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.