best of FINISHED | RobDeWittBukater's Best of 2018

December 25, 2018

Wig ok hi welcome! I'm a best-of virgin but I thought I would give it a try this year (if only because the alternative would be to actually get started on my term papers for this semester and Lord knows we're not doing that)

I'll be counting down my 100 favorite songs released between December 21st 2017 and December 20th 2018 (that includes singles, album tracks and B-sides) and proceed with Caution, don't be dishonest because HUN my taste is like VERY gay circa 2010. This list is going to be all about the quick lil bops and bangers, the ones with MAMMOTH melodies and orgasmic hooks and the like, and that includes ~Western~ as well Korean (and one Japanese!) songs. But before you exit this thread in FEAR (or disgust, Idk), let me assure you: My Korean faves are all KUALITY and non-problematic (besides Miss Wendell and a couple ExNO members :mandown: ) so you'll be SAFE with me! Your ears will NOT be exposed to any Jimin-bred growling or screeching (well, mostly!) IT'LL BE FUN!

I'll be counting down my 10 favorite MVs of 2018 as well, get ready for controversial taste and prepare your drags NOW because

And lastly, I'll be counting down the 10 biggest disappointments that 2018 bestowed upon me. This category is a bit broader as it also includes movies, TV shows and Justin Timberlake's SuperBowl Halftime Show (spoiler)

Expect a paragraph for each song (rip), much love. How great!

Edited January 19, 2019 by RobDeWittBukater

December 25, 2018

SHINee will slay!

December 25, 2018

5 minutes ago, Monster Boy said:

SHINee will slay!

Oh, you bet!

December 25, 2018

#100-091:

#100 Benjamin Ingrosso - So Good So Fine When You’re Messing With My Mind
This song is so good so fine it’s ALMOST tucking at Loreen’s wig in terms of Eurovision-bred Swedish pop excellence. ALMOST. Watch out for that bridge and that final chorus in particular!

#099 Exo - Love Shot
Equipped with a “nahh na na na-na-na-na” non-chorus and melodic, steadily pulsating verses, “Love Shot” sounds like, well, an Exo song. At their best, Exo songs explore big melodies constructed with playful synths and R&B-tinged harmonies, with each vocalist’s pipes operating at full capacity. At their worst, Exo songs blur the line between pleasant-sounding and sleep-inducing and are better suited for background music than for active listening. “Love Shot” falls right in the middle: it’s not too exciting, but it’s also too good to ignore. Something about its ambience actually reminds me of Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman” (there aren’t really any musical similarities between the two songs, but there’s that certain vibe), which is funny, because that song too is one I was rather lukewarm towards (still am). All in all, “Love Shot” is an easy listen, elegant and catchy. And it’s also responsible for providing us with a nice view of Kai’s cleavage (we should be SO lucky). Not bad, not bad.

#098 BoA - Always, All Ways (feat. Chancellor)
I still don’t know who the **** Chancellor is, all I know is that his voice sounds like the lovechild of that dude who featured on Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Justin Timberlake, which is quite something! This track exists to fill the “duet with a fellow vocalist” slot on BoA’s mini album and it does a marvelous job at that, assisted by a heavy bass and digitally enhanced coos.

#097 Onew - Shine on You
This song is simply beautiful, nothing more, nothing less. The warm, gentle and sweet lyrics are addressed to someone who is “floating there with the stars” and “watching [Onew] from afar” - I figure we can all guess just who that someone might be. Onew has been dealing with his grief by going to therapy and, as he revealed in a very moving TV interview alongside his group members earlier this year that, for a long time, he was not able to cry or really process his feelings. With this in mind, “Shine on You” feels all the sweeter, like a true closure and resolution - and a hug in musical form, as Ariana would say. Musically, it also recalls elements of Taylor Swift’s signature ballad “All Too Well” (that post-chorus section!) which adds a further dimension of melancholia and emotional resonance to the track.

#096 Exo - With You
I’m not usually one for Exo’s ballad-esque mid-tempos (much less their actual ballads) but this one hits the sweet spot. And it’s all thanks to that CLIMACTIC vocal moment in the chorus provided by Chen (and later on, Baekhyun): “namankeum hwanhage binnaneun GEOT GATAAAAAA!”. The verses are nice enough, with their buzzing bass lines and piano chords giving the overall gentle track a slight sense of urgency.

#095 Tinashe - Fires and Flames
That chorus melody STUCK with me after the very first listen and continued to echo through my mind long after, without me even really revisiting the actual track again. It is THAT beautiful and simple, and it’s this melody that really carries the track, alongside Tini’s honey-coated vocals of course. One particularly noteworthy vocal moment is her pleading cry of “Would you let me stay the niiiight?” right before the final chorus picks up again. When Tinasha (as The Holy Spearit hath infamously christened her) explores balladry, it’s almost always hugely rewarding and pure bliss to listen to (I mean, “Bated Breath” alone!), and “Fires and Flames” ranks as yet another successful pursuit in that regard.

