Monday 30 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - The List & Spotify Playlist

For those of you who like things in list and/or Spotify playlist form, here are The Metaphorical Boat's Top 50 songs of 2019 in full (note that out #3 song is not currently available on Spotify):
  1. Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
  2. Sean McConnell - I Could Have Been An Angel
  3. The Radar Station - Zanzara
  4. UVERworld - Touch off
  5. Vampire Weekend - This Life
  6. Mark Hegan - Skyward
  7. Maps - Just Reflecting
  8. Billie Eilish - bad guy
  9. Blossoms - Your Girlfriend
  10. EGOISM - What Are We Doing?
  11. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Fishing For Fishies
  12. King Hannah - Crème Brûlée
  13. Son of The Hound - You Are Alive
  14. Parker Bossley - Lifted
  15. Pi Ja Ma - I Oh I
  16. Catfish and the Bottlemen - Longshot
  17. White Lies - Tokyo
  18. Tom Williams - It's Dark Now
  19. wojtek the bear - a long wait for bad news
  20. Bear's Den - Laurel Wreath
  21. TeamRKT - Working Sundays
  22. Fjokra - Sugarface
  23. Allez Allez - Sean Connery
  24. Dominic Fike - 3 Nights
  25. Sports Team - M5
  26. Sundara Karma  - Higher States
  27. Junodream - Odd Behaviour
  28. CamelPhat ft Jake Bugg - Be Someone
  29. Buí - Something Else to Talk About
  30. Barns Courtney - You And I
  31. Freya Ridings - Castles
  32. Alcabean - Tsukuyomi
  33. Matt McGinn & Ciara O'Neill - Bubblegum
  34. Blanco Brown - The Git Up
  35. Broods  - Hospitalized
  36. I Was A King - Hatchet
  37. Nai Br.XX&Celeina Ann - Hold Me Now
  38. Dean Maywood - Jane
  39. Swim Deep - To Feel Good
  40. Runabay - Dig
  41. AJR - 100 Bad Days
  42. Kitten - Goodbye Honeymoon Phase
  43. Husky Loops - Let Go for Nothing
  44. Jamie Johnson - Christopher
  45. Peter J. McCauley - Pony on the Fare
  46. Foals - On The Luna
  47. Ferals - The Low
  48. Drop The Shadow - Other Voices
  49. Cheerbleederz  - cabin fever
  50. Lil Nas X ft Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road

Saturday 28 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - Number 1

1. Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
And the stone walls of Harmony Hall bear witness
Anybody with a worried mind could never forgive the sight
Of wicked snakes inside a place you thought was dignified
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die

And so our favourite song of 2019 is the comeback single from one of this blog's favourite artists. There was a six year gap since Vampire Weekend's last album, and given the passing of time & reconfiguration of the band (with Rostam Batmanglij no longer being a permanent member), we weren't sure that the band would be able to re-spark our interest in the way that their earlier material did.

Well, along came "Harmony Hall", the first single of Vampire Weekend Mk II, which blew away all our doubts on one fell swoop. The song is miles away from the indie-rock sound that first attracted us to them, but still feels like it's a natural progression for the group (especially given that the main lyric also features on the song "Finger Back" from their last album). 

The lyrics have layered meanings, with inspirations coming from the White House, slavery & Jewish identity, with the music taking inspiration from roots music, baroque, baggy, and even a little country twang in there, as well as a production that both mimics and plays with the lyrics. From the moment we heard the song back in January, we had no doubt in our mind that it would be The Metaphorical Boat's favourite song of 2019, and 11 months later, no other song this year could top it.

So enjoy our favourite song of 2019, "Harmony Hall", in all its glory - 

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 5-2

We're getting closer to finding out which song has clinched the top spot in our favourite songs of 2019, but before that, let's see the still-fantastic songs that just fell short at the final hurdle -

5. Vampire Weekend - This Life

Like another song in our top 10, "This Life" was a song that was all over the radio during the summer months without translating into a bona fide hit in its own right, mores the pity. The song is perhaps the most straightforward pop song that Vampire Weekend have recorded to date, a jaunty-sounding track that we've seen compared to "Brown Eyed Girl", whose lyrics belay a mournfulness that juxtaposes the sunny melody.


4. UVERworld - Touch Off

Japanese alternative-rock band UVERworld's song "Touch Off" rose to prominence in 2019 through its use as the theme to the critically acclaimed Japanese series The Promised Neverland. It's perhaps one of the few heavy-rock songs that manages to use a saxophone prominently throughout without sounding a bit weird.



