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.
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.
