this track.

Track 19: The 1975 – Too Time Too Time Too Time

Yes, I know the title’s supposed to be written in all caps with no spaces, but I won’t be having any of that nonsense here. This is a dignified blog.

Lovely upbeat tune, though – really like this one. One of my favourites of 2018.

Track 20: Mabel – One Shot

Not a hit – only got to number 44.

It’s a pretty tune, but it’s very generic.

Track 21: Take That – Out Of Our Heads

Not a hit yet (as of 23rd November 2018)! They did perform it on Strictly last weekend, so maybe it’s not even out yet.

There’s a nice old-fashioned big-band feel about this one – it’s very jaunty.

Track 22: Lily James, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alexa Davies and Celia Imrie – When I Kissed The Teacher

Taken from Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Songs from musicals have been a bit of a chart trend this year. It’s a fairly bog-standard cover of the Abba song, as is normally the case with jukebox musicals.

Track 23: Andrea Bocelli and Dua Lipa – If Only

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Dua Lipa on track 10.

Not a hit yet (as of 23rd November 2018).

Standard pretty, slow romantic song from Andrea Bocelli – I never get sick of his voice. Dua Lipa does fine, but she can’t hold a candle to Bocelli.

Track 24: DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper and Quavo – No Brainer

I reviewed this one for New Hits Friday. I still find it really dull.

Track 25: Dave and Fredo – Funky Friday

This track is:

The second number one this year to get to number one after exhortation from the previous number one artist (in this case Sam Smith with Promises – the previous example was George Ezra (Shotgun) telling people to stream Baddiel & Skinner and the Lightning Seeds’ Three Lions).
The second number one this year to feature the word ‘Friday’ in the title (after Lil’ Dicky and Chris Brown with Freaky Friday).

Nothing much else interesting about this song. It’s very dull and unmelodious and repetitive – no idea why enough people were listening to it to get it to number one. Oh, wait, there’s a good instrumental electro bit for three seconds – then it goes back to the boring rap.

Track 26: DJ Snake, Selena Gomez, Ozuna and Cardi B – Taki Taki

Repeated artist mega alert! We’ve already had Cardi B on both track 8 and track 13. That is far too much of one artist for one Now! compilation!

I do like the background instrumentals, especially the atmospheric whistling, and the Latin vocals are nice, but the rap is very dull.

Track 27: French Montana and Drake – No Stylist

I quite like the atmosphere, but it’s very repetitive. Are they trying to win a competition to see who can say ‘Gucci’ the most times in a song?

Track 28: Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind

Great rhythm, very noddable.

Track 29: Khalid – Better

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Khalid on track 6.

The track is so boring that I couldn’t even concentrate on writing this sentence.

Track 30: Martin Garrix feat. Khalid – Ocean

Repeated artist mega alert! We’ve already had Khalid on track 6 and track 29. That’s two mega alerts on one compilation, which is not an auspicious start for the second century of Now! entries!

It’s a pretty tune with a gorgeous atmosphere – I really quite like this one.

Track 31: Halsey – Without Me

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Halsey on track 6.

Urgh, this track is so slow! I do like the synthy background instrumentals though.

Track 32: B Young – 079ME

I reviewed this one for New Hits Friday. I still think it’s too similar to Jumanji.

Track 33: Stay Flee Get Lizzy, Fredo, Young T and Bugsey – Ay Caramba

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Fredo on track 25.

I reviewed this one for New Hits Friday. I’m still not keen on it at all.

Track 34: Travis Scott – Sicko Mode

There’s no tune, and the rap is extremely generic, but I quite like the eerie quality of the backing track.

Track 35: Shawn Mendes and Zedd – Lost In Japan [Remix]

Good atmosphere, but the tune’s a bit dull.

Track 36: MK, Jonas Blue and Becky Hill – Back And Forth

More ’90s-inspired instrumentals. Very generic tune.

Track 37: Jonas Blue, Liam Payne and Lennon Stella – Polaroid

Repeated artist alert! We’ve only just had Jonas Blue on track 36.

Okay tune with a good pop beat, but it’s not super exciting.

Track 38: Au/Ra and CamelPhat – Panic Room

I quite like the atmosphere, but it’s a bit repetitive.

Track 39: Sigala, Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor and French Montana – Just Got Paid

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had French Montana on track 27.

Daft song about payday. The tune’s pretty uninspired, but it’s got a good beat and it’s quite fun – it’s a good danceable party track.

