Delrico Bandito's Singles Of The Year 2005



Ambition bites the nails of success. Can't remember who said that. Or why. Or whether I just made it up. Anyway. I always believe in challenging myself. Over the last couple of years I've posted up my Top 10 singles of the year around about this time. But 10 is never enough. And I always feel like I need to justify my choices. So this year I made a list. I love lists. And it came to over 50 tracks. That's FIFTY. So I dropped a couple, kept it to one entry per artist, and here it is. The Top 10 tunes remain at the bottom, but before that the 40 that nearly made it, in alphabetical order (as organising them would give me a migraine), each with a little paragraph on why I love em written in the time it takes to listen to the record. Clever eh? Well, I thought so. Enjoy!

Arcade Fire - 'Rebellion (Lies)'

Ok, ok, ok. So sometimes I'm looking the other way and miss the boat. The Arcade Fire almost completely passed me by in 2005, which many would consider a crime against music. But I did pick up this on 7 inch after several friends and DJ's raved about it within my earshot. And, grudgingly, I loved it. I've yet to buy the album, but rest assured, I will do as soon as I'm sure nobody else is looking.

Arctic Monkeys - 'I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor'

Number 1 of the year. And most savvy band too. They shut up shop as soon as they hit the top spot and ensured that the hype would die down a little. The music said it all. "Dancing to electro pop like a robot from 1984." Damn right! Been too long since someone actually looked around themselves and wrote what they saw. You'd think it was easy, obvious even, but it takes a special talent to do it well. And they do. It's about time someone wrote about their time.

Baby J Presents Rukus Feat Ty, Klashnekoff & Yogi - 'Let It Go (Remix)'

Mmmm, some downbeat and classy hip hop from the cream of the UK's talent. Not sure where the sample comes from, but a perfect contrast to the harsh sound of the burgeoning grime scene. The rhymes are a further contrast again. It just works, a completely different sound to anything else out there, especially from the US. No bad thing at all. The UK scene can never hope to compete with the States in terms of sale, but tracks like this prove that we're up there in terms of quality.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - 'Ain't No Easy Way Out'

Ah, where the dark knights of the road ditched the fuzz toned guitars and Jesus and Mary Chain obsession to go all rootsy on us. Slide guitar and harmonica usher in a new era that somehow makes perfect musical sense. The back-to-basics method is a well trodden path, but this sounds natural and organic, and the album that followed was a whole new side to BRMC. Luckily, they're still the same moody bastards, which is never a bad thing.

Boards Of Canada - 'Chromakey Dreamcoat'

Boards of Canada release a new album. It sounds like Boards of Canada. I am happy. This is one of the tracks from the album. It wasn't released as a single, but I don't care. It still gets in cos they're great! To disagree would be the actions of a fool. A FOOL.


Bright Eyes - 'At The Bottom Of Everything'

A minute long spoken word intro leading into a song about a fatal plane crash. Only Conor Oberst could do it and make it sound lively and cheerful. Sort of. Heh. More great stuff from Bright Eyes: the professional misery guts. Makes me go all tingly every time I listen to it. The pay off line "I'm happy just because I've found out I am really noone" and the bliss of such inconsequence and anonymity is something that sounds really really good to me. I'm just nobody. One day I'll die. So let's have a party.

Coldplay - 'Talk'

Hehey, here we go. I can already see the disgust in some of your eyes. Yes. COLDPLAY. Hahaha. The best band at Glastonbury! Oooh, look at the fury. Come on, they know what they're doing. They've matured into a class act. Whilst X&Y wasn't quite up to the high standard of Rush Of Blood, this is a very positive step in the right direction. Ripping off Kraftwerk is always a good move, and this works perfectly. The breakdown is pure hairs on the back of the neck euphoria. Sure, it's hardly Kid A, but one Radiohead is more than enough, thank you. More like this, please, lads.