3. The Radar Station - Zanzara

This song first came to our attention when the Belgian band in question were known as Sun Gods, although due to legal reasons the band are now known as The Radar Station.

"Zanzara" (which is Italian for mosquito), is a tender electro-stomper of a song that calls to mind the production of Prides or Bear's Den circa "Red Earth & Pouring Rain", with a songwriting style that draws fond comparisons with The Waterboys.


2. Sean McConnell - I Could Have Been An Angel

And just missing out on the top spot is "I Could Have Been An Angel" by Massachusetts country-folk singer-songwriter Sean McConnell. It's a song built around two separate narratives of two people who have taken the wrong turn in life, and trying to rationalise why they didn't have the power within themselves to be good. There hasn't been a song that has affected me emotionally in the same way in 2019, even now I get a little bit bleary eyed whenever the guitars swell up in the post-chorus.

Friday 27 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 10-6

We're into the creme-de-la-creme now, with the songs that made it from numbers 10 to 6 in our year-end countdown of 2019, along with the reasons why we loved each track -

10. EGOISM - What Are We Doing?

The Australian duo won us over last year with their fantastic single "Sorry", and in 2019 they delivered another dreamy shoegaze gem in the form of "What Are We Doing?". The song sees them delivering a powerful punch of a chorus, as well a some sumptuous harmonies from the two. Given their rate of singles over the past few years, we're surely due an album from them in 2020, and if it's of the strength of what's already come, then it will be one of our musical highlights of the year.


9. Blossoms - Your Girlfriend

Stockport based group Blossoms enjoyed a radio hit in "Your Girlfriend" over the summer without the song ever troubling the singles chart (something something guitar music is dead something something). It's a great little gem of a song about being in love with someone you can't be with.


8. Billie Eilish - Bad Guy

"Bad Guy" has been one of the bone fide biggest songs of 2019 worldwide, in spite of, or possibly because, it doesn't sound like any other pop song out there this year. It's quite a claustrophobic song, underpinned by a banging hook and topped off by Eilish's hushed and confrontational delivery and dark yet humorous lyrics.


7. Maps - Just Reflecting 

I owe a lot of my musical tastes to hearing the first album by Maps back in 2007, with "We Can Create" being the record that first got me interested in more alternative types of music rather than just what was in the charts.

Twelve years on, and James Chapman is still creating music of beauty, with the song that most caught my ear this year being "Just Reflecting". The song harks back to the "nu-gaze" sound of his debut album, whilst adding sweeping orchestral soundscapes to create something incredibly majestic & cinematic.


6. Mark Hegan - Skyward

Formerly of much loved local band In An Instant, released his debut single under his own name, "Skyward", having re-located from Bangor to London. It's a song about feelings of  isolation and of losing one's identity after uprooting oneself, which successfully melds electronic and rock elements in a great way. 




Tuesday 24 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 15-11

We're just on the cusp of finding out which songs that made the top 10 in our yearly count-down, but before that let's see what songs just missed out by making it to 15 through to 11 on the countdown. This section features French modern doo-wop, Canadian pop-rock, one of Omagh's favourite singer-songwriters with a song that harks back to late 60s rock, a Liverpool-based group with a sound that's more Americana than Beatles, and salmon-friendly Australian psych-rock -


15. Pi Ja Ma - I Oh I



14. Parker Bossley - Lifted



13. Son of The Hound - You Are Alive



12. King Hannah - Crème Brûlée


11. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Fishing For Fishies

Saturday 21 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 20-16

We're up to the tracks at 20 to 16 on the countdown now, with tunes from a former year-end chart-topper, Scottish indie-rock, a fantastic singer-songwriter, a returning track from long-time gloom merchants, and one of the more successful indie-rock bands at the moment, and one of the few that can still get a UK Top 40 single -


20. Bear's Den - Laurel Wreath



19. Wojtek the Bear - A Long Wait For Bad News



18. Tom Williams - It's Dark Now



17. White Lies - Tokyo



16. Catfish and the Bottlemen - Longshot


Thursday 19 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 25-21

We're into the top half of our favourite songs of 2019 now, with some fabulous tunes making it to 25 through 21 on our countdown. This section features a fine slice of English indie-rock, an earworm-worthy top 10 hit from the summer, an odd, Belgian, funky ode to James Bond, a genre-hopping Dublin singer-songwriter, and a somewhat-local electronic duo who've become award-winning podcast superstars since the last time they had a song make one of our year-end countdowns (whilst still making awesome music in the process) -

