Top Songs of 2017

It's that time again, time to write my yearly blog post about my 10 favourite songs of the year off the coattails of Jake. Thanks to Spotify, it was easy to track the songs I've listened to the most this year, so most of these songs are taken from that list, with some shuffling around in order of my current preference. There were a couple songs I loved even more than the 10 found below, but since I'm limiting songs that came out in 2017, I couldn't include those in the list (and actually had to re-write it several times because of this). Anyways...


10. dvsn - "Think about Me"



A dvsn song took the number ten spot in last year's list, and while last year's song was about fucking, this year's number 10 is still just as sexy with a bit darker subject matter. "Who's gonna make love like I do? Yeah, nobody," says Daniel Daley. Sounds like last year's relationship may have gone south. "Think about Me" pounds with some of the deepest bass I've ever heard over a fat synth lead. Keeping time through the song is an amplified, electronic water droplet - evoking a scene of reminiscing about a lover in the bath.

9. Minus the Bear - "Last Kiss"




Minus the Bear has mostly been a reliable band for me, with 2007's Planet of Ice being not just my favourite album of theirs, but also one of my favourites of all time. That's why it was so disappointing to me when afterwards they dropped a couple of ho-hum releases. With VOIDS, that pattern isn't completely rectified, and even though "Last Kiss" isn't on quite the same level as their best songs, it's still a reminder of why they're one of the best math rock bands in the game. What makes "Last Kiss" particularly interesting is that it's a downer song. Minus the Bear loves to talk about sex, but "Last Kiss" laments the end of those times. Starting out with screeching guitar riff that bleeds into a complex yet danceable drum beat, "Last Kiss" maintains a dark mood throughout yet never loses the groove.

8. Bantug - "Just Like a Dream"




There isn't much information available on the internet about Bantug - just that she (or the group) hails from Nashville. I randomly stumbled across this track on Spotify, and what I immediately noticed was the slick production of the drums. "Just Like a Dream" is an interesting combination of shoegaze meets math rock with airy synth sounds and intimate singing. "Some things aren't supposed to last," bemoans the vocalist - albeit more aggressively as the song ends.

7. Sylvan Esso - "Die Young"



Hailing from North Carolina, Sylvan Esso is not the name of a person, but the moniker of an electronic duo. "Die Young" begins with a haunting faux-synth voice and rippling bassline before singer Amelia Meath fades into view, singing how she had planned to die, but now has to wait for her lover to die before she can. This disturbing yet beautiful sentiment hums over the deep bass of the track. I first heard this track in a bar in Sydney and listened to it on repeat as I wandered the streets at night.

6. Rubblebucket - "Not Cut out for This"



I checked out Rubblebucket after seeing a Facebook post from someone who's musical tastes I admire, and I was not disappointed. Although they're described on Wikipedia as a "funk and jam band", Rubblebucket reminds me less of Phish and more of Arcade Fire. Starting out with a horn solo (honestly I can't tell if it's a trumpet or trombone), the song takes a turn into electronic territory with the introduction of an arpeggiated synth. The singer's voice reverbs through the track, warning the listener "I got no heart, I got no soul". The blend of upbeat drum grooves and dancy synths combined with the vocalist's warning - "I'm not cut out for love" creates a dichotomous, wonderful tune.

5. Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister - "Mercury"



While Planetarium doesn't quite hold up as an album (it's far too long and diverse to be considered cohesive), "Mercury" is a standout track and a welcome return from Sufjan Stevens, who is responsible for my favourite album of 2015. Mercury is a melodious, beautiful and unique song that benefits from Sufjan's voice echoing throughout as if he's singing into a cavern. Stevens and company strip back the production and let the piano and guitar compliment the wonderful, longing, desperate voice until about halfway through. Then, guitar delay that The Edge would be proud of intertwines with soft strings and the gentle tap of piano keys. Deeply intimate yet strangely intangible, "Mercury" never tries to be too much - it simply is.

