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| Kanye West - ye |
I'm not going to ramble on with pre-text anymore. You know what's up. You can guarantee that every pick here is solely because I enjoy the song, not chosen in some contrived attempt to 'represent the year' as cute a concept as that might sound.
Feel free to watch a video version of this list here.
#50: Carnage (feat. Mac Miller & MadeInTYO) – “Learn How To Watch”
Quite openly, I’ve been highly disapproving of DJ Carnage’s ghost-producers' latest album, but considering a brief speck of decency with Young Thug last
year and a few shockingly enjoyable jams with Lil Pump (mmhmm, yes) and now these two, he
must’ve had his grips on something right at some point in time. I couldn’t
pinpoint all the places in the paddock of fate in which he slipped, but I’m not
here to spotlight disasters. “Learn
How To Watch” was genuinely one of the best singles I heard all year and the right people were enlisted to do such an oddly-shaped beat justice: MadeinTYO and Mac Miller (rest in peace). I’m not even sure how
finding the groove in this instrumental could be done, but I should've seen it coming: TYO has a neat outrageous-ness about him and Miller always
knew his way around flowing on off-kilter rhythms.
#49: Louis Cole – “Things”
As one of the two members of synth weirdos Knower, Louis Cole went forth to be a weirdo on his own during his solo album Time earlier this year, in the same way that a lot of us love to be weirdos with varying levels of willingness to show it off to the public. Though funky pops of hilarity (“When You’re Ugly”!) are abundant with lovable dorkiness, my favourite song is actually the moment that Cole sounds truly sincere. It’s a pretty, cool-headed moment on the album that carries forward its triumphant intro gently like a candle in the groggy hours of the morning.
Best part: “The one you love will hurt you bad, but a stranger has
your back.” It’s a simple enough line that
is given its impact by Cole's soothing and sincere delivery.
#48: Audiobooks – “Dance Your Life Away”
I'm certain that Audiobooks know their music is ready to be either heavily adored or disliked by listeners – considering how obtuse and freakish, in a charmingly amateurish manner, the rest of their debut album Now! (In a Minute) was, I’d be tempted to warn that "Dance Your Life Away" could annoy easily. As Evangeline Ling seems to improvise everything she possibly wants to shout and squeal over a wildly kooky synthesiser melody, I actually find myself caught up in all the absurd, sweat-dripping energy. Strangely liberating.
Best part: “Mmmmmmaaaatrix mmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaad!”
#47: Rosalía – “Malamente”
Truthfully, I didn't expect Rosalía to become as viral this year as she did, but I couldn't complain. Each track from her sophomore album El mal querer is an undeniably sexy fusion of modern pop sensibilities and a style of flamenco nuevo derived from her home Catalunya. It's known enough that Rosalía's vibrato alone can make knees tremble but now with an unforeseen sass and absolutely bumpin' groove, I can feel my entire body shaking to the beat.
Best part: The handclap rhythms on the hook.
#46: Natalie Prass – “Short Court Style”
Cuuuuuuuutiiiiiiiiiie.
Best part: The staccato piano chords when the "round and round" chorus kicks in.
#45: Courtney Barnett – “Hopefulessness”
On her first album, Courtney
Barnett certainly spent a few moments in timid introspection, but ended it all
on high spirits and sunny energy. Between then and now, the climate has
certainly changed, and Barnett opens Tell
Me How You Really Feel with a desolate, slow-burning ballad that has the
rising tension and payoff of a post-rock song; a crescendo to wish for and one
that washes all your hopes away.
Best part: The
final minute. The fire in the song’s heart has only subtly swollen but my word,
if even that level of intensity isn’t a force to be reckoned with…
#44: Kali Uchis (feat. Steve Lacy) – “Just a Stranger”
Kali Uchis is a shining new star with a myriad of various directions she could go in, demonstrated by debut album Isolation; an ironic title considering its refusal to stick to just one style. This is actually a neat move, though the lucid, tastily warped "Just a Stranger" stands in my opinion as my favourite stylistic costume on the album. Idiosyncratic with a total sass about it; a song as glamorous as Uchis herself.
