The Last 5 Years, #80 - 71

Dear Plastic, Lana Del Rey, Emma Louise + The Paper Kites

Hey... welcome back. What are we doing here? Well, to celebrate our 5th birthday, this April we're looking back at our favourite songs from the past five years! Let's listen to some goodness... 

#100 - 91

#90 - 81

#80. FANCY

by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX

I be the I-G-G-Y put my name in bold

I been working, I'm up in here with some change to throw.

I know a 13 year old who proudly announced recently; “the clip for ‘Fancy’ is the same as this old movie, I don’t know its name…did you know that?” which made me feel really old. Yes, I knew about Clueless long before I-G-G-Y and Ms XCX made their clip. But then I hear those beats and those words “first things first” smash their way through my headphones and age is irrelevant. And ultimately, when my 13 year old friend sings the words “I’m so fancy” she’s still pretending she is. We already know, I am…from L.A. to Tokyo. (Jo Michelmore)

#79. AWKWARD

by San Cisco

I thought I saw you last night

Get out of my life you've been stalking me for days.

I don't know if it's the 'da-da-da-da' nature of the song or the creepy stalker-y aspects of 'Awkward' that keep it stuck in my head for days each and every time I hear it. And maybe that's a bit concerning. But forget about that for a second, because San Cisco gave us one of the catchiest, boppiest, stalk-iest indie pop gems of the past five years and for that I thank them. Still stuck thinking I'm a stalker? Listen to the track. Now Jordi's the stalker. Ha! Please note, we do not encourage or enjoy stalking. I don't think I've ever talked about stalking this much in my life. The power of San Cisco, ladies and gentlemen. (Matt Bond)

#78. I AM NOT A ROBOT

by Marina and The Diamonds

Don't be so pathetic

Just open up and sing.

Ah, Marina and your diamonds, you make me so happy. There’s nothing better than a piano and cute voice to make me feel alright about the world. Pair it with a sweet little pop tune about vulnerability and a little helplessness and the world is just perfect. The clip with Marina looking a little scared, a little scary and a whole lot of fabulous matches the beats so well, it all takes me back immediately to a little time in my life I lived those words “guess what, I’m not a robot” and loved them. I still do. (Jo Michelmore)

#77. VIDEO GAMES

by Lana Del Rey

Swinging in the backyard

Pull up in your fast car

Whistling my name.

"It's you, it's you, it's all for you, everything I do." Say what you want about Lana Del Rey, but girlfriend delivers one heck of a festival singalong with 'Video Games'. Since I feel the need to remind everyone all the time, remember how I went to Glastonbury last year and it was the best thing ever? Yeah, well I did. And 'Video Games' was a big highlight as thousands of people sang along with a shoeless, smoking Lana Del Rey. Remember when the track first came out in 2011? We didn't know anything about the mysterious LDR. No one had gone snooping into her previous attempt as a music identity. The Saturday Night Live incident was yet to occur. What was that even about, I've forgotten already? All we had was this striking beauty with a haunting/mesmerising voice and an unforgettable debut. It was all retro fantastic and the whole world fell in love. Despite some vocal haters, she's still getting a ton of well deserved love today. (Matt Bond)

#76. YOUNG BLOOD

by The Naked and Famous

You keep my secrets hope to die

Promises, swear them to the sky.

It doesn’t matter where I am when I hear The Naked And Famous, every time I hear their sounds I smile a little smile and have a little dance. Admittedly, if I’m in a shop, sometimes it’s more of a sway than a dance, and if I’m in my car it’s more a head nod than a full dance, but get some TNAF on in my lounge and I’m a dancing machine. These are probably not images you need to think about. Things you need to think about are those amazing synths that kick off ‘Young Blood’ and the beats you can’t help but tap to. I haven’t even mentioned that line which is going to be stuck in your head for a good few hours long after you’re too exhausted to dance anymore, e-yeah-e-yeah-e-yeah. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. You know you love it as much as I do. Yeah-e-yeah-e-yeah. (Jo Michelmore)

#75. JUNGLE

by Emma Louise

And we're moving slow, our hearts beat so fast

I've been dreaming, dreaming about you, about us.