#094 Lady Gaga - Heal Me
“Heal Me” is the song “The Cure” WISHES it was. With a simple, beautiful chorus (all sung in head voice!) and one of those spoken-word middle eights that Gaga loves so much, this track shines the brightest among the mid-to-up-tempo-range pop offerings from the “A Star Is Born” soundtrack.

#093 Hayley Kiyoko - Curious
I feel like I ought to be more invested in Hayley’s music than I actually am (especially as an O.G. Haylien from the Wizards of Waverly Place / Lemonade Mouth days #Justice4Stevie) but “Curious” is one of the two songs from her album that I feel like I’ve been appreciating sufficiently, and for good reason. That chorus is one delicious piece of good, solid pop: That instantly replay-ready, chant-friendly “Did you let him touch ya-touch ya-touch ya-touch ya-touch ya” hook, those “yeah?”s that all but rival Ari’s “yuh”s in terms of UNBOTHEREDNESS and pop diva gimmickness, and the tongue-twister that is “didyoutakehimtothepierinsantamonicaforgettobringajacketwrapupinhimcauseyouwantedta”- it’s all the ingredients you need for the center of a tightly wrapped, perfectly sweetened pop candy.

#092 Sabrina Carpenter - Bad Time
Yet another pleasant surprise (that, contrary to the title, makes for a VERY good time!) from one of Disney’s most promising alumni.

#091 Ciara - Dose
CiCi remains one of the best dancers - and performers, period - in the industry. Just watch her recent performances at Ellen and the AMAs if you’re not convinced! Luckily, Ciara does not only have the performing skills, but also the bops to boot, as evidenced by Dose. Let’s get one thing out of the way: Overdose, this is not. But this song does have its own charm, one that feels classic (if not even slightly dated, hello @Ciara’s mixing & mastering crew!), life-affirming, and genuinely fun. Nice one, CiCi, now quickly finish up that album before we collectively run out of sweat-drenched urban pop bops to 1-2-step to!

December 26, 2018

#090-081:

#090 Ariana Grande - God is a woman
Initially, I wasn’t really interested in this song (and even now, I don’t revisit it that frequently). But something happened when I was riding in the car with my boyfriend and his mom (who is quite religious) through the streets of Kuala Lumpur (a city that could be considered quite religious) and my boyfriend decided to BLAST this song and have a Carpool Karaoke moment with it. Keep in mind, at the time “God is a woman” was NOT played on Malaysian radio (they were still playing No Tears) and there was good reason to assume that it had been deemed too controversial for broadcast. Suddenly, the POWER that this song possesses revealed itself to me. It was the soundtrack to an iconic queer moment in my life and I’ll always be thankful to Ariana for that. SEVERAL hijabs and niqabs flew that day, believe me you!

#089 Mariah Carey - A No No
If the opening chords of this song don’t have your ass VOGUING, honey, you need to let the light IN. Everything about this track is A Yes Yes, from Mariah’s fierce assessment that it’s time for EVERYONE - yes, even Dem Babies™ - to cut the bull**** (“Snakes in the grass, IT’S TIME TO CUT THE LAWN” - RIP Stella), to her oh-so-Mimi delivery of the chorus (“No, no, that's a NO-NO”) which officially renders that Meghan song from a few years back irrelevant, to our Songbird Supreme flexing her multilinguality in the final chorus (“I can say it en español” - this one’s for you, J-Lo). With plenty of lyrical quips to boot ("Irregardless of what transpired / It ain't even worthy of a slick reply" and of course that entire "He's a slut, he's a hoe, he's a freak / Got a different girl every day of the week" section), “A No No” is every bit of a classier, wiser, penthouse-dwelling cousin to 2009’s “Obsessed” (although "I'm the press conference, you a conversation" has yet to be topped). A SNAP SNAP.

#088 J-Hope - Daydream
From the second those opening claps give way to the bubbly, vibrant house beats that back up the verses, the deal is SEALED. “Daydream” sees BTS member J-Hope embarking on a solo trip to a, well, daydream universe that is truly magical, both lyrically and sonically. "Beyond that boundary line over there / We’ll feel it / Like the hole Alice fell into / Like the road to Hogwarts / It will be a world of mirages", J-Hope whispers on the goosebump-inducing pre-chorus before diving headfirst into the slightly Drake-ish chorus (“Wishing on a sky / Wishing on a scar”). But the true main event is the left turn the track takes after the middle-eight as J-Hope begins crooning “If I want somethiiing / If I want something now” and vocal melodies start to take front and center - very Azealia Bank, if I might say so (thank God she doesn’t know of this song’s existence, cause if she did, it’d start World War III on Twitter - although it would be interesting to see who would come out on top between a horde of racist teenage girls with Jimin avatars and a woman who probably gets referred to as “that b*tch” in the texts that Elon sends to Grimes - BUT I DIGRESS). I strongly recommend watching the music video for this song as well as it’s a perfect representation of J-Hope’s colorful lyrics and personality and just adds that extra little something to the track!

