Comments on: The Freaky Trigger Readers’ Poll 2016: #10-#1 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1 Lollards in the high church of low culture Mon, 30 Jan 2017 10:50:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 By: cryptopian https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2083428 Mon, 30 Jan 2017 10:50:37 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2083428 Never Ever being the most nominated non-entry sounds about right. I love Röyksopp and spent the latter half of last year obsessed with Susanne Sundfør, but it doesn’t have SS’s exciting vocals or Royksopp’s dark energy. But somehow still works, so I gave it a tentative spot at the bottom of the list.

For the record, Alakazam was my top pick. Not sure I still stand by it, but it hit me in the right place. I might now have replaced it with Planet Sizes, in case we didn’t have enough indie rock on the list already.

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By: thefatgit https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2082613 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 22:07:37 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2082613 Always amazing how the Triggerati nominate so much great music year on year.

Can’t Stop The Feeling – Another song that was inescapable in 2016. I didn’t vote for JT, but it doesn’t surprise me he’s here. 2016’s “Happy” perhaps?

Boyfriend – I think I heard this on someone’s podcast a few months back, and thought “yeah, that’s a catchy pop song, that sounds very much like another catchy pop song with Girlfriend in the title.”

Hold Up – My #1 pick. In the year the Cubs broke their curse, Negan broke skulls on TWD and Harley Quinn became…somewhat problematic in Suicide Squad, Beyonce swinging her own bat just fits. Best use of a sample in 2016, too.

Lipslap – I try to avoid using WTF? as much as possible, but in all honesty WTF?!?

The Pop Kids – I find it utterly mystifying that I’ve never heard this until now. Too late to change my vote now.

Cake By The Ocean – Bearing in mind this was a 2015 song, I voted for “Toothbrush” and I’ll still be kicking myself by this time next year, when I found out CBTO cropped up on so many 2016 EOY lists.

Cranes In The Sky – You know what I just said about the PSBs? The same goes for Solange.

I Took A Pill In Ibiza – What can I say? I voted for this. I tend to ignore the lyrics and let the melancholia wash over me like cheap shower gel named after a medium-sized wildcat. The melancholy, like the scent, tends to linger afterwards.

Into You – I’ve done a bang-up job of ignoring the best pop tunes of 2016 again. Ariana, you’re joining Solange, Neil & Chris on the bridge of the cloaked Klingon Warbird this year. Go easy on the blood wine!

Lazarus – Rest in peace, Spaceman.

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By: jeff w https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2082383 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 13:22:44 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2082383 Voted for 5 of the eventual Top 40 (which is a slightly higher hit rate than last year IIRC), viz Ariana, “Tilted”, Zara, Anohni and “Renegades”.

Voted for different Bowie, KKB, Britney, Lady Leshurr and Shura tracks. Pleased to see Justin, KING, Lindstrøm and Tribe make it (had no room). Beyonce was never going to need my help.

Thanks for running this again, Kat.

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By: Mark M https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2082289 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 10:16:15 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2082289 As ever, I would have gone broke if I tried to bet on the outcome – I still have not the slightest understanding of you/us collectively as an electorate. Eg, I would have never guessed that that particular Ariana Grande song would be the one that stuck with people.

I guess a Bowie win makes sense, but since – despite all the media and social media noise that followed his death (and the Bowie shrines that dotted/still dot South London), as a pop force he vanished from my radar around the time of… Tin Machine? probably… I’m still surprised.

I voted for both Knowles minor & Knowles major – that Hold Up contains operatic laughing and is still immense is the definitive proof of its greatest as far as I’m concerned.

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By: katstevens https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2081930 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 22:50:10 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2081930 STATS:

UK Singles Chart #1s that didn’t get a single vote: “One Dance”, “Love Yourself” (Bieber got zero votes AT ALL), “Pillowtalk”, “Stitches”, “7 Years”, “Cold Water”, “Say You Won’t Let Go”
– UK Singles Chart #1s that didn’t get a single vote except from ME: “Rockabye”
– Splitters Award: Miranda Lambert (10 songs nominated) followed by Beyonce (7)
– Track with the most individual votes that didn’t make the top 40: Röyksöpp & Sûsånn? Sündfør – “Never Ever”
– Lowest average score in the Top 40 (i.e. lots of people voted for it, but put it low down on their list): Nadia Rose – “Skwod”
– Highest average score in the Top 40 (i.e. fewer people voted for it, but they all gave it a massive thumbs up): Christine & The Queens – “iT”
– Total songs nominated: 364 (compared to 386 last year)
– Total songs with more than one vote: 62 (76 last year, i.e 17% compared to 20% = a wider range of picks for 2016)

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By: Phil https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2081927 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 22:40:48 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2081927 This Beyonce person’s rather good, isn’t she? Half the chorus seems to be idolizing the creep in question, which I’m not too comfortable with, but overall… gosh. And the video. And the intro! Wow. Solange is pretty good, too. I was expecting the PSBs to be a comfortable second out of this lot, but it’s looking like equal third at best.

Apparently Bowie had a longstanding fascination with how cheap and mediocre poetry can have much more lasting success than the stuff that’s actually any good. His example of choice was the inscription on the Statue of Liberty – no great shakes as poetry – which was written by… Emma Lazarus.

