独家优惠奖金 100% 高达 1 BTC + 180 免费旋转

My 101 Favourite Songs of 2018

Here are 101 great songs from 2018 that you should really check out. I even wrote about why you should! Playlist at the bottom for those interested. Listen to it and pretend that it somehow represents some zeitgeist for the year that’s been just like I did!

Link to my fave albums of the year: https://medium.com/@quinnhenders/my-52-favourite-albums-of-2018-94279771d39e

101. Shopping — The Hype: A great way to open an album (and this list!) A manifesto that is equal parts funk and punk.

100. Blood Orange — Charcoal Baby: As the centerpiece of his album Negro Swan, Dev Hynes’ Charcoal Baby is a stunning reflection of blackness in America using charcoal as a metaphor for both the beauty of black skin and unfortunate transience of black lives.

99. Camp Cope — How to Socialize and How to Make Friends: Georgia Maq’s powerful voice illuminates her feelings on being an outsider and her disgust at the shitty man she’s been talking to who won’t go away. Not much really happens in this song and yet there is this lasting feeling of ennui that sticks with you after the song is done.

98. Lizzo — Boys: The second great tribute to “boys” in as many years. Lizzo raps with joyous energy about her love of boys, all shapes and sizes, over a what sounds like a vintage Neptunes or Timbaland beat, all while making sure they know she doesn’t really need them.

97. Creek Boyz — Trap Digits: While it was not the triumphant year I thought would happen for the Baltimore rap crew after their breakout hit from last year With My Team (their debut mixtape has still not been dropped) the Creek Boyz did supply a handful of winning singles this year. None better than Trap Digits: a buoyant ode to making bank and getting in your bag, done in their indelible Bone-Thugz-meets-Migos style.

96. Courtney Barnett — Nameless, Faceless: Courtney Barnett gives us a vicious call-out against Internet trolls and bad men everywhere pitying their sad-sack lives while also acknowledging the danger they pose. All of this is done in her laidback slacker-garage style and the dissonance only adds to the message.

95. Quavo and Travis Scott — Motorcycle Patches: While their collab album turned out to be pretty lackluster they made one song that certifiably goes. There’s a fierce energy to this song from artists that can be a bit lackadaisical and it has a crazy beat that sounds like riding a motorcycle on a bumpy road. It’s great.

94. Barrie — Canyons: A beguiling and mysterious pop gem filled with images of velvet-seated movie theatres and redeye flights. It puts you in a nice trance-like state for its 3:40 duration and you somehow feel a bit clearer afterward.

93. Amen Dunes — Dracula: A song that’s just called Dracula is dope. Simple enough.

92. Nipsey Hussle — Status Symbol 3 (feat. Buddy): A perfect encapsulation of the boastful yet muted reflection that Nipsey Hussle offers. It features that eternal struggle of wanting to celebrate but chastising yourself for the problems that you have also incurred.

91. Drake — After Dark (feat. Static Major and Ty Dolla $ign): This song makes the list for one reason: that Ty Dolla $ign feature. Sure Drake’s part is pretty fun (his claim that he drinks and smokes on the job is hilarious) and the Quiet Storm outro is a nice touch, but Ty is the main event. Channeling some peak R. Kelly vibes his verse is everything you could want in a slow jam. It is almost unbelievably smooth and the conviction of his crooning makes leisure suit come-ons sound like cosmic revelations. With the only other listed features on the album being two dead legends (Michael Jackson and Static Major) and one living one (Jay-Z) Ty had big shoes to fill and he did more than that.

90. Elvis Costello and the Imposters — Under Lime: Elvis Costello has been writing about bad men for a long time and his new song about a veteran actor fits right in for the #MeToo era of Hollywood. His typically brilliantly dark lyricism (the triple meaning of under lime in this song is genius) is aided here by some gorgeous arrangements and performances by the Impostors. It is definitely a song that feels like 2018.

89. Shame — One Rizla: The message of the song is simple: it’s okay to be rough around the edges or perhaps even mediocre. People who are “the best” are judgmental anyway. But it’s the conviction with which this message is delivered that really kicks the song to the next level.

88. Vince Staples — Don’t Get Chipped (feat. Jay Rock): It’s hard to pick the best song from Vince Staples’ surprise album FM! because it works so well as a single cohesive entity, but this song might be the standout. On an album filled with swift brutality, this track is the most simultaneously vibrant and coldhearted of them all.

87. A$AP Rocky — A$AP Forever (feat. Moby): When A$AP Forever dropped it felt like a sort of new beginning for A$AP Rocky: a self-styled artiste who is as much curator as rapper. It felt like he was trying to create some approximation of “art rap” and while, as TESTING showed, this didn’t really pan out A$AP Forever remains a gem in the catalogue. With its distorted Moby sample and syrupy chanting of “gang-gang,” the song is an indelible work of an artist who is fleetingly (emphasis on that fleetingly) brilliant.

86. The Coup — Hey Saturday Night (feat. tUnE-yArDs): Just as much fun as the movie it soundtracks (go watch Sorry to Bother You if you haven’t already) if less nihilistic. Put this on at your next function and get the anti-capitalist grooves flowing.