Best part: The beginning twenty seconds; hearing the chilling isolated keyboard melody as well as Uchis' distant voice like a detached call in a dream, before the cymbal teleports us right into the song's sultry bubble.
#43: Turnstile – “I Don’t Wanna Be Blind”
Not that I was ever familiar with the scene of New York hardcore, mainly as I don't live in New York (huh), but I am absolutely for Turnstile, volcanic bass-lines and all. Be sure to watch the music video for "I Don't Wanna Be Blind" when listening to the track, it's ridiculously simple but my word it looks awesome, being as cathartic as Brendan Yates' screams.
Best part: The "oooooh"s are incredible breather moments after each instance of the hook.
#42: Idles – “Danny Nedelko”
Named after the frontman of British punk band Heavy Lungs, but more importantly for the sake of this song, a Ukrainian immigrant, “Danny Nedelko” by rising punk band Idles places everyone regardless of race or ethnicity on the equal playing field that those critical of immigrants refuse to by account of fear, which eventually leads to continued bigotry. On top of that, however, it is a punk song relieving to hear in all that it is melodic as much as aggressive, a satisfying bass groove and cathartic on the riffs, then hilariously re-purposing the chants of "oi!" punk on the chorus to create a progressive anthem for unity.
Best part: Idles are always here to throw out punchy one-liners with as sardonic a sense of humour as their stark punchiness. This song reels in the clever line "My blood brother is Malala / A Polish butcher, he's Mo Farah".
#41: Mitski – “Washing Machine Heart”
We know Mitski for writing songs about being lonely, but franker than that is how vivid she is when doing so. I didn't think I'd hear her write another lyric as wrenching upfront as "I want a love that'll fall as fast as a body from the balcony / I want a kiss like my heart is hitting the ground" but the manic absurdity of "Throw your dirty shoes in my washing machine heart baby / Bang it up inside" just about matches that in sheer desperation. As I say, it's absurd, but in the manner of feeling as if that's all you can do to compensate for your complete loss of control.
Best part: The bridge of the song, where that facade of absurdity sinks out of earshot; Mitski's cries of "Why not me?" feel completely honest before the sneering synth twirls back in to lead the song out.
#40: Adrianne Lenker – “Symbol”
Easy enough to describe this song as having a Radiohead chord progression and Nick Drake instrumentation, apparently harder to describe it in terms of Adrianne Lenker's breathy style itself suited for the cusp of dawn quite beautifully. There's a cold magic that I get from her solo work that I don't feel when listening to Big Thief. Lenker meditates on time passing as if she is sitting in the centre of the clock and nonchalantly watching the minute, then eventually hour hand, spin by.
Best part: I nominate "Do you see, circling through? / That's how one returns from two" for the best lyric of this year that describes time passing.
#39: Seinabo Sey – “I Owe You Nothing”
A stern shove away from oppressive individuals who treat African cultures and its people, especially black women, as a mere novelty or object of entitlement, Seinabo Sey finds many ways to say “no” to condescending scrutiny and exploitation on a gripping empowerment anthem. "I don't have to dance monkey, dance monkey, dance monkey, dance for you" is simultaneously austere and a scathing flip on the derogatory remark.
Best part: Each
time the backing harmonies erupt as she sings “na, na, na, na… naaaaaa”. They aren't there for the first few times she sings that bit, so when you come to terms with just how many harmonies there are during its final instance, it feels surging with empowerment; perhaps that she is more assured or that more women are backing her up in the struggle.
#38: Lonnie Holley – “I Woke Up”
Lonnie Holley is fed-up. Posing your frustration for the state of America is no new matter in these recent years but I struggle to recall if I've heard it performed as cacophonous as the general infrastructure of the country as I have here. "I Woke Up" is by no means even the most outraged track on MITH, however it deserves such an applause for being so intense with its message. Knowing the States are "fucked up" isn't new, the clattering, instrumentally rich and ultimately disturbing delivery here is. Obviously, having "woke up" is the metaphor for epiphany but all the horror of this track comes from him ending his slumber only to find that the world he's met with is the biggest nightmare of all.
Best part: The blasts of brass.
