I’ve given this way more thought than it deserves but then again, it is the muhfuggin’Feed Limmy Songs of 2011, child. For a website that claims to be serving a “high brow look at pop music foolery”, I can’t just smack on the 30 most scrobbled tracks on my last.fm account and pass it off as adequate.
The criteria is extremely complex and, of course, just like everything you read on here – it’s a matter of my opinion and personal enjoyment. Basically, I’ve had to round up all the songs that have soundtracked my year then rank them in order of enjoyment, emotional connection and pop correctness.
It is possible that I have lip synched for my life, in my undies at home alone on a Friday night, to most of these Top 30 songs.
I had originally intended to do a Top 40 countdown that would be revealed in four weekly feeds that stretched over December. But, let’s be real about it. You can always do without the last ten in any Top 40 albums/songs of the year list.
So without further ado, please be upstanding and golf clapping for the #30 to #21 Feed Limmy Songs of 2011:
Gotye and Kimbra‘s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ has risen to claim the top spot this week, making him the first Australian artist to go #1 here since Guy Sebastian‘s ‘Who’s That Girl’ earlier this year. ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ is not only the indie pop purveyor’s first chart topper but his first single to crack the ARIA Top 50. Likewise for his partner in crime Kimbra, who has been the hipster community’s best kept secret up until now. It’s an amazing feat for the pair to rise to #1 in only five weeks, racking up platinum sales and earning the support of commercial stations, where they typically would only get rotation on Triple J. Gotye premiered his forthcoming Making Mirrors album on Triple J last night in full, ahead of its release this Friday. The album, in its pre-order state, is currently charting at #7 on iTunes Australia. Kimbra‘s own album Vows will drop locally on 2 September.
Jessica Mauboy‘s ‘Inescapable’ shoots up to #4 this week, making this her first Top 5 hit since ‘Burn’ ascended to #1 in 2009. I know, right? But it’s not like everything in between has flopped or anything. J Mally’s singles are always well-timed and mostly well-supported by Aussie radios, which naturally results in high charting positions. In fact, all her singles have gone Top 20 bar ‘Let Me Be Me’, which was the sixth and final single from Been Waiting (could we blame anyone for not caring?). Keep an eye on next week’s chart to see where the album peaks with the arrival of its deluxe incarnation. If you’re trying to decide if it’s worth your pennies or not, here’s a preview of some new Get ‘Em Girls tracks and my thoughts on the lot. In the two days that counted, Get ‘Em Girls Deluxe has managed to bring the album back to #19 on the Australian Urban charts.
Watch J Mally perform ‘Inescapable’ on Australia’s Got Talent:
Lady Gaga‘s ‘You And I’ is the most added new song to Aussie radios this week. The music video is set to premiere this Thursday. I know she’s always hyping up her latest video to be her best work yet but really, wouldn’t it be impressive if her best video truly was for the single nobody counted on? Elsewhere, Rihanna‘s ‘Cheers (Drink To That)’ rises to #18 in Australia this week, making it her fifth consecutive Top 20 smash here. Every single off the Loud album – bar ‘Man Down’, which wasn’t even serviced to Aussie radios, was it? – has gone Top 20 in Australia, a feat no other RiRi album has ever achieved. Not even the mega Good Girl Gone Bad. Over in the States, ‘Cheers’ shoots up to #50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Marvin Priest and mah gurl Wynter Gordon‘s ‘Take Me Away’ has finally cracked the Top 50 this week at #32 after a few weeks in the wilderness. The song is getting a bit more radio support so it’s fitting to see it do what it’s doing now. Wynter’s own single ‘Buy My Love’ is set to be released and issued to Aussie radios on 22 August – let’s pray the uptake on that is even greater than what it has been for ‘Take Me Away’.