85. Pusha T — If You Know You Know: Squalling guitars and stretched out samples permeate throughout Daytona’s opener. Pusha-T appears in the fullest realization yet of his drug dealing supervillian persona and man is it nice to have Yeezy behind the boards instead of on the forefront of Twitter.

84. Future — Hate the Real Me: Future has had no shortage these types of self-reflective and self-disparaging songs over the years, but none have been quite so revealing as this one. What separates it is the absolutely suffocating sense of shame Fewch puts forth here. It’s really the first time that the wealth and success he has accumulated isn’t just diminished, but doesn’t matter at all. It’s quite the way to end his otherwise triumphant BEASTMODE2 mixtape and perhaps could be representative of the next stage of his work.

83. Wolf Alice — Boys (Charli XCX/Cure Cover): A mash-up that works better than it has any right to. Fuelled by pep and inventiveness and held together by the pure English-ness of it all, this cover surpasses novelty into actual relistenability.

82. Joey Purp — Look at My Wrist (feat. Cdot Honcho): Rapping over a beat that sounds like an android about to self-destruct, Joey Purp criticizes rappers who make it and then only rap about their material possessions and social gains… and then continues to do just that. Rarely is hypocrisy this powerful. Also there is a fantastic Mike Jones Still Tippin’ reference thrown in there.

81. U.S. Girls — Rosebud: Meg Remy takes on the old adage from Citizen Kane and asks us, “what is your rosebud?” It’s production, with stuttering drums and symphonic strings, evokes hypnosis like she’s trying to draw the answer out of us through inducing trance and the power of suggestion.

80. Yuno — No Going Back: A bright and colourful breakup song energized by a power pop energy, plinking piano line and shredding guitar solo at the very end.

79. Ralph — Tables Have Turned: Ralph occupies the generally dull world that I like to call Spotify Pop: pop music created by “indie” pop artists used to flesh out Spotify’s various playlists that all somehow end up sounding the same. Ralph, through the sheer clarity of her artistic sensibilities found both in her music and visuals, is able to rise above the genre trappings and create legitimately interesting and buoyant pop music. Tables Have Turned is the best of the bunch she’s released this year, peppered with excellent production choices and clever lyrics.

78. David Byrne — Everybody’s Coming to My House: I was super disappointed in David Byrne’s new album because this, the lead single for it, was so strong. This song is so much better than any other song on American Utopia: it’s fun, fresh, and inspiring to hear from an artist so deep in his career, while many of the other songs range from fine to pretty embarrassing. Whatever though, this song remains untainted.

77. Carly Rae Jepsen — Party for One: Even an admittedly minor work from Queen of Surprise Singles CRJ is better than most anybody else’s pop output. This doesn’t reach the heights of something like last years Cut to the Feeling, but it is still a certified bop. This bop just so happens be about masturbating and also may or may not sample a Mike + The Mechanics song. All of this is meant to say that CRJ remains a vanguard and an icon.

76. DJ Koze — Pick Up: As the centrepiece of Knock Knock, Pick Up is the perfect thesis statement for the album. Vibrant, propulsive, and fun (even when interpolating a song about breaking up). A dance track guaranteed to make ears perk up and feet start moving.

75. Rico Nasty — Countin’ Up: Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats’ approximation of 90s G-Funk is raw and unapologetic. It’s almost like the beat and the vocals are competing with each other for who can be more abrasive.

74. Kaytranada — NOTHIN LIKE U (feat. Ty Dolla $ign): What a dream pairing this is. Kay’s entrancing and sunshiney house beats are the perfect backdrop for Ty’s eminently smooth vocals. I need a collab album between the two stat.

73. Jay Rock — King’s Dead (with Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake): Jay Rock, Kendrick, and Future take turns bragging and flexing over a booming Mike Will and Sounwave collaboration. The song’s eternal legacy will be the fact that Future managed to say “la-di-da-di-da/slob on my knob” on what is technically a Disney entity. 2018 had some miracles in it.

72. Jamilla Woods — Giovanni: Jamilla Woods had such a sweet voice that it makes the take-no-bullshit tone of this song even more daring. She espouses what it’s like to be young, black, gifted, and female and how she will use these attributes on her terms and no one else’s. It’s a classic conceit that Woods does more than enough justice to.

71. Empath — The Eye: Fast, fun, DIY, and featuring some of the best use of xylophone I’ve ever heard. Empath’s noise rock shows a potential way forward not just for punk music but for indie as a whole.

70. Kanye West — Ghost Town (feat. Kid Cudi, John Legend, PARTYNEXTDOOR and 070 Shake): Proof that Kanye still has some magic underneath the impenetrable and repugnant dickishness. A gorgeously produced statement about the power of nostalgia that includes a revelatory feature from newcomer 070 Shake. Kanye unveiled Ye at a bonfire in Wyoming and this song has all the makings of a new bonfire classic.

69. SOPHIE — It’s Okay to Cry: SOPHIE’s futuristic electro-pop is all about the meeting point between synthetic sounds and authentic feelings. It’s Okay to Cry is the best example of the two meeting on her album and the one whose message doubles as a great reminder for anybody feeling the urge to emote.

68. Rosalia — Malamente: I don’t know much about flamenco, heck I don’t even know Spanish, but I do know this song is a bop.

67. Moses Sumney — Rank & File: Genre-defying polymath Moses Sumney blesses us with extremely powerful protest music. A survey of police brutality that eschews subtlety for uncontained righteousness. It’s a song that feels necessary.

66. Neko Case: Last Lion of Albion: According to Case, this song is about the extinction of lions from Great Britain and the idea that, somehow, they have all been reborn on Mars and are waiting for humans to land on the surface of the planet so they can take their revenge. Needless to say, this is a great song.

65. Robyn — Ever Again: “Never gonna be brokenhearted ever again/that shit’s out the door,” Robyn claims on the final track of the mafnificent album Honey. It’s a bold claim for an artist that made her name off ofheartache, one that is undoubtedly done winkingly. But man, combined with the sprightly and funky disco grooves, you want to believe her and believe that maybe you can have the same mindset.

64. Amber Marks — Love is Stronger than Pride: Quite simply just a really good R&B song.

63. Kamasi Washington — Vi Lua Vi Sol: On an overtly political album this might be the most lighthearted song on it. But it’s also the one I like the most. A vocoder-aided take on bossa nova, it feels like a warm breeze on a starlit patio. Quite refreshing.

62. St. Vincent — Fast Slow Disco: This year Annie Clark released an album full of stripped-down versions of songs from last year’s Masseduction. However, the best piece of music she released in 2018 was a reversal of this conceit: a pumped up, maximized version of that album’s melancholic Slow Disco. This “Fast” version improves upon an already excellent song taking the heartbreak of love espoused in the first one and making it triumphant. When she played this live when I saw her in Toronto this summer she prefaced it with a dedication to all the “boys, girls, and freaks” and it was probably the most ebullient the crowd was the entire set.

61. Frankie Cosmos — Being Alive: Frankie Cosmos songs are populated by various sad-sack bohemian twentysomethings straight out of a Baumbach film. It’s easy to diagnose these characters with varying levels of waking depression even as Greta Kline compositions are often quite chipper. This particularly delightful song offers an antidote to these blues by espousing a simple truth: “being alive/matters quite a bit/even when you/feel like shit.”

60. Natalie Prass — Your Fire: Just a song I feel I could always be in the mood to listen to. I’m light on analysis on this one. Sometimes a great pop song speaks for itself and Natalie Prass is just really good at making those types of songs.

59. GRLwood — Bisexual: An angry, riot grrrl-inspired punk song that espouses a universal feeling that everyone has felt at one time or another: wanting somebody to shut up and stop talking about their significant other.

58. Adrian Lux and Axel Boman — Teenage Crime — Axel Boman Dub: A slinking, blooping mystery of a song. Hypnotically repetitive in a way many of the best house songs are, it leaves you wondering what exactly the narrator means by “teenage crime.”

57. Soccer Mommy — Skin: Hearing Sophie Alison sweetly intone “I wanna be the one/you’re kissing when you’re stoned” is enough to melt down anyone’s walls. A beguiling encapsulation of the feeling of new young adult love in all its glory and wanting ache.

56. Chance the Rapper — My Own Thing (feat. Joey Purp): There were quite a few great songs this year about not caring what other people think and this gem by Chance and Joey Purp added on that topic just at the tailend of the year. What can I say other than the fact that it is a lot of fun to listen to this and imagine brushing off people or ideas you don’t like. It’s the sound of being carefree.

55. Kali Uchis — In My Dreams (feat. Damon Albarn): The entirety of Kali Uchis’ Isolation feels like it takes place in the wee hours of the morning. This one specifically evokes stumbling across some old 1950s sitcom about suburbia on TV at 3:00 a.m. The production and performance are just so evocative of that weird twilight state. Oh how nice it would be to live in dreams.

54. Noname — Ace (feat. Smino and Saba): The queen of conscious Chicago rap enlists her two princes to create a perfectly executed three minutes of Southside excellence.

53. Zedd, Grey, and Maren Morris — The Middle: The winner of the title “Ubiquitous Pop Song that I Actually Liked.” I know a radio pop song is good when I listen to it on Spotify out of my own volition rather than just tolerating it when I overhear it at the drugstore. It’s some mix between the whip-smart production (it’s almost too perfectly crafted) and Maren Morris’ vocals which have a bit more ruggedness to them than the average pop songstress (which makes sense given her country roots) that make this an instant classic.

52. Neko Case — Halls of Sarah: Case the singer is so-often praised but Case the songwriter is just as adept and talented. Halls of Sarah is a withering ballad assessing the value of a woman’s name as commodity for both industries and artists. “You see our poets / Do an odious business / Loving womankind / As lions love Christians,” might be the most brutal line recorded to tape this year.

51. Julia Holter — I Shall Love 2: In a year that could feel so cold for so many, Julia Holter makes what could be classified as a bold declaration: makes the promise, “I shall love.” When she finally utters those words in the song, it sounds like a religious revelation.

50. The Carters — Apeshit: Combined with that amazing video, this song is the single biggest flex of the year. Beyoncé demanding to be paid in equity is both hilarious and seriously intimidating. Man, it sounds like fun to be rich.

