50-26
Last time I made this list, it was pretty personal and somber. It was a hard year, and my music reflected that. As a result, I think I may have purposely avoided the downers just a little bit this year. There are still some glum selections, of course, but I didn't wallow in it this time. I simply couldn't. In fact, there were entire albums I consciously skipped in an attempt to side step some sadness (sorry, Mount Eerie. I'll catch A Crow Looked At Me some other time).
So, it's a bit more upbeat! And 2017 was a packed year. So without further ado, I'll let you peruse.
Each song links to a video or stream of it when available. Dig in.
25\\Road Head\\by Japanese Breakfast"Dream on, baby \\ were his last words to me \\ Dream on, baby"Dreamy, spacey, sexy. And hot damn, that bass line. Thanks for the ride, Michelle.
Masters of the slow burn for about two decade now, and the guitar crunch in the grande finale of this'n is pure fire.
"Living in a pile \\ It's chaos, but it works"
Easily the most breathtaking moment on Painted Ruins, and the closest to Yellow House they've sounded in some time (which is a plus, to me).
"You said that I was all you'd ever want \\ You said that we were fine"
Even some straight forward heartache sounds pretty blissful in Ernest Greene's hands.
21\\Messes\\by Stef Chura
"I know you \\ Got lost in your own mess \\ Wrong for all the right reasons \\ I didn't mind"
There isn't much lyrical content in this title track to Stef Chura's stunning debut, but it contains some of the best shoegaze guitar haze this side of My Bloody Valentine I've heard in awhile.
"High over the north star \\ Sleepless, so far \\ Together, we are"
Little Dragon is synonymous with smooth n' sexy. It's just a fact. Dat bass.
"My love and I go \\ It's a curious world \\ Like dreamers at dawn \\ Awake but not yet"
A shimmering opener, heralding the return of legends. These are the type of songs that go deeper than genre. I may or may not have shed a tear or two to its beauty.
"I'm not waiting for some twist of fate \\ to tell me that our lives are interlaced"
Tennis made an entire album's worth of quality love nuggets and it was hard to pick a favorite. But them fuzzy beats laced with pure melodic gold tipped the scale.
"Don't believe in Jesus \\ Heaven knows I'm wasting my time \\ Wanna believe in America \\ but it's somewhere I can't find"
A perfectly constructed dream pop tune about the dissolution of the world you thought you knew. A bit of jazz flute and a beautifully Beatle-esque outro help to lighten the mood.
"You're always trying but you're no one \\ You can't take my heart unless you have one"
Does Bob's granddaughter long for the past or is she confident in the future? The fading refrain of "Wanna be the way we were" ends some deceptively complex emotions on a sad note, but it's brilliantly hypnotic and sublimely minimal either way.
"Close your eyes and then count to ten \\ You can tell your friends that I don't make sense
\\ And I don't care \\ Because I'm really not there"
After last year, I needed a break from overly sad songs. But I did notice the glum tunes I did gravitate towards this year were about resolutely moving forward.
"Don't stop, bitch, stay focused \\ They hated on us since days of Moses \\ Let my people go crazy \\ Them stars fallin', don't chase 'em"
Few things are better than hearing great new music from your favorite bands. The first track I heard from Humanz, and Vince's sharp tongue over that driving groove still has me droppin' dat azz before it crashes. Higher!
"I heard your man ain't home \\ now you melatone \\ But you acting young \\ and you hella grown"
Ah, the sweet chaos of juvenile love. Or lust. Whatever it is, Rocky throws it over one of the tastiest jams all year from 21 year old Alex Crossan. Kids these days...amirite?
"God, make me famous \\ If you can't, just make it painless"
I was actually surprised how often this one seemed to be misinterpreted by people. A sad and scathing anthem for the fickle, failing hearts of today's youth culture, and an obvious standout on the band's uneven Everything Now. This song alone brings that album up a few notches.
"Wouldn't change a single thing \\ I know it'll all be fine \\ While the world is out there stressing \\ I'll be floating by"
I don't know about you guys, but I wake up every morning usually dreading the unbearable tedium of every day life. Thankfully, there's always something that keeps me going, keeps me floating by. This song is that daily cycle put to music. A pretty great, understated theme song for 2017.