Common Feat Kanye West - 'Go'

I hate the phrase "concious rap". So I'm not going to use it. This is great: tight rhymes (mostly about doing naughty things with ladies), and the kind of sweet as Kanye production that's made him the biggest name in Hip Hop right now, both sides of the glass. And is it just me or is the rhythm track "Oranges and Lemons say the bells of St Clements"? I really hope so. Good album, too.

Charlotte Hatherley - 'Bastardo'

Song title of the year, obviously. And video of the year, too, if you've seen it (the cream of the UK's comedy elite playing second fiddle to the ever wonderful Ms Hatherley). But all a mere garnish to the song itself: a punk pop classic that kept the Grey Will Fade LP glued to my turntable throughout the year. I really hope that it isn't a one off solo project, cos one day she might eclipse the band that bought her to fame in the first place.

The Dead 60's - 'Ghostfaced Killer'

The comparisons to 'Ghost Town' are inevitable so let's get them out of the way: it sounds a bit like 'Ghost Town' by The Specials. But if you're going to rip something off, why not rip off the best? And this adds so much more than mere plagiarism. It's fast, funky and refereshing. They also use the great 80's Cassette and Crossbones "Home Taping is Killing Music" logo on their releases, which completes the package admirably. All we need now is for Ghostfaced Killah to release a track called 'The Dead 60's' and I'll be happy as a sandboy. Especially if it's half as good as this.

Doves - 'Black And White Town'

"Gotta get out..." Escape, leave, get out. Is there any stronger drive than the one to escape your own circumstances? It's powered some of the greatest music and movies of our time (Star Wars when it was good, Oasis when they were good). Trust Doves to sum it up without bombast or melodrama. A video that says everything about being a kid stuck where you don't want to be. Doves are national treasures and truly one of the greatest bands of their generation. This is another classic that sounded like a classic from the very first play. Genius.

Feeder - 'Shatter'

I'm sat in the cinema watching one of the films of the year, Nightwatch. A Russian movie about the eternal battle between good and evil. I'm on the edge of my seat. The final scene, the climax. The twist. It's superb. I gasp. It ends. And this smashes through the speakers over the credits, blowing me back into my seat. Feeder can still rock when they want to, slabs of guitar cutting across Grant's vocal. Not much substance to it, but then when you've got riffs and melodies as good as this, what more do you want? "Oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhhhh!" Crash bang wallop, 2'57'', thank you and goodnight.

Girls Aloud - 'Long Hot Summer'

"...and it's 95 degrees in the shade." Like a 5 headed Blondie, this kept our favourite popstars at the top of the tree. Not their greatest by any stretch, but hey, most pop acts would kill for Girls Aloud's offcuts. According to the delightful sleeve, it took 7 people to write this song. Not entirely sure how, but it treats us to another great middle 8 from the school of great middle 8's. "Ba ba ba!"

Gwen Stefani - 'Cool'

A bona fide grower. I hated this when I first listened to Love.Angel.Music.Baby (stupid title, Gwen). But radio play lowered my defences, and now I positively adore the whole thing. There aren't nearly enough songs about things working out in the end. This is the "what happened next" to No Doubt's 'Don't Speak'. Plus Gwen looks great in the video with dark hair. Who'd have thought it? Great pop.

Helen Love - 'Long Hot Summer'

Sometimes it pays to buy a record merely on the strength of the sleeve. And what a sleeve! Manga, the Banana Splits, The Supremes, The Standells and Northern Soul cut up and pasted in day glo style. And what a record! It starts off with a loving "1, 2, 3, 4, Hey ho let's go!" reference to the Ramones and just gets better, a hymn to classic punk pop and Motown, with the kind of exuberance missing from so much stuff around today. Then it finishes. And then kicks straight off into 'Part 2' with the line "They pledged their love at Burger King, she gave him a candy ring, he said 'Baby, you're the one i need' and gave her a signed Clash record sleeve." With Cher/Daft Punk style pitch correction all over it, this is just fabulous. Bought it the same day as Girls Aloud's same titled effort. I know which I prefer...

