Lookie, lookie, another month in the booksie. May was... a month. Most of the songs I heard during the month were neither amazing nor terrible. Most of them were smack dab in the middle. To be fair, a lot happened in my personal life this month, which prevented me from listening to a whole lot of music. But still, I managed to hear enough to make another edition of this dumb series that I'm carrying throughout the year for some reason. Whatever. Click here to read the last one. Here we go.
THE TOP 3
Genre: Psychedelic Rock
If you want to hear some throwback music that doesn't sound like a carbon copy of a previously established band (*cough* Gretta Van Fleet *cough*) then look no further. I'm not very familiar with Black Mountain, but I am very impressed after listening to this song. It starts with a rather ambient, atmospheric opening, only to go into a solid, full-throttle rock tune. The riff is infectious, the vocals are full of character, and the hook is ridiculously catchy. There are some really cool sounding 70s keyboards splayed in certain sections of the song, and it all sounds excellent. This song reminds me of a mixture between Black Sabbath and King Crimson. This is some fantastic modern, 70s style rock and roll. If you're a fan of the more metal side of classic rock like Black Sabbath, then I think you'll like this song. As of right now, it is one of my favorite rock songs of the year.
Genre: Alternative Funk/Soul
I know, the video was released in late April. However, the song was released to streaming services on May 1st, so I'm counting it here. I've been on a huge Marc Rebillet kick lately. His approach to mixing funk and soul with his off-color sense of humor has been highly entertaining. And the fact that all of his music is made up of loops created on the spot is super impressive. The fact that those loops sound as good as they do is mind boggling. "One More Time" stands as one of my favorite songs from him. The synth tone is beautiful, the percussion is fantastic, and Rebillet's voice is absolutely gorgeous. This song has a phenomenal vibe, and it is matched beautifully with his sensual lyrics and vocal delivery. I keep coming back to this song because I love the feel of it. It doesn't do anything too crazy musically, but it all sounds so good. And may I remind you- all of his music is made on the spot with loops. He is one of those artists that I actually recommend watching all of his music videos, because they all consist of him making the songs with his loop pedal. Marc Rebillet is a highly underrated artist, and this song stands high in his catalog. Listen to this, then listen to "Reach Out," "I Need You," "Blackbeard," "Look At That Ass," and "You Broke My Heart." It's good stuff.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Did someone say "banger"? Because this song is a banger. As of right now, this is my favorite rap song of the year. The beat is absolutely fantastic. It feels very mid-2000 with the sound of the synth. The instrumental is a beautiful melding of past and modern sounding tones, and it slaps. Denzel, as always, proves to be a fantastic emcee. He has so much control of this song and he commands attention on the mic. His flow is great and the hook is sticky. Plus, I completely dig the lyrics. It promotes honest family values, and I respect that. This song is catchy, hard hitting, fun, and knows exactly when to switch things up. This song is about two and a half minutes, which I think is the perfect length. It goes right in, says what it needs to say, and goes out, never over-staying its welcome. It's a great rap song that rap fans everywhere should listen to. As someone that doesn't love rap music, I have been thoroughly impressed with a lot of Denzel's material, particularly from TA13OO, and "RICKY" is a great follow up to that album. I can't stop listening to this song. I need help.
Honorable Mentions:
Genre: Electronic Hip-Hop
Genre: Hip-Hop/Soul
Genre: Country
THE BOTTOM 3
Genre: Christian Rock
I used to like Skillet. They were never my favorite band, but I enjoyed their angsty approach to Christian Rock. In fact, I can play songs like "Monster" and "Awake and Alive" today, and still enjoy them. However, as of late, they have been churning out some of the most sterile, formulaic arena rock you can imagine. This song sounds almost identical to their previous big single "Feel Invincible." They both have the same tempo, the same kind of riffs, the same drum beat, the same song structures, and the same melody in the chorus. It's all been done. And I never liked "Feel Invincible," so naturally, I don't like this song either. The musicianship is very boring, the vocals don't do anything for me, and the lyrics are as generic as it gets. This song says nothing. Skillet have basically backed themselves into a corner by producing vapid, uninspired arena rock. You know, the kind of music that would only be appropriate during sporting events or commercials. They have become the Imagine Dragons of Christian Rock. If that's the kind of music you're into, then go for it. Personally, I like my rock music with more edge and energy.
Genre: Trap
I've never been crazy about Chance the Rapper, but I respect what he does. This song, however? No. I will admit that the instrumental does sound kind of nice. The percussion is super generic trap, but the sound of the summery synths is kind of pleasing. What ends up killing this song are the vocals. The flows are weak and the tamber of the vocal qualities is very annoying. Plus, I find the hook to be incredibly stupid. The repetition of "used to carry all the groceries in in one trip (Hercules)" and "can you do it simple just like lemonade?" is dumb and grating to listen to with Chance's nazily, shrill vocals. Plus, I hate the way TisaKorean pronounces certain words in his verse. The way he says the words "grow" and "crow" is ridiculously stupid. This whole song is stupid. If it weren't for the rather pleasing production, this would most likely be number one for this week. Chance, I know you can do better than this.
Genre: Gentrified Alternative Rock
Before I get into this, I must emphasize one thing: I cannot stand this band. Blink-182 is among my least favorite bands of all time. I just cannot get behind their whiny vocals, their dumb and immature lyrics, or their musical wankery. Pop punk, as a whole, is a genre that I've never liked, but I find blink-182 at a particular level of obnoxious very few bands meet. So naturally, I don't like this song. However, I dislike this song in a different way, at least by blink-182 standards. This sounds more like One Republic than any pop punk I've heard. In that sense, "Blame It On My Youth" is sterile, anthemic, and incredibly boring. It sounds like it's pandering hard to today's listeners, but fails to realize that One Republic was a lot bigger a decade ago. But what ends up killing this song is the mixing. The way the song is mixed is atrocious. The vocals and guitars are way too quiet, the drums sound muffled, the cymbals sound frail, and the harmonies in the bridge sound like their clipping at every word. So yeah, this song is not good. And I completely recognize and understand that my disdain for blink-182 makes me dislike this song even more than I normally would. But what's odd is that I actually like this song more than most of the blink-182 songs I've heard. I think it's probably the lyrics, which are reflective and a little introspective. Plus, the vocals and instrumentals aren't annoying. "Blame It On My Youth" isn't obnoxious. It's just bad. This is just a generic modern rock song that's trying to fit in to modern radio when it's too behind the times to make an impact.
Dishonorable Mentions:
Genre: Pop
Genre: Trap
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