Music thread

So I found out that The Buckinghams and The Beau Brummels, two bands from the British Invasion, were actually American and manufactured themselves as Brits to follow a trend. I feel like I’ve been smackeldorfed.

@Myoozik  
“That’s not even a word and I agree with ya!”

You suffer by Napalm Death is the best song ever

After a little while, I thought i’d go back and finish off the year with the best songs. I’ve already given my thoughts on the songs on the year overall on the worst list so i’m not going to repeat myself too much. While I thought that the year overall could’ve been better, I still found some songs that I enjoyed and now i’m going to share them with you all. After listening as to what landed on the Year End, I found the ones that I liked and put them into a Top 10. As usual like last time, this is not an objective list in the slightest nor what i’m saying is grounded by fact so if you don’t like these songs, including my number one pick then that’s fine. This is all just opinion based and we all have our own unique tastes and you are allowed to disagree with my picks (in fact, I think this is the list where people are gonna disagree with me the most). Either way, let’s get started:
 
10. Clout by Offset feat. Cardi B. As I mentioned before, the biggest genre of the late 2010’s was rap, especially trap. If you’re not a fan of this genre, then it will sound like white noise to you but that doesn’t mean that any enjoyment can be found from this subgenre, like this song. Lyrically, it’s a standard song about being wealthy and successful with money, material possessions and stealing your girl (how original and classy). What makes it sound better than it does is Offset’s rapping and his delivery. He comes from the rap trio Migos and he’s always been the rawest member of the trio with his tight flow and his catchy and memorable adlibs, and this song is no exception. His delivery in here is good and he sounds menacing and intimidating, which shows that he means business. It flows well with the beat which is a dark sounding midtempo beat with pianos and a trap percussion that really bumps. Additionally, he and his group Migos are no stranger to catchy hooks and this song delivers in that department. Cardi B is a featured artist on this song and she is definitely in her element here with her tight flow and her bossy demeanor, though I will complain that some of her lines in her verse are clunky (“Read my rhymes, nigga, suck my dick”? But you’re a woman…) Either way, this is a catchy song that you can bump into your car and sing along to. Offset’s not wrong though, they will do anything for clout.
 
9. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith & Normani. As pop music’s resence on the charts started to lessen, it radically changed style from being upbeat to being more downbeat and moody. This is also in addition to getting mixed with other genres like rap, R&B, country, EDM and indie. Obviously this isn’t a bad thing and it can work well, like with this song. Established artist Sam Smith and R&B singer Normani from the girl group Fifth Harmony both play exes who want to forget each other, and both have a really great chemistry with one another despite coming from different musical styles. Sam’s poppier squeaky voice and Normani’s sultry R&B voice both provide a great contrast without sounding awkward, and this is best exemplified when they harmonize with each other to show the passion and sadness that they have. The production is a downbeat, EDM type pop production which sounds good, but it’s mixed a bit loudly and the lyrics are very minimal where I think that the song would’ve benefited from having a third verse where both singers take turns expressing their point of views. Regardless, this is still a good song that i’m glad made the Top 10 and I hope they both collaborate again in the future.
 
8. Beautiful Crazy by Luke Combs. Ever since the mid 90’s or so, country music has been a mainstay on the Billboard Hot 100 and especially the Top 40 with the genre changing styles and subgenres coming and going over the years. Now, country has a more poppier sound to it with lyrics having a deeper emphasis on love, heartbreak and being proud of being country. The biggest country artist right now is Luke Combs and while this isn’t his best song to me, it’s still a great tune. It’s a love song where he expresses his love towards a girl who’s both beautiful and crazy at the same time and his crooner drawl makes it sound romantic with the emotion that he puts into it. What I love about this song though is the production, with a nice country twang in it with its acoustic guitar drums, slide guitar, fiddle and a bass guitar for that light pop sound as mentioned above. It not only makes the song romantic, but unlike other pop country song where the production overpowers the song, this one is very tight and controlled and dialed back to let the vocals shine through. Not the best country song of the year, but still a really good one and I can’t wait to hear what Luke will put out next.
 