Track 40: David Guetta and Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone

The tune is very generic and forgettable. I quite like the electro instrumentals, but on the whole there’s nothing interesting going on here.

Track 41: Hardy Caprio and One Acen – Best Life

Very repetitive, not very inspired, highly boring tune, dull rap.

Track 42: ZieZie – Fine Girl

I quite like the tune, but there’s some very irritating stuff with the vocals going on here.

Track 43: Sigrid – Sucker Punch

Not a hit yet (as of 23rd November 2018).

Nice bit of classic pop with a good atmosphere.

Track 44: Selena Gomez – Back To You

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Selena Gomez on track 26.

The verse is nice, but the tune on the chorus irritates me.

Track 45: LSD – Thunderclouds

LSD are a collaborative project between Labrinth, Sia, and Diplo, hence the name.

It’s the mobile phone advert music. I actually had it stuck in my head before it got into the charts – it’s a really incessant earworm. It’s a bit of a messy track, but quite a good tune.

Track 46: Dean Lewis – Be Alright

Dull, acoustic-y ballad. I never thought I’d type this sentence, but the Streets did this theme much better in Dry Your Eyes back in the ’00s.

Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #94

14 July 201821 November 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Day 94, and Now! #94, which came out on 22nd July 2016.

Sadly, I don’t think we’ll hear either Lindisfarne or the Proclaimers on this particular Now! compilation, though the latter have appeared twice in the past.

Now! That's What I Call Music #94
Track 1: Calvin Harris and Rihanna – This Is What You Came For

Lovely tune, good solid dance track.

Track 2: Justin Timberlake – Can’t Stop The Feeling

Geth adores this upbeat party song. I find it a little irritating.

Track 3: Kungs and Cookin’ On 3 Burners – This Girl

I find this perky summer tune really grating.

Track 4: Sia and Sean Paul – Cheap Thrills

Much as I like Sean Paul’s vocal style, I prefer the Sia solo version of this song, which is one of my favourite pop tracks of the decade. This version’s still fantastic though.

Track 5: Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla Sign – Work From Home

The tune’s a bit generic, but it’s nice and danceable.

Track 6: DNCE – Cake By The Ocean

I love this one! They were playing it in the pub after my first Great North Run in 2016, and I’ll always associate it with that day. Wonderful tune.

Track 7: Clean Bandit and Louisa Johnson – Tears

Another lovely tune, and it builds beautifully. Great stuff.

Track 8: Little Mix and Sean Paul – Hair

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Sean Paul on track 4.

Great beat – it’s a bit of a messy track otherwise, though.

Track 9: The Chainsmokers and Daya – Don’t Let Me Down

The tune’s a bit irritating, but it’s got a good atmosphere.

Track 10: Justin Bieber – Company

It’s got a nice beat, but the tune’s pretty dull.

Track 11: Calum Scott – Dancing On My Own

Utterly depressing.

Track 12: Pink – Just Like Fire

I like the tune, but it’s a little too acoustic-y for me.

Track 13: Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman

Great atmosphere – I just wish it were a bit more upbeat. Love the rock guitar though.

Track 14: Nick Jonas and Tove Lo – Close

I really like those steel drums on the intro, but the vocals are a bit bland.

Track 15: Meghan Trainor – No

I like the theme on this one, even if it’s a bit more serious than I personally like my pop to be. Good rhythm too.

Track 16: Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better

Urgh, I can’t stand this ‘nice guy’ anthem! Irritating tune, appalling theme.

Track 17: Years & Years and Tove Lo – Desire

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Tove Lo on track 14.

Good beat, forgettable tune.

Track 18: Sigma and Take That – Cry

I find the tune a bit generic, which I wouldn’t normally expect from Take That in any incarnation.

Track 19: Bastille – Good Grief

Really like the bassline at the start, and the tune on the vocals is great too.

Track 20: Viola Beach – Boys That Sing

Nice jaunty instrumentals on the intro, then it launches into some cheesy rhyming I can’t get behind. The tune’s okay on the whole.

Track 21: Coldplay – Up And Up

Slow and boring.

Track 22: Gnash and Olivia O’Brien – I Hate U, I Love U

Annoying chorus, annoying rap verses, annoying theme.

Track 23: Drake – Hotline Bling

At my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding, my sister-in-law’s bridesmaids all sang a version of this with altered lyrics about the wedding couple, so it tends to be that version I think of when I hear this song.

Track 24: Galantis – No Money

I find this one insanely irritating – awful tune, appalling kiddie-sounding vocals.

