the wanted - show me love (america)
this is actually a very solid pop ballad that deserves to be heard beyond the wanted's usual fanbase. i think the big confusion is that their past few singles have been all over the place (especially since they messed up by being an edm associated boy band for the past 2 years). like i said, this is a strong song so give these guys a chance will ya?
the wanted - we own the night
FINALLY dropping their edm pop sound, the wanted try a more organic flags waving in the air stadium sound. it's pure poppery mind you, but definitely more interesting than the repetitive dance tracks they've been putting out the past few singles. with it's pub anthem singalong mentality, i can't help but have a happy smile when i watch this. yaaay!
the wanted - walks like rihanna
with a nice nod to the boy bands of yesteryear, the wanted go crazy for a lady that i swear is wearing a bad wig. it's a pure pop sound that is miles away from their 'edgier' debut back in the day (oh how 3 years can change a group).
WONGIE FM BEST OF 2012: guilty pleasures #16-30:
16. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop
17. P!nk – Blow Me (One More Kiss)
18. Girls Aloud – Beautiful Cause You Love Me
19. Little Big Town - Pontoon
20. Eric Church - Springsteen
21. Miss A – I Don’t Need A Man
22. Tulisa - Young
23. Adele - Skyfall
24. Kendrick Lemar – Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe
25. The Wanted – I Found You
26. Die Antwoord – I Fink U Freeky
27. Frank Turner – If Ever I Stray
28. D’Banj – Oliver Twist
29. DJ Fresh feat Ms Dynamite – Gold Dust (Shy FX remix) / DJ Fresh feat Rita Ora - Hot Right Now
30. Monsta – Holdin On (Skrillex and Nero remix)
wanna hear the top 15 guilty pleasures of the year? click this link now!
dj earworm - united state of pop 2012 (shine brighter)
yep, it's that time of the year when dj earworm offers up his massive pop mash up megamix. see how many tracks you can recognize!
full track listing is as follows:
"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
"Diamonds" by Rihanna
"Die Young" by Ke$ha
"Gangnam Style" by PSY
"Glad You Came" by The Wanted
"Good Feeling" by Flo Rida
"Ho Hey" by The Lumineers
"Home" by Phillip Phillips
"It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars
"Lights" by Ellie Goulding
"One More Night" by Maroon 5
"Payphone" by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa
"Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele
"Some Nights" by fun.
"Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra
"Starships" by Nicki Minaj
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson
"Too Close" by Alex Clare
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift
"We Are Young" by fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction
"Whistle" by Flo Rida
"Wide Awake" by Katy Perry
"Wild Ones" by Flo Rida featuring Sia
the wanted - i found you
honestly i visualized something more lazer lights and slo-mo dirty dancing than this bizarre guy ritchie strut laddie vid. plus does jay do ANYTHING in the group? just asking...
ed drewett - good morning
[you gotta give it up to cutie patootie ed drewett. after co-crafting one of my fave pop tunes of last year (the wanted "glad you came"), the boy is refocusing on his own material with this breezy sunrise ditty. not only that, but he's offering it as a free mp3 on his website! bring on the goodies ed!]
#1-25 (the youtube player has all the videos above in a playlist, press >> for the next song)
1. Rihanna feat Calvin Harris – We Found Love
[there's no doubt that this is wholly a calvin harris production, but it's riri's melancholic vocals over his drowning beats that bring this club tune to the top of my 2011 list. i haven't felt so elated and yet kind of bummed out at the same time in ages...maybe cause it's a running theme of my year? screw it, lets dance!]
2. Ed Sheeran – Lego House / The A Team
[the storytelling abilities of young ed is made only more impressive with the fact that his knack for strong melodies and shaggy presentation crossed over into the UK mainstream in a BIG way this year. proof that there is still love for the singer/songwriter in this day and age. easily my favorite debut artist of the year!]
3. Beyonce – Countdown / Who Runs The World (Girls)
[none of her songs became zeitgeist hits this year. instead they filtered down slowly to where people kind of had to discover songs from '4' on their own (it didn't help that every week there was a new single released to crowd the market). but when they did discover the tunes, boy was it fun. some would probably highlight the more mid tempo/ballad aspects of the album, but for me, these two tracks were the ultimate zig zag messed up tunes that just kept on giving with each listen. genius!]
