Best of 2015: Albums

There have been so many fantastic albums this year, it's genuinely been a good year for music. Here are my top 15 albums of 2015, along with a notable song from the album.

Best of 2015: Films

Here are my top 10 films of 2015. Dare I say it, it's been a relatively slow year for film, but we have had some pretty darn good ones.

Best Of 2015: Songs

So many brilliant songs have been released this year, here's my top 25 tracks, along with a Spotify playlist at the end so you can listen to them all!

Best of 2015: Television

It's been a good year for television, hasn't it? Here's my top 10 TV series' of 2015.

Alternate Christmas Songs You Need To Hear

I have a confession. I don't feel festive at all this year, perhaps from a lack of sixth form where I'd be excited to break up for Christmas. For over ten years I've been listening to the same Christmas music every December, I felt I needed some new Christmas music instead of the usual Mariah Carey or Slade. I went on a search for some different Christmas songs, and here they are.

8 Bit Doctor Who Christmas Gifts

If you're in need a quick and easy gift to give to a friend/family member then look no further, these 8-Bit Doctor Who characters are fantastic and are fun additions to include in a Christmas present. They're also quite good to keep for yourself for keepsake. I wouldn't recommend only giving these as a present, they're fun to put as a small present to accompany an ordinary gift.

Doctor Who: Christmas Specials Reviews

So far Whovians have been treated to 10 New-Who Christmas specials. 5 (or 6 if you count The End of Time P.1 & P.2 seperately) with David Tennant's Tenth Doctor, 4 with Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor and 1 with Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor, with the upcoming The Husbands of River Song adding another Christmas episode to Capaldi's tenure.

My November Soundtrack

Hello! Welcome to 'My November Soundtrack', a monthly feature on Totally Culture where I list 10 songs I'd been listening to that month, some old, some new. Let's get started. I think this might be my favourite soundtrack so far, particular favourites being Zibra, Andrew McMahon and Billie Marten.

Farewell, Clara Oswald

Adele '25' Review

Hello. It's me, I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to read... my review of ADELE'S NEW ALBUM. YES YES YES!

'Hello' is, of course, the best known track from the album, but in the context of the album's narrative it's an intense and moving introduction to the next stage of Adele's life and musical career. It sets the theme, this being reflection on relationships and the past in general, yet successfully re-establishes place in the music industry. The track itself is truly emotive and powerful, although the opening lines are tender and careful which provides a nice contrast when that develops into the aforementioned emotional power of the song. I do believe that 'Hello' will remain one of Adele's most popular songs for years to come, and rightly so, as it's a brilliant song. 

'Send My Love (To Your New Lover)' manages to combine sass and strength in the best possible way. Upon first hearing the track, I wasn't too sure if it worked. After a few more listens, I warmed to it. I was surprised at the musical direction, the initial indecisiveness being that I was expecting ballad after ballad on this album, yet 'Send My Love' is upbeat and fresh. This works in the songs favour, while it could have easily been a ballad, it seems Adele wanted to show strength in this song, and does so successfully by adding some funk and sass. It's a great song, and could very easily be successful, however I feel it may take a few listeners some time to warm to it. 

'I Miss You' also surprised me, in a sense that it's sultriness was completely unexpected. I genuinely thought I had somehow started listening to a Beyoncé song instead of Adele until the vocals kicked in. Yet, again, Adele manages to give an abundance of emotion and sense of connection in this song, or perhaps a desire for connection in the case of this song.

Check that high note though, because 'When We Were Young' is one of the most touching and magnificent songs Adele has released. Adele has a way of intriguing you with a simple 5 seconds of introduction, and with this song especially you know that it's going to be that Adele song that makes you tear up. This is the epitome of reflection in this album, focusing on the glamorisation of young relationships, when actually, it's broken and painful to experience. Adele's vocals are at an all time high in this song, and it's easy to disregard the emotion she puts into this song. Take some time to listen to the lyrics, listen to her voice. It's awe-inspiring.