#37: Makaya McCraven – “Atlantic Black”
"Therapeutic" was the word I kept using to describe Universal Beings, a sanative, inspiring and shamefully underrated nu-jazz release this year. I propose a big toast to such a finely performing rhythmic section, sounding oddly mechanical and emphasised as the base ground for wherever the track builds and grows, however when the nine-minute "Atlantic Black" introduces violin vibratos they make the track so anxious to the point where even the rhythm begins to lose a bit of control. I'm sure the saxophonist is feeling a bit of guilt, too.
Best part: About five minutes in where the track becomes nearly too volatile for its own good.
#36: Black Milk – “Could It Be”
It should be no surprise that the production of Curtis Cross – stage name Black Milk – is crispy, pilled with a too-much-motion-to-miss kind of
funkiness to it, yet even “Could It Be” was
such a wonderful surprise. Now with a mic in hand, there’s much to find
infectious in Black Milk’s bouncy flow, but even more so is the instrumental
backing him – sounding much as if Thundercat were to dabble in a bit more of a
traditional hip-hop song, with synthesisers twinkling and twirling like streaks
of light.
#35: Iceage – “Catch It”
Dan Nielsen constantly sounds
like he has sore muscles. Excruciating is “Catch
It”, carrying on from the hot-headed anguish of Plowing Through the Field of Love, plodding on but less like a
dulled zombie and more like a beggar crawling along the ground reaching for
water, anywhere at all to drink. So sure, all that desperation makes sense. The
despondent air of a Nick Cave, the eerie funeral march tempo of a “Venus In Furs”, and the conclusion of a
Jesus Lizard.
Best part: That fucking ending! Holy shit! What a surprise!
#34: Caroline Rose – “Jeannie Becomes a Mom”
My first experience with
Caroline Rose’s Loner was a pleasant
one, appreciating sunny pop tunes like anyone else might just. A fair few
laughs, a strong grip on satire, and just generally good songwriting to keep
these songs moving. Rose is deviously clever, though; “Jeannie Becomes a Mom” is a horrific existential realisation in disguise as another summery indie pop tune. As “now
you’re in real life” echoes through the song like a wake-up call, we’re
reminded that time doesn’t sympathise with anyone if they fall behind. Fun!
Best
part: “But
the world don’t stop.” A bit of a sneaky gut-punch
thrown in what is otherwise a very sunny-sounding jam. Comforts you a little
bit by having such a pretty melody playing right after she sings that.
#33: Janelle Monáe (feat. Grimes) – “Pynk”
Nothing’s more easing than
feeling comfortable in your own skin, but the sad reality is that many people
still don’t. Janelle Monáe’s stunning Dirty
Computer is an invitation to feel empowerered with femininity and queer
identity. Coupled with its inclusive and important music video, the colour
pink is given its love back with "Pynk", unashamed of any connotations to come with it, instead promising to break them down and find the things to be proud of. It’s a
wonderful moment on the album – irresistibly
slick as that groove begins, by the time Monáe wails in fullest joy
during the chorus it’s an absolute party. It's a song sure to make any person
opposed to such liberated gender expression uncomfortable with its lewd descriptions (“pink, like the inside of
your….. pink, like the skin under your…”), but I love that it won’t
apologise for that, either.
Best part: The “yeeeaaaaah!” You can just about imagine
the smiles on their faces as they sing it.
#32: Denzel Curry (feat. Twelvelen & Goldlink) – “Black Balloons”
Denzel Curry may be known for channeling darkness and aggression, but the most impressive song on TA13OO was the one moment of bliss and euphoria (musically anyways, tuning in to the lyrics reveals that the song suppresses pain that it is trying to overcome), even one where Curry managed to smooth out his singing even if safety-netted by Twelvelen. "Black Balloons" succeeds on account of being many things: a sleek practice in soul-flavoured hip-hop, a rare well-executed melodic number from Curry, then an opportunity for him to tap at the surface of his deep trauma.
Best part: The first ten seconds where the song takes a moment to gather itself before blooming into the poignant hook.
#31: George Clanton – “Livin’ Loose”
Man, I wish I were as cool as George Clanton. I get the feeling that he might roll his eyes if he heard that, but I'm not kidding. I wish I were as cool as George Clanton.
Best part: 4:28 – the slightly more elongated "baaaaack".
