CONTROLRadioUK Picks 5 Songs You May Not Have Heard Of

Here at CONTROLRadioUK we're always on the look-out for music be it for the playlist, or just because we think the tracks are pretty neat so check out our picks below.



This is indeed real life and not a fantasy! Do not adjust your screen your eyes are not deceiving you, after a small break I and your beloved CONTROLRadioUK 5 Picks are indeed back! What better way to start than with this beautiful video right? I completely agree. Whilst I wish a music video that has a gay couple at the centre didn't have one of them dying, I'll let it go in this instance because the video storyline does perfectly match the songs lyrics. Zara Larrson was propelled to worldwide success with her single 'Lush Life' and whilst that song got stuck in my head due to the endless plays on music channels & radios, her follow-up singles have not been the greatest & her album is not on my "to buy" list. Considering how young she is though, I haven't given up hope yet that she'll turn a corner musically and this duet with Clean Bandit could be the start of that. As for Clean Bandit, they're not a band to feature regularly on my playlist but these last 2 duets have been rather good. I just hope they don't fall into the trap that so many Artists/Bands do in trying to replicate the sound on follow-up singles, because that's when things get really boring & real generic real quick.



The first of 2 songs this week that make me feel as though I've stepped into a time machine, but I do really like the retro sound this song has got. Based on the limited amount of songs I've come across from that era, it reminds me a lot of the 60's whilst my CONTROLRadioUK HQ peers that were actually alive in that period of time (I know I work with some real dinosaurs) think this sounds very 70's. Either way I like this when I wasn't expecting to, but I wish more had been done with the video. That small criticism aside though Dream Wife are the type of band our EDM-generic beat-and lyrics to match- era of music is crying out for. Something unique, something different, with a heap load of potential.



Music videos I am not a fan of? Ones where the Artist/Band is performing the song without any story, where the story doesn't match the lyrics at all, when there is no story, when Artists/Bands are singing in front of a bland white screen for 5 minutes & look as though they can't wait to be done with the day and finally! BTS tour videos. Mixing two types of videos I don't like together? Well that's even worse but fortunately for American Authors here, the song is good enough for me to look past the visual efforts and love it. The lyrics are a little generic in places, but I love the music. It's solid throughout the song, going down & back up in the right places. Is it a sound I've never heard before? Not even close but it is still enjoyable and as we creep towards summer, I prefer to listen to enjoyable music with a bit of passion hidden aware compared to generic EDM beats (I swear I don't actually hate EDM I'm just sick of the same beats in every song).

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CONTROLRadioUK Picks 5 Songs You May Not Have Heard Of

Here at CONTROLRadioUK we're always on the look-out for music be it for the playlist, or just because we think the tracks are pretty neat so check out our picks below.



Kicking off this weeks delayed 5 Picks (Although not as bad as Nielsen) This delightful song from Hey Violet. Although it's not as catchy or infectious as 'Guys My Age' or 'Brand New Moves' it is still a decent enough song. The lyrics have a good enough story to not make them completely redundant, but the issue here is the music. It doesn't really go anywhere and I'm beyond tired of every song featuring that same old EDM beat breakdown. It makes every song that follows sound generic and boring, which is not what I want from music.



At first glance I thought this was a Sia song and even now after multiple listens, parts of this song sound like Sia is singing on it. The beat doesn't overly grab or do anything to separate this song from a crowd and the lyrics are very generic with no real story to them. If this song wasn't a collab of Charli XCX & MØ this wouldn't be featuring here. But it is and even though I hate the trend of putting the feature artist after the song title (Main Artist ft Feature Artist - Song Name was much less confusing), and I can't tell who is singing what part, I enjoy Charli XCX and MØ's music in its own right enough to appreciate this collaboration. Not that you don't know this already but Charli XCX is an English singer/songwriter and the Mix-Tape 'Number 1 Angel' is out now.



I wasn't at all impressed with 'Love Is Mystical' as song wise it didn't go anywhere and visually the video was surprisingly worse. 'Can We Hang On' though? My kind of tune. I like the story of the lyrics, the music actually goes somewhere in the build-up, though the video is still a bit of a let down. However when you have a song that sounds this go the video's immaterial. Cold War Kids are an American Indie/Rock band (And I seriously hate that 'Indie' has become its own sub-genre now) and the album 'LA Divine' is out on the 7th April, but you can pre-order now and get 'Love Is Mystical' and 'Can We Hang On'. I probably won't be one of the people taking up that option.



