Hey look, another month that has more music. What are the odds? April had some really good music, no surprise there. However, the bad songs were REALLY bad. Like, "worst songs of the year" bad. Maybe even "worse songs of the decade" bad. That might be a stretch, but seriously, the three songs that are in my bottom three will be near the top of my worst songs of the year list (if I ever decide to make one). But don't let this discourage you! There were some great songs, and I'm going to talk about them all here! Click here to read the last one. Anyways, let's go!
THE TOP 3
Genre: Thrash Metal
King Gizzard was like "we have an experimental blues album coming out this month, so here's a thrash metal song." I have never heard a King Gizzard song with this much rage and aggression, and I love it. The drums are intense, the guitars are wild, the riff is animalistic, and the vocals channel Metallica in the best possible. This is an absolutely insane foray into thrash metal and it turned out very well. I appreciate King Gizzard wanting to experiment with each new album they release, and I hope they explore metal more with a full album. This song is crazy. It's awesome.
Genre: R&B
Anderson .Paak is, in my opinion, one of the most entertaining artists working today. Whether it's rap or soul, he plays his music with so much passion and charisma. And "Make it Better" might be my favorite song he's ever made. The melody is absolutely gorgeous, with a smooth funky bass, beautiful sweeping strings and chords, nice plucks of a distant guitar, and an absolutely captivating chorus. However, the real star of the song is, surprise surprise, Anderson .Paak himself. His voice has so much power, beauty, and soul. You can tell that this genre is right in his wheelhouse. There is an equal amount of romance and sadness in his words, and the slight rasp that he has just adds to how stunning his voice is. I love absolutely every aspect of the song, even the lyric or two that is somewhat corny. If you like gorgeous, soulful music, then you should absolutely listen to this. It's incredible.
Genre: Alternative
I've listened to this track multiple times since it's come out, and every time, it puts tears in my eyes. This song is stunning. The piano is so simple yet gorgeous. The use of electronics scattered throughout add a beautiful atmosphere to the song. And Tahliah's performance is incredible. Her voice shifts from being fragile to powerful and back again seamlessly, and her range is outstanding. Every word she sings is mesmerizing, and she sounds phenomenal. And the lyrics are absolutely heartbreaking. This song is incredibly sad yet incredibly potent. It is captivating from the first note to the end, and once the song stops, I have to sit back and reflect for a few minutes. It's that powerful. I'm not too familiar with her material, but I can tell this is Tahliah at her most raw, intimate, and personal. I love this song from start to finish, and I think anyone can appreciate what she has to offer. Also, the music video is fantastic. There is so much symbolism in it, and the way it's executed is visually stunning, all while being powerful and sad. This track is phenomenal. It's easily one of the best songs of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
Genre: Electronic
Genre: Synth Pop
Genre: Vocal Jazz
Genre: Alternative
THE BOTTOM 3
Genre: Latin Pop
Wait... Madonna is still a thing? I forgot that she was still making music. Maybe there's a reason. Maybe it's because the music she's making nowadays isn't good. This song, in particular, I find very boring. The Latin pop beat is repetitive and tepid, Madonna sounds like a robot with all her vocals, and the feature sounds awkward. This song is incredibly forgettable and offers nothing new or exciting for pop music. And the fact that an American artist is collaborating with a Latin artist does not make this song good. It's as generic as it gets. This song puts me to sleep, but not in a good way. I completely understand that Madonna has gotten older and she won't make songs like "Like a Virgin" or "Material Girl" anymore. However, I know she can make better than this. I think it's time to move on from the Madonna train, because there's nothing remotely interesting here.
Genre: Meme Trap
Okay, so here's the thing. I know that this song was released as an April Fools Day joke. I realize that this song is meant as a meme, and therefore it should not be taken seriously. I also know that Elon Musk did not actually rap over this song. Instead it's some guy named Yung Jake. Everything about this song is supposed to be a stupid joke. However, it is a joke that I don't find funny in the slightest. The Harambe meme hasn't been relevant in years, and the fact that it's being brought back again after everyone had stopped making jokes feels try-hard. And that's just the premise behind the song. The actual tune itself is incredibly annoying. The beat is grating and the auto-tune is downright unlistenable. There are also these sweeping mechanical synths that come in that sound awful. Everything about this track is stupid, lazy, and downright bad. This song makes me think of an older man catching on to a joke after the joke lost any relevance. I think it's best to treat this song like the worst puns: roll your eyes and immediately forget what you witness.
Genre: "Comedy" Pop
I despise this song with every fiber of my being. This is one of the most unfunny, stupid, boring, annoying, maddening, cringe inducing songs I've ever heard in my life. The beat is as generic as it gets, with the same stupid "bah bah bah" melody that's heard is so much pop and pop rap nowadays. The chorus is dumb and the lyrics are awful. The refrain of "we love the earth" makes me want to hurl. The high number of celebrity cameos could have been funny, but it comes across as Lil Dicky showing off how many celebrity connections he has now that he's famous. There's nothing clever about any of the writing in this song. It tries to be funny and meaningful, but it achieves neither. Lil Dicky wanted to make this song with good intentions, but it feels so fake, disingenuous, and conceited. For example, at the end when Beiber asks if we're all going to die, Lil Dicky responds with "We might die. I'm not going to lie to you. I mean, there's so many people out here who don't think Global Warming's a real thing, y'know?" How narcissistic is that? I get it, he wants to promote a positive message about taking care of the earth, but it sounds so commercial and hollow. This song is like unfunny commercialized propaganda. If you thought Lil Dicky didn't sell out hard enough on "Freaky Friday," now we have this abomination. I have listened to this song twice in its entirety, and both times, it made me mad. "Earth" truly is a special kind of awful. There is not one redeeming thing about it. Not even Lil Dicky's flow, which is usually the best part of even his worst songs, is weak. He has no charisma, his rhymes are weak, and he has nothing funny or insightful to say. The message in his verse is basically "let's stop fighting and be cool with each other." Wow. What a novel topic. What an interesting discussion piece. I have never thought that before in my life! Thank you for bringing a new perspective on human nature on this track! But hey, at least his verse is short. I guess that's one positive... as backhanded as it may be. Yeah, this song is hot garbage. I'm done talking about it.
Dishonorable Mentions:
Genre: Trap
Genre: Alternative Rock
Genre: Pop
Genre: Trap
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