On December 7, the music review website Pitchfork released their top 100 songs of the nightmare of a year that is 2020. The article is called "The 100 Best Songs of 2020," which can be read here. Now, I haven't written anything for this blog in a while, so I wanted to get back into things with something ambitious. So, what I did was listen to every single song on the list. Yes, all 100. No, I'm not crazy.
I listened to all 100 of these songs and I am going to give you a very brief review for each one. Every song on the list will be ranked on a scale from 1-10, along with a very brief review. You can also click the name of each song to hear the music for yourself. At the bottom of the list, I will rank my top and bottom 10 of the songs presented on the list. Most of these will be my first reactions, though some of them will be songs I have heard before, indicated by an asterisk, like such*. I will also be giving myself sanity checks periodically throughout the process just to make sure I don't destroy my brain doing this. Without further ado, let's get started.
100. Ela Minus: "dominique"
My Rating: 5/10
This is some decent, vibing emo pop with lyrics that feel very relevant today. I just wish that the melody stuck out more than it did.
99. Pale Blue: "I Walk Alone With Acid"
My Rating: 7/10
One of the most genuinely effective displays of paranoia I've ever heard. The lyrics and the vocal delivery pair perfectly with the dark techno beat. The lack of a musical climax, unfortunately, prevents me from fully loving this one.
98. 1010 Benja SL: "Dobby"
My Rating: 6/10
This is nice. It's a pretty acoustic guitar driven song, sung by a guy that very much sounds like one of those heartthrob pop artists of today, ala Shawn Mendes. It's not necessarily my thing, but I appreciate what Benja is doing here.
97. Caitlin Pasko: "Horrible Person"
My Rating: 4/10
I don't know, man. I like ambient music and I like experimental music, but this sounds empty and tedious. It's a nice sound palette, but it's almost 6 minutes of the same vocal melody over and over again. I just don't think this is for me.
96. Jockstrap: "Acid"
My Rating: 8/10
Alright, I can get behind this kind of experimental. It's an oddball mixture of R&B, glitch hop, and alternative with strings, classical piano and weird as hell synths. It took me a couple listens to get this, admittedly, but I really like what I'm hearing.
95. Bullion: "Hula"
My Rating: 5/10
The music sounds nice and the use of percussion is pretty good, but the song, as a whole, is very boring. There is no progression at all and the vocals sound rather lifeless. It's a nice vibe, I guess, but it's definitely not something I'll come back to.
94. The Killers: "Caution"*
My Rating: 8/10
This is one of the best rock songs of the year. It is drenched in Bruce Springsteen energy and songwriting. The song is full of triumphant keyboards, passionate vocals and a fantastic, propulsing energy. And the guitar solo is pretty sick as well.
93. DaBaby: "Rockstar" [ft. Roddy Ricch]
My Rating: 6/10
I've never been a fan of trap, and this song is certainly not swaying me, but I have to admire the charisma that both DaBaby and Roddy Ricch put on this track. And I love the acoustic guitar sample that's used throughout the track.
92. Lomelda: "Hannah Sun"
My Rating: 9/10
I could gush about this song for a really long time, but I think I'm gonna save that for my own "Best Songs of 2020" list. For now, I'll just say that "Hannah Sun" feels like a warm hug. And honestly, that's the best compliment I can give this song.
91. Yaeji: "WAKING UP DOWN"
My Rating: 7/10
I've never been a fan of K-Pop, but this song lowkey slaps. It's dark, moody, ominous, and full of personality. The song is a little too repetitive for my taste, but with a beat so good, I don't mind too much.
90. Beatriz Ferreyra: "Echos"
My Rating: 5/10
According to the Pitchfork article, "Echos" was originally recorded in 1978. I highly recommend reading what they have to say about this song in particular because it's really fascinating. As for the music itself, I respect the ambition a lot and I admire how it captures such a haunting yet calming piece of artistry through a collection of tape recordings. However, I can't say that it's for me. I definitely respect it a lot more than I did like it.