4. Nicki Minaj – Super Bass
[when a 5 year old can sing along to your music, you know you've hit the jackpot! like a boom ba doom boom superbass jackpot!]
5. Emeli Sande – Heaven / Daddy
[brit awards critics choice for 2012 deserves all the accolades she's been getting over the past few months as one of UK's most sought after songwriters AND a dynamic voice in the charts today. perhaps it's the heavily influenced massive attack soul structure that makes me love her so much, but whatever my reasons, she came up with two seriously strong songs for the year and i can't wait to hear a proper album from emeli in 2012!]
6. Lana Del Rey – Video Games
[my personal issues with the lana del rey 'creation' aside, this haunting song is just brilliant on it's own merit.]
7. The Wanted – Glad You Came
[during birthday 2011 (yes i title my birthday's) this song easily became the theme song for the month long experience (yes i celebrate in month form). what would have been in my guilty pleasure list, got the wanted a hot slot in my top 10! oh and it helps that the song is so cheesy good!]
8. James Blake – Wilhelm Scream / A Case of You (Joni Mitchell cover)
[if you didn't discover james blake during 2011, then you certainly missed out on the james blake experience. if you don't know what that means, then plug your headphones in your player, press play for the above two tracks, close your eyes and let your heart break. sigh.]
9. Maverick Sabre – Let Me Go
[the UK is pumping out these amazing rapper/vocalists (or is it a vocalist/rappers) these days (thanks to success of plan b in 2010) and maverick was easily the one that got the most traction. with this awesome song, i feel like we've only hit the tip of his potential talents. more in 2012 yo!]
10. The Vaccines – If You Wanna / Wetsuit
[something about the vaccines that makes me love them so! maybe it's their self proclaimed love of "50's rock 'n' roll, 60's garage and girl groups, 70's punk, 80's american hardcore and good pop music". easily my fave indie band of the year!]
11. Adele – Rumor Has It / Set Fire To The Rain / Rolling In The Deep (Jamie XX shuffle)
[you're probably wondering how is it possible that adele didn't rank higher on the chart and the reason is that 'rolling in the deep' and 'someone like you' actually was my #5 of last years (unpublished) chart. so the above tracks were the only ones eligible for 2011... and boy were they dramatic ones! throw in the amazing jamie xx shuffle of 'rolling' and you've got adele representing very nicely at #11!]
12. Gotye feat Kimbra – Somebody That I Used To Know
[the most bitter breakup song of the year is also the most whimsical and most australian (their song of the year yo!)]
13. Ben Howard – The Fear / Keep Your Head Up / Old Pine
[my favorite folkie singer/songwriter of the year offered up the amazing 'every kingdom' album filled with sweet gentle tracks and uplifting lyrics that also offered images of dreamy escapism. if there is any soundtrack to fit your rural farm to table outdoors lifestyle, THIS is it! love this guy!]
14. SBTRKT feat Roses Gabor - Pharoahs
[though this isn't the track that got sbtrkt their critical props, it IS the track that got my dance loving, neck boppin head rolling. if there is such a thing of hipster house, then this would be their 2011 anthem!]
15. The Civil Wars – Barton Hallow / Poison & Wine
[joy williams and john paul white are harmonizing monsters! their brand of americana meets country meets AC balladry is a cross genre success story for the year. with a debut so phenomenal and assured, one can only imagine what the next 12 months will be like for this talented duo.]
16. Pistol Annies – Hell On Heels
[who'd have thought that miranda lambert and her two gal pals ashley monroe and angaleena presley would make one of the best down and dirty sassy country blues tracks of the year. when their three part harmonies collide, these gals are definitely dangerous in both feminine swagger and earthy confidence... and i LOVE that!]
17. Little Dragon – Ritual Union
[there's something about the mellow intensity of these swedes that just draws you in and keeps you there. perhaps it's the cool demeanor of lead singer yukimi nagano or the intricate electronica playing in the background. whatever the reason it sure is hypnotic and brilliant!]
18. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
[how could you not love this massive pop crossover indie track?]
