40
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Bloc Party - Flux
Artist link: 42
Having gained considerable success from the second album "A Weekend In The City", you'd have thought that Bloc Party could have rested on their laurels, and just spent the remainder of the year enjoying playing the festivals. Well, either they really weren't enjoying the live performances (didn't look that way to me from their set at the Reading festival), or there is a surfeit of creativity going on, because a week after Reading / Leeds they went back to the studio and duly cranked out a belter. Faster paced and more dance orientated than most of the single releases off the prior album, it ably demonstrates that Bloc Party remain one of the most adventurous bands emanating from these shores.
Jason M
No of votes: 9, Score:
63, Highest vote: 1st
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39
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Britney Spears - Piece Of Me
Artist link: 5  17  31  32 39
Britney's 2nd single off her wonderful album "Blackout" hit UK Charts peaking at the No.2 spot. Away from the restraints of the paparazzi and other people in her life, Brit managed to produce a wonderful (and sexy!) video that really captured the way she felt and most importantly, the way her fans felt about the paps. After the success of her first comeback for 2 years, Britney continued to rise in the charts all over the world. This single just couldn't manage to reach the No.1 spot and was pushed down to No.2 by Basshunter's first single in the UK 'Now You're Gone'. Although Britney may be percieved badly in the press, her musical and also acting career always seems to be on top!
Scott
No of votes: 9, Score:
72, Highest vote: 1st
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38
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Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend
Artist link: 19 20
It's just possible that Avril Lavigne was present at the recording of the year's best pop single. I phrase it like that because the song seems such a pastiche, such a change of mood for music's allegedly most horrible personality that it is tempting to give the credit to co-writer and producer Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald. 'Girlfriend' throws everything into the pot: chanty bits, clappy bits, classic power-pop guitars and a rhythm that further emphasises that this is 'Hey Mickey' for the MySpace generation. Avril danced in the video - and smiled - which helped take the edge off of all the brazen man-stealing. RCA must have really had her over a barrel.
Danny G
No of votes: 10, Score:
46, Highest vote: 1st
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37
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Reverend and The Makers - Heavyweight Champion Of The World
Aspiration for a better life? Musings on the weariness of modern existence? Hang on...didn't the likes of Pulp, Blur and perhaps in their own 'fookin' naaatherrrn' way, Oasis, opine on this 10 odd years ago? Come to that matter, hasn't Morrissey based his whole back catalogue on it? Well yes, and as good as their tracks were/are, it shouldn't preclude today's young popular beat-combos from sharing their views on life's ills. Heavyweight Champion of The World provides us with 3.30 mins of thumping indie electro voiced by the distinctive Jon McClure, or 'The Reverend' to his mates (but probably not his Mum).
Mortgages, being a wage slave, wishing for exotic travel and only getting to Camber Sands, yep, it's all there in the lyrics, reminding you of all the things you had planned. Well tell you what, forget about them for a few minutes, stick this on the pub jukebox and dance like a loon. Be The Heavyweight Champion of The World. The Reverend has preached.
John M
No of votes: 10, Score:
52, Highest vote: 1st
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36
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Rihanna - Shut Up And Drive
Artist link:1  24 39 46
Rihanna's 3rd album was produced with Ne-Yo, Stargate, and the unstoppable Timbaland. "Umbrella" was the massive hit from the album, but I felt it was ruined to amount of people shouting "brella" during the summer. I loved the sleazy beats in "Shut Up and Drive", which always managed to get me throwing dirty moves. There have been countless dance remixes, which is where the song really shines. The mixture of pop, rock, dance, old school electronica, means there is something for everyone. So everyone ends up on the dancefloor. Beautiful. There has been complaints that the song rips off New Order's Blue Monday, I'm sure they won't mind the extra publicity.