89. beabadoobee: "Care"
My Rating: 6/10
This is a pretty solid indie rock tune. I'm not too crazy about beabadoobee's voice on this track, but I like the energy.
88. Kehlani: "Hate the Club" [ft. Masego]
My Rating: 4/10
I like the saxophone. The production is good as well. Everything else just sounds boring.
87. DJ Python: "ADMSDP" [ft. LA Warman]
My Rating: 3/10
This song is 11 and a half minutes. For a song of this length, you'd expect it to go through phases and changes to keep it interesting. Not here. For the most part, it's a drum beat, background synths and a woman reciting dark poetry throughout the entire runtime. A bass is added at around 10 minutes, but that's it. Absolutely tedious.
86. Tame Impala: "Breathe Deeper"
My Rating: 7/10
I'm not a fan of the "I can" refrain. Other than that, this is a really groovy Tame Impala song with an infectious bassline and lots of pretty synths. Quality stuff.
85. Cakes Da Killa / Proper Villains: "Don Dada"
My Rating: 7/10
One word: banger. Cakes and Villains have great chemistry and flows, and the club beat is great. That's all I have to say about it. Moving on.
84. Rico Nasty: "IPHONE"
My Rating: 3/10
I don't like hyperpop. All of what I've heard from the genre contains loud, blaring production and heavily autotuned vocals. "IPHONE" is no exception. I liked the rapped verse, though.
83. Ana Roxane: "Suite pour l'invisible"
My Rating: 7/10
While I don't see myself coming back to this, I can't deny how gorgeous this song is. The sound palette is ambient, ethereal and enchanting throughout. If you're feeling stressed, and I know a lot of us are thanks to this year, then this is a good song to relax to.
82. Moor Mother / billy woods: "Furies"
My Rating: 7/10
"Furies" is dark, atmospheric, and full of dread. Mother and woods both have great deliveries and they compliment the moody beat well. I just can't help but feel there's something missing here.
81. Beverly Glenn-Copeland: "River Dreams"
My Rating: 7/10
This woman is in her 70s. The fact that she is at her age, making such lovely, enchanting music is very commendable. I hope she's doing well.
80. SZA: "Hit Different" [ft. Ty Dolla $ign]
My Rating: 6/10
It's a nice vibe. The production is great and SZA's voice is beautiful. I'm not crazy about Ty's hook, though. It's very repetitive and performed rather flat.
79. Kate NV: "Sayonara"
My Rating: 6/10
This is some nice new wave revivalism. It's groovy, simple and quite infectious. The song does overstay its welcome by about a minute, however.
78. Drakeo the Ruler: "Backflip or Sumn"
My Rating: 5/10
This is another song that I highly recommend you read what Pitchfork has to say. The story behind this song is fascinating and it makes the production choices make a lot more sense in hindsight. While I didn't particularly enjoy this song, I can appreciate what Drakeo is doing here.
77. Fleet Foxes: "Sunblind"*
My Rating: 9/10
Fleet Foxes is one of my favorite bands of all time, so there's some obvious bias here. "Sunblind" is among the best on the album. The songwriting is great, the performances are fantastic and the music itself sounds gorgeous. The song sounds so blissful and uplifting, honoring the deaths and legacies of those legendary musicians and artists that inspired Pecknold. It's great stuff. Also, listen to the album. It's not my favorite by the band, but it's still absolutely wonderful.
76. Saweetie: "Tap In"
My Rating: 4/10
If you're a fan of Nicki Minaj or Megan Thee Stallion, then you'll most likely like this one. I am not, so this song is definitely not for me. The production does go hard, though.
75. Oneohtrix Point Never: "Long Road Home"
My Rating: 6/10
There's a great song in here somewhere. The strings are beautiful, the synths add a nice atmosphere and the vocals add to the ambiance. I feel like the song lacks a distinct musical direction, as the song feels like a formless blob. Maybe that's the intent, but it's not something that I particularly love.
