best of Tom Vercetti's Best Of 2017 | Finished

[Glassmouth]

OMG NEXT TOP 20  IM NOT READY 

[Lazuli]

Yas Team Losss 

Mask Off, Los Ageless, Third of May  

Slip Away is perfect  

[Playa Playa]

All of these  are pretty much great with Chanel, Slip Away and XO Tour Llif3 being the exceptional ones. 

 

Tfw your Top 20 is going to be even greater

 

 

[Bloomers]

Tom! I'm a little late to the party, but I needed to pop in here and check out your Best of the first chance I got. I love your write-ups as always, it's always great to see what you have to say about music.

 

I may not have had the chance to follow music too closely this year, but the things that I recognize on your list, I love and rest assured, I already have this bookmarked so I can find plenty of great stuff to listen to throughout 2018. 

 

I've caught up on your list so far and am excited for the completion of the song list. I know that everything here is super solid, so I'll just say that I have been all about Mask Off recently and was happy to tune into your countdown right around the time it was revealed.

[Navyofbadgals]

Los Ageless and Boredom  

[theblackestday]

Hairloss(s)  was hoping it'd make it higher
Boredom and Chanel

Drugs is the best song on N1A. she really did that with the outro
SL/T was worthy of making the list obviously but that's a reasonable exclusion

Hoping Kelallah snatches, and hoping it's with something less predictable than LMK (but probably not)

[Samson]

slay @ chanel and slip away

[jose168]

A Set  literally love every song, similar positions too  

Glad to see some love for slip away as it was completely erased from bestOf conscious for Die4You

[Pink Matter]

34. JMSN - Slowly

33. Björk - Loss(s) 

32. Future - Mask Off

31. Smino - Netflix & Dusse

30. Charli XCX ft Abra - Drugs

29. Lil Uzi Vert - XO Tour Lif3

28. St. Vincent - Los Ageless

23. Tyler, The Creator ft Rex Orange County & Anna Of The North - Boredom

22. Frank Ocean - Chanel 

21. Perfume Genius - Slip Away

 

Great set  Chanel and Slip Away are my faves here. Kinda crazy one of the best singles released this year was a Frank loosie huh? His power>>>>

[Brandon]

 

Charli XCX 

[Same Ol' Mistakes]

Quote

 

40. Calvin Harris ft Frank Ocean & Migos - Slide

39. Slowdive - Sugar For The Pill

38. Alvvays - In Undertow

37. Grizzly Bear - Losing All Sense

35. Clarence Clarity - Naysayer Godslayer

34. JMSN - Slowly

33. Björk - Loss(s)

31. Smino - Netflix & Dusse

28. St. Vincent - Los Ageless

27. Playboi Carti - Magnolia

26. Fleet Foxes - Third of May / Ōdaigahara

24. Jamiroquai - Cloud 9

23. Tyler The Creator ft Rex Orange County & Anna Of The North - Boredom

22. Frank Ocean - Chanel 

21. Perfume Genius - Slip Away

 

Loving these

[Tom Vercetti]

Spoiler

 

22 hours ago, Eeveelution said:

Stan for talent.  

 

Drugs is a cute girl too. Boredom is one of my favs on Flower Boy. XO and Slip Away are good. Losss.. well I'll say i'm less of an OLH than I used to be. 

It'll grow on ya by next year perhaps.

 

21 hours ago, Vilppu said:

Except for Loss and JMSN these are all really good, glad you stan for the gay anthem Femmebot too. 

Can never deny an effective chorus.

 

21 hours ago, Wicked said:

Real Death is my favorite of the HMs. I didn't get around to Brand New's album, but it has to wait now for obvious reasons. 

 

Mask Off, Drugs XO Tour Lif3 (still don't like Uzi tho), Fleet Foxes, Magnolia, Chanel & Slip Away are my faves. 

 

I didn't know Jamiroquai released, I'll have to get around to that. 

