ARIA top ten/Chart Review: September 4. Look What You Made Number 1

This week was a week that I wasn't looking forward to, largely because I was expecting songs that had clearly peaked to come down and we were set for a new number 1 that I do not in any shape or form like but personal views aside.

Before we look the top 10, "Strip That down' by Liam Payne feat. Quavo exited the top 10 slipping 4 places to number 12.

Now to the top 10 and yes, despite it's extremely questionable quality,"Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift did debut in the top spot. How long it remains at number 1 is anyone's guess but it's numbers on Spotify streaming wise are excellent and it doesn't look like losing number one on sales at the moment.

Last week's number 1, "What About Us?" by Pink slipped to number 2 which is not surprising considering the Swift juggernaut that arrived on the chart, it was never really shot of hanging on to number 1.

At number 3 is Macklemore feat. Skylar Gray with "Glorious". Macklemore has been confirmed as the National Rugby League's Grand Final pre match entertainment headline act.

I said last week that "Friends" by Justin Bieber and Bloodpop wouldn't get to number one and based on the fact it fell two places to number 4.


"Thunder" by Imagine Dragons sits at number 5 dropping 1 place from last week. Looks as though it could be on the way out.


The song that could loom as a threat to Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" is "New Rules" by Dua Lipa at number 6. This song has not stopped climbing the charts in the last few weeks with another 4 place climb this week, it's got real momentum behind it, it could be top 5 next week especially with "Thunder" fading.


"Unforgettable" by French Montana feat. Swae-Lee remains at number 7

The couple of songs are on their way out of the top 10 with "Feels" by Calvin Harris feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean dropping 2 to number 8 and former chart topper "Despacito (Remix)" dropping 4 places to number 9.

"Praying" by Kesha slips from 9 to 10 to wrap up this week's ARIA Top 10


Outside of the top ten, the biggest gainer was Khalid's "Young, Dumb and Broke" which jumped from 44 last week to 28 this week. "Sorry not Sorry" by Demi Lovato climb three places to sit at the edge of the top 10 at number 11, Lauv's "I Like Me Better" climbed 5 places from 29 to 24


As for the biggest loser that dishonour went to former top 5 song "Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay which slipped from 33 to 48. It also was a bad week for Selena Gomez with "Bad Liar falling from 40 to 47 and "Fetish" (feat. Gucci Mane) falling 8 places to 49. "There for You" by Martin Garrix and Troye Sivan also dropped 8 places to 38.

One re entry this week and it's not that big a surprise with "1-800-273-8255" by Logic feat. Alessia Cara and Khalid re-entering at number 37.

As for the new entries outside of the new number one? Marshmello feat. Khalid entered the chart number 30 with "Silence", Camila Cabello might finally see some chart success with her latest single "Havana" feat. Young Thug entering at number 36, Portugal. the Man's "Feel It Still" finally debuted at number 43. Outside of the top 50: "Chateau" by Angus and Julia Stone at 90, "You Already Know" by Fergie feat. Nicki Minaj at 95 and "Rich Love" by One Republic feat. Seeb at 97 and the last of the new entries is "Walk on water' by Thirty Seconds to Mars at 99.


So with all the movement there were 5 songs that left the chart including two songs whose exits are really extremely premature. The three exits that aren't so surprising are the VMAs song of the summer "XO Tour Lif3" by Lil Uzi (how that got voted as song of the summer is one of the great mysteries), "Stay" by Zedd and Alessia Cara and"Now or Never" by Halsey. All of which had well and truly have outdone their time on the chart.

However the premature exits for "Get Low" by Zedd and Liam Payne after 5 weeks and "Younger Now" by Miley Cyrus after 1 week are something of a surprise and probably a concern for Miley given she's due to drop that album soon.

That rounds up ARIA Chart Review. See you for New Music Friday where there's new Jason DeRulo and Guy Sebastian to talk about. Joy...lol.

ARIA Chart top Ten/Chart Review: 2nd September: Chart Awaits Taylor Impact

This week really does feel like the calm before the storm in terms of the ARIA Singles Chart right now, well at least until Taylor Swift hits the chart big time next week and probably will debut at number 1.

Before we get to this week's top 10. Two songs did leave the top 10, those being "Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller and "Body Like a Back Road" by Sam Hunt (thank goodness...but it will probably make the year end list unfortunately).


So onto the top 10 and it's a second week at number one for Pink's "What About Us?". Whether or not Pink gets a third week is dependent on the numbers for Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me do"


Debuting at number two is "Friends" by Justin Bieber and Bloodpop, with Taylor Swift's impending arrival next week I don't see this song getting to number one. It might spend a good chunk of time at number 2 but we'll see.


Number 3 is New Zealand's new number 1 "Glorious" by Macklemore feat. Skylar Gray. Think this has missed it's opportunity for top spot but we'll see as it's still going strong on the streaming services despite dropping from number 2.

Imagine Dragons remain stable at number 4 with "Thunder" but it's not a challenger for number one now.


"Despacito (Remix)" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber dropped to number 5. Largely due to the song having lost a lot of steam in recent times but will definitely be in that top 5 on the year end list and it looks like it may break Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's chart record for amount of weeks at number one in the US.


At number 6 is former UK chart topper "Feels" by Calvin Harris feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean which dropped one place this week.


"Unforgettable" by French Montana feat. Swae Lee climbed one place to number 7 and swapped with "Strip That Down" by Liam Payne feat. Quavo which dropped to number 8 (I suspect that song is on the way out)

Unfortunately what also suffered a drop was Kesha's "Praying" off the back of all the album release gains last week with it down 3 places to number 9. "Rainbow" is a magnificent album even if you aren't a Kesha fan, I highly recommend you buy the album.

A song to keep an eye on for a possible top 5 appearance is the current UK number one "New Rules' by Dua Lipa which climbed another 5 places to number 10. That song is doing big business in the UK so wouldn't be surprised if it stuck around in the top 10 awhile.


Biggest gainer on the chart went to Lauv's "I Like Me Better which rose from 40 to 29, Avicii's "Without You" with Sandro Cavazza also experienced an impressive rise from 33 to 26, "Sorry not Sorry" by Demi Lovato rose from 21 to 14 and for some inexplicable reason "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William climbed three places to 28.

There one re-entry at number 50 with Halsey's "Now or Never" returning,

As for losers, the biggest of them being Childish Gambino's "Redbone" which dropped 12 places to 39, "Fetish" by Selena Gomez feat. Gucci Mane, which has never really taken off a great deal in Australia, dropped from 30 to 40 and "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" by Shawn Mendes dropped from 17 to 21.

As for drop outs, no real surprises with "Believer" by Imagine Dragons, "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran, "Swalla" by Jason DeRulo feat. Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign and "Crying in the Club" by Camila Cabello. Both "Believer" and "Crying in the Club" departures seem a bit premature given both have spent just 9 weeks in the chart but Camila Cabello really hasn't captured the hearts and minds of Australians if we're to be honest


Outside of the top 10, there were two other new entries quite the way lower down with Khalid's "Young, Dumb and Broke" entering at 44 and rather surprisingly "Younger Now" by Miley Cyrus entering at 49 which is a bit worrying considering the album is not far away from being released!


There were four new entries to the top 100 this week with the best of those being "Questions" by Chris Brown (which interpolates the 2003 hit "Turn Me On" by Kevin Lyttle quite badly) at number 56, "Havana" by Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug at 62, "Reggaeton Lento (Remix)" by CNCO and Little Mix at number 68 and the song that is doing extremely well in the US is "Bodak Yellow" by Cardi B at 94.


So that's this week on the ARIA chart done and dusted, we now wait to see whether or not Pink can somehow stave off the juggernaut that is Taylor Swift for number 1 (I doubt she can). Don't forget you can check out my thoughts on the new single from Taylor Swift here and I'll have the rest of New Music Friday Review featuring Demi Lovato and Foo Fighters up sometime this week.

New Music Friday Review: Camila Cabello, Jamie Lawson, Rae Sremmurd

This week saw a double dose of Camila Cabello and new tracks from Jamie Lawson and...Rae Sremmurd hit New Music Friday so what did we get?


Song: OMG
Artists: Camila Cabello, Quavo






'OMG' is yet another single from the forthcoming debut album from Camila Cabello and I wish I could say that this was a track did what it intended in terms of being fun and a light weight breezy kind of song that made me feel good but this really this was boring apart from Camila attempting to rap using the staccato flow that has been heard so many times before. It's actually pretty much your standard trap song.

While Quavo uses his now standard verse (usually the third verse of the song) to reference the awful "Bad and Boujee" and Michael Jackson's moonwalk complete with your standard bragging. Ugh.