Kathy R
No of votes: 10, Score:
54, Highest vote: 1st
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35
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Mika - Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)
Artist link:3 34
I can't quite work Mika out - but isn't his music infectious? I loved his first single (Grace Kelly) even if I did think it was Robbie Williams at first. After borrowing a copy of his album I thought this guy's alright, though maybe a tiny bit crazy. "Big Girl" is just a feel good song that could get you dancing round the room, if you take a liking to that sort of behaviour. It's just great to have a song so positive about girls with curves (in the right places) of which I'm proud to be one!!! :)
Veronica S
No of votes: 10, Score:
60, Highest vote: 1st
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34
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Mika - Happy Ending
Artist link:3 35
I still can't quite work out whether Mika is a preposterous, Leo Sayer-haired charlatan or a breath of fresh air. He started 2007 with a bang, camping his way through 'Grace Kelly' (perhaps the title 'Minelli' was turned down as "too gay"). Mika then hired an open-sided lorry, filled it with fat women and small children, and drove it through flowery meadows while his passengers thought up new subjects for songs. "I've got one", said Jeremy, aged 8 from Wimbledon. "I like happy endings to the stories that my mummy reads me when she tucks me in. Why don't you write a song called 'Happy Ending'?!" "And don't forget how beautiful us big girls are," shouted Pamela, a cake stuffer from Ipswich, "and how you like it when I hide sandwiches in my folds." Then, album complete, Mika bought everyone an ice cream.
Danny G
No of votes: 11, Score:
48, Highest vote: 2nd
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33
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Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather - Stop Me
An unlikely but surprisingly successful reworking of the Smiths song (mixed with a smattering of 'You Keep Me Hanging On'). This is culled from New York DJ and producer Mark Ronson's otherwise hopeless 'Version' covers project and wisely pays little heed to the original arrangement, instead placing the song in a shiny modern setting with strings and shuffling drums. Aussie singer Merriweather's slightly whiny delivery is a boon here, giving a demanding and irritated emphasis to Morrisey's lyrics. The shock of hearing Morrisey and Marr's tune remade in this way made me laugh out loud, but paradoxically, the main reason it all works is that everyone involved plays it totally straight.
Harley R
No of votes: 11, Score:
55, Highest vote: 3rd
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32
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Linkin Park - What I've Done
Artist link: 12  35
Having spent a few years off doing other projects, it seems that Linkin Park have also taken the chance to take stock. Gone are the more rap styled vocals and the guitars have been joined by, can it be right, a piano? Time then to move on from the "nu-metal" tag that would have otherwise made them look a bit jaded these days. The angst has been toned down a tad too, but if anything "What I've Done" proves that Chester Bennington can genuinely sing. Yes, it's all tied in with a blockbuster movie, yes some hardcore fans will probably despise it, but they've reinvented themselves as a mainstream rock act and proved their songwriting skills have transformed (sorry, couldn't help it) too.
Jason M
No of votes: 11, Score:
55, Highest vote: 1st
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31
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Britney Spears - Gimme More
Artist link:5 17 32 39 39
It's Britney, bitch! I've taken my own weight in chemicals and am holding the whole nursery hostage because I can't remember which kids are mine. But whichever they are, I know I love them very, very much. I'm not wearing any knickers and while it will be excrutiating for all who know me if you take an up-skirt shot, I will almost certainly end up being your love-double in a torrid affair. The downside of this child heist is that people will be even less likely to talk about my classy comeback hit of 2007. The upside is that they might have further cause to forget its video. So come on, let's drink each others blood and reminisce about when I shaved off my hair as my marriage fell apart. Ah, times were better then.
Danny G
No of votes: 11, Score:
73, Highest vote: 1st
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Thanks go to the following people for assisting with getting together our comprehensive aide-memoire: Danny G, Paul M, Kat B, Greg B, Lorraine W
A MASSIVE THANKS also to all those who slaved over a hot keyboard to produce the write ups: Danny G, Kat B, Isaac H, P Shoo, Dan Mc, Harley R, Emyr I, Greg B, Lisa S, Veronica S, Elliot H, John M, Kathy R, Jane B, Jake U, Lisa K, Scott