49. Saba — Fighter (feat. Kaina): On Care for Me, an album full of heartbreaking reflections of society and self, this track stands out most of all. Maybe it’s because I, like Saba, also have a fear of altercations. Or maybe it’s just because I can’t get the diagnosis of “I know you think you listenin’ but you just waitin’ to talk,” out of my head. Fighter, for me at least, really strikes a chord.

48. Pusha T — The Games We Play: This song really sounds like the culmination of years of hard work for Pusha. At age 41 he’s gone from street level dealer to label president and dealt with all sorts of bullshit. And you can really hear on this track how this has affected him but also made his life worth living. He sees himself as king and is proud of this title because he had to earn it

47. Soccer Mommy — Your Dog: An inversion of an Iggy Pop standard, Soccer Mommy vehemently denies the practice of wanting inequality in a relationship. An instant indie anti-love song classic.

46. Young Thug — Real in My Veins (feat. T-Shyne): A new classic of the “look ma, I made it” genre. The pure venom in which Thug spits out lines like, “tell the critics that they’re talking to the fucking founder” and “tell the feds they’re gonna start chaos if they raid it” is downright invigorating. It might be the most inspiring song Thug has ever released. It kind of makes me feel like I can do anything. Is that crazy?

45. Ariana Grande — thank u, next: Is this the best ever example of a pop star handling an extremely public breakup? It certainly feels like it. Grande strike a perfect balance between subtweeting pettiness and genuine self-love.

44. Robyn — Missing U: The queen of crying on the dancefloor returns from an extended hiatus and picks up right where she left off. Robyn deals with the difficult question of how to pick yourself up when the one you love is gone and not coming back. Unlike before, dancing away the problem doesn’t seem like an option and the realization comes that maybe this feeling of abadonment will always stick with her. It’d all be so bleak if it weren’t so glittering.

43. Miya Folik — Stock Image: Powerful vocals combine with powerful imagery to make a fresh and evocative song about trying to get right. The song’s narrator is clearly going through some things, but Folik’s breathtaking performance fills the song with an undeniable optimism.

42. Janelle Monaé — Pynk (feat. Grimes): The best song about vaginas released this year.

41. Hop Along — Prior Things: Portrayed in this song is what sounds like the most blissful drug trip ever. A mystical experience in the truest sense of the word: Frances Quinlan sings about a sense of obliteration of self and attainemnt of oneness with the universe on macro level and a loved one on a micro level. The specificity of time and place melt away and a realization that she has been lucky enough to occupy a space in reality takes hold. It’s a gorgeous sentiment and a gorgeous song.

40. Cardi B — I Do (feat. SZA): This song is centered on a brilliant turn of phrase; it converts two words traditionally associated with commitment and monogamy and refits them to be an ode about doing whatever the fuck you want. The utter disdain dripping from SZA’s voice on the hook is wonderful and in this song Cardi B claims that she has “pussy so good she says her own name during sex ,” which is also wonderful (and while I don’t have the data to back this up, it must have been one of the most Instagram-captioned lines of the year.) Truly a song holier than matrimony.

39. Lil Uzi Vert — New Patek: So rare to hear Uzi just spit like this and yet here it is for almost six full uninterrupted minutes. Even as the song fades out he is still rapping his ass off. In a year that included bitter management and label problems, a bizarre social media hack that may have been self-orchestrated, and legal battles with an actual cult, Uzi managed to give us his most accomplished song yet and the single most gloriously bizarre bar of the year: “I am a octopus, I cannot breathe without water/ So I put diamonds on my tentacles.” God bless him.

38. Migos — Stir Fry: If only all of Culture II sounded this good it would have been way easier to get through. This is the liveliest the occasionally dour trio has ever sounded — taking a shelved vintage Pharell beat and making it their own. For a song that was released a year ago now it still sounds remarkably fresh and could still point towards a new direction for the group.

37. Charli XCX — Backseat feat. Carly Rae Jepsen: A pairing that took far too long to happen. Backseat is a pop lovers dream. Painting neon images of driving around cities at midnight as the two songstresses sing about how they’re trying, and failing, to escape their memories and outrun their past. The song ends with the two droning repeatedly “all alone” and it is downright cathartic.

36. SOB X RBE — Paramedic! (with Kendrick Lamar and Zacari): The single hardest song on the Black Panther soundtrack. Cubeatz and DJ Dahi, assisted by Sounwave, created a beat that absolutely slaps and the young foursome completely tear it to shreds.

35. Car Seat Headrest — Nervous Young Inhumans: A song for any kid who ever felt like they didn’t fit in. It converts suffocating insecurities into a triumphant power pop track. A great thesis statement for Will Toledo’s career thus far and an even better song.

34. Deafheaven — Canary Yellow: Deafheaven occupies a genre I do not typically listen to but they never fail to draw me in. Sure it’s black metal, but it’s so melodic and dreamy! Canary Yellow plays out like a storm and acts as the ultimate sprawling statement piece on an album that’s filled with them.