Rating: Boring and predictable which is not a good sign for this album. 3/10


Song: Havana
Artists: Camila Cabello, Young Thug (also Pharrell Williams)





Well I'll give Havana this. It's production is much more interesting and is much more playful without the trap beats and other nonsense heard through out 'OMG' even if the chorus teally isn't much chop (Seriously when was the last deep or meaningful chorus heard in a song) and is apparently about Cabello falling in love with a bad boy from Havana (Cabello's home town).
The lyrics really aren't anything special...actually they are pretty vapid but Camila's vocals really suit this kind of song even if it's just absolutely vapid most of which consistent of Cabello singing "Havana na-na-na"
Young Thug sound like or is pretending to get into the song and I guess given the instrumentation is pretty damn good.


Rating: Just a pity the song writing is awful here cause the production is alright. 4/10



Song: Can't See Straight
Artist: Jamie Lawson







A return from Jamie Lawson? I wasn't expect that but yeah Lawson is back with a new single called "Can't See Straight" from his soon to be released sophomore album "Happy Accidents". I have to say it reminds me a bit of country and folk all rolled into one in quite the strange way but still somewhat works.

It's decent enough I guess. I'll certainly talk it over the stuff Camila Cabello dished out.

Rating: 7/10


Song; Perplexing Pegasus
Artist: Rae Sremmurd.




I am really not sure I needed to see these guys back but "Perplexing Pegasus" is apparently the first single from "Sremmlife 3" and quite honestly I have no idea what either Swae Lee or Slim Jxmmi are on about here. Slim Jxmmi mentions that he has a problem in that he is in love with money while Swae Lee mentions in the chorus something about a "caterpillar whip". Um what?

Seems like a 'flexing anthem' but the production really doesn't quite fit for it to be a flexing anthem and that's not saying much for the production which is really is trap beats, a hint of piano with synthesised snaps. Blergh.


Rating: 4/10



Best of the week: Easily Jamie Lawson's "Can't See Straight"

Worst: "OMG" by Camila Cabello feat. Quavo


Next New Music Friday

"What about us?" by Pink
New Avicii apparently
"More than One of You" by Neil Finn


Let's hope that next week is better!

ARIA Chart: 7th August. Kesha and Sam Hunt rocket into the top 10

This week was as others would have it a mixed one, we got two new arrivals to the top ten, one that is excellent and the other being absolutely crap but we did lose "There's Nothin' Holding Me Back" by Shawn Mendes, it slid to number 13, while last week's number 10 "In the End by Linkin Park" dropped out of the ARIA Top 50 completely.

"Despacito (Remix)" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber continues to remain an unmoveable force at number 1 for a twelfth week despite signs that it is starting to look shaky on streaming and sales, it's not number 1 in either category at the moment.

Things were stable for the top four with "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons posing rhe closest threat to "Despacito" at number 2, "Feels" by Calvin Harris feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean stopped at number 3 and "Strip That Down" by Liam Payne feat. Quavo at number 4.

"Glorious" by Macklemore feat. Skylar Gray climbed two places off its arrival in the top 10 last week, it's at number 5.

"Wild Thoughts" continues to stumble for DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller, it falls to number 6. I don't see it regaining that momentum either given it appears to have peaked on streaming and sales aren't holding up.

At number 7 is a song I am happy to see in the top ten because it's great, that song is "Praying" by Kesha which climbed from number 16 to reach the top 10.

"Slow Hands" by Niall Horan continues it's slow fall down the chart to number 8. "Mama" by Jonas Blue feat. William Singe falls one place to number 9. Both look vulnerable to songs outside of the top 10.

What isn't vulnerable unfortunately is "Body Like a Back Road" by Sam Hunt which climbed 5 spots to round off the top ten for this week. Why people want another "Follow Me" by Uncle Kracker with even less personality and stupid lyrics is beyond me but anyway.

Beyond the top 10, the biggest gainer this week was :Dua Lipa's "New Rules" which jumped 20 places to number 46.

"Back To You" by Louis Tomlinson feat. Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals climbed six places to crack the top 20.

"Fetish" by Selena Gomez feat. Gucci Mane recovered somewhat from the fall last week to end up at number 29.

"Crying In the club" by Camila Cabello entered the top 40 climbing 5 places to number 39

The biggest loser this week was Ed Sheeran's former number 2 "Galway Girl" dropping from 29 to 36 this week. 

There was one new entry from Lauv at number 50 with "I Like Me Better"

Drop outs were all the Linkin Park songs that were on the chart last week as is natural but sadly we also lost "Slide" by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos.

So with seven songs dropping out, what returned to fill those places? :"Location" by Khalid at 44, "Believer' by Imagine Dragons at 45, "Get Low" by Zedd feat. Liam Payne at 46, "Moments" by Bliss 'n' Eso feat. Gavin James at 47, "It Ain't Me" by Kygo and Selena Gomez at 48 and "Signs" by Drake at 49.

Anyway that wraps up the ARIA chart for this week. New Music Friday Review will feature both Camila Cabello songs.

New Music Friday Review: Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha, new boyband alert

So we got a pretty quiet week for New Music Friday however we did get a new song from One Direction alumni Louis Tomlinson and we have a new boyband that has arrived on the scene that somehow has dropped a pretty catchy debut single but we'll get to that.

Song: Back to You
Artist(s): Louis Tomlinson, Bebe Rexha, Digital Farm Animals\




It's fair to say that I held some major reservations over Louis Tomlinson as a solo artist, I wasn't impressed with "Just Hold On" (the song he teamed up with Steve Aoki) and to a point I wasn't going to even bother with "Back To You" when it dropped last week and yeah, I am beginning to think I should have stuck to the plan to not bother because this is pretty underwhelming as a song.

The production is all over the place with what sounds like a mobile phone ringtone and clicking fingers during Bebe Rexha's verse before the piano nearly overwhelms Rexha's voice in the pre chorus before completely swamping her in the chorus and the same almost happens to Louis Tomlinson. The harmonies aren't too bad anf the lyrics about a toxic relationship ending but the two people being drawn to each other work but god damn the instrumentation and production really let this song down something terrible.


Rating: 5/10



Song: Would You Mind?
Artist: PRETTYMUCH





With One Direction on hiatus and exploring their opportunities as solo artists, it's not really a surprise that Simon Cowell got himself busy finding the next boyband that could possibly hit the big time and follow in the footsteps of One Direction because heck, he needs something to do while the members of One Direction are recording solo albums or being movie stars with the result of Cowell's work is a US and Canadian boyband called PRETTYMUCH.

Granted the members of PRETTYMUCH look like frat boys on the cover but for a first up effort "Would You Mind?" is decent even though the production and the lyrics  really doesn't do it a lot of favours (the word 'mind' repeated ad nauseum), the boys have some pretty sweet harmonies and quite honestly I kind of got suckered into this song. It's shades of Backstreet Boys meets *NSYNC if you know your American boybands from the 90s-early 2000s, think "Backstreet's Back" merged with "Tearin' Up My Heart" and you get "Would You Mind"

Rating: I think I kind of liked this a little more than I thought. 7/10



Song: Sorry
Artist: Nothing But Thieves






I keep waiting for Nothing but Thieves to get huge especially after a fantastic song like "Amsterdam" but it hasn't happened yet which is beyond FRUSTRATING because they deserve some big success and after reviewing two pop/ R & B songs it is time to look at some rock with Nothing but Thieves dropping a second song called "Sorry" from their upcoming second album "Broken Machine"

"Sorry" is a song about getting older, those past regrets and facing up to those almighty demons through the eyes of one individual who can't hold down a relationship and yeah this song just gets things right with the lyrics and the instrumentation, I love the guitars in this song...a lot.


Rating: 8/10



Song: Wedding Crashers
Artists: Amine, Offset





Is there anything that you can't find members of Migos involved in that feature on the New Music Friday list every single week? Usually it's Quavo but this week it's Offset and man both Amine and Offset sound truly petty and rather off putting petualant on the latest song to be released from Amine's album where the melody really does belong in a primary school classroom.\

"Wedding Crashers" really is just Amine bragging that he has finally made it as an artist in the music world while taking a dig at the haters and referencing Remy Ma in the process while Offset mentions brands and the Pope in his verse but yeah this one really is one I am going to forget in a few days time.


Rating: 4/10


Song: idont'twannabeyouanymore
Artist: Billie Eilish





I have been looking for an excuse to cover Billie Eilish for awhile largely because I kind of rate her as a talent. Eilish is a fifteen year old hailing from Los Angeles, she has been hailed as the future of pop music with her brand of warped pop by some critics and "idon'twannabeyouanymore" plays to the more introspective side of Eilish compared to a song like "Bellyache" (one of my favourite songs of the year outside of the ARIA Charts).

