Here we go again with another rundown of what I have been listening to throughout the last month, starting off with those top-line numbers that I enjoy so much...
I'm not going to lie and the statistics speak for themselves, I listened to a lot less music. In part because I didn't have Christmas music playing A LOT. I was definitely expecting the January numbers to come in lower but I wasn't expecting them to be quite this low. Whoops. That is also a big part of why the chart has no tracks that were played in December. There are no ups or down this month!
In fact, pretty much the entire chart is new entries with only three tracks having charted prior to December and one of those being the "Bluey Theme Tune" which gets played a lot for my daughter. Some of the new entries are questionable though, given that they aren't really new as much as they just existed long before I started doing these charts.
Diving into all those lovely new entries, seven of them are taken up by an album that almost slipped me by. It was released in November 2020 but after hearing one of the tracks on the radio I went searching and pretty much instantly fell in love with it. I initially 'discovered' Raye after hearing her fabulous track "Natalie Don't" last summer and it has been a favourite ever since so when I found her album "Euphoric Sad Songs" I had to give it a listen. I was not disappointed. The album as a body of work is so very good and I have played right through a few times already. I can't even pick out a top track from it because four of them all have 5 plays, but the highest 'charting' was "All Dressed Up". Honestly, go stream this album because it is just brilliant. I reckon and hope that Raye will have a lot of success with it.
Another new entry came from the Irish and very eclectic band, Wild Youth, taking number 9 with their latest offering "Champagne Butterflies". It's a throbbing, feel-good track all about that feeling you get when you first fall in love. It is upbeat, hopeful and has a real summer vibe to it. The band themselves have been around since 2016 but they have been gaining a lot of popularity since and I can totally see why. I haven't yet, but I fully intend to dig further into their catalogue so you can expect to see more of them on the charts in the future.
Damien Rice picked up a couple of song spots on the chart this month, neither of which is what you would class as new. Rice is one of those artists that I dip in and out of, very much depending on my mood haha. I find him very relaxing to listen to, very cerebral and quite often emotional. "It Takes A Lot To Know A Man", in at number 16, is a superb and epic track coming in at just over 9 minutes long. It opens with a beautiful piano solo and builds throughout, layering in brass and strings. I love it.
The other entry from him came as a bit of a surprise when I stumbled across it as I was just poking around Apple Music to see if he had anything new out as it has been quite a while. Sadly, there is no new album or anything but I did discover that he had done a cover of the Sia track "Chandelier" in early 2020. I really enjoy the original so downloaded it out of curiosity. It is certainly a very different style to the original and is very much in that typical Damien Rice style but one thing really struck me and that was the lyrics. I had never really processed what the lyrics were or what the story of the song was in the original. It was just a great song. Hearing the Rice version really puts those lyrics front and centre in the most emotive way. I would say that, for me, it has added an entirely new dimension to the song which is why it comes in at number 3.
Continuing the trend of emotive songs, Years & Years almost took the top spot, coming in at number 2 with their cover of Pet Shop Boys "It's A Sin". The song was released in tandem with the new Russell T. Davies TV show that is currently airing on Channel 4. I'm not going to get into the TV show as this isn't the place, in fact, I keep debating writing a piece about it specifically but you have probably heard about it already. Anyway, "It's A Sin" has always been one of my favourite songs from the 1980s. It is another one of those covers that takes an upbeat song from the past and reframes it in a ballad form. Although at times I have found that trend of 'ballad versions' a little bit overdone, this one works beautifully. Olly Alexanders vocals on this stripped back track sound so pure and full of emotion. There is no full video for it sadly, but I can't resist sharing the YouTube video that does exist...
I've also been listening to a fair bit of what I would refer to as dance music this month, with highlights from Meduza, Rina Sawayama, Jax Jones (and collaborators), Cedric Gervais & Franklin, James Hype and HOLA! All of which are absolute 'bangers' but there was a real stand out this month from Bingo Players & Ida Corr. Coming in at number 1 is their track "I Know This Club" and it is most definitely a BANGER! Considering that none of us can actually get out to a club right now, this is the perfect tonic. I must confess I have had this on repeat very loud and very late on a Saturday night after drinks with friends via Skype. It is quite a 'simple' dance track but it just thumps and makes me want to dance. Lyrically it amuses me because of the line "This club feels just like home" and right now, that is because it is home! Honestly, get this on and making your living room your own nightclub for the night. Have a lyric video and enjoy... (It also just came on Gaydio as I was writing this bit so yay!)
That is going to do it for my musical musings this month with the full chart just below. As always, if you have any music recommendations or tracks you think I really should be listening to, drop me comment below or drop me a line via Twitter...
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