Watch Marvin Priest and Wynter Gordon‘s ‘Take Me Away’ video. My gurl is looking absolutely smokin’ hawt in it:
Selena Gomez & The Scene‘s ‘Love You Like A Love Song’ cracks the Aussie Top 50 this week at #48. This is actually the Disney pop princess’s second time ever charting this high in our country – ‘Naturally’ made #46 last year. While she’s never really had the same level of radio support as she has in the States and around Asia, Selena’s latest album When The Sun Goes Down managed to debut at #14 here – signifying that she’s most definitely a force to be reckoned with. I don’t know about commercial stations turning the corner to embrace Godmez but Australian gay and lesbian station JOY 94.9 has certainly kept ‘Love You Like A Love Song’ on daytime rotation for a while now. The single also makes a huge jump in the UK, going from #141 to #72 this week. Get ready for the take over.
Boy & Bear‘s Moonfire debuts at #2 in Australia to become the highest selling new album this week, beating the almighty Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne which came in at #3. The Sydney-based indie rockers have been on the scene for a good year or so now and this is actually a pretty impressive debut for their first album. Last year, they probably piqued a few interests when they opened for Mumford & Sons on their Australian tour and the gang’s EP at the time With Emperor Antarctica managed to chart as high as #63.
Check out Boy & Bear‘s new single ‘Milk & Sticks’:
Zoë Badwi‘s Zoë album debuts at #35 on the ARIA chart and #22 on the digital side this week. I think that’s pretty much expected for an artist that has her heels firmly planted in the dance scene with one crossover single. I look forward to seeing our girl sustain the sales with some heavy touring over the next two months. What’s important is Ms Badwi taking her music out to the scene where it needs to be, where it was designed to be. I’m sure it’d be nice to have another mega radio smash like ‘Freefallin’ – queens, y’all know that I’m eyeballing the next single ‘Until You’re Over Me’ – but at the end of the day, the Zoë album was made to cater for dance audiences. It shall fulfill its destiny accordingly and anything beyond that would be a bonus.
Amy Winehouse and Adele continue their airtight reign of the UK Top 5 this week with the late Wino’s Back to Black still holding on to #1 and Adele’s 21 placed firmly at #2. Frank and 19 are holding down #4 and #5 positions respectively.
Jay-Z & Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne debuts at #3 in the UK, making it the highest selling new album there this week. Watch The Throne was definitely the most downloaded album in the UK and Australia this week, topping the digital charts in both territories. The hip hop moguls’ current single ‘Otis’ slips to #40 in the UK while their Beysus-annointed future single ‘Lift Off’ starts charting at #48. ‘Lift Off’ will be launched to American urban stations next Tuesday.
Cheryl Cole‘s 3 Words album has copped a surprise sale boost this week, re-entering the UK Top 100 at #80 after it had already sold over 900,000 copies in its prime. Nuhdeen will be steady sticking pins in her Chezza voodoo doll now. Speaking of the Geordie Goddess, there’s this delicious piece of goss that she has apparentlyrecorded a will.i.am track originally intended for Cher Lloyd‘s album. What a sneaky ho. Do you see the way she’s thieving away at people’s opportunities? Trust me, she may be laying low after losing her X Factor judging seat but Ms Cole is planning something far bigger and more sinister than Nadine 2.0. We haven’t seen the last of this bitch. All of us stanning for a Girls Aloud reunion will have to topple Cheryl’s empire first.
Dub step duo Nero score their first ever UK #1 hit this week with ‘Promises’. They first caught mainstream media attention after making the shortlist for BBC’s prestigious Sound of 2011 in December alongside other lauded breaking talents like James Blake and Clare Maguire (the winner was Jessie J and look what a year it has been for her). Their chart-topping new entry could not have come at a more surprising juncture with X Factor pop acts JLS and Cher Lloyd having occupied the top spot in previous weeks. So what gives?