4. HAIM - "Right Now"



I'm not sure who pissed off the Haim sisters, but whoever they are. they're absolutely skewered in "Right Now" - one of the most ultimate "fuck off" songs written in recent memory. (In fact, HAIM has been known to throw some added "fucks" into the song during live performances). "Right Now" starts out with a keyboard and drum machine as Danielle Haim sneers and spits in the face of the dude who wronged her and now wants her back. The song eventually builds into a gated drum whiplash that Phil Collins himself would be proud of. The pattern heavily resembles "I Don't Care Anymore"- fitting, as this is one of Collin's most aggressive songs.

3. Great Good Fine OK - "Holding You"



Taken from what might be my favourite album of the year, "Holding You" starts out with an instrument I didn't know existed until I saw GGFO back in January - a synth marimba. The distinct sound bleeds into the entire soundscape of the track; a synth-laden ode to a lost love. “Holding You” – much like every song from Great Good Fine OK’s III – is sharply produced, evoking visions of glitter and strobe lights. Although the track’s lyrical content is gloomy – or at the very least, evocative – the song never loses its overall upbeat feeling.

2. Superbody - "Patricia"



Anyone who knows me at all knows I love any 80's throwback song, and "Patricia" encapsulates that experience perfectly. From the jangly guitars to the synth solo to the pulsing, electronic drums, "Patricia" exploits the best part of synthpop to it's benefit. I've tried to pinpoint who exactly vocalist Robert Gregg McCurry is channeling in this song, but I can't place it. Somehow, he makes his voice sound vintage without actually being a rip-off. "Patricia" chronicles the singer's obsession with the titular character and the struggle between the heart and the brain.

1. The Band CAMINO - "My Thoughts on You"



The success of "My Thoughts on You" lies in its simplicity and its sincerity. Built off two intrinsically interesting piano chords, the song swells with strings into vocalist Jeffery Jordan's honest, raw voice. Backed with a simple drum track and gated fills, "My Thoughts on You" is an intimate examination about how and why people stay together even after they've hurt each other. "Between the fights," Jordan sings, "I still need you". The fact that Jordan barely nails the high notes in the song never comes off as annoying, rather adds to the genuineness of the song. This earnest, emotional song is my favourite of 2017.

Top 10 Songs of 2016

Once again, I've decided to ride the coattails of Jake and compile a top 10 list. This year I opened up to a lot of different styles and genres and got some really great recommendations from some people with amazing music tastes. Below are 10 songs I couldn't stop listening to, ranked in order of how much I liked them.

10. dvsn - "With Me"


"With Me" doesn't really beat around the bush. The opening line is simply "Fuck with me now", so you clearly know what kind of song you're getting here. That lack of subtlety combined with the incredibly deep bass that runs throughout the entire song and the funky synth lines that pepper throughout the chorus, and you have yourself one incredibly down to earth song. There is no pretense here. dvsn wrote this song simply because they/he wants to fuck someone, and who can't appreciate that?

9. Melano - "Traveller"


 Melano is a music producer from Norway, but that's really the only thing I know about him. My brother turned me on to this song, and what we have here is an electronic track full of some very nice emotion. In a world of Skrillex-like insanity, "Traveller" makes subtle yet powerful use of piano and violin, especially in the verses. The chorus is catchy as well, making the perfect use of "whoo!" And for all you kids who like the bass to drop, this one has that tried and true snare buildup as well.


8. Frightened Rabbit - "Get Out"


This excellent tune from Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit does a great job with mixing subtlety and straight up rocking out. I'm talking about volume my dear. The beginning of the song makes a great use of synth and a guitar distortion as the singer describes his lover's thumb and forefinger as the "arch of the church" (this isn't the first time church has been used as a metaphor for love you cannot escape). Our narrator cannot escape this person, leading us to the blasting chorus. Wordplay abounds here as "get out my heart" is the first line we hear, although that line is followed up with "she won't". Later on in the second verse, the last line before the chorus, he sings "I don't want you to..." leading directly into "get out my heart". A great lyrical study in love you simply cannot outrun or refuse.
(Random thought - this guy has an amazing accent).