When I first heard 'Remedy', this was the song that got to me the most. The story Adele tells in the song is heart-breaking, it resonates with everyone. "When the pain cuts you deep, when the night keeps you from sleeping, just look and you will see I will be your remedy". How vulnerable are those lyrics? She's giving her time to help somebody, she wants to 'cure them'. It's something we all experience. The song itself is wonderfully produced, a simple piano, no backing vocals, a stripped-back Adele song that still manages to be poignant and contemplative. Adele really hits the mark with this song.

'Water Under The Bridge' is my favourite song from '25'. I went for a walk earlier (writing this on the day of release) and had this song on repeat for the entire 40 minutes. The song is epic, production-wise, lyrically, vocally, it's simply epic. The lyrics are sincerly heart-breaking - "don't pretend that you don't want me" being a prime example. The production on 'Water Under The Bridge' is deceptive, disguising the sadness of the song behind a fun and hip stylised song. Dare I say it, but this is in fact my favourite Adele song of all time, and easily has potential to become my favourite song in general if I don't overplay it due to loving it so much. Would it be weird to say that I'm actually thankful for this song, because it really is stunning. 

'River Lea' is slightly gospel-like which works in the songs favour, because it makes the song much more easy and comforting to listen to. It's a fun song, 'River Lea' manages to be empowering and defining for Adele in her new artistic direction. It's definitely a song not to be missed.

Similar to 'When We Were Young' and 'Remedy', my first impression of this song was that it was going to be a heartbreaking song. Perhaps this song has the potential to be ignored when placed against songs such as 'Water Under The Bridge' and 'Remedy', but it does deserve recognition for remnants to Adele's past music.

'Million Years Ago' is another stripped-back track on the album, with Adele's vocals being tender and almost considerate. Similar to 'Love In The Dark', my initial thoughts were that this song could be pushed aside for the 'bigger' songs on the album, but the reaction to 'Million Years Ago' on social media, Twitter especially, has glorified the song, which I found interesting. Perhaps a song doesn't need huge production to be a hit with the listeners, sometimes it's nice to sit back and listen to a stripped-back song (it'll still make you cry though).

While 'All I Ask' is another stripped-back song, it stands out on the album because of it's story. One last night with her lover - "what if I never love again", perhaps something that resonates strongly with listeners. I wouldn't know, personally, yet it still gets to me. The heartbreak heard so clearly in Adele's vocals have a huge impact on the song. 

How do you end an album about reflection and heartbreak? With 'Sweetest Devotion' of course, a song about the present. Adele's found happiness, and you can really hear that in this song. She's found her sweetest devotion, what Adele says is "the one that I belong to". 'Sweetest Devotion' is a fantastic way to end the album, and a reassuring confirmation from Adele that one can actually find happiness, three albums later. 

To summarise, '25' does well with reflecting on the past, the narrative of the album is set clearly from the offset which is pleasant. While some songs can be lost due to the strength of others, when put together the album is powerful and exceeds the high expectations it has had for two long years. Standout songs include 'Water Under The Bridge', 'When We Were Young' and 'Remedy'. Welcome back, Adele. 

5 stars

That's all for now.

Bye!

Totally Culture

Curtis

LOOT CRATE COMPETITION

Hi pals!

I'm lucky enough to be able to give away 2 Loot Crate subscriptions! You'll get the first month free (you can cancel your subscription after the first month! Shh)

The two winners will be decided at 3pm GMT (7am PT), these prizes must be claimed by November 19th 9pm PT).

CONGRATULATIONS TO NATHALIE TAYLOR AND MELISSA PRANGE!

All you have to do is head over to my Twitter account @TotallyCulture and send me a DM with the word 'Loot Crate' and I'll choose two lucky winners, all I'll need is your full name and email if you win!

Reminder: Just send me a direct message (or tweet me) at @totallyculture with the word 'Loot Crate' and I'll choose a winner!

