lol owned u guys so hard. April fools! get rekt losers!!
Can’t give y’all the decade list just yet (altho expect it soon!). Instead, here’s the next best thing: the OFFICIAL Sputnikmusic Staff’s ranking of the Top 50 Songs of 2018!
Me and the boys have been working hard on refining this since November of ’18, arguing intently for months on end as to which song belongs where, whether some of us listen to too much K-pop, where robertsona’s blurbs are, and so on. Nonetheless, I assure you that the below ranking is as accurate as we can possibly get it and we hope you guys appreciate the work.
I’d note in advance for you that some of the blurbs may be a little dated at this point (but really, I feel like you guys won’t even notice). Anyway, much love from all of us, and stay safe out there (note: for most of you, “out there” should be inside)!
50. “Baby Pink” – Moe Shop
This one radiates good vibes, and idk I just feel like the next few years are gonna be smooth freakin’ sailing for everyone.
49. “The Joke” – Brandi Carlile
Just a funny song about crackin’ silly jokes with the fellas. This would actually be so fitting for a list published on April Fool’s day, but sadly this list will
Imagine the heart-wrenching emotional reach of a track like “Colly Strings”, only blasted through the sleek production of an album like Simple Math. This is Manchester Orchestra in peak form. –Sowing
(24) Lorde – “Hard Feelings/Loveless”
Melodrama
2017 was the year of our Lorde, and she created one of the most captivating art-pop albums of the millennium. “Hard Feelings/Loveless” unravels in gorgeous fashion, evolving from the heartbroken laments of lost love to a sassy, fuck you of a little jingle. –Sowing
(23) Cairo Knife Fight – “A-Six”
Seven
A scorcher that balances groovy choruses with moody verses. As sharp sound scapes wrap around the buzzing guitars, the passionate, wide ranged vocals rip throughout the track with powerful hooks. –Raul Stanciu
(22) JASSS – “Every Single Fish In The Pond”
Weightless
Few artists can so seamlessly blend tribal base layers with industrial climax like JASSS. This is the sound of a civilization’s evolution from its eventual rise to its peak, envisioned in a nightclub, suspended in time. –Tristan Jones
Frank’s been labeled (by me) a Modern Day James Joyce, 12 months ago, when “RAF” and “Slide” weren’t even a thing. Truthfully, he exceeds his own influences, and renders himself as his own auteur. “Chanel”, a song that juggles sexuality and 21 Savage references, is probably his best song on lyrical content and technique alone; a veiled throwback to Morrissey’s “Suedehead” as much as it is an excuse to talk shit. –Arcade
(49) Vince Staples – “Yeah Right”
Big Fish Theory
Instead of capitulating to a boom bap or g-funk, Kendrick and Vince assemble SOPHIE and Flume and wild the fuck out. There’s drums, and there’s a synthizer, and Kucka, too. On top of that, you’ve got Vince mockingly inquiring about your lifestyle, and Kendrick nakedly accusing you of faking your fandom. It’s an exhilaratingly forceful moment, made just that much better by Lamar’s bottomless pit of flows. –Arcade
(48) KirbLaGoop – “Mutombo”
Goop
Catchy flow, a snotty demeanor, and a moody atmosphere that burrows inside the folds of a sweater. –Tristan Jones
If you keep up with sultry, emotive, French-Canadian singer songwriters, then surely you grabbed Big Boy, the debut EP from Montreal’s Charlotte Cardin, back in July when it came out. I’m sure that adding her to our humble database just, like, slipped your mind — so busy, right!! Such a busy time right now (and also since July, when you probably planned to do it)… Busy with work and like… yeah, so busy!! [please don’t tell Jom]
Anyway, on Big Boy, the model-turned-musician wraps her outstanding voice around some minimalist soul vibes to put together a handful of low-key gorgeous pop tracks. Here’s a recent live performance of one of them:
The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival was ill as fuck last year, when I went with some of my close personal bros and saw motherfucking Tyler, the Creator (made me grin but feel old), Brand New (made me grin and feel old, but in a good way, like the movie Boyhood or Timehops from when I was fatter), and Anamanaguchi (made me grin and feel young and turnt), as well as a buncha other artists with average scores in the 3’s or higher in our humble little database. The festival is held in Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau, right on the Saint Lawrence River.
I am going again this year and am pretty stoked. If you’ve been to these kinds of massive festivals before, and I imagine that many of you have, you know that scheduling conflicts come with the territory (and that, no matter what, you will underestimate how long it will take you to make it from one stage to another). Here are a few conflicts that are burning me up inside,so you help me make the call: