Showing posts with label Kendrick Lamar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kendrick Lamar. Show all posts

Wednesday, 6 December 2017

Top 20 songs of 2017

Now that the worst of 2017 has been washed out of my system through my 'Worst of 2017' lists, I can finally get onto the good stuff! There were loads of great songs released this year, and I had to cut this list down from about 50 tracks, so you can rest assured that these are my absolute favourites from the year.

20. Alvvays - Dreams Tonite




I'm generally indifferent to the sudden popularity of 'chill' music - I personally wish rock would get more and not less exciting - but Alvvays are by far the best thing to come out of it. 'Dreams Tonite' especially is a euphoric, relaxing headtrip that I haven't stopped coming back to since it was released.

19. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Crumbling Castle





King Gizzard released so much good stuff this year I could make a top 20 solely of their 2017 output, but this was the highlight. Sounding both cutting edge and medieval, this is a sprawling 10-minute multi-part jam that seems to incorporate aspects from the previous 3 albums King Gizz released this year into a tune that will undoubtedly go down as one of the best prog-rock songs of the decade.

18. Kendrick Lamar - YAH.





When it was released, many critics pointed out that this was Kendrick's most downtrodden, bleak album, and this is the most downtrodden, bleak song from it. The beat is so dreary you can practically feel rain pouring down onto the track, and Kendrick's sing-song flow is so defeated that this quickly became my go-to song for grey day bus rides.

17. Run The Jewels - Thursday In The Danger Room (Ft. Kamasi Washington)




Run the Jewels have built up a reputation for creating bangers, yet for the second album in a row the highlight for me has been when Killer Mike and El-P turn their talents to darker topics. 'Thursday in The Danger Room' takes the template of 'Crown' from RTJ 2 and shows why the two MCs of RTJ work together so well - they are able to bring completely different viewpoints to a concept, with the topic here being the death of a friend. El-P raps about the crippling effect of trying hard to make your last days with someone count, while killer Mike reminisces about the effect a brainless killing for a chain had on the victim's family, which is all bound together with a chilling hook.

16. Ariel Pink - Time To Live



This is definitely one of the weirdest songs on this list, sounding like a mashup between 'Video Killed The Radio Star' a distorted, power-chord filled rock song. The chanting chorus of 'Time to Live, Time for Life' sounds like the jingle of an alternate reality radio station, and all 6 minutes of this brilliant mess could only have come from Arial Pink.

15. Ryan Adams - Do You Still Love Me?




A song so good it made me care about Ryan Adams, who I had never particularly liked before, 'Do You Still Love Me' feels timeless, and I half-expected it to be a cover version when I first heard it. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's everything you could ever want from a rock song, overdriven chords, a guitar solo and a momentous chorus. 

14. Car Seat Headrest - War Is Coming (If You Want it)




(This songs not on YouTube, so I suggest streaming it.) A song that was massively relevant in 2017 - especially since it was released the day after the Charlottesville trouble - this is the perfect summation of the gradual increase in political tensions coming to a head, and it does the admirable task of doing this without seeming preachy or biased. The music is also intriguing for Car Seat Headrest, led by bass and synthesizers more than guitars, making this as catchy as it is thoughtful.

13. Sandy (Alex G) - Proud




On the other side of indie is Sandy (Alex G), who makes folk-inspired music that takes a little while to grow on you, but when it does it becomes inescapable - hence why 'Proud' is my most streamed song of the year according to Last.fm. The melodies on this thing are unbelievably catchy, and even though Alex G's voice initially turned me off, it has enough quirks to make it memorable. In a summer where 'Despacito' seemingly reigned, this was the song I had in it's place.

12. Creeper - Black Rain



Ever since the Darkness lost relevancy, I've been waiting for the UK to produce another self-aware rock band to up the pantomime, and Creeper did it better than anyone else has for a while. With an eyeliner and leather image and a music video inside a neon church, 'Black Rain' was the edgiest I let myself get in 2017. It also helps that it has one of biggest choruses I've heard all year.

11. Remo Drive - Crash Test Racing




Almost any song form Remo Drive's first big project 'Greatest Hits' could have made this list, but 'Crash Test Racing' is my personal favourite. An emo song without any of the mockable and irritating qualities of emo (Melodramatic self-loathing, misogyny etc.), this is an airtight 2 and a half minutes filled with multiple hooks from an album that will hopefully go down as one of the best third-wave emo albums.