10 Characters The DCEU Needs

Hi! Before I start, the reason why I've done this post is mostly because Squirrel Girl officially became a non-mutant thus potentially setting her up for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which led me to think of a few Marvel characters I'd like to see in the MCU, see here for a better explanation. I then went on to think about which DC characters would rock the DCEU. Guaranteed, it's barely started, which leaves a whole lot of space for a whole lot of cool characters. For reference, Man of Steel kicked off the DCEU (although unintentionally), with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (featuring, of course Batman and Superman, as well as Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Aquaman, Flash, and Lois Lane), followed by (my most anticipated movie of 2016) Suicide Squad (with Harley Quinn, The Joker, Deadshot, Katana, Captain Boomerang, Enchantress, Katana, El Diablo, Killer Croc, Amanda Waller and Slipknot, just to name a few). That's a huge roster, considering we'd only be three movies into the DCEU by the time SS comes out. That perhaps poses the question of... is there room for other characters? Well, of course there is. It's a shared universe, not every character in the first three films have to be around forever (hint hint Marvel Iron Man). I do indeed think that, of course the Justice League (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern and more) will be the mainstays, as well as Harley Quinn, Joker, Enchantress and Deadshot being just a few of the central villains. However, I'm totally fine with these listed below even being cameos or one-movie characters. 

Raven

Unlike Marvel, DC has decided to go into the cosmic/magic realm instantly, with Cara Delevingne's Enchantress being the prime example in the upcoming Squad movie. Personally, I'd absolutely love it if DC decided to expand on the magical realm and introduced Raven, the daughter of the powerful demon Trigon. While unsure how Raven would fit into the DCEU at the moment, with there being practically no DCEU movies (does Man of Steel even count?), I could perhaps see her as a supporting character in the Justice League movies, alongside the teen titans. Which leads me to...

Nightwing

aka Robin's (a founding member of the Teen Titans) future self. If we can get our heads past that awful (sorry) theory of Jason Todd being the Joker (although it might happen), I could totally see Nightwing accompany Batman in the solo Bat movies throughout the DCEU timeline, and if rumours of Jena Malone playing Carrie Kelley (Robin) or Batgirl/Oracle in BVS:DOJ are to be believed, then heck, Nightwing would be the perfect addition. With Jason Todd's suit burnt to a crisp (as seen in the BVS trailer), could he have survived to become Nightwing? I don't know, but seeing Nightwing in live-action would be awesome. Perhaps we could even see Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie) fight Nightwing, similar to Harley Quinn's side story in Arkham Knight? 

Starfire

First Raven, then Nightwing (Robin), now Starfire. Cyborg is getting his own damn movie. All the love for Teen Titans (sorry Beast Boy). Starfire is an alien super-hero that can fly and has the powers of energy projection. Additionally, she's a princess from Tamaran, escaping execution at the hands of her sister. Starfire's presence in the DCEU would be noticeable, perhaps even more than some characters already set to appear in the DCEU (Slipknot and El Diablo anyone?). What I'm mostly hinting at here is that I'd love for there to be an appearance by the Teen Titans somewhere along the line, perhaps as backup support for the Justice League in JL: Part 2. 

Animal Man

He's cooler than he sounds I swear. If Marvel can successfully pull of a giant green thing and Ant-Man, a man who shrinks and talks to ants, then surely DC can manage a man who can use the abilities of any animal. That's actually quite a useful power. While Animal Man truly has no place in the current DCEU lineup, perhaps later on after JL:P2 we'll get to a place where we need some fresh characters, why not take a risk like Marvel did and introduce Animal Man. They've managed to make Aquaman look badass as hell, they could surely make Animal Man look badass, especially with the lack of saturation (seriously, they have hardly ANY colour in the movies). I'd be game for Animal Man further down the line, probably not headlining his own movie, but as a supporting character circa Falcon w/ Captain America for Marvel. 

The Question

If the DCEU is really going to be as dark as one expects (both colour-wise and story-wise), then why not introduce The Question into the Batman story. With the direction it seems they might be going, with Jason Todd in a post-Robin 'limbo', potential Carrie Kelley OR Batgirl, as well as Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and The Joker being around, who better than The Question to come and sort stuff out. 

