One year ago, when I compiled my Top 10 Songs of 2017, I vowed to update this blog on a more regular basis throughout 2018. Alas, as with many a New Year's resolution, I failed to follow this pledge even remotely. So here it is, my once-annual blog post: my Top 10 Tracks of 2018.10. "My Time/ I, the Luddite" - Bored Decor
"Bourgeois Punk." This is the cheeky label Vancouver's Bored Decor has slapped on their odd-ball Bandcamp page. Yet, it could not be a more accurate descriptor. Bored Decor take thrashy punk riffs and pair them to pompous lyrics akin to the Talking Heads or the Parquet Courts. I love the jangly piano combined with the jagged guitar riffs in this foot stomping tune.
9. "Espionage" - Preoccupations
Layering, layering, layering. This is a sonic masterpiece with intricate drum patterns that intertwine with percussive guitar noises and glossy synths. Vocalist Matt Flegel is clearer and more snarly in comparison to previous Preoccupations' albums. Older Preoccupations' releases tended to put the vocals further back in the mix and were used to provide more of a texture than a leading focus. A great leading track for a solid album full of similar tracks.
8. "In Shame" - Cloud Nothings
Cloud Nothings surprised fans this year with a quick follow up album (Last Building Burning) to 2017's Life Without Sound. Keen readers of this blog will know that Cloud Nothings have topped this list a couple of times before, but Last Building Burning provided fewer stand out tracks, instead focusing on the album as a complete package. "In Shame" more or less stands in for the album as a whole. Expect edge-of-screaming vocals, driving guitars, and frenetic drumming.
7. "Yours and Mine" - Lucy Dacus
A beautiful tune that fills you with longing and brings you back time and time again. Excellent crisp production.
LISTEN HERE
6. "Pain of Infinity" - Dirty Nil
It's all about the guitar riff on this heading-for-a-breakup pop-punk jam. I love the interplay of the bass drum with the opening riff.
5. "Gold Rush" - Death Cab for Cutie
A gorgeous and innovative song about losing your hometown to rapid development and condo-ization. Ben Gibbard laments the loss of geographic markers as triggers for memories both happy and sad. Like his rapidly changing hometown, every time you revisit this song it sounds a bit different. The layered "Gold Rush" percussive harmonies in the background twist and play with your ear, sounding a little bit different on each individual listen. It is a brilliant song and emphasizes the power of instrumentation to bolster the lyrical subject matter.
4. "Accomodate" - Frankie Cosmos
A classic catchy Frankie melody comes out of nowhere on this extremely short little jingle with the
line: "my body is a burden/I'm always yearning/to be less accommodating." The first time I heard that line, I stopped the record player, lifted the needle, and listened to it again and again. Ah, the power of melody.
3. "Talking Straight" - Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Killer guitars, a driving beat, and the best chorus of the year makes you want to crank up the volume, roll down the windows (even at -20c) and yell this tune to the heavens.
What at first seemed like the "goofy" tune on this album full of songs of self doubt and failed relationships, quickly turns into possibly the most damning song of them all. "Last Girl" is centred on self doubt; singer songwriter Sophie Allison sings about how her current partner's "Last Girl" is much better suited for him with lines like: "She's the sun in your cold world / and I am just a dying flower." or "Why would you still want to be with me? / She's got everything you'll ever need." Juxtaposed against these sarcastic but sad lyrics are bright guitar riffs and cymbal focused drums. My favourite tune from my favourite album of the year.
Druuuuuuuuuuuum rooooooooolllllll.................
1. "Pristine" - Snail Mail
The lead off track off Snail Mail's stellar debut album, "Pristine," gets right into it with dissonant guitar jabs and tight drumming. The song swells and peaks multiple times; just when you expect it to go one way, it shoots off somewhere else. But at the heart of the song are the lyrics. On the surface, the lyrics describe a teenage confession of absolute and undying love: "Is there any better feeling than coming clean? / And I know myself and I'll never love anyone else." However, as the song progresses, doubt emerges, leaving the listener puzzled with lines like: "Who's top of your world? / And out of everyone / Who's your type of girl?" Song writer Lindsey Jordan perfectly encapsulates the feeling of yearning for a love that is equally reciprocated, leaving to the listener to wonder if there's ever a point of truly "coming clean" with your feelings.
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