I wanted to feature this last week but as is sometimes the case! Too many songs to fit into 5 slots. From the video thumbnail alone, you should know you're in for a ride here. Usually having a music video set in a grocery store of all places doesn't work, but this is just so fun and matches the music perfectly. The lyrics on the other hand whilst good don't exactly fit with the tone, so it does feel like a bit of a mismatch but you'll probably be too busy dancing away to care. DREAMERS are an American rock trio and 'This Album Does Not Exist' is available now, which you should probably give a listen to just for the title.



Saving the best until last this week. Like come on! I may be getting cynical in my young age but this is a brand new Steps song! Their first new release since I was the tender age of 11 (We never speak of that Christmas album) Usually on a day off from College I have a well deserved lie-in but last Thursday? I was up nice and early to make sure I didn't miss the first listen of this song on Radio 2. I never listen to Radio 2! I didn't even know it was a thing! This song has now been on repeat since its midnight release and it is absolutely fantastic. I feel everyone hit the nail on the head when they said 'Scared Of The Dark' sounds like a modern day Steps song. I'd even go as far to say it sounds better than most chart offerings these days, because it sounds original. No generic lyrics, no repetitive EDM beats & basically the same sound over again. Just Steps being their previous awesome selves. 'Tears On The Dancefloor' is out on the 21st April but you can pre-order it now.

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CONTROLRadioUK Presents Throwback Thursday: Best of Pop

Welcome to our latest Throwback Thursday where we're exploring the best of Pop. As with all disclaimers the songs featured here aren't necessarily favorites and by no means speak for the whole of the Pop Genre. Instead they're merely favorites of CONTROLRadioUK HQ that we believe stand out from a crowd (and I will never get bored of talking about particular Artists/Bands)



The Artist: Dannii Minogue
The Song: Put The Needle On It

CONTROLRadioUK HQ Thoughts: First let me apologize for the extremely poor video quality. I searched around online but this is honestly the best I can find. Then let me say this is here by request of those at CONTROLRadioUK HQ who are massive Dannii Minogue fans, and sometimes I have to feature songs I don't particularly like to "make things fair". On a final note let me protest that this song is apparently suitable for the ears of young children, but the likes of Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' gets everyone up in arms? I'm feeling like there's some deep seeded discrimination going on there, because the innuendo here is obvious. OK the video is far detached from the song but we have ears people! Oh and bonus note for the fact that despite my protests I do actually like the odd Dannii Minogue song; 'Who Do You Love Now' & 'I Begin To Wonder' are my favorites.

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The Artist: Steps
The Song: Love's Got a Hold On My Heart

CONTROLRadioUK HQ Thoughts: *Evil cackle*. When I suggest to my good people at CONTROLRadioUK HQ that we do a themed Pop week Throwback Thursday and rub my hands together like a cartoon villain THEY SHOULD KNOW WHAT'S COMING. But they never do. EVER. Nope, they innocently enough suggest songs to put here, I nod calmly enough and when it's my turn to pick? Oh I just nonchalantly start loading my Steps collection & tell them to pick. Due to these events there is now a conspiracy floating around CONTROLRadioUK HQ that I do these Throwback Thursdays as an excuse to select a Steps song. WHICH IS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS (I also do it as an excuse to select Little Mix). 'Love's Got a Hold On My Heart' got chosen this time around because it is a tune. The greatest Steps song you'll ever hear? Not by a long shot but it's still a fabulous song with a nice fun video to suit. The harmonies in the breakdown towards the songs end are very reminiscent of ABBA which I also like. So to sum up 90's Steps will never not be awesome, present day Steps still have to warm my heart, always question my motives, and don't be surprised if a Steps Throwback Thursday makes its way onto these shores at some point in the future.



The Artist: OneRepublic
The Song: Better

CONTROLRadioUK HQ Thoughts: I really need this song to be a single, which means that it won't be and that severely annoys me because this is one of the songs on the album. Lyrically this song is an absolute masterpiece and easily makes my all-time top 10 list, and musically this is sound as well. Honestly whenever I'm in a bad mood I put this song on and start to feel better. I'm also never going to miss a chance to feature OneRepublic in an article, even if this song is more in the Pop-Rock genre than straight up Pop but I don't care.