This song is Eilish being vulnerable and it certainly works with the piano and build into the chorus, its a pretty damn good song. Check it out and while you are at it, also check out "Bellyache"


Rating: 8/10


Other songs:

- "She's on My Mind" by JP Cooper (Not a bad song if you can get past the vocal fragments at the beginning. 7/10)

- "Ahead of Myself" by X Ambassadors (I love the acoustic guitair in this. It's actually a pretty good song all things considered. 6/10)

Best: "Sorry" by Nothing but Thieves
Worst: "Wedding Crashers" by Amine feat. Offset


New Music Friday 28th July

Anastacia returns with "Caught in the Middle" but apart from that, it's all a bit of a surprise so we'll see.

Best Hit Songs of 2017 so far.

Like I said during the worst hit songs of 2017 so far, it's been a pretty damn good year on the charts so far, some terrific songs have done well and I'm actually pretty happy with the top 10 on the ARIA chart right now even allowing for the ridiculous and unnecessary amount of Justin Bieber there is inside that top 10 currently.

The rules for this list is the same, a song only has to appear inside the ARIA top 100 singles during the first half of 2017 in order to make this list which means good songs like "The Man" by The Killers do miss out

Let's start with the Honourable mentions...

Honourable mentions

“Want You Back” by HAIM | Peak: 54

Alana, Danielle and Este are back and I should be honest here, I don’t see “Want You Back” as being anything different to songs from their debut album “Days Are Gone”. That said this is a good a song about a woman wanting her lover back despite the relationship falling apart due to the pair being totally opposite to each other.

“Keep Me Crazy” by Sheppard | Peak: 37

Okay so this may well be a little controversial and I get some of the criticism that was directed at it but “Keep Me Crazy” is a song that gets stuck in my head and yeah I kind of connect with what this song is saying about being in love and wanting to run away with this crazy new love and yeah I do love the harmonies along with the instrumentation and how the final bridge builds into that final chorus/outro. It is nothing like “Geronimo”, I promise you!

“Fresh Eyes” by Andy Grammer | Peak: 5

Now I know this song was released in 2016 BUT it did not peak on the ARIA chart until late January 2017 so quite honestly it needed to be included here because it is a good song which makes me wonder why I haven’t connected to more Andy Grammer songs in recent years. This song has its faults with the production and being in love with a stranger line really doesn’t wash but hey it’s an inoffensive pop song that works on some levels at least for me.

“Way Down We Go” by Kaleo | Peak: 30

I feel like rock is making a slow but steady come back although Finnish band Kaleo really do come off sounding like Hozier rip offs with “Way Down We Go” but ehh as a rare rock song on the charts. I will damn well take it and run, that is for sure.

“Humble” by Kendrick Lamar | Peak 2

I put this in largely because I feel like “HUMBLE” is one of those rare quality hip hop songs that stood out above all the bragging that has virtually almost become an industry within modern day hip hop music. It’s probably right that “HUMBLE” isn’t as good as some of the stuff on “To Pimp a Butterfly” but this song is still hard hitting and Lamar makes his points well. Given hip hop isn’t having a year to remember, this song is really a saving grace.

“Jungle” by Tash Sultana | Peak 39

Tash Sultana is one of those artists that I’ll confess I nearly missed but I am glad I did finally catch on because “Jungle” is a fantastic song from start to finish and her voice just elevates the song to something that I don’t think I can imagine any other artist singing. It just works as a pop song.

So now to our top ten…

10. “It Ain’t Me” by Kygo feat. Selena Gomez

There’s going to be a couple of songs from artists you would not expect to find in a top 10 best hits especially from me and “It Ain’t Me” is one of them, literally because the production suits Selena Gomez limited range and works so well against Kygo’s production and to be honest, it’s the best thing Selena has done in a LONG time.

9. “Adore” by Amy Shark | Peak: 3

A song that suffered for being around at the same time as when Ed Sheeran decided to unleash two songs at once totally dominate the charts early in 2017 for weeks on end but yeah, Adore is just the sweetest song complete with a brutal honesty in the lyrics from Amy Shark which also is something that winds its way through her NightThinker EP.

8. Slide by Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos | Peak: 11

The remarkable highlight of 2017 has been the emergence of Calvin Harris as producing something more than generic EDM bangers as per “This is What You Come for” with Rihanna last year, this time around he pulled in Frank Ocean and Migos for a song that shouldn’t work but somehow works in a way you almost don’t expect. “Slide” is the ultimately the best song of the four that he has released from Funk Wave Bounces Vol. 1 and yeah, it’s a song I keep coming back to.

7.  Water Under the Bridge by Adele | Peak: 23

A song about a relationship getting serious and Adele being frightened by the seriousness of the feelings in this relationship just hits nerves I didn’t know I had. The instrumentation works as does Adele’s vocals in quite the powerful way. Really get into this song every time I hear it. Not quite the best song from 25 but pretty damn close too.

6. Slow Hands by Niall Horan | Peak: 2

Bit lower down because I am struggling to overcome the “Sweat dripping down our dirty laundry” line which is all kinds of gross but still “Slow Hands” is a pretty great song delivered with a lot of maturity. Niall more so than Harry has been the break out star of One Direction which has surprised a lot of people apart from myself…just look at “This Town”. I just love the guitar in this song though.

5. Green Light by Lorde

No one should have been expecting Lorde to recreate something similar to Pure Heroine for her sophomore album especially not now that she is four years older and wiser. “Green Light” was the perfect way to start the “Melodrama” era. A song about Lorde’s first heartache and man, did she ever nail that return. Welcome back, Ella!

4. “I Feel It Coming” by The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk | Peak: 9

The Weeknd isn’t one of those artists that I am naturally drawn too…at least until he released Starboy and hell yeah, I loved this song which yet again combines with Daft Punk. A silky retro sounding song that just gets you slow dancing. Speaking of slow grooves….

3. “That’s What I like” by Bruno Mars | Peak: 5

Another artist who really hasn’t been my cup of tea until he dropped the retro sounding 24k Magic album (it’s a crime it’s so short) and this song just makes me sing-a-long. Should have been a bigger hit in Australia but with “Versace on the Floor”, I guess there’s still a chance Bruno Mars will have a massive hit on his hands.

2. “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton | Peak: 70

This will make some people roll their eyes at me…what’s a genuine country song doing so high up this list? but as far as country songs go, this one is close to perfect…at least as a cover goes. “Tennessee Whiskey” was originally by George Jones whose original is still excellent but damn Stapleton does a good job here, manages to make it all sound extremely raw and emotional which is odd for a song that’s virtually about alcohol but perhaps those listening to Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road" should give this a listen to hear what REAL country music is like.

1. “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran | Peak: 2

I am pissed Ed Sheeran didn’t make this the lone first up single from “Divide” rather than letting get lost in amidst the hype for “Shape of You” largely because “Castle on the Hill” is so much better in that it draws on his past and tells a story that draws on the heart strings along with instrumentation that could have been a U2 song only less sharper and not as edgy as U2 at their best. It’s clearly the best song from “Divide” but yet again this should have been the lone release as lead off single!

ARIA Top Ten: 24th July. Chart goes a little crazy

This week was a bit of a step back and say whoa kind of week with some surprisingly changes in the top 10 and up and down the chart so the top ten is anything less than stable but before we get to the madness that ensued within the top 10, "2U" by David Guetta and Justin Bieber left the top 10 for the 2nd time and slipped back to number 12.

Now to the top 10, "Despacito Remix" by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and the now banned in China Justin Bieber kept the number 1 spot for a tenth week and quite honestly I am not sure what is going to challenge it right now. Sure, it lost number one in the UK but that was largely due to a change of rule that sees a song lose half it's radio airplay etc should it reach 10 weeks at number one (which is a fair enough rule, the charts being stagnant is boring)

Liam Payne and Quavo returned to number 2 with "Strip That Down" and yet compared to "Despacito Remix", it's the streaming that let's it down a little. 

The new UK number one "Wild Thoughts" by DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller remained at number 3. Eh, really not much to say here. Sales not great but streaming is good, hell, it's 2nd to "Despacito Remix" on Spotify which is pretty good right now.

At number 4 is a song that for me gets even more grating every time I hear it, "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons which climbed two places. (I am yet to see the appeal of this song quite honestly)

"Feels" by Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Swan spins it's wheels this week as it remains at number 5.

The biggest surprise this week is the four place drop for "Slow hands" by Niall Horan to number 6. Get the sense that this song has peaked and is on it's way out maybe?

"Mama" by Jonas Blue feat. William Singe regained some of it's lost momentum to return to number 7. It's a good song and deserves to be top 5 if you ask me)

Songs that continue their slow downward spiral are "I'm the one" by DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo and Lil Wayne at number 8 and There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" by Shawn Mendes at number 9 with both dropping a place each.

Returning to the top 10 at number 10 is "Attention" by Charlie Puth. This song's success surprises me largely due to it really not being the best song.