Check out the video for ‘Promises’ and rate it for yourselves:
David Guetta and Sia‘s ‘Titanium’ debuts at #16 in the UK and #31 in Australia this week purely off the back of strong digital sales. This epic dance number is already shaping up to be a real contender for Feed Limmy’s Top 10 singles of 2011. I honestly hope the label doesn’t tread too lightly on this success. ‘Titanium’ has the potential to go so much further if it receives the full backing of an official single launch. This needs to be impacting radios already. I’m not content with it being pitched as some digital promo teaser for the album, which I’ll probably hate anyway. ‘Titanium’ is actually turning on pop music fans who aren’t normally inclined to bump Guetta tracks because it’s one of his few singles that aren’t insipidly about getting crunk and picking up chicks. Sista Sia bringeth soul and a hurricane of emotions to the dance floor much in the way Estelle did for Guetta‘s last album gem ‘One Love’.
Jessie J‘s ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ cracks the UK Top 100 this week, entering at #37 after the video surfaced. Expect it to keep rising after the single gets officially released on 21 August. We’re expected to be treated to two new Jessie J tracks in no time, y’all. First up there’s ‘Repeat’, a track on David Guetta‘s forthcoming Nothing But The Beat album, then there’s ‘Domino’ – the Katy Perry-fashioned new summer pop jam slated to hit the States on 30 August (according to Idolator).
Nicole Scherzinger‘s ‘Wet’ rises from #189 to #38 in the UK this week. With any luck, she’ll secure a fourth consecutive Top 3 smash there. Over in the States, ‘Right There’makes a new peak of #15 on the dance/club play charts. Here in Australia, the single hangs tight at its peak of #8. It’s already charting better than its predecessor ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’, which only made it at #17. We can’t really hold that against it, can we? ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ was most Aussies’ introduction to Nicole’s solo work. It was the perfect appetiser and now that local radios have taken the Scherzinger bait, here comes more.
While we’re on the subject of post-Pussycat Doll work, if you haven’t already inspected Jessica Sutta‘s A-grade new dance/pop single ‘Show Me’ – you absolutely need to. Like, right away. The chorus is giving me life:
Kelly Rowland‘s Here I Am drops 10 places on the US Billboard 200 in its second week to chart at #13. I’ve clocked a couple of stans getting pressed because Kelendria has yet to issue a follow-up single. What is she waiting for? ‘Motivation’, as great as it was for her, has well and truly run its course. Everyone is looking forward to ‘Lay It On Me’ now but there’s still no date set for a radio impact and no sign of a video shoot either. To quote my Twitter friend and beloved pop music fan Richard Eric, ‘Lay It On Me’ is “exactly how Kelly Rowland should sound in 2011: brave, confident, and like somebody who could comfortably lead a group rather than be the second-in-charge like she was back in DC.” Trust.
Greyson Chance – the 13-year old YouTube sensation who rose to fame with his piano-based cover of ‘Paparazzi’ – sees his debut album Hold On ‘Til The Night enter the US Billboard Hot 100 at #29 and digital charts at #14. The album, released through Ellen DeGeneres‘ label eleveneleven, managed to sell 16,185 first week copies in the States off the back of two singles.
Check out his adorable video for ‘Unfriend Me’. It’s the best prepubescent break-up song you’ll ever hear:
Dev‘s second single ‘In The Dark’ has finally cracked the US Billboard Hot 100 at #97. The rent-a-ho for Far East Movement and JLS‘s singles is still hustlin’ hard to get her solo material heard in the States but everything seems to be lining up for her just fine. She’ll gain further exposure as one of the many guests on David Guetta‘s forthcoming album Nothing But The Beat – she’s on a demure, prim and family-friendly track with Timbaland titled ‘I Just Wanna Fuck’. On top of that, Dev‘s debut album The Night The Sun Came Up is set to drop in the UK first on 5 September and later in the US on 20 September.
