1. Let Me Down Easy – Betty Lavette – I had my doubts about this soul icon till I saw her at Summerstage last year where I found myself completely impressed. This soulful r&b sounds classic to these ears – A-
2. Eddie Vedder – Local H – At the height of grunge, the duo got dumped, discovered an existential question to beat em all, “if I was Eddie Vedder would you like me any better?” before giving up “That’s it, I quit, I don’t give a shit” and admitting they’re as good as dead – A
3. NSA Man – Peter Stampfel – The Wikileaks of pop songs – A
4. Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me – Culture Club – Truly timeless, George could release it today and they’d call it EDM retro soul samba reggae roll away – A
5. She Looks So Perfect – 5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Million and, er, one stream and counting – B-
6. Kicking & Screaming – Sebastian Bach – Not hitting the skids yet – B
7. Habits (Stay High) – Tove Lo – Hang around long enough and she’ll throwing up in the bathtub just to prove she misses him – B
8. Me Vs The Highway – The Wonder Years – Top notch Byrdsy zoom lens guitars – A-
9. Your Graduation – Modern Baseball – Jingle jangle pop guitars – A-
10. Late Night In My Car – Real Friend – Straight ahead classic rock despite the vocals – B