Anyway outside of the top 10. Jessica Mauboy's "Fallin'" sits at the cusp of the top 10 at number 11 which is a pretty epic rise from 25 last week albeit an appearance on The Project seemed to help that song gain some promotion.

:Unforgettable" by French Montana featuring Swae-Lee climbed 4 places to number 18, this song just broke into the top 10 in the USA. Could be well worth a watch on it in terms of the Australian top 10.

Another big climb was by Macklemore with "Glorious" featuring Skylar Grey at number 15 from 22 last week. 

The asinine "Body Like a Back Road" by Sam Hunt continues its unwelcome climb up the ARIA charts hitting number 17 from 23 last week...we can only hope that it has peaked, right, Australia?

Lower down, "Know No Better" by Major Lazer feat. Travis Scott, Camilla Cabello and Quavo climbed ten places to 34

Some big losers include Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" dropping now rather quickly to 21 from 13 last week, "Malibu" by Miley Cyrus to 20, "Praying" by Kesha to 22 off the debut last week.

Maybe the biggest surprise is that "Get Low" by Zedd featuring Liam Payne has dropped out of the top 50 off it's debut at number 39 last week which is very odd. Maybe One Direction fans still distracted by "Strip that Down". Either way it's weird, maybe it'll be back next week

Also dropping out were "That's What I like" by Bruno Mars and "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran which make sense as both had pretty much maxed out their chart life. 

As for new entries...just three of those this week, Selena Gomez scored the highest debut with "Fetish" entering at number 23. Vance Joy's "Lay It On Me" entering at 31 (I really want this song to do well, it is so good). Demi Lovato's "Sorry Not Sorry" entered at number 35.


That wraps up ARIA Top Ten/Chart Review for this week. Don't see anything knocking off "Despacito" at the moment and I don't see anything from the new releases doing it either but yes, New Music Friday will feature Louis Tomlinson's new song along with X Ambassadors, Nothing But Thieves and a new Simon Cowell created boyband. 

New Music Friday Review: Demi returns

We have got one hell of a busy week this week headlined by the returns of Demi Lovato, The Script, and Vance Joy and a new single from Selena Gomez so without delay let's get into this beginning with Vance Joy.



Song: Lay It On Me
Artist: Vance Joy




So Vance Joy is back with his first single since "Fire and the Flood" and its a pretty damn good song. I love how the song builds into the chorus and the lyrics deliver some personality from Vance Joy the song talks about a relationship between two people who have gotten pretty comfortable with each other so much so they are laying it on each other. I really dig this. Give it a listen if you are curious.


Rating: 8/10. I am not fanatical about the drums in this. Feels like there's no steady build or slow down between the verse into the prechorus and then into the chorus which was yeah a little disappointing


Song: Sorry Not Sorry
Artist: Demi Lovato





I cannot be the only person who on first listen thought "Sorry Not Sorry" sounded exactly like a song made for a sophmore album from Meghan Trainor?. Sure it had the quintessential element of a Demi Lovato song that being Lovato belting but this song really did have the unmistakeable vibe of being a Meghan Trainor song in waiting which is odd because Trainor had no part in writing this.
The song is okay if you can get past the Meghan Trainor vibes but if you can't, it's probably better if you steer clear.


Rating: 6/10. I guess I can come back to it occasionally. Demi has done better though.


Song: Fetish
Artist(s): Selena Gomez, Gucci Mane




I've done a 180 on "Bad Liar" since I reviewed a month or so ago, I can't stand it now due to the fact Selena sounds so off key and that chorus has got to be most annoying thing I have ever heard so quite honestly I was looking forward to "Fetish" which was said to have been pretty good at tthe time so what did we get with the newest song off Selena's next album? It's pretty much take 300 of Selena Gomez trying desperately to be sexy and not quite pulling it off. Honestly, there's just nothing about this "I'm trying so very hard to be sexy" song and lyrically it doesn't make sense in that apparently this guy has a fetish for Selena's love but I thought fetishes were supposed to be for some part of the body and not for love? Eh, whatever the case this song is really isn't anything that the hype suggested it would be.


Rating: 4/10



Song: Rain
Artist; The Script




The Script are back with the lead off single from their forthcoming new album and I have to say I am hearing a serious shift in the same direction as Lukas Graham and I am really not sure it works here for them. It's still a listenable enough song but maybe it's one for just out and out fans of The Script. Not sure I really connected with what they are trying to convey.


Rating: 5/10


Other songs to note:
"Summer Bummer" by Lana Del Rey feat. A$AP Rocky (Well at least this is somewhat less boring than some of Lana's previous work. I am not a massive Lana fan. This is an interesting song. 7/10)

"Don't Tell Me" by Ruel (A 14 year old kid writing songs like this. I am really impressed. Check this song out if you haven't already. 8/10)

"Goodbye" by Echosmith (Ehh. It's not bad per se but really the only really good thing about it is that solid guitar riff to open the song. Disappointing we don't hear it again for the rest of the track. 4/10)

"Kingdom" by Dan Sultan (Another cracking song from upcoming new album "Killer". Out next week, everyone!. This song is just superb. 9/10)


Best song: "Lay It on Me" by Vance Joy. Just something that keeps me going back for more. Check it out if you are curious.


Worst: Nothing outrageously awful this week but I am giving it to "Fetish" by Selena Gomez and Gucci Mane for the overtly try hard to be sexy feel of the song, it's obvious in the accompanying video clip which really is uncomfortable to watch.


Next New Music Friday.

"Back to you" by Louis Tomlinson feat. Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals is set to be released tomorrow. Beyond that, I am not sure what to expect.

ARIA Top Ten: July 17th. Don't be afraid to catch feels and stay the same

This week's ARIA top ten blog is going to be pretty short this week cause not a great deal happened apart from one or two shifts within the top ten. Charlie Puth's "Attention" did however leave the top ten replaced by a song that sounds like something Daniel Bedingfield was doing years ago that returned to the top ten this week but we'll get to that.

It's week number nine for Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber with "Despacito (Remix)". Look, it's going to be awhile yet before we get a new number one even though the remix is about as necessary as buying a toupee for Donald Trump because it is just dominating everything including streaming and sales.

That means it's a 2nd week at number 2 for Niall Horan's "Slow Hands" but I don't see this getting to number 1 and yet again it's because of streaming. It's just not doing well on Spotify or any of the other streaming apps. It's at number 12 on Spotify in Australia which is not a good sign.

Perhaps the most imminent danger to "Despacito Remix" lies at number 3 with DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller with "Wild Thoughts" but it remains at number 3 due to sales numbers not really doing enough to knock on "Slow Hands" despite it's streams being better.


Liam Payne and Quavo remain at number 4 with "Strip That Down".

Coming after is the biggest mover inside the top 10 with Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean breaking into the top 5 with "Feels" and right now, it could very well have some serious momentum behind it to climb further so we'll see having climbed 4 places.

"Thunder" by Imagine Dragons remains at number 6.

"I'm The One" by DJ Khaled and co dropped to number 7, "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" by Shawn Mendes dropped to number 8 and "Mama" by Jonas Blue dropped to 9 because all three look like their run in the top 10 is coming to an end.

Rounding out the top 10 is a Daniel Bedingfield sound alike "2U" by David Guetta featuring Justin Bieber.


Only two new entries this week, it's welcome back to the ARIA Chart after 5 years away for Kesha with "Praying" entering the chart at number 19. I honestly hope this song is massive for her.


The other new entry came from Zedd and Liam Payne with "Get Low" entering at number 39

And that really rounds out the week but Australia, did we really need Sam Hunt's "Body Like A Back Road" to climb twenty places to number 23 this week, we don't need an Uncle Kracker rip off with less personality in the top 20.

Anyway Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez new singles look set to enter the ARIA chart next week but before that New Music Friday Review. See you then!

ARIA Top Ten: July 10: The Voice Australia finale impacts.

We're back to the days of when Australian Idol ruled the music charts...well,,,not quite but it was a big week for acts that appeared on The Voice Australia finale, you'll see what I mean as we go on but it was a big week particularly for those who have already hit the jackpot on music contracts more so those on The Voice Australia seeking a recording contract.

Firstly we unsurprisingly lost Miley Cyrus's "Malibu" and the actual somewhat of a surprise loss of "2U" by David Guetta and Justin Bieber (Only been in the chart 4 weeks and only 3 inside the top 10 bit disturbing considering the feature act is Bieber. Come on).

No surprises with number one though with "Despacito Remix" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber spending an 8th week at number one but there are some kinds of weakness here. It didn't have it's strongest week on iTunes with it dropping from number 1 there and not exactly ruling on Youtube right now but it still rules streaming on Spotify right now.