Just clicked on that video; thought I’d play a minute or so, just to remind myself. Instead I turned it up and full-screened it. This way or no way!

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By: katstevens https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2081926 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 22:40:22 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2081926 Top voter picks that didn’t make the top 40 (this includes some randomized top picks – I can’t remember whose was whose, if I’ve got it wrong do shout):

Beyonce – “Sorry”
Carly Rae Jepsen – “Store”
Cavern of Anti-Matter – “Tardis Cymbals”
Erykah Badu – “Phone Down”
Jessy Lanza – “It Means I Love You” (my pick)
Justice – “Alakazam”
Kanye West – “Ultralight Beam”
Katy B – “Honey Outro”
HyunA – “How’s This”
Lambchop – “The Hustle”
Mai Lan – “Technique”
Martha – “Ice Cream And Sunscreen”
Metronomy – “Old Skool”
Rihanna – “Kiss It Better”
Robbie Williams – “Party Like A Russian”
Toilet Duck – “The Music From That Toilet Duck Advert” (cruelly robbed if you ask me)

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By: katstevens https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2081925 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 22:39:35 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2081925 Full countdown:

40. Chainsmokers ft Halsey – “Closer”
39. Dawn Richard – “Renegades”
38. Nadia Rose – “Skwod”
37. Craig David ft Big Narstie – “When The Bassline Drops”
=34. The 1975 – “Somebody Else”
=34. Miranda Lambert – “Pink Sunglasses”
=34. ANOHNI – “Drone Bomb Me”
33. Chance the Rapper ft Knox Fortune – “All Night”
32. Lindstrøm – “Closing Shot”
31. A Tribe Called Quest – “We The People…”
30. Rihanna ft Drake – “Work”
29. Zarah Larsson – “Lush Life”
=27. Lizzo – “Good As Hell”
=27. Savages – “Adore”
=25. Beyonce & The Dixie Chicks – “Daddy Lessons”
=25. Beyonce – “All Night”
24. Britney Spears ft Tinashe – “If I’m Dancing”
=22. Christine & The Queens – “iT”
=22. The Avalanches – “Because I’m Me”
21. Tiggs Da Author ft Lady Leshurr – “Run”
20. Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
19. Mitski – “Your Best American Girl”
18. Shura – “What’s It Gonna Be?”
17. David Bowie – “Blackstar”
16. Radiohead – “Burn The Witch”
15. The 1975 – “The Sound”
14. Christine & The Queens – “Tilted”
13. Miranda Lambert – “Vice”
12. Beyonce – “Formation”
11. KING – “The Greatest”
10. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop The Feeling”
9. Tegan & Sara – “Boyfriend”
8. Beyonce – “Hold Up”
7. Kero Kero Bonito – “Lipslap”
6. Pet Shop Boys – “The Pop Kids”
5. DNCE – “Cake By The Ocean”
4. Solange – “Cranes In The Sky”
3. Mike Posner – “I Took A Pill In Ibiza (Seeb remix)”
2. Ariana Grande – “Into You”
1. David Bowie – “Lazarus”

Spotify playlist (minus Beyonce of course): https://open.spotify.com/user/katstevens/playlist/5XlSEGQss1uvnvdM5RxaLZ

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By: cryptopian https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2081918 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 22:21:43 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2081918 Three more votes from me here.

Justin – Voted #7 for this. Didn’t seem to be a critical hit, but it has enough rhythm and doofy optimism for me

Tegan & Sara – This was a good year for synthpop. Pity I didn’t come across this one

Beyonce – That low register growl works well for the intensity. Otherwise, I’m not big on the

Lipslap – Loses me in the middle 8, but otherwise the beat sounds full of life but also tight. Kudos!

Pop Kids – The track I remembered most of with my listen through the album. Guess I didn’t have the prerequisite nostalgia, being born in the 90s.

DNCE – Note to self: be more liberal with previous year releases. Might have thrown this a vote. Not a fan of AYAYAYA though.

Solange – Good observation on the unresolving chord structure. I like the whistful vocal harmonies too.

Ibiza – Gave this my #6 vote. Helplessly lured in by critic-bait, with how Mike Posner’s backstory justifies and enhances the lyrics. Does that count as cheating? The beat’s more of the generic sound of 2016, but one of the cleaner examples.

Into You – I like pop that sounds big. This hits that note easily, but was always put off giving it a full listen. The snippet Spotify used in its ads didn’t help it at all really.

Lazarus – It had to be. I voted, and so did lots of others. I guess the question “would I have voted/noticed without his death” is moot since the song was written with that in mind. And it’s incredibly powerful in retrospect.

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By: jeff w https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2081881 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 20:35:48 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2081881 Hey, Kat. I was at that KKB show too! Agree it was immensely cheering in the circumstances.
(Disagree that bangers are their long suit though. “Lipslap” is fine ‘n’ all but “Break” – wot I voted for – and “Picture This” >>>>>>)

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By: Camille https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2017/01/the-freaky-trigger-readers-poll-2016-10-1/comment-page-1#comment-2081875 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 20:22:26 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=30129#comment-2081875 I would listen to “I took a pill in ibiza” all the way through so i could hear Mike sing “I took a pill in ibiza” as many times as possible

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