Kelly-Anne Byrne’s top 10 tracks of the year
Kelly-Anne Byrne’ is a regular DJ at festivals throughout Ireland. She’s known for her love of disco and soul, which manifests itself in a monthly club night called Burnin’ Up (happening this Friday with Get Down Edits) and a nationwide show on Saturday night on TodayFM called The Beat Goes On. She also has three hours a day from Monday to Thursday on TXFM from 7pm to 10pm where she plays a lot of the music she chose as her favourite tracks of the year.
Her choices are available as a Youtube or Spotify playlist.
1. Caribou – ‘Can’t Do Without You’
This will forevermore remind me of the summer of 2014, I have a lot of amazing memories of playing it at festivals. I just love the way the tracks builds and you don’t really know what’s coming next, I’ve no doubt DJs will be spinning this for years to come-always a sign of a good record.
2. Sinkane – ‘Mean Love’
Mean Love is hands down my favourite album of 2014 because every time I go back to listen, I discover something else. The song ‘Mean Love’ stood out for me the first time I heard it because it sounded like a track The Temptations or Sam Cooke might have sung and I love Motown, those types of records are magic and have stood the test of time.
3. Roisin Murphy – ‘Ancora Tu’
Is there anything Roisin Murphy can’t do? This year she brought out an EP which covers Italian pop songs and the result is just beautiful. I could listen to this over and over because of the emotion in her voice and I don’t even know what she’s saying! People often ask me if it’s Grace Jones when they hear it for the first time on the radio.
4. The War On Drugs – ‘Under The Pressure’
This song is simply beautiful. I had an image of driving through the States in an old Cadillac the first time I heard it, that’s always been a dream of mine, that might sound weird, but great songs do that, they take you to another place.
5. Perfume Genius – ‘Fool’
I love the drama in this record, part of it sounds like a disco track with the finger-clicking and part of it sounds like a hymn, yet the whole thing makes sense. I think Perfume Genius has something very special; a lot of the album reminds me of Marc Bolan because it’s flamboyant but also very sincere.
6. Jungle – ‘Busy Earnin’
I remember being blown away the first time I heard this tune; I thought ‘who the hell are these guys?’ This track takes me back to the ’90s because it immediately makes me want to make up a dance routine! They were one of the best live acts for me at EP this year because they sound as good live as they do on the record, which is very rare.
7. Hot Chip covers William Onyeabor – ‘Atomic Bomb’
I’ve really got into the music of William Onyeabor over the last few months and this cover by Hot Chip of his track ‘Atomic Bomb’ is brilliant. Somebody needs to bring the Atomic Bomb Band to Dublin, imagine David Byrne, Alexis Taylor, Pat Mahoney, Money Mark & Sinkane on the one stage??
8. Jape – ‘The Heart’s Desire’
This is another one of those tunes where you don’t really know what’s coming next; it starts out slow and then builds up into a dance record with the piano by the time you get to the chorus. I can’t wait to hear the entire album. I remember seeing Richie years ago with an acoustic guitar in Whelan’s and thinking he had something very special, look at the music
journey he’s been on since? Amazing.
9. The 2 Bears – ‘Not This Time’
This is the best track on their album The Night Is Young for me (Nialler actually introduced me to it), it’s just such a good dance tune and the words are great. I love DJing this out, people always respond so well to it.
10. Adrian Crowley – ‘Some Blue Morning’
I get a lump in my throat every time I listen to this song; it’s so powerful and reminds me a lot of Scott Walker. There’s not a lot more I can say about it because it doesn’t need an explanation, the first time I heard it I was speechless.
