I didn’t do one of these last year, but following on from my 2013 mid-year limbo list, here is a list of songs which (mostly) came out in 2014 but which I’ve listened to more during the first half of this year. I haven’t included songs such as ‘Uptown Funk’ by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars or ‘Hold Back The River’ by James Bay because, while those songs technically came out in 2014, both of those reached their chart peak early this year, so for me that makes them more of a 2015 song. I realise this is a bit arbitrary, but it’s partly because a lot of these are songs I liked but weren’t necessarily big chart hits.
5) Seven Lions feat. Kerli – ‘Worlds Apart’
This electro-dance track is lovely and atmospheric. It’s by American DJ and producer Seven Lions and features vocals from Estonian singer Kerli. It was taken from an E.P, also titled ‘Worlds Apart’, which was released last year. Kerli features on another song on the E.P., ‘Keep It Close’, and Ellie Goulding features on a track called ‘Don’t Leave’. ‘Worlds Apart’ has an amazing video, with beautiful and intriguing visuals. It looks a bit like a dream sequence, a girl wakes up among flowers in the woods, goes to a beach where the sky shows an eclipse and a starry night. Beneath the ocean is an underwater spirit (played by Kerli) with a crown and white dress, and she looks a bit like Miranda Richardson playing The Lady of the Lake in the 1998 miniseries Merlin. The spirit and a knight in shining armour on a nearby mountainous planet communicate by sending glowing orbs, and the girl gets in a rowing boat and sails away.
4) Nico & Vinz – ‘In Your Arms’
Norwegian R&B duo Nico & Vinz scored a massive international hit with ‘Am I Wrong’, but have to date not had much luck continuing that success outside their home country. ‘In Your Arms’ has so far been their second biggest international hit, and to be honest, I think I like it more than ‘Am I Wrong’. ‘In Your Arms’ is a very uplifting song, which contrasts with the tearjerker video about a scientist who is determined to invent a time machine to go back in time and save his wife and daughter from a fire which killed them a few years ago. The ending is ambiguous as to whether this ends happily or tragically.
3) Mallory Knox – ‘Lighthouse’
OK, so this is technically from 2013. I heard a few songs from British alternative rock band Mallory Knox last year which I loved, such as ‘Ghost In The Mirror’ and ‘Shout At The Moon’, which were both from their sophomore album Asymmetry. I decided to check out some of their other songs, and I particularly liked ‘Lighthouse’, which I think is a magnificent track, taken from their debut album Signals.
2) Moko – ‘Your Love’
This is an ice-cool electro-dance track with a very catchy beat and sounds like it was influenced by ’90s dance music. UK soul/dance singer Moko is a fierce and confident performer, who has mostly been known as the guest vocalist on Chase & Status tracks like ‘Count On Me’, but ‘Your Love’ is my favourite song she had sung to date. It is in fact one of my most played songs at the moment and has been for months.
1) Ella Eyre – ‘Comeback’
I have stanned for Ella Eyre quite a lot on this blog. I think she’s great. She has a lot of energy, a powerful voice and writes some good songs. She could be an amazing pop star given the chance. At the moment, like Moko, her biggest hits have been as the guest vocalist on tracks by dance/urban producers, in Ella Eyre’s case ‘Gravity’ by DJ Fresh and Rudimental’s charttopper ‘Waiting All Night’. Ella Eyre has had three top 20 hits as a solo artist to date, and for me the best one is the fabulous ‘Comeback’.
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