Track 25: DJ Snake and Bipolar Sunshine – Middle

Slow and depressing.

Track 26: Desiigner – Panda

Great brooding atmosphere, but I could do with a bit more melody.

Track 27: Kent Jones – Don’t Mind

Irritating theme, irritating tune, irritating lyrics. Not keen on this one at all.

Track 28: Cheat Codes and Kris Kross Amsterdam – Sex

Dodgy dance cover of Salt-N-Pepa’s ’90s hit Let’s Talk About Sex, with new verses in order to bastardise the original safe sex theme into one about general horniness. Have I mentioned before that I hate this century?

Track 29: Sigala, Imani Williams and DJ Fresh – Say You Do

Boring tune on the vocals, but I quite like the instrumentals (steel drums again!).

Track 30: Blonde and Craig David – Nothing Like This

Nice beat, and the vocals are quite interesting, but the tune’s a bit repetitive.

Track 31: Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez – We Don’t Talk Anymore

Beautiful tune – really like this one.

Track 32: Ariana Grande – Into You

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Ariana Grande on track 13.

I’m a big fan of this song though – it’s probably my favourite Ariana Grande track. Great solid piece of pop.

Track 33: David Guetta and Zara Larsson – This One’s For You

Not keen on this tune, but the track builds quite well.

Track 34: Jonas Blue and JP Cooper – Perfect Strangers

I’ve always found this tune really grating.

Track 35: Dua Lipa – Hotter Than Hell

Good beat, very danceable.

Track 36: Kygo and Kodaline – Raging

I quite like the guitar on this one, but it’s not upbeat enough for me.

Track 37: Selena Gomez – Kill ‘Em With Kindness

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Selena Gomez on track 31.

I quite like this tune though, even if the chorus is a bit repetitive.

Track 38: will.i.am and Pia Mia – Boys And Girls

Great beat on this one – happily nodding along right now.

Track 39: Reggie ‘N’ Bollie – New Girl

Daft theme and lyrics that I’m not wholly keen on. The tune’s nice and feelgood, though, and I like the beat.

Track 40: Tinie Tempah and Wizkid – Mamacita

Love the Latin tinge on this one! Great stuff.

Track 41: Craig David – One More Time

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Craig David on track 30.

I really like the rhythm and the vocal style, but the tune’s fairly bland.

Track 42: Sigala, John Newman, Nile Rodgers, Cedric Gervais and Laurent Simeca – Give Me Your Love

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Sigala on track 29.

That is a long list of artists for a not-especially-inspiring song. The tune’s okay, but it’s nothing special.

Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #92

12 July 201812 July 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Day 92 means Now! #92, which brings us to 20th November 2015.

Let’s see what the party tunes were that year! No, they most certainly wouldn’t have been played at Beat:Cancer.

Now! That's What I Call Music #92
Track 1: Sam Smith – Writing’s On The Wall

It’s a Bond theme, so it’s got a good epic atmosphere, even if it is a slow Sam Smith song.

Track 2: Justin Bieber – What Do You Mean?

Not keen on the tune – it’s a bit depressing.

Track 3: The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face

Another tune that I don’t find particularly exciting. The chorus has quite a good rhythm, though.

Track 4: Calvin Harris and Disciples – How Deep Is Your Love

The vocals on this one really irritate me.

Track 5: Naughty Boy, Beyoncé and Arrow Benjamin – Runnin’ (Lose It All)

Too slow for my liking, and again the tune doesn’t do anything for me.

Track 6: Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor – Marvin Gaye

Great upbeat big-band-sounding pop – really like this tune.

Track 7: R City and Adam Levine – Locked Away

One of those songs that’s so dull I can’t concentrate on it.

Track 8: Rachel Platten – Fight Song

Too high-pitched for me – it gives me a headache.

Track 9: Jess Glynne – Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself

Irritating tune, but the beat’s okay.

Track 10: Olly Murs – Kiss Me

I like the ’80s-tinged synthy lines on this one.

Track 11: Ellie Goulding – On My Mind

Some really nice instrumentals on this track.

Track 12: Little Mix – Love Me Like You

I find this tune a bit irritating.

Track 13: One Direction – Drag Me Down

Good rhythm, and it builds quite well, but the tune is fairly uninspired.

Track 14: Demi Lovato – Cool For The Summer

I really like the synth on this one.

Track 15: Years & Years – Eyes Shut

Nice piano at the start, but it’s a little too slow for me.