"You can call it home if you wish \\ or if it's fair \\ But it's mine to share and share alike \\ Won't you mourn with me? \\ Lover, won't you mourn with me?"
This was kind of sleeper surprise for me. I didn’t think much of it at first, mostly because I wasn’t sure I enjoyed Billy singing with so much... vibrato. But after a few listens, I noticed it really staying with me. It’s melodically stunning, first of all - easily the prettiest thing he’s done in decades. And there’s a certain vulnerability here that I can’t recall hearing in a Corgan song since the late 90’s. It’s reflective and earnest. No infinite sadness really, but there’s definitely melancholy. When he sings “Lover, won’t you mourn with me?” I can feel it. I’ve been feeling the same plea for a year and a half. It really is a lovely tune. It sounds like Billy but grown up. It’s no wonder he wanted to be called by his full given name for this release, even if it didn’t stick.
9\\Saturnz Barz\\by Gorillaz (feat. Popcaan)
"And I won't get a take in \\ Cuz I'm out when I'm stakin' \\ And the rings I am breaking \\ Are making you a personal day"
Gorillaz have done a few things really well over the years. Included in this long list is a knack for sly creepiness, and the quality use of dub and reggae on occasion. Recorded in Jamaica, with Jamaican dancehall artist Popcaan chewing his way across a haunted groove, “Saturnz Barz” is easily one of the dubbiest creepfests in the virtual band’s catalog. And that was my first thought upon hearing this jam for the first time. The lyrics tell a scrappy tale of surviving from the bottom, which in itself is a different kind of brutally honest, real-world scary, and it’s all the better for it. The whole thing reminds me of Demon Days in all the best ways.
8\\Truly\\by Cigarettes After Sex
"And your lips were red \\ And all the pictures that you sent \\ Wearing white or black \\ All leading up to when we met"
Greg Gonzalez has one of those voices. Barely above a whisper and intensely intimate. Which serve his slice of life love songs very well, of course. But this one maintains a somewhat uncommonly upbeat flow to it that had it standing apart from the rest of their sultry debut. Although it's not a love song of burning desire, there is an obvious passion in the amorous details describing the object of his affection. "Said you wear a new perfume for each city that you visit \\ so you can always remember how it felt to be there," he sings, as if documenting the reasons for his infatuation in a journal. The chorus line of "Truly \\ know that you really don't need to be \\ in love to make love to me," sounds like a reassurance, almost like he knows he can't have it all, so he'll take what he can get. Not a typical love song, but definitely one of my favorite ones year.
"You really wanna be with her? \\ You wanted someone who was different \\ You run across the city with her \\ You end up in a labyrinth"
Chaz is feelin' them blues. Or maybe he watched 500 Days of Summer one too many times. This standout on the earnest Boo Boo is graciously groovy as he lays down the pain of a one-sided relationship. It starts with some somber electric piano, as if to warn that the following tale is not a happy one even if the bounce will be deceptively upbeat. "A shake in your voice is all I hear when you tell me you can't decide," he sings. He's become painfully aware that his efforts aren't being matched and that maybe it's time to bow out. "Do you want me to kiss and leave? \\ I can do this without a shove," are his final words before the somber piano returns to escort the tune out. I feel ya, Chazwick. Keep on.
"I had it all planned out before you met me \\ I had a plan, you ruined it completely \\ I was gonna die young \\ now I gotta wait for you, hun"
I was at a concert, patiently waiting for the band to come on stage. I love hearing what kind of tunes decorate the scene before a concert starts, prepping you for the good timez. Suddenly, "Die Young" starts playing. I'd heard it before, but not at this volume. Now I was actually listening. And, hot damn. Suddenly, I wished Sylvan Esso was coming on stage. What a cheeky tune. As if she's mad at her lover for giving her a reason to live. She had a plan, after all, and now it's ruined completely. Oh well, at least we got a great song out of it.