Kylie Minogue‘s ‘Put Your Hands Up’ shoots up to #2 on the US Dance/Club play charts. So close to reaching #1 and joining the constellation of Aphrodite dance chart toppers. Elsewhere, Britney‘s ‘I Wanna Go’ is the biggest gainer on the club play charts, taking it to a new peak of #3. Wynter Gordon‘s ‘Til Death’ holds tight to the Top 5 placement. Also on the get-go is the new pan-Asian girl band Blush with their debut single ‘Undivided’ featuring Snoop Dogg, ascending to #9 on the dance charts. I am not sold on these ladies, to be honest. But I’ll let you be the judge.
Check out Blush’s beige single ‘Undivided’:
The Wanted‘s ‘Glad You Came’ remains a hot contender on the UK Top 10 but it’s their 2010 debut single ‘All Time Low’ that’s starting to heat up now across the Atlantic. I nearly fell off my chair when I clocked ‘All Time Low’ rising to #21 on the US Billboard Dance/Club charts. I mean, really? Why that mess? I could say the same for Blush. Other surprising dance chart movers include Adele‘s ‘Set Fire to The Rain’ rising to #27 and Jennifer Hudson‘s ‘No One Gonna Love You’ cracking at #47.
Leona Lewis‘ euphoric new single ‘Collide’ debuts at #32 on the US Dance/Club charts this week. Although, I’m not so sure about its future now that Avicii has filed papers to the high court preventing her label, Syco, from releasing ‘Collide’ ahead of his version ‘Fade into Darkness’. To be continued.
Hold off on tampering with that undescended disco ball, Zoë Badwi won’t be requiring that tonight.
Australia’s first lady of dance has decided to give fans and nationwide viewers alike a glimpse of her more acoustic side. It’s all bar stools and strummy la la realness here, y’all. Much like her label made and dance music comrade Wynter Gordon, Ms Zoë is keen to demonstrate that there’s a true vocalist behind all them layers of production and fluorescent dance beats. The girl can hella sing and it’s nice to see her showcase her talents in a stripped back setting.
Appreciate on her live acoustic rendition of ‘Freefallin’:
Zoë is currently promoting her newly launched dance album with a series of club gigs and media appearances. The album has been years in the making and it features all her ARIA club smashes like ‘Release Me’, ‘In The Moment’, ‘Freefallin’, ‘Accidents Happen’ and ‘Carry Me Home’. Zoë – the album – is a cohesive stream of Eurodance-inflected numbers taking us from champagne drizzled four-to-the-floor stompers through to more emotive moments. Revelations include ‘Until You’re Over Me’ – a classic dance ballad I’m stanning for to be her next single – and ‘One Step Behind’, a bewitching electro pop piece that recalls Kylie‘s Aphrodite gem ‘Closer’. That one could be a winner with the indie-electro hipster crowd if it was remixed by the likes of Frankmusik, The Sound of Arrow, Kleerup or Penguin Prison. Yes, I’m already thinking one step ahead for ‘One Step Behind’. You’re welcome.
Footnotes:
Zoë – the deluxe edition album – is currently placed at #124 on our Australian iTunes store. When it came out on Friday, I clocked the album charting as high at #3 on the iTunes dance charts.
Australia’s first lady of dance Zoë Badwi is ready to launch her debut album and personally serve it up at a club near you.
All across the nation, people were living for her pop crossover hit ‘Freefallin’ and over in the club scene, you would’ve no doubt raised your drink up in the air to her many hits like the sassy ‘Release Me’, ‘In The Moment’ and more recently ‘Accidents Happen’and ‘Carry Me Home’.
To celebrate the release of her long awaited debut solo album, the former Sirens singer will embark on a nationwide tour starting next week to deliver all the aforementioned faves and showcase her new material.
