Top 5 Singles of 2013

Welcome to the second installment of the end of year post! So far I have shown you my top five albums of 2013 and now onto top five singles! Before I go further with the post I would first like to say that I picked five incredible songs and it was so tricky to put these in order of preference!

5) Katy Perry - Roar

Kicking off the top 5 with a roar is Katy Perry’s single…well Roar. It's not the usual rock or metal song I go for but for me this single was a highlight of 2013. Empowering lyrics and a catchy melody are the two components needed for the perfect pop hit. It also seems to show the growth of Katy Perry herself as she been through quite a lot in the past year or so.

4) Avril Lavigne feat. Chad Kroeger – Let Me Go 

At number four is the single Let Me Go by newly weds Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger. I must admit I was very sceptical when I heard these two were going to release a single together. I’m very happy to say that I was proved wrong in this case; captivating use of the piano, the haunting lyrics and the beautiful harmony between Avril’s and Chad’s voices completes the song! The thirteen year old inside me is squealing with joy that my two favourite artists growing up have collaborated.

3) New Device – Save Your Life

Coming in at number 3 is the single Save Your Life by New Device. It was very refreshing to here some brand new material from the London rockers after a three-year gap. I remember first hearing this on Voice.FM and feeling warm inside within the first few seconds of the song. From the familiar clean crisp vocals provided by charismatic front man Dan Leigh to the original riffs and solos delivered by Matt Mallery and Nick Jones, Save Your Life has all the crucial features of a perfect rock song.

2) Within Temptation feat. Tarja – Paradise (What About Us?)                        

At number 2 is the sing Paradise (What About Us?) by Within Temptation featuring Tarja Turunen. When I first heard these two were going to do a single together I was very excited and I had every right to. Sharon Den Adel and Tarja’s beautiful voices complemented each other to create a strikingly moving song with a chorus that gives me goose bumps every time. If these are the kind of songs that we will hear on the new album then I think we don’t have to worry.

1) Shinedown – I’ll Follow You       

Finally my number one single of 2013 is I’ll Follow You by Shinedown. I was really excited to hear about the release of this song! After hearing it at their live show in Southampton in 2012 and listening to it again of the album I realised how profound this song is. With deeply thought lyrics and an enchanting melody to complete it I’ll Follow You has become a favourite single of mine. It doesn’t matter how many times I listen to the single it continues to blow me away each time. The reason why it is my number one single of 2013 is because it reminds me of some happy times; particularly when they performed this at Wembley Arena to 12,000 adoring fans as they sang along! That is an experience I will not be forgetting any time soon!

My top albums of 2012

Hello everyone!!! I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while, I am now in my final year at university so I have been very busy with uni assignments and my reviews for Loud Stuff.com which is still going incredibly well. Without further a do I will list you my top five albums from the previous year!

5) We Are The Others - Delain

Get The Devil Out Of Me was the first song I heard from this album. I thought it was haunting and powerful like most of Delain's tracks usually are, it was a great album to relieve stress and calm me down as this was the album I listened to when I had finished my second year at university early last year.

4) Weapons - Lostprophets

I went to the album launch for this and rather enjoyed it. The album itself was rather good in places, considering I felt their previous album The Betrayed was quite weak compared to Liberation Transmission. So this album really suprised in terms of how anthemic some of the songs were such as We Bring An Arsenal and Better Off Dead.

3) Imaginareum (Score) - Nightwish

Alongside the release of the film a lot of Nightwish fans had the eagerly awaited the release of the score to go with it. I like how this album takes the songs from Imaginareum released a year before and made into beautiful soundtrack pieces that you just imagine what could be happening in the film. 

2) Amaryllis - Shinedown

An album that took me by absoulute surprise in 2012. I had booked a ticket to see them locally and was intrigued as I hadn't really heard them before until recently. I loved this album from beggining to end as it consists of a great collection of songs and a lot of these sounded great live. From the energy fuelled Enemies to the heartfelt I'll Follow You this album has a great package to it and it was definitely a favourite of mine in 2012.

1) Raining Rock - Jettblack

'I hear the drumming of thunder and the running of rain' is the very anthemic song lyric that will be remembered for years to come. This legendary song comes from Wycombe, hard rockers Jettblack in the for of their second album Raining Rock. I actually went to the launch for this in London and loved every minute of their show. So much in fact it made me look forward to the release a lot more. With an eccletic selection of music from the thunderous title track Raining Rock to the beautiful ballad Black Gold, Jettblack have certainly come back and they mean business. I leave you with a video of my favourite song on the album Prison Of Love.