Flamebird

If I'm going to suggest Nightwing, then I'm going to have to suggest Flamebird, right? Flamebird is Nightwing's sidekick, Batwoman's niece, she even took on the mantle of Bat-Girl for a period of time. She's an occasional member of Teen Titans (seriously, I have a problem, they're just so cool). Flamebird, otherwise known as Bette Kane, is also a really good tennis player. While I'm not entirely show how this fits in with the DCEU I'm not entirely sure, I just feel that if Nightwing were to pop up in the Batman movies, Flamebird should very well accompany him. Besides, we kind of need a fresh take on Batman with some different characters. 

Hawkgirl and Hawkman

Please, please, please, can these be the Black Widow and Hawkeye's of the DC Extended Universe. Essentially, not getting their own movies but still being the best characters (although that'll be difficult with Harley Quinn, The Flash and Batman around). I'm actually desperate to see these two in the Justice League movies, I mean, seriously, who says that the team-up movies have to consist of the core 7. At least bring in Hawkgirl and Hawkman for Justice League Part Two. Please? They're so cool. I loved Hawkgirl's story in Injustice: Gods Among Us (slight leeway to talk about how good Harley Quinn's ending is in the game, woah), Hawkman's pretty damn cool too. 

Poison Ivy

Now that Harley's a definite in the DCEU (Margot Robbie is my hero, just throwing it out there), who better to bring into the mix than Pamela Isley herself (or Ivy Pepper for all you Gotham fans). If done right, Poison Ivy could be immensely threatening and outright terrifying in the DCEU, the CGI would be immense. Ivy doesn't necessarily have to appear in a Batfleck movie, if Suicide Squad is a huge hit then she'll more than likely appear in the sequel. I truly stand by Poison Ivy appearing in the DCEU, but only if they do it right, which means no Uma Thurman (sorry :( ) I recently saw a tweet saying how, if they grew Ivy's powers and made her insanely powerful, she'd be a worthy antagonist for the Justice League, however that may indeed be unlikely in the DCEU. Fingers crossed she finally gets the cinematic portrayal she deserves in the DCEU. 

Cheetah

So, when Lego Batman 3 came out, I didn't know that Cheetah would be on the main characters. After playing as her, albeit in Lego form, I realised that, actually, she's a solid character, and a fantastic Wonder Woman nemesis. Now, while I couldn't imagine Cheetah being the primary antagonist of the Wonder Woman movie (although she is rumoured to be one of the five antagonists to star in the movie), I could, however diminishing it is to her character, see her as a secondary antagonist, below none other than Circe and Ares (which I believe would be much more fitting for the DCEU). Nevertheless, if these rumours are true it would be fantastic to finally see Cheetah brought to life in a Wonder Woman movie. 

The Riddler

Other than being my Halloween costume for this year, the Riddler is a truly iconic Batman villain, although perhaps slightly put to the side when Joker, Harley, Penguin and Bane are around. However, I feel that we haven't had a solid (live-action) film representation of the character for a while (does Jim Carrey really count?). Now, take into consideration a Batman movie, along with Nightwing, Bat-Girl, Batwoman and co, with The Riddler. That could really work well, especially with the dark theme the DCEU has got going on (yes, colour as well). On second thought, a Batman movie with a well-done Riddler AND Poison Ivy together would be ridiculously amazing; a dark, mysterious thriller with amazing CGI and some brain-hurting riddles. This could work just as well as Poison Ivy or Nightwing in the DCEU, and admittedly I do think that all three will for definite appear in one of the DCEU movies, perhaps not even a Batman movie (as similar to Poison Ivy). 

That's all for now. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a Loot Crate giveaway, as well as my monthly soundtrack on December 1st, with a few posts in between. I'll also be posting 'Farewell, Clara Oswald' so be sure to come back for that!

Bye for now!

Curtis

10 Characters The MCU Needs

Hello! It's taken me a while to write a new blog post, I've been busy working on my book! Check the Book tab for more details!