Make sure you come correct for her at the following venues:
5 August – Romano’s Hotel, Wagga Wagga
6 August – Home House, Geelong
10 August – The Blue Stone, Ballarat
13 August – Eve Nightclub, Melbourne
20 August – Heritage Hotel, Rockhampton
27 August – ivy, Sydney
28 August – Mullaloo Beach Hotel, Mullaloo
2 September – Platinum Nightclub, Gold Coast
3 September – Gilligans, Cairns
4 September – The Family, Brisbane
10 September – The Manhattan Hotel, Ringwood
10 September – Volt Nightclub, Werribee
15 September – Pier Hotel, Frankston
16 September – Coffs Harbour Hotel, Coffs Harbour
30 September – Hotel Soho, Hobart
2 October – Doms Tavern, Mildura
22 October – HQ, Adelaide
Unless there was a typo in the press release, I believe the girl is gonna be flying down the freeway from her eastern suburbs gig at Ringwood all the way to a club in Werribee in the same night. Sheesh! Commitment.
Footnotes:
Zoë Badwi‘s Zoë album drops on 5 August. Pre-order on iTunes here.
You want so much for Ms Zoë to score big with this album.
Our nation’s premiere club pop vixen has been working towards this inaugural solo album for a while now, leaving us a trail of thumping singles like the epic ‘Freefallin’ and bejewelled follow ups like ‘Accidents Happen’ and ‘Carry Me Home’.
However, the one thing I’ve been waiting to hear from Zoë Badwi is that bittersweet dance ballad. I knew she had it in her and sure enough, validation has arrived. Take a listen to a snippet of ‘Until You’re Over Me’:
“Cause I can’t get over you ’til you get over me! No I can’t let you go, until you set me free. Fighting my feelings on the dance floor wishing your body was next to me…”
Last month, I had the chance to preview some tracks from her forthcoming Zoë album and ‘Until You’re Over Me’ was a clear standout. Pretty sure this LP has another single or two left in it so we might see this impacting airwaves in the future. Who knows? I mean, all things considered, they’re not gonna just unleash the full album without a new single to support it in a few months. ‘Carry Me Home’ has followed in the footsteps of ‘Accidents Happen’ to be a Top 10 ARIA club chart success but it hasn’t cracked the mainstream in the same way ‘Freefallin’ has.
Footnotes:
Zoë Badwi will release Zoë on 5 August here in Australia.
For a club-staple diva like her, this collection ain’t complete without a massive bonus remix disc. That’s gotta be optioned in for a repackage later down the line or something, right?
Our nation’s first lady of dance is ready to let the children have it.
Zoë Badwi must’ve been working on her inaugural solo dance album for a good two years now. To those only joining the party after the pop crossover of ‘Freefallin’, there’s much to be discovered with this forthcoming album because so many of Ms Badwi’s material has carved a mark exclusively in the dance/club world.
You gotta start with the late-2008 smash ‘Release Me’ – not to be confused with Agnes‘ dance/pop anthem – and work your way through to the 2009 ARIA Top 10 club chart hit ‘In The Moment’ with TV Rock, and more recently radio ready cuts like ‘Accidents Happen’ and ‘Carry Me Home’.
Warner Music Australia has uploaded a six-track Zoë album sampler featuring the four singles, as well as two new tracks. Here’s the verdict:
1 – ‘Freefallin’
You already know how this mega hit goes. The opening verse still ignites a flurry of faggatronic dramatic hand movements at The Peel. ‘Freefallin’ is Zoë‘s biggest hit to date and this week, it won the APRA award for Dance Release of The Year, so major kudos also to local producer Denzal Park and star songwriter Amy Pearson.
2 – ‘Release Me (TV Rock Edit)’
I remember the moment I learned that this was Zoë Badwi. Utter jaw meets floor moment. She sounds like an American dance vixen here and the slight growl in her voice kinda reminds me of a lean mean white woman version of Inaya Day. This woman is a true vocal chameleon.
3 – ‘Until You’re Over Me’
The missing piece in my Zoë appreciation has always been that much needed immense dance ballad. Look what just turned up. “Cause I can’t get over you ’til you get over me. No I can’t let you go until you set me free. Fighting my feelings on this dance floor wishing your body was next to me…” Is it too late to arrange for Ms Badwi to cover Geri Halliwell‘s album track ‘Love Never Loved Me’? Gurl, I know your people will be reading. I’ve attached the link.
