So here's the deal. October has been one of the busiest months of my life. Trying to balance school with a musical is always tough, but with a show as demanding as this one, I found myself not being able to listen to much music at all. The fact that there's even an addition to this series for October is pretty amazing. So as a result, there will be no honorable or dishonorable mentions. It is a top and bottom three only. Anyways, from what I've heard, there were some good and bad tracks. I know, big surprise. But what's amazing about this month is that it contained both one of my favorite AND one of my least favorite songs of the year. Isn't that neat? Click here to read the last one. Let's go.
THE TOP 3
Genre: Nu-Metal Pop
This song should not work. It's a nu-metal song with elements of cutesy pop music. Poppy has combined the two genres before, but with songs like "Concrete," it came across as clunky and disjointed. Here, the genres compliment each other beautifully. The riff is great, the production is fantastic, and the synth hits are dirty. Poppy sounds pretty goofy, especially in the verses, but her vocals are very charismatic, and they add a nice menacing flair to the track. But the real star of this song is the chorus. The chorus is where you can really tell the two genres have collided. It's very catchy, while also still keeping its edge. Overall, this song is a lot of fun. It won't be for everyone, and I can see people absolutely hating this track, but I quite enjoyed it. If you like nu-metal and you wan't to hear something in that vein but a little different, then give this a try.
Genre: Alternative Country
Now this is just pleasing to listen to. This song is so quiet and so intimate, yet it's so beautiful. The guitar playing is simple, yet it speaks volumes, and the way it contrasts between the piano makes for some powerfully gorgeous moments. The "in good faith" refrain is very nice, and Bonnie's vocals, while frail, are so passionate. I also love the songwriting on this track. It's very poetic, and it gives lovely images of some of the beautiful things in life. This track is very subtle and it might not immediately have much an effect on you, but after a couple listens, the beauty of everything just hits home. I love the intimacy, the passion, and the instrumentation. Please give this track a shot. It's one of the loveliest pieces of music you'll hear all year.
Genre: Experimental Hip Hop
This is the best rap song of the year. Without question. Not only have I listened to this one song at least twenty times over the span of two weeks alone, but it's also the song that got me into clipping. This is one of my favorite artists right now, and "Blood of the Fang" is to thank. Anyways, this song is fantastic. The beat is absolutely CRUSHING. The bass sounds distorted and crunchy, and the way the percussion ride the beat makes the whole thing sound intense. Daveed Diggs's verses are amazing, offering a very well written, cryptic, and disturbing story, and his flow is impeccable. I love the sampling of the gospel singer, as the phrase "there existed an addiction to blood" (also the name of the album) acts as the centerpiece of the song. And the chorus is nuts. It samples what sounds like a children's choir, and it makes it sound so odd. This is the kind of hip hop that I love. It's got a banging beat, great flows, and a well told story that makes you think. If you've been keeping up with this series but haven't listened to any of the music I suggested, then make this be the one song you hear. And if this is your first read in this series, listen to this track. Basically, if you only have to listen to one song in any of the articles within this series, make it this one. This might be my favorite song of the year. I'll have to think about it, but this is a perfect 10/10 track right here.
THE BOTTOM 3
Genre: Alternative
I admire the experimentation. However, I don't think it quite paid off. The synths sound nice and dreamy, but putting them over a trap instrumental is pretty disappointing. The trap stylings made this song lose its personality. I also don't think it matches Panda Bear's voice very well at all. Throughout the track, Panda Bear's singing just sounded off. I'm not familiar with Panda Bear's work, and I'm sure he sounds like this on his other songs, but with this instrumental, he sounds incredibly out of place. What makes this song even worse is how formless it is. It goes from chorus to verse to chorus to verse without much of a progression or change at all. In fact, it's pretty easy to think there is no chorus entirely. The song just kinda meanders until it ends. It's pretty boring and underwhelming.
Genre: Pop
Oh goodie! Another pop song with Reggaeton influence in the instrumental! But seriously though, I'm kind of sick of these major pop songs having this kind of rhythm. In my opinion, this rhythm takes a lot of the energy out of the song. It doesn't sound punchy or captivating. Instead, it sounds way too corporate and fake. Selena sounds absolutely emotionless on this track, and the weird vocal samples in the interludes are very annoying. Oh, and let's not forget the mid-tempo beat drop in the chorus, because all pop songs in the late 2010s need a mid-tempo beat drop. Yeah, this song did nothing for me. While I actually liked the other single Selena released in October quite a bit, "Lose You to Love Me," this song sounds dull. Not a fan.
Genre: Pop Rap
...Seriously? I don't want to sound like a stereotypical boomer, but... is this what the kids listen to nowadays? Is this how low we've stooped as a society? I mean, come on! The beat sounds like something you'd find on a website that distributes royalty free music. The hooks are annoying, stupid, and almost funny in how awful they are. All of the verses are bad, but Logic is truly the worst part of this track. He has some of the cringiest lines of the entire year. I mean, at least from what I've heard. I haven't listened to Confessions of a Dangerous Mind in its entirety. The worst lyric of them all has got to be "1-800, then I kill the pussy, who can relate?" So, if I were to read this correctly... when Logic is at the strip club, he first calls the suicide hot line, then he has sex, then he asks everybody if they relate to what he just said. I know this is a callback to his suicide hotline track, but it was corny even then. Here, it's even cornier and all the more tasteless. This is truly one of the worst songs of the year. It's the only song I've heard thus far that has come close to dethroning "Earth" as the worst track of the year. But hey, I've got to give some props to French Montana. Not only is French Montana the only person to win the "honor" of having the worst track of the month twice, but he received these awards two months in a row. So... congratulations, I guess.
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