#in ways that will haunt me just a tiny lil bit. god bless

[queerofthedagger]

the problem with sites like bluesky is that you'll follow some tolkien scholars because you own books of them and think what they do is fascinating and then they just. follow you back. like my good sir we post incest elf porn here. oh my gOD

[tjsawesomename]

The Top 50 Songs of 2016

I’ve been sitting on this one. For a while. You see, I don’t think I’ve EVER listened to more music than I have this past year. All told I listened - in full - to over fifty albums and approximately 300 new songs. After listening to so much, and realizing that I had added well over 100 songs to my shortlist, I realized that this year (and probably the years to come) needed an expansion beyond just 40 songs.

2016 - musically - was a fanfuckingtastic year. We got so many new albums by so many great artists. It would be impossible for me to shorten this list to forty, so this year I’m giving you fifty! Will I expand the list further next year? Depends on how much time I have! Also, this year I tried my absolute best to make sure that these songs were only released in 2016 (or SUPER late 2015) in SOME form, be it a music video or on Spotify. Next year hopefully I can be even more thorough than I was. Anyway, enough chit chat. First up, some honorable mentions:

Alexx Mack - Whatever I Want

Beyonce - Sorry

Bruno Mars - 24k Magic

Kanye West - Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1

Maty Noyes - lil’ bit wrOng

Redspencer - Fuss

Rihanna - Needed Me

A Tribe Called Quest - We THE People

Troye Sivan - YOUTH

50. Cloud Nothings - Internal World

While Cloud Nothings has released much better material, this track is still excellent and perfect for a chill night.

49. ELEL - Cherokee

The best track from Geode, “Cherokee” is a great ceiling music, or music to stare at your ceiling to.

48. Common - Little Chicago Boy

As a Chicago native, this song hit home well. My city is a fantastic one, but it is troubled. This song encapsulates that.

47. Twin Peaks - You Don’t

The best song that one of my favorite bands released this year.

46. SRNO - Stay Sane feat. Naaz

A haunting melody and tight vocals from Naaz make this track worth a listen.

45. Saba - The Billy Williams Story

Similar to “Little Chicago Boy,” Saba’s “Billy Williams” is an example of excellent storytelling in rapping.

44. Comet Blue - Spaceship

One of the best deep house songs released in 2016, Comet Blue’s debut single is very promising and shows how much potential this group has to be great.

43. White Sea - Bloodmoon

Ethereal, mystic, and beautiful are just a few words to describe this dream pop hit from White Sea. She’s definitely someone to look out for in the coming years.

42. Alex Newell - Keep It Moving

A throwback to early 90s power pop, Alex Newell proves she has the vocal chops to pull off a huge song like this. It reminds me of songs like “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” by Jane Child, in the best ways possible.

41. Icona Pop - Brightside

Once again, Icona Pop delivers a perfect pop song. To me, they’re a staple of dance pop, and I will not rest until they are relevant in the mainstream once again.

40. Twenty88 - Talk Show

The R&B duo comprised of Big Sean and Jhene Aiko, Twenty88 proves they have a lot to bring to the table with their debut single. Telling the tale of two lovers who quarrel while being interviewed on a talk show, it shouldn’t work in theory, but by god it does. Big Sean and Aiko have a lot more charisma than they let on, and this song proves it. I’m looking forward to what this group releases in the future.

39. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - When the Truth Is

The perfect song to get absolutely blazed to, “When the Truth Is” is stoner rock at its best. Lyrics that are at times almost unintelligible feel haunting and match perfectly with the song’s vibes.

38. A R I Z O N A - Oceans Away

Another song with a haunting beat, “Oceans Away” portrays missing someone you love fantastically.

37. Madden - Golden Light feat. 6 AM

2016 was a good year for EDM. Songs like “Golden Light” are proof of that. While EDM is normally hard and cold, like the title suggests, “Golden Light” feels warm and positive in a way you don’t normally see this genre.

36. Joey Purp - Girls @ feat. Chance the Rapper

An absolutely hilarious rap song with an especially hilarious verse from Chance, “Girls @” is just fantastic and I highly encourage you to listen to it.

