This is weird, Lana, Keith, Kurt and Gary? I’ve dismissed all of these guys recently but a specific song has hit my pleasure zone and who am I to deny it? In a perfect world. Garfunkel and Oates would write the lyrics to all of Lana’s songs. My only problem with G&O is when they make nasty noises like gagging on dick and being nauseated by pussy. It sounds terrible over earphones.
This ended up being the summer of neo-soul, the triumph of three artists: The Weeknd, Miguel and Travi$ Scott, and despite the help of Max Martin with the Weeknd, all three artists sound entirely unique. I can’t wait to hear the new Darlene Love next Friday.
a terrific week, every song here is excellent and “In Time” and “Girls From Texas” is so good I regret not bothering to catch Lyle at Lincoln Center last week. As for FKA twig? A flat out masterpiece that EP -I adore the woman. Herb Eimerman has a great EP about to drop, and I’ll review it soon) but this song with its terrific Byrdsy intro is beyond great.
A strange week, that seems stronger on paper, Iris and Dre new releases, surprising and should be year making, are neither quite where we want them to be and though Worriers are better than expected and Danny Brown, Lil B and Chance The Rapper, and Melanie Martinez are pleasant surprises, they don’t quite make up for it.
Lil Dicky ended an average album so strongly that if I ever get the chance I will listen more closely, and both Romano and the Mynabirds are revelations for me. Didn’t know one and not crazy about the other, they both came through.
Desire – Dej Loaf – Not only is this very sexy, and very smart, it rhymes hard, the beat is perfect, it is the best woman rap around headlining her new EP it is a self-portrait and a dream of the future. Trill chill, indeed
A very good week is completed with a very very good list of new songs for the week. All three hip hop songs are about sound not lyric, the samples that fuel Vic and Young Thug are exemplary (Skrillex is behind Vic, better than anything with Diplo) and the clashing swords on “Swords” is a terrific sound, as is the guitar on the Wilco track.
A bad week for new music, still the top isn’t terrible. Coheed and Cambria are specifically excellent, the Mary J cover epochal, and Kaya Stewart a pleasant surprise. Plus, the dearth of top materials, leaves you free to spin Fay-Ann again.
Fatal Flaw – Titus Andronicus – As we get closer to the release of The Most Lamentable Tragedy, it becomes clear there is a whole lot of baggage to go along with Patrick Stickles epic disaster disaster, sort of “Inside Outside” for solipsistic egomaniacs. And with songs as great as this, a flat out masterpiece and one of his greatest Stickles’ songs of all time, I could care less.
The thing to keep in mind about this week is it is much less a great song than great album week, the albums accumulate force but without too much stuff sticking out. “people Want to Hear About Love” is the perfect example of a pretty good song on a pretty good album. Most things here are pretty good and also? There will be a lot more of them…
No, of course Kacey is not a cowgirl but it is still the best song on the album, as for Marshall, man can this man write a bridge, Foals best song followed by Algiers followed by Bully’s first song and at # 8 the saddest song of the week. The best is very very good.
the rest of the album isn’t as good but this song is a terrific track by the St. Etienne leader, otherwise in the battle for singer songwriter supremacy 2015 style, Patrick has pulled ahead of Jason Isbell, Isbell’s new song didn’t even make it in my best of list, let alone the top ten.
The two top songs are both among the best of the year, I can see “Acid” ending up in the top ten, and “Love 3X” in the top 20 for 2015. “Handcuffs” was better than I gave it credit for and at least Muse have one sure shot song on their newbie.
The Young Novelist have written a break up sound or maybe a breakup song for the ages, a killer track which leaves our hero seriously gutted by the curtain. Well worth your time, I promise. The Mariah is another goodie nobody will listen to. Frankie Knuckles is spectacular.
Week in, week out, year in, year out, I have no problem finding ten very good new songs, which means by the end of any given year I have over 500 songs I really love MINIMUM. This week is no different: Sam Lewis is a complete revelation, if Alabama Shakes the album needs a little time, this song is an immediate winner, and if Tyler’s album isn’t very satisfying “OKAGA, CA” is a killer track: a little Frank Ocean-y. To underscore all of this, I had to turn it up to 11 if I wanated to shoehorn Jesse in.