33. Mount Erie — Now Only: The title track from Mount Erie’s latest is another reflection death, but one that finds humour in the situation for the first time. In it, Phil Elverum deals with just how bizarre a situation he is in. His album filled with unbearably sad songs about his dead wife is a hit and now he’s touring it at festivals. What place does his cathartic journey have in this landscape of young people living? How could it possibly coexist in the same space and time as Skrillex? Also featured here is an almost Smiths-like list of ways people can die, a Father John Misty namedrop, and, ultimately, a hopeful note to end on: the fact that “these waves hit less frequently.”

32. Parquet Courts — Wide Awake: I don’t think a more danceable rock song was released this year. So danceable that they actually performed it on Ellen, making them what has to be one of the unlikeliest morning talk show musical guests of all time. It’s a song that lives up to its name.

31. boygenius — Me & My Dog: Man this song is just gutting. When the triple harmony hits too. Perfection. The sentiment of, “I wish I was on a spaceship/ Just me and my dog and an impossible view,” is one that will never fail to resonate with me. I’m going to go cry now.

30. Janelle Monaé — I Like That: Janelle Monaé’s entire ethos is basically, “I will express myself however I want to,” which is pretty inspiring. That’s what this song is about. It’s about what she likes and, ultimately, what she likes is herself. I would love to have those levels of self-confidence.

29. Empress Of — When I’m With Him: A beautiful song that greets you with warm synths and gorgeous instrumentation. On first listen it might actually sound like an uncomplicated love song if you’re not listening closely, but inside the warmth is a cold and dissatisfied centre. Lorely Rodriguez documents a relationship that is zombified: still shuffling along, but it has been dead for a long time. And when you listen to it again, you do start to feel the malaise as she almost absentmindedly drifts between languages, as if hazy or sleepwalking as she describes.

28. Travis Scott — Sicko Mode (feat. Drake, Swae Lee, and Big Hawk): The first time I heard the beat switch-up at the beginning of Sicko Mode was one of my favourite music moments of the year. Just so unexpected and the song doesn’t stop from there. Travis crafted a song that can truly be called thrilling, just like the amusement park vibe he was going for. It’s the creative highpoint on an endlessly creative album.

27. Cardi B — I Like It (feat. Bad Bunny and J. Balvin): Cardi B’s successful bid for song of the summer is still so much fun, guys. The production is fun. The braggadocio is fun. Mumbling along to J. Balvin’s verse until you get to the part where you can shout “pa-pa-pa-razi like I’m Lady Gaga” is so much fun. I had a fear at one point I might hear it too much and start to dislike it, but I was thankfully proven wrong.

26. Drake — Nice for What: Man it was another Drake-filled year eh? This was released before Story of Adidon and before he went on a date with an 18-year-old he had already known for two years. A simpler time. And you know what? It still holds up even after all that. Murda Beatz blessed us with an amazing chipmunk soul New Orleans bounce beat and Drake did the right thing and took himself out of the equation and made it about the ladies. Perhaps it feels less genuine this time around, but it still sounds amazing. It might just be the best sounding rap song of the year. This is what rap and pop meeting is supposed to sound like. Here’s to another who-knows-how-many years of Drake.

25. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks — Middle America: The best type of Americana song is one that tells you just how broken its namesake is. Middle America is both a survey of the crises taking ahold of that area and a hopeful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. There are a few songs about “bad men” on this list but none are so lovely and wistful as this one, making it all the more gutting.

24. Flasher — Pressure: A song so self-propulsive I feel like I could just listen to iton repeat. A perfect slice of D.C. punk.

23. U.S. Girls — Rage of Plastics: Originally recorded by Canadian folk artist Fiver, Meg Remy makes it her own. The subject matter fits a typical U.S. Girls song: a young woman is trapped in an awful job at a chemical refinery and becomes infertile due to the unsafe working conditions. And somehow, as Remy always does, she makes this bleak subject matter something you can groove to. It also includes one of the nastiest saxophone lines I’ve ever heard.

22. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever — Sister’s Jeans: A perfect encapsulation of what the Australian group does best: a laidback sound that hides within it a conflicted core. This song serves as a reminder that it’s okay to ask for help when things get too stressful. It’s a good reminder, especially when matched with their fantastic, summery slide guitars.

21. Yves Tumor — Noid: Yves Tumor’s music is downright unclassifiable. Here we have the artist’s take on alt-hip-hop and probably the most accessible song on the album. And boy is it grim. A manic, string and snare filled collage of sounds reflecting a society filled with murder, mental illness, and a system that can’t be trusted. It is the sound of inescapable paranoia: terrifying but oddly enlivening.

20. Snail Mail — Pristine: Media has a tendency to downplay the importance of crushes. They get trivialized as puppy love or immature teenage feelings. It’s as if we want to forget just how world-enveloping and devastating a crush can be. Pristine is a reminder of that feeling. A painfully earnest creation spawned from the irrational belief that you’ll “never love anyone else.” It’s played seriously, as it should be. Lindsey Jordan knows that her feelings should not be discounted however immature they may be. She is validating her need for validation. It’s beautiful and it’s gut-wrenching.

19. Chance the Rapper — Wala Cam (feat. Super Bwe and Forever Band): Chance’s tribute to Chicago juke music and a local talent show is a shimmering example of his breathless creativity and energy. The whole thing moves a mile minute, hitting you with nonstop catchy phrasing and clever bars.