Idlewild - 'Love Steals Us From Loneliness'

A hook that just lodged itself in my head. It just wouldn't shift. Very little seems to have changed since Idlewild's last album, other than the length of Roddy Woomble's hair. No disaster, really. I don't really know what the title means, or how it relates to the rest of the song. I just love it.

Jenna G - 'Quick Love'

Frenetic, funky and seductive. What all great drum n bass should be! The production from Nu Tone is both tough and slinky, perfectly complimenting another amazing vocal performance from everyone's favourite dnb songstress. The kind of outward looking soulful track that can only be good for the scene. Utterly irresistable.

John Legend - 'Ordinary People'

"Ohooo oohhh... Girl, I'm in love with you, this ain't the honeymoon, past the infatuation stage..." And on it goes. A truly great singer and musician singing a song about the realities of love, surrounded on MTV Base by images of booty shaking, crunking and pimps. And it's called 'Ordinary People'. Heh. Doesn't get much better than that... There were some fine remixes, but the simple vocal and piano album version pretty much beats everything else hands down. Soul single of the year without question.

Jose Gonzales - 'Hand On Your Heart'

It's the middle of the night. I can't sleep. I switch on the radio, very quietly. Anything to drown out the central heating and fridge buzzing in the corner. A soft male voice drifts through the cool air. I know the words, but I can't place it. I'm half asleep, turning it over in my muddled mind. It's a sad song, beautifully sung, of love lost, the desperation of the end of an affair. And suddenly I twig. Kylie winks at me from the calendar hung on the opposite wall. "Look me in the eyes and tell me we are really through..." Never. How could I?

Kano - 'Nobody Don't Dance No More (Remix)'

Is there anything this boy can't do? (We'll ignore the grammar, eh?) His album Home Sweet Home hops from genre to genre, which makes up for it being a bit patchy in places. This started out as a soulful house tease at the start of the original version, before turning it into a straight ahead grime track, but some genius decide to remix the whole track in a housey vibe. And it's one of the most delightful things I've heard all year. A protest song of sorts, urging the masses to get on the dancefloor. And you've gotta respect the cheek of a 19 year old releasing a track with the hook "These kids nowadays, they don't make them like they used to..." and have you nodding along in agreement.

Kanye West Feat Shirley Bassey - 'Diamonds From Sierra Leone'

And we rejoin our hero Kanye in his continuing quest to put the world to rights. I mean, how good is this? Witty, critic bashing, Outkast referencing, self depracating AND knowingly self obsessed, industry revealing, and all over one of the most imaginative uses of a sample ever. A sample of Shirley Bassey no less. And the whole theme of the album remix is the dystopia of bling culture against the background of where those diamonds really come from. Astonishing in it's scope, sound and ambition, Kanye is the most important man in Hip Hop, and therefore one of the most important people in American culture. George Bush may not care about black people, but he'd better start paying attention to Mr West.

The Killers - 'Mr Brightside (Thin White Duke Remix)'

All hail Jacques Lu Cont. Producer of the year, certainly where the dancefloor is concerned. Here he takes an indie rock anthem, and completely rebuilds it. Not better, just different. The riff is gone, replaced by synths, rhythmic guitars and a thunderous bassline, that turns all New Order on us halfway through. It's a masterstroke, bringing previously hidden beauty to an already familiar face.

Lady Sovereign - 'Hoodie'

At last, here comes the chavelry. Trust me you're the minger. No hoods? No hats? What's wrong with you? I mean, I expect The Daily Mail to rant against the latest yoof uniform, but why did everyone else join in? The S-O-V represents and sets the record straight in reassuringly dancefloor friendly style. Smarter and funnier than just about any other record released this year. How can you possibly disagree? "Boogie Woogie with me" she sang. With pleasure. Anybody got an adidas hoodie I can borrow?