 

Automaton was kind of low key but not his worse. Some neat choices around. And agree, not the biggest Uzi fan out there either. 

 

20 hours ago, Vxspertine said:

 

Clarence  He really does deserve much more acclaim doesn't he? Naysayer was excellent 

Los Ageless  

Chanel  SOTY imo 

Slip Away  Mike's music is finally growing on me 

glad to hear that~

 

16 hours ago, Ewan Chaos said:

YES at Slowly. I think Drinkin' has potential to be the immediate choice as the single etc etc, but Slowly is that jazzy jam that really works for JMSN's voice & lyrics.

 

Excellent Charlie & Annie picks too. YES at the Jamiroquai stanning - Cloud 9 is a fantastic track. 

Drinkin's fine but slowly more on the replayable side.

 

13 hours ago, Playa Playa said:

All of these  are pretty much great with Chanel, Slip Away and XO Tour Llif3 being the exceptional ones. 

 

Tfw your Top 20 is going to be even greater

That's the goal  

 

12 hours ago, Bloomers said:

Tom! I'm a little late to the party, but I needed to pop in here and check out your Best of the first chance I got. I love your write-ups as always, it's always great to see what you have to say about music.

 

I may not have had the chance to follow music too closely this year, but the things that I recognize on your list, I love and rest assured, I already have this bookmarked so I can find plenty of great stuff to listen to throughout 2018. 

 

I've caught up on your list so far and am excited for the completion of the song list. I know that everything here is super solid, so I'll just say that I have been all about Mask Off recently and was happy to tune into your countdown right around the time it was revealed.

I'm really honored that u stopped by here and it's nice seeing familiar faces. And thanks! I'm not the best writer and it's not really my passion to be a music reviewer or anything like that but I try. Stay on the lookout for a spotify playlist when this is over, i'll update it along the OP when the time comes. 

 

5 hours ago, theblackestday said:

Hoping Kelallah snatches, and hoping it's with something less predictable than LMK (but probably not)

We will see  I'm not the entirely predictable type. 

 

3 hours ago, jose168 said:

A Set  literally love every song, similar positions too  

Glad to see some love for slip away as it was completely erased from bestOf conscious for Die4You

Some more similar things may appear 

Gotta spread the Perfume Genius material. 

 

Thanks for the kind commentary from everyone. Let me update this top 20 right now, ayyy.

 

Warning, half of these songs are pretty long 

 

[Tom Vercetti]

 

 

 

20. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Crumbling Castle (Psychedelic Rock)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Ever since their smashing album Nonagon Infinity from last year i've been keeping my eye on them per release. They promised to be super prolific and release five albums this year and so far they managed 4/5. Out of those 4/5, it took the most recent one for me to find their Opus, Crumbling Castle. It's really nothing like they've done this year, as it borderlines on being progressive with a slight metal transition near the end. This track is so grand that it kind of overshadowed their album for me as everything else after it couldn't really match its stature. As they sing about being prepared for whats to come for their damaged sanctuary, this track is an elastic riffing journey. 

 

 

 

19. Amenra - A Solitary Reign (Sludge Metal/Post Rock)

 

Spoiler

 

 

When i'm in the mood for atmospheric metal I know where to turn to. A Solitary reign is a voyage, led on by the singer's soft spoken whisper, like he's in a dark cavern that eventually builds up to the main burst.  As someone who doesn't mind clean vocals in his metal, Amenra offers those and then some, with the background growls that fight against them. I love tracks that naturally take the time they need to maximize the musical potential. Amenra has the ability to make dense and emotional tracks through the use of their vocal style and melodic elements. 