18. Rae Sremmurd — Powerglide (feat. Juicy J): The rap world did not need another song about cars and women, yet Powerglide manages to sound essential. From the opening strings of Mike Will’s rocket-powered beat to the insanely catchy chorus, this song is a flex for the ages. It has everything from Swae Lee crooning like a doo-wop singer that he “has the hots” for a girl to Juicy J taking a break from his unapologetic filthiness to say “RIP to Lil Peep/I gotta slow down on them Xans.”

17. Mitski — Geyser: When Mitski dropped this as the first single for Be the Cowboy, it was an immediate sign that something special was coming. Slowly building and building till erupting like its namesake with horns, electric guitars, and uncontainable emotional declarations. Geyser is not even two and a half minutes long yet, by the time it is done, you feel like you’ve gone on a full journey.

16. Anderson .Paak — ’Til It’s Over: Even without being aided by an amazing music video/Apple commercial, Anderson .Paak’s non-album single would be intoxicating anyway. The stuttering production matches perfectly with his inimitable raspy-smooth vocals. This is a highpoint for music this year that is equal parts sophisticated, melancholic, and danceable. A perfect song to put on in your apartment and dance alone to, pretending to be FKA Twigs in a new colourful world where loneliness isn’t so scary.

15. Father John Misty — Disappointing Diamonds are the Rarest of Them All

“Like a pervert on a crowded bus/a glare of love bears down us.” So opens Father John Misty’s deconstruction of the love song. Josh Tillman is such a sharp lyricist and songwriter. His lyrics cut precisely as a surgeon’s scalpel, aided here by a simple yet elegant song construction. He looks at the pressure that comes with an idea so many love songs have built up: that your love is perfect and will last forever. What about those loves that are perfectly average? A couple of short verse-choruses look at this question and then a wonderful outro of horns and oohs that sounds straight out of an ELO song carry you off. It really feels like the sort of AM 70’s singer-songwriter music is coming back and Tillman is truly at the forefront of it. He’s great when he’s obnoxious but even better when using his wry observations as a truly sincere mechanism.

14. Sheck Wes — Mo Bamba

All you need sometimes is a menacing beat and a committed performance. Both are supplied in Mo Bamba, Sheck Wes’ absolutely world-crushing breakout single. The creation of Mo Bamba was a fortuitous event. Sheck Wes, on a whim, came into the studio and one-take freestyled the entire thing; afterwards he added some ad-libs and the whole thing was done in 20 minutes. A couple weeks later, without his knowledge, co-producer on the song 16YROLD released it on his SoundCloud and it blew up. And how could it not? The song has this raw, unfiltered energy. Of course it had to be done in one take. Trying to recreate anything would spoil the spontaneity. Was there a greater musical joy this year then absolutely freaking out when he ups the octave to yell out “YOUNG SHECK WES AND I’M GETTING REALLY RICH”? In this song, Sheck Wes found that perfect distance between the genuine article and fantastical boasting that trap songs like this should aspire to. I applaud it, as do the many frat bros whose keggers it soundtracked.

13. Love on Ice — Key! and Kenny Beats

It’s weird when you never hear of an artist and suddenly they become ubiquitous, not just in the broader culture, but in your specific cultural life. That’s what happened with heretofore-anonymous producer Kenny Beats. In what has been a prolific year for the guy, Love on Ice is his crowning achievement and what I believe is the beat of the year. It is inventive and propulsive; it brings flair and a different sort of energy so-often lacking in a lot of trap production. Most importantly, it slaps. The stuttering hi-hats perfectly mixed with the shimmering wah-wah horns. Atlanta rapper Key! brings the ideal performance to the table too with funny one-liners like “stiff-armed like Julio/what the fuck did I do to you?” and some frankly strange boasts like claiming he’ll “coast like Amalfi.” Believe me, it works.

12. Lucy Dacus — Addictions

Armed with a multitude of hooks, a sort of honky-tonk crunch, and cutting, diaristic lyricism, this song is a gem. It would be an amazing song if it had either the fantastic instrumentation or the great lyrics, but miraculously it has both. Dacus the singer is no slouch either: her distinctive, husky voice gives this song about an old relationship that just won’t die a necessary edge. “I’m just calling ’cause I’m used to it/you’ll pick up ’cause you’re not a quitter” might be my favourite single lyric of this year. The feeling of resignation, still buoyed by a coy wit, is everything I could ever want in an indie rock single.

11. Kacey Musgraves — High Horse

Kacey Musgraves’ disco-country fusion bop is quite simply the best kiss-off of the year. Both to the jerks we have to deal with every day and perhaps, more broadly, to the country establishment itself whose core base of good ol’ boys probably, as Musgraves glibly diagnoses, “think they’re John Wayne.” Ultimately, this interpretation of the song’s greater relationship to genre politics doesn’t even matter. Musgraves might be a bit of radical in the country scene right now, but what matters more than that is she makes great music. High Horse being the high point (sorry) on the supreme Golden Hour. Slick production and a fearless indulgence in camp have created a flawless pop country confection. Infinitely re-listenable as both a party starter and a mood booster (and as Musgraves demonstrates in the video for the song, a great choice for karaoke.) Giddy up!