#30: Brockhampton – “Weight”
From the highschooler's favourite boyband that isn’t BTS, rollicked by the controversial departure of 'the talented member' following abuse allegations and a sudden emergence in de-then-reconstructing
their sound, “Weight” is a moment from Brockhampton about taking a step back and realising that everybody is eventually going to
move onto different things. This includes themselves and their fans, for better or
for worse. After five songs of hard-knocking bangers at the start of Iridescence, the saddening strings
that open up “Weight” and accompany
Kevin Abstract’s opening monologue (“I’m still
worried about when Ashlan finna put the razor down” and “I really miss the old days before the
co-signs”) is a shocking turning point for the rest of the album to follow.
Brockhampton have always been
about emotional honesty as much as they are about having a wildly fun time, but
it is in its most visceral form on “Weight”,
a song lost so deep in its own melancholy and worry that it ends up scampering
away from itself on a sudden burst of break-beats. So when Joba sings the line “I stand by, waiting for something good to
come”, it’s harder to swallow than expected.
Best part: The
breakbeats clattering in. By all means, the song should take off and become a
total rave, but it only strengthens the sensitivity of the song – as if to
suddenly make a desperate run for your life from every emotion that has held
you back.
#29: Saba – “Calligraphy”
To truly come to terms with
his survivor’s guilt and other paining stresses detailed on the nocturnal Care For Me, Saba must write it into song. There’s
a catharsis to come from writing about something that has been weighing on your
mind, and although there is no guarantee that Saba’s pains have departed him,
there’s certainly the idea that he is closer to any sense of closure now that
he has written a song like “Calligraphy”;
a pensive moment in time spent for him to “write
it away, write it away”.
#28: Kurt Vile – "Bassackwards"
A nearly-10 min single is a brave move from Kurt Vile, even braver that it's a Kurt Vile song in the first place. Incredibly, he pulls it off, and it all follows as a mesmerising soundtrack to your next morning walk.
Best part: Any point into the song when you realise - oh, goodness, this is actually mesmerising enough for me to keep listening for nine minutes.
#27: Metro Boomin (feat. 21 Savage) – “10 Freaky Girls”
Though I've never been one to hype either of these two, "10 Freaky Girls" is undeniably good and shows both complimenting each other with exceptional results. The Kashif & Whitney Houston sample at the beginning that jumps abruptly into the cold, sleek trap beat is hilarious; 21 Savage follows this unexpectedly with one of the strongest performances I've heard from him yet. Up until now, I'd been unconvinced by his paging as the 'uncharismatic but doing it on purpose' rapper on the microphone, though considering this sudden improvement in showing at least a little bit more charisma in his cold-blooded character I'm left wondering if there's anything prior from him on this level that I must've missed out on. Be sure to check "Don't Come Out the House" for something hysterically brilliant, too.
Best part: The brass that builds on the beat; majestic as all that.
#26: Yves Tumor – “Noid”
Safe In the Hands of Love always sounded like a sarcastic album title to me, even before hearing the music on the record. Knowing the foreboding atmosphere that usually comes with a Yves Tumor track, it seemed likelier that the prospect of safety at all was going to be drenched in irony because the fact is that many don't feel secure around those serving to protect. "Noid" is a raving alarm of feeling constantly threatened amidst a continuing wave of police brutality and authority figures abusing their power. "That's where I feel the pressure of 911, 911, 911 / Can't trust them". If those who we are supposed to feel safe with betray us, where can we be safe?
Best part: Two minutes in, the instrumental alone manages to convey the ramping surge of fear and urgency without a single word needing to be uttered.
#25: Ciara – “Level Up”
Forget for now that this song was the soundtrack for another Internet challenge, "Level Up" is an awesome dance track. Fast-paced like footwork, catchy to a nearly ridiculous level and home to the most unexpectedly fiery xylophone melody.
Best part: The xylophone during the hook.
#24: Lupe Fiasco – “WAV. Files”
Even on Lupe Fiasco's weakest projects I find something exceptional to salvage. Not that Drogas Wave was necessarily one of the weak ones, it's just to show how capable he is of writing something truly excellent every now and again, with "WAV Files" being Lupe's best song since "Mural". Over pensive piano chords, Lupe tunes into the history of African slaves on ships who jumped overboard, believing that freeing their souls would take them back to Africa. It's an extremely poignant escape to think about, and Lupe breathes life into their spirit by writing poetry through their perspective.
