Dec 14, 2016

Long time no see y'all, it's been a little bit since I've posted on here as I've been pretty busy with school and helping mod /r/indieheads (along with running a daily year-end write-up series there). However, just wanted to pop back in real quick to talk about my 20 favorite songs of the year. Music-wise, a ton of quality stuff came out this year that I wanted to highlight that some of y'all might have missed. So, here's my list of my favorite tracks of the year (one song per artist):

20. Deakin — “Golden Chords”
This is an absolutely breathtaking song, with its lush acoustic guitars, the outdoor ambience, and Deakin’s lyrics and vocals that strike an extreme emotional chord (pun not intended). I was deciding whether or not to pick
“Footy” or this song, but realized that while “Footy” is great, the impact of “Golden Chords” lies in its subtlety. It’s a slow burn unlike the instant gratification of “Footy,” which makes repeated listens all the more worth it.

please stop repeating your terror you choose what you see
it’s always “what if?” and “why not?”
man you gotta just be
simplify define your goals and watch them grow
be your own true self the you that I know

19. Jeff Rosenstock — “Festival Song”
This was another difficult pick as I love the entire record, but I ended up realizing this would be the right song for this list. The woah-oh-woah chorus, the drum machine, and the synths trick you into thinking this is gonna be a fun and happy pop punk sing-a-long song, but a lot of songs on this record do that, with this one being the biggest suspect. What lies in the happy sounds is something much darker, as Rosenstock is able to juxtapose the woes of capitalism and the financial crisis with his own issues concerning self-worth. WORRY. is all about finally growing up and this song is just one of Rosenstock’s many battles with adulthood.

oh, they wouldn’t be your friend if you weren’t worth something
they wouldn’t be your friend if you weren’t worth something.
they wouldn’t be your friend if it wasn’t worth it
if you didn’t have something they could take

18. Blood Orange — “E.V.P.”
While Freetown Sound became a bit of a shrinker of a record for me, this song still stands out for its amazing synth work, the crisp drum machines, and the little guitar and horn flourishes thrown in the mix, along with great vocal performances from Dev Hynes, BEA1991, and Debbie Harry from Blondie. One of the weakest aspects of Blood Orange is usually Hynes’ vocals, but by going into his lower register during the verses, he’s able to help creative this slick vibe. It’s the best song to never make an 80’s movie soundtrack, it simply just oozes cool.

you’ll never be the best
she’ll never turn you on
and scars remain from running away
and hiding where you’re from

17. Anderson .Paak — “Heart Don’t Stand A Chance”
Similar to Freetown Sound, Malibu didn’t really stick with me like it did for a lot of people, it did show me that Anderson .Paak is one of the most talented and creative artists working today and this song is a perfect highlight of that. The story he tells in the lyrics is engaging and the production is just immaculate. This is just simply some really smooth s--- and I love it.

baby, your course, i flew
but i’m not over what we had
don’t it feel like it’s been far too long, girl?
your heart don’t stand a chance

16. Whitney — “Golden Days”
I had a hard time trying to pick my favorite song from Light Upon the Lake, but ultimately I decided this might be my favorite. This song simply just screams classic. Not classic in the sense in that “oh this song’s gonna go down as a classic,” but more of it just seems like this song’s always been here. It feels familiar and intimate, yet brand new. The band here has some incredible chemistry as they play off each other incredibly well, especially the violin section which adds a certain boldness that makes this track so great. This song and the album it’s on give me a lot of hope for what these guys do next.

cause i’m aching but
i fell right in when you gave me up
those golden days snuck away from us
lately i’ve been close but i’m up to trouble
those golden days keep you hanging on

15. Savages — “Evil”
Adore Life is probably one of the most underrated albums of the year, the sort disdain it got from fans is beyond me, as I personally find it to be a stronger effort than their debut, which this song highlights that pretty well. The chord progressions, the great drum work, that meaty bass, the guitars, and of course, Jehnny Beth’s vocal work which is just so f---ing good. Of the latest batch of rock, she is probably the most captivating front-person working today. Wherever your attention was before, it’s definitely not there anymore.

they will try to make you stay
steal the peace away from you
soak your actions in self doubt
if you don’t live the way they like

14. Porches — “Car”
With “Car”, Aaron Maine has made the perfect indie rock track. The best way I can describe this song and the rest of the album is… tasty. Everything on this song works so incredibly well and comes right into sync. The one main thing I wanna highlight though is the chord progressions, which are a complete beauty to see unfold.

if i let it soak
will it become clean
let the salt carry it
away from me

13. Japanese Breakfast — “Jane c-m”
“Jane c-m” simply destroys me. It is such a downer of a song that serves as the emotional climax of Psychopomp, which I would say is this year’s Carrie & Lowell in that both albums deal with the grief of losing each other’s respective mothers. While Sufjan Stevens took a more low-key approach with a return to his folk roots, Michelle Zauner goes straight into dream pop, noise rock and shoegaze territory and to deliver an emotional beast of a track.

jane c-m,
in a year i’ll say, “your hair got long”
and you’ll tell me how the band got good
like dust kicked up from a tire

12. Mitski — “Happy”
On “Happy”, Mitski has written most interesting songs of the year in terms of its concept that makes me go “d---, why didn’t I think of that?” Because of songs like this, she’s probably one of the strongest writers working today in music due to her unique approach on mental illness, which is an incredibly open one that shows a vulnerability that’s almost rare to see.

oh if you’re going, take the train
so I can hear it rumble, one last rumble
and when you go, take this heart
i’ll make no more use of it when there’s no more you

11. Radiohead — “Daydreaming”
Overall I’ve had some conflicting thoughts on the new Radiohead album. I think it’s a very good record, great even, but for some reason it hasn’t made that full click with me like it has other people. I don’t know completely why as I feel like this album appeals to me greatly with my own battles with depression and simply getting over. I think maybe other albums have filled that niche for me and A Moon Shaped Pool kinda came too late. However, if there’s any songs on this album that really does grab me and haunt me to my core, it’s this one. Thom Yorke delivers a devastating vocal performance and the way this track develops is one to behold. Radiohead are master class songwriters, with very few people are on their level. “Daydreaming” deals with immediate shock of loss. For Yorke’s case, his separation from his longtime partner. The reversed vocals that, when transcribed, yelp out “Half of my life” signals the instant pain and need to look back at better times. Half of your life spent with this person and in an instant, it’s over. This is the most powerful song Radiohead has put out in nearly a decade.

efil ym fo flah
efil ym fo flah
efil ym fo flah
efil ym fo flah

10. Frank Ocean — “Siegfried”
Blonde is a tough album to crack. It’s simultaneously his most personal work yet, but also his most esoteric. In that way it’s very similar to Death Grips’ n----s on the moon (h---, even the covers are pretty similar), though not as cryptic. One song that highlights this balance is “Seigfried.” Frank’s vocals are loud and upfront with the instrumentation behind him light and almost ambient-like. While Blonde has its fair share of breakup tracks, this one has to hit the hardest for me.

i can’t relate to my pierce
i’d rather live outside
i’d rather chip my pride than lose my mind out here

9. Angel Olsen — “Woman”
One of my favorite records of the year is Angel Olsen’s MY WOMAN. It’s one of the best songwriting showcases I’ve seen in recent memory as Olsen is able to write these really punchy and impactful pop songs and then on the same record create these slow-building epics that grab you almost immediately with very little and shake you for everything you got. “Woman” is the the ultimate example of this as those opening keys tell you everything. You are in for something. The way this song builds and builds and builds into the climax with the lyrics “I dare you to understand what makes me a woman.” The way she screams these lyrics just kills me every time. While not an outright feminist record, this album does dabble in those themes in more subtle ways that work incredibly in its favor, especially on this track.

you can leave now if you want to
i’ll still be around
this parade is almost over
and i’m still your clown

8. Tim Darcy — “Tall Glass of Water”
For those not in the know, Tim Darcy is the frontman of the Montreal-based post-punk band Ought and this is the first single for his solo debut, Saturday Night. It came out only about two weeks ago as of writing this, but I’ve listened to it over 40 times since. I’ve been a big fan of Ought since seeing them last year in St. Louis and let me just say, Darcy is such a great and engaging vocalist with a distinct writing style very reminiscent of David Byrne, but doesn’t let the influence run too deep to create a unique style. Simply, this song is a f---ing blast.

and if at the end of the river
there is more river
would you dare to swim again?

7. Nicolas Jaar — “Three Sides of Nazareth”
This is probably my favorite electronic song of 2016. It is so incredibly epic and the way it travels through its nearly 10 minute length is something to bestow. It’s a mindblower that I really have a hard time articulating why it’s so d--- good. Just listen to it and find out.

i found my broken bones by the side of the road.
i found my broken home by the side of the road.
i found my broken lens by the side of the road.
i found my broken friends by the side of the road.

6. Weyes Blood — “Do You Need My Love”
One of my favorite discoveries of 2016 by far has to be Weyes Blood. After hearing about this record through Pitchfork, it grabbed me instantly on first listen. Natalie Mering is a seriously captivating artist who takes you on a journey into an older time but with modern sensibilities. It’s kind of similar in a way to that Whitney record but instead of the classic rock influence of that album, Front Seat Row To Earth flips it to 70’s folk and turns up the cinematic elements, this track being the ultimate culmination of that sound.

passion is the only thing
passion must mean everything
i felt your body scream to be
set free from
the pain of what’s gone
i’ll move you along

5. Xenia Rubinos — “Don’t Wanna Be”
I am a sucker for a great into track. It always feel kinda odd how much I gravitate towards them, but in the case of “Don’t Wanna Be,” Xenia Rubinos not only wants your attention, she demands it. While not the first track, it is the intro to the album that sets the tone completely. This album at times is going to be confrontational and unapologetically black and brown. The funk and neo-soul elements here are in serious play thanks to the crisp drum work and the thick and dominant bass. Through this great band play, the opening statement Rubinos makes on this song is all the more stronger.

i rule this place with a golden fist
i won’t play but to keep you open
hide a little sliver of this feelin in the mist
i won’t play but to keep you open

4. Danny Brown — “Ain’t It Funny”
“Ain’t It Funny” is my favorite rap song of the year from my favorite rap album of year. I made the prediction about a year or so ago that Atrocity Exhibition would be the rap album of the year whenever it came out. No rap album in 2016 would confuse and draw people in like whatever Danny Brown was cooking up. And I was right. Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anyways, I was already expecting some really experimental stuff based on the singles, but I was not expecting this. If there is any song this year I wish I could hear again for the first time, it’s “Ain’t It Funny.” I was absolutely going bonkers in how insane this song is. Thanks to the abrasive horns, that simple but effective kick drum beat, and Danny’s manic flow, there’s just so much to this track that make it an absolute mind melter. This is some truly groundbreaking stuff that I hope other artists pick up on, but no one will quite do it like Danny Brown.

upcoming heavy traffic
say ya need to slow down
cause you feel yourself crashing
staring in the devil face
but ya can’t stop laughing

3. David Bowie — “I Can’t Give Everything Away”
David Bowie is dead. This is now a fact that we can’t try to debunk. David Bowie is dead and seemingly — the world is a worse off place for it. My first introduction to Mr. Bowie was actually the first single for this album, “Blackstar”. I had always heard about Bowie but never gave him a proper listen as he never really played on the nearby classic rock stations and my parents played a minimal role in my current music taste. Anyways, after being blown away by this song, I dug through his discography and realized that holy s---, this dude was great.

After listening to a ton of albums by Bowie, I became increasingly more excited for Blackstar as seemingly this was going to be his most out-there work yet. Once it came out, I loved it. The experimental jazz instrumentation fit perfectly over Bowie’s aged voice and arcane lyrics. Two days after Blackstar was released, David Bowie died and a lot about this album started to make more sense.

“I Can’t Give Everything Away” was one of the tracks that made almost complete sense in the wake of Bowie’s death. Before he died, I assumed Bowie had a lot left in the tank and could hit a new career peak. Bowie knew this too. However, as the song itself says, Bowie couldn’t give everything away. The man still had more to say and increasingly unique ways to say it. He was truly something special and I miss him every day. Everything feels weird now without him.

seeing more and feeling less
saying no but meaning yes
this is all I ever meant
that’s the message that i sent

2. James Blake — “Radio Silence”
The date is May 5th. I’m currently sitting in the office of my school newspaper absolutely dreading a math final I’m about to take in two hours. Additionally, I’m three months past a breakup I’m not quite over as I hit a certain mark that made me unconditionally miss my ex. I’m browsing /r/indieheads like usual and see that… oh my god, it’s finally coming out. Radio Silence was finally here — except it wasn’t called Radio Silence, it was now called The Colour In Anything.

And — oh my god he just dropped three songs from it before it comes out tonight. Holy s--- one of them is “Radio Silence” which I’ve been waiting on for year since I heard the live version. I have to listen to this immediately.

So I did. Seven months later, I’m mostly over that breakup but the pain I felt when listening to the album version of “Radio Silence” still lingers. Everytime I hear those opening ghostly vocal melodies and those glitched pianos, I know I can’t escape what I’m about to feel. I’m about to take a journey back to a worse time in my life, but one that I’ve learned that it’s okay to go back to. I have to be reminded of the pain I once felt to get better now, and no song does that better for me than “Radio Silence.”

just please, more time
i’m sorry, i don’t know how you feel
i don’t know how you feel
it’s hard to tell if I have a role with you

1. Car Seat Headrest — “Vincent”
Since this song came out, I knew it was going to be my song of the year. Other songs might have briefly took its place, but I ended up always coming back to “Vincent.” The opening guitar line is hypnotizing. Listening to it build and add more layers until the release comes and the verse starts. “Half the time I want go home.” These are the first words I ever heard Will Toledo say and words that instantly grabbed me. Then, as soon you feel like you have a moment to relax as Toledo tells his dilemma, he throws a curveball at you and keeps you on your toes with the next set of lines. Then, another release comes in and you’re wondering what the f--- is gonna happen next?

That is the beauty of “Vincent” and a majority of Teens of Denial. The sense of unknowing as Toledo changes the structure of the song before you can get too comfortable with it. In a sense, this is his allegory for life. You are never comfortable and things are constantly changing, causing you to lose your footing and stumble for a second. In that stumble, it causes you to become even more uncomfortable and and those changes to increase in frequency. Every listen to “Vincent” is a trip, it’s just as good on the 3rd time as it is on the 51st. It is an addictive song where every moment is not only a rememberable one, but simply, a great one.

Overall, 2016 was f---ing weird. Let’s never do it again.



@Indieheads

 

Dec 14, 2016

>MTY's Top 20 Songs of 2016
I don't think so pal

 

Dec 14, 2016

Downloading Whitney, Japanese Breakfast and Deakin's albums as we speak.

Jane c-m is a great song.

 

Dec 14, 2016

Don't you mean Self Control?

 

Dec 14, 2016

Nah I meant Ultralight Beam

 

Dec 14, 2016

It was going to be my #10 as I premiered this on my college radio show, but realized how much it would be ruined through censoring so I decided to go with Seigfried for on air and stuck to it whenever I wrote this out a few days ago

 

Dec 14, 2016

easily one of the best f--- me up songs of 2016

 

Dec 14, 2016

skimmed thru it and forgot what i read

 

Dec 14, 2016

anyways objective top 10 aoty coming soon

 

Dec 14, 2016

I was surprised at how much I didn't have to edit "Ain't It Funny" for air play as really there isn't a whole lot of cursing (I think there's maybe 5-6 in the whole song and it's pretty spread apart so there's not a reversed word every couple of seconds).

 

Dec 14, 2016

aint it funny is 11/10 tho respect

 

Dec 14, 2016

These write ups are really well done dude. Love all the songs that I know here and looking forward to checking out the ones I haven't heard yet.

 

Dec 15, 2016

Is this an audition to be on pitchfork?

 

Dec 15, 2016

I'll need to check out some of the albums mentioned in the OP

 

Dec 15, 2016

get me on the team @WPG

 

Dec 15, 2016

It's interesting, just found out this song came out in 2014 on her American Sound album.