The eerie instrumental here is excellent, beginning with a haunting keyboard riff and ending in a brief but frantic explosion of bass. The beat drop is energizing every time I hear it, and Drake's calculated flow strikes the perfect balance between whimsical and mysterious. Kanye's portion of the song is equally sharp; he's clearly excited, but he is able to reign in most of his energy to produce a fun verse. Obviously, I wish that JAY Z could have been given more time to add perhaps some roughness to the song, but after learning the backstory behind his part, I don't mind. There's a wonderfully enticing sense of villainy throughout Pop Style that harkens back to 2015; it's like a combination of the unfettered confidence he exudes on Energy and the ruthlessness exhibited on Back To Back. This makes for a fantastic song, one that keeps me on edge but is also fun to turn up to.
This position in 2015: The Weeknd - The Hills This position in 2014: Kid Ink f/Chris Brown - Main Chick
This slow-burning, soupy track is enhanced greatly by the presence of The Weeknd, who delivers a poised verse with downcast, addicting melodies. In fact, the melodies are so brilliant that he was unable to resist interpolating them into an album track he would release eleven months after he uploaded Low Life to SoundCloud. The drowsy vibe of the song fits Future's style perfectly, and he avoids monotony in his verse, even though he sounds like he's on five hours of sleep. Metro Boomin's production is top-notch, with a subdued piano and a collection of ominous synths that all come together perfectly. Everyone involved should be proud of Low Life, as it creates a desolate yet alluring atmosphere that I continually desire to revisit.
This position in 2015: The Weeknd - The Hills This position in 2014: Kid Ink f/Chris Brown - Main Chick
Pop Style is alright. I remember listening to both this and One Dance when they dropped at the same time and I always preferred OD. All 3 of them have had better verses, features, etc.
Every year, there seem to inevitably be a couple of songs that I absolutely love almost completely due to their beats; 2016's most notable entry into that group is Down In The DM. While Yo Gotti's sparse, amusing flow is quite enjoyable, it's the minimalistic production that led to me replaying the song almost 200 times this year. The beat is icy and urgent, lacking grit but packing a satisfyingly vigorous punch. A spellbinding, blurry melody runs through the prominent claps and the plastic bass, making the track a head-banger through and through. There's virtually nothing to say about the lyrics, which will eventually become anachronistic, but they are relegated to near-zero importance considering the outstanding instrumental.
This position in 2015: Chris Brown f/Lil Wayne & French Montana - Loyal This position in 2014: Fetty Wap f/Remy Boyz - 679
The production here grinds along like a well-oiled machine, anchored by an fantastic twinkly piano riff. Both artists bring an infectious exuberance to their crisp verses, and O.T.'s burst of speed near the end of his is especially delicious. The chorus was in my head more than any other one this year; the nonchalant repetition of the titular phrase and the rising melodies in its only couplet are stellar. Young Dolph is equally enthusiastic in his part, and his deeper voice makes him sound official and assertive. The two weave cleanly through their lines, comfortably throwing around catchy ad-libs in the background. Cut It is a tour de force, as it is methodical without being formulaic and giddy without being embarrassing.
This position in 2015: Fetty Wap - Again This position in 2014: Trey Songz - Na Na
The frenetic pace of Panda is amplified by Desiigner's incomprehensible warbling, making the song a delirious roller-coaster ride through his mind. I might be one of the few who loves his trademark "BRRRRAH!" and his delightfully arbitrary comparison of a luxury car to an endangered animal. The beat is insanely good, simultaneously grimy and grand with an omnipresent faint, siren-like synth that helps make the song feel like it's always ready to blow up. The excitement of his maniacal final verse never ages for me, like a permanently filled bottle of 5-Hour Energy. Panda is thrilling and reckless, containing the kind of unchecked adrenaline rarely experienced in mainstream music.
This position in 2015: Fetty Wap f/Monty - My Way This position in 2014: Ty Dolla $ign f/B.o.B - Paranoid
A true breath of fresh air, Tiimmy Turner is as eccentric as it is majestic. It begins with enticing finger-snaps, which are soon accompanied by tense, sinister synths that then open up into the first verse. This introduction is more distinctive and original than almost anything else I heard this year. The verses are crowded, but Desiigner is able to assert himself over the murky instrumental. The atypical nursery rhyme-like chorus–which, remarkably, is of extemporaneous origin– is clever and mesmerizing. He catches his breath after its second occurrence, as if he's in a lucid dream and can't quite believe it. Mike Dean's outstanding production feels less like an instrumental and more like an elaborate fantasyland landscape, with dazzling flourishes like that mysterious, persistent whiny synth and the faint, chilling echoes in the distant background. It's always building but never crescendoes, maintaining a level of intrigue all the way through. By the time it all melts down in the electronic rock outro, it becomes clear: Tiimmy Turner is an epic creative triumph.