The first of the beneficiaries from performing on The Voice finale is Niall Horan whose single "Slow Hands" has climbed number 2, Horan's highest charting single so far, the thing holding it back from number 1 is poor streaming figures and when you consider that "Despacito Remix" is being held up at number 1 by streaming than that isn't a good sign for "Slow Hands"


DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller dropped to number 3, it's still the closest thing to "Despacito Remix" on streaming but it lost out badly on Youtube this week,

At number 4 is "Strip That Down" by Liam Payne and Quavo, I feel like this song has peaked and is now. It's lost traction on Youtube and also on streaming.


Also losing ground was "I'm The One" by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo and Lil Wayne at number 5. Mainly through Youtube and also suffering due to radio being more interested in DJ Khaled's song with Rihanna and Bryson Tiller.


Not sure what brought this on with the album released two weeks ago but Imagine Dragons climbed six places to number six with "Thunder" continuing a trend that's happened around the world lately with this song doing rather well on a number of charts including in the UK.

"There's Nothing Holding Me Back" by Shawn Mendes switched places with "Mama" by Jonas Blue featuring William Singe to go to number 7 with the latter dropping to number 8


However "Thunder" is not the biggest mover this week with "Feels" by Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean jumping from number 26 all the way to number 9 off the back of the release of Harris's new album. I like this song a lot so am happy to see it in the top 10.


Rounding out the top 10 is Charlie Puth with "Attention" for a second week.


Only two new entries to the chart this week with The Voice Australia winner Judah Kelly debuting at number 19 with his debut single "Count on Me". It's a pretty cool song, might do well with a good video.





The other debut came from The Voice Australia runner up Hoseah Partsch debuting at number 35 with his debut "Paper Planes" but it is not going to help this go further up the chart if it's not going to be on Spotify!. Not as sold on this song but we'll see...


So that wraps up what was a The Voice Australia dominated ARIA Chart this week. Next week, we'll find out the impact of Kesha's new single.

My Top 10 Worst Hit Songs at halfway point of 2017

2017 to date has been a pretty good year for popular music, songs that were good to great became hits, the songs that were mediocre to awful got what they deserved but some of those god awful songs somehow slipped through the cracks to have a chart run unfortunately. There's only one rule for this list, the song needs to have appeared on the ARIA top 100 at some point in 2017, this list is purely based on my opinion.

Let's get to those songs that have been forgettable rather than outright bad.

Dishonourable Mentions

"Issues" by Julia Michaels | Peak: 5

Largely due to this song just purely being a hit for the hook and the chorus but other than a decent hook and chorus there is really nothing to this song about a relationship hitting crisis point, it just lacks emotional depth and the instrumentation is nothing special.

"Play That Song" by Train |  Peak: 8

Somehow this song wound up as a top ten hit and I have no idea why. The lyrics are god damn AWFUL "Play that song the one that makes me go all night long". What the hell? Music is not designed to be some bizarre form of increasing a woman's sexual performance in the sack.


"Despacito Remix" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber | Peak: 1
It being unnecessary doesn't make this a bad song per se so I couldn't bring myself to put this in the top 10 worst songs of the year so far, the original was going to be a hit around the world regardless and the recent behaviour of Justin Bieber by refusing to learn the words to the song show just how blatantly unnecessary the remix is. I'll take the original ANY DAY over this remix.


"Now or Never" by Halsey | Peak: 16
The lady who thinks she is alternative but continues to write blatantly awful pop songs as "Now or Never" demonstrates. The production and lyrics are sloppy and boring. Halsey attempts to be sexy and she doesn't pull it off at all. This isn't as bad as "New Americana" but geez, Halsey can stop pretending she's an alternative artist cause she is anything but.


Rightio so that's the mediocre at the midway point of 2017, now for the absolute worst of 2017 so far.


10. "I'm The One" by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo and Lil Wayne | Peak: 1

So you would think there would be a real swagger in a song about being the one guy for any woman but truth be told none of the artists involved with this song deliver much swagger apart from maybe Chance the Rapper. Bieber's vocals are passable but he really doesn't deliver that passion or that edge that would hook me into a song that supposed to be about being number 1. Lil Wayne steers the song way off course with references to Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's relationship which was abusive and toxic!. All in all, its just not a good song at all. Saved from being higher up because there's far worse ahead.


9. "Heavy" by Linkin Park and Kiiara | Peak: 33

I was really looking forward to seeing what Linkin Park were going to do and how they would change things up while keep their sound...until they veered way too far in the direction of pop which okay given pop/EDM/dance are kind of the big trends at the moment, maybe it's not the worst move but is "Heavy" really the best result of that new sound from Linkin Park. A bland,somewhat forgettable song that I really haven't been in a hurry to hear again. Ugh.


8. "Everyday" by Ariana Grande feat. Future  | Peak: 96

Yeah, this song makes this list purely for that shit chorus which is basically Ariana repeating "He give it to me" and Future repeating one word "Everyday", there used to be a time when choruses would have some depth or point to them but clearly judging by this, there's no need. There's just nothing to this song lyrically and the production is absolutely TERRIBLE, Ariana's vocals don't save it.


7. "Bad and Boujee" by Lil Uzi Vert feat. Migos. | Peak: 34

This song is why on occasion the ARIA Chart is better than the Billboard Hot 100, this lazy garbage inspired from a meme only peaked at number 34 on the ARIA chart but somehow it got to number 1 on the Hot 100, USA, what were you thinking?. Lil Uzi Vert can't stay on the beat to save himself here and most of Migos contribution is purely shallow bragging. Can we pretend this song NEVER happened?

6. "Mo Bounce" by Iggy Azalea | Peak: 63

Well we can be grateful for small mercies, this song got the short shrift it deserved chart wise, it seems people are sick of the big arse anthems. Any song that has to repeat the title over 100 times is not worth my time to listen to it. Says as much I can't get through the video without laughing. Seriously, Iggy, come back when you have something remotely interesting to say.


5. "Still Got Time" by Zayn feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR | Peak: 20

2017 has so far been the year of Drake and unfortunately the forgettable "I wanna be like Drake club" and at the top of that list is Zayn Malik's effort in teaming up with PARTYNEXTDOOR for this drone called "Still Got Time" which I think is an absolute waste of Zayn's talent as a vocalist, he can do so much better than this mess of a song and probably the fact that he disappointed with this song is the reason it's up so high on this list.


4. "Cold" by Maroon 5 feat. Future | Peak: 27

A sterile song with not a lot to say really, it's more about Adam Levine as a solo artist now than about Maroon 5 as a band but honestly this song lacks any killer punch or any reason for it to stay inside your head so yeah fair to say I am really very cold on this song and I don't see myself warming to it any time soon.



3. "Kissing Strangers" by DNCE feat. Nicki Minaj | Peak 96

The reason this abomination is here is not because of the production which is actually pretty catchy and does get stuck in your head but do we really need a song advocating kissing random people until finding somebody they love. You'd hope DNCE understand that sharing a bond or connection with somebody special is also apart of being in love not just kissing.



2, "Bon Appetit" by Katy Perry feat. Migos. | Peak: 35


This song has got to be one of the stupidest and most ill concieved pop songs to appear on the charts in ages. It basically uses all manner of food double entendres as Katy Perry sings about smelling seduction, "fresh out of the oven" and "spread at the buffet". Really? Food double entendres as a method of singing about sex become boring and stupid back when Justin Timberlake made a song using them and no giving Migos a third of a verse each does nothing to improve the song. That said given the lack of single friendly songs on "Witness", kind of not surprised they released this mess.


"Bon Appetit" is bad but wasn't bad enough to claim number 1, so what could possibly be so bad to top it?


1. "Body like a Back Road" by Sam Hunt | Peak: 48 (It's still climbing the Australian charts too)

This thinly disguised excuse of a 'country' song (it's barely country) sees Sam Hunt claim he has explored his partner's body so much he knows her body as well as he knows a road riddled with cracks, pot holes and generally is in a state of disrepair. WTF? Fair to say if he ever did that to me, he'd be shown the door pretty damn quick.

Everything to be said about how utterly redundant and stupid this song is is in the line "Imma take it slow just as fast as I can"? It makes Pat Monahan from Train look like a lyrical genius and I outlined how bad lyrically "Play that Song" is.

Gah. Please don't let this song stick around. 48 and out of the top 50 next week, Please, Australia?


Anyway, we'll flip over the coin and look my best hit songs of this year so far plus the ARIA top 10 for this week as there have been some big moves on that front.

ARIA Top Ten 19th June 2017: Bieber here, Bieber there, Bieber everywhere

It's been an interesting week on the ARIA charts. Plenty of movement all over the place and it saw the exit of "Symphony" by Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson from the top ten after reaching a peak of number 2.

No change at number 1 though with "Depacito (Remix" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber remaining at number one for a fifth week despite proving Bieber proving the remix is completely unnecessary wit his behaviour through the week in refusing to perform Despacito because he didn't know the words.. How hard is it to learn the words of the song that is likely your biggest hit since "Love Yourself"? Sheesh. Grow up, Bieber and get professional, your fans are going to request it at your shows.