74. Helado Negro: "I Fell in Love" [ft. Xenia Rubinos]
My Rating: 6/10
"I Fell in Love" is a great example of a feature outshining the main artist. I loved the watery production, but Helado's vocals were understated to a point of being boring. When Xenia came in, however, a newfound sense of life came from the song, and I ended up enjoying the music overall.
73. Standing on the Corner: "Angel"
My Rating: 7/10
This is easily the weirdest song on the list up to this point. It's mixture of jazz and dark electronica makes for something truly disorienting and unsettling. I'm not entirely sure if I enjoyed my experience or not, yet I can't wait to go back and listen to this. So... I guess I like disturbing myself, I don't know. Am I a masochist?
Koffee: "Lockdown"
My Rating: 6/10
This is a cute little reggae jam about looking to the future and wondering what life will be like after quarantine. I have nothing else to say other than that it's quite charming and it left a smile on my face.
71. Taylor Swift: "mirrorball"*
My Rating: 6/10
As someone who's never been a Taylor Swift fan, I really enjoy folklore, as it contains some of her prettiest and most well written music to date. "mirrorball," however, is just okay. It sounds nice, but it never feels like it builds to anything. And with the extra reverb added onto everything, the song sounds washed out. There are definitely better songs on the album than this one.
70. Freddie Gibbs/The Alchemist: "Scottie Beam" [ft. Rick Ross]
My Rating: 8/10
That piano sample is gorgeous! Wow! Both Gibbs and Ross give great, personal verses about police injustice that ring true today. This is a beautiful, powerful song and I loved it. But can we talk about that piano sample though?
69. Roddy Rich: "The Box"
My Rating: 3/10
"The Box" is one of the biggest songs of the year. I get why. However, I don't particularly like it. To me, this sounds like generic trap with slightly better flows. Also, the "eee urh" ad lib in the background is really annoying.
68. Lianne La Havas: "Bittersweet"
My Rating: 8/10
I have been meaning to listen to this artist and this is the perfect incentive. "Bittersweet" is a gorgeous, soulful display of R&B with an absolutely stunning performance by Lianne. I cannot wait to see what else she has in store because, judging from this one song, I am very impressed.
67. Arca: "Mequetrefe"
My Rating: 2/10
I'm sorry, but this style of music is SO not my thing. I personally found this to be very obnoxious and not entertaining in the slightest. At least it's short.
66. Angel Olsen: "Whole New Mess"*
My Rating: 5/10
While I appreciate this song for how raw it is, I wish that it went somewhere. I'm also not a fan of the vocal effect that's put on Olsen's voice. Also... I miss the strings.
65. Run the Jewels: "JU$T" [ft. Pharrell Williams and Zach De La Rocha]
My Rating: 7/10
A lot more minimalist than what I was expecting from RTJ. Still, it's got a great beat and some great verses from the duo. The features are both solid as well. The song is as relevant as everyone says it is, with lyrics on slavery and racism. It's not my favorite Run the Jewels song, but it's still very good.
64. Jessy Lanza: "Lick in Heaven"
My Rating: 5/10
I like the quirky, bloopy, disco inspired beat. It's very bouncy and very fun. The vocal effect, however, ruins the song. It sounds incredibly metallic, distracting and annoying.
63. Ka: "I Love (Mimi, Moms, Kev)"
My Rating: 8/10
One of the most emotional rap songs I heard this year. "I Love" features a lowkey jazz performance with Ka rapping over it in an understated way. It's very moving and very powerful.
62. Bill Callahan: "The Mackenzies"
My Rating: 6/10
This is some nice folk music. That is literally all I have to say about it.
61. Jay Electronica: "The Neverending Story"
My Rating: 5/10
I get what he's doing here. I really do. I just wish that what he was doing made me feel something.