25. Sports Team - M5


24. Dominic Fike - 3 Nights


23. Allez Allez - Sean Connery


22. Fjokra - Sugarface


21. TeamRKT - Working Sundays


Tuesday 17 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 30-26

We're nearly at the halfway point of our countdown, as we look at the songs that ended up at numbers 30 through 26. In this batch we have an heavily-streamed English musician I could've sworn was American, a fine slice of Northern Irish slacker-rock, the deep-house/rock and rock crossover we didn't realise we needed, a great piece of Britpop, and kaleidoscopic baggy-inspired art-rock - 

30. Barns Courtney - You And I


29. Buí - Something Else to Talk About




28. CamelPhat ft Jake Bugg - Be Someone



27. Junodream - Odd Behaviour


26. Sundara Karma - Higher States

Sunday 15 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 35-31

Tracks that made it from 35 to 31 in the countdown, with songs from New Zealand synth-pop, another country/hip-hop hybrid, a heartbreaking song about The Troubles featuring one of my favourite local voices, Danish indie-rock, and an artist that apparently shot to prominence after featuring in something called Love Island, which is something that I believe people like -

35. Broods - Hospitalized



34. Blanco Brown - The Git Up



33. Matt McGinn & Ciara O'Neill - Bubblegum


32. Alcabean - Tsukuyomi



31. Freya Ridings - Castles

Saturday 14 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 40-36

Songs from numbers 40 to 36 now follow. This section features heartfelt Irish folk, Rozalla-interpolating Birmingham indie, Donegal country-inflected singer-songwriter balladry, 80s inspired Japanese synth-pop, and some good ol' indie-pop from Norway, so something for everyone (as long as your definition of "something" included the aforementioned items):

40. Runabay - Dig



39. Swim Deep - To Feel Good



38. Dean Maywood - Jane


37. Nai Br.XX & Celeina Ann - Hold Me Now



36. I Was A King - Hatchet

Tuesday 10 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 45-41

And following on from our first batch of five, here are the songs that made it to 45 to 41 in our yearly songs of wonderfulness. This set of songs include one of our favourite local artists of this blog's lifetime, a guitar ballad that could've been written for me, Italian indie-rock, and two pieces of American pop goodness -


45. Peter J. McCauley - Pony on the Fare



44. Jamie Johnson - Christopher



43. Husky Loops - Let Go for Nothing



42. Kitten - Goodbye Honeymoon Phase



41. AJR - 100 Bad Days

Sunday 8 December 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2019 - 50-46

Time for the annual listageddon here at The Metaphorical Boat. Over the next few days we will be counting down the blog's top 50 songs of 2019. There will be songs that have featured on the blog, songs that didn't feature on the blog, songs that have graced our lovely Spotify playlists over the last 12 months, and songs that really should have featured. But regardless, they are all awesome, and hopefully there will be a few songs here that will float your Metaphorical Boat.

Let us begin, as we normally do, with the songs at numbers 50 through 46 in our favourite songs of 2019. This section includes some DIY indie-pop, Dublin alt-rock, Belfast noise-rock, one of the more successful indie-rock bands of the last 10 years, as well as what is probably going to be known as the biggest song of 2019 -

50. Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road


49. Cheerbleederz - Cabin Fever


48. Drop The Shadow - Other Voices



47. Ferals - The Low




46. Foals - On The Luna

Saturday 30 November 2019

Drop The Shadow - Other Voices


Drop The Shadow are a rock trio that hail from Dublin. Having released their debut single "Break The Fall" last year, they have now followed it up with "Other Voices". The song calls to mind the sound of early 90s American alt-rock, as well as the sound of more contemporary influences like Wolf Alice & Tame Impala.

The group have released a music video shot in Dublin, which features what is probably the only instance of a hair-metal hurling match in a music video (as far as we know, we haven't watched many KISS videos):



"Other Voices" is out now.

Wednesday 18 September 2019

Lore - More Than This


Since forming in 2015, Derry 4-piece Lore have released an E.P, a few singles (including a radical folk re-working of "Teenage Kicks", and have been touring all over the country with their folk-pop stylings. If you haven't come across them before, their most recent single, "More Than This", is a good introduction to them. The song is one that should win over fans of the most recent remake of A Star Is Born, as the country-esque sound and crescendoing male/female vocals do call to mind the song "Shallow" from that soundtrack.