LCD Soundsystem - 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House'

And ironically people preferred this to anything Daft Punk actually released this year. Not hard to tell why. A bassline crafted in heaven itself and great yelped lyrics. Gloriously unpredictable stuff from one of the artists of the year. The cowbell breakdown is worth the entrance fee alone. And you know that it sounds good on the dancefloor.

Lemon Jelly - 'Stay With You'

"This is our new album. It's not like our old one". So read the sleeve of the Jelly's latest LP 64-95. Simple sample concept: take 9 records. Make a new record from each one. Easy? Well, the album received a mixed reception, but this is a gem. Cutting up Gallagher and Lyle's 1975 hit 'I Wanna Stay With You', this retains the charm of earlier Lemon Jelly stuff and is upbeat enough to get you bopping around to it. You'll be singing "I wanna stay with you for the rest of my life!" to total strangers before too long. Which could get you into trouble.

Linus Loves - 'Victoria Principle'

I presume this is named after the actress who was in Dallas. Which is highly applicable, as the synths seem to have been beamed in straight from 1983. I can see Harold Faltemeyer and Giorgio Moroder both on the phone to their lawyers as I write, but this is still a delicious little slab of funky house that tickles my fancy for such things. Let's hope the big labels keep their mits off it and don't try and slap a vocal on it to try and get it into the Top 10. It's perfect as it is, I tells ya! Perfect!

Logistics - 'The Trip'

Some records are just about the groove. This is a prime example. The spoken vocal intro is superfluous, even annoying. But when the 4 note bassline kicks, the track launches into the stratosphere. It's pure musical escapism. Try and sit down whilst listening to it. It's impossible. Drum n bass that puts you in a trance (in the original meaning of the word, thankfully). Like a warm bath for the soul, if a little frenetic...


M83 - 'Teen Angst'

Named after the galaxy, not the motorway. Smartarse. This is wonderful Gallic space rock zooming into the cosmos with a supercharged arsenal of synths and echoey vocals. Woo! Sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. I have no idea what they're singing about, but when it sounds this good who cares? (I did look the lyrics up in the CD booklet, but I forgot...) The best thing on the album, so just as well they released it as a single, really. Smashing.

The Magic Numbers - 'Forever Lost'

Ah, now these guys are great. I do like a band who stand up for themselves. Walking off Top Of The Pops without a fuss cos Richard Bacon was mean about them to the nation was a great move. I'd already caught them a couple of times this year, as support for Doves and at R1's Big Weekend in Sunderland, and fallen in love. Jangly guitars, cutesy melodies and summery vibes. What's not to like? This is the best track on the LP and the lead single, so here it is.

Mario - 'Let Me Love You'

"You know what mate", a work colleague sheepishly confessed to me as this floated in the background "I really like this record." His embarrassment was by no means exclusive. Mario's triumph popped up on here as Guilty Pleasure very recently, and nothing's changed. A great song, in spite of everything. Still stands up after being overplayed, which is always the sign of a quality record.

Mary J Blige Feat The Game and 50 Cent - 'MVP (Hate It Or Love It)'

Takes a special kind of singer to take one of the tracks of the year and make it her own. Mary J did just that, taking a classic record from under the noses of squabbling toddlers, 50 Cent and The Game. She took full advantage of one of the rhythm tracks of the decade, pieced together from a Trammps disco classic by Cool and Dre, and turned it into an autobiographical love note to her fans. The soul hip hop queen then put it out on a great album, showing younger pretenders what it's all about. Class.

MIA - 'Galang 05'

No idea what this is about, but it sure as hell makes me wanna shake my ass. Yeah, I know it was a cynical old rerelease, but it's still ace. Unclassifiable and so NOW it's almost embarrassing. Will it age well? Perhaps not, but a song for the moment if ever there was one.

Mylo vs Miami Sound System - 'Doctor Pressure'

A stroke of genius by bedroom bootleggers Phil and Dog goes legit and underlines just how obsessed the current dance scene is with the 80's. Still, it rocked the dancefloor like little else could this year. Time for a Gloria Estefan revival? I thought you'd never ask.