#087 Alice Chater - Hourglass
For much of 2018, I did not know what an “Alice Chater” was or that she even existed but I eventually caught on and I’m hella glad I did. “Hourglass” is essentially what would happen if Kylie Minogue recorded a song in the style of Kim Petras’ Halloween EP, which is to say it’s AMAZING. Thoroughly electronic, the song’s brightest moments occur during the pulsating, seductively delivered verses that eventually give way to that full-blown mantra of a chorus. Oh, and don’t miss out on that quick, breathy intermission of a bridge followed by a vocal run that can only be described as operatic (“YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAA!”) - oh, we stan.

#086 SHINee - Drive
“Drive” strikes a successful balance between Diplo-ish, semi-tropical (*scary music starts playing*) elements - that are thankfully confined to a post-chorus drop - and crunchy, pseudo-guitar pop beats, layered with occasional flashes of electro-pop synths. But the true star of the track, as is often the case with SHINee’s music, are the vocals: That epic, flawlessly harmonized chant of a chorus ("nal bureuneun chorokbit / geu kkeute hokshi niga seoinna / tto bareul dollyeo nan"), that earnest, melodic middle eight ("neoreul neoreul... / maeil, geujeo maemdora-a"), Onew’s beautiful falsetto ad-lib during the build-up to the final chorus that almost VIBRATES with longing and desperation ("kkeokkyeojin..."), that resigned “I don’t know why” when the final post-chorus hits at last. Make no mistake, this track is FAR from the most exciting that SHINee had to offer this year - but it’s a simple and satisfying listen, and those lyrics (“The green light calls me / And I’m wondering if you’re standing at the end of it”, “It gives me mixed feelings”, “I hope it will be you”) perfectly echo the desperate hope and longing that colored so much of “Good Evening” - which naturally resonates with me as someone who is still very much (and always will be) missing our little angel.

#085 Troye Sivan - Lucky Strike
Initially, I didn’t regard this song as anything else than a lesser version of “Plum” (please don’t @ me on dat) and if I’m being truly honest with you, I still stand behind that statement more or less. However, after a few more listens, the perks of “Lucky Strike” did reveal itself to me, first and foremost of course thanks to that summery chorus which is a definite production highlight on ‘Bloom’. The bridge too is a nice moment (that last “Take me anywhere you wanna go” is a great send-off into the final chorus) and the overall ambience of the track is just appealing - in a way, this song plays as much like a sequel to ‘Blue Neighborhood’s “Cool” as it serves as a sibling to the aforementioned “Plum”.

#084 Mariah Carey - The Distance
Another song that’s a little personal (raw) for me: As someone who’s in a long-distance relationship (gasp!) with a fellow man (gasp! gasp! - okay, this is ATRL, so not really) whose relatives are, for the most part, certified homophobes (gasp! gasp! gasp!), I can relate to this song on more than one level, let me tell you. Obviously, as far as Mariah herself is concerned, this song is meant to address the Wendy Williamses of this world and anyone else who is um sceptical towards her relationship with definitely heterosexual back-up dancer Bryan Tanaka. “Look at us, we’re going the DISTAAAANCE!”, Mariah proclaims over a throbbing electronic backdrop that easily makes for one of the strongest, boldest and most immediate moments on the ‘Caution’ album. And even though I don’t exactly think of Mariah’s choice of men as particularly, to use a term from the Lambily Dictionary, skinny, I can’t help but root for her romantic endeavors after this triumph of an us-against-the-world type track.

#083 Dinah Jane - Bottled Up (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & French Montana)
I wanted to dislike this song SO BAD. No really, I tried. In DMs, I’d laugh about how atrocious the song’s lyrics were (“I’m drankin’ baby cuz I’m bottled up THAT DOESN’T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE”). Elsewhere, I had some snarky things to say about the lyric video (“Looks like the good sis was on a budget”) as well as about the 5H girls’ solo output in general (“The way all these Five Prostitutes solos are exactly as GARBAJ as their group work öfugiiggg ahhhhh!” etc). But guess WHAT I was bopping to while emitting all those fumes? YES, ****ING BOTTLED UP. For the record, I’m still confused about the lyrics: Is being “Bottled Up” a more intense variation of being “Sauced Up”? What comes first - the “dranking” or the state of being “Bottled Up”? (logic suggests the former, but the lyrics imply the latter...) Did Zendaya’s ethereal bop “Bottle You Up” provide lyrical inspiration? So many questions! But one thing’s for sure: That feel-good, sing-along earworm of a chorus will stay with you until Dinah’s “real lead single!1!” feat. Daddy Yankee, Lil’ [insert a random monosyllabic word that starts with P] and some DJ eventually comes along.

#082 Years & Years - If You’re Over Me (feat. Key)
This song replaced Little Mix’s “More than Words” (feat. Kamille) at the very last minute - I’m SO sorry ladies, but in the end a collab between Years & Years and one of my Korean faves was just too hard to resist. Let’s not kid ourselves: This song is not ALL that, it’s what most people would regard as just about “cute”, but then that’s also its appeal in a way. And for me personally, hearing the voices of LGBT vocalists Olly and Key on the same track was already more than anyone could have ever asked for. If you’re looking for something semi-tropical and highly infectious, this track should suffice.