10. The Rentals - Elon Musk Is Making Me Sad



Weezer might have spent 2017 indulging once again in bland pop, but at least their ex-bassist Matt Sharp managed to come out of nowhere with one of the most thought-provoking, existential songs of the year. Even despite having about four great choruses, the lyrics are the highlight here, with Matt using Elon Musk as a benchmark to compare whether his own life could have been more than it was. Then at the four minute mark the song looks into the future complete with a choir - because this song also doubles as a surprisingly fitting christmas song.

9. Brockhampton - MILK




My favourite hip-hop song of year, this is an anthemic yet personal tune about isolation, pushed into greatness by the different angles the different members of Brockhampton bring to this concept. The beat is also massively emotive, complete with a chorus with lyrics that could easily fit into an emo song. Constantly interesting, melancholic and ultimately uplifting, this is a great song to show naysayers what hip-hop is capable of.

8. Jens Lekman - Evening Prayer




This song could have very easily gone completely wrong. A bright pop song with lyrics about overcoming cancer would have bombed in anyone else's hands, but Jens Lekman's soft voice and small-scale yet uplifting lyrics made this one of my most-played songs this summer. If all pop music sounded this joyful, I can guarantee the world would be a better place.

7. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream




While I was overall a little disappointed by LCD Soundsystem's newest album, the title track is still a towering achievement. James Murphy is no stranger to making subdued ballads (see 'New York I Love You But You're bringing Me Down') or emotionally-destroying yet danceable tunes (See 'Someone Great'), and 'American Dream' is a combination of both, with a crushing slow-dance synthline chorus and a dark, spitting bass over some of Murphy's bleakest lyrics. Encapsulating what it feels like to live out the supposed rockstar dream when you're well past the appropriate age, this may be depressing but it's impossible to look away, especially when it sounds this good.

5. Father John Misty - Leaving L.A



'Leaving LA' is more than just a song, it's an experiment. A 10 verse chorus-less diatribe with little instrumentation other than Josh Tillman's acoustic guitar and some strings, this was likely the moment when many listeners had enough of 'Pure Comedy', which seems to have been attacked by one half of the internet and adored by the other. The reason I'm in the latter half is exemplified by this 13-minute behemoth, because the lyrics here are astounding. Contemplating the human condition in a constantly funny and unexpected way, this song is elevated further by Tillman's self-fulfilling lyric about his 'college dude' audience leaving him because of the inaccessibility and grand themes of his newest album, showing an artist who is completely aware of his position and is willing to risk it for something greater.

5. Kirin J. Callinan ft. Alex Cameron, Jimmy Barnes and Molly Lewis - Big Enough




And now for something at the complete opposite end of the musical spectrum! Kirin J. Callinan makes music that is probably the most lovingly-made and least cynical parody of pop music that I have ever seen, and as such his songs are enjoyably insane. 'Big Enough' is the ultimate culmination of this, a western-themed call for Worldwide peace complete with an EDM drop with a euphoric scream from the legendary jimmy Barnes. I especially love the 'Dancing in the Street' style call-out of countries at the climax of the song, which adds an extra layer of glorious cheese to this beautiful creation. It was amazing to watch this become a meme.

4. The Horrors - Something To Remember Me By




Sometimes all you need is a really great chorus, and 'Something to Remember me by' delivers this in spades. I still refuse this song is nearly 7 minutes long, as every time I finish it I just want to hear it again instantly. The production is brilliantly atmospheric, with the short synth riff somehow never getting old and the layers of chords and beats swallowing the listener whole, but it's the vocals which really propel this song into my top 5. They are confident, clear and crucially withheld from the listener so that every time they come in they make the song even more exciting. I also like to imagine that the lyrics are about the Christopher Nolan film 'Memento', as they fit perfectly and add a dark edge to this magnum opus.

3. Sampha - No one Knows Me Like the Piano




This ballad by the 2017 mercury award winner is quite simply breathtaking, and this coming from someone that usually doesn't care for vocal-heavy, sentimental soul music. Sampha's breathy voice carries such a huge amount of pain and passion that it's impossible to not be transfixed by his grief, and the piano backing is built off of a memorable and delicate riff. Out of all the songs I heard this year, this is the one I believe will be remembered for the longest, and rightfully so. 

