Mark Rih Posted December 22, 2017 Posted December 22, 2017 Don't Leave is my fave from this set, such a nice pop/EDM jam. Thunder is good, but Whatever It Takes > Let You Down was ok, I got into it because it was spammed on every Spotify playlist.
shelven Posted December 22, 2017 Author Posted December 22, 2017 shelven's Top 50 Singles of 2017 #25: "Good Old Days" Macklemore feat. Kesha Once upon a time, a collaboration between Macklemore and Kesha would have seemed ridiculous, but after Kesha's comeback and transformation this year, it suddenly became a perfect pairing. Macklemore is great at crafting songs that evoke genuine emotion when he wants to, and "Good Old Days" is a perfect example of that. Macklemore's rap as well as Kesha's chorus perfectly create a feeling of both nostalgia and melancholy associated with reflecting on one's past, which is a feeling most listeners can likely relate to at some point in their lives. The soft, tender instrumental of the song mixed in with both Macklemore's poignant delivery of his rap and Kesha's soothing vocals on the chorus truly captures the feeling it intends to capture, and is a great example of music's power to communicate emotions often better than words can. #24: "Call On Me [Ryan Riback Remix]" Starley Like some other songs that I have already showcased in this list, "Call On Me" is an example of a song that doesn't create anything groundbreaking or new, but simply excels at the type of song it wants to be. "Call On Me" came at the tail end of the tropical pop wave, but it's one of my favourite songs that we got from that trend, and that's largely to do with the strength of Starley's original song that Ryan Riback builds upon. Starley's lyrics are simple and yet they're effortlessly universal and enjoyable, and her voice has a tender innocence to it that makes the song light and breezy. In his production, Ryan Riback acknowledges and builds off these strengths, creating an instrumental that gives the song an even greater carefree, relaxing attitude. #23: "Down" Marian Hill "Down" is one of those songs that comes along once in a while that manages to become a hit under extremely specific circumstances (in this case, a highly used Apple commercial), and as a result, we got a hit that sounds unique and interesting compared to its fellow hits at the time. The extremely minimalist production of the song (just a few piano notes and one light electronic breakdown that also only consists of a few notes) makes it mesmerizing to listen to and gives it ample replay value. Samantha Gongol's vocals are equally as mesmerizing, offering a quiet tone and subdued delivery that captures the listener's attention because of how unusual (in the best way possible) it is compared to most mainstream pop music. #22: "Move Your Body" Sia Although technically a new "Single Mix" was what was actually released as a single, I'm going to focus on the original version of this song because it's the version I preferred and listened to far more often. "Move Your Body" is one of the very pleasant surprises we got from Sia's choice to release an album filled with songs intended for other artists, because it's so out of Sia's normal comfort zone and yet she still nails the sound. Her vocals and the trance-like production in the verses are simply hypnotic, effortlessly capturing the listener's attention. The song then moves into an explosive chorus that's incredibly catchy and impossible not to want to dance to (though I still do wish the production was slightly softer). While I wouldn't exactly recommend Sia switch to only releasing dance music, "Move Your Body" demonstrates that she could do a pretty good job of it if she wanted to. #21: "How Far I'll Go" Auli'i Cravalho I love Alessia Cara, but she can't compare to the beauty and the grandness of the original version of this song. Disney found an absolute diamond with Auli'i Cravalho, as her voice excels at everything one would want in a Disney princess song. Her voice on this song is full of personality, emotion, and surprising power for her age, with a strong chorus and an amazing final note to end the song. Coupled with an island-like production that perfectly sets the scene for "Moana" and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda that provide the positive, motivational spirit that Disney songs excel at, "How Far I'll Go" is not only a fantastic Disney song, but an extremely enjoyable song overall.
Remmy Posted December 23, 2017 Posted December 23, 2017 How Far I'll Go is cute You put the better version on your list slay Down Move Your Body goes OFF! Loved it ever since play #1.
potent Posted December 23, 2017 Posted December 23, 2017 4/5 Good Old Days Down and Call on Me are cute.
