This year's best of is brought to you by reunions like Gilmore Girls and Fuller House!
[Hopefully this isn't as disappointing as those were...]
Hello! It's been forever since I had a best of and I plan to change it this year! Also, this time, I'll try to share the whole list and not leave people hanging... so, while some months may have more pulp than others, expect a variety of songs and albums that I remembered for this year
So happy to see one of my great pals doing another year-end! Yours are never cookie-cutter, they are always unique and really creative, in addition to exposing me to new stuff. Can't wait for it to start, Ke!
[it's the local subway system messing with us, one neglect at a time...]
On the first sip of 2016, I heard only one thing!
Rihanna - "Work"
Not gonna lie... didn't listen to a lot of music this month, so the only thing that seemed appropriate to start off this Best Of was this song as it almost defines the start of this year, without really being released early in January. I heard it almost everywhere, either as the catchy song you don't know how to dance to, or through amusings that discuss how no one can understand the lyrics. This clip was so spot on that it only felt appropriate to link it here as I mention how this was probably the best anticipation of Rihanna's ANTI album. This is a such a great link to seeing what her lyrics meant and only added to the amusement. It's like no matter what she's trying to sing, she knew she was going to get a hit... and surprisingly, I felt that way with ANTI. Great album with some killer hits but took me a bit of listening to truly get into it. Also, this year was pretty much about work,work,work,work,work...
Here's an old ad about orange juice to mull you over until the next post!
Slurp me king. I never grew fond of "Work," but I appreciate that she stepped into a new lane, tried a new style and that it was successful - the GP was here for it!
oh ****, I forgot all about how your do your year-end by months! Such a smart idea. I wish I had the mental capacity to figure out what specific song or album I loved each month like you do! Well, I imagine if I tried I could. I should give myself some credit haha. But the way you do it is always so fun and awesome.
I love "Work"! And what i've heard from ANTI I quite like as well ("Desperado" is a really cool song). And the retro OJ ad, love it!
By the way, forgot to mention it before, but I love Rachel Bloom being on your banner. I haven't watched Jane the Virgin yet, though I know you have been a long-time fan, but Bloom and Crazy Ex are so great! What I like about her and the show is that comedy is the priority, with the musical and relationship stuff secondary. My point being, a lot of these hybrid comedy/drama/musicals shortchange the comedy a lot of the time (or if there is comedy, it's light that makes you smile AT MOST and rarely has you actually laughing), but I love that Bloom makes the show as funny as other comedies out there (I am laughing out loud watching the show! Or LFR-ing!), with one-liners reminding me of 30 Rock. Oh wow, that was a tangent! Just wanted to give you props for the Bloom inclusion!
[you know mimosas can work for parties too, right?]
On the second sip of 2016, I heard two things!
Drake - "Hotline Bling"
Okay, similar to" Work" by Rihanna, this was also a song of the year. I mean we had tons of memes for this song! Again, wasn't so big on the album that came after but I would be lying to myself if I didn't list Drake in some form. I liked a few songs off of the album but I started to like the remixes more, such as this killer remix for Controlla which wasn't even that different but it was different in just the right ways. I would have embedded the SNL parody for this song but I figured using a meme would work fine, especially if it could highlight an app obsession of mine, Pokemon Go!
Santigold - 99 Cents
The album that DID stand out, albeit slowly, was Santigold's 99 Cents. She always seems to try something new and does it so well. I wasn't as big of a fan as the last album but I got to see her again this year which reminded me of how much I love this woman.The opener was a bit too much for me (some local from NY) but Santigold was somehow more fun than before and she had her two dancers again! (Not sure if they were the same two dancers as before...)
Great OJ Brands: Banshee, Big Boss Big Time Business, and (seen below) Can't Get Enough Of Myself (feat. B.C)!
Not to repeat myself (but i'm going to do it anyway!), I love how you format your year-end! And like with "Hotline Bling," that's a song that has been written about a ton, but you bring your own personal feelings/experience to it and it makes reading about it feel fresh. And the Pokemon Go bit haha! That was def a 2016 staple! Santigold!! I remember when all of us first heard Santo Gold, what an exciting time! I don't know if she has ever topped that album, for me personally, but I have enjoyed everything she has done since. And seeing her live! That would be so cool! Geez Ben, have you used enough exclamation marks, buddy???
Rihanna - "Work" 
Sounded like trash on my first listen, then it grew on me after a few more.
Such a fantastic song.
Drake - "Hotline Bling"
