MY TOP 50 SONGS OF 2017 (My Top 10 Songs are definitely in order of preference, but after that, the list goes with the sonic/atmospheric flow of the music.)
1. “Find You Inside” / Joseph of Mercury
2. “Habibi” / Tamino
3. “Devil’s Dance” / A Billion Lions
4. “Thin Red Lines” / CousteauX
5. “Ursa Minor” / Fassine
6. “Rose Blind” / Gold Class
7. “Let You Down Slow” / Ultrviolence
8. “Dirty Game” / Secret Shine
9. “Star Roving” / Slowdive
10. “Electric Eternity” / Dangerous Muse
11. “The Descent” / Bloody Knives
12. “Glassrain” / AEVE CVE (AKA Preston Maddox)
13. “Reptilian” / Converge
14. “Arabian Heights” / Afghan Wigs
15. “Egos With Genitals” / Guide Dog
16. “Red Queen” / Transylvania Stud
17. “Someday” / Pale Seas
18. “Cosmonauts” / Quicksand
19. “Take Me Home” / Tombstones In Their Eyes
20. “Nothing In” / Balms
21. “Keep the Voices Distant” / Monster Movie
22. “2 × 2” / Old City Revival
23. “Where No One Knows Your Name” / Stereo Honey
24. “Times Is Hard” / Caverns
25. “Butterfly Sweater” / Twinfolds
26. “By The Light Of The Moon” / Moon Darling
27. “Electric Bones” / Findlay
28. “Hustle” / Madison
29. “Young Leo” / Mise en Scene
30. “Being Around” / Our Girl
31. “People Not Ready” / Twin Rains
32. “Pay” / Ramsey
33. “Rest” / Charlotte Gainsbourg
34. “Lama” (Robin Guthrie Mix) / Ummagma
35. “Waking Up Again”/ SPC ECO
36. “Lovers in Paradise” / Crying Vessel
37. “Almost Hidden” / Houses of Heaven
38. “Time & Space” / MOLLY
39. “Burn” / The Soft Moon
40. “Waves” / Lunar Twin
41. “The Game Never Changes” / Kilbey Kennedy
42. “King of Catastrophes / Grant-Lee Phillips
43. “The Haze” / Orange Soul
44. “Vanish” / Mare Island
45. “Boson Of Love” / Jane Telephonda
46. “Housefly” / Jordan Klassen
47. “Falling” / Tiny Eyes
48. “Honeymooning” / Holy Motors
49. “Blue Love” / The Bad Signs
50. “Oblivion” / Munroe
Extra Songs for SoundCloud Playlist:
51. “Abandon” / Goldmund
52. “That’s What We Do” / Fawns Of Love
53. “Still Waters” / Mint Julep
54. “See You Cry” / Gingerlys
55. “Our Goal Is To Realise” / Amusement Parks On Fire
Audio/Video for TOP 50 SONGS that aren’t on SoundCloud:
“Another Century” / The Church
“Someday” / Pale Seas
“Electric Bones” / Findlay
“Rest” / Charlotte Gainsbourg
“The Wilderness” / Grant-Lee Phillips (This is a culturally astute tune, but I actually wanted the gently and wistfully downcast “King of Catastrophes”, which isn’t online. The lyrics of Phillips’ new album Widdershins should be essential reading as he tackles the current socio-political mess we’re all in.)
My Alternate Songs for the TOP 10 of my TOP 50 SONGS that I couldn’t decide on:
“Without Words” (live in studio) / Joseph of Mercury
“Torquay” / A Billion Lions
“Memory Is A Weapon” (I can’t find an embed for the song online) and “The Innermost Light” / CousteauX
“That Wave” (XTC cover) / Fassine
“Get Yours” / Gold Class
MY TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2017 (Kind of in order and based on if I can listen to the whole album at once and be transported to another sonic dimension.)
1. CousteauX / CousteauX
2. Gourami / Fassine
3. Drum / Gold Class
4. There Is Only Now / Secret Shine
5. Electric Eternity / Dangerous Muse
6. Find You Inside EP / Joseph of Mercury
7. Tamino EP / Tamino
8. Let It Happen / A Billion Lions
9. The Red Queen / Transylvania Stud
10. In Spades / Afghan Whigs
11. Still Life On Fire / Mise en Scene
12. Slowdive / Slowdive
13. Glow and Fade / Kilbey Kennedy
14. Ramsey EP / Ramsey
15. Forgotten Pleasures / Findlay
16. Rest / Charlotte Gainsbourg
17. A Beautiful Curse / Crying Vessel
18. Widdershins / Grant-Lee Phillips
19. Interiors / Quicksand
20. The Dusk In Us / Converge
MY TOP 10 MUSIC MOMENTS OF 2017
TOP MUSIC VIDEO: “Find You Inside” / Joseph of Mercury
TOP LYRICS VIDEO (that’s also a real video): “Games” / The Velvet Hands
TOP FUNNY VIDEO: “Thank God It’s Monday” / World War IX
TOP CLAYMATION VIDEO: “Prisoner of the Past” / Frost Giant (WARNING: EXTREME CLAY ANIMATION VIOLENCE!!)
TOP ORIGINAL (and VR) VIDEO: “Notget” – original and VR version / Bjork
TOP LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO: Live From The Woods (Full Concert Film) / MOLLY
TOP SONG IN FILM: “Mystery of Love” and “Visions of Gideon” (in Call Me By Your Name directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer) / Sufjan Stevens
“Mystery of Love” audio:
“Visions of Gideon” audio:
Fan Video for “Mystery of Love” (WARNING: MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS FOR CALL ME BY YOUR NAME FILM. WATCH THIS ONLY AFTER SEEING THE FILM!!):
Fan Video for “Visions of Gideon” (WARNING: MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS FOR CALL ME BY YOUR NAME FILM. WATCH THIS ONLY AFTER SEEING THE FILM!!):
TOP POLITICAL SONG STATEMENT: “The Storm“ / Eminem (live for BET Hip-Hop Awards). Say what you want about Eminem, but on this intense rap rager Eminem delivers a raw and (still) relevant indictment of the divisive and destructive (President) Donald Trump, his administration, and his followers. Eminem’s flow is a bit stop ‘n’ go at first, but he catches fire pretty quickly:
TOP SONG and SKATING PROGRAM: Yuzuru Hanyu’s stunning, perfect (with 4 Quads!) free skate to “Hope and Legacy” by Jo Hisaishi at 2017 World Championships:
And for added viewing/listening pleasure, Yuzuru Hanyu flying across the ice in his short skate at the Grand Prix Final to “Let’s Go Crazy” / Prince:
