"Downtown" is just an absolute mess of a song, and I mean that in the best possible way. This song is all over the place, creating a mix of early 80's rap (no surprise, given that Grandmaster Mellie Mel, Grandmaster Caz, and Kool Moe Dee play prominent roles on the track), Macklemore himself (mimicking the tone of "Thrift Shop"), and even a sprinkling of Queen fused with Michael Jackson thanks to the chorus featuring Foxy Shazam's Eric Nally. This song does not understand how to pick one identity and run with it, instead trying to meld all three styles together and, like an Iron Chef, simply holding its hands up and saying, "Nah, I'm cool, nothing more to do here"...and somehow, someway, by sheer force of talent and personality, it WORKS. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are miracle workers.
Samuel T. Herring is one of my favorite things in all of music right now. The guy was just born to be a singer, commanding too much of a stage presence to be anything else. "Seasons" has become one of my favorite songs of the decade so far simply because Herring is a monster of a singer that commands your attention whenever he pops up. Such is the case with "The Chase", a decent enough song that becomes something else when sung by someone with the kind of towering presence and unmistakable vocals that Herring has. The thing is that the musicians playing alongside Herring are not shabby, either, and they are certainly doing their part to help accentuate the titan man's vocals. It's just so hard to put a focus anywhere else, because geez, how could you focus on anything else when THAT voice rumbles into the picture?
I am just over the moon with the success that Cold War Kids was able to earn in 2015. I have been touting the band for years as a band to watch out for, and it feels nice to actually see that touting come to fruition...which is going to make this next statement seem a little off to some people: It's kind of a shame that "First" is the song that broke Cold War Kids out. It's a strong song, don''t get me wrong...I feel like any song in the top 80 this year deserves some sort of praise. But of all of the songs to break this awesome band out..."First" is the one to actually break Cold War Kids through? Despite me feeling odd that a song that isn't one of my five (or maybe even ten) favorite Cold War Kids tracks was the song that earned them mainstream attention, there's no denying how huge of a song "First" is. It's a song meant to be a show-stopper at concerts, an arena song if there ever was one. Now that I think about it...it actually makes total sense that "First" is their breakthrough. It would have been shocking if, after all of their hard work, it DIDN'T make them big names in the Alt scene.
This song snuck up on me like a freight train. I would actually be shocked if anyone else puts this on their singles lists here, and that's okay, because Yukon Blonde isn't exactly the type of name that sticks out all that much. But geez, "Saturday Night" pounded and pounded its way into my eardrums and would not relent until it found a way into my top 100. Sometimes, all it really takes to make my top 100 is a catchy song with a really fun musical backdrop, and "Saturday Night" definitely fits that bill. It also doesn't hurt that the chorus is REALLY cool, almost reminiscent of A Flock of Seagulls "I Ran (So Far Away)". In fact, you could argue that "Saturday Night" feels like a bit of a tribute to that song with its guitar-driven New Wave-like sound. Not a bad song to pay tribute to, really.
There's simply no way that I can talk about Eagles of Death Metal without mentioning the Bataclan terrorist incident in Paris. The band and the venue are now intertwined with the Paris attacks, and there's just no getting around that. Something that really sucks about associating a band like Eagles of Death Metal with such a horrific and tragic incident is just how much fun the entire concept of Eagles of Death Metal is. Eagles of Death Metal make some of the most fun, playful, and downright raunchy music out there, and all of that is now, seemingly, a moot point because of the actions of terrorists on November 13th. Or it would, except **** terrorism. "Complexity" is a super fun song that has all too much self-awareness, and I refuse to let terrorism change that fact for me. I hope that, when the Islamic State gets their just desserts, the conquerors will be blaring this song on large speakers. We will continue to have our fun, and you will like it, you sons of bitches.
If there's one thing Marilyn Manson knows how to do pretty well, it's "create an atmosphere". In recent years, that attribute was not quite as pronounced, but it was there, even if it was just lurking in the shadows. In 2015, Manson brought that attribute back into the limelight with The Pale Emperor, and that is certainly the case with "The Mephistophales of Los Angeles". Along with that atmosphere that permeates the entire song, there's also the underlying theme that drives the entire album: It's GROOVY, baby! I mean, the entire album is basically an exercise in providing strong grooves to groove along to, and "Mephistophales" has one of the strongest grooves on an album full of strong grooves. I don't think I've ever said the word "groove" so much in one sentence, but it really does apply to "The Mephistophales of Los Angeles".
You know, every part of my being should probably hate "Adventure of a Lifetime" as much as some of you detest it. It's clearly not the Coldplay I fell in love with. In fact, you could argue that this is an entirely different band performing music that Maroon 5 wouldn't be caught dead playing. This is also probably the moment where Coldplay completely, utterly ditched any pretense of being anything more than a pop group. This is AFTER songs like "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall", "Paradise", and "A Sky Full of Stars". This is Coldplay selling out after already selling out. Every single time I hear that bass lick and that guitar riff, though...I can't help but fall for it. Coldplay's greatest trick was convincing the world that they're not a pop band under the guise of a rock band. The trick has been revealed...and I still can't bring myself to hate them. Go figure.
This song is probably a WEE bit low on this top 100, but I'm trying to justify it by saying that "Cigarettes & Saints" will have a bigger impact on me in 2016, especially with the shadow of "Cardinals" not looming over it like it was throughout 2015. After "Cardinals", "Cigarettes & Saints" is clearly the highlight of No Closer To Heaven, with a wonderful buildup and a show-stopping, heart-breaking closing minute. This is what I wanted No Closer To Heaven to be more like. It wasn't quite to be, sadly, but we'll always have "Cigarettes & Saints". And hey, we'll have more of "Cigarettes & Saints" next year! Huzzah!
I'm excited about this song's impact on me in 2016. If The Struts' impact on me with "Could Have Been Me" this year was any indication, "Kiss This" is going to be a big deal for me next year, especially because I could argue that it's catchier than the big hit single that came before it. This song is so drenched in glam that The Struts might as well have been sent to us in a time machine from the mid-70's. I've heard some Queen comparisons, and I can definitely see that, especially in certain other Struts songs (*cough*"Could Have Been Me"*cough*), but "Kiss This" is definitely much more Sweet-like, maybe even a little Cheap Trick. Regardless of what this song is influenced by, it's a lot of fun.
Yet another song that looks to impact this list in 2016 as well as 2015, "Bloodfeather" is, like "Kiss This", also probably an early contender for top 10 for 2016. Highly Suspect's album Mister Asylum is completely badass, and "Bloodfeather" is one of the most badass songs on the album. The chugging instrumental and Johnny Stevens' sneering vocals help to add credence to the idea that these guys were born in a desert with instruments surrounding them. This song out-Clutches Clutch, for christ's sake. I don't care if they started out in Massachusetts, they might as well have started out in Death Valley. Also, I just want to point your attention to my last two #71 songs. Those two songs wound up in the top 30 of the following year's top 100 (oops, spoilers for the 2014 song). I like this song's chances of doing the same thing in 2016.
30 songs down, 70 to go. Up next is songs 70-61. That set will feature the second of two singles from an artist I liked way more in 2014 than I did in 2015, the first of two singles from a Red Crush, the second of two singles from an artist who appeared in the first set of the top 100, the first of two singles from an artist that continues to impress with each release, and the second of two appearances by an artist who I have mostly been mentioning on a first name basis. See you all then.