60. The Chicks: "Gaslighter"
My Rating: 7/10
This is the kind of country pop that I can get behind. With a nice, grooving melody with honest lyrics about divorce, I can easily see myself humming this song for many weeks to come.
59. Charli XCX: "forever"*
My Rating: 6/10
I'm still not a fan of hyperpop, but I really appreciate what Charli is doing here. The production is overwhelming, and the whooshing sounds in the verses are entirely unnecessary, but the song, at its core, sounds very nice with a great melody and a great, emotional chorus. This song was written in the beginning stages of the pandemic and it certainly comes off that way. Don't worry, I mean that as a compliment.
58. Bad Bunny: "Yo Perreo Sola"
My Rating: 5/10
Call it a cultural thing, but Reggaeton is a genre that has never really appealed to me. This song definitely falls into that category, but I can't deny how infectious and full of personality it is. Though I personally didn't like it, I had fun listening to it. Yes, I know it's an oxymoron. Deal with it.
57. Burna Boy: "Onyeka (Baby)"
My Rating: 6/10
As a genre, I find myself gravitating more towards Afrobeat than Reggaeton. I'm not entirely sure why, but I thought this song was pretty good. The vocals get very repetitive after a while, but I like the tropical synths mixed with the horn samples. It's a nice vibe.
56. City Girls: "Pussy Talk" [ft. Doja Cat]
My Rating: 3/10
It's a rap song about vaginas destined for strip clubs everywhere. All I'll say about this song is that "WAP" does it better. And I'm not even crazy about that song.
55. Porridge Radio: "Sweet"
My Rating: 7/10
This is a quality 90s era rager with great performances, dynamic songwriting, and a fantastic performance by frontwoman Dana Margolin. It is a manic song that really gets the head bobbing. I'm interested in listening to more of this band.
54. Destroyer: "Cue Synthesizer"
My Rating: 8/10
My God, the GROOVE! The groove of this song is so good! On top of that, the premise of the song is really creative. This is another song that I highly recommend you look into on Pitchfork's article. The vocals are kind of odd, but they work fantastically with the premise. This is easily one of the grooviest songs I've heard all year and I love it.
53. Bfb Da Packman: "Free Joe Exotic" [ft. Sada Baby]
My Rating: 7/10
This is ridiculous. "Free Joe Exotic" is easily one of the funniest songs of the year. On top of that, the two rappers have genuinely good flows and their chemistry is on point. It's a joke track, but a good one nonetheless.
52. Nick Hakim: "QADIR"
My Rating: 5/10
This has a nice vibe to it, but it doesn't do anything to grip me. Also, did it really need to be almost 6 minutes?
51. Haim: "I Know Alone"
My Rating: 7/10
"I Know Alone" is a nice little indie pop tune with lyrics that echo a lot of the feelings of isolation we are currently facing. It has a nice groove with some creative use of pitch shifting in the bridge. The music video is pretty great too.
50. Kelly Lee Owens: "Melt!"
My Rating: 6/10
It's cool. I love the dark techno beat, combined with Owens's utterances of phrases like "ice" and "melt." I just don't see myself ever coming back to it.
49. Dua Lipa: "Physical"*
My Rating: 6/10
It's not my favorite single from the album, but "Physical" is still a quality pop song with great production and a stellar vocal performance from Dua Lipa. Personally, I would've preferred to see "Break My Heart" on here, but hey, this is still good.
48. Thundercat: "Dragonball Durag"*
My Rating: 9/10
I've been listening to this song fairly regularly since February and I still love it. It's funky, groovy, soulful and absolutely hilarious. Thundercat's bass playing is amazing and his lyrics about making sweet sweet love while wearing a Dragonball durag are ridiculous, endearing and so funny. This is easily one of my favorite songs of the year.