"Yes, I jumped off the deck / To leave footsteps on the depths of the sea floor".
Best part: Verse one, where Lupe's flow builds in momentum like a wave growing in size the closer it gets to the shore.
#23: Soap&Skin – “Surrounded”
Anja Plaschg's music has been closely defined by the feeling of dread; nightmarish during the darkest spots in her discography. Considering her grief over the years, and as a long-time fan, it feels like a tear-jerking relief to hear something so flushed with triumph. In spite of still feeling mournful of something overall, Plaschg's wails feel like a cathartic release and even the littlest fleck of optimism in moving onward. Consider that the album that this track is on ends with a cover of "What a Wonderful World".
"I wrote the main parts of this song twelve years ago and often played it live as a piano version, but I would never hit the high note with my voice and always felt that I wasn’t ready." (from The Quietus, 2018)
Best part: Two minutes into the song exactly. Convinced I haven't heard a note from Plaschg that life-affirming... or anything from her, for that matter.
#22: Zeal & Ardor – “Built On Ashes”
For how unapproachable the
idea of fusing spirituals and black metal seems, even considering their clashing
histories, the results of Manuel Gagneux’s ambition is… very approachable. Zeal
& Ardor’s spectacular sense of grandeur finally gushes with a geyser-like
catharsis that I’d been begging for since their first foray into intertwining
such contrasting genres. Drop those snarky Imagine Dragons comparisons, please,
the climax on this track is above and beyond.
#21: Foxing – “Grand Paradise”
For those who were wishing for
something as rainy and mysterious as the air on Science Fiction by Brand New from last year without having to
reminisce on art from very yucky individuals, Foxing stepped into the ring and
channeled a sound while also bringing something with them that worked even
better than it deserved to, at least for this song, anyways: the falsetto.
Think TV On The Radio trying their hand at emo and the puzzle pieces fitting
together snugly. Hard, I know, but when “Grand
Paradise” understands how to invite you into its cloudy, doubtful world for
just a few minutes before erupting in its gorgeous finale, I couldn’t ever deny
that if I tried.
#20: Хаски – “Иуда”
I just learned recently that the music video for this track was blocked in Russia at the request of Roskomnadzor. I’d hope that it isn't for you – it's a phenomenal slice of Russian hip-hop, furious and seeking a spotlight upon the perils of the drug trade.
Best part: The siren that wails during the hook.
#19: M¥SS Keta – “Una Vita In Capslock”
The elusive M¥SS Keta was already reaching virality with many a strange music video, but as of now she has managed to match it with genuinely cutting-edge music. Just about everything from her output this year, from a confrontational album with disorienting and warped club tracks to the stunning music videos that accompanied its tracks. "Una Vita In Capslock" captures the enigmatic personality of Keta in a way that is confrontational, loaded with sass and on all musical levels, weirder than most could imagine. Titanic Sinclair can try all he wants.
#18: James Blake – “If the Car Beside You Moves Ahead”
My favourite James Blake songs are a result of him experimenting with the sound of his voice. Sure, he is already a capable singer without manipulations and pitching and layering, but there’s something otherworldly about songs such as “Lindisfarne” and “Radio Silence” which seem more like deconstruction (then reassembly) of traditional song structures anyways. “If the Car Beside You Moves Ahead” is a hypnotic mantra where each skip backwards feels intentionally counterproductive to the progress that the song is hoping for you to make. Blake is instead promising that even if for a moment, movement is stagnant, you won’t fall back. The glassy rattling and very sound breaths after each lyric feel like they’re there only to keep the song’s cool.
Best part: The shift in tone when Blake sings "You're not going backwards".
#17: Hop Along – “The Fox In Motion”
I’m happy that Hop Along are back.
They weren’t on hiatus or anything, I'm just always eager to hear whatever they're doing next. “The Fox In Motion” is a brave and
catchy opener to what is essentially their poppiest album yet, and though
nothing will match the ferocious and highly emotionally strung Painted Shut, nothing needs to. All
Frances Quinlan needed to do is sing her sweetly personal anecdotes in her
comfortably raspy voice, making unexpected minor 7th leaps while the rest of the band shapes the rest of the song
around her.