The other day, I was looking into the news of Squirrel Girl no longer being a mutant (see below), and connected it to what Marvel did with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in the comics so they'd fit in the MCU, and then I realised that perhaps Squirrel Girl really is being set-up for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then, I went onto think about some characters that I'd quite like to see in the MCU (I've written another post for the DC Extended Universe 'DCEU' which will be out soon), and of course, I had to start with my dear...

Also, check out my phase four and phase five predictions for the MCU.

Squirrel Girl

She's no longer a mutant, she's defeated the likes of Doctor Doom, Wolverine, Deadpool, MODOK, Thanos, Bi-Beast, she even befriended Galuctus and stopped him from destroying Earth. She's insanely powerful, and she's perfect for some comic relief in the MCU. I mean, yeah, she's got a bizarre name and some bizarre powers, but with her no longer being a mutant, it's pretty clear she's being set up for the MCU. I could possibly see her popping up in Jessica Jones, released November 20th on Netflix, however if that's not the case I could definitely see either an animated series tied into the MCU (with live-action appearances down the line), or appearances in Infinity War p.2/Inhumans with a post-credits scene prior to these movies in Ant Man and The Wasp, Civil War or Guardians 2.0. I'd love it if Squirrel Girl were part of the last few standing members of the Avengers that take down Thanos in IW p.2, and I legitimately think this may in fact be the case.

Who I would cast: Sarah Hyland (a slightly more bad-ass, yet quirky Squirrel Girl)/Mae Whitman

Spider-Gwen

The issue with bringing in Spider-Gwen would be the multiverse, not interconnectivity within the films as we see now in Earth-199999, but the actual concept of Peter Parker wasn't bitten, his dead girlfriend was instead. There have been talks of a Spider-Gwen movie, and it would be cool to see Tom Holland's Peter Parker team up with Spider-Gwen (and maybe Miles Morales??) to save the world. However, as amazing as that would be, it probably won't happen for a while, at least the MCU's Spider-Man sequel, and even then, Spider-Gwen could only pop up in a post-credits and a simple name drop. 

Who I would cast: Elle Fanning

Captain Britain

Speaking of multiverses, each one has a Captain Britain (not the same one, of course) designated to protect the British Isles. The Captain Britain Corps. I feel perhaps Captain Britain could indeed have his own movie if they found a suitable plot that would fit in with the MCU (which would be a bit tricky). However, I feel Captain Britain would mostly work in Agents of Shield, and then moving into the movies. I feel Brian Braddock would fit in quite well in the general Avengers movie, specifically the Infinity War movies. We need some non-American Marvel heroes, we're getting that with Scarlet Witch and technically Black Widow, Doctor Strange will be British too, but still, they feel a tad too-American (not Donald Trump American, don't worry), and Captain Britain is genuinely bad-ass. 

Who I would cast: Martin Freeman Dan Stevens

Silver Sable

The thing about Silver Sable is that she's just cool, despite her backstory (her hair turned silver after seeing her mother die). Silver Sablinova is an antihero, and the leader of the Wild Pack. Sable is a master of martial arts, a highly skilled marksman and a badass swordsman. She's often associated with Spider Man, and with another Peter Parker reboot coming up, it'd be interesting to see some different characters pop up. Silver Sable also pops up in the Infinity War comics, and she's paired up with the Punisher, Daredevil, Captain America, and Luke Cage. She's also been associated with Misty Knight, who's appearing in the Luke Cage Netflix series. Dare I say it, when Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow kicks the bucket (perhaps with all the current Avengers), perhaps we can get Silver Sable as a worthy replacement.

Who I would cast: Claire Holt

Miss America (America Chavez)

She's got superhuman strength, she's got superhuman durability, she can fly, heck she's mastered inter-dimension transportation. America Chavez is bullet proof, flame proof and has superhuman speed. She's badass as heck, and she's a Latin-American badass LGBT teenager (which is incredibly important in terms of representation and diversity which is perhaps more needed in the MCU). While she doesn't have enough to fuel her own movie, she could very well appear down the line, I could very well see her, along with the young avengers, pop up in a post-credits scene similar to how Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver did in CA: Winter Soldier, only to have starring roles in a few films later. Essentially, I'd love to see Miss America turn up leading the Young Avengers, helping out in one of the upcoming phase three movies, most likely either Ant Man and the Wasp, Civil War, Spider Man or Inhumans. 