2. Lorde - Writer In the Dark


While my second-favourite song on 'Melodrama' changes daily, I knew the moment that I heard 'Writer in the Dark' it was one of the best songs of the year the moment i heard it. The lyrics are starkly visual, creating a series of images that progress in a way like few other songs. It starts off heartbroken and moves further and further towards glory until the final Kate bush-esque chorus sounds powerful as opposed to tragic, despite not having changed a note. See also: Liability

1. Alex Cameron - Runnin' Out of Luck




Does this deserve to be my song of the year? Probably not. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't by far my favourite tune of 2017. It's quite frankly a perfect pop song, sounding like straight out of the 80s but with modern-day production, and with a level of self-awareness that makes the whole thing hilarious without diminishing how great of a song it is. It's also proof that if there's anything we need in 2018, it's more saxophone outros.

Thursday, 15 June 2017

Rating the Billboard top 10 (June 2017)

No pop songs have struck me enough to review over the past few weeks, and after getting bored of waiting, I've decided to just review what's popular. The easiest way to do this is of course to look at the Billboard top 10, presenting the 10 most popular songs in the US aggregated from radio plays, streaming, sales, YouTube views and probably some other stuff too. The chart in question is for the 'Billboard week June 24th', in case you are reading this far into the future and want to find the date when songs from the best and worst reviewed albums of the year were sitting together in the top 10.

10. Post Malone ft. Quavo - Congratulations


I used to be indifferent to Post Malone, I saw 'White Iverson' as a bland (rap?) anthem and couldn't be bothered to get angry about his 'cultural appropriation'. With 'Congratulations' nothing has changed. The song is marginally better than 'White Iverson' because it actually has a proper hook, but I'm still not gonna remember this in a few months. Plus, having a Quavo feature automatically ducks a point.
4/10

9. Zedd ft. Alessia Cara - Stay


I'll fully admit to never before having heard this song, but having now heard it several times, i can say it's actually decent, and better than I was expecting. I've never loved a song by Zedd or Alessia Cara before, and this is easily the best I've heard from either of them. It doesn't have any of the boring or irritating cliches of modern EDM, with no obsessive squealy noises and a tasteful drop that actually sounds good.
8/10

8. Two white guys ft. Coldplay - Something Just Like This


Coming from The Chainsmokers' aptly titled 'Memories... Do Not Open' (The lowest scoring album of the year so far on Metacritic.) album, this is nonetheless an alright song, albeit one I can't imagine anyone ever choosing to actually listen. Chris Martin's voice is enjoyable as ever, and the lyrics are actually decent, especially compared to nearly every other chainsmokers' song. The Chainsmokers are the ones who end up ruining this song though, with their super basic, ultra bland drop killing any creativity or energy the tune may have otherwise had.
5/10

7. Lil Uzi Vert - XO TOUR Llif3


I'm still not sure whether this is a great song or a terrible song, but I'm leaning toward great. I've never had anything other than indifference for Lil Uzi Vert, his image being more interesting than his music for the most part. I'm aware that the verses on this song contradict the utterly depressed lyrics of the two prominent hooks, but those hooks. "I DONT REALLY CARE IF YOU CRY-IIII" should not be as enjoyable to shout as it is, and neither should "All my friends are dead, push me to the edge", but somehow XO TOUR Llif3 manages to transcend the dark lyrics into a banger - hence why it's charted so high on Billboard despite having an indecipherable song title and no proper video.
8/10

6. Future - Mask Off


Err... I like the sample. It's a flute, right? You don't hear much like it in trap. But yeah, I dunno what to say about this. The lyrics are the typical autotuned flexing that has given trap music so many detractors, and the song always makes me feel slightly sleepy with Future's laid-back flow. Overall, I like it but don't think it's incredible.
6/10

5. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.