 

 

18. Ulver - Rolling Stone (Synthpop/Experimental)

 

Spoiler

 

 

What I admire most about Ulver is their versatility and willingness to adapt and execute new genres competently. Back in the early 90s, they were simply a black metal group. Throughout their career they also dipped their toes in Neofolk, dark ambient, and experimental rock. Recently and through Rolling Stone in particular, they've gone the synthpop route. Mostly the comparisons they're getting are with Depeche Mode in fact. Rolling Stone however isn't your basic synthpop track. Accompanied by a rather catchy chorus with female vocal support, it has enough appeal midway in the song for an average listener, but it also contains the experimental and wonky side of them near 2/3rd of the song. I love every part of it and how it all connects.

 

 

17. Japanese Breakfast - Diving Woman (Dream Pop)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Diving Woman is another example of a perfectly designed opener track that's intended to engage the listener, invite them through the lush realm, and provide them a first impression through the trance soundscape it provides. I was wow'd at first listen as I didn't expect to be that captivated. Those wobbly sounds at the very beginning kind of sound otherworldly. I'm guessing that's a reason for the album's title  As she softly speaks " I Want It All", I envision this track to be dream like. 

 

 

 

16. Miguel - Banana Clip (R&B)

 

Spoiler

 

 

There's always that one album track that the artist either doesn't understand its hit potential or purposely leaves it on there while it's so good that we wonder why it wasn't the first single, or in worst cases, ever. Banana Clip fits the  "War & Leisure" title best, through the use of metaphors and its defensive message. Production wise, it's on the more cozy spectrum. The "ha ha ha"'s latches on quickly too. It's those little touches that can make a track standout and memorable. 

 

 

 

15. Susanne Sundfør ft John Grant - Mountaineers (Art Pop)

 

Spoiler

 

 

John Grant really reminds me of Brendan Perry from Dead Can Dance just from the vocals. He sounds like he's singing in an isolated chasm, as his deep voice echoes for half the song. The other half is usually the highlight of the show, as Susanne's angelic voice sheds upon light and harmony. The moment the instrumental hymns come in and form an awaited climax is the best. The arrangement of mountaineers is stirring and matches a proper ending to MFPIT. 

 

 

 

 

14. LCD Soundsystem - How Do You Sleep? (Synthpop/New Wave)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Again I recently mentioned how I love tracks that build up and goes somewhere with it, and it's a similar case for this epic lcd track. It begins with that minimal tribal drum beat and a big synth sound that seemly increases the intensity as the track goes on, with James shrieking about his disconnection with Tim Goldsworthy. When the more consistent and hyper synth sounds come in around the 2nd half, the track transforms from a uprising slow burner to a big burst of energy. This brings me back to the moment when I first heard Dance Yrself Clean for the first time and I wasn't expecting that dynamic switch up three minutes in. It just hits you with everything it got. 

 

 

13. Lorde - Homemade Dynamite (Pop)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Now you know it's really gonna blow *whispers boom*

 

There's numerous reasons as to why I adore this song. First thing is her laid back nature throughout the entire track. There's no stress or emotional grief, just the thoughts of meeting exciting strangers and having fun at that grand house party she's been thinking about all year. Even at the case of a serious car crash, she still finds a way to compare it a party scenario in a nonchalant manner. Second, the high-school/college drumline brings along a slight nostalgic factor for me. Third, the stuttering of dynamite to imitate a time bomb being one of the catchiest moments was smart. It's been said already that there was a Tove Lo presence and I think the inspiration was needed. Vocals, production, the ties to Melodrama's theme, love everything about it. 

 

 

 

12. Vince Staples - Big Fish (Hip Hop)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Juicy J on that catchy money hungry hook boy. Big Fish is rather one of the more "normal" tracks on Big Fish Theory but the production is still booming and aqueous. The small references to Ramona and Norf Norf links this track back to the Summertime days. As vince is getting more experience and maturity along his career, his goal of becoming the "big fish" of the rap game is only becoming more of a possibility. Yeah he has sharks competing along with him but he's aware of that and will continue to take risks and innovate to set himself apart from the rest. 

