Wow. 2019 is almost over. So is the decade. It's crazy how close we are to the end of the world I mean decade. Anyways, music happened. I would've got this one posted earlier, but November was quite stressful for me. But it's cool. This is the penultimate part of this series. There were some great songs and some garbage songs, so good to see nothing's changed. Click here to read the last one. Here we go.
THE TOP 3
Genre: Pop
This is the best kind of radio friendly, top 40 pop garbage you can find. I'm usually not a fan of this kind of pop music, but Dua Lipa managed to craft one of the funkiest pop songs of the year. The bass slaps, the drums grooves, and the song as a whole has an amazing disco vibe. The chorus is very catchy and Dua Lipa's vocals are very nice to listen to. And the vocal effects on the bridge add a lot to the song, even though I should hate the addition. I'm not crazy about effect heavy vocal ad libs, because a lot of times they're quite annoying ("Look at Me Now" by Selena Gomez is a prime example). That being said, they're executed quite well here, fully encapsulating the disco vibe of the track. I should dislike this song as it is so mainstream and trendy, but this song is a blast to listen to. It's groovy, danceable, and lots of fun. It is the best kind of radio friendly top 40 pop music.
Genre: Alternative Pop
This might be my favorite Billie Eilish song. The main synth melody is beautiful, with a beat that sounds mildly EDM inspired. The mix of piano and percussion gives this song such a lovely somber feel. Eilish's voice are their usual quiet, intimate tone, but they sound so nice here. The lyrics are very sad yet very personal, matching the intimacy of the vocals and the music. This is a sad, mid-tempo alternative pop tune that is captivating from start to finish. Sure, it doesn't match the eerie darkness of "Bury a Friend" or the raw emotional gravity of "When the Party's Over," but I love the way this song plays out musically. It's lush and vibrant yet quiet and down trodden. This is a lovely song that shows a lot of promise for the young artist. I'm excited to hear what she comes out with next.
Genre: Nu Metal Pop
This song sounds like it's straight out of the mid 2000s. It gives me some serious Charlie's Angels kind of vibes with its crushing riff, pulsing drum beat, and background maniacal laughter. This song should be so incredibly cheesy, but it's executed in such a fun, angry, sarcastic way. I kind of love it. Sawayama's vocals are fantastic, and that one part where she turns strained laughter into a sung note is pretty impressive. The chorus is full of so much false joy, making the sarcasm so palpable, and perfectly contrasts with the aggression of the verses. This song is a big fat middle finger to casual racism, and it's pulled of in such a fiery, ferocious way. "STFU!" is one of the most fun songs the year has to offer, and I'm excited to see Sawayama further go down this musical journey. It's a good time.
Honorable Mentions:
Genre: Electronic
Genre: Alternative Hip Hop
THE BOTTOM 3
Genre: Alternative Rock
I appreciate Modest Mouse. They're not one of my favorite bands, but I respect them a lot. This song, however, I find very boring. It's a 6 minute neo-psychedelia song without much in the way of progression or build. The whole song meanders throughout the runtime with very little alteration or change or ANYTHING that would make the song interesting. The instrumentation is very bland and the vocals are so incredibly understated, devoid of the typical Modest Mouse personality found in many of their songs. The song wants to give a lot of room for the instrumentals to give off a vibe, but that's pretty much all this song has to offer. And while I like a good vibe in a song, I have a hard time latching myself onto this vibe because of how tedious it is. I want to like this song because there are some nice strings in some of the instrumental passages, but that's about the only thing interesting aspect of this track. Unfortunately, Modest Mouse have made a song that fails to be memorable or gripping.
Genre: Reggaeton
Hey look, it's another Reggaeton song. Yay. Sure, a lot of Reggaeton songs may sound the same, but what sets this song apart is the boring production and Bad Bunny's atrocious, autotuned, drunken singing. Seriously, he sounds like he's hammered out of his mind on this track. And the melody, particularly in the chorus, is awful. This song is incredibly annoying and boring. I'm sure there's some legitimately good Reggaeton out there, but I haven't found much of anything that's stuck with me. And "Vete" is among the worst.
Genre: Dembow
Wow. This is... straight up unbearable. I have no words. This is truly auditory torture. I'm serious. This is one of the most obnoxious songs I've ever heard. And it has no business being three and a half minutes long. I'm kind of amazed at how annoying literally every aspect of this track is. The production, the beat, the verses, the vocals... it's all garbage. This song gave me a headache like no other in 2019. If you're curious, be warned. It really is that bad.
Honorable Mention:
Genre: Pop
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