A lockdown countdown - funky: The Lost Years (2015-19)

Funky

Funky

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I've decided to amuse myself with a countdown that I won't ever finish.

I've trawled all my playlists from 2015 up to the start of this year because I'd like to talk about all the great songs I never had a chance to talk about first time around. Seems I took the wrong time to go AWOL because pop music (or at least underground pop music) has had QUITE the run recently

Plus I'm on a never ending quest to prove I'm not all safe R&B and dull soulless dance music. I DO LIKE SOME POP MUSIC.

I was going to do 25 but you know me, couldn't whittle it down to less than 100. So here goes :disco:
 
So I couldn't get it below 117 :(

So here's 17 songs that I LOVED but can't fit into the list.

Jazmine Sullivan - Let It Burn 2015
Massive Attack - The Spoils (ft Hope Sandoval) 2016
Childish Gambino - Redbone 2016
Niia - Sideline (ft Jazmine Sullivan) 2017
Maylee Todd - Eye To Eye 2017
Halsey - Eyes Closed 2017
Katy Perry - Chained To The Rhythm 2017
Toni Braxton - Long As I Live 2018
Troye Sivan - My My My! 2018
Robyn - Missing You 2018
Little Dragon - Lover Chanting 2018
Hercules & Love Affair - My Curse & Cure 2018
Ariana Grande - No Tears Left To Cry 2018
Mariah Carey - Portrait 2018
Missy Elliott - Throw It Back 2019
Jessie Ware - Adore You 2019
Art School Girlfriend - Come Back To Me 2019


aren't they all AMAZING?
 
Whatevar said:
Why weren’t you at Toni’s London gig last year?!
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I don't recall but might have been because I was back in Liverpool. I was back and forth for work but had to work my dates around work not pleasure. I missed a fair few good gigs last year.
 
100. Jamie xx - Loud Places (ft Romy)
2015


I love it 'cause: Everything But The Girl might never release a song again, but these two are keeping that vibe alive for me. Love The xx, and I think they have one track on this list somewhere, but this highlight from Jamie's solo album evokes that pre/post club sound perfectly. A MOOD.
 
99. Lykke Li - Better Alone
2018


I love it 'cause: of all the experimental pop queens that have emerged this decade (Grimes, FKA Twigs, Halsey, etc) it's when they find that bridge between leftfield and accessible and produce a gorgeous, ethereal, timeless track like this. It almost sounds like one of those chill-out versions of balearic trance tracks from the early noughties. Bliss.
 
98. Låpsley - Hurt Me
2015


I love it 'cause: it's a true power pop song. Lauded as the next Adele when she emerged (talk about a poisoned chalice) the album was a lovely mix of moody, well written pop songs. This was the undeniable highlight.
 
97. Little Boots - Shadows (ft Joyce Muniz)
2018


I love it 'cause: it's a pop artist doing what sounds like the deep house I was listening to when nobody else was about 15 years ago. This was a relatively quiet release on the Burn EP and I don't thinks she's done much since. I have no idea who Joyce Muniz is.
 
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96. Francis & The Lights - Friends (ft Bon Iver, Kanye West)
2016


I love it 'cause: the 80s comeback started back as far as about 2012 I think, maybe earlier, and while it it's taken almost a decade for it to fully take over, many artists were toying with low-fi synth sounds before 2020 (Taylor Swift, The 1975, among others) and it would bring up some fantastic random surprises, including this collab. A genius invention really, and a wonderful video. I have no idea what Kanye is doing though.
 
95. Flume - Never Be Like You (ft Kai)
2016


I love it 'cause: it's an anthem among anthems. That vocal! I always wanted to love Flume, because the internet seemed a bit obsessed them, but they were generally a bit noisy and messy for me (I know that was the point, and I could appreciate their production talents, but not my thing). I was glad I could join in with their signature moment. This really is special.
 
94. Friendly Fires - Kiss And Rewind
2019


I love it 'cause: it feels like the current direction of alternative bands is to go full-on new wave, even bands who were more traditionally guitar bands, and I'm here for it because it's producing a wave of ridiculously fun and accessible pop tunes. This is hardly the same band from the earlier albums, but the recent album was an absolute joy, and I struggled to choose a highlight, but I went for this for just being some sort of cross between Duran Duran, ABC and Lionel Richie :D I SING LOUD to this in the car.
 
93. Daniel Caesar - Best Part (ft HER)
2017


I love it 'cause: it appeared quietly just before neo-soul bounced back big in 2018, and has since gone on to be something of an R&B anthem of the decade. Featuring two of the best vocalists of the current version of the genre, I'm loving pretty much everything they are doing, while never really getting much wider attention. There are SO many great young neo soul artists out there right now that I FULLY recommend checking out - these two, Ari Lennox, Mahalia, Cleo Sol, Shay Lia, Gallant, Roses Gabor, the list goes on, and it feels like R&B is on the VERGE of some sort of comeback, but who knows if it will ever truly break through. It feels like there is an appetite, but too passive for it to ever trouble mainstream radio or streaming. We'll see... in the meantime, go discover if this is your bag because there's a ton of it, and I can give recommendations.
 
speaking of Gallant...

92. Gallant - Cave Me In (ft Tablo & Eric Nam)
2017


I love it 'cause: it's just gorgeous. The vocals, the production, the video. I'm here for the Korean music explosion, but predictably, I'm discovering the wealth of R&B and dance artists from Korean and Korean-American artists, and with this track as an example, that Eric Nam has a BEAUTIFUL voice. This collaboration works wonders. Gallant had the most incredible debut album in '16, and he'll be further up this list as a solo artist. One of my favourite discoveries this decade.
 