#081 Red Velvet - Power Up
This song is SO sticky sweet and high-pitched, the only way to get through it without developing a severe case of diabetes AND tinnitus is to opt for the pitched-down “male version” provided by the good sis Ela on YouTube (I suggest the same course of action if you ever feel the need to listen to LOONA’s “Hi High” - trust me, your ears will thank you). Power Up confirms every stereotype held by K-Pop detractors in regards to Korean girl groups EVER: It’s annoying, repetitive, giddily substanceless, kind of sounds like a nursery rhyme, and is firmly situated in a bright pink visual realm where fruit-themed nail polish is about the most organic thing you will encounter. And ALL OF THAT is what makes this song such a (guilty) pleasure to listen to. To say it’s “self-aware” might be a reach, but Power Up definitely plays off its own sugariness really well and oscillates between “cute” and “weird-slash-creepy” in a way only a Red Velvet song could. And let it be said: Those verses are Super Mario background music HEAVEN.

_______________________________________________________________

Just tagging some people who I think might be here for some of the artists that are gonna pop up on my list. In case anyone's here for this, I'll continue!

@Monster Boy @Extinctkid @minho @M A R C @DJ Wolff @tigerlily13 @valinaer @Jack! @hellocory @Lilac @blackout77 @Lights and Waves@2NE1Kmagic @Kxvk @TheBronxGirl @maurixrosup @Vilppu @4Walls @Kyungsoowift @JonginBey @Ketchup @Ryan @EpicSongFan @p1lotjones @Alaska. @zony111 @Pozeidon @Yvwllis1

December 26, 2018

I already see some legends on this list :eek:

December 26, 2018

Love Shot kinda low :noparty: i love it btw

Mariah with 2 songs already, caution is that album!

cici, tinashe, gaga :jamming:

GIAW is a great song, Ari really served this year!

I love drive, i expect to see more shinee songs

Power Up is a grower, but this one and really bad boy are definitely downgrades from Bad Boy and Peek a boo tho

December 26, 2018

Power Up above Love Shot? List cancelled.

December 26, 2018

My number 1 song of the year only being 96 on your list. :deadbanana4:

Cute list so far though! :heart2:

Quote

and The Boyz sweeties I AM SO SORRY I meant to check out their stuff all year but I just never got around to it, I’m sure it was all quality tho, won’t sleep on them next year I promise!

Amend this IMMEDIATELY though! They're easily in my top 15 BGs now, possibly top 10 even.

Edited December 26, 2018 by Kxvk

December 26, 2018

Looking forward to the rest!

December 26, 2018

Love your op. :heart2:

Love Shot is way too low. :skull:

December 26, 2018

2 hours ago, Lights and Waves said:

I already see some legends on this list

Glad you approve! There's still more of Joy, Irene, Yeri, Seulgi and the other one to come

2 hours ago, zony111 said:

Love Shot kinda low i love it btw

Mariah with 2 songs already, caution is that album!

cici, tinashe, gaga

GIAW is a great song, Ari really served this year!

I love drive, i expect to see more shinee songs

Power Up is a grower, but this one and really bad boy are definitely downgrades from Bad Boy and Peek a boo tho

I think Love Shot got to grow on me some more, even The Eve which is prolly one of Exio's most beloved B-sides EVER (and rightly so) took a while to fully click with me :jonny:

Great taste!! You can definitely expect more Exo, Tinashe, Ari, Gaga and SHINee, I will say that

At first I too was an OPUH (Obsessed Power Up Hater) but then I realized I had been hate-listening to it all summer and admitted that I STANNED :skull: Definitely agree on RBB tho, what a vile sequel to Bible Boy :mazen:

2 hours ago, maurixrosup said:

Looking forward to the rest!

The top 40 is where it's really at! Most of the stuff before that...

We stan tho

1 hour ago, M A R C said:

Love your op.

Love Shot is way too low.

Omg thanks!!! Your best-of graphics are SO good btw

Honestly, had this performance happened earlier, it would have ranked higher for me cause LORD :jonny:

Jongin had NO mercy

December 26, 2018

2 hours ago, Extinctkid said:

Power Up above Love Shot? List cancelled.

chgvj We haven't even gotten to the truly controversial choices yet

2 hours ago, Kxvk said:

My number 1 song of the year only being 96 on your list.

Cute list so far though!

Amend this IMMEDIATELY though! They're easily in my top 15 BGs now, possibly top 10 even.

I feel like if I had listened to With God more it woulda been higher but I def see the appeal :'( :heart2:

Omg could u perhaps recommend any The Boyz stuff? I've been hearing nothing but great things about them :jonny:

December 26, 2018

#100-91: Fire and Flames did nothing for me, like most of Joyride Bated Breath is incredibly unbothered! Bad Time, a bop and my fave from Singular Act 1 :fish1: Heal Me slays :worship: || #90-81: Giaw had to grow on me as well :jamming: Lucky Strike WHEW a Bloom highlight for sure! :katie2:

Ready to see what's coming up

December 26, 2018

1 hour ago, Remmy said:

#100-91: Fire and Flames did nothing for me, like most of Joyride Bated Breath is incredibly unbothered! Bad Time, a bop and my fave from Singular Act 1 Heal Me slays || #90-81: Giaw had to grow on me as well Lucky Strike WHEW a Bloom highlight for sure!

