50-26  |  25-1

(50) Frank Ocean – “Chanel”

Chanel – Single

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

(47) New Found Glory – “Happy Being Miserable”

Makes Me Sick

Honestly this is only on here because it is the most *New Found Glory* song ever. It’s a full-on retreat into the saccharine angst of their Sticks and Stones/Catalyst-era stuff and it’s disgusting how many times I listened to it in 2017 (truly disgusting, don’t even ask). –theacademy

(46) Charlotte Gainsbourg – “Deadly Valentine”

Rest

Charlotte Gainsbourg’s highly intoxicating concoction of indie-pop consists of French/English vocal trade-offs and no shortage of charm. “Deadly Valentine” has a danceable, electronic backbone that keeps the listener engaged throughout, even if they don’t know what the hell she’s singing half the time. With such dream-inducing vocals and adorable beats, what’s more to understand? –Atari

(45) Mura Masa – “Nuggets” (ft. Bonzai)

Mura Masa

The vocal sample at the beginning is a perfect metaphor for this song – “reduced to nothing more than the neurotransmitter dopamine, biochemically no different than addiction to cocaine”, in that I have listened to this song approximately five billion times since it came out. “Imagine that”, indeed. –Brostep

(44) BROCKHAMPTON – “LAMB”

LAMB – Single

In the year of BROCKHAMPTON, their finest moment surprisingly came untethered from the peaks and troughs of the SATURATION trilogy, and unaccompanied by the rattle and snap of bass and drums. “LAMB” is an utterly delicate affair, slathered in sunshine and boyish innocence, and practically begging to be put on your good vibes playlist. –Rowan

(43) alt-J – “3WW”

Relaxer

Mystical and romantic, “3WW” feels like you’re camping out in another galaxy. It’s downright mesmerizing, and the clear-cut highlight from their latest record. –Sowing

(42) Quelle Chris – “Popeye”

Being You is Great…

“Popeye” has one of those productions you might call “insane” — so good, that is, it seems like the song must be breaking some preordained set of rules determining just how high we’re allowed to get off the fumes of a simple vocal sample. Judging by his lethargic flow, Chris couldn’t care less about the beat — but we do. What a strange, beautiful dynamic. –Alex Robertson

(41) Fleet Foxes – “Cassius, -“

Crack-Up

If you thought Fleet Foxes couldn’t possibly improve on the woodsy folk-rock of Helplessness Blues, then you have to hear “Cassius, -.” The classical string section that scores the outro – along with those breathtaking piano notes – is one of the most beautiful moments of the entire year. –Sowing

(40) Pristin – “Wee Woo”

Hi! Pristin

Two great things about this song: First, the “BREAKING NEWS” scrolling across the ticker at the bottom of this song’s music video is “WEE WOO WEE WOO WEE WOO” ad infinitum, which is hilarious. Second, this is a pristine (good pun, Will) pop song taking more than a few pages from Carly Rae Jepsen’s playbook – just listen to the blasting synths and funky guitar sprint through the chorus and tell me you can’t hear the Queen of the ‘80s exerting her mighty influence over this group. –Brostep

(39) EXID – “Velvet”

Eclipse

Composing half of the band’s music and lyrics, EXID’s member LE finally had enough room here to develop both her rap and singing delivery. This lush love song has some affectionate lyrics and her shy croon is heavily contrasting the rap parts. She sounds vulnerable, especially during the bridge and chorus, thus giving the song a depth that few others in this field have. –Raul Stanciu

(38) Charli XCX – “Lucky”

Pop2

It’s so easy to look to any pop release and zero in on the sad song, now a pre-requisite as much as album art and a title, and use that as a doorway into the world of the artist – here she is being human, so I have a reference point when she sings about being a femmebot. But what makes “Lucky” so special isn’t that it’s the expected sad relationship song, nor that it slows Pop 2 down to take a necessary breath. No, under the quiet surface “Lucky” is tough as glass, and utterly unforgiving to its subject even as it casts around for the answer to the eternal question: “did you ever love me?” –Rowan

(37) Nine Inch Nails – “The Background World”

Add Violence

The mournful atmosphere Reznor depicts in his lyrics is definitely an apocalyptic scenario of today’s environmental and political issues. The accompanying strings and synths are very compelling, whereas the gradually crushed, 11-second loop coda (repeated for over 7 minutes) is an interesting addition to say at the very least. –Raul Stanciu

(36) Virtual Riot (Featuring Yosie) – “Still Kids”

Still Kids – EP

A nice, lofty, and melodic future bass track from Germany’s Virtual Riot that is extremely well-layered and insanely catchy. I heard it on an Overwatch stream for some Ana player (Ana is the fucking goat!!!) –theacademy

(35) Won James Won – “Nuclear Civil War!”

