Jump to content

Archived

This thread has been closed to further replies because it was not updated for 12 months. If you wish to have this thread reinstated, please contact an administrator.

Gabe.

Gabe's 100 best songs of the decade. Finished.

Recommended Posts

a brief recap before carrying on...

 

Spoiler

 

100. Katy Perry – Legendary Lovers

099. Lana del Rey – Off to the Races

098. J Balvin – Ginza

097. Rosalia – Nos Quedamos Solitos

096. Britney Spears – Invitation

095. Emeli Sande – Heaven

094. The Weeknd – The Knowing

093. London Grammar – Rooting For You

092. MARINA – Primadonna

091. Taylor Swift – Blank Space

090. Halsey – Colors

089. A$AP Rocky - Fine Whine (feat. Joe Fox, Future, M.I.A.)

088. Maluma – Felices los 4

087. Christina Aguilera – Woohoo (feat. Nicki Minaj)

086. FKA Twigs - Cellophane

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

085. Rihanna - Work (feat. Drake)

 

Album: ANTI (2016)

I remember this song getting such a mixed response at the time of its release; I understood the divided reactions as the question marks directed at Rihanna were PLENTY, coming after 3 singles that didn't lead to an album release however for me the song hit hard on the first listen and to me it was clear Work would lead to an album release as it was simply too good not to, a dancehall song at heart with a catchy melody but these are not Work's biggest strengths in my opinion; what sells the song is the songwriting, the lyrics despite sung over a danceable beat are quite sad and Rihanna does so well to convey and emote this sadness throughout. In the end, Rihanna won!

Link to post
Share on other sites

084. Billie Eilish - Bellyache

 

Album: Don't Smile at Me (2017)

This was my first contact to Billie's music back in 2017 and it's crazy to think she was barely 16 at the time the song was released and already featured on a few major Spotify playlists (the way I found the song). To me it was clear she'd become big at some point and her growth into the Billie we know today was truly organic, the girl's quality control is astonishing and with such great material from so early on her career the only way for Billie to go was definitely up. Bellyache has all the ingredients we've come to know Billie Eilish as an artist for today - the dark humorous lyrics, her brother's Finneas' production, the baggy clothes featured in the video, perhaps her voice was maybe just a little lighter. Boy they do grow up don't they. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

083. Anathema - Untouchable Part 1

 

Album: Weather Systems (2012)

I know maybe no one will recognize this band or this song but I'm taking a chance. Anathema is a British progressive rock (started out as a doom metal act in the early '90s) that happens to release some of the most beautiful, melodic pieces of work I've ever listened to. The vocalist and main songwriter Daniel Cavanaugh is an absolute juggernaut of a singer and the lyrics come from a very deep place and experiences he's lived. Untouchable Part 1... as I'm typing this I'm wondering why I didn't rate it higher; the song is the definition of a climax as it starts out fast-paced backed by mostly a guitar and a subtle bass but develops into a musical beast somewhere down the road with Cavanaugh belting out the song's bridge as if there was no tomorrow. Chills typing this. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

082. Madonna - Medellin (feat. Maluma)

 

Album: Madame X (2019)

This song is an absolute bop and I won't have anyone tell me otherwise. With Madame X, Madonna went back to being a risk taker for better or worse and Medellin is one of those safer songs here despite having a very unique structure - verse -> pre-chorus -> verse, the it goes back and forth for about 2 minutes until the first chorus hits ("Si te enamorooooo") in and it's such a fine moment, Madonna and Maluma's vocals sound so well harmonizing and the production picks up so nicely from then onwards. I've deleted Madame X from my memory as I decided it's simply not an album for me but kept this gem close and dearly.

Link to post
Share on other sites

081. Banks - Brain

 

Album: Goddess (2014)

Still my favorite song from American singer-songwriter Banks, this was a song first featured on a debut EP that left me a bit starstruck and had me thinking she had a lot of potential at the time, potential that I didn't find explored on subsequent records (don't come at me). Brain has everything I see Banks is adored for, the muddy, murky production, a hard hitting bass and a poignant, almost haunting vocal delivery. That entire last verse is also a lyrical trip and it's stuck in my mind ever since my first listen as we've all been posers at some point in our lives I guess. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

080. Normani - Motivation

 

Album: Motivation - Single (2019)

Motivation was and still is A MOMENT. A (rare) moment in time a mainstream female artist got it all RIGHT in 2019. A perfect song accompanied by an equally perfect video. At the time Motivation was released - barely a few months ago - I really thought Normani and her label would capitalize on all the insane and rightful hype created around the song, alas it didn't happen and I really don't know fucking why. If you haven't heard the song yet, do yourself a servivce click on the link above, watch the video at the same time and witness A SERVE.

Link to post
Share on other sites

079. the xx - Angels

 

Album: Coexist (2012)

British trio the xx made it big at the end of the previous decade with their unique, minimalistic blend of post-punk and R&B so the hype around their sophomore album was huge. Coexist, released in 2012, didn't do as well critically but did keep them afloat both commercially and from a critical standpoint, with Angels being the album's lead single. Angels doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to the xx but it still sounds distinct enough from basically everything you could think was released at the time so kudos. A gorgeously penned love song, Angels stands out first and foremost lyrically and then everything else follows up naturally.