35. Gwen Stefani - “Asking 4 It”

My biggest guilty pleasure of 2016, Gwen Stefani proved that she’s still got it when it comes to pop music. The beat is absolutely DOPE, and Gwen’s vocals match the song to a T.

34. Classixx - Safe Inside feat. Passion Pit

Why did nobody think to combine Classixx and Passion Pit sooner? Two groups who are both amazing at their respective crafts (Passion Pit at electropop, and Classixx at remixing music to give it a house edge) couldn’t come sooner!

33. The Weeknd - In The Night

The most Michael Jackson song to ever be released by someone who wasn’t named Michael Jackson, The Weeknd proves that he has staying power and knows how to tell an amazing story through music.

32. Sturgill Simpson - Keep It Between the Lines

The best country song to come out this year, Simpson - along with Kacey Musgraves and The Steeldrivers - gives me hope for the failing country music genre. To be fair, country music is my guiltiest of all guilty pleasures, but to create a country song that is not only an earworm, but is also substantial? That’s an accomplishment!

31. Chelsea Lankes - Bullet

A great pop song that never charted, Chelsea Lankes could absolutely be a pop star if she wanted to be. Maybe with a bit better marketing she could be a household name. She’s a master at creating pop music, and this song is no exception.

30. Tim Suby - k goodnight feat. Jessie Reyes

A millennial anthem of sorts, the cover art for the single itself conveys the youth’s frustrations with modern romance and how picky people can be today.

29. John Dahlback - Won’t Back Away

2016 was by far the best year for EDM on record, in no small part thanks to people like John Dahlback. While the lyrics may be more one the basic side, what makes this song stick out is the utter positivity to this song, something 2016 desperately needed. Plus, sometimes we just need to listen to a basic love song, and this track fits the bill in spades.

28. Pional - Casualty

Going from saccharine-sweet positive to almost Lana Del Ray levels of ethereal (pro-tip: never go full Lana Del Ray. NEVER.), “Casualty” walks that fine line between super ethereal and super pretentious perfectly.

27. Bridgit Mendler - Atlantis feat. Kaiydo

Possibly the biggest shocker of 2016 was when Bridgit Mendler decided to change from Disney pop to do what she really wanted, and what she really wanted was this (okay so this is nowhere close to the biggest shocker of 2016 but whatever). This song really works! It’s about leaving behind feelings for your ex, burying them so deep they might as well be in Atlantis.

26. Boys - Happy Hour

Another super chill track, Boys seem to be like a more chill version of Haim. And Haim is already pretty fucking chill. 

25. Childish Gambino - Me and Your Mama

I was pretty disappointed overall with Childish Gambino’s new album. It wasn’t bad, but he’s certainly done better before. That said, the crowning glory to the album absolutely was “Me and Your Mama.” I can see why he released this track early; it’s creepy and terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Let’s hope he does more stuff like this in the future.

24. Gallant - Skipping Stones feat. Jhene Aiko

As I mentioned earlier, Jhene Aiko is much more charismatic than she lets on. Her work with Gallant is her at her very best, and this is also Gallant at his very best, too. Sleek, groovy, and downright sexy, “Skipping Stones” is the very essence of 2010s R&B.

23. Lincoln Jesser - Roll On feat. Anjulie

I discovered Lincoln Jesser a few weeks ago, and I gotta say, I’m very impressed. Anjulie’s vocals blend in perfectly with the beat here, and Lincoln Jesser delivers a beat so sick the doctors almost couldn’t revive it.

22. Santigold - Can’t Get Enough Of Myself

A song that’s so boastful it’s almost funny (and I’m pretty sure that was the intent) Santigold’s long-awaited third album was well received and couldn’t come sooner. The highlight? This track, of course! Every so often we need to listen to a song that’s about pure indulgence, and this is it for me. I can’t help but laugh every time I hear it.

21. Chance the Rapper - Blessings

Chance the Rapper feels blessed, and you can tell that he does. This track is heavily influenced by gospel to its benefit, and you can absolutely tell that Chance the Rapper thanks god every day for his success. It’s good to know that there are artists out there that are thankful for their success and don’t become assholes.

