Great Aluna, Katy, & Kristin choices. Tho I did prefer some other songs from Aluna & Kristin, and am a bit surprised of the title track of I Remember being your choice, since I feel like most people don't care for it.
So far, loving the list but not gonna lie, need to listen to more music like Frank Ocean... and I had NO IDEA THAT KATY B HAD NEW MUSIC!!!! THANKS! Looking to see what the top has me remembering.
I was really excited about Tove Lo's new era after re-listening to her debut album and becoming very positive about it. I became more excited after she released the lead single, "Cool Girl". This song, unironically, has a very cool vibe. It's a shame that the song never really took off on the charts, because I thought it had hit potential. I'll just keep vibing by myself, then, I guess.
31. Bon Iver - "33 'GOD'"
Bon Iver's new era has been so puzzling. From the crazy, illuminati-esque graphics, to the avant garde music, everything has been... interesting. Most of his new stuff is a lot of noise, and it takes some effort to dig through all of it to find the beautiful Bon Iver melodies that lie underneath. There's definitely a hip-hop vibe in the beat during parts of the song, which strikes a nice contrast and makes it stand out from the rest of the album.
30. Bruno Mars - "24K Magic"
Bruno Mars makes a good song occasionally when he's not doing his best Lonely Island impression.
29. Beyoncé - "Daddy Lessons"
The song on this list is the original album version, even though the video is the performance with the Dixie Chicks (which is great). This is probably one of Bey's most divisive songs ever because of the conversation it has generated about what is "real" country music. FYI, it is a country song, if you're still wondering. One great thing about this song is that it follows the country tradition of story-telling. Most of the time, we assume Bey's songs are purely autobiographical, but I doubt Bey's father actually told her to shoot Jay Z for cheating on her.
28. James Blake - "I Need a Forest Fire" (feat. Justin Vernon)
James Blake and Justin Vernon seems like a match made in music heaven. Their different styles mash well together. Their harmonies on the chorus are sublime. No offense to the recent victims of forest fires in Tennessee.
27. Laura Mvula - "Phenomenal Woman"
Now for some #BlackGirlMagic from Laura Mvula. There have been so many great empowerment anthems this year from black women. It's so nice to hear Laura's great voice on a dance track. It's actually magical. Hope to hear more dance-oriented stuff from her in the future.
26. The Weeknd - "I Feel It Coming" (feat. Daft Punk)
(8:42)
Dang, Abel really is Michael Jackson, isn't he? This song is something special. It best be a #1 hit in 2017.
25. Charli XCX - "Vroom Vroom"
I technically heard this song for the first time in 2015, but it was a low-quality radio rip. I was so happy when it was released in HQ in 2016. I love that Charli is always trying new things with her music and not afraid to try something out of the box. This is about as unorthodox as a pop song can get. Lastly, Charli was in my countdown every year for the first three years, and I was so bummed when she didn't make it last year. It's good to have her back. Now I'm ready for a new album in 2017.
I'm not sure if I like or not that single from Britney tho...
Ugh, Laura really did serve THE empowerment anthem of the year.