Track 16: Grace and G-Eazy – You Don’t Own Me

Cover of the Lesley Gore song. It was used in the 2015 House of Fraser Christmas advert, so now it’s a feature of the annual Christmas playlists on the music channels. It’s an okay tune, but in general I find there’s too much going on in this track.

Track 17: Birdy – Wings

Good tune, though it’s a little too slow for me.

Track 18: Aurora – Half The World Away

Cover of the Oasis song, the original being best known as the theme tune to The Royle Family. This was the 2015 John Lewis Christmas advert offering. It’s a pretty cover, but I find it a little depressing when it shows up on the music channels at Christmas time.

Track 19: Jamie Lawson – Wasn’t Expecting That

Too slow, cheesy and acoustic-y for my liking.

Track 20: Ed Sheeran – Photograph

Boring, depressing and again far too slow.

Track 21: Selena Gomez and ASAP Rocky – Good For You

Good atmosphere on this one, but as ever I could do with a more interesting tune.

Track 22: 5 Seconds Of Summer – She’s Kinda Hot

Good upbeat bit of pop-rock – the tune’s not that exciting but it’s refreshing to hear something in a different style.

Track 23: The Vamps – Wake Up

Great instrumentals, great atmosphere – shame the song is a bit too cheesy for me.

Track 24: KDA, Tinie Tempah and Katy B – Turn The Music Louder (Rumble)

Great danceable track – really like this tune.

Track 25: Galantis – Peanut Butter Jelly

Good beat, but the track’s pretty messy. I do like the ’70s-tinged lines though.

Track 26: Sigala – Easy Love

Another song that’s too high-pitched – it’s quite painful to listen to.

Track 27: Martin Solveig and GTA – Intoxicated

I really like the rhythm on this one – very danceable.

Track 28: MNEK and Zara Larsson – Never Forget You

The vocals annoy me on this one.

Track 29: Diplo and Sleepy Tom – Be Right There

Not sure what I think about the interpolation of Jade’s 1992 hit Don’t Walk Away. I hadn’t even thought about the original track in years. It’s certainly the most interesting thing about this track, which is very generic otherwise.

Track 30: Felix Jaehn and Jasmine Thompson – Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better)

Interestingly tinkly cover of the Chaka Khan classic. Obviously nothing can touch the original, but this version’s not horrible.

Track 31: Pia Mia, Chris Brown and Tyga – Do It Again

The beat’s okay, but it’s a pretty generic track.

Track 32: Rudimental and Ed Sheeran – Lay It All On Me

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Ed Sheeran on track 20.

I quite like this tune, and it’s got a good rhythm.

Track 33: Sigma and Ella Henderson – Glitterball

Repetitive tune, not enough beat. Quite like the ’90s tinge though.

Track 34: Disclosure and Sam Smith – Omen

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Sam Smith on track 1.

This one’s another dull tune – there’s just nothing interesting about it at all.

Track 35: Fetty Wap – Trap Queen

Interesting track with great rhythm, even if the tune is a bit repetitive.

Track 36: Format:B – Chunky

Irritating, messy dance track with painfully blaring vocals.

Track 37: WSTRN – In2

Starts off with some boring, random chords. The vocals have got quite a good rhythm, though.

Track 38: Ariana Grande – Focus

Great beat, good solid pop tune. Quite like this one.

Track 39: Silentó – Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)

I like the videogame-esque beeping on the backing track, but the vocals are daft in an annoying way.

Track 40: Joe Stone and Montell Jordan – The Party (This Is How We Do It)

Remix of Montell Jordan’s 1995 classic (see Now! #31 for review of the original version). It’s got a good beat, but I was never a huge fan of the original anyway, and the remix has a lot of jarring lines going on.

Track 41: Nick Brewer and Bibi Bourelly – Talk To Me

Messy and uninspired, and the rap is just irritating.

Track 42: KSI and JME – Keep Up

Inspired theme! Good atmosphere, too.

Track 43: Wretch 32, Anne-Marie and PRGRSHN – Alright With Me

Good rhythm – happily nodding along here.

Track 44: Philip George and Anton Powers – Alone No More

Cover of the 1998 song by Another Level. Very repetitive, and it’s another bland tune.

Track 45: Kygo and Ella Henderson – Here For You

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Ella Henderson on track 33.

The tinkly instrumentals are nice, but the track is slow, and I don’t like slow.

Track 46: Ben Haenow and Kelly Clarkson – Second Hand Heart

Great atmosphere, but the song’s too saccharine for my liking.

Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #91

11 July 201811 July 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Day 91 brings us to Now! #91, which was released on 24th July 2015.

On with the summer hits!

Now! That's What I Call Music #91
Track 1: Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do

Irritatingly saccharine ballad, made worse by being from the soundtrack of the Fifty Shades Of Grey movie.

Track 2: Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth – See You Again

Pretty tune on the chorus, and it’s got a good atmosphere. Quite like this one.

Track 3: OMI and Felix Jaehn – Cheerleader

Nice upbeat pop song – big fan of this.

Track 4: Jason Derulo – Want To Want Me

Another solid pop tune. Great danceable track.

Track 5: Little Mix – Black Magic

It’s got a good beat, but I’m not keen on the tune.

Track 6: Tinie Tempah and Jess Glynne – Not Letting Go

I like the ’90s tinge, but the tune’s pretty dull.

Track 7: Major Lazer, DJ Snake and Mø – Lean On

That chorus should annoy me, but I actually quite like it.

Track 8: Years & Years – Shine

Interesting rhythm, and there’s a nice ’80s synthy tinge to the electro lines.

Track 9: Aston Merrygold – Get Stupid

Great mid-century retro sound, great upbeat tune. Good track.

Track 10: Walk The Moon – Shut Up And Dance

I love this one – it’s a fantastic rock-edged party song that sounds like it dropped straight out of the ’80s! A favourite.

Track 11: Rita Ora – Poison

Quite like this tune, though I could do without the jarring instrumentals on the chorus.

Track 12: Natalie La Rose and Jeremih – Somebody

Very irritating interpolation of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which I can’t really get past. The rest of the track’s just bland.

Track 13: Nick Jonas – Jealous

I’ve always been torn about the lyric ‘it’s my right to be hellish/I still get jealous‘. On the one hand it’s super creepy and abusive and squicky. On the other hand, it’s a fantastic rhyme in a musical landscape where lyricism is not a strong point.

To sum up: awful theme, great danceable tune.

Track 14: John Newman – Come And Get It

Love that ’80s-feel funk on the backing track. I’m starting to sense a welcome theme to this Now! compilation!

Track 15: Ed Sheeran and Rudimental – Bloodstream

I quite like the tune on this one.

Track 16: Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You

Nice upbeat pop song, even if it is a bit cheesy.

Track 17: Meghan Trainor – Dear Future Husband

The theme’s a bit awkward, but it’s a good tune.

Track 18: Iggy Azalea and Jennifer Hudson – Trouble

I like the instrumentals, and it’s got a good rhythm.

Track 19: Jessie J – Flashlight

Too slow and ballad-y for me.

Track 20: James Bay – Let It Go

I like the guitar at the start, but the vocals annoy me.

Track 21: Florence & The Machine – Ship To Wreck

I find the chorus on this one pretty irritating, but the atmosphere is great, and I like the folky feel.

Track 22: Hozier – Someone New

Interesting instrumentals at the start, but on the whole it’s a little too slow for me.

Track 23: Lost Frequencies – Are You With Me

Bland, forgettable tune – not keen on this one.

Track 24: Kygo and Conrad Sewell – Firestone

The tune irritates me, and the verses are too slow.

Track 25: David Zowie – House Every Weekend

Very repetitive, and there’s not enough melody for me.

Track 26: David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha and Afrojack – Hey Mama

Love the atmosphere on this one – great track.

Track 27: Flo Rida, Robin Thicke and Verdine White – I Don’t Like It, I Love It

Boring tune, uninspired theme.

Track 28: Galantis – Runaway (U And I)

The vocal style irritates me, and it’s another dull tune.

Track 29: Skrillex, Diplo and Justin Bieber – Where Are Ü Now

The lines are too jarring for me, and the tune’s really bland.

Track 30: Krept & Konan and Jeremih – Freak Of The Week

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Jeremih on track 12.

Good rhythm, good atmosphere – again I could do with a bit more melody though.

Track 31: Fifth Harmony and Kid Ink – Worth It

I really like that trumpet at the start, and it’s got a great beat – very danceable track.

Track 32: Deorro and Chris Brown – Five More Hours

Bland tune – nothing special going on with this one.

Track 33: LunchMoney Lewis – Bills

I love this upbeat novelty track! Happily chair-dancing here.

Track 34: Avicii – Waiting For Love

Love the tune on this, and that piano is gorgeous.

Track 35: Clean Bandit – Stronger

I find some of the lines a bit jarring, and the tune’s fairly bland. Good rhythm, though.

