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.
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