7. The Git Up by Blanco Brown. Ever since the success of Old Town Road, I expected there to be a trend of artists mixing country and rap together but oddly, that never came to pass except for this Top 20 hit. It’s a dance song about a dance called “The Git Up” which looks like an updated line dance with some hip hop flare to it. The artist calls this song “trailer trap” and i gotta say that’s an apt title with the fact that it’s a combination of country and trap with a slide guitar, an acoustic guitar and country style vocalizations mixed with a trap beat and beatboxing for some odd reason. It sounds like it shouldn’t work but amazingly enough, it does with both styles blending together well and not overpowering one another except for the beatboxes which I think are out of place. About the rest of the song, Blanco’s singing is decent and the lyrics are just about how to do the dance, nothing more and nothing less. For a year that had moody and depressing songs, i’m glad that this upbeat track became a hit because I get happy whenever I listen to it and it was what the year needed. Sadly, it’s going to be badly dated as the years go on and Blanco himself will most likely be a one hit wonder, but this is one flash in the pan that i’m glad sparked as brightly as it did. Oh and I don’t know how to dance myself, it looks complicated. XD
 
6. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco. One of the biggest comebacks of 2019 was Panic! At The Disco, except that at this point it’s just Brendon Urie solo with the original members all having left. His most recent output as a solo act is commercial radio friendly pop music meaning that he’s sold out. How does Brendon realize this? Why writing a song ABOUT selling out and the pitfalls of fame of course! It has his signature squeaky voice but this time vocally processed being backed by an upbeat and equally processed pop production with its synths, percussion and horns. It’s a generic and by the numbers sound, but it totally fits with the theme of the song where it talks about achieving success and alienating yourself from others while stealthily attacking the music industry and fame as a whole. It’s a song that is very self aware and instead of being upset at how hypocritical it is, I just get amused at the self deprecating nature of it. I really liked this song and its production despite it intentionally sounding soundless and mediocre. Brendon has sold out big time and he knows it and here’s to me eventually signing my soul to the devil.
 
5. A Lot by 21 Savage. My favorite rap song of the year. The song is a juxtaposition of two themes, about being successful but feeling miserable and having problems at the same time. The lyrics are some of the best written I’ve heard in a while where even though you have everything and you’re wealthy, it still doesn’t ignore that there’s problems like feeling miserable, having a troubled childhood and family drama and that others are struggling and getting killed. it really breaks the illusion of fame being a form of escapism. The main rapper, British rapper 21 Savage, has been kind of a meme lately because of his rapping voice sounding like he just woke up and does it all in one take. However, this song puts his signature style to work with the smooth and soulful production, which has a sample of the 1971 soul song “I Love You” by East Of Underground. That soulful sample provides a great contrast with the sad and depressing subject matter. Also, there’s an uncredited guest verse from J. Cole, who’s on his element and calls out SoundCloud rappers for using illegitimate means of getting big. Again, a really great rap song and one that blew my mind the first time I listened to it, especially coming from this artist. I hope that 21 goes into this direction.
 
4. God’s Country by Blake Shelton. My favorite country song of the year. Blake Shelton has had a very successful decade both on and off the recording booth, the former with being one of the frontrunners of the bro-country craze of the early 2010’s. When this song first reached the Top 40, I was amazed at how awesome this song was coming from the same guy who used “lit” in one of his songs. Like I said above for Luke’s song, one theme that’s been popular for the past year and a half is about being proud of being country and this song is about that while also adding in that it’s also God’s country. The lyrics are really great and sound genuine, Blake’s singing is raw and powerful when normally he doesn’t have that wide of a range and the production is absolutely phenomenal. Seriously, this is one of the best country productions I’ve heard with its pop percussion, electric guitar, banjo, hand claps, and especially the church bell that rings throughout the chorus. It has both a pop country and an outlaw country style to it that i’m still amazed that this wasn’t an Eric Church or Chris Stapleton song. Whatever credibility that Blake lost when he hopped on the bro-country bandwagon, he reclaimed it and I hope this song becomes a country classic down the line.
 
3. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max. A perfect example of a dark and creepy song and using those themes well. The meaning is self explanatory about a girl who’s evil, meaning that she’s sweet but at the same time psycho and insane. It’s the 2010’s version of Disturbia by Rihanna basically and while that song is better, this song is still great in its own right. Ava’s singing is good where she sounds sultry and eerie at the same time, a pop production that makes it sound not too upbeat and not too depressing, a fine middle ground and the lyrics perfectly conveying the message of the song with good descriptions of what makes her deranged and innocent at the same time. Some critics don’t think too fondly of this song, but I on the other hand have been listening to it ever since it started to blow up and since it looks like Ava is probably going to be one hit wonder, i’m glad that she had this song be her defining hit.
 
2. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish. The biggest song out of this entire list, making it up to number one and even dethroning Old Town Road from the top spot, and I couldn’t be anymore happier that this is Billie’s biggest hit. Unlike her other songs, this one is about being a rebel and being a bad guy as stated in the title and already I love the subject. This is her most upbeat song but just like with Ava above, the moody trap pop production makes it sound not too upbeat, which would go against her entire style and not too downbeat, which would make it the same as her other songs with barely any variation. It’s a really great production and it compliments her great moody singing and the equally moody singing, and the “duh’s” before the beat drops makes the song pop to life. In addition, the sudden change in the song at the end to an even more depressing sound is also great and is a really good showcase to her talent. Normally, her music doesn’t do it for me because I prefer more upbeat and positive pop songs, but this song I can get behind and i’m glad that this went to number one.
 

I admit it  
I was wrong about The 1975

@Myoozik  
Good on you for not putting Billie on the #1 spot. I’d agree that she’s not really as great as everyone cracks her up to be.
 
I personally would have put “Old Town Road” on my list, but that kinda just comes down to personal taste.
 
@Broken Adam  
In a good way or a bad way?

@TheHappySpaceman  
I mistakenly dismissed them as just another 80’s Synthpop Indie band

@TheHappySpaceman  
If Breathin didn’t make the Year End, then I would’ve put Bad Guy as number one. I know I’ve said this already, but Old Town Road to me is a decent song. It’s catchy and I dig the Nine Inch Nails sample and it’s Billy Ray Cyrus’ best performance of his entire career, but it isn’t a song that I’d call amazing or anything, just the start of a musical fad that I don’t see surviving for long.

That song I was talking about earlier  
Turns out it’s She Will be loved by Maroon 5

The Lyrics I misremembered were  
I don’t mind spendin’ everyday  
Out on your corner in the pourin’ rain

@Broken Adam  
Ah, so a good Maroon 5 song.

Listening to The Box by Roddy Ricch, hears the strings at the beginning  
Hmm, why does this sound familiar?  
Still listening and right by the end of the song  
OOOOOHHHH, it’s a sample of one of my favorite Ciara songs “Love Sex Magic”. Damn, can’t believe songs from the 2000’s are already starting to get sampled.

I liked Todd’s newest One Hit Wonderland video on Young MC. He did a good job talking about the song and acknowledging both the good and bad points. My favorite part was when he was talking about the brief history of hip hop during that time and bringing up songs like It Takes Two and Parents Just Don’t Understand. That Taco Bell commercial song was one of the greatest things I’ve seen and I’m glad that it exists. What I’m also glad exists is his Naughty By Nature copycat song, I NEED to listen to that now.

@Myoozik
 
Which? “Bust A Move”?

@Mildgyth  
Yes that one

One thing I’ve learned from listening and relistening to Dr. Feelgood: Mötley Crüe loved their ’70s glam and hard rock. Perhaps a bit too much, in fact.
 
Compare the riffs from:  
Mötley Crüe - Rattlesnake Shake  
Rick Derringer - Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo
 
Mötley Crüe - Kickstart My Heart  
The Sweet - Hellraiser
 
Mötley Crüe - Slice of Your Pie  
The Beatles - I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
 
Mötley Crüe - Time for Change  
Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes

She’s so fat

I Want You (She’s So Thicc)

Lucy in the Sky with Fentanyl

I would rather die  
Than give you control

@Broken Adam  
Nine Inch Nails are pretty hit or miss for me but that one’s good.

HOLY SHIT

The Red hot Chili Peppers are coming to my country