Chart Update – 11/12/15

With only three new entries and the slew of returning songs, it is clear that Christmas is coming.

Returning Entries

97 – Stay Another Day by East 17

92 – Christmas Lights by Coldplay

91 – Step into Christmas by Elton John

90 – It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams

81 – Merry Christmas Everyone by Slade

79 – Rocking Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

71 – Do they know It’s Christmas by Band Aid

67 – Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea

49 – Alive by Sia

If you want to see my full review of Alive, check it out here: topfortesb.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/chart-update-021015/. A brief comment on this track however. It was initially written for Adele, and while I think that Adele would have done a good job on it, Alive works for Sia’s vocal style far better than it ever could for Adele.

New Entries

98 – All My Friends by Snakehips ft. Tinashe and Chance the Rapper

Tinashe’s smooth vocals work so well with most of the production. The understaded beat allows her to really focus on the lyrics, about a party where all your friends have abandoned you and you are going home from a party alone. Chance the Rapper doesn’t seem to be on the same page as Tinashe and doesn’t work on this track as well. The one element of the production is the auto-tuned wail that perpetuates this track and it really gets annoying after a while. Overall, it’s ok and I would give it a listen and come up with your own opinion on this one.

53 – Stay by Kygo ft. Maty Noyes

This song just feels disjointed. To me, I think that Kygo had two different elemetns that he couldn’t flesh out into an entire song, and then just put them together. The more tropical elements of the chorus really don’t fit with the heavier verse. This is not a song that I would revisit.

51 – +1 by Martin Solveig ft. Sam White

The drop is the best part of this song. The heavy bass and synth that follow are great, and really work well with the percussion higher in the mix. The vocals however are where the song doesn’t work for me. They get a bit screechy at times, and just don’t match the bass and synth at all. They work later in the song, when the instrumentation breaks down to just marimba and claps. This feels less disjointed than the Kygo track this week, as it does feel slightly more cohesive while having wildly different elements.

Best of the Week

Alive by Sia

Wouldn’t Turn Off

Christmas Lights by Coldplay

Merry Christmas Everyone by Slade

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

Do They Know It’s Christmas by Band Aid

+1 by Martin Solveig ft. Sam White

Would Turn Off

Stay Another Day by East 17

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams

Step into Christmas by Elton John

Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea

Worst of the Week

Stay by Kygo ft. Maty Noyes