Part 2 - #80 to #61
80. Clean Bandit (feat. Zara Larsson) – “Symphony”
Strong vocals, a dash of violins here and there, and a twinkling keyboard riff. This may take the same template as “Rather Be”, but it’s a damn good template.
79. Taylor Swift – “Call It What You Want”
I’ve been listening to this one a lot recently; the warm, cozy textures of the instrumental really complement the winter weather here in the U.S.
78. Kendrick Lamar (feat. Rihanna) – “LOYALTY.”
Kendrick and Rihanna are two artists that I’ve always wanted to see doing a collaboration. The chemistry between them on this track was great to hear.
77. Sheppard – “Keep Me Crazy”
Sheppard are one of the best pop bands in Australia, and if they don’t get another hit as big as “Geronimo”, that’s just a shame.
76. Halsey – “Bad At Love”
This track sees Halsey going through her relationship history and trying to understand just why it seems to go wrong every single time.
75. French Montana (feat. Swae Lee) – “Unforgettable”
I’ve never really been a big fan of Rae Sremmurd (Black Beatles notwithstanding), but Swae Lee’s vocals sound a lot better behind more laid-back production.
74. Lana Del Rey (feat. The Weeknd) – “Lust For Life”
Lana and Abel are a musical match made in heaven. They sound so happy to be with each other here, it’s almost infectious to feel the love.
73. Zayn (feat. Sia) – “Dusk Till Dawn”
Zayn’s material this year involved a lot more power ballads, and a lot less of the R&B-ish stuff he was doing last year. Sia feels a bit unnecessary on this track, though. She feels more like a backing singer rather than dueting with Zayn.
72. Lorde – “Liability”
The most heart-breaking moment of Melodrama. If you’ve ever been worried that you’re dragging down the people you love, you can probably understand.
71. Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello – “Bad Things”
A sweet pop-rap love song, that also somehow manages to musically bridge together the very different worlds of Pachelbel, and 90’s alternative rock band Fastball.
70. DJ Khaled (feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller) – “Wild Thoughts”
“Wild Thoughts” samples Santana’s “Maria Maria” which was released at the turn of the millennium, only 17 years ago. These samples are starting to get too recent for my comfort.
69. Hey Violet – “Brand New Moves”
Something tells me that when Rena Lovelis is singing about learning “brand new moves”, she might not actually be talking about dancing. The number feels rather apt in this regard.
68. Post Malone (feat. 21 Savage) – “Rockstar”
Rock and roll might have been taken over by this new generation of rap, but the sex and the drugs prove that some things just never change. You’re a very bad influence, Mr. Post.
67. P!nk – “Beautiful Trauma”
With almost two decades worth of music, P!nk can almost be considered a pop music veteran. The title track of her seventh album proves that she’s still got it in her to make great pop.
66. Haim – “Little Of Your Love”
This song just makes me really happy. It’s the kind of bright, throwback-sounding pop that Haim are just great at.
65. Lorde – “Hard Feelings/Loveless”
The longest track off Melodrama feels almost bipolar in a way. While “Hard Feelings” shows Lorde going through the crushing emotions of a breakup, “Loveless” almost seems like it’s taunting the former love into cutting her off.
64. The Killers – “The Man”
If there’s one thing men can take away from 2017, it’s that many parts of traditional masculinity can lead to dangerous behaviours which can be toxic to society. In that regard, a song like “The Man”, which highlights (and perhaps even mocks) the tropes of traditional masculinity, was really needed this year.
63. Kesha (feat. The Dap-Kings Horns) – “Woman”
With that said, 2017 was a big year for women’s rights. From the Women’s March responding to Trump’s inauguration, to the countless victims of sexual harassment who broke their silence. Included in this group is Kesha, whose fiery pop song “Woman” feels a lot more significant given her past situation. I’ll go into that more later…
62. Halsey – “100 Letters”
The first proper track on Hopeless Fountain Kingdom sets the scene of two lovers trying to work things out. It’s also got a pretty cool Indian-sounding drumbeat.
61. Post Malone – “I Fall Apart”
Personally, this song has the edge over “Rockstar” for me, simply because it shows a more vulnerable side to Post.
#100 to #81 | #80 to #61 | #60 to #41 | #40 to #21 | #20 to #1 | Full List
Comments
Post a Comment