At number 2 is a new entry for David Guetta and Justin Bieber called "2U". Personally don't mind this song. It's far and away the best of the three soings that Bieber is involved with that are on the chart (I prefer the original version of Despacito).

Liam Payne and Quavo move up two places to number three with "Strip that Down". Check out the acoustic version of this song that Payne performed. It is exquisite.

Despite having all the swagger of a toddler in toilet training, "I'm The One" by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo and Lil Wayne drops to number 4. Making it the third song inside the top 5 where Bieber is a feature artist.

Niall Horan, unfortunately, drops to number 5 with the excellent "Slow Hands"

Shawn Mendes falls two places to number 6 this week with "There's Nothing Holding Me Back"

"Malibu" by Miley Cyrus drops to number 7 from number 6 last week, She has a new song out called "Inspired"

"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran" continues it's slow, plodding fall from the top 10, it drops one place to number 8. Sheeran held off Katy Perry's new album "Witness" to hang onto the number one spot on the album chart this week, faces a stronger challenge next with the arrival of Lorde's album "Melodrama".

Sheeran's second song "Galway Girl" also dropped one place to number 9.

While Kendrick Lamar's hit "HUMBLE" looks headed for the top ten exit after it fell one place to number 10.

Only two new entries beyond the top ten and they are quite low down, an appearance on The Voice Australia helped The Veronicas enter the chart at number 41,

While French Montana's collaboration with Rae Sremmurd's Swae Lee entitled "Unforgettable" has entered the chart at 46, its actually a big hit in the UK right now at number 3 and inside the top 20 at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 so this song could do well in Australia.


So that wraps up the ARIA Chart top ten run down. New Music Friday Review to feature George Ezra, Shania Twain and Calvin Harris amongst others. Toward the end of the month I am going to have a couple of mid year lists with top 10 best and worst hit songs of 2017 plus my top 20 songs of 2017 so far.

New Music Friday Review: One of the best pop songs of 2017 has landed

It's time to review some of the new music unleashed on New Music Friday. Some big releases including Nick Jonas, Little Mix and Rita Ora.

Song: Remember I Told You
Artists: Nick Jonas, Anne Marie, Mike Posner




Oh man, we have found a confused Nick Jonas here, trying to be all Drake in the verses but then pulling out his best Justin Timberlake impersonation for the chorus, that said the song generally isn't all that bad. Anne Marie gives it a bit of life when she plays her role as the woman in the relationship gone. Mike Posner delivers a pretty braggy but on point chorus.

Rating: It's an okay song I guess. 6/10


Song; Mended
Artist: Vera Blue




The second single from Vera Blue's forthcoming new album. "Mended" is a song" about an unresolved relationship and I have to say I do kind of like this, yeah, lyrically its a bit short on detail but for a spacious song like this which allows for Vera Blue's voice to shine, I'm not so sure the extra detail is needed. I'll take this. Good song

Rating: 7/10



Song: Power
Artists: Little Mix feat. Stormzy





Well the girls load up on the power in their vocals and also go down the path of a little bit of rap in this song and it sounds absolutely fantastic but yet again we come back to the old issue with Little Mix and god damn it ruined "No More Sad Songs" for me which is their constant pedance of needing rappers for guest vocals in their songs, this time inviting Stormzy to rap on this track which to me adds absolutely nothing to what could be a great song instead it's just good.


Rating: The unnecessary Stormzy guest pushes it back to a 6/10



Song: Your Song
Artist: Rita Ora.





Speaking of Little Mix, Rita Ora's lyrics in "Your Song" sound like they have been taking inspiration from Little Mix's "No More Sad Songs". Really musically there's not much to this song apart from Ora telling her lover that she's had enough of sad songs and that she only wants to hear her lover's song because it makes her feel good. Meh.

Rating: 5/10. Bit boring.




Song: Cut to the Feeling
Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen





I am no fan of Carly Rae Jepsen here, "Call me Maybe" still infuriates me to this day so I was half inclined not to bother with "Cut to the Feeling" but boy am I glad I did decide to give it a listen because this song is damn good, very summery vibe which isn't great for winter in Australia but its perfect timing in the US where summer is just starting. In the words of another Jepsen song, I really really really like this. Check it out if fun old school pop is your thing


Rating: 8/10


Song: There for You
Artist: Martin Garrix featuring. Troye Sivan





Martin Garrix is following up his single "Scared to be Lonely" which featured Dua Lipa with a more upbeat vibe compared to "Scared to Be Loney" and I kind of like this more a bit more than "Scared to be Lonely". Its a song about being there for a friend or lover (although Sivan took to Twitter to say it was about his fans) and yeah I don't hate this, it kind of works. Sivan's vocal is nice enough.


Rating: 7/10



Song: New Takeover
Artist: Stan Walker




Former Australian Idol winner Stan Walker is back with a song entitled "New Takeover" and yeah, I wish I could say I am a fan of this but ugh, why is it that every R&B artist thinks that in order to get a hit song, they have to copy or attempt to copy Drake's sounds. It's all a bit forgettable. Pass on this.


Rating: 3/10


Other songs to check out:
"Circles on the Water" by Samantha Jade 7/10
"Cali God" by Grace Mitchell 8/10
"Strangers" by Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui (Yes, Lauren from 5th Harmony) - 2/10



Best new song

I'm giving it to Carly Rae Jepsen for "Cut to the Feeling". Been a long time since we had a feel good pop song as good as this one in the charts


Worst new song

"New Takeover" by Stan Walker. Bored of the attempted Drake sound-a-likes already.


Next New Music Friday

"Down" by Fifith Harmony (feat. Gucci Mane)
Unknown new single from Lorde
"The Only High" by The Veronicas
"Uh Huh" by Julia Michaels


Later today, "Step back in time" goes back to 1990 so see you then,

ARIA Chart top 10 May 22:

It really was just a matter of time before it happened, we have a new number one and it was all so predictable when the song first dropped but before we get to that we lost "Stay" by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara from the top ten, it sits at number 12.

"Despacito Remix" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber is your new number one despite this remix being just about the thing the current charts needed the least because the original of "Despacito" is a pretty good song and I'll repeat my point from last week, the fact its number one is not down to the charm or singing of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee but down to the fact that despite Justin Bieber being an absolute disrespectful twat, there are still people who are willing enough to buy this instead of the original of "Despacito". Ugh!

At number two is a song with less personalty or swagger than a face that's been plugged full of botox, "I'm the One" drops off the number one spot for DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne and Quavo because yet again if Justin Bieber wasn't involved, it wouldn't be a hit.

At number three is a new entry courtesy of Miley Cyrus with "Malibu" which is just about this song's best debut performance this week around the world apart from Scotland where it entered at number 2 there. I know there's been a mixed reaction from critics but I think this song is okay.

Harry Styles gets a sizeable new album boost for "Sign of the Times" which jumped from 9 all the way up to 4, his album is the ARIA number one album and isn't all that bad despite the first two single releases.

At number 5 sits "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran down from 3 last week and quite honestly I don't know where its getting to get a boost from to help go any further up the chart.

"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran continues to travel down the top ten but only as far as number 6 down from 4 last week.

"Humble" by Kendrick Lamar continues to stick around quite surprisingly at number 7. I mean sure its a drop of two places but this song is doing rather well all things considered.

Shawn Mendes sits at number 8 with "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" down from 6 last week. Its probably likely to slide out of the top 10 in the next two weeks unless something totally weird happens,

"Symphony" by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson looks like making a hasty exit from the top 10 which is a pity because its a decent song, it dropped from 7 to 9 this week. 

Rounding out the top 10 is "Something Just Like this" by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay which also dropped two places and I suspect with all the new entries coming next week, this song and "Symphony" might very well fall out of the top 10 next week.

As for new entries outside of the top ten, there were two that I looked at on New Music Friday, neither I thought that were that good really but "Rollin'" by Calvin Harris featuring Future and Khalid debuted at 40 and Harry Styles "Sweet Creature" debuted at number 45.

There's so much instability on the ARIA chart at the moment, will we get another new number one next week courtesy of Miley Cyrus or maybe a new song going straight to the top? We can only wait and see until then be sure to check out this week's New Friday Music Review featuring the new songs for Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, Iggy Azalea and Liam Payne and also Step Back in Time which went back to this past week in May 1989.

So until Thursday for Step Back in Time where are going to go back to 1998, I'll see you all then.

New Music Friday Review: Miley Cyrus, Calvin Harris, Logic

So we actually got a pretty low key New Music Friday this week with the biggest releases worldwide being the new singles for Miley Cyrus and Calvin Harris plus some fantastic new music from Dan Sultan which I will get to in a little while

Song: Malibu
Artist: Miley Cyrus



I have to be honest I cringed when I learned Miley Cyrus was releasing new music mainly because of the direction she had gone in with this overtly sexual nonsense and outrageous antics that made people either love her or just flat out hate her, there was no middle ground with Miley!

