My top 10 songs of 2013

It's that time of the year when we take a look back at all (well, some of) the music from this year and make a meaningless list of our favorite hits... So why not? My list is pretty predictable, but let's go from #10 to #1 just to create some suspense.

10. Capital Cities - Safe And Sound

Ok, I know this song was originally released in 2012, but in some countries (such as the UK) it was released in 2013 and it was too good not to include here. I've been hearing it on a local radio station every day and it is just so addictive. The video is pretty amusing too.

9. McFly - Love Is On The Radio

This is one of those feelgood songs that you can listen to over and over again. It's got cool, romantic lyrics, catchy country-pop sound and of course a funny video with the McFly boys making fun of themselves and other singers.

8. Olly Murs - Dear Darlin'

The more I listen to this song the more I love it. This is definitely one of Olly's best singles and even though the lyrics are a bit repetitive, they are very romantic and kind of depressing, but that's what makes the song beautiful.

7. Daft Punk ft. Pharrell - Get Lucky

I don't even need to explain this one, this was everyone's summer jam! It's weird they didn't make a video for it though...

6. Britney Spears - Work Bitch

Definitely one of the best videos of the year, but the song is kinda too weird to be noticed on the first listen. It took me a long time (and I'm a huge Britney fan) to get into this song, because it's just not the typical Britney. The verses are fierce but the lack of a proper chorus is definitely a flaw.

5. Passenger - Let Her Go

Another song from 2012 that got its mainstream exposure in 2013. Let Her Go was definitely one of this year's biggest hits and a breakout song for the Passenger. It's a lovely ballad that sounds like something Jason Mraz would do. Very nice!

4. Selena Gomez - Slow Down

Although it was overshadowed by the success of the previous single Come And Get It, Slow Down is for me the best Selena song from her latest album, and probably her best song overall after Love You Like A Love Song. This is one of those songs that will be stuck in your head after just one listen.

3. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Young Blood

I can't describe how much I love this song. I'm not a big fan of ballads, but when done right they can be amazing, and this is one of those cases.

2. OneRepublic - Counting Stars

I almost put this song at no.1 because it's so good. It took quite a few months for it to become a hit, but it was well deserved, as this is probably OneRepublic's best song ever. The video is a bit underwhelming, but you can't win them all...

1. Bastille - Pompeii

This is definitely my favorite song of the year, for several reasons. Firstly, it's a great song by itself, it's got amazing vocals of the lead singer Dan Smith, the massive chorus with choir-like backup vocals and a creepy video to match. And secondly, it introduced me to the brilliant band that is Bastille, and their amazing debut album Bad Blood. Flawless!

What the hell happened to the good old Gaga/Xtina feud?

Remember that amusing time when Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera were (supposedly) feuding with each other? For those of you who don't, welcome to the history class, I'm gonna take you a few years back.

It all started in 2010 when Xtina (now also known as Xtincta) released her album Bionic, which basically flopped like hell. The first single off Bionic, Not Myself Tonight, performed poorly and Xtina was heavily criticized and accused of copying Gaga.

Xtina fans, and even Perez Hilton (who was in a love/hate relationship with Gaga), accused Gaga of sabotaging Bionic and Xtina's career.

Of course, Xtina was really unable to do anything at that point. Still, she did not sit quietly. When asked about Gaga in an interview, she condescendingly called her a 'newcomer' and said:

"You know, that's funny that you mention that. This person [Lady Gaga] was just brought to my attention not too long ago. [...] I'm not quite sure who this person is, to be honest. I don't know if it is a man or a woman. I just wasn't sure."

Ouch. Sounds like someone was pressed...

 Yep, those were the fun times. Now fast forward a few years ahead, we come to the present day where this happens:

Last night, Xtina and Gaga performed Gaga's latest single Do What You Want (not featuring R. Kelly) on The Voice. Seems like the past is forgotten (if there was ever any truth to it) and the two divas are now the best of friends. Or they are just desperate for hits, so they had to resort to this... How long do you give them?

