I say it every year but it just rings so true this year: what a great year for music! I knew it was great when I had so much difficulty ranking most of this year's tracks in order.
Here is the first part of an immense year:
81. Marijuana’s A Working Woman (Of Montreal):
no one does crazy like Kevin Barnes, even after all these years.
82. Vegas (Doja Cat):
a new turn on “Hound Dog”.
83. Free Yourself (Jessie Ware):
Jessie Ware’s transformation from subtle and sleek sophisti-pop chanteuse to Disco Queen has been a fun one to watch and and even more satisfying one to actually participate in—what good is disco if you’re not actually dancing, after all? “Free Yourself” feels like a new level unlocked in her ascendancy to that glittery throne, all pristine house piano and deeply funky bassline driving the motivational speech at the core of a career-best diva performance: “Free yourself/Keep on moving up that mountaintop.” Self-confidence or self-indulgence? When it sounds this good, the details don’t seem all that important. (TREBLE)
84. The Hardest Cut (Spoon):
muscular, minimalist classic rock with excellent clean production and dirty guitars, with a hint of head nodding Krautrock, like a stripped down Golden Earring. Such a desirable bath of sound to drop your needle into. It starts with a Stray Cats groove over a drone bass pedal – a rockabilly rumble, shifting gears with little jets and spurts of steam and gasoline, cranked up guitars belching exhaust as the song grooves along, easily stretching it’s taut chords to reach the apex of the chorus, slamming into a loud and dirty triplet of noise, before shifting down to start the climb all over again. (JOYZINE)
85. Kilimanjaro (Pierre Kwenders):
while “Kilimanjaro” represents a journey to the roof of Africa for many, it could also be compared to a journey of self-discovery and exploration for others. For Kwenders it depicts a pursuit of sexual fantasies, an exploration of bodies intertwined and bonded by sexual intensity. The song feels like a throwback to another era with its unique mix of smooth jazz, Congolese rumba, contemporary electronic pop, 1980s retro, and ’70s funk, emanating from Pierre’s reverence of African greats like Fela Kuti, Tshala Muana, and more. (NORTHERN TRANSMISSIONS)
86. Angelica (Wet Leg):
it’s one of the greatest examples of the band’s fondness for merging the playfully surreal with the bewilderingly mundane, brought to salacious perfection with a firm, danceable beat on one side and a light, cheeky guitar riff on the other. (TREBLE)
87. Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All) (Omar Apollo):
who says boys don’t cry?
88. I Was Just 14 (Jesca Hoop):
a harrowing tale of a barely-teen discovering her body and it’s consequences.
89. This Hell (Rina Sawayama):
not one to pass up a good pop culture reference, Sawayama quotes Paris Hilton’s famous catchphrase and chastises the paparazzi for their cruelty towards Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, and Princess Diana. “Got my invitation to eternal damnation,” she chants. “Get in line, pass the wine, bitch.” With Sawayama, hell is the hottest party in town. (PITCHFORK)
90. Plan B (Megan Thee Stallion):
over a beat sampling the "Freek'n You" remix by Jodeci featuring Wu-Tang Clan, Megan excoriates her past relationships and you can dance and emphasize with her truth.
91. Krakatau (Cass McCombs):
when artists target ska, it usually backfires but McCombs tries a new angle—washing it with nostalgic pop and it works.
92. I’ll Try (Sharon Van Etten):
sheer ecstatic pop touches at every turn.
93. Lawn (Aldous Harding):
backed by a lean arrangement of clattering drums and steady bass, Harding hacks away at the dead weight of a failed relationship. “Can you imagine me just being out and free?” Harding coos wistfully before her frustration boils up to the surface, spilling over into lines where she confesses her annoyance at wasting her time on a partner’s precious “B-sides” and culminating in a declaration to charge into the unknown. Severed from the comforts of reliable disappointment, she embraces her newfound liberty and begins again. (PITCHFORK)
94. Love Me More (Mitski):
Mitski’s quirky damaged pop has always been engaging and here it adds a new dimension: sheer despair.
95. Shadows (Bonobo feat. Jordan Rakei):
he has now perfected his craft and brought Rakei along for the blissful ride.
96. Happy Ending (Kelela):
Kelela’s breathy, decorous vocals swoop over jumbling breakbeats courtesy of LSDXOXO. It feels like a jubilant return to more up-tempo songs like “Rewind,” an impression reinforced in the song’s candid-feeling rave video. If the lyrical concept involving a distant lover and the implied double entendre of the title is a little under thought, it’s hard to begrudge this sonic pioneer some lighthearted fun. (PITCHFORK)
97. Ashtray (Hippo Campus):
crunchy guitars do not hide the heartbreak lyrics lead vocalist Jake Luppen spits out and thankfully, it all connects.
98. Pink & Rose (Lil Ugly Mane):
toned down of his usual abstract abrasion, Travis Miller gets solemn and still delivers.
99. Q4 (Father John Misty):
there he goes writing another sublime narrated pop ditty fraught with everyday dangers and quirks.
100. Secrecy Is Incredibly Important To The Both Of Them (Yves Tumor):
Tumor continues to expand their burrowing into pop with a sledgehammer of intent.
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