Louise McSharry

4 months ago

Louise McSharry has a new music radio show on 2FM show from Sunday to Thursday 8pm to 10pm. Here are her top 10 tracks of the year.

See all the guest selections of 2017 so far.

1. Kendrick Lamar – Humble

There’s no arguing with Kendrick Lamar’s position as the biggest rapper in the world right now. His sharp lyrics and striking visuals are a lethal combination, and Humble is part of the fabric of 2017.

2. LCD Soundsystem – Call the Police

Maybe it was just the unadulterated joy that they were back, or maybe it was because the way this song builds moves me, one way or the other, I listened to this a lot this year. It’s also attached to perhaps the most joyful experience of my life in 2017. Those Olympia gigs. I’ll never forget them.

3. Ider – Body Love

I’ve really done my best to overdose on this song but I haven’t managed it yet. I’m a sucker for a good harmony, and this has them in spades. It’s low key, and beautiful, and I love it. Can’t wait for more from this duo in 2018.

4. Cardi B – Bodak Yellow

I’ve loved Cardi B since she declared ‘Ever since I started using guys I feel so much better about myself. I feel so god damn powerful’ on Love and Hip Hop, but this year she got people to take her seriously. Is she the best rapper in the game? Absolutely not. But she’s got star power, and listening to this song on repeat for a few days will have you feeling more powerful too.

5. Drake – Passionfruit

I find it hard to believe that this song is from 2017, to be honest, but apparently it is, and I can’t deny that it was a big one for me. It reminds me of hazy nights out and running to the dancefloor at Lumo when it was played. It’s hard for me to put my finger on what’s so great about it, but great it is.

6. SZA – Love Galore

2017 will always be the year that I realised I’d been mispronouncing Sza’s name on the radio for literally years, which isn’t exactly a bright spot in my career, but hey, a lesson learned is always a good thing, right? This song from her album Ctrl, which I love, is smokey and beautiful and best listened to really loud in the car.

7. Tove Lo – Disco Tits

This is a ten out of ten pop banger, and in my opinion, cemented Tove Lo’s position as one of the most promising acts in pop at the moment. Until the Queen of Swedish pop, Robyn obviously, gives us new music I’m happy to enjoy this princess’s offering.

8. Talos – Odyssey

I’m really not one to bandy about the word ‘epic’, but this song is exactly that. It builds beautiful and sprawls in an elegant, slightly desolate way. I’ve never played this on the show without turning the volume up really high on the speakers and focusing entirely on the song.

9. N.E.R.D. feat. Rihanna – Lemon

Rihanna rapping. Enough said.

10. Sampha – (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano

I would listen to Sampha sing the world’s worst song (Happy Birthday) repeatedly, for the next six years, such is the beauty of his voice. This song is stripped back and beautiful, and I believe him when he says that no one knows him like the piano in his mother’s home.

See all the guest selections of 2017 so far.

Posted on December 19th, 2017

Tags: best of 2017 top 10 of 2017

Artists: Louise McSharry

About 2 years ago

Louise McSharry is a radio presenter whose show goes out from Sunday to Thursday on 2FM from 8pm to 10pm. Here are her top 10 tracks of the year, as part of the Best of 2015 series.

1. Hot Chip – Dancing in the Dark

You’ve got to love a good cover, especially when it comes out of nowhere during a powerful set at a festival. Hot Chip’s take on ‘Dancing in the Dark’ blew people’s little minds when they played it at live gigs over the summer, so there was collective delight when they released a recorded version of it in October. It’s a song of pure joy which takes me back to a summer of craic.

2. Skepta – Shutdown

I’ve always liked grime, but this year I learned to love grime thanks to this tune. It’s been really exciting to watch Skepta take over with mad gigs in the States, and perform this song onstage with Drake at his own OVO festival in Toronto. You’d be hard pressed to find a decent party in 2015 which wouldn’t have been taken to the next level by this tune.

3. Rihanna – BBHMM

Rihanna is a goddess, and if you disagree with me I will fight you. This tune, in particular, is so full of swagger that my pal Fiona and I basically wore out the YouTube video of her performing it at an awards show in the States. It’s achingly cool, and makes me really excited for the album. (If it ever arrives.)

4. Jamie XX – GOSH

Everyone was excited about the Jamie XX album this year, and I was no exception. For me the standout track was GOSH. It’s such a banger that it’s virtually impossible to stand still when it comes on, and somehow it actually makes you feel cool while you dance to it.

5. Tame Impala – Let it Happen

Tame Impala released a good few songs from their brilliant album Currents before we got to hear the album itself, which I think was pretty clever (although I got to interview Kevin Parker over the summer and he said it was actually a fluke to do with the album not quite being ready on time). It meant we got to sit with the songs themselves before listening to the album as a body of work. This song was the perfect introduction to the album, and I played it loads on 2FM, prefacing it with a warning that listeners did not need to adjust their radios when it started to sound like the song was skipping in the middle.

6. Kendrick Lamar – Alright

It’s hard to choose between King Kunta and Alright for a list like this. King Kunta is a song I listened to obsessively this year, but Alright is a true song of 2015. Aside from the fact that musically it’s excellent, it’s a powerful political anthem which has been adopted by Black Lives Matter protesters across the US.

7. Justin Bieber – Sorry

Sorry I’m not sorry! I make no apologies for the love I have for Justin Bieber’s new album Purpose and the absolute tunes he brought out in 2015. From his collaboration with Jack U, to What Do You Mean?, I listened to his songs on repeat this year, but none more so than Sorry. It’s a perfect pop song, which brilliantly harness the Carribean-House flavour that seems to be popping up all over the place at the moment. Also, what a video!

8. Kiiara – Gold

My show is all about new music, which means that I’m constantly on the lookout for new songs and new artists. Kiiara is one of my favourite discoveries of 2015. She was working in a hardware shop in Illinois when she put this tune on the internet. It now has six and a half million plays on Soundcloud. I think I might be responsible for one of those millions. The production on it is whopper from Felix Snow, and her other songs are great too. I can’t wait to hear more from her.

9. Daithi – Mary Keane’s Introduction

This is one of those songs which instantly grabs you, and I found that whenever I played it on 2fm this year I got loads and loads of enquiries from people wanting to know more about ‘the song with the auld wan chatting on it’. I love what Daithi is doing at the moment, making music which tells stories and links contemporary Irish music with a traditional element. It makes me excited about where Irish music is going.

10. All Tvvins – Darkest Ocean

This one is a bit of a personal one for me, It’s about pulling through something tough,and having started the year in chemotherapy and ended the year cancer-free, it’s a subject I can definitely relate to. Aside from that, it reminds me of one of those perfect ‘standing in a circle with your arms around each other’ moments at my wedding this year. I love the song, I’ll always feel close to it and it will always take me back to 2015.