Hope you all had a happy holidays! Here we begin the fourth set!
Number 60!
What If I: This is such a piece of 1950’s inspired heaven. This song is just so gorgeous and delicious right from the get go with the way her vocal harmonies are blended together. I like Megan’s slower songs where she ditches the sass and just becomes honest with her feelings. This is such a cute little love song. Also, I love her vocals on this track, she really is a pretty talented vocalist.
Number 59!
Here For You: This was my first introduction to Kygo and what a great introduction it is. Here the Norwegian house producer teams up with vocal diva Ella to deliver to us a slice of heaven. This music here is just so lush and relaxing. It’s such a good song to just close my eyes, lay back, and just let the stresses of the day melt away. Of course this is all made even better by Ella’s angelic voice. Seriously I don’t think her voice has ever sounded as pretty as it does here. I’ve discovered that I really like it when Ella works with DJ’s.
Number 58!
Hypnotic: This song was one of my favorites starting out the year. I still like it a lot but it has worn on me just a tad. This song is so interesting. It has a very gritty and sultry atmosphere about it with the saxophone and low thudding synths. Which makes sense given the song is about seduction and sex, particularly how the guy she’s with has her hypnotized because he’s so good at it. I really like how she uses her head voice here. She sounds like she is yearning so bad yet at the same time comes across as sirenlike with her call. My favorite part is probably the “drop” I guess you can call it bright before the chorus.
One Last Time: This song has always been one of my favorite Ariana songs and I’m so glad it was serviced as a single. This song is just so great. I love the melody. I love the sad Ariana vocals. I also love the music itself the way it just builds up to the chorus where Ariana just lays her heart out and is subdued in the verses where she is dropping the more heavier lines. The theme of the song is fairly interesting as it doesn’t paint Ariana in a good light at all. It’s very rare to see a pop female sing a breakup song where they are admitting that they are the cheater (well that’s my interpretation of the lyrics anyway), or at the very least see it being released as a single. In all it’s a very sweet sounding song about a not so sweet topic.
Number 56!
Sorry: Justin really surprised me this year with his music. I actually enjoyed most of his album and this was probably the song I enjoyed the most. It was actually a tossup between this or The Feeling but I ultimately went with this. The lyrics are a bit vapid tbh for an apology song, but eh. I’m just in love with the melody and the production of this song. I love the tropical vibe to this song and just how full of energy it is. I also actually like Justin vocals on this song. I love the part where he says “can we both say the words and forget this”, just the way he says it makes him sound so vulnerable. This really is a great pop song.
Number 55!
The Forge of The Angels: This is like my ultimate relaxation song right now. It’s so pretty and I love the vocal chanting. It’s a very colorful, happy, and reverent. Simply great.
Stitches: I’m probably going to get a bit of flack for this one but I don’t care. This is a great pop song. The melody in every part of the song is infectious, the music itself is really tightly composed and filled with small moments that just make it great. The pre-chorus is one of my favorite moments in pop music this year and the counter melody going on in the chorus is brilliant. However, I will admit that this song is a bit cringeworthy when it comes to the lyrics “When I’m without your kisses I’ll be needing stitches”, ugh. Even if I like this song I can’t really excuse that line, though I know that without it the title wouldn’t make much sense as the only other part of the song that references anything to do with stitches is the bridge. Speaking of the bridge it is also awesome. I also have to admit that Shawn’s voice is a bit of an acquired taste. In all this is a very very good pop song.
Number 53!
Salvatore: This song is just so lush and mesmerizing I could get lost in it. Lana’s tone is just so siren-like here. It really draws me in especially on the chorus. The melody in the verses is also very interesting and the bridge is just amazing. This song is really Lana doing her thing at her best.
Long Live The Chief: With this song the classic man comes HARD. Like seriously this song is just fiery bar after fiery bar, coupled with a great beat. This song is a very big switch from Classic Man which was more pop oriented and light in fare. This song really shows that Jidena can be a serious rap artist. One thing I really love about this song is the message of it. I love how it calls out the materialistic culture we have and how we need to focus on the important things if we are ever to have a chance to make ourselves better.
Number 51!
Colors: Ah, Hasley, ATRL’s new favorite punching bag. Sometimes you deserve it and other times you don’t. While I may not be the biggest fan of BADLANDS (ok, I don't really care for the album that much at all) I do have to roll my eyes when people act like there is nothing redeemable about it, and this song is the biggest reason why. This song is just great. I love the xylophone going on in the verses, it just adds just the right amount of tension and eeriness, which is pretty appropriate given the fact that this really isn’t a happy song. It’s a song about Halsey being in love with a troubled young man so much that she’s being ripped apart and altered by him. I really love the spoken word bridge where she says she becomes a “lilac sky” with his touch but in the end he decided he didn’t want purple. It’s a very interesting way to talk about a relationship that doesn’t work out. I find the writing on this song to be pretty clever. This song really shows what potential Halsey has.
Well that’s it for today, tomorrow’s set will start around 7:30pm EST.
and One Last Smash!