Track 36: Sam Feldt and Kimberly Anne – Show Me Love

Slow chillout cover of the Robin S classic, which has itself featured on a fair few Now! compilations over the years. It’s not my kind of thing, but at least they did something different with the song.

Track 37: Blonde and Alex Newell – All Cried Out

Highly irritating tune, uninspired beat.

Track 38: Kygo and Parson James – Stole The Show

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Kygo on track 24.

Another boring song.

Track 39: Rudimental and Foy Vance – Never Let You Go

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Rudimental on track 15.

Again, I find this tune very bland and forgettable.

Track 40: Pep & Rash – Rumours

The vocals are quite interesting, and there’s some intriguing beepy stuff going on, but on the whole it’s too messy for me.

Track 41: Dr Kucho, Gregor Salto, Ane Brun and Oliver Heldens – Can’t Stop Playing (Makes Me High)

I am literally yawning right now. One too many boring dance tracks.

Track 42: Lethal Bizzle and Diztortion – Fester Skank

This one’s brilliantly daft (sample lyric: ‘you might see me in a Lambo/camo snapback, Rambo/five hundred horses, Django/two-two chicken, Nando‘) and very danceable. Great stuff.

Track 43: Martin Garrix and Usher – Don’t Look Down

The tune annoys me – not keen on this.

Track 44: Tove Lo – Talking Body

Awkward theme, generic tune. Dull end to a generally poor disc two.

Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #90

10 July 201810 July 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Day 90! This means Now! #90, which came out on 30th March 2015.

Nine-tenths of the way through this Now! marathon! Let’s see (or hear, rather) what music sounded like as we entered the second half of the decade.

Now! That's What I Call Music #90
Track 1: Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk

This is hands down my favourite song of the ’10s. The ’80s-tinged funk sound, the beat, the lyrics – just wonderful. I love it.

Track 2: Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

It’s a slow ballad, so it’s not the kind of thing I’d usually be a fan of, but I do actually really like this.

Track 3: Years & Years – King

Good tune – big fan of this one.

Track 4: Maroon 5 – Sugar

Another good, danceable tune.

Track 5: James Bay – Hold Back The River

It’s the kind of thing that would normally be too acoustic-y for me, but the rhythm is great, so I quite like it.

Track 6: Sam Smith – Like I Can

Sam Smith finally releases something a bit upbeat! Another good track.

Track 7: Olly Murs and Demi Lovato – Up

I really like this duet – it’s got a great rhythm and a lovely tune. Good stuff.

Track 8: Meghan Trainor – Lips Are Movin’

I find this one to be a bit of a disappointing follow-up to All About That Bass, but I suppose it’s got a good beat.

Track 9: Jess Glynne – Hold My Hand

This tune really irritates me.

Track 10: Sia – Elastic Heart

Good rhythm, and the tune’s quite interesting.

Track 11: Ben Haenow – Something I Need

The X Factor winner for 2014, this year doing a cover of a OneRepublic song. As usual, it’s pretty uninspiring. At the time of writing, this was the last X Factor winner’s single to get the Christmas number one, and hopefully – due to the combination of the X Factor finishing earlier in December nowadays and the continued increase in streaming and related decline in downloads in chart figures – it will remain that way forever.

Track 12: Take That – These Days

It’s Fake That version II, now only featuring Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald! Mind you, after the happy reunion of all five members for the Progress album, I’m actually okay with the lineup swapping about a bit. I’ve made my peace with that. Only took me twenty years.

This song is quite good, actually. Great beat, nice tune.

Track 13: One Direction – Night Changes

It’s a saccharine ballad, but I don’t hate the tune.

Track 14: Alesso and Tove Lo – Heroes (We Could Be)

This tune, on the other hand, is incredibly irritating. It’s nothing to do with the David Bowie classic, but Bowie and Brian Eno were apparently credited anyway due to the identical title. Nice to see some actual acknowledgment there – most artists releasing songs with identical titles to classics don’t bother.

Track 15: Kelly Clarkson – Heartbeat Song

Another highly annoying tune.

Track 16: Calvin Harris and Haim – Pray To God

I really like this one – the tune’s lovely and it builds really nicely.

Track 17: David Guetta and Emeli Sandé – What I Did For Love

I quite like the tune on the chorus, and it’s got a good atmosphere.

Track 18: Usher and Juicy J – I Don’t Mind

It’s got a nice smooth soulful feel to it, but the tune’s fairly uninspired and the theme is kind of creepy.