"More Than This" is out now.

Monday 26 August 2019

Mark Hegan - Skyward


It's great to get new music from an artist that we've been fans of on The Metaphorical Boat in different guises. One of the Northern Irish acts that we were really excited about was In An Instant, who released some great songs that melded together indie-rock with electronic elements extremely well, like "All Binds Fall Undone", "Where The Demons & The Devils Speak", and a track that ended up in our Top 10 Songs of 2014, "Something Right & Something Real". Alas, like many local acts, the band called it a day not too long after releasing their final single in 2016 without gaining the wider attention that they definitely deserved.

Fast forward three years, one of the members of that band, Mark Hegan, has just released his debut single under his own name, "Skyward", having re-located from Bangor to London. If like me, you were a fan of In An Instant, then you will instantly enjoy this new track, as it is not a million miles away from the music he was producing in his old group. It's not as upbeat as prior songs he's been involved with, although given that the song's about isolation and feelings of losing one's identity, but it still successfully melds of electronic and rock elements in a great way. In particular, we do enjoy the little guitar licks, which reminds us of Mark Knopfler's solo works.

In An Instant may not have had the success I would have wanted them to, but Mark Hegan has shown with his debut single that he's still got some great tunes in him.

"Skyward" is out now.

Saturday 20 July 2019

Wojtek The Bear - A Long Wait For Bad News


Fun fact - Wojtek was a bear who was enlisted in the Polish Army during World War II, rising to the rank of corporal, before retiring to Scotland and living out his life in Edinburgh Zoo.

I'm presuming that it is this ursine and its Scottish connection is where Glasgow band wojtek the bear (all lower case) took their name from. The band released their debut album last year, and are just about to set sail with Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub & a host of other heavy hitters on a set of Mediterranean dates.

The group have just released their latest single, and second of 2019, called "a long wait for bad news". Musically, the song calls to mind the sound of fellow compatriots Idlewild & King Creosote, a melancholic folk-inflected indie-rock song, held together by the sorrowful and haunting tones of Tam Killean.

"A long wait for bad news" by wojtek the bear will feature on "old names for new shapes", a limited edition 10" vinyl collecting the band's planned single releases for the year, in November 2019.

Saturday 8 June 2019

Buí - Something Else to Talk About


The Belfast-based group Buí first came to our attention back in 2017 off the release of their album "Eugene", and particular its lead track, "People Don't Think", which was a lovely chunk of lo-fi gooeyness.

They've since signed to a label run by producer Julie McLarnon, and the first release to come from this is "Something Else To Talk About", which if you've never heard Buí before is a great introduction to them, and if you have, it's a good continuation of their already established sound. The song is very much indebted to 90s American alternative rock, with its use of analogue synthesizers and slacker-esque sensibility calling to mind the sound of Grandaddy & early Fountains of Wayne, with a little bit of Pavement thrown in for good measure. It's not often we hear bands from here embracing this kind of lo-fi sounds here, so it is quite a refreshing track.

Just as refreshing is the music video for the song, which is an 8-bit animated extravaganza, which sees the band walking past some of their favourite places around Belfast, including McHughs, the Duncairn Arts Centre, The Empire, and of course Boojum (because there is is a rule in place - if you are from Belfast and you enjoy Boojum, then it is your duty to tell everyone who is not from Belfast that when you come to Belfast, you have to visit Boojum).



"Something Else To Talk About" is out now as a 7" vinyl, backed with "People Don't Think", on Analogue Catalogue Records.

Monday 27 May 2019

King Hannah - Crème Brûlée


You would think listening to the hazy music of King Hannah that they hail from the American heartlands, but you'd be wrong - the band are based in Liverpool, with their lead singer hailing from "the smallest village in North Wales". The fact that they named their debut song after a dessert that one assumes is not very popular in the States is probably another dead giveaway as well.

Their debut single is "Crème Brûlée", a song that already sees them coming into the world fully formed, and with a good idea of their musical identity. The main touchstones would be Mazzy Star & Lana Del Rey, both vocally and in terms of the dream-pop sensibilities at the heart of the song, as well as a little bit of Portishead and, in the extended outro of the song, The War on Drugs at their most laconic. There is so much to love about the song, and if they've got us reeled in so well on their first recorded single, there is going to be so much joy in finding out what else they're going to unleash on us over the next while.

"Crème Brûlée" is out now.