10. DJ Koze — Music on My Teeth

Why do we love music so much anyway? It’s a question that has been grappled with by anthropologists, social critics, musicians, and others for a long time. Music On My Teeth, perhaps the airiest and dreamiest of all the tracks on Knock Knock, sounds like DJ Koze’s answer to the question. As the unidentified voice says at the end of the track, he doesn’t just listen to music, he lives and speaks it. It’s part of him — on his teeth as it were. The same thing is obviously true for Koze: he makes his living creating music but, even if this were not the case, you have to believe he still couldn’t live without. Getting blissed out and losing yourself in the music is necessary therapy and a self-regenerative for the soul. Music On My Teeth is a song filled with a deep, mystical love that you can really feel while listening to it. It’s the kind of song that reminds you that it’s okay to take a break and just listen once in a while.

9. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever — Talking Straight

R.B.C.F. have a pretty tried and true formula at this point: sharp band interplay, an upbeat or fast-paced sound contrasted with surprisingly dark lyrics, and mentioning somebody by name that you don’t know (but they make you feel like you know who they’re singing about). Talking Straight features all of this. It’s a tightly wound barnburner of a song that is equal parts rollicking and anxious. A look at the lyrics and you can glean the song is about dual existential crises and a narrator fearing he is losing his grip. Both the narrator and Jenny with her old “midnight blue” coupe are clearly going through some things. Guitarist and vocalist on the song Joe White said that, “the idea in this song is that we might be lonely, but we could be lonely together.” A lovely sentiment indeed even when attached to some pretty dire lyrics. When listening to it personally I feel more anxiety than loneliness. The ripping guitar solo featured here feels like a climax to this feeling: the maelstrom of anxiety finally taking hold and bursting out — uncontrolled and untenable. I almost find it hard to talk straight after hearing it.

8. Jorja Smith — February 3rd

Sometimes simplicity pays off. All you need is a smooth beat, some twinkling keys, and a basic but effective plot device: being in a relationship where the other person is not putting in their fair share of work. An arresting voice certainly helps as well, which Smith certainly provides. It’s one of her most controlled and impressive vocal performances of her young career. I always found myself going back to this song through the past year, every once in a while hearing something new. There’s something beguiling about it — both calming and captivating. It’s hard to break down, but part of it is definitely the craftsmanship. This thing sounds incredible. The production on it is a wonder. It manages to be shimmeringly beautiful but also capture and mimic the sense of dissatisfaction in Smith’s voice. You can also sort of hear the mechanics of the beat itself: it sounds like a music box. The lyrics, though uncomplicated, are impressively detailed in subtle ways. Touches like “the same stain that was left from the cherry wine” give the relationship she is debating a lived-in feel. Small touches like that make it so much easier to emotionally invest and connect. Looking back on it now, maybe it’s not such a simple song after all.

7. Young Thug — High (feat. Elton John)

Young Thug’s career has thrived on eccentricity. Truly, one of the most innovative voices and biggest risk-takers in rap over the past decade. Releasing a remix of an Elton John classic would be unheard of for basically anyone else, but with Thugger, it just makes sense. In many ways, he’s kind of like this generation’s Elton John. Eccentric both in performance and dress with a real range that is often underappreciated. An undoubtedly magnetic personality with an ability that is sometimes underrated when compared to his peers because of his willingness to be so out-of-the-box, but able to reach levels of pathos as deep as anyone else. Thug’s abilities are all on display here and the results are downright uplifting. An expertly done interpolation of Sir Elton’s ballad about the simultaneous pangs of accomplishment and loneliness, High is the grace note of Thug’s already marvelous career. Including some classic Thuggerisms and motivational poster-worthy quotes (“you gotta be the pride of something” is my personal favourite) takes off into the stratosphere and takes you with it.

6. Sidney Gish — Persephone

A very original concept for a song: the embarrassment that comes with mispronouncing a word. It’s something I think everyone has experienced but it’s not exactly well-represented in art. And Sidney Gish somehow manages to take this relatable yet decidedly mundane situation and make it the dreamiest sounding thing. I remember listening to this song basically on repeat when I first heard it all the way back in January for the first time. I was enraptured by it. The sincerity and just the uniqueness of it really spoke to me. And there’s the fact it just sounds so, so good. The production is absolutely enchanting: the drums are lilting yet driving, the guitars sound like clouds, somehow, and Gish’s voice has a lovely quality to it and she really emotes the embarrassment and shame of the situation. Of course, maybe there’s something going on here than just saying words wrong; there’s all those mentions of visits from Greek goddesses after all. Perhaps it’s a broader statement on self-confidence or a commentary on the sacredness of knowledge both new and old. It’s hard not to read some deeper, secret meaning into just because it sounds so mystical. But maybe I’m wrong. As Gish sings, “if I’d known I’d mess up this many times/then I’d shut up for the rest of my life.”