20. Kiiara - Gold

A haunting trap song by an artist that really shouldn’t have anything to do with trap. Everything about this song is a minimalistic cacophony that comes together so well you can’t help but try to sing along to the nonsense words during the refrain.

19. Birds of Hell - Astronomy Programmes

A helluva song, I’ll tell you that.

18. Lao Ra - Jesus Made Me Bad

If you’ve seen my review on this song, you know how beautiful I think it is. There’s really not much more I can add to it, it’s just a really great song.

17. Kanye West - Famous

Ha. The song with the music video of T-Swizzle’s tiny tits. But for real, this is a great track, and it samples one of my favorite songs of all time: “Bam Bam” by Sister Nancy. Kanye West is an asshole, who is also a musical genius. So I hate that I love everything he touches. But I still love it.

16. Big Grams - Fell In the Sun

Big Grams were a group I missed back in 2015, so I caught up to them in 2016. This group, comprised of two acts that I already love: Big Boi and Phantogram, blends together seamlessly. Their crowning achievement is without a doubt “Fell In the Sun.”

15. Rihanna - Desperado

“Desperado” is the best track Rihanna’s released in years. I’m in love with the Rihannaissance (a term I just made up that describes how Rihanna is back on top and releasing music that is her best work to date), and songs like this show why.

14. STRFKR - Tape Machine

Indiepop trio STRFKR is already great, and their latest album is the best they’ve released so far. “Tape Machine,” the opening track, is the best one on their best album. By extension, this is the best song they’ve ever released. Check it out!

13. Video Age - Dance Square

Reminiscent of 80s techno. “Dance Square” is like a more pop version of the stuff Black Marble releases, and the world can never have enough Black Marble.

12. Black Marble - Portland U

Black Marble is the best of lo-fi has to offer. I’ve been following them for a while, and the release of songs like “Portland U” shows that they’re still on their A game.

11. Jack Garratt - Worry

British-born Jack Garratt is someone who you wouldn’t think would be the type to sing R&B, but he pulls it off. “Worry” leans more to his PBR&B side than his indietronica side, but nonetheless this track is an example of him at his very best.

10. Kultur - White Door feat. Khary

A mashup of several different sounds, this song proves that tropical house is here to stay.

9. Ladyhawke - Wild Things

An absolutely beautiful electropop song, I’m sad that I didn’t discover Ladyhawke until this year. 

8. Krrum - Evil Twin

A great example of noise that comes together when it needs to to create a great bop.

7. Sleigh Bells - Baptism by Fire

Noise pop has never been better. Sleigh Bells is on, well, fire with their best song to date. Bombastic in its delivery with lyrics sharp as a tack, “Baptism by Fire” is the best song to jam to when you’re in your car angry at your ex for some reason.

6. Beyonce - Formation

Do I even need to say anything?

5. Kali Uchis - Ridin Round

This song is straight up BADASS. 2016 was very heavy with the Caribbean beat, and this song used it best. Uchis doesn’t need to prove her worth here, 

4. Bear Hands - 2 AM

A song about the fear of getting older. It’s a topic that’s been done over and over again, but Bear Hands has found a way to make it feel fresh again. Never have I felt happier to grow older, the pain, the joy, the boredom, the love, the responsibility, the maturity.

3. Flume - Never Be Like You feat. Kai

This was my number one hit song of the year, and it’s also a beautiful song. A defiant remark from Kai sends the whole song into motion. The flow of the song is ethereally beautiful. It was great. It is great. It’s an example of a perfect pop song that perfectly describes the year 2016 in music.

2. Solange - Where Do We Go

Beyonce may have had the best album of the year, but Solange had the best song of the two Knowles sisters. With a thumping beat and the amazing vocal talents of Solange, “Where” is without a doubt the best track from the album, and the best soul song of the year.

1. Glass Animals - Season 2 Episode 3

You can make a great song about any number of topics. For Glass Animals, that topic was about leaving your lover because she’s a pothead. “Season 2 Episode 3″ is a masterpiece of a song about not wanting to leave your lover, but realizing you have to. And by no means am I against pot, but I have met people who have developed a psychological dependence on it, and it is not fun at all. This track perfectly encapsulates that feeling. The melancholy, the regret, and the happiness that comes from it. Any song that can successfully convey that many feelings