Ready to see what's coming up

Same for me, safe for 3 or 4 track that is which all managed to make it onto this list :fan: I'm just way too big of a Tinashe devotee not to give her some payola :'(

Ahhh stan Bad Time, what a banger! I really ought to get more inmto SAbrina's music, everything I've heard from her thus far has been a serve. More Bloom highlights to come btw :katie2:

Thank you for being perched, sweetie! :heart2:

December 26, 2018

Quote

And even though I don’t exactly think of Mariah’s choice of men as particularly, to use a term from the Lambily Dictionary, skinny

fff but true, good luck with your long distance relationship too :heart2:

you're right about the dull R&B crap polluting exo's discography, stuff like wolf may be objectively worse but at least it's distinct and in a way funny. with you is def one of the better songs of that sort and love shot has a cool reggae-lite rhythm in the chorus but it kinda doesn't do much aside from it

the best song of the batch is probably daydream, i was impressed with how well he pulled the smooth, subtle sound off considering how obnoxious his raps usually are

December 27, 2018

I love how you acknowledge Power Up, not like most of the members here

December 27, 2018

Heal Me, Dose, Lucky Strike, A No No all solid choices!

Good to see Hayley getting some appreciation here too, Curious is a bop.

December 27, 2018

#080-071:

#080 Kylie Minogue - Every Little Part of Me
Thank u, next (next).

#079 Ariana Grande - thank u, next
“thank u, next” (yes, no caps, just as God [who is a woman] intended) is another song that I like, but not really love if you know what I mean. It’s actually the same situation as “Forever Yours” where the song on its own didn’t do too much for me at first but then came that ONE performance that changed everything and added that little something that was needed for me to be fully on board. And for “thank u, next”, that performance was of course the one on Ellen where Ari cried, laughed, tripped, danced and found comfort in her gorgeous (and talented! Hello, Tayla Parx) back-up singers. In a way, the performance truly embodied the wild, unfiltered, and yes, sometimes “cringe” (as some would say) mix of emotions that is “thank u, next”. But even when shifting the focus back on just the song itself, there’s that lighthearted, airy and subtle chorus which is gleefully satisfying and ever so reminiscent of Ari’s Christmas & Chill EP. And I think we ALL know that’s one of the most positive things that can be said about an Ariana song.

#078 Chanyeol & Sehun - We Young
There’s something so simple, joyful, and yes, CUTE (not to mention gay! You can’t tell me that mv is NOT depicting Chanyeol & Sehun going through the motions of a relationship, complete with boyfriend sweaters in the end) about this song, you just HAVE to love it. In addition to serving arms and abs in the mv, the boys also serve a cute vocal or two (that final chorus build-up!) and the “We don’t stay down” that the song ends on is also a nice little moment. I probably shouldn’t be stanning this song as hard as I do, much less have the AUDACITY to use it more than the likes of “Love Shot” (get your stones ready), but it is what it is. tl; dr: Sehunty and MANyeol should get married, thank you Korea.

#077 BoA - I Want You Back
This song is a quirky, tacky little bop complete with a chorus full of VERY Kylie-esque melodies and coquettish “I want you back!” chants. At this rate, BoA might snatch the crown of Ultimate Kylie Soundalike (UKS) from Hilary Duff for good. WE STAN!

#076 Rita Ora - New Look
This New Look suits Rita more than well because a) it’s better than any album track on ORA ever was (not like it’s hard) and b) its full-sung chorus employs her voice in a wonderfully frantic, almost overbearing way that recalls “Anywhere” (arguably her best song) ever so slightly. More of this, less of most of the stuff that came previously, thanks Rita hun!

#075 Red Velvet - Butterflies
A breezy synth bop infectious enough to make you forget Wendy’s ignorance for a whole 3 and a half minutes? Yep, the girls of Red Velvet have become pros at delivering those! That chorus is one hell of a STOMP (“APDATWEOSEO NARA OREUN BUTTERFLIES!”), one that feels so instant and effortless that even Kim Petras unnie is shaking a tiny bit. Also, am I the only one who feels like this song is a way, way, WAY superior attempt at what “Blue Lemonade” was trying to achieve? This right here is the REAL Summer Magic, folks.