5. The 1975 — It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)

Look, there’s a lot of music today that is very derivative of 80s pop; oftentimes without doing anything interesting or original with it and sometimes just doing an approximation of what they think sounds 80s rather than something that actually sounds 80s. This track is clearly inspired by the pop-rock of that era (a la Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required), but has none of the problems I have just mentioned. The 1975 nail everything: from the content (a song about drugs that at first sounds like its about something that’s not drugs is a pretty classic conceit), to the production (aside from Matty Healy’s distinctly modern indie-style vocals everything else sounds straight out of 1984), and hell they even do the parentheses in the title thing (that little detail, which isn’t even part of the actual song, means so much to me). It is a perfect simulacrum, that honestly really doesn’t deserve to be called a simulacrum, because it’s better than almost all of the songs its taking inspiration from. It is a perfectly crafted pop-rock confection that most bands could only dream of making. Catchy, but not grating. Clever, but not cloying. Jubilant, yet devastating. I am impressed by how good it is every time I listen to it, and I’ll surely be listening to it for years to come.

4. Playboi Carti — Shoota (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)

This song features the most audacious production I have heard all year and really some of the most audacious production I’ve heard ever. Mawly Raw really took some risks here but they pay off monumentally. You see, the drop doesn’t occur until the entire first verse is rapped in its entirety (an absolutely resplendent Lil Uzi rapping about “pecan drops” and being “high till next week”) a whole minute and eight seconds into a song that is only two-and-a-half minutes long. But when it drops the result is a fireworks display. The simple keys building and building until a symphony of sounds and tones explode; seemingly random but all meticulously clicking in place together. It might be the single best second in music all year. And it’s followed by the legend Carti rapping about his love for his tool and the support of his goons. Perfection. The whole song is one big addicting head rush. Even though I know what’s coming every time now I will never get tired of it. Like a favourite roller coaster ride or action movie sequence, I listen to it and suddenly I am bristling with kinetic energy.

3. Hop Along — How Simple

Francis Quinlan might have the best voice in all of indie rock. Between her range, her alternately gruff and sweet tone, and just the pure ability to belt out and emote, I am consistently awed by her performances. Her performance on this song is perfect. The ache, the passion, just slightly scratched but still crystal clear. It’s a brutally honest song too, with images of crying and being “covered in each other’s snot.” The vulnerability is shocking, but not overwhelming, anchored by Quinlan’s skillful performance and excellent accompaniment from the rest of the band. There’s one part on the second chorus where she switches up the delivery of the line “how simple my heart can be” and it’s like a magic trick. Then on the next repetition of the line, she sounds like she’s smiling at what she just did, knowing how good it was. Then the chorus is over and we have a fun twangy guitar solo. What an amazing sequence in an amazing song.

2. Mitski — Nobody

I remember listening to this for the first time. I saw on Twitter that Mitski had dropped a new single and that it was “disco inspired.” You can imagine my excitement. So my girlfriend and I, sitting on the futon in my living room, put it on. And then we listened to it again. And again. And that just carried on basically the entire rest of the summer. Here we find Mitski indulging in her patented heartache in a new and exciting way. Trading in the indie guitar for a drum machine and some good old-fashioned funkiness. The gamble paid dividends and created an undeniable masterpiece of contradictions. The type of loneliness Mitksi sings about here is world killing. Literally. She compares her loneliness to an extinct planet. It is so dramatic that the execution of it almost has to be a bit campy. You need the unshakable grooviness of it to create a little levity. At least until the end of the song comes and the slow repetition of the titular word creates almost a sense of dread that this monumental loneliness is a disease that can be caught by anyone. But that’s why you restart the song! So you can start dancing again. Mitski said that she came up with the idea for the song when she visited Malaysia for vacation all alone and was unprepared for the overwhelming loneliness that she would feel. At one point she was on the ground crying just repeating “nobody” to herself and the idea dawned on her that this could be a song hit song. All I’m saying is that I too have been in a state on the floor crying repeating a single word to myself before and I was not able to create an instant classic song out of it. Mitski is a true musical genius.

The one song I undoubtedly listened to the most this year. Those opening ahhs are a salvo of happiness. Originally starting its life as incidental music for a Ray Bans sponsored short film about a guy who prematurely says “I love you” called Oh Jerome, No (where Natalie Prass oddly plays a version of herself), Short Court Style was blessedly turned into a fully fleshed-out song. The inspiration for the lyrics came from a new relationship that she was in and the excitement and tiny struggles that come with it. Like my pick for song of the year last year, Phoenix’s Fior di Latte, it’s lighthearted compared to a lot of the other stuff on here (and most of the other stuff on Prass’ album The Future and the Past) but the lightness is part of the appeal. It’s so light that it floats and brings it up with you. I could try to go into detail about the production choices and vocal phrases that are on this thing but there’s about a hundred or so of them that I love and I really don’t think I could properly describe them anyway. Suffice to say everything is perfect; consistently hitting that sweet spot between meticulous and effortless. On the podcast Song Exploder, Prass detailed playing the finished product for the first time to her partner who inspired the song as they danced to it together in her apartment. I cannot think of a better use of this song. Let Natalie Prass’ celebration of the love that she has found inspire us to celebrate the love that we may find, be it any person, action, or thing. Short Court Style is the best possible kind of reverie.

Add a comment

What is your view?

Send

Related posts:

Heaven and Hell

I have decided to record here, two events that occurred when I was younger. Each happened in the order written and in the same night. Whether or not they were dreams or actual encounters, I cannot…