7. The 1975 - "The Sound"


This uptempo dance number by the retroesque The 1975 may not make a lot of sense lyrically, but damn if it doesn't get my feet tapping and my voice singing. Oddly enough as a drummer, I appreciate the restrain on the drums in this song. What really gets me is the use of the piano and synths, especially the evolution of the repeating chord pattern throughout the song that comes to a head in the chorus. The ending guitar solo is worth clicking "play" alone. I dare you not to air guitar it. I dare you.


6. Michael Penn - "Anchors Aweigh"


 For those who don't know, Michael Penn has been working in music for quite some time, releasing a Billboard top 100 song entitled "No Myth" in 1989. Penn shifted to television and movie scores and began working as a composer for HBO's "Girls" in 2012. I've never watched "Girls", so I have no reference for this song in the context of that show. What stuck out to me when I first heard this song is the beautiful acoustic guitar intro and Penn's voice, which is some sort of amazing combination of grit and clarity. There's something oddly magical about this song, the way the chorus dances into a hard, distorted guitar solo, into a minor-key bridge, and back to that lovely verse again. The lyrics evoke dreamy images as well: In her wake the spirits dance / Like starling murmurations / Though the light they pray they might behave /Spinning through an open sky / And out into creation.

5. Honne - "The Night"


HONNE is an electronic R&B duo from London, who's full length album would probably hovering around #1 in my 2016 list. "The Night" is my favourite offering from that album, a slow tune about convincing a lover to stay the night. What I love most about this song is the play between the underlying guitar work which recalls some of the best staccato R&B riffs from the 70s and the long, low analoug synth chords. That push and pull throughout the entire song - along with the driving beat - make this track stand out. Perhaps the most underrated thing about HONNE is their singing - the slightly rough yet soulful voice creates a powerful soundscape.

4. PREP - "Who's Got You Singing Again"


This funky tune from London's PREP sounds like a Doobie Brother's song took a hard left at Herbie Hancock-ville. In other words, it's brilliant, and an amazing feel-good song  The wah-wah synth bass creates an amazing canvas for PREP's singer to create a stunningly-smooth vocal performance. "Who's Got you Singing Again" also contains one of the best uses of a flute in recent music history - sparingly in the chorus, then a little more in the bridge, and then a straight up "What a Fool Believes"- type outro.

3. Francis and the Lights - "May I Have this Dance"


Francis of Francis and the Lights sounds a bit like a Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel hybrid, already earning about 500 stars in my book. "May I Have this Dance" follows our narrator in a heartfelt apology, asking who he's wronged to give him one more chance to make it up by dancing. The raw passion in "May I Have this Dance" is amplified by the synth here, which has almost no attack, creating a bit of a wah-effect. The desperation in Francis' voice is both chilling and admiring, as he pleads to "have this dance". It's a powerful visual picture as you can almost see him in the dirt down on both knees.

2. Skott - "Wolf"


"Wolf" is a song about desire and longing for something you desperately want, and that desire and tension is mirrored in the music. The simple piano note in the melody gives way to a flurry of harp and violins, but the star here is Skott herself, The chorus here is jaw-dropping and mind blowing, as Skott soars higher and higher, singing I'm a wolf / howling / on your doorstep / calling out . Synth arpeggios roll over her voice, and the second chorus gives way to a horn part that mimics the melody. It's a deeply intense, emotional song that should be reserved for late nights.

1. Jadu Heat - "Late Night"


What keeps bringing me back to "Late Night" is the fact that I've never heard a song quite like it before. The chord progression itself is enough to give pause and say "damn", and that's before the guitar riff (you'll know it when you hear it) becomes an ear-worm. Then when you think the song can't get any better, the funkiest bass guitar slaps this side of the Chili Pepper's version of Higher Ground come for you. Jadu Heart also features both a male and female singer, who are featured separately on verse but come together for a dreamy collaboration on the choruses. Between the bass, the obscure chords, the excellent guitar run, the random synth stabs and the singing, this is one of the most original songs I've heard and my favourite of 2016.