91. Chvrches - Clearest Blue
2015


I love it 'cause: of that build and breakdown. Seriously, that breakdown - it's as good as any club song :disco: the way it progressively builds, and the vocal tells the story along with it, it's such a fabulous journey. I love songs that can have that impact. This is the core side of pop music I got back into the last few years - funky electro synth pop with singer-songwriter sensibility. There's a few more obvious choices of that sound in this list without revealing too much. In the meantime...

you can just keep me, tell me, tell me tell me you'll meet me, tell me tell me you'll meet me, WILL YOU MEET ME MORE THAN HALFWAY, YEAH! *dies*
 
90. Paul Woolford - You Already Know (ft Karen Harding)
2019


I love it 'cause: HELLO 1990 PIANO HOUSE :disco: a full year before the summer of 2020 went all nu rave on us, the ever brilliant Paul Woolford teamed up with the ever reliable Karen Harding for a dance stormer. That piano, that vocal, that beat... apart from it being so gloriously old skool, I can't help feel this would have been much bigger if released this year. Or in 1990. Either way.
 
89. Empire Of The Sun - High And Low
2016


I love it 'cause: it's just so JOYOUS and UPLIFTING. EOTS always have great lead singles. Proper anthems. And I just love their aesthetic. This song should have been a big hit. It's screams pop classic.
 
88. Anderson Paak - Jet Black (ft Brandy)
2018


I love it 'cause: it's REAL R&B :) this one more of a grower and Brandy really adds to this (oh look @Whatevar and @dUb ) Anderson Paak is probably my favourite rapper right now, he brings that old school groove and he always has something to say. The Ventura album featuring this song was tremendous. And his new BLM anthem Lockdown is one of the best songs of 2020.
 
87. All Saints - One Strike
2016


I love it 'cause: I mean well, because it's All Saints. I'm already regretting this not being higher. What a song, what a comeback. One of their best ever singles released ten years too late. It feels like part 3 of an epic trilogy with Pure Shores / Black Coffee and was the perfect way to rebuild their career, and they've done pretty well on the live circuit ever since. I've seen them live twice now, and they really impress live - their vocals and harmonies have actually improved with age. And they are having so much more fun now - they really play up how close they all are these days but it feels genuine and cute. All hail All Saints.
 
86. Dusky - Cold Heart
2018


I love it 'cause: COME THROUGH DEEP HOUSE :disco: the genre that can truly send me over the edge. I do get that the real deep-dub-and-dirty deep house mightn't be for everyone compared to commercial vocal house - it's more repetitive and progressive and more of a mood than a bop. But when it hits right, it really HITS. The production on this is sublime, and in fact Dusky are one of the go-to for quality deep house the past few years.
 
I love the Chvrches song! Nowhere near my favourite but I'm just excited to have knowlegde of a Funky Fave™

One Strike is also amaze of course.
 
85. Groove Armada - Call Me
2016


I love it 'cause: it's Groove Armada and they literally cannot produce a bad tune. This is classic piano house, calling on the Duke Dumonts and Gorgon Citys of this world, but still sounds very Armada. This was released quietly between albums a few years ago and passed me by, and was such a joy to stumble on. They have a new album dropping in a couple of months and I cannot WAIT. The new single "Get Out On The Dancefloor" is fabulous and very similar sound to this.
 
Tisch said:
I love the Chvrches song! Nowhere near my favourite but I'm just excited to have knowlegde of a Funky Fave™
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Actually a huge fan of that whole album, but I picked that one out as the highlight for that magnificent breakdown.
 
funky said:
Actually a huge fan of that whole album, but I picked that one out as the highlight for that magnificent breakdown.
Click to expand...
It's FAB no doubt. One of my favourite albums of the decade. And yet one I don't revisit anywhere bear often enough. "High Enough to Carry You Over" "Bury It" and "Never Ending Circles" are the best for me I think. And the GORRRRRGEOUS white vinyl. Urgh. Love them. The next album was okay too. :)
 
84. Tame Impala - Patience
2019


I love it 'cause: Tame Impala are the biggest and best example of how alternative music has diversified the past few years - I'm not sure if it has consciously gone in a new direction or whether bands are having to adapt to the fact that hardly anyone plays guitar music anymore... rockers gotta eat, like. Some go full on electro, some low fi, and some have stuck to their own groove, like Tame Impala, who feel fresh and while not unique (there are now a host of retro psychedaelic rock bands out there now) it always felt like they were leading the way and keeping it moving. Their last album seemed to be a bit of a stop start affair, but it was worth the wait - loads of tracks to choose from, this being my favourite.
 
Tisch said:
It's FAB no doubt. One of my favourite albums of the decade. And yet one I don't revisit anywhere bear often enough. "High Enough to Carry You Over" "Bury It" and "Never Ending Circles" are the best for me I think. And the GORRRRRGEOUS white vinyl. Urgh. Love them. The next album was okay too. :)
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YES to "Never Ending Circles". Follow up album was disappointing just because of how much I loved this album, but it did have some good stuff on it.
 
Funky, I'm not gonna lie. I came here to get petty. But when you're putting Mariah, Jazmine AND All Saints, I have no choice but to stan.
 
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