Best part: Mm, it is that minor 7th vocal leap at 0:37.
#16: Daughters – “The Reason They Hate Me”
How spectacular that one of the year's most uniquely terrifying and misanthropic songs also doubles as a damn good dance-punk track too.
Best part: One minute into the song, when the lead riff gets sliced into ribbons.
#15: Avantdale Bowling Club – “Years Gone By”
Tom Scott is a national treasure. In spite of his personal difficulties in thriving off a musical career in a country as small as New Zealand, Avantdale Bowling Club continues to stand as one of the year's most ambitious and worthwhile hip-hop projects, enlisting a jazz band to provide a lavish instrumentation that swells and shrinks in accordance with what Scott describes; a reflection on the years of his life. As morbid as the events he describes are, he swiftly moves onto the next with urgency, aware of how fast everything approaches when you are least ready to confront it.
Best part: Verse two entails the passing of time so quick that it is nearly too difficult to grasp straight away, however, this seems a powerful tool for Scott's storytelling, reckoning with how easy we leave environments and people behind over time:
"'Up to brother, how you been?
It's been a minute, I ain't seen you since we were--'
Set the screen and roll onto 2-0-0-7, and it's all a blur from then to 2011..."
#14: Ought – “These 3 Things”
Though I was personally underwhelmed by Room Inside the World this year, I'm more partial to the tenser, neurotic style of post-punk revival practiced by Ought than I am for many others that lean on indie rock standards. Once again, though, Ought bring out an exceptional song within an album that I feel otherwise indifferent towards ("Beautiful Blue Sky" was my top song of 2015); Tim Darcy's voice bears longing and the faint humming in the background is foreboding. Makes way for the perturbed cries of "Will I hear my soul?" during the bridge like a restless human abruptly losing his composure.
Best part: As I've already pointed out how stirring that bridge is, the strings that swipe in at the very end like daring knives are just as potent.
#13: Rina Sawayama – “Cherry”
From 90’s R&B restoration
steward Rina Sawayama, “Cherry” is an
empowering song in the field of sexuality. Discovering who you truly are
doesn’t come at a set age, in fact, it could take a lot of time for you to
realise that your identity isn’t what you were truly made out to believe at
first. “Cherry” is a song about that
discovery, personal to Sawayama’s coming to terms with her pansexuality, but
more than that it’s an anthem for being happy with yourself, even calling out
during the song “talk to me, talk to me” as
if to hold out her hand and voice as consolation and support. At its core, it
is a wonderfully catchy callback to early 2000’s electro-pop, but its message
resonates in such a way that I felt the need to specify… it doesn’t stop at
simply being a ‘good pop song’, as it is far more than that in what it represents
for those coming to terms with who they are.
Best
part: The way the music drops out for
a split second; precisely 1:53 when she sings “will you be my babyyy?”
#12: Azealia Banks – “Anna Wintour”
From her own little meltdown
on Wild ‘N Out to an even bigger (and
better) meltdown after paying a visit to Elon Musk and Grimes, it’s no secret
that Azealia Banks stays a polarising figure who is somehow both apologetic and
unapologetic about it at the same time. House beats aren't the only thing that she can slaughter on the regular, it turns out.
Anyways, I like her music and
especially so when that yucky attitude fills it up – as someone who adores her
filthiest and most confronting songs, I love how “I’ma ruin you, cunt” can be a line that feels more like an
invitation than a threat. Unsurprised that her new album was once
again on the delay, “Anna Wintour” was
an exceptional single that held me over and kept me grooving in the meantime
with its whispery, charismatic, unbelievably sexy hip-house spirit. Her best
since “Liquorice”, quite honestly.
Best
part: Her iconic bouncy flow that
returns during the second verse, enhanced by all of the
distorted yelling that prefaces it: “Your
dude came to rock for me, hot body, yes I
got it, got it!”
