#26-50 (the youtube player has all the videos above in a playlist, press >> for the next song)
26.
Jessie J – Nobody’s Perfect / Abracadabra / Domino
[though i'm a fan of the jessie j, i do feel that the hard selling of this talented artist (the harsh image, the overproduced videos, the way she sings so hard live that she goes sharp) has turned me against her by the end of the year (but still not enough to showcase three wonderful highlights from her album). it's a shame cause this girl can be great... she just needs to tone it down a notch!]
27.
Bombay Bicycle Club – Lights Out, Words Gone
[featuring the lovely harmony of lucy rose, this dreamy indie pop number has a disarmingly mature groove underneath that showcases just how solid their music really is. brilliant!]
28.
Young The Giant – Cough Syrup / My Body
[what a wonderful debut from this irvine, cali band! lead singer sameer gadhia has a killer caberet-esque quality to his vocals that draws you in instantly. throw in the fact that they write incredibly catchy hooks and you've got one of the better new acts of the year.]
29.
Rizzle Kicks – Mama Do The Hump
[you gotta give it up to the rizzle kicks boys as they cranked out one sweet gem after another in 2011 (they also collaborated very nicely to #1 with
olly murs). but it was this norman cook (fatboy slim) produced number that made the best impression... i mean they even got their mum's to perform in the video! do the hump mama!]
30.
Maroon 5 feat Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger
[one of the peppiest songs of the year reminded us that both maroon 5 and christina still had it in them to be a part of the pop zeitgeist. it was instant love during the summer and remained a crowd pleaser for the rest of 2011]
31.
David Guetta feat
Sia - Titanium
[though david guetta had alot of solid collaborations on his hit friendly album 'nothing but the beat', it was this awesome number with the always smashing sia that kicked them all to the curb. i'm a sucker for defiant anthems and this one really made the cut for 2011!]
32.
Wretch 32 feat Josh Kimbra – Don’t Go
[my fave british rapper of the year, wretch 32 not only brought grime into the mainstream but still managed to produce this beautiful mid tempo breakup ballad to the top of the UK charts. sweetness!]
33.
Calvin Harris – Feel So Close / feat Kelis - Bounce
[calvin just cranks out the hits doesn't he? producing smart dance songs that also translate to the top of the charts, this DJ/producer made a massive impact in 2011, but more on that in the next half of my year end list!]
34.
Lady Antebellum – We Owned The Night
[if there is any such thing as a 'stadium' song for lady antebellum, this is it. three part harmonies, bygone lyrics and a sentiment that just asks for collective 'whoa'-ing at the end!]
35.
Professor Green feat Emeli Sande – Read All About It
[emeli's part in this massive hit is easily my favorite vocal hook of the year! but as for professor green's lyrics about his daddy... i don't really have any strong opinion about it. oh well, back to emeli! i wanna sing... i wanna shooooout...]
36.
M83 – Midnight City
[anthony gonzalez really knows how to make shoegaze electronica with a strong nod to the 80's! the layers of vocals and riffs is just one of the most glorious sounds of the year. love!]
37.
Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend
[robyn is the only electro dance diva that comes up with lyrics that is filled with such yearning. she ruled the 'best of' list (#1 yo!) last year and then came back in june with this insta-love experience! desperation never sounded so good!]
38.
Joe Goddard feat Valentina - Gabriel
[just like hot chip member joe goddard to throw down beats and grooves to make valentina's vocals into a house anthem with lo-fi leanings. genius!]
39.
Switch feat Andrea Martin – I Still Love You
[a heartbreaking soulful song wrapped around a minimalist beat and yelp loop made this song into one of the saddest club tracks of the year. brilliant]
40. Kanye West and
Jay Z – Niggas in Paris
[the back track is so balls hard that shit crazy! easily my fave track from their solid 'watch the throne' album.]
41.
Amy Winehouse – Our Day Will Come
[sigh... we miss you amy]
42.
Nero feat Alana - Promises
[easily my fave crossover dubstep track of the year due to the awesome waawaawaa bass line that kicks in during the chorus. solid!]
43.
Sugarland and Matt Nathanson – Run / Tonight
[jennifer nettles is one of my favorite female vocalists around at the moment and i openly claim my love for sugarland and everything she does. so there!]
44.
Lianne La Havas – Age / Final Form (Everything Everything cover)
[many of us fell in love with lianne's jazzy vocal sway on jools holland with the confident simplicity of her 'age' performance. so much so that i have strong anticipation for 2012 when lianne will show us just how potentially incredible her talents will be. bring it!]
45.
James Vincent McMorrow – Higher Love (Steve Winwood cover)
[nothing like folkie james to bring back the love to this steve winwood classic. simply beautiful.]
46.
Kelly Clarkson – What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
[one of pop strongest voices returned this year with this solid dance rock electro disco mash anthem. try not to fist bump to this when you hear it at your next bar mitzfah/wedding/top 40 party!]
47.
Laura Marling - Sophia
[oh laura... fast becoming the folk voice of our generation... finally finding the confidence in her music to create something so very 'laura marling'. the gut feeling is that the next album will be the definitive example of her true talents, this is just a teaser.]
48.
Washed Out – Amor Fati
[chill out 80's electronica made all the better with the accompanying journeyman video shot entirely in iceland. just so dreamy!!]
49.
Birdy – Skinny Love (Bon Iver cover) / White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes cover)
[at only 16, young birdy offered up a collection of indie covers with sparse arrangements and haunting innocent vocals. an obvious marketing hook, but yet worked quite lovely in the long run.]
50.
Flux Pavillion and Doctor P – Supabad / Bass Cannon
[bringing the stankface to the mainstream! i LOVE the breakdowns of flux pavillion, heck they even make 70's blacksploitation stankface cool!]