47. Sufjan Stevens: "The Ascension"
My Rating: 7/10
So this is a beautiful song and Stevens's lyrics of self analysis are very compelling. I just feel like I'll get more out of it if I listen to it in the context of the album. Don't get me wrong, this is a lovely song. I do think that listening to it isolated from the album prevents it from hitting me like it should. But hey, I guess that gives me incentive to check out the whole project.
46. 070 Shake: "Guilty Conscience"
My Rating: 4/10
The synths sound nice. Unfortunately, the songwriting does nothing for me. And in the chorus, the vocals sound like knock off Juice WRLD. This isn't for me.
45. Half Waif: "Ordinary Talk"
My Rating: 7/10
The melody is a little clunky, but the droning instrumentation sounds really nice. And the vocals are outstanding. It's an odd song, but it works quite well for the most part.
44. Lil Baby / 42 Dugg: "We Paid"
My Rating: 1/10
This is the kind of trap music I really dislike. It has asimplistic beat with repetitive flows, uninspired lyrics and mumble rapping. Easily my least favorite song on the list up to this point.
43. Roisin Murphy: "Murphy's Law"
My Rating: 6/10
It's a fun piece of modern disco. Does it need to be 8 minutes long? Dear lord, no. But it's still fun.
42. Earl Sweatshirt: "WHOLE WORLD" [ft. Maxo]*
My Rating: 2/10
I'm fine with a lowkey song. But when your song is lowkey to the point of lifeless, with no one sounding like they give a crap, then you might want to consider rewriting your music. This is probably the most boring song on the list so far.
41. Dogleg: "Kawasaki Backflip"
My Rating: 6/10
It's a solid emo tune. Maybe not the best mixed, as the vocals are a lot quieter than everything else, and maybe it's a little too short, but it's fiery, energetic, angsty, and everything else you need to make a solid emo tune.
40. Flo Milli: "Like That Bitch"
My Rating: 6/10
This is not the kind of rap music that I like to listen to, but this kinda slaps. The beat is great, Milli's flow is on point and the song in general is a lot of fun. I was definitely bobbing my head to this one.
39. Phoebe Bridgers: "I Know the End"
My Rating: 10/10
What an absolute powerhouse of a song!
In 6 minutes, "I Know the End" shifts from an acoustic piece to an orchestral ballad to a building crescendo of rock song with a brass ensemble, culminating in an absolute explosion of sound. It's devastating, in the best way possible. The lyrics are raw, the performances are excellent and the song is an experience that I won't soon forget. If there's anything that is going to get me to finally sit down and listen to the full album, it's this song.
38. Rina Sawayama: "Bad Friend"*
My Rating: 9/10
Rina Sawayama is the best, most underrated popstar of the year, and this song is a prime example as of why. Not only is the production immaculate and Sawayama's voice stunning, but the songwriting is really good. This is leagues above most of the pop songs on the charts today and it's a shame she's not getting the attention she deserves. Also, listen to the full album. It's really good.
37. Blake Mills: "Vanishing Twin"
My Rating: 7/10
This is a very calming, enchanting piece of chamber folk. I love the way the piece builds by the end, and the addition of a blaring yet ethereal guitar solo is a nice touch. While the vocals didn't do a whole lot for me, I really appreciate the artistry here.
36. Bartees Strange: "Mustang"
My Rating: 7/10
The production is an utter mess, but I love how fiery the performances are. There's a lot of energy here and the approach to indie rock feels fresh. There's a definite lack of focus, but this song was a lot of fun to listen to. It's as wild as a mustang. Roll credits.
35. Haim: "The Steps"*
My Rating: 7/10
This sounds like a modernized version of classic rock, while all at the same time, sounding wholly Haim. It's good.
34. Noname: "Song 33"
My Rating: 5/10
It's a minute long diss track against J. Cole. It's fine for what it is, though it's not something I'm ever going to remember. Noname's flow and writing is on point as ever, though.
33. Shamir: "On My Own"
My Rating: 6/10
It's a nice piece of pop rock with a sentiment that reads quite true in today's self isolated climate. It's got a solid groove and some solid vocals. It's solid. It's nice. Listen to it if you want.