Track 19: Marlon Roudette – When The Beat Drops Out

Love those steel drums, and the tune is quite nice.

Track 20: Chris Brown and Tyga – Ayo

The tune’s okay, but on the whole the song’s pretty uninspired.

Track 21: Fergie – LA Love (La La)

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

Good atmosphere, but the vocals are extremely annoying.

Track 22: Tough Love – So Freakin’ Tight

Repetitive and irritating, and the theme’s very awkward.

Track 23: Philip George – Wish You Were Mine

I like the My Cherie Amour sample, but the rest of the track’s pretty forgettable.

Track 24: Avicii – The Nights

Good chant-along song – quite like this one.

Track 25: Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding – Outside

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Calvin Harris on track 16.

Dull, forgettable tune, though the atmosphere on the chorus is quite good.

Track 26: David Guetta and Sam Martin – Dangerous

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had David Guetta on track 17.

Great tune, wonderful atmosphere – some really interesting lines going on here.

Track 27: Flo Rida, Sage The Gemini and Lookas – GDFR

Good rhythm, but there’s not enough melody for me.

Track 28: DJ Fresh and Ella Eyre – Gravity

Boring tune, uninspired beat.

Track 29: Sigma and Labrinth – Higher

The atmosphere’s okay, but again the tune’s pretty dull.

Track 30: Tchami and Kaleem Taylor – Promesses

Nothing exciting going on with this track except for the bizarre spelling of ‘promises’ in the title, which is just irritating.

Track 31: Blonde and Melissa Steel – I Loved You

Good beat, but it’s another bland tune.

Track 32: Oliver Heldens and KStewart – Last All Night (Koala)

Really interesting electro lines going on in this track, and it’s very danceable.

Track 33: Wretch 32 – 6 Words

Slow and boring, with a slightly jarring beat.

Track 34: Charli XCX and Rita Ora – Doing It

Extremely bland and uninspired tune. It actually depresses me how terrible it is.

Track 35: Ne-Yo – Coming With You

Another boring tune, and repetitive to boot.

Track 36: Cheryl – I Don’t Care

Great beat, good solid pop song.

Track 37: Karen Harding – Say Something

Irritating tune, not my cup of tea.

Track 38: Gorgon City and Jennifer Hudson – Go All Night

Yet another dull, forgettable tune.

Track 39: Alex Adair – Make Me Feel Better

Dance track that sounds like every other dance track of the era.

Track 40: Labrinth – Jealous

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Labrinth on track 29.

This one is notoriously depressing. I’m going to have to line up about twenty ’80s party tracks to cheer myself up after this compilation is done.

Track 41: Ella Henderson – Yours

Yet another depressing ballad.

Track 42: Rixton – Wait On Me

Finally, something upbeat! I like the rhythm on this one.

Track 43: McBusted – Air Guitar

Unholy cross between the two biggest British pop-pop-punk bands of the ’00s, Busted and McFly. It’s as cringeworthy as you’d expect, but at least it’s not another slow ballad.

Track 44: Florence & The Machine – What Kind Of Man

Good atmosphere, and I like the rock guitar once the track gets going.

Track 45: Sam Smith – Lay Me Down

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Sam Smith on track 6.

Back to the depressing slow ballads. What was making people so miserable in early 2015? Time to line up I’m Still Standing and get out of here.

Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #89

9 July 20189 July 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Day 89 means Now! #89, which was released on 24th November 2014.

Let’s see what was in the charts during our final few months in Southampton.

Now! That's What I Call Music #89
Track 1: Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass

Love this one! Great mid-century retro tinge, brilliant theme, and it’s another one to which my Southampton Zumba class did a really fun routine.

Track 2: Olly Murs and Travie McCoy – Wrapped Up

Love the retro feel, but I could do without the rap.

Track 3: Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj – Bang Bang

Good solid pop track – really like this one.

Track 4: Nico & Vinz – Am I Wrong

I really like the tune on this track.

Track 5: Magic – Rude

I can’t stand this one – the theme’s just awful! Irritatingly, it was constantly stuck in my head at the time as well.

Track 6: Sam Smith – I’m Not The Only One

Too slow for me.

Track 7: Tom Odell – Real Love

This one was the 2014 John Lewis Christmas advert song (it was the year of Monty the penguin), so it still gets played on the music channels at Christmas time. Again, it’s too slow for my liking.

Track 8: Gareth Malone and All Star Choir – Wake Me Up

Gareth Malone’s project for Children In Need 2014 – a choir of celebrities doing a cover of Avicii’s Wake Me Up. It’s not that exciting, but the voice-spotting can be quite fun.

