Obligatory Top Ten Tracks of 2015

Tis the season for an endless torrent of top ten lists! I know Pitchfork and Rolling Stone are the heavy hitters and my list is by no means definitive, but I figured it’d be proper for me to be part of the stream. Before we get into this, though, a disclaimer: I haven’t listened to every album and single that came out this year. Honestly, most of  what I listened to this year came out at least a year ago, so my list may exclude some of the actual best tracks of the year simply because I haven’t heard them yet. This list isn’t meant to cover all the best releases, it’s just meant to cover my personal favorites.

10. Midnight Snack by Homeshake

This track is straight up butter. Thick, warm bass pairs with crisp drums, reverberating guitar, and weightless buzzing synths to create a could-like soundscape. The only critique I have is that Peter Sagal didn’t do enough with the vocals to match the near perfect backing music. Nonetheless, it’s a must hear track of 2015.

9. What Do You Mean? by Justin Bieber 

Denying the universality of “What Do You Mean?” is ignorance. Although its popularity has plenty to do with the name attached to it, closer inspection reveals that “What Do You Mean?” is actually a damn good pop song. The beat is tasteful, dropping out at the right times to emphasize Bieber’s vocals, then coming back with full force to remind listeners how truly groovy (yes, groovy) it was in the first place.

8. Idle By by Travis Bretzer

“Idle By” is a mindset more than a song. It feels like the most gorgeous summer day, with a light breeze and abundant sunlight. Nothing to do but go for a leisurely stroll and enjoy the weather. The recording sounds natural and lush, with Bretzer’s breathy vocals and his shimmering electric guitar dancing atop a rhythm section made up of simple bass, acoustic guitar, and textured, bongo-esque drums.

7. Back Pocket by Vulfpeck

What happens when you mix Ariel Pink and Steely Dan? This song. I know they seem like polar opposites but hear me out. This song is impeccably recorded. The layering of interlocking guitar, woodwind, and keyboard parts, heavy bass, beautifully harmonized vocals, and busy funk drums is a Swiss Watch, much like Steely Dan recordings back in the day. Meanwhile, the song is delightfully light hearted (fun cartoon voices included), with an underlying cheese about it that, to me, invokes the modern king of sleaze, Ariel Pink.

6. Love is Stranger by Nick Diamonds

When I reviewed Nick Diamonds’ album City of Quartz earlier this year, I mentioned this song specifically as one of the more endearing tracks. Time has been kind to “Love is Stranger.” It’s a painfully simple electro-pop number, but in its simplicity comes its lasting appeal. I rarely skip it, the opening bass line and drum machine pair too well for me to stop listening. Nick Diamonds proves with “Love is Stranger” that a song doesn’t need bells and whistles to grab one’s attention. Rather, it just needs to be well crafted.

5. Goin’ In (Feat. Afrika Baby Bam) by The Polyversal Souls

It was extremely difficult to choose just one song from The Polyversal Souls’ 2015 album Invisible Joy. Covering reggae, jazz, rap, and traditional Ghanian music (often combining all of the above), the record is broader in scope than anything I’ve heard this year and the execution is almost as impressive. I’d highly recommend the album to anyone who wants to expand their musical horizons. As far as individual tracks go, I chose “Goin’ In” for the list. Musically, it is a funky hip-hop track, a rhythmic enigma with a lopsided beat that seems to limp (very quickly) where most hip-hop moves forward at a consistent pace. Lyrically, Afrika Baby Bam seeks to destroy your ego and dismantle every cultural norm you have accepted without question, but he does it with the swagger and confidence necessary to retain his credibility.

4. Hotline Bling by Drake

“You used to call me on my cell phone” . . . all I need is that phrase (sung or spoken) and Drake’s disgustingly infectious Hotline Bling is stuck in my head all day. With a tranquil beat sampled from the Nintendo Wii menu music and a classic Drake topic (longing for a lost love), the song is somewhat of a microcosm of Drake’s entire aesthetic as an artist: smooth, playful, yet tortured. If one Drake song outlasts the rest, I hope this is the one.

3. Down on My Luck by Vic Mensa

Hotline Bling encapsulates everything that makes Drake great, it is a slice of his identity that represents the whole. Down on My Luck by Vic Mensa, to me, is a slice of pop music that represents the whole. Taking the best of EDM, rap, and vocal pop, Mensa crafts a near perfect symphony of the three. With a club ready beat, rhythmically tight lyrics, and a tasteful vocal melody, the song is a very stylish Frankenstein creation. It is the musical equivalent of hedging a bet, and the result is one of 2015’s best tracks.

2. Institutionalized (Feat. Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg)  by Kendrick Lamar

Admittedly, To Pimp a Butterfly was too dense for me to fully appreciate when I first listened to it. When I heard it, I knew it was good but it didn’t directly resonate with me. After a couple more listens I still don’t know if I really “get it,” but I can still say Institutionalized is everything a rap song should be in 2015. Incorporating funk, jazz, soul, slick vocal effects, and old-school, head-nodding hip-hop beats into a compact package, the musical side of Institutionalized looks into the past and the future at the same time. It pays respect to classic early 90’s hip-hop while sounding fresh. Lyrically, Kendrick muses on his response to fame, his relentless work ethic, and his upbringing in Compton with poise and typical Kendrick confidence. His technique as a rapper is at an all time high here: every line is delivered powerfully, with plenty of variation in his flow so listeners aren’t lulled into boredom. The whole of To Pimp a Butterfly is stellar. Still, Institutionalized stands out as the most impressive and accessible track outside the context of the album.

1. Eventually by Tame Impala

I could’ve picked Let it Happen, or Disciples, or Cause I’m a Man, or any track off Tame Impala’s Currents as my favorite track of the year. I would’ve felt good about my choice too. The whole album shines as a whole, but each track stands up on its own. Having said that, Eventually stands taller than the rest.

Lyrically, Kevin Parker gives listeners a rundown of his relationship woes with startling lucidity and simplicity. The line “wish I could turn you back into a stranger” comes to mind as one of the post poignant yet plain lyrics. Musically, dense synthesized orchestras swell and dissipate in an instant. The drums are swaggering and relentless (when they’re actually playing). The bass is thin and plucky one moment, enveloping and smooth the next. Distorted guitar comes crashing through the mix unexpectedly to counter the lush synthesizers. Verses and choruses seem to repeat. Upon closer listening, though, the composition is always changing, with every verse and chorus having a slightly different arrangement. Blissful musical interludes are only heard for a few seconds, certain gorgeous combinations of instruments are discarded after one verse or chorus.

Eventually is a masterwork of modern music, incorporating synthesized and acoustic insturments into a unified sound in which the individual components are almost irrelevant because the end result is so satisfying. To dissect this song, though, is to find so many nuances in mixing and composition that it becomes unbelievable that one man could have created it. I’ll say it now: in 50 years we can come back to this song and understand the level of tact our musical auteurs had in 2015.

Here’s the playlist for your listening pleasure: