I am currently in the process of working on my top 20 favorite songs of 2018. It's a difficult list to make, and since I'm narrowing it down to 20 slots, that means there are some great songs that won't make the cut. So, that's what this is here for! Here is a short collection of honorable mentions. These aren't necessarily my favorite songs of the year, but they are songs that I highly enjoy and think you should listen to. I won't list all of them, since I have a lot, but here are a few you should keep your eyes out for.
Keep in mind: I have not listened to everything in the year. If I did, I would have no life. As a result, there is a lot of music that I have not listened to. If there's a song you love that didn't make it on the list, most likely, I have not heard it. These are just the songs that stuck with me throughout the year. Also, this is entirely my opinion. Your list will be vastly different than mine. You might hate some of the songs I like. That's totally fine. I'm just here to have fun and talk about music.
The rules that I'm placing on myself are as follows- 1) One song per artist, because I don't want to fill the list with the same artists over and over again. 2) It had to be released in 2018. That goes for singles, deep cuts, and non-album songs. If the song was released in 2017 with the album being released in 2018, it will not be on here. With that said, here are my honorable mentions.
"Camelot" by Skating Polly
Album: The Make It All Show
Genre: Punk Rock
Who knew that a group of teenagers in a rock band would produce such angsty music? Joking aside, this is such an entertaining song. The guitar and bass riffs are simple yet so infectious, and they groove along to the beat of the drum beautifully. However, the true star of this track is Kelli Mayo on lead vocals. Her voice is one of the most unique voices I've heard in a while. It's so charismatic and energetic. The squeaks that her voice make give the song such a great edge. And the way she yells "did I hurt your little feelings?" in the bridge is so exuberant and over-exaggerated that it never fails to make me laugh. This is a great modern punk song for when you want to mosh. It's groovy, sticky, and oh so good.
"This is America" by Childish Gambino
Album: n/a
Genre: Trap
If I were talking about music videos, this would be number one, hands down. However, I'm specifically talking about songs, and while it's not one of my favorites, "This is America" is very good. The way the song shifts from the gospel sections to the main beat and verses is so effective because of how jarring it is. It gives you a small chance to breathe until it shoots you in the face (in case of the music video, I mean it quite literally). The beat is fantastic, with this deep bass underlying the practically jungle-like drums, and the gospel sections are quite nice, with acoustic guitar and hand claps laid through the vocals. And the way the two musical stylings come together at the end is genius. What ties the song together is Gambino himself, who sounds incredibly charismatic, even though his delivery is almost monotone. Even if the lyrics are pretty simple, the message is clear, and it's very effective. And the song itself is highly entertaining.
"BLACK BALLOONS | 13LACK 13ALLOONZ (ft. GoldLink & Twelve'len)" by Denzel Curry
Album: TA13OO
Genre: Hip Hop
I'm late to the Denzel Curry party, but I was quite impressed with his album. My favorite cut off of Ta13oo is easily "Black Balloons;" a song with a fantastically groovy beat with an infectous bass. Denzel's and GoldLink's verses are very well written, tying the story of It into their own lives in a clever way. However, the best aspect of the song is, without question, the hook. It's the perfect type of repetitive that sticks in your head without getting annoying. Denzel's and Twelve'len's vocals have a nice soothing swagger, and it matches perfectly with the funky beat. I'm very picky about my hip hop, and this song is right up my alley.
"Shallow" by Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga
Album: A Star is Born Soundtrack
Genre: Folk Rock
A Star is Born is one of my favorite movies of the year, and "Shallow" is a fantastic song. The acoustic guitar that starts the song are quiet and soothing with almost a country influence. Bradley Cooper comes in with a surprisingly solid set of pipes. When Lady Gaga sings, the instrumentation starts to build with pianos and strings, and it leads to the booming chorus. The ending is where the song truly explodes, with Gaga belting the words. It's a beautiful song with beautiful performances from a beautiful movie. My only complaint with the song is that it ends too soon. If the song were 4 minutes, I think it would feel more complete. But it's still an excellent song. Watch A Star is Born. It's great.
"Geyser" by Mitski
Album: Be the Cowboy
Genre: Alternative
You want to hear a song explode? This is a good song to listen to if you want to hear a song explode. It starts off calm and slightly eerie as Mitski sings over a piercing organ. After a weird audio glitch (that still jump scares me every time I hear this song), the organs become a lot more uplifting as Mitski sings with such a soothing voice. From there, more instruments come in at the chorus, which builds up to this glorious climax of guitars, strings, drums, and horns that lead us to the end of the track. So much power and emotion is conveyed in just 2 and a half minutes. While I would love this song to be longer, I think the fact that it is so short leaves such a beautiful impact. This is a gorgeous song that makes me want to see what else Mitski has to offer.
Stay tuned for my top 20 songs of 2018, as well as my top 10 best and worst movies of 2018!
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