#11: Mid-Air Thief – “Crumbling Together”
Mid-Air Thief are one of those
groups I wouldn’t have ever discovered had I not been one to browse the net for
new music outside of the Western world. Being a folktronica and dream pop
project based in Korea, M.A.T.’s soundscapes are so undisputably pretty, built
from acoustic guitar, given the ambience of standing by the tide on a windy day
and occasionally pattered upon by a rainfall of chimes and xylophone. It’s a
soft-spoken accompaniment to the beautifully poignant image of “crumbling together”, and while it is
the longest track on their new album by standing at nine minutes, I wouldn’t
have minded it being even just a little bit longer.
Best
part: Three minutes, when a magical
shower of chimes starts sparkling in.
#10: Jon Hopkins – “Emerald Rush”
The quality of 2013 album Immunity isn’t understated but I feel
as if it’s important to revise what made Jon Hopkins’ music so ear-catching and
immediately captivating: in spite of such cold and synthetic electronic textures, plus pulsating rhythms that would otherwise seem so inhumane and otherworldly, he
manages to inject some kind of tangible human emotion into it all, so come the release of “Emerald Rush”,
I was utterly blown away by how far Hopkins was willing to push this abstraction.
Its off-kilter, glitchy outsider house rhythm, for one, is completely separate
to his work prior, and yet, twinkling like stars in a night sky, or better yet,
fireflies in an enchanted wood, are little streaks of humanity such as the
sighing vocal snippets that tickle the ears, or the glistening of piano notes
soon to be lost in the deep, staring pit of eternity. It invites curiosity in
its first minute or two, and by the time you realise you are entirely invested,
the track has already overwhelmed you with nearly too much sound to handle at
once.
Best
part: The vocal snippets that just so
gently whisper and sigh. A subtle touch, but the effect of inducing a flood of
human emotion is astounding.
#9: Playboi Carti (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) – “Shoota”
The placement of both these two on a retrospective songs list seems like a 'pop tokenism' move out of a need to look cool by placing two prominent trap rap artists on a list mostly compromised of music released on independent labels, but the truth is that I genuinely love Die Lit and I love "Shoota" even more. Imagine hearing a duo of the most sporadic new wave rappers flow over a song that spends half of its time edging.
Best part: Beyond
the point where you’re thinking that the song has no drop, it finally hits you
with one, and it’s as gratifying as you’d hope.
#8: Kimbra – “Past Love”
It'd be silly not to admit that this placement (and honestly, any other choice from the fantastic Primal Heart, for that matter) isn't at least a little bit influenced by my having seen Kimbra perform a superb guitar-only rendition of this song live in Auckland in July, but damn if it didn't make me appreciate this more. This may be her best selection of tracks yet; I truly struggled to decide on a favourite to highlight. Considering that, "Past Love" seems like a left-field pick only because it is one of the deeper cuts – not even one of the upbeat ones – but as a re-assuring beacon of comfort for those who feel themselves helpless after the departure of somebody once close to them, this song is exceptional. "Come back to yourself", it continues to beckon. Much of Primal Heart is similar in spirit: effervescent, always sounding as if it were on the edge of transcendence, with a hook like the powerful swirl and swish of mother nature around you.
Best part: The heart-melting flutes that are introduced after 2:30.
#7: Julia Holter – “I Shall Love 2”
Aviary was all about painting with sounds, even mixing odd colours and smearing over previous brush strokes to create some sort of an audible equivalent to Stendhal syndrome. Julia Holter isn't new to the nocturnal soundscape but "I Shall Love 2", among many others on the album (the engulfing noise of its opener, "Turn Out the Lights" comes to mind), sounds so overwhelmed with compassion that it eventually drowns in its own ecstasy. It's the swelling flood of everything at once and a dream too good to be true.
Best part: The final minute and a half. I feel like I'm going to faint.
#6: Earl Sweatshirt – “Azucar”
Truthfully, I find that this track holds the most power in the context of the confessional and visceral Some Rap Songs, but “Azucar” was replayed so many times by me within the week of release that it’d feel ingenuine to ignore it for the big list. It sounds like the most triumphant moment in Earl Sweatshirt’s discography at large, so it makes sense that the chopped-up soul samples that the instrumental is formed by sounds truly alive, pulsating, overwhelming like a fanfare, accompanying his dizzying, scattershot collection of thoughts about his parents, finally coming to terms with the fact that he should reach out to them and reconcile. Considering what follows on the album, upon a second listen it is unquestionably a poignant song too, but even for the first moment one hears this, it’s rejuvenating to simply hear Earl, for the first time in what feels like too long, look forward to better things.