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The Artist: Coldplay
The Song: Hymn For The Weekend

CONTROLRadioUK HQ Thoughts: I just really love this song and for some reason the video is quite captivating (although not as good as Up and Up) Yes the lyrics are slightly generic, the video is rife with cultural appropriation which they were rightly called out on and I won't shy away from. You know you like a song though when you trawl through the depths of the Internet to find the instrumental version & it's honestly as flawless as this.

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The Artist: S Club 7
The Song: Don't Stop Movin'

CONTROLRadioUK HQ Thoughts: To finish this weeks Throwback Thursday a true early 00's bop & a rare song from S Club 7 that I like. Yes it goes by a basic rhyming pattern which doesn't exactly overwhelm me with joy, but the vocals & music is strong enough to keep me dancing 10+ years later. If I was going to recommend any S Club 7 song to a person it would be this. It feels a little more daring and adventurous compared to some of their safer numbers. Plus I'm always here for promoting 90's/early 00 bops since they paved the way for what we're listening to today.

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CONTROLRadioUK Picks 5 Songs You May Not Have Heard Of

Here at CONTROLRadioUK we're always on the look-out for music be it for the playlist, or just because we think the tracks are pretty neat so check out our picks below.



What can I say that I haven't already said? I'm so glad I came across MUNA, I have yet to hear a song by them that I don't like, you should totally buy/stream the album 'About U' and featuring them in the 5 picks has become as obligatory as OneRepublic, Bastille & Hayley Kiyoko. I like how creative MUNA'S lyric videos are. I like the fact that with each song of theirs I hear, I discover something new that I like about them because they're a rare band where every song doesn't sound the same. That's about all I got.



Here's something you won't read often; I was not a massive fan of 'Pure Heroine'. I know! Total shocker but the only songs I liked off the album were 'Royals', 'Team' and 'Tennis Court'. I tried to give the album a listen but once I listened to one song it felt like I'd listened to them all. But Lorde does make good music & I think 'Green Light' is a good example of that, and why artists/bands should leave a decent amount of time between albums. I get with Labels there is always a rush to get the next album out so you stay relevant and the money keeps rolling in. But when you give an artist/band time to develop music organically as they grow? You get a record like this. The lyrics are actually quite deep & the music is perfect. It gradually builds up in the right places but doesn't over-ride Lorde. Instead it remains soft where it needs to be & kicks up a slight notch where needed which is hardly at all & the video is simple but effective in adding to the song, and that's all I ever want.



Whenever Hayley Kiyoko releases a new song/video, there is a 99.9% chance it will feature here. The rare 0.01% when it doesn't? Well I have yet to see that time but for future reference I'm going to blame a malfunction in sense of taste or being so busy I'm cut off from the Internet for a week. Hayley Kiyoko was one of the CONTROLRadioUK Artists Of The Year for a reason. The video and lyrics to this song as always fit perfectly so just click play & admire beauty in video form.



We're having a very rare week here where I think the Picks speak for themselves without requiring me to write essays about them (granted I can't really resist because I love showing off my superior taste in music). I wasn't overly impressed with 'Human Touch' which I featured here in the not too distant past, but 'Some Kinda Wonderful' and now 'You Can Cry Tomorrow' are winning me round. They have decent enough lyrics with a good enough beat to keep the song in my head for a few days, and don't sound as generic as some offerings I've been forced to listen to recently.



Sometimes a song just grabs me. I can't explain why and am usually judged for it, but sometimes they just do. This is an example of that. In theory I should hate this since the drop isn't spectacular & sounds like any other dance song you'll here on a Friday night, lyrics are a little generic & there isn't anything special or unique about this song to draw it out of a crowd. But yet, despite all this I love it? I don't know if it's the video hypnotizing me, or the country style beats in the chorus making me think of a bunch of really bad Western movies, but I love this song & it stays with me. Two Friends are an American duo and the EP 'Out Of Love' is out now.