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 11/20/2019 at 11:01 PM, Gabe. said:

082. Madonna - Medellin (feat. Maluma)

 

Album: Madame X (2019)

This song is an absolute bop and I won't have anyone tell me otherwise. With Madame X, Madonna went back to being a risk taker for better or worse and Medellin is one of those safer songs here despite having a very unique structure - verse -> pre-chorus -> verse, the it goes back and forth for about 2 minutes until the first chorus hits ("Si te enamorooooo") in and it's such a fine moment, Madonna and Maluma's vocals sound so well harmonizing and the production picks up so nicely from then onwards. I've deleted Madame X from my memory as I decided it's simply not an album for me but kept this gem close and dearly.

jj4 

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 11/20/2019 at 5:06 PM, Gabe. said:

081. Banks - Brain

 

Album: Goddess (2014)

Still my favorite song from American singer-songwriter Banks, this was a song first featured on a debut EP that left me a bit starstruck and had me thinking she had a lot of potential at the time, potential that I didn't find explored on subsequent records (don't come at me). Brain has everything I see Banks is adored for, the muddy, murky production, a hard hitting bass and a poignant, almost haunting vocal delivery. That entire last verse is also a lyrical trip and it's stuck in my mind ever since my first listen as we've all been posers at some point in our lives I guess. 

Lord I have NOT been the same since hearing this song for the first time at age 13! giveup3

Link to post
Share on other sites

i'd really like to apologize as this countdown doesn't seem to have any continuity AT ALL. :( i've been busy as heck and also whenever i look at the list of songs i put together i feel bad trying to separate them and what not. anyway we shall carry on...

Link to post
Share on other sites

078. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - Shallow

Album: A Star Is Born OST (2018)

 

Phew. Who would have thought that right after Gaga seemed as good as dead after her ill-fated 2016 album "Joanne" she'd bounce back the way that she did with the entire A Star Is Born era? I sure as hell didn't see the movie and soundtrack being the success they were so all the better for Gagz. The entire ordeal brought Lady Gaga back on radar and with a bang (and an Oscar while at it). Having watched ASIB in an almost empty cinema on a Saturday morning, the worldwide multi-platinum smash hit Shallow felt -if possible- even bigger than it actually is and, well, this is one hell of a song as it is. A MOMENT.

Link to post
Share on other sites

077. Paramore - Fake Happy

Album: After Laughter (2017)

First of all let me start by telling you all that if, by mistake, you haven't listened to Paramore's glorious 2017 album "After Laughter" then you'd better do it soon. Fake Happy here is the song that maybe best emphasizes the album's theme of "let's make catchy music but write hella sad lyrics" and I guess we've all been fake happy at times we shouldn't have been. It's just a gorgeous song in all its fake happiness and Hayley sings the hell out of it. The way the guitars kick in through that final chorus... phew, life.

Link to post
Share on other sites

076. Lykke Li - Deep End

Album: so sad, so sexy (2018)

Swedish song-stress Lykke Li released a couplet of hella sad albums this decade culminating with 2014's "I Never Learn"; to my surprise she'd then come back in 2018 with a slightly different approach on "so sad so sexy", approach we got a first taste from through "Deep End" and "Hard Rain", songs she released at the same time and that got me incredibly hyped for the album as they're both incredible. The album itself turned out to be a disappointment (don't quote me, it's my opinion) but we're left with two of Lykke Li's most left-field singles despite being some of her most accesible tunes at the same time. "Deep End" sounds, production wise, like something that could come from Nelly Furtado's 2006 "Loose" only except much better written than most of the songs there. If you haven't played this yet, go for it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

075. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream

Album: James Blake (2011)

While EDM was taking over mainstream music at the beginning of the decade, the ~indie crowds were starting to get exposed to the lo-fi R&B sounds popularized by the xx, Jamie Woon or, as seen above, James Blake. Blake's self-titled debut album, released in 2011, hit it big with the minimalistic approach and The Wilhelm Scream is a prime example why - Blake yearns about being completely lost, not knowing of his dreams or lovin' but being aware of his inner downfall all while making the listeners lose themselves in a plethora of almost claustrophobic synths that only grow in intensity towards the end.

Link to post
Share on other sites

074. Katy Perry - Bon Appetit (feat. Migos)

 

Album: Witness (2017)

A polarizing album in itself, Perry's 2017 "Witness" album introduced its listeners to quite the array of sounds from its reggae-tinged lead single "Chained to the Rythym" to the well, CHAOS-POP, excellent "Bon Appetit". I know this song is loved by as many as it is hated but to these ears it's pure pop excellence, as it grows and grows into a what feels like a controlled, delightful mess the more you listen. Migos themselves feel at home here with a great verse all while Perry commands the entire thing through spicy lyrics and a solid vocal performance. If there was a popstar that could sell the hell of a song like this in 2017, Perry was IT.

Link to post
Share on other sites

073.  Rosalía - Malamente

 

Album: El Mal Querer (2018)

Phew, I felt like lightning a cigarette before listening to this. queenbitch1

Rosalía had already planned the entire roll-out of her incredible sophomore album "El Mal Querer" by the time she released its lead single, "Malamente", mid-2018. "Malamente" serves as the introduction to the era; the album's lyrics are based on an old Occitan novel that narrates a love story gone terribly wrong and "Malamente" (roughly translated "Badly") not only displays the warning alarms of said relationship through its lyrics but also serves as an intro to Rosalía's new-found flamenco-pop sound. The Spaniard's debut album, "Los Angeles" (also an incredible record) was a full-on flamenco affair, however starting with the follow-up, sonically things would begin to change and evolve into the Rosalia we all know today: the global superstar. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 240
  • Created
  • Last Reply

  • Browsing now   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×