30
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Stereophonics - Dakota
Artist link: 8  37
The Stereophonics (The Phonics to their followers) have never been the most fashionable of bands, regularly mauled by the critics as low-brow leather and denim rockers. And yet their albums sell and their tours are popular. So someone's buying their stuff... Are YOU a secret Phonics fan? Do you feel the need to hide your collection of Phonics albums from friends and family? Do you find yourself drawing the curtains and switching the lights off before firing up a hit of 'Boy In The Photograph'... Well you are not alone - others feel the same urge. Perhaps you have dabbled in a bit of 'Dakota' the first and best single off the 'Language. Sex. Violence. Other?' album from the Welsh rockers. In a stark contrast to some of the darker and aggressive early tracks on the album, Dakota is a light mid-tempo electronic twinged track that deserves to be a hit. Fairly throw away lyrics focus on reminiscing about a past love and paint a picture of long lazy summers - 'chewing gum and having some laughs'. Maybe not a song to hook NME and Q journos into a downward spiralling addiction of the raspy voiced and quiffed Kelly Jones, but the fans, whoever they may be, will be in ecstasy.
John M
No of votes: 6, Score:
32, Highest vote: 3rd
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29
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The Bravery - An Honest Mistake
One of those songs that gets stuck in your head......one you can sing along with, without really knowing the lyrics as it's such a fab tune. Sam Endicott's lazy singing style just makes this song what it is - great pop!! Dont look at me that way..............
Veronica S
No of votes: 7, Score:
37, Highest vote: 1st
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28
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Gorillaz - Dirty Harry
Artist link: 3 6 15 15
In 1979 Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall, proved that a school choir on a pop record could be used to devastating effect. The following year There's No One Quite Like Grandma proved exactly how devastating it could be if it fell into the wrong hands. On Dirty Harry a room full of innocent un-broken backing voices grind up against Damon Albarn and James Hewlett's disconcerting cartoon misfits. The school choir chanting, syncopated beats, Albarn's own falsetto and a synth that sounds like it's sampled from a 1980's Atari advert probably shouldn't work together, but the song sweeps you along with its slightly discordant strings and melodic menace and makes you swagger like you're king of the (Grange) hill. Take that St. Winifred's.
John C
No of votes: 7, Score:
39, Highest vote: 1st
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27
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Sugababes - Push The Button
Artist link: 3  9  12 25 27  49
One of the most consistent performers on this site, and it's an absolute belter from the girls. Everything here works like a dream - the electro pop riff, the sultry vocals, the story being told - girl fancies boy, gives him all the signs, gets his attention, but is he going to close the deal? The video is good fun too - a sort of lift based blind date, though by the amount of pent-up sexual tension in that enclosed space, I'm surprised steam isn't coming out of the lift when the doors open - still, would add to that "stars in their eyes" reveal (I fear for all 3 blokes though, they'd all be eaten for breakfast I reckon). Another chart topping success, it marked the start of the end for Mutya Buena, who was gone from the group by the end of the year. As (almost) departing shots go, it's a high water mark - no pressure on new 'babe Amelle Berrabah then....
Jason M
No of votes: 7, Score:
44, Highest vote: 2nd
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25
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Hard-Fi - Hard To Beat
Artist link:23
This was the track that got Hard-Fi noticed. First UK top ten, and countless use in sports stuff on TV - yes you've got every right to be a bit bored of it now. In 2005 I wore out the cassette of Stars of CCTV in my car. Since 2005 I've now got an ipod. I've also seen Hard-Fi play back to back with Paul Weller at the V festival. And that's the thing. Compared with all that, they're not that hard. They were just good at the time.
Dan Mc
No of votes: 8, Score:
39, Highest vote: 1st
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24
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Daniel Powter - Bad Day
Facts first: he's Canadian, he is, for all intents and purposes, a one-hit-wonder. Now the song: let's face it, unless you were born with some state of Buddhist-like enlightenment already grafted into your DNA, you're going to appreciate the propensity of modern life to void it's bowels over your desires, wants and needs. Thankfully, the coping mechanism of most humans in such situations is not to decide that it's Darwinian evolution giving them the sign to sign off, but instead to stiffen the resolve, roll your eyes skyward, and tut, whilst simultaneously wishing for a strong cuppa to aid the recovery process. Daniel Powter, being a songwriterly type, embroiders the silver lining on the cloud, succinctly sums it up in a two word song title, and chirps it so sweetly that the advertising industry believes it can help to convince you that what is really needed is a dose of underarm deodorant in those troubling times.
Jason M
No of votes: 8, Score:
40, Highest vote: 4th
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23
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Hard-Fi - Living For The Weekend
Artist link:25
Hard-Fi arrived at a time when I was yearning for all things power-pop, mod-pop and fuzzless 60s garage. Mando Diao served admirably until usurped by these lads. They drove me back up the Westway and gave me hope that the street-borne polemics of The Jam and The Clash were still worth writing about. Running with the pack in the concrete jungle after being paid by the man never sounded so good.
Paul H
No of votes: 8, Score:
41, Highest vote: 3rd
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22
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Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure
In an alternative top 50 of 2005 where the tracks were ranked purely in terms of their w.p.m. (words per minute) then Apply Some Pressure would surely be the clear winner (please, someone calculate it and let me know!). With 456 words in 3 minutes 20 seconds (wpm = 136.8) it puts your average rapper to shame and makes singer songwriter musings look postively lethargic (well they are). Of course this makes it almost impossible to sing along to and presumably sung live it all slurs into one long word just turn up the guitars noone will notice ... but as an assault on the senses its unparalleled this year and when you catch up the lyrics are worth listening to. Best thing out of the north east since Gazza. They need to lose the hats, though.
Isaac H
No of votes: 8, Score:
59, Highest vote: 1st
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21
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James Blunt - You're Beautiful
Artist link:49
Before going stratospheric with this song, James Blunt was otherwise employed as a peacekeeper in the Army. Rumour has it that he was extremely effective, instantly quelling trouble-spots by threatening to pile in with this new song, a guitar strapped to his chest and his chest strapped to a tank regiment. Then a generation of girls went crazy for the delicate voice and the striptease video and he went and bought Ibiza. We've all wondered "what if?" when we've seen a hottie crossing the street, only for the moment to pass. After this song, chances are they're with James Blunt now, so forget it.
Jon B
No of votes: 9, Score:
32, Highest vote: 4th
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Site designed by Jason "He Plays Music" Mansfield, 2009
(you see, I couldn't be arsed to do it in 2005, but in 2009 we came back and did it retrospectively).
Thanks go to the following people for assisting with getting together our comprehensive aide-memoire: Greg B, Kat B, Dan Mc
A MASSIVE THANKS also to all those who slaved over a hot keyboard to produce the write ups: Danny G, Paul H, Kat B, Andrew S, Isaac H, P Shoo, Jon B, Dan Mc, Harley R, Emyr I, Greg B, Veronica S, John M, John C
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