"Crying, I brace for the drift \\ Every night"
Sometimes songs are way too short, but simultaneously just long enough. I felt like I was holding my breath the first time I heard this quiet hymn. Mike Hadreas breezes by with two distinct movements, before the string laced crescendo of the third lifts it to the heavens. And before you know it, the song floats back to earth and is over just as quietly as it started. Perfection.
--- TOP 4 ---
I decided to do drawings again for my TOP 4. "Four?? Why not five? Or three? Four is an odd number to settle on..." You're right. But #5 ended up being a duplicate artist, and lazy me said "Four works." So, here are four watercolor illustrations dedicated to my four favorite songs of 2017.
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"You've been reckless for so long \\ You've been reckless on a marathon \\ But if you wanted to walk away \\ You can do that"
To me, there's a certain J-Rock flavor to the neon fuzz punk of Stef Chura's pièce de résistance. It moves swiftly and nonchalantly as she sings about a potentially volatile relationship. But instead of lamenting over it, she assures her lover that they're free to walk away any time. It's basically the same situation as Toro y Moi's "Labyrinth" (sitting at #7), but noticeably less sorrowful. Who knows, maybe she's responding to Chaz? Or maybe she's just pretending to be cavalier in an effort of self-preservation. In any case, I was instantly enamored by Chura's unique voice and jangly guitar on this euphoric jam.
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"Boy, this could be your year \\ Make an old man proud of you \\ forget about the tears"
The moment I first laid ears on these silky smooth synths, I was a little surprised that it was Mr. DeMarco. It instantly became one of my favorite songs of the year without even truly listening to it. But beneath the chiller than chill surface lies some serious self-reflection. Mac never had a good relationship with his estranged father, and with that in mind it's obvious just how much soul he's bearing here. It's a song of honesty. Throwing it all down and seeing what's left. I've had a bit of a self-reflective year myself. I'm lucky to have a father who is always there for me, but I'm keenly aware of the desire to live up to his expectations as I rebuild my life. And I suppose no matter how supportive or or unsupportive a father is, there's always a part of you that lives to "make an old man proud."
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"As if I try to \\ I've turned out just like you \\ Do we watch and repeat? \\ They all say I will become a replica \\ your mistakes were only chemical"
Even though I haven't been a huge fan of The xx since their debut, they do have their fair share of perfectly crafted gems. For my money, this is the best song they've put to record. Similar to "On the Level," this is a song of deep self-reflection. "Replica" adds the fear of being destined to repeat mistakes. The mistakes of our fathers, of the human race, of our own. "Is it in our nature to be stuck on repeat?" Oliver Sim solemnly asks. "Do I chase the night, or does the night chase me?" He's surely singing about his own personal demons, but I've noticed this theme creeping into a lot of my favorite songs of 2017. They're fears I have myself, especially this last year. But it certainly seems like I'm not the only one.
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"Oh, love \\ They'll never break the shape we take \\ Baby, let all them voices slip away"
When I wrote about my favorite songs of 2016, it was a pretty difficult but necessary exorcism. That list was saturated with crestfallen reminders of what a painful year it had been. Which is one reason I am so thrilled that a song like "Slip Away" existed in 2017. It's a song about not holding back, of shedding fear and doubt, of loving so purely that nothing can "break the shape" you take. It's a technicolor declaration of love and purpose, and it's exactly what I needed.
It also sounds incredible. The stunning production and instrumentation were unlike anything else I heard this year. Like...what the hell is that instrument at the beginning?!? Does it feature the Blue Man Group or something? (Well, I actually found that out - it's a modified version of an African instrument called the "mbira.") By the way, I highly suggest listening to this short podcast episode dedicated to the making of this song. It's full of insightful nuggets into this masterpiece. Here's singer/songwriter Mike Hadreas in his own words:
"It's about love in the face of other people telling you it's wrong, or not natural or not all right, or even in defiance and rebellion against yourself thinking you're not capable or worthy of it. And that love being so powerful and real and true that it can't be shaken or broken by any of those things."
It is a perfect song. I needed an anthem like this. The world needed an anthem like this.
