*creds to Amaloner for the banner*
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160. Oh Wonder - "Without You"
I recently discovered this song in my YouTube recommendations while listening to Andrew McMahon. Though unexceptional it does draw comparisons to the beautiful simplicity of his music. Plus male-female duos always provide an interesting dynamic and their voices combine very well here. |
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159. Halestorm - "Apocalyptic"
I've been trying to explore Halestorm's music ever since I fell in love with Here's to Us back in 2013. Unfortunately I found most of it too heavy for my taste, but as the lead single from their first album in three years this one seemed worth a listen. It sounds like something that would've smashed during the late 80s hard rock era, very energetic and in-your-face. |
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158. X Ambassadors - "Renegades"
I always saw the hit potential in this song, in fact this spring I called it "the next Radioactive" but as time went on it became bland and tiresome to hear. If you're trying to borrow Imagine Dragons' sound at least make it fun and enjoyable like Best Day of My Life. The video is very inspirational but the song just isn't up to par (and they're totally going to be a one-hit wonder). |
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157. Beck - "Dreams"
While I applaud Beck for capitalizing on the surprise AOTY win to score his first alternative hit in almost 10 years, I'm not particularly impressed with the song itself. It sounds rather uninspired and generic, almost like something Maroon 5 would record. At least it's catchy though. The tempo change part towards the end is cool too. |
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156. Jessie James Decker - "Clint Eastwood"
I feel bad for this girl, she was supposed to be the next big thing back in 2009-2010 but then she had a musical identity crisis between pop and country and her career has been stalling ever since. It'll be difficult for her to break the country market given females' track record there as of late but I hope she can do it. She certainly has the looks... |
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155. Eminem - "Guts Over Fear" (feat. Sia)
While it wasn't a full-fledged album release I'm always glad to hear new music from Eminem. I love the introspective lyrics regarding his career and personal struggles. Too bad it couldn't measure up to Headlights but that song was an unexpectedly wonderful surprise anyway. Maybe if there were a different vocalist on the chorus |
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154. JoJo - "When Love Hurts"
Out of her three new songs this was bound to be the single based on its iTunes performance and generic accessible sound, but I strongly prefer Say Love which has her signature vocal delivery in an R&B power ballad style. The positive is that she's finally free from her contract and still has many years to give us new music. She also looks great in the video as always. |
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153. Disclosure - "Omen" (feat. Sam Smith)
While I can't accuse Disclosure of trying to replicate Latch this song somehow falls flat and it shows in the chart performance. To be honest I'm surprised they pushed it in the US, even though I'm not a Lorde fan I can see that Magnets has a bigger hit potential. I love how all the videos follow a plot though, it's very refreshing and creative compared to many low-budget videos nowadays. |
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152. Robin Thicke - "Back Together" (feat. Nicki Minaj)
I was lowkey rooting for Robin to make an unexpected comeback but realistically I knew it wouldn't happen. He's almost 40 and his career is irreparably damaged by the Marvin Gaye case, VMAs performance, and abysmal reception to his last album. For what it's worth the song is very enjoyable and easy to get into. Would've smashed if Justin Timberlake or Bruno Mars recorded it. |
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151. Kelly Clarkson - "Piece by Piece"
I'm surprised she even got a third single after Invincible flopped so badly tbh. This video was just released and as such the song is still climbing on my countdown but I can't see it going much further. It's supposed to be inspirational and uplifting but the result is rather bland. |
Recap posted in OP