#074 Jonghyun - Rewind
‘Poet | Artist’ is a nighttime record at heart with a soundscape dominated by flashing neon lights, cool night air breezes, and moonlit ocean fronts. “Rewind” explores the more sinister, sensual side of that nighttime feel: It’s a repetitive, stuttering, distinctly empty-sounding loop of electronic house chords filled out by overlapping whispers, echos, whistles and moans (that hint at exhaustion rather than pleasure) - all delivered in an icy monotone that creates an air of indifference and that stands in stark contrast to the passionate, emotional vocal style we usually associate with Jonghyun. “Rewind” plays like the tranquilized lovechild of Janet’s “Throb” and Azealia Banks’ “1991”, elegant, entrancing and oddly haunting all at once. The lyrics feel rather unsettling (especially given the context of Jonghyun’s depression which lead to his suicide), evoking an almost unbearable sense of monotony and disconnectedness to one’s surroundings. “Rewind” is can easy listen on the surface, but there’s a darkness to be found in it. But on a different note: Hearing Jonghyun count to four in German (“eins, zwei, drei, vier”) during the chorus was an ABSOLUTE thrill for me as a German speaker as was his sexy pronunciation of the “trois” (oooh Lord!). If there’s one thing to take away from that, it’s that SHINee members incorporating languages other than Korean and English into their songs is ALWAYS a good thing.

#073 Hayley Kiyoko - Under the Blue / Take Me In
“Under the Blue” was the only song on ‘Expectations’ (other than “Curious”) that I IMMEDIATELY had the hots for. It was love at first sight, to quote a certain Kylie. It’s a seriously cool, heavy electronic throbber that does everything Halsey tried to do on ‘Hopeless Fountain Kingdom’ but SO MUCH better. Haylegend sounds sexier and more in control here than anywhere else on ‘Expectations’, and although I personally could have done without the “Take Me In” portion of this double track, I’ll admit it was a nice way to break up the repetitivity of the melody (which I LOVE!) a little bit. And something about that guitar during the transition feels very Rihanna, but that just might be my everlasting “What Now” infatuation showing.

#072 Camila Cabello - Inside Out
Camila’s album SUCKS. Sorry. When thinking of all the hype and promise that there was for it back in 2017 (“She’s working with Max Martin’s team of producers!” “Benny Blanco’s been in the studio with her!” “Ed Sheeran has written a song for the project” “More Camila x Diplo songs will be on it!” “INTROSPECTIVE AND AUTHENTIC!!1!” “It’s going to sound like Havana”), the album that we actually ended up getting feels like an outright scam. Ten tracks, 70 percent of which are the worst kinds of filler, ranging from the whiny, nausea-inducing not-even-Zara-Larsson-would-dare-to-pass-this-off-as-music realness of “I’ll Never Be the Same” to the non-melodic cacophony of “Into It” (yuck!), with some downtempo snoozers sandwiched in between because ~personal~. But buried deep down in this excuse of an album (which sounds like it was thrown together for the sole purpose of giving “Havana” SOME sort of LP-ish context to exist in) lies “Inside Out”, a true, uncorrupted GEM that shines all the brighter for it is surrounded by a sea of mediocrity. Playing like an even sassier companion to Paris Hilton’s “Stars Are Blind” (a classic!) and Fergie’s “Love Is Blind” (notice a running theme here?), “Inside Out” offers playful melodies, bratty come-hithers and an ambience that feels both fun AND authentic.

#071 SHINee - All Day All Night
Whew, have I come around to this song. As planet Earth’s resident “Only Girl (In the World)” apologist you can believe me when I say that I absolutely love me an eardrum-shattering chorus, but All Day All Night’s chorus doesn’t just shatter your eardrums, it comes close to OBLITERATING your very sense of hearing. With four fifths of SHINee screaming I mean harmonizing at the same time (“KOREAN KOREAN BABY, YOU’RE MY WORLD! KOREAN KOREAN”), this song comes dangerously close to entering headache catalyst territory. And yet, it’s kept me coming back. Honestly, it’s mostly that heavenly MOMENT of an intro that does it for me and the verses that follow. Ugh! One of the many songs on this list I have a hate-love relationship with. Listen at your own risk!

December 27, 2018

Butterflies and Rewind :alexz:

December 27, 2018

#070-061:

#070 Kim Petras - All the Time
As a German pop stan, I’m basically OBLIGATED to support Kim Petras in all her endeavors, no matter how many um questionable interview tidbits of hers continue to circulate in the Twitter sphere. And thankfully, her music is good enough to warrant such blind dedication. Take “All the Time”: Channeling Charli XCX circa No. 1 Angel? CHECK. Slapping video game synths? CHECK. Sass-filled verses that Kim delivers with as much enthusiasm in her voice as I can muster up for my monthly psychology assignments? CHECK CHECK CHECK.

#069 Charli XCX - 1999 (feat. Troye Sivan)
I’m pretty sure I should hate this song. Do people hate this song? I don’t. At all. This song SUCKS. But then again when you really think about it it’s amazing. The music video is ACTUAL garbage. I watch it everyday.

#068 Jonghyun - I’m So Curious
Similar to “Rewind”, “I’m So Curious” employs a more simplistic, somewhat empty-sounding musical palette. However, Jonghyun’s croonings and harmonies during the uplifting-sounding pre-chorus add a vibrance to the track that is reminiscent of his more R&B-leaning endeavors on 2016’s ‘She is’ (think “Orbit” or “Aurora”). “I’m So Curious” is an effortless earworm that feels as sleek and elegant as everything else that ‘Poet | Artist’ has to offer, but underneath the glossy sheen lies a desperate need of affection and a hope-against-hope kind of longing that is beautifully captured in the lyrics of the song.