Well, like it or not, Miley is back with a folky pop song called "Malibu" and yeah, the lyrics are a bit clunky in parts but I really like this, its a cute love song to her fiance Liam Hemsworth with a lovely sentiment and REAL GUITARS!. If this is the direction that Miley is headed in, I'm all ears.

Rating: 7/10. I like it. I can't help it.


Song: Rollin'
Artist(s): Calvin Harris featuring Future and Khalid





Calvin Harris has announced that he is dropping his new album on June 30th which is expected to feature the likes of Katy Perry (there's talk of a 'revenge' song aimed at Taylor Swift which I think is kind of childish) and Rollin' is the latest song and I have to say its probably the worst of the three that Harris has released so far this year.
The buzzing weird noise really does drive me a little crazy and to a certain extent makes me want to turn the track off. I can barely understand what Future is singing either. Gah. Just pass.

Rating: 4/10


Song: 1-800-273-8255
Artist(s): Logic, Alessia Cara, Khalid




I'll be honest I am not sure I am the right person to review this song given what this song is about and it does kind of strike a chord with me having a family member battling mental health issues.

The title is the number of the American Suicide Prevention line and according to Logic (via Genius website. Look it up if you want the lyrics to your favourite song) the song is about somebody who is thinking of committing suicide and talks to the National Suicide Prevention Line and realizes that he actually wants to live after all.

Alessia Cara and Khalid play their roles very well and sound fantastic. Cara's vocal on the song is impressive.

So yeah, its up to you and what you think of it on this one because I don't think I can give this one any kind of rating due to the subject matter because I think Logic has some guts to go there and address this.

Rating: Listen to the song/10


Song: Whatever It Takes
Artist: Imagine Dragons





Oh boy, the Imagine Dragons enter the world of rap in the verses for this one and I am not sure it works. Also is it just me but "Whatever It takes" sounds as close to a Coldplay song in the chorus?.

The song's sentiment is alright, its about being the best at whatever it is you do and knocking down barriers in the way to get there. I think Imagine Dragons fans will like this but as a casual listener, its probably likely to be forgotten about.

Rating: 4/10


Song: Right Now
Artist: HAIM




If ever there was a case where I preferred the live version, its here. This doesn't work for me whatsoever. Sparse piano and synths, drums finally kick in at the end. I think I'll be sticking to "Want You Back". Sorry.

Rating: 5/10


Song: Hold It Together
Artist: Dan Sultan



Ahh yes, Dan Sultan follows up "Magnetic" with "Hold It Together" from his forthcoming new album and man, I am looking forward to that album every time I hear either "Magnetic" or this song. because this is just another piece of funk and soul that goes straight to your heart, its a terrific song.

Rating: 9/10

Best of the week: Dan Sultan is running away with this for "Hold it Together"

Worst of the week: Imagine Dragons for sounding a little too close to Coldplay in "Whatever it Takes"

What to expect next week: 
"Strip that Down" by Liam Payne featuring Quavo
"The Way I Are" by Bebe Rexha feat. Lil Wayne
(As if we need anymore Quavo or Lil Wayne on the charts)
"Bad Liar" by Selena Gomez
"Switch" by Iggy Azalea feat. Anitta

There may be more on the way that aren't known about. See you all again soon.

ARIA Top Ten May 15th: Bieber dominates again

The week has been dominated by Justin Bieber even though the two tracks that lie top of the ARIA chart this week even though both aren't chiefly accredited to him. The top 10 remains chiefly the same with no songs dropping from the top 10 this week.

"I'm The One" by DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo and Lil Wayne remains at number 1 this week after debuting at the top last week. I would question if Bieber wasn't involved as to whether this uninteresting brag rap track would have got to number one because lets face it there's no real swagger or anything in this. Also its not the last time we'll hear from Quavo tonight,

Could also question whether or not "Despacito Remix" which sits at number 2 would have gotten to its lofty position if Bieber had not been involved, it climbed 8 places to reach the 2nd place slot.

At number 3 sits "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran which climbed one place and passing Sheeran's former number one "Shape of You" which dropped 2 places to number 4

Also down two places this week is Kendrick Lamar's "Humble", his biggest solo hit worldwide even "Alright" and "King Kunta" from the "To Pimp A Butterfly" album did this well.

Shawn Mendes remains at number 6 this week with "There's Nothing Holding Me Back".

Unfortunately "Symphony" by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson dropped two places to number 7.

"Something just like this" by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay dropped one place to number 8.

Harry Styles will be hoping for a double boost from the release of the video for "Sign of The Times" and the release of his debut solo album for a bounce back up the charts after "Sign of the times" remained at number 9 this week.

Rounding out the top 10 is "Stay" by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara which dropped two places from number 8.

As for the new entries this week. 'Slow Hands" by Niall Horan has debuted on the cusp of the top 10 at number 11, watch for that to climb when there's finally a video for it. It's a decent song.

Speaking of decent songs "Mama" by Jonas Blue featuring William Singe has entered the chart at number 37. I actually do like this for some reason that I cannot explain,





On the not so good front, "Congratulations" by Post Malone featuring Quavo has debuted at number 45. What people see in this song, I have no idea.





So next week should see Miley Cyrus and probably a number of tracks from Harry Styles album enter the chart. I have a feeling Miley may well be a player for the top ten next week but we'll see what happens.

New Music Review: Shannon Noll, Niall Horan and more!

So its time for the New Music Friday Review and what is likely to enter the ARIA chart at 5pm on Saturday and to be honest, its a LOT better than last week. We won't start with the biggest and most obvious single drops but with a man who really should have won Australian Idol.

Song: Southern Sky
Artist: Shannon Noll

Nollsie is back with maybe his most typically Australian song yet and you know what? I love it. Shannon has this real country vibe within the song and the lyrics just enscapulate the spirit of Australia. Job well done, Shannon!

Rating: 8/10




Song: Slow Hands
Artist: Niall Horan

I continue to be impressed with Niall Horan and as such I wonder if Katy Perry could take advice from Mr Horan in regard to writing songs that are actually sexy because man as a song "Slow Hands" is seductive. This is an impressive follow up to This Town from the real break out star of One Direction's hiatus, Looking forward to that album, Niall!

Rating: 9/10 (Its a damn good sexy winter jam)




Song: Sweet Creature
Artist: Harry Styles

The reason why I say Niall is the break out star of One Direction is because I am not overtly impressed with "Sweet Creature" by Harry Styles, it would seem Harry has been dipping a bit into the classic rock stylings of The Beatles in order to come up with "Sweet Creature" and unfortunately it sounds an awful lot like "Blackbird" which isn't a good sign for a young man basically wanting to be an original artist of his own.

Rating: 4/10 (I don't take blatant rip offs too well)


Song: Want You Back
Artist: HAIM

Finally Este, Alana and Danielle are back with the first single off their second album after what has seemed like an extremely long time away and really "Want You Back" doesn't break what HAIM are good at, that modern southern California sound, you could argue that it really could very well have been an addition to "Days Are Gone" but hey its a good song and I really do like it.

Rating: 8/10






Song: Amsterdam
Artist: Nothing But Thieves

"Amsterdam" is the first single from Nothing but Thieves new album entitled "Broken Machine" which is out in September and its a pure rock jam. May not be everyone's kind of thing though but damn to me this song is just awesome.

Rating: 9/10





Song: Told You So
Artist: Paramore

Eh, I think prefer "Hard Times" to this. This song really doesn't work at all. Jumpy production and I can barely hear Hayley or understand what she's singing at some points. Not good.

Rating: 3/10







Song: Bring it Back
Artist: Lil Yachty

So we get Lil Yachty's singing debut and I guess it could have been worse. For one thing the very 80s sound and production is at least interesting but yet again at times Lil Yachty makes himself sound unintelligible but I just hope there's better on the album.

Rating: 5/10







Other Songs to check out
"Torchlight" by Missy Higgins (Like this a lot. 8/10)
"Eyes Closed" by Halsey (Your stock standard Halsey track really. Nothing remarkable about it 5/10)
"Sweet Girl" by Kyle Lionhart (Now this is a good song, can't believe "Come Back home" isn't a hit. 8/10)


Best of the week
It's a real bunfight for best of the week this week. I'm giving it to "Amsterdam" by Nothing But Thieves. It edges out "Southern Sky", "Slow Hands" and "Want You Back"

Worst of the week
Sorry Paramore fans but "Told You So" is getting it for way to jumpy production.

What to expect next week

Brand new Miley Cyrus single called "Malibu", having heard a snippet I am looking forward hearing "Malibu" in full.