Who I would cast: Antonia Thomas

Spectrum (Monica Rambeau)

Try to spot how connected this character is with MCU heroes, she's perfect for the MCU.

Spectrum is a one-time leader of the Avengers, she's gone by the alias Captain Marvel (upcoming movie with the Carol Danvers CM), and was introduced to the Avengers by Spider Man (Tom Holland). She then teamed up with Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Blade and Brother Voodoo. She was mentored by Captain America (Chris Evans) and the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly). Monica Rambeau is already so connected with the MCU that I'm actually quite surprised she hasn't even been name dropped yet. Spectrum is hugely powerful and a genuinely interesting yet unappreciated character. I could imagine Monica appearing in Captain Marvel alongside Carol Danvers, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if she does. I mean, seriously, I'm shocked we haven't had even a name drop considering we've even had a Man-Thing name drop. 

Who I would cast: Rutina Wesley

Sentry

Basically, insanely powerful Superman-like ex-drug addict with connections to Hulk, Iron Man and Spider Man. While I don't think he's got enough pull to earn a solo movie, Sentry (Robert Reynolds) does have an interesting back-story, albeit the aforementioned ex-drug (meth) addict background. His arch-nemesis... himself. Well, the Void, which is the other half of the personality, to be precise. Sentry is an interesting character, he can't die unless he chooses too, he's in a constant battle with his darker self, and has to contain his powers using his mental powers, meaning he's constantly on the verge of becoming evil. While, as mentioned earlier, he doesn't have the attention from fans to get his own movie, it would be interesting to see him join the Avengers at some point, especially if they decide not to go with the 'crazy Scarlet Witch' story to keep her as a pure and simple good hero, they could go with Sentry joining the Avengers then becoming oh so very bad. 

Who I would cast: Alexander Skarsgard

She-Hulk

If you've read my predictions for phase four and phase five, you'll know that I predicted a She-Hulk movie (and a sequel), I honestly think that with Hulk seemingly out the picture by the time Infinity War ends, along with a few of the original core avengers (bye Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff), we'll need a new green hero to smash some things up. Who better than the very much deserving She Hulk? Confession time: I think She-Hulk needs a movie much more than the Hulk, especially considering where the Hulk is now in MCU continuity. Let's get some more badass female heroines in the MCU, with them repeatedly delaying the first female led movie Captain Marvel yet again. We need some She-Hulk, and soon. I mean, come on, she's a green lawyer. She's cool. 

Who I would cast: Jennifer Love-Hewitt/Anne Hathaway (seriously)

And... Molten Man and Cardiac

Some fresh Spider Man villains so we don't get another Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus. 

Who I would cast: Greg Finley (MM) and Toby Stephens (C)

Some other thoughts (which I didn't include because I think it's obvious they'll be appearing in some form):

Kamala Khan

Spider Woman

Adam Warlock (Magus casting call for Guardians 2 is a thing)

Miles Morales

Enchantress

That's all for now...

Bye!

TotallyCulture

My October Soundtrack

Welcome to my monthly soundtrack, featuring 10 songs I've been listening to during those 30/31 days. Dare I say it's been a slightly slow-paced month for music, although it would be fair to say it's been a rather slow year for the music industry (how much Justin Bieber can we take, seriously? Pls Justin just stop). However, mid-October to late October had some really good music. You might have heard of this person called Adele? Yeah, she came back, with a fantastic song. Let's get started. 

1. Hello - Adele (of course)

This is truly a masterpiece, I first came across that snippet of the single on Twitter and instantly fell in love. As Adele has stated, her upcoming album is a 'make-up' album, and we truly get a sense of that in this song. It reflects on the idea of what happens after the breakup, how they're mending and reflecting on what could've been. Simply wanting to say 'hello', simply wanting to say 'sorry'. The sombre tone and real lyrics are what makes this track one of the best of, not only October, but the year. 

