Chart Chasers #21

It’s Monday and it’s time to check out the latest songs in the UK top 40. And this week it’s a rather short list…

Just clinging onto to the top 40 is Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine. I don’t know this track but I do quite like Florence’s work so hopefully it’s a good listen.

One listen of that and it’s blatantly obvious who the artist is! This couldn’t be anymore typical of Florence’s work. It’s a decent song but doesn’t quite reach the high standards of tracks like You’ve Got the Love. Therefor I give it 4/5.

Next up is a new track by Stooshe. Last time they appeared on Chart Chasers I despised their song but I’m being optimistic that this will be better. It’s called Black Heart.

I was right to be optimistic, this is much better than Love Me. It grew on me as it went along and by the end I quite liked the chorus. It’s a bit too repetitive though and girls singing to their Dads is always a bit weird. 3/5.

Straight in at the top of the chart, much to nobody’s surprise, are Maroon 5 with Payphone. Who uses a payphone these days, it’s just not normal! The song also features Wiz Khalifa off of that song about wasps (Black and Yellow). And it’s a cracker.

The video is a bit weird really, I’m pretty sure the police would have quickly realised that he was a have a go hero rather than a bank robber. I’ve heard this song quite a few times lately and it went from being an OK song to a great sing-along track. I don’t really understand the need for Wiz Khalifa, his rapping bit is a bit rubbish but at least it’s short. All in all a Maroon 5 have done it again and created another great pop song. 5/5.

And that’s it. Yes, this week there are only three new songs in the top 40. But it would be a bit of a lame post if I left it there. So for this week only I’ve extended my sights to the top 100 and have chosen songs from it that I don’t think are likely to ever make it into the top 40. So here’s four other tracks that shouldn’t really be here but got lucky.

The first of these, erm, bonus tracks is Slow it Down by Amy Macdonald. I actually quite like her music but she’s doesn’t make the sort of music that makes for huge hits.

Oh, this is one where the backing music destroys the vocals a bit. This is very similar to her biggest hit, This is the Life, but isn’t as catchy. 3/5.

The next bonus track comes from someone called Wynter Gordon. I won if she has sisters called Summer, Spring and Autumn? It’s called Dirty Talk and I think it’s a dance-y type track…

I just realised I know this song. It probably charted long before I started Chart Chasers. It’s a good dance track which is really catchy. The fact that I can recognise it when I must have only heard it a few times is probably a good thing. 4/5.

A modern classic next. It’s Flo Rida with Low.

Ah, this was back when Flo Rida was original and wasn’t just chasing commercial success. It’s such a great track and is fantastic on a night out. I have fond memories of this song playing at my Sixth Form leaver’s ball. Such a great tune. 5/5.

And our final track in this random selection is by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and is called AKA… What a Life. Being a former member of Oasis I expect an Oasis kind of sound to it, though a bit more rock-y. (Note: The song itself starts at 3:19)

Ah yes, this does sound familiar as it’s on a TV advert for Vauxhall at the moment. I’ve actually been wondering what the song was because I really like it. It’s this. I love this track and I can’t really explain why. I imagine it would be good to walk to this song. I love it and will now go and download it. 5/5.

That’s it for this week’s Chart Chasers. I can only apologise for the mixed up nature of it but blame the musicians for not releasing enough new songs, not me. Don’t forget you can see the top 40 with links to my thoughts on all the songs right here.