Monday 13 May 2019

Late Guest At The Party - Most of the Time


Originally from Italy but now based in New York, Late Guest At The Party make rather nifty electro-pop tunes, with their newest song, "Most of the Time", being a great demonstrator of their sound. Its sonic-manipulation production style and lyrical content calls to mind a cross between Cut Copy & CHVRCHES, and has a groove to it that is likely to pull you in.

"Most of The Time" is out now.

Tuesday 9 April 2019

Will Cash Machine Charges Destroy The Grassroots Music Industry?




(The short answer is no, but please indulge me).

This afternoon, I went to the cash machine at St George's Market in Belfast, in order to take out some money. To my surprise, I found that the Cashzone machine, which up until that point had been free of charge, was now charging a fee of £1 for any withdrawals. This mildly infuriated me, as it would be to anyone who found themselves being charged for something that up until recently they could access for nowt.

This is not an isolated case, as I had heard from a lot of people in my local area that several cash machines that had previously been free were now charging a fee for withdrawals, with some people finding that the closest free machine was many miles further away than it previously was. I contacted Cashzone to understand the reason for this - they explained that the reason that some fees had been introduced was because the banks have cut the fees that they receive for each withdrawal, and therefore to continue operating they will need need to charge a fee for each withdrawal. Although interestingly, according to a recent article, this fee has been cut by just 5p per transaction, so a charge of £1 seems above and beyond what would be required to balance out any losses, but hey ho, it's not my company.

There are two main reasons why the introduction of this fee annoyed me. Firstly, it is because if possible, I prefer to spend physical money where I have the opportunity to, rather than by card or by app. There is a psychological reason why I prefer this - according to research, we are less likely to spend money when we pay by cash than by any other means, as our brains see such transactions as more painful when money is physically exchanged, therefore we are more likely to be savvier when we pay for things with cash. I know there are several things that I would never have bought had I come across them in a shop, compared to something that piqued my interest whilst browsing online (occasionally, influenced by alcohol). Over the years, these have included such joys as the soundtrack to the 1991 film Ranma ½: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China, a toilet brush shaped like a cherry, or a sweater based upon an 1859 woodcarving by Utagawa Hiroshige.

Still, worth every penny

There is another, slightly more pertinent reason why I prefer cash - there are some things you have have no option but to pay cash for. The reason why I took out money from the cash machine was to pay to top up my bus ticket, which in many shops in Belfast you can only do using cash. I've also seen over the years that there are other items, such as lottery tickets & fuel top-ups which will only take cash, which can be rather annoying when you go to pay for it once it has been topped up, only to have to run out to the cash machine when you realise it doesn't take cards. A recent article has claimed that around 25 million people in the UK alone would find it hard to live without cash, so that's a lot of people who are likely to get peeved off if they find themselves having to pay a quid every time they take money out of the machine.

So what does all this have to do with music (this nominally being a music blog, after all?) Well, after being hit by the charge, it got me thinking of the one activity where I would spend quite a lot of physical cash, and that is going to gigs. As someone who enjoys local music, quite a lot of the gigs that I would go to would be cash-only affairs, paying for a ticket on the door, and handing over dosh for any merchandise that I may or may not buy (especially if said merch includes mugs - oh gosh, how I love branded mugs). If paying to take out money becomes the norm, could it mean that myself and others will be less likely to take out money, and therefore spend less money at grassroots music events, therefore meaning decreased earnings for artists to get by on?

Quite possibly, although I'm probably being a little over-dramatic. After all, even if we are become more of a cashless society, there are still ways for grassroots artists to sell tickets & merch without relying on money - they can sell tickets for their gigs on websites such as Eventbrite (indeed, one local artist managed to sell over 150 tickets for his album launch last week through this platform), and as for merch, they can use apps such as iZettle to easily take debit card payments (indeed, the app is even being used by buskers to take payments - although you'd have to be very trusting to give some money that way). The drawback with those services of course is that they will take a small but significant cut of any earnings you make from payments through them, which could lead you somewhat worse off. Although as I mentioned earlier, people are psychologically more willing to pay for something if they don't physically transfer the money over, so swings & roundabouts.

I would love to know your thoughts on all this, especially if you are a musician. Do you still rely mainly on cash for your takings at gigs? And if people were less likely to take cash with them to gigs, do you think this would adversely impact you?

In conclusion, music good. Cash machine charges, bad.



(Also worth every penny - what a soundtrack). 