#067 Pentagon - Shine
By the time I jumped on the “Shine” bandwagon, it had long been abandoned in favor of the “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” bandwagon. I was LATE. You see, my initial impression of “Shine” was very Love Scenario’d: I thought of it as a song that people believed to be good because everyone kept saying it was good, a collectively shared alternative fact given substance by all-kills and music show wins, a song that was popular with stans due to its popularity on the charts rather than the other way round. But I would be proven wrong as “Shine” finally snuck up on me when I got into Triple H (#NeverForget) and decided to give the Pentagon boys another try for E’Dawn and Hui’s sake. And thank the K-Pop Gods I did! There’s an earnestness and genuineness about Pentagon’s quirky, meme-appropriating, classroom of misfits aesthetic that sets them apart from other groups who have opted for similarly thriftshoppy and minimalist paths - and most importantly, that can not only be seen in the “Shine” video, it can be HEARD in the song. Each of the Pentagon boys have a personality that is big and bold enough to be audible in their voices, and that’s where the true fun lies in “Shine”. Add to that a gleefully self-deprecating chorus, a melodic “Baby, I’m only yours, oh-oh-oh / I’m only yours, oh-oh-NO” hook, a boy-bandy middle eight (complete with a refreshing Yuto rap break followed by a “Listen to my heart!” from Hongseok and some vocal stompage courtesy of Hui) - all backed up by that oh-so-catchy and simple piano riff - and you have yourself an anthem that truly deserves all the all-kills and music show wins in the world. Also: #****Cube.

#066 BTS (Jungkook) – Euphoria
Okay, first things first, the extended version of this song is GARBAGE. That big note in the final chorus is so awkward (seriously, what?), and the shortness and sweetness of the version that played during the mv credits was already perfect as it was, no need to fix what ain’t broken. While undoubtedly generic (as if the rest of this list isn’t lmao), there is something genuinely sweet, precious and uplifting about this song, especially when coupled with its corresponding visuals (and the video game sound effect that fires off right before the first chorus is a moment!). Jungkook is the strongest all-rounder in his group alongside J-Hope and whilst the “real music!1!” legion of K-ATRL most likely won’t be here for his future solo output, I certainly will. Cute lil bops will NEVER be low-brow, even if they veer a bit too close to Chainsmokers territory (if you’re curious to know what happens when BTS actually crosses the line into Chainsmokers territory and if you don’t really value your brain cells [or your hearing], feel free to listen to “Best of Me” - you’ve been warned!).

#065 Ariana Grande - no tears left to cry
Just like that of SHINee, Ariana’s 2018 comeback too was connected to the Herculean task of going on after an unfathomable tragedy while at the same time also acknowledging that it did happen and that things will never be the same. And “no tears left to cry” was undoubtedly the best way to take on said task: It’s an ethereal, uplifting HYMN of a song, one that feels therapeutic, comforting, optimistic and life-affirming all at once. It not only gives Ariana, but also her legion of fans the permission to pick themselves back up and continue singing and dancing, not in spite of, but in acknowledgement of the events of the Manchester attack. The message of “no tears” still rings just as true today (a few days away from 2019) as it did in its release week, especially given the fact that Ariana went on to face even more personal loss and heartbreak in the months following the song’s release. Next to “get well soon”, “no tears” is easily the sweetest, warmest, most comforting - to quote Ari - “musical hug” found on ‘Sweetener’ and it’s one I think we ALL needed.

#064 Tinashe - Ooh La La
“Ooh La La” might be easily overlooked amongst the midtempos that make up a bulk of ‘Joyride’, but it shouldn’t for it consists of some of the best melodies found on the entire album. Backed up by a bed squeaking sample that sounds like it came straight from NCT Taeyong’s wettest dreams, Tinashe routinely croons and talk-sings her way through lyrics that depict a summer night’s hook-up - just company-company, no strings attached. As with so much of Tinashe’s sex-centric musical output, there’s a layer of vulnerability and loneliness to be detected here, if only in her seemingly cool and collected delivery of the verses. As far as the already-mentioned melodies go, a particular melodic highlight comes in the form of the second section of verse two ("Keep you and me on repeat, let's ride out / Ain't love but I need you right now"). Without doubt one of Joyride’s most enjoyable turns!

#063 Charli XCX – Focus
I’m the breed of human that prefers Focus over No Angel. GO ON, CAST YOUR STONES!

#062 The 1975 - TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME
The obnoxiously titled “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME” is that cute little bop that we think we are too good for but that we absolutely need once in a while. It’s basically 2018’s answer to Taylor Swift’s “Stay, Stay, Stay” from the ‘RED’ album, and while most people would probably argue that more songs in that vein were about the LAST thing we needed, I wholeheartedly disagree. “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME” is playful, lighthearted, and albeit repetitive, does feature some interesting lyrics that, as far as I have gathered, seem to revolve around “unfaithful relationships in the digital age” (thank you Genius!). Really, who’s gonna be mad at that?