32. Taylor Swift: "the last great american dynasty"*
My Rating: 8/10
Taylor Swift's songwriting is the true star here. The story that she tells about heiress Rebekah Harkness is compelling and well written through that. Combine that with a beautiful piece of folk pop musicianship, and you have a great song.
31. Waxahatchee: "Lilacs"
My Rating: 5/10
It's a cute, charming, slightly underwhelming piece of Americana pop. It sounds nice when it's on, but I don't think I'm gonna remember this one.
30. Amaarae: "FANCY"
My Rating: 3/10
I'm fine with the vibe, but can we please stop it with the baby voice? It's cringy and annoying. Okay, thank you.
29. Lil Uzi Vert: "POP"
My Rating: 1/10
The synth sample, no joke, sounds like autotuned farts. The hook is mindnumbing and stupid. The flows are awkward as hell. The repetition is annoying. Everything about this song is annoying. This is not good. Like... at all.
28. The 1975: "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)"*
My Rating: 6/10
It's a fun song. Corny as all get out, but still fun. The sax solo is tasty, though.
27. Dehd: "Loner"
My Rating: 4/10
This is an example of a decent song being tarnished by obnoxious vocals. I love the sound of the guitars and I appreciate the energy. I just found the vocals to be really annoying.
26. Drake: "Laugh Now Cry Later" [ft. Lil Durk]
My Rating: 4/10
I'm not a Drake fan. I find a l lot of his music to be boring. I found this to be boring as well, but... at least it sounded nice?
25. 100 gecs: "hand crushed by a mallet (remix)" [ft. Fall Out Boy, Craig Owens and Nicole Dollanganger]
My Rating: 5/10
While I'm not crazy about this remix, I do prefer it over the original. The original is a cute though annoying piece of hyperpop. This is a cross between that style, pop punk, emo, hardcore and noise. It's a cool crossover, even though it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.
24. The Weather Station: "Robber"
My Rating: 8/10
Well this was a pleasant surprise! "Robber" is a piece of folk jazz, with understated vocals, unsteady drum patterns, flurries of saxophone notes, dissonant piano chords and luscious strings. It's a captivating tale told in such a gorgeous and enchanting way. This is coming on the groups upcoming 2021 album, and after hearing this song, I'm excited for the release.
23. The Weeknd: "Blinding Lights"*
My Rating: 8/10
The fact that this song didn't get a Grammy nominee is baffling. "Blinding Lights" is one of the best pop songs of the year, with its neon soaked synths, its pulsing 80s beat and its insanely catchy chorus. I hear this on the radio a lot when I'm driving and anytime I hear it, I always crank the volume. And yes, I still listen to the radio. My car doesn't have Aux. Deal with it.
22. Jessie Ware: "What's Your Pleasure?"
My Rating: 7/10
This is easily the sexiest song on the list so far. The disco-infused production is a lot of fun and Ware's whispery voice sounds seductive and full of personality. The chorus is a little dragged out and it could've used a bridge or some kind, but this song is a sexy fun time.
21. India Jordan: "For You"
My Rating: 6/10
It's a solid piece of house music. Very fun, very bouncy, very repetitive, very enjoyable.
20. Jazmine Sullivan: "Lost One"
My Rating: 8/10
Damn. What a powerful song, especially for something that's so simple. The song is entirely a watery guitar and vocals. The emotions conveyed in this song are mesmerizing, and I was enchanted throughout the three minute runtime. Also, this has, in my opinion, the best vocal performance of any song on the list thus far.
19. Adrianne Lenker: "anything"
My Rating: 8/10
This song is like a warm Summer day. It's cozy, comforting and relaxing. The fingerpicked guitar melody is gorgeous and Lenker's vocals are intimate and fragile. It's a peaceful, tranquil piece of folk that makes me feel happy.