19. The Milk – (All I Wanted Was) Danger
[i have to admit that i discovered this essex band via the amazing record of the day website. at the time, i knew nothing of these guys except for the fact that they wrote killer retro soul tracks and the lead singer could surely belt. fast forward to this month and the band just announced their signage to a major label which means you'll be hearing ALOT more of these guys in 2012!]
20. Nicola Roberts – Lucky Day / Beat of My Drum
['the ginge one' from girls aloud stepped up to the plate and offered an album full of left of center pop gems. though the public didn't appreciate it as much, nicola roberts sure surprised and entertained the rest of us who did.]
21. Florence and the Machine – Shake It Off
[in 2011, flo reached a point in her career where she not only got the love of the fashion elite, but confirmed her standing as a tremendous live stage presence. unfortunately her 2nd album 'ceremonials' was kind of meh and the only track that matched her larger than life machine was this epic one. shame really...]
22. Cher Lloyd feat Mike Posner – With UR Love
[cutesy never sounded so good! x-factor UK alum cher lloyd offered one of the catchiest pop tracks of the year and still threw us some stank face in the process. i kind of love her!]
23. Azealia Banks - 212
[this gal is going to be HUGE in 2012! azealia manages to front nasty and yet still come off as a sassy gal with a twinkle in her eye. i can't get enough of this track and you shouldn't too!]
24. Michael Kiwanuka – I’m Getting Ready / Home Again
[there is something so simple and comforting from the very second you hear michael's vocals. with his acoustic soul made better with lush orchestrations, the kiwanuka effect is akin to curling up under your fave blanket and feeling wonderful. le sigh...]
25. Metronomy – The Bay
[this slice of chilled disco electronica was easily THE soundtrack for sunset getaways and lazy waterfront dreaming. if there's ever been an excuse to kick back and just soak it all up, it is now!]
the wanted - warzone
[always interesting to see a boyband try their hand at darker musical moods. this is the wanted's version and it's alright... as for the video, if you kind of think about it, the common thread is the guy that all the women are cheating with... if you re-edit the video it would tell a WHOLE different story. jus saying!]
the wanted - lightning (live @ x factor UK)
[oh the wanted... their songs are impeccable pop, but they sure don't do typical boy band (which is probably why i love them so). doing their first ever appearance with their latest single, i love how 2 of the boys have no clue what to do with the female dancers surrounding them.]
the wanted - lightning
[i cannot explain why these boys make me so giddy with every release. alot has to do with the fact that their songs are so damn catchy (and the pop structure of their songs are just so damn wonderful!)]
the wanted - glad you came
[oh wow, the wanted go cheesy euro disco fit for ibiza and i LOVE it!!! definitely the best thing you'll never admit to bopping your head to this weekend!]
the wanted - gold forever (comic relief 2011 single)
[how cute are the wanted boys as they bring out their silly side for the official single of comic relief 2011 (plus they keep on kissing each other at the end, which just continues the wanted sweetathon lovefest)! oh and the song if pretty darn good too!]
the wanted - lose my mind (live @ capital's jingle bell ball)
oh bless the boyband the wanted. it's pretty official that the boyband era 4.0 consists of guys who don't need to dance, hanging out, waving at fans and yelling 'jump' every now and then. thank goodness their songs are interesting for the genre!
the wanted - all time low (live @ capital's jingle bell ball)
the wanted - lose my mind
[i've been secretly guilty pleasuring after boyband the wanted only cause they have serious songwriters crafting some kick ass pop music for the lads. call it pop with a strand of indie band lite (kings of leon in this case) and you'll hear why i'm enamored with them (thought still not sure why it takes 5 guys to sing 1 song). if you want to see their live performance on x-factor, click on this link here]
the wanted - heart vacancy
[i still don't understand why they record songs like it's one person singing (making the other 4 moot audio wise... i'm just saying). but they do have decent songwriters composing for them and i'm a slave for a good pop song, so i should really shut up ;]
the wanted - all time low
written by the people behind JLS and The Saturdays, this song is kind of pop genius if you ask me. primed for a UK #1 this week, the smart strings hook and subtle chorus make this the one of the best pop songs of the year. as for the boyband themselves, they are definitely lucky they got this track as their 1st single.