Natasha Bedingfield - 'Unwritten'

What? You want me to lie? This is supposed to be the list of my favourite singles of the year, and this is one of them! I don't care if you think it's rubbish, I like it. I like the video too. I know, I know. It's pop pap, the whole 'hey kids, you can do whatever you want, you can be what you want' garbage that popstars insist on feeding us. Cobblers, of course. Then the choir comes in half way through, and it breaks down only to come back bigger and stronger. Oh yes. It's a walking cliche. But it's great! Shut up. This is my list. Make yer own then.

The Prodigy - 'Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix)'

Confused the hell out of me the first time i played it, cos the label says 33rpm, when it is in fact 45rpm. So what initially sounded downbeat and menacing is in fact bloody fast. And menacing. Like all great remixes, it makes you realise just what a great record the original is, whilst taking it to an entirely new level. Pendulum ruled drum n bass this year, and this is just another indicator why. Inventive, unrelenting and making the contemporary Prodigy sound tired and out of date. No mean feat.

Queens Of The Stone Age - 'Little Sister'

Not been a great year for them, which is a shame, cos this is a little firecracker of a single. Reminds me of another record, maybe from the 70's, but that doesn't detract from it at all. Manages to both rock out and sound a little sinister, like it might rip through the speakers and punch you out cold. Horror movie producers take note: stick this on your soundtrack. S'cracking.

Regina Spektor - 'Your Honour'

Garage punk rock noise wonderment from a mesmerising talent from NYC. Switches the traditional quiet verse, shout the chorus structure to kick you in the face, and then charm you with the beautiful piano led hook as you lie prone on the floor. Short, sweet, and put out on the best monickered label on this list, Shoplifter Records.

Robin Thicke Feat Pharrell Williams - 'Wanna Love You Girl'

Neptunes production. A surefire guarantee of quality. You don't really need me to tell you that it's minimal, but perfect, funky and impossible to sit still to. A 21st Century Sonnet to the apple of Robin's eye: a little bit sweet, a little bit saucy, with some added bits of Pharrell doing his Pharrell thing. By numbers? Yes. Still magic? You bet.


Stevie Wonder Feat Q Tip - 'So What The Fuss? (Remix)'

Wow, where did this one come from Stevie? We all know that he's a genius. That is without question, but I'm damned if I can remember the last decent record he released. All I can see is him weaving back and forth in the 'I Just Called To Say I Love You' video and the High Fidelity cast shaking their heads in disgust. But this is deep down dirty funk with a Q Tip on top, and a chorus line which almost says a naughty word, but doesn't. "Shame on you" Stevie sings. Quite right. Expectation confoundingly ace.

The White Stripes - 'Blue Orchid (High Contrast Remix)'

Ok, right. The White Stripes ROCK. High Contrast ROCKS. Together they ROCK ROCK ROCK. This is almost offensively good. Drum n bass genius ripping up the weirdest comeback single of the year. I love this. First time I heard it on the dancefloor I nearly had a seizure. There's nothing more to say. Game over.


Honorable mentions?!

Yeah, despite already selecting 50 records, these slipped through the cracks.

Tweet - 'Turn The Lights Off'
Daft Punk - 'Robot Rock'
Shy FX & T Power - 'Feelings'
TOR Feat Seanie T - 'Striving'
High Contrast - 'What We Do Is Wrong'
Slam - 'Pendulum'
New Order - 'Krafty'
Hard Fi - 'Hard To Beat (Axwell Remix)'
Corinne Bailey Rae - 'Like A Star'
Damian Marley - 'Welcome to Jamrock'
Defender - 'Defender'
Elbow - 'Forget Myself'
Toni Braxton - 'Take This Ring'
Craggz and Parallel Forces - 'Love Insane'

Just looking at that list makes me want to write about them to, but this is already getting out of hand. Sorry. Anyway, enough of the losers, now for the Top 10. And...cue the music (sorry, this is turning into some sort of nightmare... Nearly over, I promise!)