Prozrachnik

Absurd, disoriented signals of nationwide hysteria – imagine hundreds of panicked newscasts converging, then bookended by kitschy lampoons. Jesus wept. –Tristan Jones

(34) Phoebe Bridgers – “You Missed My Heart”

Stranger in The Alps

A depressing, folksy ride through an outlaw’s adventures with death that sounds more like Sun Kil Moon than Mark Kozelek’s original. “You Missed My Heart” is that rare kind of cover that’s just as good as the original. –Trebor.

(33) Ulver – “Rolling Stone”

The Assassination of Julius Caeser

The mid-tempo beat taken right out of The Sopranos OST, complete with Garm’s gorgeous voice and background singers are incredibly infectious. Meanwhile, the eerie guitar solos and layering Stian Westerus adds alongside the deep bass lines are excellent for the overall vibe. Then, for a typical twist, the finale bludgeons you with pounding drums, solos and electronic sound scapes for minutes on end. –Raul Stanciu

(32) Max Richter – “Mrs. Dalloway: In the Garden”

Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works

“In the Garden” is simply structured yet completely poignant; a track that could lull anyone into a mild trance with a gorgeous entanglement of strings and pianos. It’s not the most experimental piece on “Three World’s”, but it’s living proof that Richter’s best work comes from a place with calmer waves. –Atari

(31) Future – “Use Me”

HNDRXX

The last time I felt compelled to check in on Future before his ’17 duo of FUTURE and HNDRXX was DS2, so I won’t be the one to argue on his behalf when people say he’s phoning it in. But FUTURE is quite good, HNDRXX is nigh on great, and “Use Me” is a crown jewel in Future’s discography, an exquisite rush of bass and cushy synths waiting intractable and sphinxlike for your voyages deep into nighttime.  –Alex Robertson

(30) Justin Roiland (Featuring Chaos Chaos) – “Terryfold”

Terryfold – Single

Overflowing with longing, enchantment, and dalliance, Roiland and frequent collaborators Chaos Chaos delivered what turned out to be the most sensual love song of 2017. –theacademy

(29) blackbear – “do re mi”

digital druglord

blackbear (stylized in lowercase, of course, because he’s a ~sensitive white boy~ like gnash et al.) seems like a terrible person, and “do re mi,” with its rotely toxic woman-blaming, doesn’t do much to change my perception of him. But I can’t bring myself to deny its place as the catchiest, most insinuatingly suave pop song of the year, the singer’s lusciously incessant vocals draping over a plain backdrop of punchy bass and finger snaps like icing on a cake you feel terrible for eating way too much of an hour after dessert. I hate that I love it, but I love it nonetheless. –Brostep

(28) Captain, We’re Sinking – “Water”

The King of No Man

“Water” rides the rougher edge of the pop punk sound the good Captain kicks out to the tune of incredibly catchy guitar hooks and vocal melodies. –Thompson Gerhart

(27) The National – “Dark Side of the Gym”

Sleep Well Beast

Matt Berninger’s tortured love stories take a step aside here in order to give way to a rarely heard, innocent love song. His sweet voice leads the waltzing rhythms, remembering his adolescent days and a crush he had on a respective girl. Not knowing what to say to his beloved person, Matt chooses to fantasize on his own instead. –Raul Stanciu

(26) Benjamin Clementine – “Phantom of Aleppoville”

I Tell A Fly

A song in two (arguably three) acts full of drama, pomp, poise, and a delicate, artful uniqueness that fuses the sinister with the sublime. The second act ballad of “Billy the Bully” may take some time to catch on with you compared to the more complex first act, but after a time, the ghostly verses of taunting and forgiveness truly come to complete a beautiful and strange odyssey. –Thompson Gerhart