best of HONESTLY, 2018. - Albums Top 4 + Singles Top 10

[-mUsIcLoVeR-]

Doesn't Matter on your list  

 

Great list! 

[Brandon]

 

NTLTC 

[Remmy]

I like SOPHIE's production style and I've lowkey only listened to snippets from ha album, but it doesn't seem like something I'd really care for in full. I do enjoy Ponyboy though

[Tom Vercetti]

An excellent #1 album choice   

[MP2K]

When I'm With Him, IYKYK, Doesn't Matter, Malemente, etc. great stuff
Rosalía's acclaim on here

 

Will check out Friendless

[Pink Matter]

A pretty glorious top 4  Glad I got on the Rosalia bandwagon. It's what she deserves

[TRF.]

 

 

#10. Rico Nasty - "Smack a Bitch"

(hardcore hip hop)

 

This is the first song I heard by rapper Rico Nasty and I knew I loved it ever since. Kenny Beats' production is harsh and aggressive, sure, but Rico's performance turns a dirty beat into something else, and Rico will let you know that she is not taking **** from anyone. It's threatening, it's punk without having to pretend not even a little bit. It's not like she cares about what you're gonna say anyway, she'll do what she ****ing wants.

 

 

 

#09. Charli XCX - "Girls Night Out"

(electropop/bubblegum bass)

 

The first time I heard a bit of this song was in 2015, when SOPHIE first played a snippet off of it in a DJ set of hers, and someone recorded it. I have been anticipating an official release of this song ever since then. And you know what? It didn't disappoint. But more than that, it gave me everything I wanted, the 80's synthpop meets 90's eurodance production, the breakdown, that hook. I'm sad this wasn't released as an actual single, because it's so good it could have been!

 

 

 

 

#08. Janelle Monáe - "Make Me Feel"

(synth funk/art pop)

from 'Dirty Computer'

 

Another song that should have been a huge smash hit! The basslines and the synths are so... perfect. It's rare to hear a pop song that manages to be well-constructed and basically immaculate yet still manages to find a way to get weird and stand out from the rest. Pretty sure Prince was so ****ing proud.

 

 

 

 

 

#07. Yves Tumor - "Noid"

(psych pop/neo-psych)

from 'Safe in the Hands of Love'

 

Different from everything Yves Tumor had done, this is a pop song that takes elements from ’90s trip hop and alternative rock. With mentions of PTSD, paranoia and depression, the lyrics take on police brutality and the effects that it has on the mental health of young black people. It wouldn’t be an easy listen, if not for the fact that literally everything in the song is a perfect hook. “Noid” is extremely catchy without trying too hard to be — which results in one of the darkest, most relevant, and most perfect pop songs released this year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#06. SOPHIE - "Faceshopping"

(bubblegum bass/deconstructed club)

from 'Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides'

 

This is one of the best songs off of SOPHIE's album, an album in which every song is a highlight already. This song's themes revolve around altering one’s image, change and identity, and the production is chaotic and noisy, contrasting with Cecile Believe's softly robotic voice, it sounds rather... uncanny, yet addictive.

 

 

 

#05. Rosalía - "DI MI NOMBRE (Cap.8: Éxtasis)"

(flamenco pop)

from 'El mal querer'

 

Interpolating a flamenco tango recording by La Repompa de Málaga made in the 50's, I feel like out of all the songs on El mal querer, this is the one that does the job of combining tradition and modernity the best out of all them. Musically, it's a pop song that is influenced by Destiny Child's "Say My Name", but still manages to incorporate that flamenco influence into this context, you have autotune, memorable lyrics... it's truly one of Rosalía's best songs to date, and proof of how unique her music is.

 

 

 

 

#04. Let's Eat Grandma - "Falling Into Me"

(art pop/electropop)

from 'I'm All Ears'

 

I feel like the song I could compare it most to is M83's "Midnight City". But I feel like instead of being a carbon copy, it takes that vibe and recontextualizes it, into addressing another type of feeling. It's an ambitious pop song, and it takes a lot of time to build up to its last moment, but once you get there, it sure is pure bliss.

 

 

 

 

 

#03. Mitski - "Nobody"

(indie pop/new wave)

from 'Be the Cowboy'

 

Probably my biggest weakness in pop music are songs that sound really happy and fun but are actually about something a little less... good. I feel like this is a good example of it, this is a funky, disco and new wave-inspired song that could be among Mitski's most accessible songs, yet... there are those lyrics about complete loneliness. And I feel like she really does a great job at expressing how loneliness, true, complete loneliness feels like. It's not so fun after all, folks!

 

 

 

#02. Jenny Hval - "Spells"

(art pop/progressive pop)

from 'The Long Sleep (EP)'

 

Jenny Hval is known for her dark, political, experimental take on pop music, redefining both what "pop" and even "music" is, challenging that aspect in every way. Which is why it feels so out of character of her to release a song as accessible as "Spells". Sure, the rest of her EP was definitely more "avant-garde", but this song is fairly gentle and sweet. With a vague jazz and sophisti-pop influence, it truly feels heartwarming and necessary, not being overly wholesome for no reason, but still a welcome change from the usual darkness we live in.

 

 

 

WHICH MEANS THAT THE NUMBER ONE IS...

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#01. Robyn - "Honey"

(dance-pop/electropop/deep house)

from 'Honey'

 

The first time most of us heard about Robyn's "Honey" was through that snippet played at the end of one of Girls' episodes. It was an almost entirely different version from the one that we have now, it had different lyrics, a different beat, and it made a lot of people fall in love with a song that wasn't even released fully, and demanding it to be released as soon as possible.

 

And you know what? I feel like this version is much, much better than the demo one. The production is so smooth yet demanding, it truly seems Robyn was paying a true homage to house music in all its glory. The way this song slowly builds from nothing into pure, sweet euphoria feels like honey dripping into your mouth. And it's even better in the context of Honey, the album. After all the sad, melancholic electropop songs from its first half, you get something that is so sensual and so triumphant that getting to the last minute and a half of the song truly feels like a once in a lifetime kind of blessing. You're getting both what you want and what you need.

 

 



[madonnas]

Woah really?   but you have a beautiful top 10.  Wish you gave Rage the position that Smack a Bitch has but SAB is her second best.

 

I think all of the artists here appear on my list too, most of the selections are either CORRECT or runner ups.  Great list!!!!! 

[potent]

Make Me Feel, Nobody, and Honey are great tracks

Nobody is such a bop, I didn’t expect that when I first heard it.

[JGibson]

Make Me Feel ❤️ 

[Lazuli]

What a top 10  I only don't use #10 and #2 

YAAAAAAAS HONEY WINNING  Swedish legend did THAT 

[TRF.]

Thank you all for your comments and support through this month! Love u all sweeties.