10. Amerie - '1 Thing'

Rich Harrison produced this. He also did 'Crazy In Love'. Big shock, huh? He also did Toni Braxton's 'Take This Ring' and Missy's 'Can't Stop'. Big drums, heavy bass, big horns. Check check check. They all sound the same, because they all sound great. Amerie belts it out in quality diva style, raising her game to propel her up the RnB songstress league. Pure class and a great record.

9. Madonna - 'Hung Up'

I really didn't want to like this. The whole Abba sampling thing put me right off. The only time they've let someone use their music in this way. It stinks. Sampling frees upcoming artists from financial pressures of paying for their own musicians. So why let Madonna, one of the richest people in music, use it? Ok, a 2 million dollar price tag probably helped, but still. And yet... "Time goes by... so slowly..." It lodged itself in my head. Madge knows how to play the game. From Chic and Jellybean, through to William Orbit and Mirwais, she knows how to pick her producers. Jacques Lu Cont is her latest back room boy, and as already mentioned, he ruled 2005 like some crazy French Baron (he's not really French, kids). And because of this, 'Hung Up' rocks like a huge lump of granite, flattening everything in it's path. Damn.

8. Annie - 'Heartbeat'

Oh, sweet, perfect, wonderful pop music. How strange it is that this barely dented the chart, and was released on the same label as The Streets and Death From Above 1979. Perhaps it's a little too cool for school, too calculated. But I love it. From the breathy intro to the bouncy chorus to the sublime coda, it's just great! Those Scandinavians can do pop, of that there is no doubt, and Annie is their new queen. Only the greats don't need a surname.

7. Mentat Feat. Skinnyman - 'When I Give My Heart To You.'

Yeah! The best Hip Hop record of the year comes from the UK. It's not a fix! I'm not being kind! It really is great! Mentat's production on this, and many other records this year, has challenged the US's overwhelming dominance. Classic sample mashing with some great lines from Skinnyman rapping about his manor, which is just down the road from me. A great contrast of a soulful vocal samples, jump cut edits and gritty rhymes, it just sounds wicked.

6. Bloc Party - 'The Pioneers'

From the first play of their Silent Alarm debut LP, this jumped straight down my throat. Sounds huge, and perfectly complimented by an awe inspiring animated video. This was probably the track that most regularly soundtracked my life walking round London with my headphones on. It's urgent, edgy, clasping for progress, just out of reach. The perfect sound of a band who seem intent on forging their own path forward, "reinventing the wheel". With so much of the UK rock scene low on ideas and eternally looking backward, capable only of jolly singalongs or tedious ballads, this sounds like a vital antidote. And you know that much more is still to come.

5. Gorillaz - 'Dirty Harry'

From dawning promise, to a promise fulfilled. This first appeared a couple of years ago on Damon Albarn's Democrazy LP of half finished recordings, as 'I Need A Gun'. Like much of the album, it was just a scrap of a song. Unlike the rest of the album, it actually sounded quite good. And here it is, fully formed and the highlight of a superb album that shows Gorillaz coming of age, no longer a mere novelty side project. Demon Days had an agenda and a fistful of astounding tunes. This was the best of them. "All I wanna do is dance" Bootie Brown implores, as the kiddie choir whoop for joy. And you can't help but join in.

4. Royksopp - 'Only This Moment'

Now this I didn't see coming. I thought Royksopp's unit shifting debut was good, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't that good. Better albums have sold plenty less, let's put it that way. I was expecting it to be a fluke. A one off. Like so many dance acts, I was expecing a second album of disappointment and self indulgence. Then this comes on the radio. Jaw on the floor. Emotionally fraught, whilst remaining unapologetically electronic, it's a living embodiement of how great musicians can use technology to expresses feelings in beautiful ways. The ghost of Kraftwerk is all over this. Both detached and deeply personal, cold and heartfelt. The second Norwegian act in this Top 10. Annie meet Royksopp, you should talk. A masterpiece.