This is more like it! While I will say that I think 'DAMN.' has been slightly overrated by critics - no matter which way you look at it it's not as good as 'To Pimp A Butterfly' or 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D City', it's still a really great project, and 'HUMBLE.' is one of my favourite songs off it. Every bar is memorable and entertaining, and it's nice to see that Kendrick managed to get a number one that wasn't 'Bad Blood'. The beat is incredible, and it's gonna be one of my songs of the year.
10/10

4. Ed Sheeran - urgh

When 'Shape Of You' first came out I thought it was decent. Now I NEVER WANT TO HEAR IT AGAIN.
Never again/10

3. DJ Khaled & Co. - I'm The One

DJ Khaled is undeniably one of the most interesting personalities in music right now, so it seems fulfilling that he's got a number one. It's also nice to see Chance the Rapper get a number one, and he's the best part of this song. Quavo is also suprisingly on-topic, and the beat is lightwieght and summery. Unfortunately, as usual, Justin Bieber's voice grates my eardrums, and as you would expect Lil Wayne ain't good.
5/10

2. Bruno Mars - That's What I Like

It's depressing that this feels like a throwback to a time when pop music was fun, but at the same time, anyone that doesn't enjoy this song probably has no soul. I was initially worried that Mars's brilliant album '24K Magic' would be seen as a flop when 'Versace On The Floor' failed to have much impact, but the pure likability of this song seems to have turned it into one of his biggest hits. The only 'Song of the summer 2017' I want to hear.
9/10

1. Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber - Despacito

A tale of two songs. I actually enjoy the spanish parts of this song quite a bit, as they sound vastly different from the rest of the top 50 and super-summery. The Justin Bieber parts are what brings it down for me, as once again his voice just annoys me. He was so prominent on the radio last year that I can only ever associate his voice with taking lukewarm showers in my bathroom, as that's the only time I listen to the radio and I ain't listening to Bieber voluntarily.
5/10

Thursday, 1 December 2016

Top 20 Albums of 2016

2016 has been a big year for albums, with loads of the biggest artists around dropping hyped LPs. Since the big releases for the year are mostly done, I thought it would be cool to list my top 20 favourite albums of the year. And yes, this does mean that if an album isn't on here it's more likely that I didn't hear it than didn't like it ( It's taking me a while to get into Death Grips 'Bottomless Pit' for example). Nonetheless, every album on here is great. Some were surprise released, some had years of build-up and some were great debut albums - here we go!

20. The 1975 - I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful, yet so unaware of it



A pop-rock album generally shouldn't be an hour and 14 minutes long, but 'ILIWYSFYASBYSUOI', the 1975s follow-up to their 2013 debut manages it with style and variety. There really is something for everybody here, from the pure pop of 'UGH!' and 'The Sound' to the more subtle 'Loving Someone' and the mighty 'Change of Heart'. Sure, it has three or four tracks that should have cut, but that's what skip buttons were made for. Also, marks deducted for that terrible album title.

19. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway



An album that took most of the year to grow on me, 'The Getaway' is half an album of melodic, dreamy guitars and a (better) half of classic riffs, slapped basslines and general funkiness. Any band that can produce songs like 'Dark Necessities', 'Dreams of a Samurai' and 'Goodbye angels' are definitely not past their prime, and 'The Getaway' shows how they can still produce solid albums to this day.

18. Angel Olsen - MY WOMAN


A retro-feeling and hugely praised second album, 'MY WOMAN' is a warbling, rocking collection. Much like 'The Getaway', it's an album of two halves, the first half full of the uptempo, exciting material, but the second half definitely holds up. Also, it reminds me of one of my favourite albums from last year, 'Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit' by Courtney Barnett, which can only be a good thing.

17. Green Day - Revolution Radio


This one has the potential to be polarising - If you don't like Green Day you won't like this album - but definitely deserves to be on this list. Green Day are hardly the first band to bounce back from releasing a bad album (or in this case 3) as you'll see later on the list, but they have managed to not just return to form but exceed themselves, with their best album since 'American Idiot'. 
From the punk energy of 'Bang bang' to the epic of 'Forever now', this is the best pop-punk album released in a year filled with all of the heavyweights returning - and not necessarily better (Blink-182 anyone?).

16. YG - Still Brazy


I initially dismissed YG as just another generic rapper without listening to any of his material - his big hit is called 'Why you always Hatin'' after all - but when I finally sat down to listen to 'Still Brazy' I was blown away. It's a slick gangsta rap album that sounds simultaneously like a throwback and relevant to 2016. With highlights including 'Don't come to LA', 'Twist My Fingaz' and of course the adopted anthem 'F**k Donald Trump', it's one of the best hip-hop releases coming out in the increasingly saturated rap market.

15. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression


A compilation of some of the best Rock-and-roll purists in the business, 'Post Pop Depression' managed to make Iggy Pop relevant once again, and the World is better for it. Sounding straight out of the 60s and with a backing band made of some of the most respected rock-revivalists in the business the album is full of jams like 'Gardenia' and 'Sunday'. It's something every rock fan has an obligation to listen to.

14. Kaytranada - 99.9%


One of the most promising debut albums of the year, Kaytranada seems to be a producer who has an immediately distinct sound and a vision, as demonstrated by '99.9%'s amazing and appropriate guest features (including Anderson Paak - 'Malibu' just missed this list - Little Dragon and most surprisingly Craig David) combined with his catchy, bassy instrumentals behind each tune.

13. Frank Ocean - Blonde


The much memed and most anticipated album of the year, 'Blonde' delivered exactly what everyone had wanted and more - smooth, soulful tunes. It may take time to get into but once tunes like 'Ivy', 'Solo' and 'Nights' take hold of you it's hard to get them off repeat. Now we just have to wait until 2020 for his next album...

12. Shura - Nothing's Real


One of the more lyrically-interesting synthpop artists to spring up this year, Shura dropped her incredible debut album 'Nothing's Real' this year and garnered a fair amount of attention for it. Her songs have been played on the radio and even covered by Mumford + Sons, standing as a testament to the catchiness and brilliance of every song on the album. Self conscious at points, occasionally heartbreaking and always interesting it's almost my favourite pop album of 2016.

11. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered


Kendrick Lamar is one of the only artists around right now who could drop what is essentially a B-sides collection and still have someone banging it out at every sixth-form common room in the country. Needless to say, 'Untitled' doesn't feel like a shabby pile of throwaways but a more upbeat and lighter partner to 2015s AOTY 'To Pimp a Butterfly' and each track is a league above what most of his rivals will ever create.

10. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool


Another of the most hyped releases of the year, Radiohead finally followed up their least-liked album since 'Pablo Honey' with something everyone quickly agreed on as superb. Somehow outdoing themselves in terms of sadness and heartbreak, 'A Moon Shaped Pool' is one of the most bleak records of the year and one which might take a while to click, but is definitely worth the effort.

9. Jamie T - Trick


The most english album of the year, nearly every song on 'Trick' is a classic, from the Rage-against-the-machine style 'Tinfoil boy' and 'Police tapes' to the pure pop-rock of 'Joan of Arc' and 'Robin Hood', the album has an assortment of different styles that it pulls off amazingly well. I would even go as far as to call this Jamie T's masterpiece, and the fact it's only at number 9 shows just how good this year's been.

8. Drive-By Truckers - American Band


In a year that's been especially turbulent for politics the World needed a great protest album and that's exactly what 'American Band' is. More accurately, it's a State-of-the-Nation LP that rocks hard and covers topics from Police shootings to migration in a classic Americana way. When this year is finally over, 'American Band' will be the time capsule of just how horrible 2016 was for the World.

7. Beyonce - Lemonade


I found Beyonce's 2014 self titled album pretty underwhelming for how much critics loved it, so when 'Lemonade' was released to similarly rave reviews I was expecting more of the same - but this time I agreed with the endless five star scores. 'Lemonade' is the kind of album that most pop stars would consider too risky to release, with blunt, angry lyrics and collaborating with highly respected alternative artists like Jack White and James Blake, but Beyonce pulls off the numerous different styles and tones with ease. Still, it could do without the airhorns.

6. David Bowie - Blackstar


Blackstar would likely be somewhere on this list if it had just been 40 minutes of Bowie wailing - it's a music legend's final gift after all - but that 'Blackstar' is the best Bowie record for decades just makes it even  more tragic that he had to go. The difference between listening to 'Blackstar' before and after Bowie's death was that before he died it was an incredible experimental jazz/rock album with some cryptic lyrics about death. After January 10th it was a shining memoir of the Starman himself. Also, well done Bowie for managing to get a song called 'Tis a pity she was a whore' onto a concept album about your own death.

