At the end of last year, Stylus’ UK Top 40 round-up got a main article all of its own to get embarrassingly incoherent about its favourite singles of 2003. In anticipation of the 2004 edition of this article (worldwide premiere December 27th, book now to avoid disappointment), here’s a handful of songs that should have featured in the 2003 list, yet for one reason or another� didn’t.

Blondie� Good Boys, [charted at #12, 12th October 2003]

Blondie had another little comeback last year but it got ignored for some reason: perhaps because it was only after a four-year absence, or perhaps because people remembered how dredge �Maria� was. In any case, they really shouldn’t have ended up sounding quite this good. Debbie Harry’s voice has aged wonderfully, still sounding every inch the queen bee as she out-sarkies even That McKay Girl: “What a pity for you�” She’s surrounded by big, sheeny American synth music that’s not only not embarrassing, but actually quite good. It’s all about Debbie Harry still being the coolest, though, not trading on the past glories but rather embellishing them. People still have posters of this woman
on their walls, and they’re going to for a very long time to come.

[visit Blondie�s website here, buy The Curse of Blondie here, read Dom Passantino�s Stylus review of The Curse of Blondie here]

Saffron Hill ft. Ben Onono� My Love Is Always, [charted at #28, 5th May 2003]

I consciously chose not to include this one, and I have no idea why. Because I thought 57 was a nice number? God knows. This would have been a lot higher than #58, though. It’s a peculiarly ethereal thumping house track, bassline low and pumping, snares on the top, all fairly so-so, but it’s the vocals that make it all work. Ben Onono’s voice just sounds� weird. In a very lovely way. Incredibly high-pitched but not squeaky, not quite dreamy either, but very unique�I’d swear it had been filtered to bits, but something suggests otherwise. It’s a big, cosseting, warm song, loving and giving and yet quite banging at the same time.

[visit Saffron Hill�s discogs page here, buy �My Love Is Always� here]

Carina Round� Into My Blood, [did not chart, released 29th September 2003]

�Into My Blood� is the sound of things smashing into walls that really, really shouldn’t be. The song flails and writhes all over everywhere, and yet somehow her voice manages to outdo it. You have the feeling you won’t like where she’s heading but are somehow irresistibly drawn there, the energy such that you can’t help it, as she howls, wails and screams, guitars thrash about, a piano has a very loud nervous disintegration, and there’s this nagging voice going “LALALALALALALALALA” as the drums lurch towards you, but somehow you just cannot take your eyes off her� I’ve just realised why I’m not that bothered by �What You Waiting For?� This got there first.

[visit Carina Round�s website here, buy The Disconnection here]