shelven Posted January 8, 2018 Author Posted January 8, 2018 shelven's Top 5 TV Shows of 2017 #1: "The Handmaid's Tale" Season 1 Last Year: N/A (DEBUT) When it comes to recent television dramas, I've come to not expect much of debut seasons. Some of my favourite drama series of all time have had mediocre or forgettable first seasons, so I've mostly accepted the fact that dramas often use Season 1 to just set the tone and structure of the show and get things prepared for better follow-up seasons. That is why I was impressed beyond words when I finished the first season of "The Handmaid's Tale", a show that already feels so polished, experienced and grounded that it's almost impossible to believe that it just came out this year. Every single scene, shot and moment in the show's first season feels like it has a clear, important purpose, and that means that it's an absolutely riveting season of television to watch, as you never want to lose focus or look away for a second even during the show's slower moments because you don't want to miss any meaningful interaction or subtle but powerful character development moment. "The Handmaid's Tale" evokes this level of concentration and power equally through its writing and its acting. From a writing perspective, the show brilliantly balances between expanding its world and its characters in a realistic and informative way without ever feeling like it's talking down to its audience or giving away too much of the mystery and implications that make the show so fascinating. In regards to the acting, every actor on the show brings their A-Game - Elisabeth Moss is absolutely fantastic and deserving of every single award she's won so far, and her performance is strengthened by the equally strong performances from supporting actors like Samira Wiley, Madeline Brewer, Yvonne Stahovski and Ann Dowd. If the rule that I introduced at the beginning of this post ends up being true for "The Handmaid's Tale" and its follow-up seasons are somehow even stronger than Season 1, then this show may very well be on its way to becoming one of my favourite television shows of all time.
Navyofbadgals Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 Omg @Fruity won i still think it’s a tad overrated and I’m not really here for lots of follow-up seasons, but it’s still a good #1 pick
shelven Posted January 9, 2018 Author Posted January 9, 2018 And here we go: the end of the countdown. Top 5 singles coming up!
shelven Posted January 9, 2018 Author Posted January 9, 2018 shelven's Top 50 Singles of 2017 #5: "Issues" Julia Michaels As I've alluded to a few times throughout this list, I'm often fascinated by simplistic songs that accomplish and communicate so much with so little. And in my opinion, no single in 2017 embodies that fascination more than "Issues". It is undeniably a simple, straightforward pop song, and yet it manages to communicate so much honesty and emotion despite its straightforwardness while STILL managing to be an incredibly catchy track. The listener is immediately hooked to the song from the very first plucks of the violin, and Julia's tender voice combined with her lyricism complements the mid-tempo and no-frills instrumental perfectly as she captures rawness and authenticity without ever once sounding melodramatic. And while there may be some people who argue that this is a track that Julia could have simply given to another artist instead of recording herself, hearing her own voice on the song is a fresh welcome that contributes to the genuineness of the song and gives it a unique quality that separates it from the many pop songs she's written for others. #4: "Believer" Imagine Dragons I genuinely never thought that Imagine Dragons would ever return to the singles quality they reached with "Radioactive", and I became more confident in this view after their follow-up singles (both immediately after "Radioactive" and from their following album) failed to impress me. But seemingly out of nowhere, they returned with "Believer", a powerful, exhilarating, fun and ridiculously catchy single that took me right back to the days in 2013 where I had played "Radioactive" over and over again. I can almost feel the adrenaline rushing through me as I listen to this song - absolutely every aspect of the track contributes to that rush, from the opening drums, to Dan's fast-paced lyrical delivery on the pre-chorus, to the momentous chorus that takes over you. With "Believer", Imagine Dragons truly proved that a great artist can never and should never be counted out after a few duds, and they deserve all the success they have received this era thanks to this excellent lead single. #3: "New Rules" Dua Lipa When I finally decided to listen to "New Rules" after witnessing the overwhelming positive feedback it was getting on ATRL and social media, I honestly didn't expect to jump on the song's hype train. On first listen, I thought it was a solid pop song, but not much more than that. And then the song proceeded to grow on me. And grow. And grow way, way more. I'm someone who doesn't really listen to music on repeat, but at one point this year, I inexplicably found myself being unable to stop listening to this song. It's absolutely everything that a solo female pop song should be - catchy, confident, polished, unique and exciting. Dua proves with "New Rules" that she easily has one of the sexiest female voices in pop music right now, and this song wouldn't work nearly as well if it wasn't for the effortless sultriness she exudes. The song's massive replayability can largely be attributed to the journey that the song takes you on, moving swiftly and seamlessly from hypnotizing verses to a fast-paced and building chorus and finally to a climactic, unique chorus. While "New Rules" didn't leave enough of a personal impact on me to finish at #1 on this list (although I very nearly did switch it to the top of my list at one point), it nonetheless remains one of the best crafted pop singles of the year. #2: "1-800-273-8255" Logic feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid As I already briefly talked about in my description of "Praying", one of the wondrous things about music is that it can convey emotion in a way that words alone often cannot, and when it comes to pure emotional impact, "1-800-273-8255" is one of the most emotionally powered listening experiences I've had with a song in recent years. Once again, I'm blown away at the power of simplicity - the lyrics are direct and to-the-point, but that directness given the subject matter is extremely powerful. Logic delivers the lyrics excellently, and Alessia and Khalid's vocal contributions are both absolutely haunting. But more than anything, this song almost tops my list (and, like with "New Rules", I strongly considered putting this at #1) because of its unbelievably strong instrumental. The production matches the mood and theme of the song to a tee, and the sheer beauty of it makes you want to dedicate your entire attention to the song whenever you listen to it. "1-800" is truly a song where every single lyrical, musical and vocal choice feels thought-out and part of a grander whole, and the result is breathtaking. #1: "Stay" Zedd & Alessia Cara Many of you reading (or scrolling through ) this post may be scratching your heads at the fact that this finishes as my #1 favourite single of the entire year - it's a good pop song, but absolute best of the year? And the reality is that, just like when I crowned "Roses" as my #1 single of 2016, I can't really put into words why this song is my favourite of the year. My favourite songs of the year often resonate with me on an emotional and instinctive level that goes beyond any analytical explanation, and that's exactly what "Stay" did for me on my very first listen and continues to do for me today even though this song came out almost eleven months ago. Listening to this song just transports my mind to a different place - a place of peace, calm and serenity, where I just feel the song instead of listen to the words or the specific production elements. The haunting hummed melody that starts the song begins that transportation right away, and Alessia's serene, calming vocals on the verses keeps me there. The chorus's use of a vocoder over no other instrumentation and the snap that precedes the breakdown are two moments that grab me every time I listen to the song, and even the breakdown itself fits right in with that euphoric feel that this song gives me. Overall, I can't say exactly what it was that pushed this song all the way up to #1 for me, but I don't need to pinpoint that exact element, because what makes music so fantastic is the way it can affect us without any easy explanation.
shelven Posted January 9, 2018 Author Posted January 9, 2018 THANK YOU!! And with that, my second ever "Best Of" list comes to an end. I wanted to thank everyone who visited this thread, followed along and commented on my choices, whether or not you just popped into the thread once or you stayed throughout the entire countdown. While I may not have stuck to my schedule as perfectly this year as I did last year, I had just as much fun this year, and the "Best Of" section always reminds me of what makes ATRL such a fun and special place for music lovers. I love doing these lists because they help me learn more about myself - as I put a certain song or TV show higher on the list than another, I have to stop and think about why I'm doing that and why a certain song or show connected with me more than a different one did, and that experience of understanding and growth is invaluable to me. So thank you for allowing me to share those thoughts and that growth with all of you. Until next year.
Remmy Posted January 9, 2018 Posted January 9, 2018 1-800 Great message, very lackluster execution. Glad it was blocked, honestly! Issues is cute Believer New Rules Stay Nope, I'm not scratching my head - It's a nice pick for #1 Stay is actually the one that I ranked highest on my list (#11, with Dua just being one spot behind ha.)
Wicked Posted January 9, 2018 Posted January 9, 2018 I'm mad at everyone expecting The Handmaid's Tale to have a sophomore slump You don't think Better Call Saul S3 had an improvement over S2? I felt like we saw significantly less Mike too, but I didn't mind because we got to see more Chuck.
shelven Posted January 9, 2018 Author Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Remmy said: Stay Nope, I'm not scratching my head - It's a nice pick for #1 Stay is actually the one that I ranked highest on my list (#11, with Dua just being one spot behind ha.) Slay at there being someone else who actually reads the descriptions 7 minutes ago, Wicked said: I'm mad at everyone expecting The Handmaid's Tale to have a sophomore slump You don't think Better Call Saul S3 had an improvement over S2? I felt like we saw significantly less Mike too, but I didn't mind because we got to see more Chuck. I mean I do get the concern for The Handmaid's Tale - it'll be off-book next season and that's always hit or miss for shows - but I'm personally optimistic because many parts of Season 1 were off-book as well and I thought almost all of those parts were still very strong. I thought the first half of Better Call Saul S3 was an improvement over S2, but then I found the season dipped a bit after the episode with Jimmy's hearing (the finale was amazing though) Edited January 9, 2018 by shelven
Nikko Posted January 9, 2018 Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) Issues, New Rules and Stay Nice countdown! Edited January 9, 2018 by Nikko
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted January 9, 2018 ATRL Moderator Posted January 9, 2018 Slay us with your generic taste, Steven
potent Posted January 9, 2018 Posted January 9, 2018 I really don't like the 1, 2, and 5 lol but Believer is great! I get what you're saying about Stay but it's still so painfully generic, like anyone could have made that song...
Lazuli Posted January 10, 2018 Posted January 10, 2018 Alessia Cara snatching your top 2 wow Believer is meh tbh New Rules tho
lhdang2000 Posted January 10, 2018 Posted January 10, 2018 Really great top 5, I love all of it. But Stay is your #1. I don't know there are other people who love that song, and I'm the only one who enjoys it. Such an amazing song, it left me speechless the first time I heard it.
Spartak92 Posted January 11, 2018 Posted January 11, 2018 Nice top 2 1-800-273-8255 is a truly masterpiece
Pedro Posted January 11, 2018 Posted January 11, 2018 Quote Listening to this song just transports my mind to a different place - a place of peace, calm and serenity, where I just feel the song instead of listen to the words or the specific production elements. Thanks for reading my mind, Shelven. Even though I am extremely disappointed 5H missed Top 5. Bye. I am kidding, New Rules
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