4 – ‘Carry Me Home’
I know some of y’all are pressed that she’s covering a Sarah Connor song but Zoë is totally serving it vocally here. Why does it matter when the single wasn’t even released outside Germany? It probably flopped hard there anyway. I still feel that the radio/single edit is too short. Something needs to be done here.
5 – ‘Accidents Happen’
I don’t understand why this never made Top 20 on the ARIA singles chart. It was such an appropriate light weight dance/pop number to follow ‘Freefallin’. I still do face-framing actions to the “I didn’t mean to! Didn’t mean to!” bits. I’m a fan.
6 – ‘Believe You’
Uh oh, somebody just dimmed the lights and lifted the curtains on a stage covered in candles. ‘Believe You’ is a tender piano-based ballad you never saw coming from our club queen. “Don’t you remember when you wouldn’t even hold my hand. I guess that you never felt proud to be my man. I haven’t forgotten all the times that you let me down. There’s nothing you can say to turn the past around…” – for every gay who has ever dated a man in the closet, I am weeping silently for you now.
Ms Zoë has been working with various producers like TV Rock, Rogue Traders, Stuart Crichton (Pet Shop Boys and Delta Goodrem) and Static Revenger (Wynter Gordon), so it’ll be interesting to see what makes the cut. I am eagerly anticipating on it.
Footnotes:
Zoë Badwi will release Zoë in Australia on 5 August. The diva has also been signed by Atlantic Records in the US (home to pal and local label mate Wynter Gordon), Warner Music UK and Sony Music France. Global domination here we come.
Australia’s new first lady of dance, Zoe Badwi, returns with yet another euphoric gem in ‘Carry Me Home’ and while she had us all doing a double take when the track first emerged as “Grant Smillie featuring Zoe Badwi”, it’s been cleared up on auspOp that this is indeedZoe‘s single. The Grant featuring Zoe thing was reserved only for the club cuts.
The single cut itself is an apt ode to having a mate to lean on when times get rough [Editor’s note: see also Sundays 4:30am on Commercial Road]. You’ll be living for the beautiful chorus and nouveau ‘Sweet Dreams’-like synths but it unfortunately doesn’t inspire face-framing choreography as well as her last single ‘Accidents Happen’. You can’t have everything.
Here’s three things you need to know about Zoe Badwi‘s new video:
1) That’s Lady Zoe to you.
Loving the touch of elegance and whiff of old money in this video. The classic manor, tailored violet dress and assortment of rings the size of life-threatening tumours – Lady Zoe is serving mysterious glamazon heiress here and you know, as much as I appreciate the odd unfolding of events as the dude awakes, I’m kinda wondering is there more to the video reserved for a sequel or extended mix we should know about? Does he get the girl and is this real life or is he just tripping out?
2) Her lair is guarded by gays.
Oh no, she di’nt. She done hired a pack of gays to screen her guests.
A meeting with her majesty? You’ll have to pass the test first. Dude, there’s no riddle because you’re in the presence of a stone cold queen not a sphinx. There’s just all kinds of judging eyes assessing your worthiness. We’ve all been at the receiving end at some point and it’s not pretty, but the real test here is seeing whether the subject does a “move, bitch” glare or not. Gays are sensitive to your negative auras and they can pick up your stank attitude from a mile off. Better come correct when you’re approaching Ms Zoe.
3) There’s Grant the Godfather of Dance.
Only beautiful people are allowed in his presence. The rest of us can just go hang around at the cloak room. You knew a Grant cameo was coming because the single cover art kinda hinted that way but it’s unfortunately nothing as scandalous as what was portrayed. Grant and Zoe did not share a bed here. No bumping of genitals implied – it’s a classy video they can both watch with their mums in the room.
Footnotes:
Zoe Badwi‘s ‘Carry Me Home’ was serviced to Aussie radios on Monday. You can grab the track now off iTunes here.
Feed Limmy 