Tuesday 19 March 2019

Sun Gods - Zanzara


By the start of January, I had assumed that the song that would end up being The Metaphorical Boat's Top Song of 2019 would be a dead certainty. After all, what song in this calendar year could hope to compete with "Harmony Hall", the breathtakingly stunning return from Vampire Weekend? Ever since then, it's been far and away the favourite, with no other song even hoping to come close to its brilliance.

Until now that is, as we've now discovered a song that might give it a run for its money. The song comes courtesy of Sun Gods, a 4-piece Belgian band, and boy, does it tick a lot of our metaphorical boxes. "Zanzara" (which is Italian for mosquito), is a tender electro-stomper of a song that calls to mind the production of Prides or Bear's Den circa "Red Earth & Pouring Rain", with a songwriting style that draws fond comparisons with The Waterboys.

So is it as good as "Harmony Hall"? After several listens, I would say not. But it comes pretty darn close.

"Zanzara" is out now.

Saturday 16 February 2019

Ferals - The Low


Hailing from Belfast via the north coast, the finely-facial haired trio Ferals first made a name for themselves in 2018 off the back of their ode to the former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, and subsequently got picked up for the Oh Yeah Centre's "Scratch My Progress" for career development.

They've got 2019 off to a bang with their new single, "The Low", which is a great demonstration of their noise-y, post-rock sound. It calls to mind a more angular version of Biffy Clyro, with its heavily distorted guitar hooks and gang vocals.

"The Low" is out now.

Sunday 27 January 2019

Dean Maywood - Jane


Hailing from Donegal, singer/songwriter Dean Maywood has been picking up a bit of support in the past year, supporting artists like The 4 of Us and Gareth Dunlop amongst many others. His latest single is "Jane", which should act as a solid introduction to his style of music. It's a song that could be best described as alt-country, taking inspiration from artists such as John Prine or Neil Young. It's quite a sparse sounding track, allowing Maywood's heart-on-the-sleeve style of songwriting to take centre stage.

"Jane" is taken from his debut E.P, which is due for release in May.

Tuesday 1 January 2019

The Metaphorical Boat's Top Songs of 2018 - The List & Spotify Playlist

For anyone who wants the Top Songs of 2018 in easy-to-digest list format, you can find it below, in addition to a Spotify playlist with all the songs presented to descending order for your musical consumption -

1. Eels - Today Is The Day
2. Brand New Friend - Girl
3. Ciara O'Neill - Dreamer
4. Confidence Man - Don't You Know I'm in a Band
5. The Presets - 14U+14ME
6. George Ezra - Paradise
7. The Fratellis - Starcrossed Losers
8. Snow Patrol - Life On Earth
9. Suede - Life is Golden
10. Isaac Gracie - Last Words
11. Crossfaith - Wipeout
12. Kelsea Ballerini - I Hate Love Songs
13. EGOISM - Sorry
14. Manic Street Preachers - Hold Me Like a Heaven
15. Confidence Man - Out The Window
16. Blue October - I Hope You're Happy
17. Fjokra - Evening Lights
18. Spring King - Animal
19. Pizzagirl - gymnasium
20. New Atlas - Dizzi
21. Matt Edible & the Obtuse Angels - Nightclubbing
22. Jealous of the Birds - Plastic Skeletons
23. The Hector Collectors - Overton Window
24. George Ezra - Shotgun
25. Jorja Smith - Blue Lights
26. The Wombats - Cheetah Tongue
27. Franz Ferdinand - Feel The Love Go
28. Bad Wolves - Zombie
29. Boston Bun, DVNO - Spread Love (Paddington)
30. Ciaran Lavery - To Chicago
31. Astræa - You're Not Alone
32. Spray - Anthologised By Cherry Red
33. Nathan O'Regan - Moving Closer
34. ONR - American Gods
35. Gizmo Varillas - Losing You
36. Benin City - Final Form
37. Joshua Burnside - A Man of High Renown
38. Ten Tonnes - Lay It On Me
39. Toto - Hash Pipe
40. George Ezra - Pretty Shining People
41. Owen Denvir - Human Touch
42. Public Service Broadcasting - White Star Liner
43. Town of Saints - Up In Smoke
44. King Cedar - Hard Luck Anodyne
45. Seazoo - St Hilary Sings
46. Déjà Vega - Eyes of Steel
47. Straw Bear - Be Prepared
48. De Staat - KITTY KITTY
49. Son of The Hound - The Also Rans
50. Hugh Jackman - The Greatest Show