12/17/17

I don’t wanna compete with Star Wars.

Butttttt in the meantime I can do things like post A History of #1s. I’ve been posting a year’s best list on one site or another since 2003. While I don’t still have all the complete lists, or can even confirm that they still exist, I can remember what I had at #1 every year.

2003: “Faint”- Linkin Park
2004: “Ch-Check It Out”- Beastie Boys
2005: “Helena”- My Chemical Romance
2006: “When You Were Young” -The Killers
2007: “Through The Fire And Flames” - Dragonforce
2008: “All Nightmare Long” - Metallica
2009: “Panic Switch” - Silversun Pickups
2010: “Dance Yourself Clean”- LCD Soundsystem
2011: “Get Away”- Yuck
2012: “Little Talks”- Of Monsters Of Men
2013: “Unbelievers”- Vampire Weekend
2014: “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”- Run The Jewels
2015: “Dead Inside”- Muse

And 2016s #1 song - “Forget Me Now” by Against The Current



The rest go in spoilers



And again these are my picks at the time, not necesarrily my picks in retrospect. Though thankfully Past Flava’d didn’t make any embarassing choices. Atleast in songs, we will get to albums later.

So what is different this time around? Expediancy for one thing, any “Best of Year” list has a much shorter time of relevance than a “Best of All Time” list. So this will be done in one week or less. Every song still gets its own post, but will be done in groups of 5 instead of 1. So every five songs will get one write-up. The best news is that I now have an iPhone 8 plus, so I won’t have to spam post to reduce the number of videos per page. I’ve also set a three song per artist limit, which atleast one would have violated if it wasn’t there. Having the same people over and over again would be boring. I’m not here to be boring. I’m here to honor my favorite my favorite musicians while also hopefully giving the forum some cool recommendations.

Don’t be afraid of that fear, it’s a laid back trap



50. Run For Cover by The Killers



Genre: Alternative stadium rock

I feel my sweet tooth aching up



49. Chocolate by Big Boi and Troze




Genre: Hip-hop-house

Trust your rebel heart right into battle



48. Road Less Traveled by Lauren Alaina




Genre: Country pop

Now I’m locking eyes with a silent stranger



47. High On Humans by Oh Wonder




Genre: alternative

I woke up in beast mode



46. Bounce Back by Big Sean




Genre: Hip-hop

And we are off! The Flava’d Fifty 2 begins with a nice little diverse first set of five. I should begin by pointing out that narrowing this down was surprisingly just as difficult as the all time list. So every one of these songs walked through the fire to earn these spots.

“Run For Cover” will fit in perfectly withThe Killers live set. I hope I get a chance to hear how amazing it sounds in a stadium packed full of people singing and dancing along. “Chocolate” is a very silly song, and I will be the first to admit it. But when it is paired with the blazing hot beat from Troze it becomes unforgettable. “Road Less Traveled” is from my favorite new country artist. Lauren was trying to be this years Maren Morris with a whole album of pop jams, but this is the only that stands on that level. Still a nice debut though. “High On Humans” could have just been any generic 2017 alt song, but I think the dual vocals give it a unique character. I always like when there is a man and woman singing at the same time and wondered if it would work for an entire song - it does. And lastly, “Bounce Back” is known from here to Dubai. And while it is a steep drop from the top 2 placing of the still incredible “I don’t Fuck With You”, Big knows best that if you a real winner you know how to bounce back.

Second update coming later.

My way of being is melting into air



45. Lannoy Point by Ride



Genre: Bummer rock

I’m well aware of certain things that can destroy a man like me



44. Eraser by Ed Sheeran



Genre: Pop

In my defense all my intentions were good



43. For What It’s Worth by Liam Gallagher



Genre: Rock

Is love mental disease or lucky fever dream?



42. The Way You Used To Do by Queens Of The Stone Age



Genre: alternative rock

Look at you, you’re falling apart



41. State Of The Art by Incubus



Genre: Rock

So when David recommended Ride to me I had assumed they were a relatively new band that I hadn’t heard of yet. But it turns out they were part of the late 80s, early 90s My Bloody Valentine dreampop era that was inspired by The Cure and company. Discovering a new old band is atleast equal to finding a new new band, since you have a wealth of choices to go through.

