Daily Playlist — Top 200 Tracks of 2017 (80–61)

The seventh part of the Best of 2017 series

80. Dagny — “Love You Like That”

“Love You Like That”, like many great pop songs, has a nod to the synth-laden and bombastic pop chorus of the 80s. While the title reminds us of the equally euphoric but much darker The Knocks ft. Carly Rae Jepsen track last year “Love Me Like That”, the song itself specifically springs our mind back to the 1989 cut “Out of the Woods” with its urgent and unrelenting chorus.

79. J HUS — “Did You See”

Effortlessly intertwining the smoothness with the innocence, J HUS hones his style on the track, showing what we already saw developing on previously released tracks but now with much more comfort and a playfully ornamental beat.

78. Vince Staples— “BagBak”

Staples has refined his craft, controlling his stream-of-consciousness flow and careful repetition, getting concise as ever. He moves rapidly between issues (mass incarceration, race wars, police profiling, gentrification), building up tension from verse to verse.

77. Girlpool — “123”

“123” remains within the dream-like world of the band’s previous album. The mix is starts out intimate, with murmuring guitars and bass. But when the chorus comes, the song makes a drastic turn, as if they were coming back to reality, and trying to break down the glass dome.

76. Four Tet — “Planet”

Four Tet enriches “Planet” with luscious instrumentation and luxurious sound. The multiple layers of sound are carefully placed to give the track an intricate liveliness rarely seen in a track created on a computer.

75. Gorillaz ft. Vince Staples — “Ascension“

Probably the band’s most upbeat track so far, “Ascension” opens with an elongated, hype-building electric horn before bursting into life with pulsating beats and Vince Staples’ furious flow.

74. Dua Lipa ft. Miguel — “Lost In Your Light“

“Lost In Your Light” is a 70s-inspired uptempo track with a funky rhythm and a light tropical vibe. Dua Lipa joins forces with Miguel to deliver a powerful and sultry performance.

73. Paramore — “Hard Times“

The lead single off After Laughter, “Hard Times” incorporates elements of 80s new wave with a myriad of funky guitar riffs and a catchy hook that puts the focus on the melody and instrumentation. The lyrics are nowhere near as joyful though, dealing with the depression Williams had before making the record. Couple those lyrics with the upbeat sound, however, and the song turns into a witty reflection, a smirk at the problems of the past.

72. Harry Styles — “Sign of the Times“

In his first solo single “Sign of the Times,” Styles plays all of his cards right: the production is spot-on and the song is well-written, building up gradually to conceal its simple structure and showcase Styles’ vocal chops. The sky-scraping rock ballad has its fair share of David Bowie influences, but at the same time it gives a promising view of Harry Styles as an artist who’s following the footsteps of 70s rock icons.

71. Lorde — “Liability“

The centerpiece of Melodrama, “Liability” is the climax, when her relationship crumbles and solitude storms in. On the track, Lorde ventures into the new territory of soft, piano-driven ballads with a brilliantly intimate, and vulnerable result. In its live performance on SNL, she deliberates each word, as if she was trying to pull her heart out for everyone to see.

70. LCD Soundsystem — “tonite“

Unlike the two tracks on the double-A side lead single preceding it, “tonite” is a proper dancefloor cut that goes back to LCD Soundsystem’s roots. The song’s steady crescendo is effortless, embellished with flickering guitar riffs and vocoders, resulting in one of the project’s most enjoyable dance cuts.

69. Jay Som — “Baybee“

“Baybee” demonstrates Jay Som’s ability to flesh out a world of sound within a few minutes. This textured track features a fairly funky groove, creating a hopeful future that comes with the sacrifice for their relationship Jay Som sings about.

68. Perfume Genius — “Die 4 You“

“Die 4 You” puts a spin on a common trope found in love songs, i.e. sacrificing life for a loved one, by using erotic asphyxiation as “a metaphor for giving all of yourself to someone else. You can push it so far that I might even die and that would be OK.” The track is minimalistic and ambient, while Hadreas’ voice is ecstatic, juxtaposed with the warm and grounded backing vocals to evoke the blissful sensation.

67. Arcade Fire — “Everything Now“

While the new Arcade Fire album is seriously flawed, its title track is an outstanding song that sends us right back to 70s ABBA disco sound. For a song that confronts our need for immediate gratification, it sounds surprisingly satisfying with bright piano riffs and flute dancing on the 70s disco beat. However, the irony is in the song itself: despite the song being all you want from a great dance anthem, the sound wall is still shouting for more over and over in the chorus.

66. Vagabon — “Cold Apartment“

The pain of packing and unpacking never gets any easier, however much you move around. Vagabon, aka Lætitia Tamko, moved to New York City from Cameroon as a teenager, and now she’s providing candid look at the moments that haunt old homes and old loves. “Cold Apartment” evokes the pain it takes holding onto places, moments, and relationships that are coming to their end.

65. N.E.R.D. & Rihanna — “Lemon“

Rihanna has been known as “the queen of features” for the sheer amount of hits she’s featured on. Her best feature spot so far though, is on this hip hop track, bringing her usual swagger that made “Bitch Better Have My Money” such a memorable track. N.E.R.D. has improved quite a bit as a rapper over the years, but on his comeback single, Rihanna stole the show.

64. (Sandy) Alex G — “Bobby“

Over weepy strings, a lonesome guitar, and some banjo work, Alex G and his frequent collaborator Emily Yacina sing about romantic discontent and a distant lover. Alex G has been this lonely and isolated before, but this time around it feels warmer and provides a little bit more comfort in the sadness.

63. Kehlani — “Undercover“

“Undercover” is about disregarding other people’s opinion your relationships, capturing perfectly the playful and defiant mood with Kehlani’s vocal delivery and the Latin-inspired production.

62. Migos — “T-Shirt“

The track features each member of Migos rapping their own unique brand of braggadocio, using a stop-and-start flow. Nard & B mark their textbook kick-drum patterns with a foreboding bass melody that accentuates the rappers’ flows. The song embodies everything that can make trap music stylish and addictive, even when it offers no real surprises.

61. Jorja Smith X Preditah — “On My Mind“

On “On My Mind”, Smith frees herself from an unworthy lover with a detached delivery. However, the production elements point to a deeper hurt beneath the coolness in her voice, including a fractured vocal sample that pulls apart her voice and reassembles it in an incoherent loop, which suggests the impossibility of healing without visible scars.