Staryu Posted December 23, 2017 Posted December 23, 2017 How Far I'll Go is very good Move Your Body is a bop
Navyofbadgals Posted December 23, 2017 Posted December 23, 2017 20 hours ago, shelven said: Just got to my hotel, so next update coming up! hotel what
Navyofbadgals Posted December 23, 2017 Posted December 23, 2017 don't really love any songs this update, but they cute I guess
Fenrir Posted December 23, 2017 Posted December 23, 2017 5 minutes ago, Navyofbadgals said: hotel what
lhdang2000 Posted December 23, 2017 Posted December 23, 2017 5/5. I may be different, but I love Alessia's HFIG more. There's something about the production that I love it so much.
shelven Posted December 24, 2017 Author Posted December 24, 2017 9 hours ago, Navyofbadgals said: hotel what I was in a hotel in Miami when I posted the last update, and I'm on a cruise now as I'm about to post the next update 5 hours ago, lhdang2000 said: 5/5. I may be different, but I love Alessia's HFIG more. There's something about the production that I love it so much. Alessia's version is definitely great too and I like the production as well. I just thought Auli'i's had a bit more power and emotion in it which I preferred. --- TV Show #3 coming up now! The first new entry on the list
shelven Posted December 24, 2017 Author Posted December 24, 2017 (edited) shelven's Top 5 TV Shows of 2017 #3: "Stranger Things" Season 2 Last Year: N/A (DEBUT) Season 1 of "Stranger Things" barely missed out on being eligible for my list last year, since I watched the show less than a week after concluding my 2016 Best Of. After falling in love with the show's debut season, I was really hoping that Season 2 would be strong enough to earn "Stranger Things" a spot on my 2017 list, and it certainly did not disappoint. Similarly to how I described Season 3 of "Better Call Saul", Season 2 of "Stranger Things" didn't necessarily make massive improvements over the previous season, but it maintained the show's quality, which is an impressive feat given how strong Season 1 of this show was. With a show as nostalgic and campy as "Stranger Things", it would have been very easy for a follow-up season to feel tired and disappointing, but the Duffer Brothers were able to keep the show feeling extremely fresh while holding onto the show's established charm and loveable qualities. I really enjoyed the show's choice to take a slightly darker tone this season, and what made that work so well for Season 2 was the absolutely phenomenal acting by Noah Schnapp. While Millie Bobby Brown deserves the attention she gets, Noah was easily the star of this season for me, as his emotional portrayal of Will's experience was crucial to making this season feel high-stakes and suspenseful. In fact, I thought all of the child actors really improved this season, and my opinion on them went from "aw, these kids are adorable" in Season 1 to acknowledging how they're also very strong actors, especially for their age. While Season 2 wasn't perfect (I'm looking at you, Episode 7), overall it really managed to succeed in building on the show's strengths, raising the stakes and intensity, and convincing me that "Stranger Things" can be more than just a nostalgic, campy fad, but instead be a compelling show in the long run. Edited December 30, 2017 by shelven
shelven Posted December 25, 2017 Author Posted December 25, 2017 dddd I guess nobody cares about Stranger Things anymore Anyways, I guess this is where the "tentative" aspect of my original schedule begins to take effect I was hoping I'd be able to consistently keep this updated throughout the cruise that I'm on, but the ship's terrible Wi-Fi combined with the fact that I haven't had as much spare time to use my computer as I thought I would means that it's going to be difficult for me to keep this updated while I'm on the cruise. I'm still going to try to get a couple of updates in this week, but I can't make any guarantees. What I can guarantee is that I will be able to go back to consistently updating this starting on the 30th.
K$Ellie Posted December 25, 2017 Posted December 25, 2017 Audition is just I cry at it every time one of my fave scenes in the movie Thunder, Don't Leave and Worst In Me are cute Move Your Body is my fave from the last set Good Old Days is nice and Down is alright 5 hours ago, shelven said: dddd I guess nobody cares about Stranger Things anymore I do Season 2 was even better than S1 imo
TheWayWeWere Posted December 25, 2017 Posted December 25, 2017 Stranger Things praise I liked S1 kinda better
Maddox Posted December 25, 2017 Posted December 25, 2017 ST2 had its weaknesses but overall it was a fun season, easy to binge!
grandewhispers Posted December 25, 2017 Posted December 25, 2017 4/5 I've never heard Down! Call On Me and Move Your Body are major bops!
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted December 26, 2017 ATRL Moderator Posted December 26, 2017 Move Your Body
Mark Rih Posted December 26, 2017 Posted December 26, 2017 I didn't use Down and Call On Me that much, but they were good radio tracks for me. MYB is a bop and I watched Moana the other day cute film, the song was great in it
Recommended Posts