This position in 2015: Omarion f/Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko - Post To Be This position in 2014: YG f/Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan - My N*gga
Pop Style is alright. I remember listening to both this and One Dance when they dropped at the same time and I always preferred OD. All 3 of them have had better verses, features, etc.
Agreed!
I preferred PS for a little while when they first came out, but I grew to like OD better.
Quote:
Originally posted by Navyofbadgals
Low Life, Down In The DM and Panda
still screaming about the Chaining Tatum line in Pop Style
While Sorry Not Sorry doesn't pack the emotional punch of Bryson Tiller's other singles, it's still a rollicking adventure through his emotions. The instrumental feels a bit manufactured, but I quite like the five-note synth. Lyrically, he aims to produce a variety of quotable lines, but he only manages one with "I give you long dick and longevity." The booming bass feels a little bit too dramatic for the setting, as Tiller's flow isn't melodramatic or exaggerated. His rapping fits the song much better than his singing, and the disorganized hook is somewhat of a letdown. Overall, though, it's a good song, though neither particularly insightful nor sonically distinctive– Tiller has done and can do so much better.
This position in 2015: MAGIC! - No Way No This position in 2014: Mary Lambert f/B.o.B - Secrets
The production on Digits almost sounds too polished for Young Thug, but it's nevertheless very enjoyable. He successfully utilizes a rapid-fire flow alongside a slower one, casually ripping off lines that are lyrically pedestrian but structurally quirky. The spirited hook is a lot of fun, and it's immensely satisfying how the thrice-repeated "we ran up the digits, we ran up the money" portion is fit into one breath. His playful, casual attitude is a good fit for the relatively upbeat synths on the track. Despite being a short song, though, Digits' shtick got tiring fairly quickly for me. That said, it's a fantastic bop to turn up to on occasion; just don't come looking for a whole lot of substance.
This position in 2015: Disclosure f/Sam Smith - Omen This position in 2014: Alesso f/Tove Lo - Heroes (we could be)
Ironically, this song is rather sluggish, like the guys of Rae Sremmurd and Mike WiLL Made-It are in a collective trance. The verses are leisurely despite having lyrics appropriate for a club banger, and this results in a song that's plenty lively but quite loose. The keyboard and synths are subtly catchy, and I really like the syrupy instrumental during the pre-chorus and the outro. Look Alive sounds like it's moving in slow motion, and it might induce the occasional yawn, but it's a surprisingly memorable effort, a song whose lethargy I can greatly relate to.
This position in 2015: Imagine Dragons - Shots This position in 2014: Vance Joy - Riptide
Admittedly, the instrumental sounds more than a little bit tacky, but that is partially excusable because of the age of this song. As the title promises, it feels very distant from reality. The chorus is an addicting moment of fleeting euphoria, and the breezy verses are somewhat ephemeral but nonetheless atmospheric, contributing to the sublime vibe of the track. Actually, though, the bridge is where Walking On A Dream comes closest to feeling truly ethereal; I wish the song contained more of those soft, pining high notes from vocalist Luke Steele. Regardless, it does a nice job at achieving a very specific feeling uncommon in the mainstream.
This position in 2015: Tori Kelly - Nobody Love This position in 2014: Ella Henderson - Ghost
In a way, Bake Sale is frustrating, because it serves as a stark reminder of what Wiz Khalifa is capable of. The production, while half-borrowed from Travis's 2015 hit Antidote, doesn't go wrong anywhere. It's fairly minimalistic, with a couple spacey synths and a reserved trap beat. Wiz, in a lyrical comfort zone, turns in a strong performance; he casually switches up the rhyme scheme several times within the first verse, harkening back to the easy precision he displayed on his excellent 2011 album Rolling Papers. Travis delivers a mellow chorus that probably shouldn't be as catchy as it actually is. The outro is a surprising bright spot, Wiz's lackadaisical singing and the mumbled repetitions of "yeah" in the background fitting the vibe perfectly. Bake Sale isn't anything new; rather, it's a well-executed quasi-throwback to a time when Wiz's music was more genuine and more fun.
This position in 2015: Carly Rae Jepsen - Your Type This position in 2014: Neon Trees - Sleeping With A Friend
Between this track and Ho Hey, The Lumineers have demonstrated a keen ability to produce snappy ditties with intimate moments. Ophelia features a lovely piano as its centerpiece; it's spotlighted between sentences, playing delicate, contemplative sequences of notes. Singer Wesley Schultz opens up as the song progresses, his vocals growing in intensity and passion but remaining melancholy. The lyrics are somewhat cryptic and open to interpretation, and I like the sense of curiosity that the song has as a result of this. Ophelia isn't incredibly intricate, neatly amalgamating elements of classic foot-stomping folk songs with those of more common adult-pop tracks. The finished product is riveting, with moving tinges of regret and nostalgia.
This position in 2015: Echosmith - Bright This position in 2014: Pharrell Williams - Gust Of Wind