Emma Louise is the owner of some of the best indie pop that has been produced in the last five years. She’s also proud owner of one of the most random and amusing instagram accounts this country has ever produced, but that’s something for you to investigate yourself. While the remix ‘My Head Is A Jungle’ might have been the song that helped her achieve some international fame, the original ‘Jungle’ is where the magic is. The keyboards with an immediate sense of doom at the beginning, the beats rapidly matching the thoughts and Emma-Louise’s thoughts so very familiar; “and I’m complicated….my head is a jungle” because don’t try and pretend you haven’t felt that way at some time or another. Emma Louise is the proud owner of so much talent and definitely one of my favourite artists of the last five years.  (Jo Michelmore)

#74. I DON'T THINK YOU LIKE ME

by Tired Lion

Now you're left here by yourself

Alone and no one else.

Do you want to know what my favourite song of 2015 has been so far? No, it's not Redfoo's 'Juicy Wiggle'. It's Tired Lion's 'I Don't Think You Like Me'. Duh. It's the most effortlessly cool rock track we've heard in what feels like forever and leaves us wondering how this four-piece from Perth remains unsigned. Sophie Hopes kills it throughout, with a performance in the spirit of the likes of Vercua Salt's Nina Gordon and Louise Post. There's definitely a 90s vibe coming through, but it's not a 90s track if that makes any sense. It's 90s, but it's now. It's Tired Lion. We want to hear more. (Matt Bond) 

#73. WANT EVERYTHING

by The Verses

And I would write a thousand songs if I thought it would help

Oh but I won't spend another night underneath your spell.

Most artists find it hard to move away from the sound they're most identified with. Ella and Jesse Hooper aren't most artists and seemed to have no problem transitioning from the alternative rocking Killing Heidi to their folk outfit, The Verses. When I first heard 'Want Everything' I couldn't help but compare the sound to Fleetwood Mac. So it was no surprise to see that The Verses had been chosen to tour with the music legends on their Australian tour back in 2009. From start to finish, 'Want Everything' is music perfection that shows off Hooper's strong talents as a storyteller. As much as I'm loving her solo adventures, I would be a huge fan of Ella teaming with her brother once again to see what else they can deliver. You know it would be awesome. And Fleetwood Mac's coming back this year... (Matt Bond)  

#72. ST. CLARITY

by The Paper Kites

You'll never be sincerely right

If I stand here with you.

Let me be totally honest with you. I hadn’t listened to this track in a long time. The last time I probably heard it was at the end of 2013, when we placed it in our top 113 songs countdown of that year. It only took a second though, when I hit play and that beautiful banjo started strumming, why oh why had this one slipped from my orbit over the past year and a bit? I don’t know, but now that it’s back I’m not letting it get away again, those layered sounds and the build of emotion is enchanting and so truly delightful. I’m sorry Paper Kites, I let you get away for a little while there, but you’re not going anywhere now, I’ll let your sounds float above my head like that gorgeous bubble in your sweet little clip.  (Jo Michelmore)

#71. EPIC DELAY

by Dear Plastic

Today might be the day

That you might slip away

And I'll be alone

And I'll be alone.

When trying to decide what my favourite lyrics of all time are, I always come back to a song by The Dresden Dolls called 'Boston'. "There is nothing in the world that we can count on, even that we will wake up is an assumption." Jo being the best present giver ever gave me a necklace with them on it, she's awesome like that. Why am I talking about Dresden Dolls/favourite lyrics/great presents when I'm supposed to be talking about Dear Plastic and 'Epic Delay'? Because I think there's something really fascinating about music that talks/asks questions about things that make us uncomfortable. And what makes people more uncomfortable than the fact we're all going to die? That's why I love those Dresden Dolls lyrics. And it's why I love everything about 'Epic Delay'. It's talking about what keeps so many people up at night. What happens when it's all over? What happens to the people that leave us behind? What happens to the people we leave behind? Take that aspect of it away and we're left with the engrossing voice of Scarlette Baccini and mighty fine alternative music. This is a track I've only grown to love more with every listen and it's from an outfit I only want to hear more of, as soon as possible. (Matt Bond)