A quiet week with both Sufjan and Brian leftover from the week before and two big time country albums and a Christian album leading the charge for this week. Bop English? I like it, not sure it will last. The Michael Jackson latin album? I like it a lot, but wish there was more than one Tito song
Two of these songs will end up on my very best of the year, Old Fathers “Old Rock N Roll” and Brian Wilson’s “The Last Song”. One of them is the best political song of the year and the other is a go gently into that night and a weathered and true song of aging and loss. The Death Cab track is one of the better numbers, and all the turks, Conor, Lord Huron, Metz, are on their game.
That Beatles song? I went back to the anthology album and while it is good, the Weeklings really made it their own. Once you get past that, everything here is good. This is as strong a list of songs as you will get this year. Ps I was thisclose to including the Bala Billy Joel cover… I mean thiclose
The Weeklings go back to the very beginning with this Beatle cover, and Allison Moorer makes her point and then some, “u” is the best song on the newbie and Evans The Death survives another day. One thing: it is the rare week where you can’t find ten really great songs.
This was a great song when Van sang it with the Chieftains and who knows, this may be as good –his singing is warmer and Mark is tapping his Local Hero. Next, “All Day” is the return of Kanye at full power, every sound on this track will make you stop and listen. Finally, “Joan Of Arc” is the most emotionally naked song Madonna has ever written.
Not a great week for albums or singles, though Flo and Carly released songs that may well still be around three months from now. “All Day” feels like a big time album track, like “Wolves” and not like “Fourfiveseconds”. “Febreze”? “Yeah, I’m the shit, I should have Febreze on me”!
Nice week, the Rhiannon cover is aces (the lone holdover!) and Scout, Juliana (finally on Spotify!) , Nate proves that whatever Jack brings to fun. he doesn’t bring the big anthemic stuff, he brings the rock and roll…. All the way through Deacon, and all great stuff. Even ATE, another of those bands we love to hate, managed a goodie!!!
Definitely Drake’s week, but that Lord Huron may well be a case of lightning striking, because it is just a terrific little rockabilly track that begins and ends like a sweet ambient call. A masterful song. Otherwise both Kate and Letts choices were a little random, both albums have a lot of great songs.
As a lyricist Pete wetnz is a child of his emo rock urges, the strange drawn out song titles that turn and move in ways you don’t expect. Except it never quite manages to pay off well enough. Except this on does, a masterpiece of lost love which uses Judy Jetson’s mobility as a future history of a disappeared love.
This is shaping up into the best January this decade. Both FOB songs are masterful, Imagine Dragons released the only song they’ve ever written I’ve ever enjoyed, AWOLNATION is a revelation and Prass is a complete shocker. As for Bettye, well, listen to it yourself. And Kate Tempest is better than all of them.
The Viet Cong goes on for 11 minutes and deserves to, Ryan is a revelation to me though possibly not to anyone else , and I am obsessed with the Ninjas and Sleater Kinney. I would say a better start to 2015 than to 2014.
A good week all round, Bronson on top, Shinobi next, two good rap song, a Kweezy ballad, JTW back, some real cool ska and roll. Let’s hope this is the start of a great year and if we get another ten songs as great as “Song Of Life”and “Honey Trap” it may well be
I was once in the back of the family car and this motorbike went flying in front of us and then maybe five minutes later we drove by this big crash, and I looked out the window and the guy was on the ground, on his side, head crushed, blood gushing out. I couldn’t stop looking. That’s the way I feel about this Kid rock song.
Welcome to the silicone valley flow (to quote YG), another year over and another list written. Only one of the Madonna songs? I could have included “Unapologetic Bitch” I guess… but didn’t. I’m going to post two best songs, one with everything and one with just the cream of the crop and I plan to include “Seeds” high up on the latter.
Spank Rock are really excellent and completely different even in a world where different things are a dime a dozen. That “Stepchild” Dylan track was the highlight of the Jerry Lee concert and if it cost drake a punch to steal that sick beat, it was worth it
I regret missing the Getotbeds last week, their current album Poor People Are Revolting is as clever as its title. Otherwise in a quiet week, Simple Minds still bring it, the Cat Stevens was an outlier on the blues album, the new Ezra is a doozy, and the new Mary J is like finding a Sam Smith song from his new album you didn’t know existed.