It also appears Bebe Rexha may have something in store musically tomorrow.

ARIA Top 10 8th May

So this week turned to be normal in that it was relatively quiet with four new entries but a couple of big shifts up the chart for a couple of songs except that we have a new number one...Oh god...I'll get to that in a minute but unfortunately we lost Lorde's "Green Light" and Lady Gaga's "The Cure" from the top 10.

So our new number 1 is "I'm the One" by DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne and it goes number 1 on debut in the chart. Let's be honest here, the only reason this song is number 1 is because of the involvement of Justin Bieber on the track because there is nothing remotely interesting about this song, its just your quintessential brag rap song with the most unimiaginative chorus of all time.

Heck, I might be completely tired of "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran but I'd have preferred a sixteenth week at number one for "Shape of You" which instead dropped to number 2 this week.

Even Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" would have been a better number one but no it remains at number 3.

The 2nd Ed Sheeran song in the top 10 is "Galway Girl" which dropped from number 2 to number 4. Sheeran released the video for "Galway Girl" during the week so it will be interesting to see if that gives the song a boost back up toward number 1.

Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson drop one place with "Symphony" to number 5

Meanwhile Shawn Mendes has climbed two places with "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" to number 6. Could break top 5 next week.

Dropping out of the top 5 is The Chainsmokers and Coldplay with "Something Just Like This" dropping to number 7. The Chainsmokers recently celebrated a year in the US Billboard Hot 100, they've been a stape on that chart for a year now. Yikes

At number 8 is "Stay" Zedd featuring Alessia Cara. a one spot drop for them. \

"Sign of the Times" dropped three places for Harry Styles because the song doesn't have a video yet. What the hell is doing there? Surely its not going to repeat the mistake of Louis Tomlinson's "Just Hold on"? Hurry up and get a video up, Harry. Expect "Sweet Creature" to debut inside top 10 next week.

Finally the biggest mover of the week, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber climbed from 26 to enter the top 10 at number 10 and yet again I question whether this song would be a hit if it weren't for Bieber's involvement. The original didn't chart altogether in Australia, it has to be said.

Of the other new entries the best of those outside of the top 10 was Kygo and Ellie Goulding's "First Time" entering at number 29.

"Bon Appetit" by Katy Perry and Migos (gets worse every time I hear it) enters at number 35.

"Attention" by Charlie Puth enters at number 41

We can only hope this week's new releases bring some quality to the ARIA chart next week, I hold out hope Niall Horan can grab number 1 with "Slow hands". Will have New Music Friday review up tomorrow at some point.

ARIA Top 10 May 1: Ed number 1 again.

The charts definitely have returned to normal this week. Normal in that the song at the top is no surprise and we have 4 new entries one of those in the top 10 and 2 of them that I haven't reviewed through New Music Friday Review so better get through this.

Unfortunately this week saw "It Ain't Me" by Kygo and Selena Gomez and "That's What I like" by Bruno Mars drop from the top ten to 11 and 12 respectively. Not good from my personal point of view because I do like both songs.

At number 1 for a 15th week and slowly but surely ensuring a stranglehold on the year end number one spot is "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran, Surely people are growing tired of this song by now? Surely?

At number 2 is Ed Sheeran's most recent single release "Galway Girl" which stands a good shot of taking number one considering that there's still no video for it yet and is one of the best songs from Divide.

"Humble" has humbly fallen one spot for Kendrick Lamar to number 3 after the boost that the release of "Damn" gave "Humble". In fact "DNA", "LOYALTY" and "LOVE" also dropped places this week.

Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson replaced Ed Sheeran at number 1 in the UK this week but "Symphony" could only jump 2 places to number 4 this week in Australia.

"Something Just Like this" drops to number 5 for the Chainsmokers and Coldplay. Worrying for The Chainsmokers is that that no songs from their new album have landed on the charts.

Harry Styles announced a tour overnight which included playing one small venue each in Sydney and Melbourne but "Sign of the Times" drops one place to number 6. It needs a video to go higher, Harry...

Zedd and Alessia Cara's song "Stay" does stay where it is this week at number 7. Alessia Cara's new single "The Other Side" is out now and well worth a listen.

Now we get to the big top ten debut for Shawn Mendes with "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" entering the chart number 8. Should have expected this given social media push behind Mendes. I did review this song in a recent New Music Friday Review blog, I'm pretty ambivalent about this song if I am honest.

Lorde remains at number 9 with "Green Light"

Rounding out the top 10 is Lady Gaga who climbed 7 places to number 10 with "The Cure"

Now to the new entries outside of the top 10 and we go down to number 26 where we find "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee. I have been waiting for this song to enter the ARIA chart for months, while "Shape of You has been dominant in Australia and around the US and the UK. "Despacito" has dominated the charts in Latin America and in parts of Europe, it went number 1 in Germany this week  and it seems that because there's a remix of this song with Justin Bieber involved, its finally seen "Despacito" land on the Australian chart.



Now I am really happy about this next new entry which has also gotten some chart attention around the world and is finally starting to pick up radio airplay in Australia. Hailing from Iceland, Kaleo have debuted at number 40 on the ARIA singles chart this week with their song from 2015 entitled "Way Down We Go". I do love this song even though, yes, it sounds very similar to Hozier but I'll take it. We need some rock on the charts.




Wrapping up the new entries for the week is Lana Del Ray and The Weeknd's collaboration "Lust For Life" (the title track of Del Ray's new album) which has entered the chart at number 44.

Alright that ends another somewhat busy week on the chart on reflection. How long can Ed stay number one for with "Shape Of You" and who is going to challenge it? Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson? Kendrick Lamar? Ed himself? Or one of the new entries dropped yesterday.

Hopefully will have a new 2017 Music Odyessy blog this week, If not see you next week for New Music Friday Review and the ARIA Top 10

ARIA Top 10 April 24

This week saw an odd sense of normality come back to the chart if only for album tracks from Kendrick Lamar's album DAMN to hit the chart (there's about three of them that have entered the chart this week) but we'll get to those.

The top ten sees an old number one with "Shape of You" returning to the summit after a one week break thanks to Harry Styles. It's a fourteenth week at number 1 for "Shape Of You" which means it now overtakes Coolio's 1995 hit "Gangsta's Paradise" for longest running ARIA chart topper. Its a song I can tolerate but its not one of my favourite ever chart toppers, we have had worse number 1 songs than this.

At number 2 on the back of the release of the new album "DAMN". Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" jumped 5 places. There'll be plenty more about Kendrick when we get to the new entries.

"Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran basically switched with "Something Just like this" by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay so "Galway Girl" up one to number three, "Something Just Like This" dropping to number 4.

Last week's number one "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles fell from number 1 to number 5, the fact "Sign of the Times" lost the number one spot this week isn't a surprise but the size of the drop is a bit of a surprise. The song badly needs a good video to boost the hype but already it looks as though the hype has disappeared from the song and my fear is that like most of his previous band and other members of said band's solo work is that it won't have longevity on the chart. Hell, Zayn Malik's new single isn't doing that well.

"Symphony" by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson looks like breaking into the top 5 next week after a three place climb to number 6. Its a good song too, give it a listen.

"Stay" by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara drops out of the top 5 with a two place drop to number 7

Bruno Mars stays exactly where he is at number 8 with "That's What I Like"

Lorde drops three places with "Green Light" to number 9. Check out a new song of hers called "Homemade Dynamite", which having heard her perform it live at Coachella via Youtube, is going to be a bonafide hit should her record company choose to release it as a single.

Rounding out the top 10 for another week is "It Ain't Me" by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez.

Now to the new entries and I am going to deal with the three Kendrick Lamar new entries in one hit together so at number 16, DNA. Now I am not the world's biggest hip hop fan so I figure I am just going to give you guys the links to these and let you be the judge.




The 2nd of Lamar's songs from DAMN to debut in the Hot 100 was "LOYALTY" a track with Rihanna as guest vocalist and I got to say having heard an excerpt of this song, I kind of like it. Rihanna really seems to work here.





The last of the new entries from LAMAR is a song called "LOVE" featuring Zacarl which comes in at number 29






So going back up to 17, we have the newest song for Lady Gaga entitled "The Cure". Now normally I would have reviewed this for my New Music Friday review because its come straight onto the chart I haven't had the chance to. Its not quite Gaga at her best but hey I'll take it over some of the other outright bland pop on the chart at the moment.





The last of the new entries comes from the Fate of the Furious movie soundtrack and its been around awhile with G-Eazy teaming up with Kehlani for a song called "Good Life". Its not my cup my tea but hey if I had to hear it, I'm not sure I'd complain, its listenable.




That wraps things up for the week. We've got new music from Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth and a collaboration between Lana Del Ray and The Weeknd likely to debut on the charts, am about to review all of that. Am busy trying to change when I do the New Music Friday reviews.