Best part: The opening few lines:
"Pedal to the metal,
Lost foot and it was sugar in my gas tank,
My cushion was a bosom on bad days,
There's not a Black woman I can't thank."
#5: Amen Dunes – “Miki Dora”
This lead single from a comparatively underwhelming new album from singer-songwriter Amen Dunes is gorgeous, shining in a subtle way that creeps up on you over time; a modernised, on-the-edge-of-gothic take on Americana. Beyond that, however, its reflection on the double-edged life of renowned surfer Miki Dora is fascinating, as if to initially celebrate his triumph as a crowned man in his profession but to eventually reel back on that praise, realising his involvement in criminal action and bigotry. Picking your heroes is unstable.
#4: Young Fathers – “In My View”
My favourite song for a large portion of the year and still continuing to chill out my vertebrae with each added listen, Young Fathers' "In My View" stands as their most transcendent song to date.
Best part: 2:27. During the last few iterations of the chorus, the faint shining, twinkling in the background... breathtaking, as if the song wasn't already. It's the perfect means of building on the poignant triumph of the refrain.
#3: Haley Heynderickx – “The Bug Collector”
Refreshingly sparse and transparent, Heynderickx’s description of insects invading the house as a metaphor for personal demons “out to get you” is one of the most breathtaking things I’ve come to terms with in any wisp of lyrics this year, only for how articulate she is with her language (the hallucination of a praying mantis "prancing on your bathtub" looking like "a priest from a past life coming out to getcha" is especially harrowing), swept up even further by the trombone and strings that stop by for a visit, piercing the track like a gentle wake-up in the earliest hours of the morning.
Best part: The trombone. It's a comforting addition throughout the song, but particularly during Heynderickx's reassuring final lines: "I must make you the perfect morning.... / To prove that nothing's out to get you."
#2: Tropical Fuck Storm – “You Let My Tyres Down”
Unsure if I've encountered a band as inflammatory as Tropical Fuck Storm, by name alone but also in their confrontational lyrics, politically charged enough to have warranted a crowd of dislike-bots to down-vote their music videos on YouTube earlier this year (Andrew Bolt certainly has quite the following, huh). Supposedly, Gareth Liddiard scrambled to complete songs before early live performances, and the music of TFS reflects this in a bravely distraught manner. Sure, we know of many songs that sound as if they've fallen into shambles, but this one feels a little too close for comfort, revelling in its own disgust and grotesque in just about every way.
Best part: Loud as they can, the entire band is screaming "you let my tyres down!". Liddiard seems particularly skilled at writing outrageously memorable refrains to scream on the opening tracks to his albums...
#1: Let’s Eat Grandma – “Falling Into Me”
If there’s any one artist on
this list whose music I am most excited to hear develop long into the future,
it’s the UK duo Let’s Eat Grandma, whose mystical take on the modern
electro-pop or synth pop hit left me reeling at the best of times – these two
aren’t far from my age, and I do wonder why I spend so much time writing about art like this when I could be
channeling that same energy into creating it! But here we are, anyways…
“Falling Into Me” is a
song that unloads more and more of its awe-striking spirit of adventure the
further it goes, being certainly far more than just your typical embrace of
electro-pop ideas, if it was even trying to do that in the first place. Let’s
Eat Grandma’s music seems a lot more in its own lane than anyone else playing
off that sound, finding solace in the chirping of old arcade sound effects and
buzzing, bleating synthesisers.
You can call this 'just another artsy pop song' all you like, it certainly sounds like that's all it'll be during the beginning. Halfway through, however, it sounds like it's aiming for heights greater than that, potentially larger than life itself. Well, I thought it succeeded, at least.
Best part: “NO HESITATION AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS” – so fitting a lyric to be singing at that point in the
song. It was suited to stop right there, but with more journey yet to be
completed, the duo kept the song driving onwards with that kick drum beating
like an eager heart.
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