 

 

 

11. Blanck Mass - Please (Electro-Industrial)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Please was my first Blanck Mass and ever since on first listen it never fails to captivate me. The F*ck Buttons member knows how to put his samples to use. The chopped female voice samples gives Please the right amount of catchiness and melody to compliment the extra crunchy sound effects and the bass noise that continuously pulsates. Along with the rest of the album, the material is borderline accessible for its standard. The cover may imply otherwise, but the track has a groove that stays on the mind upon exposure. Think of please as a more industrial intake of Flume. 

[Tom Vercetti]

Top 10 tomorrow. Feel free to guess which artists are involved, or not. 

 

Recap:

Spoiler

 

20. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Crumbling Castle

19. Amenra - A Solitary Reign 

18. Ulver - Rolling Stone 

17. Japanese Breakfast - Diving Woman

16. Miguel - Banana Clip

15. Susanne Sundfør ft John Grant - Mountaineers

14. LCD Soundsystem - How Do You Sleep?

13. Lorde - Homemade Dynamite

12. Vince Staples - Big Fish

11. Blanck Mass - Please

 

 

[Dom]

Quote

13. Lorde - Homemade Dynamite

Yasss, one of my 2017 fave songs. shame it flopped as a single.

but it's such a good song, probably Lorde's best.

For me homemade dynamite is up there with "Team" as Lorde's best songs.

[Unoriginal]

Wasn't expecting to see legend Susanne here

[Navyofbadgals]

Mountaineers and Banana Clip  

[Same Ol' Mistakes]

A set  How Do You Sleep is a masterpiece.

 

Maybe Kendrick and JAY Z are in the top 10? It's kinda surprising at this point.

[Unoriginal]

homemade dynamite is probably my third favourite on Melodrama so nice to see that too

[ColdKeane]

Lorde, Vince Staples, LCD Soundsytem  

[Price of Fame]

So many great songs in the past two updates. 

 

The breakdown towards the end of Drugs is peak Charli and Mountaineers is remarkable (even if I’m not a huge fan of the album as a whole)

 

not sure I get homemade dynamite being the Lorde pick on so many countdowns tho 

[Topmaster 2]

20. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Crumbling Castle | I like it

19. Amenra - A Solitary Reign  | Very long  but nice tune

18. Ulver - Rolling Stone | Don't know this  

17. Japanese Breakfast - Diving Woman | YAS!

16. Miguel - Banana Clip | Nah  

15. Susanne Sundfør ft John Grant - Mountaineers | TALENTED ARTISTS!  

14. LCD Soundsystem - How Do You Sleep? | Good!

13. Lorde - Homemade Dynamite | QUEEN!

12. Vince Staples - Big Fish | I discovered him this month  great tunes  

11. Blanck Mass - Please | No idea  

[Tsareena]

Don’t know most of these ki but really love banana clip, homemade dynamite and big fish ( a banger)

[Tom Vercetti]

34 minutes ago, Dom said:

Yasss, one of my 2017 fave songs. shame it flopped as a single.

but it's such a good song, probably Lorde's best.

For me homemade dynamite is up there with "Team" as Lorde's best songs.

Only the remix was officially released as a single. Homemade was supposed to be but couldn't under circumstances.

 

34 minutes ago, Unoriginal said:

Wasn't expecting to see legend Susanne here

Why not 

 

32 minutes ago, Same Ol' Mistakes said:

Maybe Kendrick and JAY Z are in the top 10? It's kinda surprising at this point.

 

 

21 minutes ago, Price of Fame said:

So many great songs in the past two updates. 

 

The breakdown towards the end of Drugs is peak Charli and Mountaineers is remarkable (even if I’m not a huge fan of the album as a whole)

 

not sure I get homemade dynamite being the Lorde pick on so many countdowns tho 

I've been seeing more Green Light choices tbh. But Homemade deserves the props.

 

[Eeveelution]

Homemade Dynamite and HDYS? = the best songs on their respective albums, you better stan!