5. Tegan and Sara - Love you to Death


This album should definitely be lower than it is. That said, I can at least try and justify why a breezy synthpop album with completely artificial production and lyrics about almost exclusively love and sex is above David Bowie's final album. Because every moment on 'Love you to Death' is joyous, every song is almost unbearably catchy and there are some genuinely interesting and great lyrical moments. It's the perfect pop album and amongst experiments and epics everybody needs smething to dance to. 

4. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition


The hip-hop album of the year, 'Atrocity Exhibition' is an image of Danny Brown at his lowest. That's not to say that this album is depressing - 'Ain't it funny' and 'Really Doe' prove this aptly - but that it's very dark. Danny Brown is hardly the first rapper to talk about drugs, but the vivid descriptions of his desperate drug crawls and addiction problems coupled with beats that you wouldn't expect to ever function, let alone sound as great as they do, make one of the most insane, experimental and creative records of the year.

3. Weezer - Weezer (White Album)


Through sheer happiness and breeziness - and maybe a few cannolis - 'The White Album' became Weezer's best album since the 90s in just a few listens. A beach album that sounds like... Well Weezer covering the Beach Boys. At just over half an hour it's got immense replayability value (It's my most listened to album of the whole year on Spotify) and every individual track is classic Weezer, with guitar solos and weezery guitars and cannolis and- It's the most fun album of the year and I love it.

2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree


The album you were probably expecting at number 1 is the most emotional experience I've had with any album for a long time, and I can't even relate to it. Nick Cave's career best vocal performance coupled with imagery smothered lyrics that range from the most chilling of the year (Jesus Alone) to warm and hopeful (Skeleton Tree). Few people will ever go through the bereavement Cave did during the creation of this record, but he manages to convey the emptiness, sickness and dismay so well that you feel it strongly just from listening. This album is a masterpiece, and will likely be remembered as one of the best albums of the 2010s.

1. Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Denial


Yes! You read that correctly! 'Teens of Denial' by Car Seat Headrest is my favourite album of 2016, and by some distance. 'Skeleton Tree' is pretty much perfect, but I've only been able to make it through the album a handful of times because of how intense the emotion is. Meanwhile, 'Teens of Denial' is so creative, hilarious and just plain awesome that I've listened to it consistently every week since I first discovered it at the end of May. At an hour and 10 minutes long and with unconventional and winding song structures it took me a while to get into, but once I did...

Where to start? Every single song on this album is amazing and memorable - especially Song of the year contenders 'Drunk Drivers/ Killer Whales', 'The Ballad of Costa Concordia' and 'Vincent' - But the songs all come together to form a fascinating insight into Will Toledo's teenage life. I will admit that much of the reason I love this album comes from sheer relatability, as many of the song topics are more relevant to my life than anything else this year, and speaking of song topics they are varied and brilliant: Drunk driving, crap parties, the crashing of the Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia and taking advice online to name a few. 

So if you want the most triumphant, energetic and best album of 2016, 'Teens of Denial' is the album for you.





















Tuesday, 1 November 2016

Maroon 5 ft. Kendrick Lamar - Don't wanna know review

Maroon 5 have got worse and worse every album they've released with remarkable consistency. Few bands have such a simple and obvious downward slide, and it seems to be because of Adam Levine's obsession with popularity. Every album Maroon 5 get less and less like a band and more like Adam Levine's solo career - as shown aptly by 'Don't wanna know'.



This is by far the limpest Adam Lev- er, I mean, Maroon 5 song yet. The tropical house instrumentation sounds like a stock beat and also like everything on the radio. There is no build-up, there is no variation and the chorus is extremely repetitive. Last time Kendrick Lamar and Adam Levine collaborated it was on 'YOLO' with The Lonely Island, a super-catchy song that I still adore to this day. On this song he gets under 20 seconds to spit 4 bars which are all a bit rubbish (At this point it's pretty evident Lamar is saving his best material for his more highly held-features.).

The positives of the song aren't really positives as much as they are correcting previous things that were wrong with the band. Levine's falsetto is thankfully toned down and the song isn't creepy and makes sense lyrically. If you need to fall asleep quickly just put this song on repeat. Also, the music video was outdated the day it was released.

2/10