3. Futureheads - 'Hounds Of Love'

"Oh oh-oh, Oh oh-oh!" The Futureheads create one of the greatest covers of all time. You probably know it was originally done by Kate Bush (and very well, at that. Nowt wrong with the original at all!), but this reading is just a little big magical. Get to any indie night across the land and you can see just what a special record it is. Makes me grin like a loon every time I hear it. Best thing with guitars on it all year. And that says everything you need to know.

2. X-Press 2 Feat. Kurt Wagner - 'Give It'

Yeah yeah, unlikely dance collaboration, whatever. We've seen it before. The KLF and Tammy Wynette, The Chemical Brothers and everybody else, Mousse T and Tom Jones *shudder*. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't (Mousse T and Tom Jones. I feel dirty just typing that). But this...this...this is amazing!! Eclipsing X-Press 2's previous crack at the collab with David Byrne, this is a just a monumental song. Kurt from Lambchop has written a few classics of his own ('Up With People' is on my all time list of all time), and his contribution here is nothing short of life changing. Slap a choir on their, too, why not, and you've got a recipe for the perfect feeling of Summer slipping into Autumn, joy into melancholy, and just saying to hell with it all! It's says it's House music on the label, but it's almost too soulful and chilled for the dancefloor, a much more satisfying solo trip that kept me warm right through the winter months. This is one to treasure.

1. Lifelike - 'Running Out'

Yes, he's French. Yes, it's a House record. Sorry. I'm nothing if not predictable. For the past 5 years, all my Number 1's have been House tracks, and all but one French. But this is an entirely different kettle of fish, let me tell you. I love all those that came before because they rejected the whole concept of the song, instead being an ultralooped euphoric meltdown, teasing out emotions with sound. But this is a real song, a heartbreaking record of unrequited love and obsession. It just also happens to be French House and relatively unknown.

"I'm running out of reasons to be with you alone again, and I know that I'm falling deeper and deeper for you..." runs the hook. An amazing vocal performance by Colin Franklin. The production is almost deliberately antiquated, those familiar 80's synths and burbling 303s over everything, a chiming piano line ringing out across the electronic noise, and a breakdown so perfect it brings tears to the eye. Lifelike was a new name to me this year, but he also produced the wonderful instrumental 'Discopolis' with Kris Menace which was a definite contender, and created a wondrous remix of OT Quartet's classic 'Hold That Sucker Down'. He has all the right credentials, releasing tracks on Work It Baby and Vulture Records, all part of the Daft Mafia you know I love so much.

But in spite of all that posturing, and ticking all the boxes, this is just the best thing I've heard all year. I've had it on almost constant repeat, and tried to squeeze it into every DJ set I've done. Tune of the year, no question. I just hope it's not a one off.


So, there we go. A bit of a trek, but you got to the end. It's been a great year, I think, but not in an obvious way. When I first started thinking about my favourite tracks, I drew a bit of a blank. But the more I explored what I'd been listening to, I actually think it's been a classic year for the eclecticist. For instance, I think it's been a far from fantastic year in terms of dance music as a whole, but there have been some extraordinary individual achievements, as reflected by the 4 dance records in my Top 10. Anyway, I hope that it didn't seem too contrived, because it wasn't meant to be. Here are some other blogs with lists of their fave musical things. Feel free to berate me on my choices by hitting the Comments button below. All feedback is welcome...

Silent Words Speak Loudest's Top 20 Singles
Assistant Blog's Top 23 (very illuminati) singles of 2005
Blog On The Run's Definitely Not The Best Albums of 2005
Troubled Diva's Top 80 Singles and Top 40 Albums.
Danger! High Postage's Top 50 Albums.
Casino Avenue's Albums and Top 10 Singles of 2005
Expecting To Fly's Albums of the Year Round Up
Diamond Geezer's Top 3 Albums of 2005
Swiss Toni's Earworms Of The Year

If you've also done a list, let me know and I'll link ya. I might do an album round up, but expect it to be somewhat briefer than this, for all our sakes.