Ed Sheeran had a really great year. Most would consider his Multiply album to his break through, but for me Divide is where Ed proved he was the real deal. Eraser is so good that we even let him get away with rapping. Not these he’s so awful, it just could have been much cornier if he didn’t have the ability to morph into Justin Timberlake at will.

For What It’s Worth is the type of song we need every now and then from people like Liam Gallagher. Cleary he is a dick in real life, but atleast he is self aware of shows some remorse. And he can do it alongside a great track and a killer hook. 2017s Showdown of the Gallaghers clearly brought out the best in both.

A lot of established rock bands came back this year with very slick and styzled new tunes. This had mixed results overall, so I won’t totally hate on the Greg Kurstins. Queens is definitely on the more positive side of things. Feet Don’t Fail Me was my initial favorite, but a year of grooving to The Way flipped the favs.

Getting good Incubus back was a very nice surprise. I was already hyped for seeing them in concert, but wasn’t expecting to be just as excited about the new songs. State of the Art is vintage Incubus. It has a space-rock vibe, great lyrics and a hook you must sing along with.

I might post one more after Clash of the Champions but that will be much later. Otherwise I will see you all tomorrow afternoon.

I will listen to these tomorrow. Run for Cover is good though

I’m making them restless and I really can’t help it



40. Temptation by Joey Bada$$



Genre: Hip-hop

We can’t dance around the truth, we’re just looking for a truce



39. Missing Wires by Soulwax




Genre: Electronic

I bury hatchets, but I remember where I put them



38. End Game by Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Future



Genre: Pop

Think about us, we could burn up the second we touch



37. Babygirl by Charli XCX and Uffie



Genre: Pop

I don’t fair fight but I bear fight



36. Yeah Right by Vince Staples




Genre: Hip-hop

No problem Shack, hopefully you find something you enjoy. Thanks for the comments.

Onto the set which is very pop heavy, but still very awesome. Joey Bada$$ was highly recommended by a friend, but I was hesitant to commit to someone who uses a dollar sign in place of an S. Seriously, music managers of the world, catch this shit before its too late. Luckily I got over that prejudice cause this is song is silky smooth and has a strong social message. The hook is all I really need, but if Joey can make us relate to his struggles all the better.

Missing Wires is another David song. In a pretty big twist, it is actually the best LCD song in a year where LCD released a damn good album. It has stuck with me for most of the year and I always look weird when I’m humming along to the beat in my head.

End Game is just a helluva jam and has only gotten better with each consecutive listen. One of Taylor’s strongest traits is being able to make you feel exactly what she feels, even when she is acting ridiculous. A great quality to have in a girlfriend too, so DM me any time bae. And lets be honest, Tay is acting ridiculous for most of this album, she is too darn talented to do something bad.

Charli XCX may be my overall breakthrough artist of the year. The talent was always there, she had just never put it together for a full album. With Number One Angel (and Pop 2) Charli can now count herself among the pop greats. And while a haunting trap beat fits her voice best, Babygirl shows she range back into bubbly 80s nostalgia.

Vince Staples, like Charli, could have had any number of tracks show up on here. Yeah Right really stuck out for me on the first listen though and has held strong against the competition. It is both a chill out song and a get aggresive song. A fortunate product of the Yeezus style of minimalist hip-hop. This song is also one that continues to change throughout its length, culminating in an epic and unmissable final verse.

I will post the next set after I get off work.

I don’t like it as it is, this disaster scenario



35. Ti Amo by Phoenix




Genre: Alternative

He said one day I’d realize why I don’t have any friends



34. 100 Letters by Halsey




Genre: Pop

The hole in my heart emptied out into a love



33. Up All Night by The War On Drugs




Genre: Bummer rock

Who’s selling self-control? Cause Im buying



32. A Headache With Pictures by Iron Chic




Genre: Jersey punk