18. Jayda G: "Both of Us"
My Rating: 7/10
I love how bouncy this song is. The pianos are bright and crisp, the drum beat is booming and the way the track slows halfway through and then explodes at the end is quite nice. This was lots of fun.
17. Grimes: "Delete Forever"
My Rating: 7/10
While I've only heard a handful of Grimes songs in the past, none of them have sounded like this, and this is a nice change of pace. "Delete Forever" goes for a more folktronica vibe, ditching the high gloss synthesizers and the baby voice for something a little more rootsy and a little more raw. I like this one quite a bit.
16. Fiona Apple: "Fetch the Bolt Cutters"
My Rating: 7/10
This is one of the rawest pieces of music I've ever heard. Not just from a lyrical standpoint, but from a production standpoint as well. The music sounds almost like it was being made up on the spot, using household objects as instruments while hearing sounds of dogs barking in the background. I appreciate the artistic statement a lot, but I feel like this sound would hit harder in the context of the album.
15. Chloe x Halle: "Do It"
My Rating: 8/10
One word: electric. The production is great, the performances are excellent, the hook is sticky as hell... this is some quality contemporary R&B. Nothing more to say than that.
14. U.S. Girls: "4 American Dollars"*
My Rating: 7/10
"4 American Dollars" is a very clever song. It's funky, mixing glam rock and pop stylings, all while offering a message on the dangers of excessive capitalism. The chorus is sticky, the production is bouncy and the song is really fun. However, I would still rather listen to almost any song off of their last album, In a Poem Unlimited, than this song. Seriously, that album was highly underrated. Check it out.
13. Soccer Mommy: "circle the drain"
My Rating: 6/10
It's a nice piece of relaxed, chilled out indie rock. It's nothing particularly special, but it sounds good. If you like indie rock that gives you a sad, dejected vibe, then give this a shot.
12. Moses Sumney: "Cut Me"
My Rating: 5/10
I like the vibe being made here and the sound palette sounds nice. However, the progression of the song is pretty tedious. It takes a while to get a build and by the time it does, we're already halfway through the song. This song could've done more, is what I'm saying.
11. Lady Gaga / Ariana Grande: "Rain on Me"*
My Rating: 7/10
This bops. The production is great and both ladies sound fantastic here. Is it cheesy? Sure. But it's a lot of fun. It's the kind of uplifting pop material I'm glad charted in this miserable excuse of a year.
10. Waxahatchee: "Fire"
My Rating: 4/10
This song sounded like it went nowhere. The music is nice, but it progressed aimlessly without any kind of gratifying build, or even a build at all. And the vocals sounded off the entire time. I wasn't a fan of this one.
9. Phoebe Bridgers: "Garden Song"*
My Rating: 8/10
Phoebe Bridgers is such a good songwriter. She paints such vivid imagery with her lyricism, and "Garden Song" is a great example of that. She analyzes her dreams through calming, arpeggiated acoustic guitar and stuttering background electronics. It's a very calming song that I will be happy to revisit when I finally decide to listen to the full album.
8. Perfume Genius: "Describe"
My Rating: 6/10
There is a combination of genres here. It's a mixture of art pop, garage rock and Americana. It's a neat sound palette and it makes for something pretty catchy, but the pacing of the song was a little off-putting and sluggish. The ambient outro was pretty, though.
7. Yves Tumor: "Gospel for a New Country"*
My Rating: 7/10
The combination of soul, Britpop and glam rock is really odd, yet it works. The production is insane and Tumor's voice is full of personality. It is a little short, but it's fiery, and I like that. Side note: on the music video, YouTube commenter Lucas Alves states: "This is what would happen if Prince was into Marilyn Manson aesthetics." That is an accurate statement, so if that sounds cool to you, then check it out.