2. Alive - Sia

Funnily enough, this song was meant for Adele's upcoming album 25, but it didn't make the cut. You can definitely hear Adele's impact on the song, with her being a co-writer on the track. This is a nice departure from Sia's 1000 Forms of Fear, yet still manages to stay very Sia. Those high notes though, unachievable for any ordinary human being. Sia proves yet again that you don't have to twerk and sing about drugs to make a killer song.

3. Love Me - The 1975

Can I make you all hate me by saying that I didn't really 'get' The 1975 the first time round, but their first single from their second album suddenly appealed to me. Love Me of course sounds like it was created to bring back the attention of the fans, but it also got my attention (not being a fan of the first album bar one of two select songs) because it's slightly different, it's fun and it's quirky, it has a really infectious 'youthful' feel to it. I think it's safe to say I'm now a fan. 

4. Rollercoaster - Bleachers (and Charli XCX)

This song makes me feel nostalgic for the 80s, despite me being born in 1997. I'm not entirely sure how that even works, but it's a thing apparently. This is simply a really, really nice song to listen to. Yet, it makes me want to run around an American high school in a montage set in the 80s. 

5. Wings - Hurts

This is possibly one of my favourite songs from 2015, already, and with Hurts' newly released album Surrender I found myself having the majority of this list being songs from that album, I refrained and decided to have my absolute favourite from the album on here. For reference; two others that I really like are 'Rolling Stone' and 'Nothing Will Be Bigger Than Us'. Wings is a truly beautiful song, the chorus itself is a 'raise your hands dramatically in the air and sing your heart out' moment. It's just a very much cooler and better version of a Westlife song and I definitely appreciate that. The story of the song is another thing, it's moving yet so very touching, reflective yet makes you want to go outside and hug everyone you see. 

6. Shine A Light - BANNERS

BANNERS' Shine A Light is a feel-good, starting off slowly and quietly, quickly becoming a lively yet tender song. First hearing the song, I admired the blend of tender lyrics with the feel-good, anthem-like sound. You could definitely imagine this being sung at Glastonbury on the main stage at night, everybody singing along to the chorus. It's simply a really great song. 

7. Fashion - The Royal Concept

I'm only now realising the potential context of this song, I should really listen properly sometimes. But, heck, it's a good upbeat song. Take this scenario, you're walking down the street in the early 90's with your group of friends and you're being all cool and 'hip' (perhaps use My Mad Fat Diary as a reference for this) and this song plays. It's the ultimate 'cool kids' music, right?

8. Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1) - Aurora

This is a really, really dark song with a flowy, nice and airy sound to it. I first heard it played by Clara Amfo on BBC Radio 1 and loved it, I looked into the song and read the lyrics and found it to be the perfect contradiction. It's a beautiful sounding song, but the lyrics are so haunting and, perhaps even scary, that it combines to make a surprising song that's both tender and heavy. Ever since hearing Aurora, I've become slightly obsessed with her work. I'd definitely recommend checking her out. 

9. Seventeen - Sjowgren

This is a really cool song, it makes me feel nostalgic and chilled. You know, like, driving down the coast in a super cool convertible with your friends (not like that Friday video by Rebecca Black, imagine it a bit more cooler), hands up in the air, so much excitement and fun. This song makes me feel good about life. 

10. Beat of My Drum - Powers

This is simply just a feel-good song. I want to shimmy and do all the cool dance stuff when I listen to it. It's fun, it's energetic, it's about doing your own thing (hence the title, beat of my drum). This is truly just a fantastic song that I've really enjoyed listening to, heck it was the first of these songs to make it onto my iTunes, usually I listen to music on Spotify unless I really want to commit to a song. Thus, this is a fab song.

 

P.s. there's a really good remix of this song (The White Panda Remix), which makes me want to dance and shimmy even more than the original (which I thought wasn't even possible). Check it out below:

That's all for now. 

See you soon!

Byeeeee

Totally Culture

Curtis