Best songs of 2018
Okay I’m really hitting the deadlines here but 2018 is almost over and I promised myself I would write a post about my top songs and top albums and though the post itself is rushed I spent the whole year carefully curating these lists. Please enjoy!
I only wrote in length on my favorite five songs of the year and this is not a tier list like my best albums but just the songs I feel deserve the most attention here at the end of the year.
https://open.spotify.com/user/nicholas_arcos/playlist/3qomofup8y3zu1bwhlhzkM?si=JywcX-LCQCmDukBUVOIpjg
Hellogoodbye- “Close”
Are we building or breaking, destroying or making? / Is it entropy or ecstasy?
I’ve been listening to Hellogoodbye since the beginning and though they started by producing infectious pop hits, I’ve been most invested in their second act where they’ve gone more the indie synth route. Close is the best song they’ve created- ever. It’s sexual and demanding and steady and haunting and occupies those moonlit moments beneath the sheets with your lover. Lead singer Forest Kline’s whispers throughout the track opening just barely over the sparse instrumentation leading you into this moment before the drums kick in and bring the song to its full vision. I can’t even be objective while writing this as I’ve listened to this song over a hundred times this year and it always brings me to tears. It’s just wonderful.
Parcels- Tieduprightnow
Australian born Parcels is the disco funk electropop boy band you never knew you needed to exist. Straddling the line between the heyday of the seventies (long hair included) and the electronic dance music of today this five piece have made great waves since their debut in 2015. This was their first single of their debut album and it instantly calls you to a sock hop in early summer. This uptempo track is light and springy and pushes forward with an adept bass line and perfect high hat matched by a crooning falsetto. Though these aussies have relocated to Berlin, this song is a perfect tribute to the summer joy that is Australia.
Matt Corby- All Fired Up
You’ve never heard music until you’ve listened to Matt Corby. He is by far the greatest musician in the world and there are no exceptions. I’ve never been to another concert like his, pure vocal angst and instrumental talent, this man is a dream. Combined with his insane good looks there is nothing he can’t do. All Fired Up was the second single release in advance of his second album, Rainbow Valley, and describes the yearning a lover finds in his partner and the urge to know someone so completely and lovingly while being apart. It’s another song about sex but who cares after he lures you in with a beautiful piano intro and his perfect voice.
Maggie Rogers- All Fired Up
Maggie Rogers is an angel and I’m so excited for her debut album this upcoming January but the singles released in advance are good enough. Fallingwater is the pop single we deserve but so often the one ignored by the traditional radio market. Following the game accrued through the now viral Pharrell masterclass she attended while in college it’s clear that she’s continued to strive to bring together the harmony of nature sounds with the studio perfect pop she excels at. The layered vocals on the last half of the track are pure ear candy and I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for her next release.
Yoke Lore- Concrete
I’ve seen Adrian, who’s monicker is Yoke Lore perform now four or five times and he is something of a musical and rhythmic phenom. How many times have you heard electronic banjo on the radio? Probably not many, but this is the man bringing that magic to the mainstream. Between his eclectic dancing and electronically enhanced vocals he creates an amazing live show environment. Concrete is a single off of his newest EP, Absolutes and delves into the struggle of having to be in the city to do your job and live like a normal human while your heart and soul ache for the country. The struggle of the heart and mind is one long fought, but eloquently put in this song.
2018 was a minute but I’m excited to see the amazing music released in this new year!