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CONTROLRadioUK Presents Throwback Thursday: Best Of Rock

HAHAHA! Finally a Throwback Thursday that is firmly in my element. I discovered Rock music when I was around 14yrs old after a lovely girl at school introduced me to Linkin Park. I have not looked back since, though Rock has grown a lot since then with a number of sub-genres. I don't like every song & every band because some of it, just like every other genre, can be extremely generic. But I do like some and here, on this grandest of Throwback Thursday, we're taking a look at some of my favorite Rock songs (with some minor contributions from CONTROLRadioUK HQ)



The Song: Skin to Bone
The Artist: Linkin Park

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: If I had my way 'Robot Boy' would be here instead, as it's in my top 5 favourite EVER songs list and no words of compliment can do it justice, but 'Skin To Bone' is just as good. The first Linkin Park song I heard was 'In The End' and to this day I know all the lyrics and rock out like the BAMF I am. Since then their music, just like every other Artist/Band in existence, has evolved. There is an argument over whether that's for the worse or better, but I have continued listening to their music even if I don't like every song and 'Skin To Bone' is so good. It's got a lovely tribal beat that runs perfectly through the song with the other mixture of beats. The lyrics whilst short and sweet, go ever so very deep and it really is a fantastic song.

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The Song: Somebody Told Me
The Artist: The Killers

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: My peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ wanted me to feature 'Human' because for some unknown reason, it's the only song by The Killers they like. I don't know if it's because it was vastly overplayed on release with many people mocking it, but I really don't like it and this was the first song by The Killers I ever heard, and 'Hot Fuss' was the first Rock album I ever bought. It was a fantastic album, not a song I didn't like and I eagerly anticipated The Killers follow up album which fell flat. Like Linkin Park before them, The Killers are a band where I don't like every song & album they come out with, but when I do like something I fall for it hard. I will still to this day sing 'Somebody Told Me' with all my might proudly because it is a fantastic song with a release date that makes me feel very old.

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The Song: Wake Up Call
The Artist: Maroon 5

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: I love this video. It's just so well done with the editing and effects, I love it. It's not the best song by Maroon 5 (for me that will always be 'She Will Be Loved') but the musics good, the lyrics are good, and it's just a fantastic video.

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The Song: Walk Away
The Artist: Kelly Clarkson

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: Trying to pick a Kelly Clarkson song is not easy because she's amazing. My peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ wanted me to go with 'Because Of You'. It's a fabulous song with a very powerful video, but I wanted something a bit more fun for a Thursday. 'Walk Away' is the fun I'm choosing today because again! She's got so many great songs, with great videos, anything from 'Miss Independent', 'Since You've Been Gone', 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)' could've been picked. But 'Walk Away' was one of my favourite songs as a late teen.

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CONTROLRadioUK Picks 5 Songs You May Not Have Heard Of

Here at CONTROLRadioUK we're always on the look-out for music be it for the playlist, or just because we think the tracks are pretty neat so check out our picks below.



I think I've mentioned before that a lot of songs at the moment have the same type of sound. I don't know if everyone's using the same producers, or when someone uses one sound on a song and it becomes popular everyone has to, but it's something that happens every so often (like when one movie sequel is a massive success so that's all studios make for years, or TV Networks bringing out show after show on one genre because a show did great with it so everyone has to jump on the bandwagon). I don't like it because as said, every song sounds the same and when you've heard one, they all gel together so you lose originality. 'Human Touch' has that same EDM Pop Sound that every song has at the moment, but Betty Who makes it stand out from the crowd. Now before listening to this song I'd never heard of her, so I had no idea what to expect. I've now listened to the song a total of 5 times and the way Betty goes about this song makes it unique. The lyrics whilst a little generic feel original, and not a lot of people can do that. Betty Who is an Australian singer/songwriter and her album 'The Valley' is out on March 24th.



This is where I'm once again judged by my peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ, but this song is excellent. It's the perfect mixture of Pop/Rock that isn't too heavy, but still pulls you into the song and then takes your breath away with the chorus. Some parts of the video grab me whilst others don't, but that's OK because the song more than sells itself. The lyrics are original and Vérité has one of those unique voices that stands out, and also completely guts you. This might be the song that gets her known, but she's got a back catalogue of 3 EP's and some mighty fine songs available on Youtube/Spotify which shouldn't be overlooked. Vérité is an American singer/songwriter and you can download/stream 'Phase Me Out' now.



Rag'n'Bone Man is incredible. He has such a beautiful, soulful voice & 'Human' was an excellent song, but I think 'Skin' is actually better. When you've got a song with such strong lyrics, it's always a risk that the music might overpower them but here it's a gentle supporting act and I love it. Singers like Rag'n'Bone man don't come along every day, and coming across his music has been a breathtaking pleasure. Rag'n'Bone man is an English singer/songwriter and his debut album 'Human' is out now.



My fellow peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ don't see anything special about this song. They're right in that sense because there isn't anything unique about it but sometimes, I don't need that in a song. I just need something that makes me feel a bit joyful and distracts from all the chaos in the world. This does that for me perfectly, with a nice little airy sound you can get lost in. Bahari are a female trio coming out of the Southern California community of Manhattan Beach.



Finishing this week with a song that is good, but could've been so much better if it had more power. As it is we've got some nice enough lyrics that don't exactly grab me, and a bland song. Now I know what you're thinking. 'Why are you featuring this song here if you're just gonna complain about how much you don't like it?' The answer to that would be this song came out in December and has been sitting on the CONTROLRadioUK HQ noticeboard since then, because my fellow peers agree that this could've been a monster and many songs have come & gone from the noticeboard, but this has sat firmly & is now here. Gabrielle Aplin has a good voice even if her music isn't exactly my thing, and as much as I criticize, there is obviously something to like about this song. I've listened to it a number of times and despite not being great it does stick with you. It's just very disappointing it doesn't go anywhere.

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CONTROLRadioUK Presents Throwback Thursday: Songs Of 2012

For our next series of Throwback Thursday there will be no blowing away with facts & chart positions. As much as I know you good folks enjoy my commentary so much, we here at CONTROLRadioUK HQ like to mix things up every now and then. This week we're looking at the songs of 2012, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip down memory lane for better or worse (and in some of these it really is a case of worse)



The Artist: Coldplay ft Rihanna
The Song: Princess of China

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: If you put aside the Cultural Appropriation, and this being around the time Main Artist - Song Name & Featured Artist became a thing (goodness knows why but it's extremely irritating) this is a really great song & 'Hymm For The Weekend' is a great follow up. I prefer the live versions of this song more, due to the amount of energy that's in the performances. Lyrically this is not the best song you will ever hear, but musically it is great. But I don't think it'd be right to talk about this song and not mention the Cultural Appropriation. I don't know when we decided it was a good look to take things from other cultures, but it really is not and it's especially bad here because it's not only mixing Chinese & Japanese cultures together, it uses their people as a prop & the less said about how Rihanna's dressed in this video the better.

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The Artist: Taylor Swift
The Song: We Are Never Ever Getting back Together

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: Will there ever be a more annoying chorus? I severely doubt it. But the song stays with you & 5 years later I not only know all the words off by heart, but also have the song on my MP3. So there really is no accounting for taste. Oh and the video is funny.

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The Artist: Icona Pop ft Charli XCX
The Song: I Love It

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: Continuing the same annoying trend as Coldplay ft Rihanna, but 5 years later this song is still such a monster, and it introduced me to Charli XCX so I won't be too hard on it. My ears also detect this containing a sample through the chorus and the video doesn't really do much for me. But still; MONSTER.

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The Artist: Karmin
The Song: Brokenhearted

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: There are many things that I hate about this song and it's only here because I was outvoted, but the absolutely worst thing is that I know all the lyrics & can't help dancing alone. I've mentioned it before but it bears repeating; I do not like songs that are overplayed. If I'm meant to like a song, trust that I'll come to that conclusion in my own time. This was constantly played on the radio & TV in 2012, and I think Karmin have made better songs (although I'm still not a fan because their songs don't tend to have enough power in them). This song also has a rather annoying sample but because I'm not a negative nelly, I'll say that lyrically this is OK, I like how Amy mixes up the singing & the rapping & as much as their music may not be my thing, they deserve a better career than what they have.

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The Artist: Leona Lewis
The Song: Trouble

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: A cracking remix of this song by Wideboys is easily available & CONTROLRadioUK HQ's favored version of this, but the thing that first attracted me to this song & why it's featured is the video. It perfectly matches the songs tone and Leona & Colton handle it perfectly.

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