Track 9: Ed Sheeran – Don’t

Good rhythm, interesting vocals – quite like this one.

Track 10: George Ezra – Blame It On Me

I’m not too keen on the tune on this one.

Track 11: The Script – Superheroes

It’s got a good epic feel, but it’s a bit cheesy.

Track 12: OneRepublic – Love Runs Out

I really like this one – the atmosphere is great.

Track 13: Maroon 5 – Maps

Pretty tune, quite summery.

Track 14: Hozier – Take Me To Church

Beautiful track – the tune, atmosphere and theme are all absolutely stunning.

Track 15: Charli XCX – Boom Clap

I find this one pretty generic.

Track 16: One Direction – Steal My Girl

Irritating tune, irritating theme.

Track 17: The Vamps and Shawn Mendes – Oh Cecelia (Breaking My Heart)

Uninspired cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic with new verses. Not a fan.

Track 18: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Amnesia

Too slow and saccharine for me.

Track 19: GRL – Ugly Heart

I really like this upbeat pop song. Sadly, group member Simone Battle passed away during the promotion of this track, and they’ve not really had any hits since.

Track 20: Katy Perry – This Is How We Do

It’s got a good beat, but the tune’s pretty repetitive.

Track 21: Cheryl and Tinie Tempah – Crazy Stupid Love

It’s got a good beat, but the tune’s a bit annoying.

Track 22: Ella Henderson – Glow

Pretty tune, but it’s a little slow for my liking.

Track 23: The Veronicas – You Ruin Me

Dull and depressing.

Track 24: Calvin Harris and John Newman – Blame

It’s an okay tune, but it’s a bit forgettable.

Track 25: Sigma and Paloma Faith – Changing

Nice upbeat, feelgood track. Quite like this one.

Track 26: Lilly Wood and Robin Schulz – Prayer In C

It’s not the kind of thing I usually like, but I’ve got a soft spot for this tune.

Track 27: Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne – Real Love

I like some of the instrumentals, but the tune on the vocals irritates me.

Track 28: Jeremih and YG – Don’t Tell ‘Em

The beat on the various lines of this is very jarring. Not keen. Also, that Rhythm Is A Dancer interpolation is done really badly.

Track 29: David Guetta and Sam Martin – Lovers On The Sun

Great Western-tinged instrumentals, and the tune’s quite nice. Good stuff.

Track 30: Waze & Odyssey and R Kelly – Bump And Grind 2014

Reworking of R Kelly’s 1994 song. I’m not keen on the original anyway, and this dance version is just messy.

Track 31: Ariana Grande and Zedd – Break Free

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Ariana Grande on track 3.

Very uninspired and irritating tune.

Track 32: Nicole Scherzinger – Your Love

Another track where the tune is so bland I’m not sure it even counts as a tune.

Track 33: Pitbull and John Ryan – Fireball

Good beat on this one – very danceable.

Track 34: Wankelmut, Emma Louise and Mark Kinchen – My Head Is A Jungle [MK Remix]

That chorus is horribly irritating!

Track 35: ZHU – Faded

I like the retro-sounding bassline, but in general it’s too repetitive for me.

Track 36: Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back

One of those ’90s-sounding dance track from the mid-’10s. It’s a bit too generic for my liking.

Track 37: Parra For Cuva and Anna Naklab – Wicked Games

Guitar-driven dance cover of Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. It’s not a patch on the original, which is beautiful – somehow this version manages to be dull.

Track 38: Fuse ODG and Angel – TINA

Nice feelgood tune, quite like this one.

Track 39: Ten Walls – Walking With Elephants

Takes ages to get going. When it does, it’s okay, but nothing special.

Track 40: Kiesza – Giant In My Heart

Some interesting lines on the backing track, but I’m not keen on the tune.

Track 41: The Magician and Years & Years – Sunlight

Another generic, bland tune.

Track 42: Melissa Steel and Popcaan – Kisses For Breakfast

I had this one stuck in my head for years afterwards. Thankfully it’s an okay tune.

Track 43: Professor Green and Tori Kelly – Lullaby

The tune on the sung vocals is pretty, but I find the theme too depressing.

Track 44: Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora – Black Widow

Good atmosphere, but the tune is fairly uninspired.

Track 45: Nicki Minaj – Anaconda

Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Nicki Minaj on track 3.

I find the theme on this one painfully stupid.