What can I say, here's to Gaga and Xtina, and to some new pop girls making headlines (Lorde and Selena, I'm looking at you)!

Backstreet Boys: Beards and burgers

Ever since Backstreet Boys became a down-low (that's a nice way of saying flop) band, all the interesting things that happen with them go unnoticed by the general public (from now on GP), since no one really checks for them anymore. But, since I'm a fan, there are some things I have to comment on.

First of all, they have a new single and a new video, Show 'Em What You're Made Of (2nd single off their new album In A World Like This). It's actually a nice song, a typical BSB midtempo/ballad, and here's the video:

Things we notice here:

1. Boys are shirtless (some of them) for the first time after.... I'd say their 2nd album. What's up with that?

2. AJ's enormous beard. Covers more than others guys' clothes.

3. No group shots

4. The budget for this video included 1 camera and obviously not enough clothes for all the guys.

Anyway, the Boys were recently asked in an interview about their opinion on a new 'supergroup' formed by McFly and Busted, named.... wait for it... McBusted!

The guys had no idea who they were and even said: "It sounds like a McDonald's sandwich. Who are they? Hilarous!"

Well, a few weeks later, guess who are the special guests on a McBusted concert at Time Hyde Park?

Controversy about Britney's new video 'Perfume'

"Our very own pop princess now queen of pop" Britney Spears has released the sort-of anticipated video for Perfume, 2nd single off her latest album Britney Jean. The song is the first ballad she's released as a single in years, so fans were really looking forward to it, especially with Britney showing off her vocals in this song, which she co-wrote with Sia.

The video for Perfume was directed by Joseph Kahn, who did the iconic videos for Toxic, Womanizer and Stronger, and fans were expecting nothing less this time, especially after pics from the video shooting (pun intended) appeared online, in which Britney was holding a gun.

However, the gun scenes were eventually cut out of the video, so we ended up with a safer version of a basic love triangle video. Britney still looks very hot in it, but the video kinda leads nowhere, so some excitement should have been thrown in.

Kahn has said in a series of tweets how disappointed he is that his version of the video is not released:

Wish they'd release the director's cut of #perfume. Britney's performance is unbelievable. A true artist in it. Game changer.
— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) December 10, 2013

Official cut is a good video as you'll soon see. But it's a true loss not to see what she really did. It's incredible. Beyond other artists.
— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) December 10, 2013

Needless to say, the Britney Army is now pissed and has already created an online petition for the director's cut of the video to be released. 

Bastille have a new single and a (kinda) new album

One of my favorite music discoveries of this year is the amazing UK band Bastille. Their album Bad Blood is full of great songs such as Pompeii (their biggest hit), Daniel In The Den, Things We Lost In The Fire and the title song.

Now, they have re-released the album, calling it All This Bad Blood, which contains all the standard songs and a bonus disc with unreleased/rare tracks. The first single off this album is Of The Night, which is a mashup of 2 well-known songs, The Rhythm Of The Night and Rhythm Is A Dancer. (Here's a lyric vid because Youtube is being a bitch and won't let me embed the official vid - so there's a link for the official video here):

Bastille are also slowly breaking out on the US market - their album peaked at #11 on Billboard 200 and their 1st single for the US market - Pompeii, is currently #22 on US iTunes. Here's a great performance of Pompeii they recently did on The Ellen Show. Dan looked like he had a lot of fun and the band has obviously already won over the US audience, who knew all the words to the song.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has a beautiful new single 'Young Blood'

UK's famous pop-dance singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor is back, this time with a completely different sound than what we're used to. Instead of upbeat dance tracks, Sophie has prepared a beautiful treat in the form of a piano ballad Young Blood. Check out the official video below:

This lovely song really showcases Sophie's delicate and elegant vocals and you can just listen to it on and on without being bored. The song is the 1st single off her upcoming album Wanderlust (out January 20).