I have decided to compile everything that is on my iPod (and believe me, that is a lot), albums and EPs by artists I love that, for some reason, I do not have on my iPod, and artists I haven't listened to yet but figured I should. The list of all these songs (list that is, pretty much, endless) is on a couple of notebooks and several files on my computer, and then, I will pick ten songs at random and write about them. It could be what I think about the song, a story related to it, to seeing the artist live, a lyric I love, what it reminds me of... The possibilities are endless. And this is why I'm doing this.

Without further ado, here we go.

I have been a Lily Allen fan ever since I saw the music video for Smile, in 2008. I was immediately amazed by her pop music, her delicate little voice, and the whole prom dress, trainers and big earrings stuck with me so much that, seven years later, if I'm wearing big earrings myself, I say I'm "channelling my inner Lily". 

Fuck You is on her second album, the excellent It's Not Me, It's You, and back then, everyone was saying it was about George W Bush. Lily herself said it wasn't directed to anyone in particular, and then she said it was about the British National Party, so I guess we'll never know. I think my favourite thing about this song is how uplifting the melody is, how catchy the song is, how it is something you could mindlessly sing along to, and when you look twice, you realise Lily's addressing important issues.

And this is why I love her so much.

(And I just really like the music video)

I love Issues. I don't even know how I got round to listening to them, but I know that as soon as I started, we were set in stone and I was in love - the mixture between Tyler Carter's incredible, soulful voice and the whole metalcore universe is something that should exist more, but also what makes Issues unique.

Princeton Ave. is on the band's first EP, Black Diamonds, and it's such a powerful song - even when you don't know what it's about, you can feel it from the beginning, the piano intro with the screaming at the back, it says that it, indeed, is powerful stuff.

And then the lyrics. Domestic abuse and its consequences. That's hard-hitting. That's not a topic that is often talked about by bands this genre (they usually like the brotherhood and telling you you're a super special snowflake, which is cool too, I mean the brotherhood and knowing your worth is important too!) but maybe it should.  Especially when it's done like this.

I'm too fragile to mention the music video. Issues have hit me right in the feels, goodbye.

This falls under the category "things I haven't listened to yet but figured I should", and the reason why it made the cut is Jonny Craig. I fell in love with his voice the first time I heard Slaves play, and I thought I'd listen to Emarosa and Dance Gavin Dance. And, well... I just did.

And Jonny Craig's not singing in this. 

So, this is something I've never heard before but I really like it. I want more and it reminds me of Hands Like Houses, who are one of my favourite bands, so, this is good. I should have stopped postponing this.

(Also, the artwork for Versus is gorgeous)

Cobra Starship, whom I will probably miss dearly for the rest of my life, holds so many memories it's actually ridiculous. They remind me of a time when everything was so much easier and I didn't have a care in the world and I was just roaming free around Paris with my friends and we all loved Cobra Starship and wore colorful plaid shirts and purple hoodies because they did. They have always been somewhere, up there, with my favourites, and I think that whatever happens, I'll always love them. One Day, Robots Will Cry is a nice, cheerful singalong track and I long to have people who want to do a sing to Cobra Starship in my life again.

Like a very large amount of people, I love The Beatles (though I'm not too fond of John Lennon and think he was a fairly horrible human being) and Norwegian Wood never fails to remind me of my friend Liz. She adores The Beatles, and this song is one of her favourites, and she's the person who properly introduced me to them. So, here's to you, Liz.

This song screams early noughties (then again, I'm aware, it was released in 2000) and every time I listen to it, I can only picture a girl singing it to the boy she has a crush on and that kind of stuff. Like, that's what would happen if it was in a sitcom episode. Or Glee. The female character would totally sing this to her romantic interest and there's even a little breakdown for some super early noughties themed dance routine. 

I know about the Shout Out Louds because their song Please Please Please is on the second edition of One Tree Hill's soundtrack, Friends With Benefits (also known as the best TV show soundtrack known to man). It's fairly different from Please Please Please but it's really good and it'll probably stay stuck in my head forever. Dammit. Such a good song, though.

"I know you're never giving up, doesn't surprise me with you, you seem to have the strength and determination never to lose even when it seems luck is against you"
One of my all time favourite songs. I miss Save Your Breath. That's it.

Absolutely stunning, just like everything Damien Rice does, really. It's the kind of song that makes me feel like I'm the heroine of an indie film, looking super arty with perfectly wavy hair and a tailored white shirt. I don't know. I'm too emotionally fragile for Damien Rice and I don't make sense.

Say hello to my teenage years, say hello to one of my favourite French bands, say hello to the most emo things France has ever produced. I don't really know how to explain this, but this is such a sad, yet beautiful song, and twelve years on (Jesus Christ), I now fully realise that Benoit Poher is one of the best singers and songwriter France has ever had.