Shut Up and Dance retains the song of the summer title, but not without a fight. Many songs mounted a late challenge, which resulted in an interesting month of music. The next few months will only get more feisty, with some big names dropping some new music, such as The City Harmonic, Justin Bieber, and some bands with new Christmas music. Song of the Year is still up for grabs.
1. Wasn't Expecting That - Jamie Lawson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHmSlgy_Liw
Last month I mentioned Ed Sheeran's new record label Gingerbread Man. Jamie Lawson is the first signing for that label, and for good reason. Not only does he share Sheeran's trademark ginger hair, he also writes in a similar style to Sheeran, sings in a similar style, and plays guitar in a similar style. This song is absolutely amazing, coming close to stealing the song of the summer title from Walk the Moon.
2. Shut Up and Dance - Walk the Moon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JCLY0Rlx6Q
Possibly slipping just slightly, Walk the Moon still have captured the song of the summer for 2015. There have been many other songs that have popped up over the past month (Cheerleader, Wasn't Expecting That) that have challenged Shut Up and Dance, but after a strong start to the year, nothing was going to steal the title from this song.
3. Build Your Kingdom Here - Rend Collective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbdJXKqVgtg
This song is quickly turning into one of my favourite songs to play live. Just like This is Amazing Grace, the upbeat tempo keeps you on your toes, sticking to the beat, and for a guitarist like me, experimenting with strum patterns. Interestingly, the song really sticks to basics. It includes basic chord changes, basic folk drum beats, and semi-basic vocal riffs. Still, combine all that together, and you have a very unique song.
4. Where Are U Now - Skrillex and Diplo feat. Justin Bieber - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKS1xjqEv8o
Justin Bieber is finally back with some new music. His single What Do You Mean is possibly the hottest expected song in the news this month. That single is just a taste of what is to come, with Bieber's full length album coming sometime November. After a lot of hate has been poured on Bieber in recent years, here's hoping his music is ready to prove his case.
5. Fix My Eyes - for King & Country - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lol1tOMR3Y
A seemingly new idea that's becoming more and more popular in music now a days is interaction. Songs like this one, with complicated clapping patterns, or even songs with simple foot stomps, seem to draw the listener into the music and rhythm. Of course, this only works with songs that are upbeat, but it seems to also only work best with songs that have unique tempos, or beats.
6. Youtopia - Armin Van Burren feat. Adam Young - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTgh-QwvyVo
I've been trying to find the effect that really dominates throughout this song, but specifically in the intro. I was leaning towards delay, but now, I'm pretty sure that there actually is no effect at all. It seems instead there is a multitude of tracks being played (at least 3). Each track is simple, repeating the same thing over and over, but the DJ gets to add some variety by adding more tracks, or taking some away. Produces a nice effect, but in reality, isn't actually an electronic effect, rather just a DJ method.
7. Meteor Shower - Owl City - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrihnDl2JQ4
This, for the longest time, has always been one of my favourite songs. For the most part, I enjoy a lot of Owl City's songs, but sometimes they border on all sounding the same. This song though, it's a cut above all other Owl City's songs. Slightly slower then a fewer of his other ones, and slightly shorter too. It just repeats itself, but it flows so so smoothly. That's what I like about electronic music, when it can sound like this song.
8. Chocolate - The 1975 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBKqaVk2Co
Stumbled across this band on iTunes, and now I can't get enough of them. Sadly, I only had room on this list for one of their songs, but I can tell you next month is going to be dominated by them. They have such an unique British sound to them. The bass licks are out of this world, the electric guitar work is like nothing I've ever heard before, and the vocals are utterly unique. I love the sound of this band!
9. Music of the Night - Andrew Lloyd Webber - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77umP7IRxD4
Yes, I love some opera songs. This one for me is the best ever. In fact, I even include it when mentioning my favourite songs of all time. I love the dynamics, especially in the singer's voice. The lyrics are astounding, written with purpose on such an interesting topic. Many times today, musicians just write whatever pops into their minds. Here, it seems like the composer knew what they wanted to convey, and wrote purposefully to get that idea across.
10. Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpyfrixXBqU
I'm not really a huge music video fan. In fact, most times, I try to stay off YouTube to not watch music videos. I find they only try to sexualize things, or add entertainment, to take away from the music. However, the music video for this song is absolutely amazing. It fits perfectly with the song, and shows another side to Sheeran. Is there anything he can't do?
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