#061 Key - Imagine
The best pop song with the title “Imagine” released this year (even Ari has to take a L sometimes). An all-English song, “Imagine” is the sum of all of Key’s fabulousness (which is a LOT) translated into a Daft-Punk-meets-Giorgio-Moroder type of synth orgy complete with vocoder mantras (“It’s the magic”) and disco keyboard chords. The lyrics are of the variety that would pass as “LGBT-positive and empowering” had they been sung by Gaga on her ‘Born This Way’ album, which is to say they’re EVERYTHING: “Like a dream in every heart and mind / Or a song we need to play just one more time / Tell the world just what you’re dreaming of / Tell ‘em all we really need is love, love, love.” Miss Homophobia? Oh, SHE DEAD.

December 27, 2018

20 hours ago, Vilppu said:

fff but true, good luck with your long distance relationship too

you're right about the dull R&B crap polluting exo's discography, stuff like wolf may be objectively worse but at least it's distinct and in a way funny. with you is def one of the better songs of that sort and love shot has a cool reggae-lite rhythm in the chorus but it kinda doesn't do much aside from it

the best song of the batch is probably daydream, i was impressed with how well he pulled the smooth, subtle sound off considering how obnoxious his raps usually are

:ahh:

I definitely agree, I actually don't mind EXO's "quirky" pursuits. SM's signature snoozer ballads are the WORST.

I haven't checked out J-Hope's entiure mixtape because his barking I mean rapping is usually a NO for my ears but maybe I should, his remake of SHINee's "Prism" aka "Trivia: Dance" too was a serve after all :heart2:

17 hours ago, Kyungsoowift said:

I love how you acknowledge Power Up, not like most of the members here

They all bop to it in secret, but truly brave souls ACKNOWLEDGE their Power Up stanhood and wear it proudly on their SM-sheep-wool-made sweaters :weeps: :heart2:

15 hours ago, potent said:

Heal Me, Dose, Lucky Strike, A No No all solid choices!

Good to see Hayley getting some appreciation here too, Curious is a bop.

Thank you sweetie! :heart2:

Hayley's album is nice tbh but I need to get more into it, for now I'm only really using Curious and Under the Blue :katie2:

10 minutes ago, M A R C said:

Butterflies and Rewind

SM

STAY WINNING

December 27, 2018

7 minutes ago, RobDeWittBukater said:

I haven't checked out J-Hope's entiure mixtape because his barking I mean rapping is usually a NO for my ears but maybe I should

i'd recommend it, for most of it he doesn't come off as too abrasive. musically i feel it's much more creative than a lot of BTS stuff

Quote

you just HAVE to love it

do i? sounds like a threat. also this soft stan gay bs omg chanyeol is a STRAIGHT man!!

Quote

I absolutely love me an eardrum-shattering chorus

this is exactly where this song fell apart for me, the verses have some really cool ambience to them but then the chanting comes out of nowhere and it just sorta ruins it

Quote

given substance by all-kills and music show wins, a song that was popular with stans due to its popularity on the charts rather than the other way round

shine was actually an initial tanker and didn't take off until like a month after it dropped, and even then it wasn't the huge success everyone is making it out to be. what a song though, the piano riff is stupidly catchy

absolutely love the jonghyun write-ups, they capture what makes those songs special perfectly :heart2:

December 27, 2018

5 minutes ago, Vilppu said:

i'd recommend it, for most of it he doesn't come off as too abrasive. musically i feel it's much more creative than a lot of BTS stuff

do i? sounds like a threat. also this soft stan gay bs omg chanyeol is a STRAIGHT man!!

this is exactly where this song fell apart for me, the verses have some really cool ambience to them but then the chanting comes out of nowhere and it just sorta ruins it

shine was actually an initial tanker and didn't take off until like a month after it dropped, and even then it wasn't the huge success everyone is making it out to be. what a song though, the piano riff is stupidly catchy

absolutely love the jonghyun write-ups, they capture what makes those songs special perfectly

Well then I'll be sure to give it a try!

Ugh, but Sehunty deserves some LOVE (and Chanyeol's arms ofc) :jonny:

Right? I felt the same way at first. But nowadays, I can appreciate the chorus when I'm in the mood, I especially like the electronic stuff going on in the background during that part.

Ooof well I was mostly trying to get at a Love Scenario drag cause I'm a little OiKH but good to know :eli: Shine deserved to be bigger of a hit tbh (and justice for E'Dwan oh gahhhhhd :weeps: )

Aww so glad to hear that :heart2: More coming up tmrw (Top Songs #60-40 alongside Top Mvs)!

December 27, 2018

I used to prefer Focus over NA, but I barely listen Focus now tbh :skull:

NTLTC is so low :'(

Ooh La La :clap3: single material

New Look :katie2: a BOP

omg Under the Blue/Take Me in :eek:

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