Wow, here is something we shoulda given thanks for, Simple Minds and Susan Said both big at the top, one of 1D’s greatest moment, Eminem testifying, Homeboy Sandman art rapping, Selena heartbroken, and Marshall Crenshaw still knocking em out of the park.
A nice week of music, especially surprisingly enough Nickelback who I have never come close to liking and is now in my good books because they found the perfect foil for their MOR rock with a perfect pop rapper. DP are a seriously good band.
Heavy on the indie hip hop this week, the top slot and two others, and while Southern might not be the definition of indie, or alt for that matter, Big K.R.I.T. sounds like no one. The other two are edge and smart respectively.
This is a great list of songs, Pell, Young Fathers (I just got a tix for their April gig at MHOW), Ella, the best country song I’ve heard since “Platinum” and Gwen who, now I come to think of it, owes a lot to Chrissie Hynde in her singing.
Sleater-Kinney is growing on me with every spin, it is exactly what you think, angular, atonal, guitar shards and it works like a memory reflexive. Meanwhile Taylor Swift’s least song off the upcoming album ain’t bad at all, I mean not at all, and the Game reminds us why he is the best rapper this side of Cam’ron.
“Let It Go” does something, even if it does it accidentally, that needs to be applauded: it makes am anthem for preteen girls. The self-expression of “Let It Go” speaks to a certain need for release from the strictures already jailing young girls, even at that age. It may well be the most important song of the year despite itself.
This is a pretty awesome ten brand new songs. well, “New Dorp, New York” dorped in July and Kat arrived last week but mostly this is from this week. Allo Darlin’ are so good I think I’m gonna get a tix to Belle And Sebastian at Radio City.
A good week all round, not least because one of my great adages was proven true: you can strip a song bare or you can whistle and toot it but if it is good, it will stand up. That’s what Us The Duo did with Taylor and it paid off big big big time.
Slow – Leonard Cohen – His Greatest self portrait ever finds the man defining the race not being close to the swift but to he who reaches the end slowest, whether it be sex or life or God knows the blues. A work only those of us growing old faster than us will understand completely
Broncos song is killer and while they don’t sustain it, this is enough to be going with, Skrillex is from earlier this, Tennis is better than I gave em credit for, and Kong is a testament to freedom and Kings in the Bronx. One more: Jhene is a female Drake on “Lyin’ King”.
Wow, some week right? U2 alone would be enough to keep the rock world on its toes, but if you add just about every major musician from Justin to Julian and back it makes for one of the more remarkable week s of rock and roll known to man. I am not sure when and if the U2 will cloick with me but so far not that much…
River Bank” is much better than I thought it was, it isn’t “The Word” but it is pretty clever and catchy, most of the rest of this isn’t real songs: YOB and Lily Taylor specifically but also, how about Half Japanese? With Fair’s sing speak voice?It is not quite songs, is it?
Nobody handles his age with the intelligence that Leonard does in this song, because as terrible as the world is, and it is pretty horrifying stuff, but it is nowhere as blue as his own mortality and mine of course, nothing smarter this year that’s for sure.
I hope that song at the top grows off me because the last thing I wanna be doing for the next month is typing out. Meanwhile, everything here is quite good and the Black Keys is a little better than quite good. An ordinary week but not without its pleasures.
This was a specifically excellent week of music with one of the best albums of the year released FKA twigs, and a number of close runners up including Sinean, Escott and Dilated Peoples. And Twista, who isn’t included here but could be and Soca King Bunji Garlin
I know, I know, I’m late to Hurray For The Riff Raff but I am making up ground! Superb at Summerstage on Sunday, I went back to the album Small Town Heroes and I could actually hear it! Otherwise, note the two mainstream pop songs in the middle there. Yeah, I know, I know but “Bang Bang” caught my ear.
This is the price of music overload: I know in theory both Hurray For The Riff Raff and Wreckless Eric are among the best albums of the year, I just can’t find the time to give them the attention they deserve, so they are relegated and filed away.
the question is, what is generally considered to be one of the best albums of the year by La Roux, will it be enough to get her back on the charts? The other question is, why do so many albums only have one good song in em? The answer to this and other questions ill be explained after we stop listening to Four Years Strong.
The first four songs on this list are a very clear reflection of what I am listening to for kicks when I find the time to listen to songs for no other reason than kicks. “Salad Days” and Rollercoaster” are in that magic place where it is on constant repeat in the back of my head.