6. Bob Dylan: "Murder Most Foul"
My Rating: 5/10
I both love and hate this song. I love it because it's a 17 minute epic full of beautiful instrumentation and great lyricism. I hate this song because, well... it's 17 minutes. And the instrumentation stays pretty much the exact same throughout. Plus, Bob Dylan's voice has never appealed to me at all. So to sum it up, I respect this song a lot, but I don't think I can bring myself to ever sit through this again.
5. Bad Bunny: "Saefara" [ft. Jowell & Randy and Nengo Flow]
My Rating: 7/10
I'm still not a fan of Reggaeton as a genre, but this was genuinely impressive. I love the numerous beat switches throughout the track. The production is phenomenal and all of the flows were on point. This was a blast to listen to and it never once got stale in its 5 minute runtime.
4. Megan Thee Stallion: "Savage Remix" [ft. Beyonce]
My Rating: 6/10
This isn't so much a remix as it is an expansion of the original. The original is a pretty decent banger and so is this iteration. The addition of Beyonce was a nice touch. Her chemistry with Megan is quite good.
3. Fiona Apple: "I Want You to Love Me"
My Rating: 8/10
This is yet another display of impressively raw songwriting from Apple, yet this time around, the effect is more immediate. Apple sounds like she is on the verge of a nervous breakdown throughout the track and it gives the song such a cry of desperation, in a good way. The piano playing is beautiful, the progression of the song is captivating and the fact that this is the album opener makes me excited to hear the rest of it.
2. Christine and the Queens: "People, I've been sad"
My Rating: 7/10
This is a very pretty pop ballad. The production is quite nice and Christine's vocals are beautiful. I love the switches between English and French lyrics. While I can't say I loved it, I can easily see why Pitchfork consider it to be the pop song of the year.
1. Cardi B: "WAP" [ft. Megan Thee Stallion]*
My Rating: 6/10
Huh... interesting choice for number one song of the year, Pitchfork. But you know what? This song is a banger. The production is bassy and hits hard, both Cardi and Megan have really solid flows and the lyricism is as hilarious as it is ridiculous. This is still not the kind of rap music that I like to listen to, but I can't deny how fun this song is.
And just like that, the list is over. Since you made it to the end, I am going to list off my top and bottom 10 songs that were mentioned in the Pitchfork article. Feel free to scroll through and listen to those songs if you want (as well as all of the others) and form your own opinion. I am only one man with one opinion. You will disagree with me like I disagreed with a lot of Pitchfork's opinions. And that's okay! This was all in good fun. With that said, here are my own personal lists!
Top 10
1. Phoebe Bridgers: "I Know the End" (#39)
2. Fleet Foxes: "Sunblind" (#77)
3. Thundercat: "Dragonball Durag" (#48)
4. Rina Sawayama: "Bad Friend" (#38)
5. Lomelda: "Hannah Sun" (#92)
6. The Weather Station: "The Robber" (#24)
7. Lianne La Havas: "Bittersweet" (#68)
8. The Weeknd: "Blinding Lights" (#23)
9. Destroyer: "Cue Synthesizer" (#54)
10. Taylor Swift: "the last great american dynasty" (#32)
Bottom 10
1. Lil Baby / 42 Dugg: "We Paid" (#44)
2. Lil Uzi Vert: "POP (#29)
3. Arca: "Mequetrefe" (#67)
4. Earl Sweatshirt: "WHOLE WORLD" [ft. Maxo] (#42)
5. Amaarae: "FANCY" (#30)
6. City Girls: "Pussy Talk" [ft. Doja Cat] (#56)
7. DJ Python: "ADMSDP [ft. LA Warman] (#87)
8. Rico Nasty: "IPHONE (#84)
9. Roddy Rich: "The Box" (#69)
10. Drake: "Laugh Now Cry Later" [ft. Lil Durk] (#26)
Thank you for reading my takes on all of these songs. Please, read the Pitchfork article as well. Here what they have to say about everything here. They are much more eloquent than I am. My favorite songs lists will be coming soon, as well as some non-music and non-movie related content. Have a good day!
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