Tag: music

The Hit Songs of September 2023

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Ha! You thought we forgot to do this. And you’d be right. But we’re here now so let’s talk about September’s charts. They were an anomaly this month because first, they were actually pretty good top to bottom and second, they were dominated by the three albums that pretty much charted in their entirety. But by now you know how we felt about the month because you’ve heard the show and then… oh, you haven’t? Well let’s take care of that first and while you do that you can check out my full rankings for the month.

So really briefly, here’s what I do when I review the hot singles of the month. I listen to a song and immediately give it a 0-100 score. Then I listen to the song again, adjust that number and write some notes about it. Lather, rinse, repeat a few times and you get something that looks like this.

ArtistSongRatingNotes
Zach Bryan and Kacey MusgravesI Remember Everything83Feels closer to The Head and The Heart than the mainstream country charts. Kacey takes it to the next gear.
Rod WaveNostalgia81
Zach BryanFear and Friday’s80
Miley CyrusUsed To Be Young79A lot of nostalgia feels here. I know its a song of personal reflection, but there is a lot to relate to here.
Zach BryanEast Side of Sorrow79I feel like this song would have found its way into an episode of Scrubs if this record came out 10 years ago. That is in no way a bad thing,
Rod WaveBoyz Don’t Cry79
Olivia Rodrigoteenage dream77
Rod Wave ft. 21 SavageTurks & Caicos77
Rod WaveGreat Gatsby77
Zach BryanOvertime76There’s the more epic sound of a Mumford and Sons single
Olivia Rodrigolove is embarrasing76
(G)I-DLEI DO76
Zach Bryan ft. The War and TreatyHey Driver75Note to self: give The War and Treaty a good listen
Olivia Rodrigoall-american bitch75
Olivia Rodrigoballad of a homeschool girl75
Rod WaveCall Your Friends75
Zach Bryan ft. Sierra FerrellHoly Roller74
Olivia Rodrigolacy74
Zach BryanSmaller Acts73
Olivia Rodrigoget him back!73
Olivia Rodrigomaking the bed73
Olivia Rodrigological73
Rod WaveCome See Me73
Rod WaveLong Journey73
Zach BryanTourniquet72
Olivia Rodrigothe grudge72
Olivia Rodrigopretty isn’t pretty72
Drake & SZASlime You Out72
Paul RussellLil Boo Thang72Dumb but fun
Zach Bryan ft. The LumineersSpotless71
Zach BryanTicking71
Zach BryanEl Dorado71
Zach BryanSummertime’s Close70
Charli XCXSpeed Drive70
Kylie MinoguePadam Padam70Fine for what it is a dance track, but otherwise a sugary mess of layers upon layers of overproduction
Tate McRaegreedy69
Zach BryanFear and Friday’s (Poem)67
Timbaland, Nelly Furtado & Justin TimberlakeKeep Going Up67
Chris BrownSummer Too Hot66
Selena GomezSingle Soon62
Nicki MinajLast Time I Saw You60I can appreciate working outside one’s genre or expected output, but this is the first time I recall being bored by Nicki
Young Nudy ft. 21 SavagePeaches & Eggplants59Speaking of annoying, repetitive samples and pretty much nothing else
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee StallionBongos57It’s really only 2:55? It felt like a year and a half of that sample drilling into my brain

The Hit Songs of May 2023

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Hey, we’re doing this stuff again! If you’re here, it’s probably because you just listened to our May reviews episode and heard me mention that I posted my full singles list and notes on the website. And this time I really meant it. In case you haven’t me go into details of my top 3 and bottom 3 songs of the month, and Jay and Zack talk about their favorite albums of May, catch it here:

So really briefly, here’s what I do when I review the hot singles of the month. I listen to a song and immediately give it a 0-100 score. Then I listen to the song again, adjust that number and write some notes about it. Lather, rinse, repeat a few times and you get something that looks like this.

ArtistTitleScoreNotes
Lizzie McAlpineceilings83I definitely came back to this 3x before I felt like I could grade it. There’s a haunting beauty to its simplicity, even with its upbeat and rather sweet descriptions of being in love and finding someone worth spending time with. I should hate it but I can’t. There’s something in her voice that is enchanting, almost hypnotic here.
Lil Durk ft. J. ColeAll My Life81Were you expecting a grand, anthemic, inspirational track from Lil’ Durk? Me either, but this is a very pleasant surprise. And the more verses I hear from J. Cole, the more I like his work.
KaliArea Codes79A more believable sounding Bitch, Better Have My Money. I believe Kali in a way I couldn’t believe Rihanna. Her flow hits as hard as the deep but sparse bass, both are very impactful.
NFHAPPY77
Rita Ora ft. Fatboy SlimPraising You75Most danceable of the three 90’s techno re-works this month. I think it’s the best of the three too, keeps enough of the source material while creating a new piece around it, upbeat and fun
The Weeknd ft. FutureDouble Fantasy74A song as uncomfortable as the HBO series it soundtracks.
Miley CyrusJades73
Kim Petras ft. Nicki MinajAlone72Another single using a 90s dance/techno sample…Petras at least writes her own chorus.
Charlie Puth ft. Dan + ShayThat’s Not How This Works69The sounds coming out of these three’s mouths should drive me away, but I am hooked in by the writing, taking the formula they usually work in (especially Dan + Shay) and turning it on it’s head.
Fifty FiftyCupid69Doja Cat quickly got some soundalikes. Not a bad song persay, but someone should really tell this group to develop their own sound if they want to make it past their first single over here.
Lewis CapaldiWish You The Best69Back to yell-singing I see. He’s not as egregious here, almost like this is Someone You Loved Part 2, where he finally actually accepts that things are over. The angst is still overdriven in his voice but the writing is better, more thoughtful.
Corey KentWild As Her68Not quite boyfriend country, a song pining for a lost love so still very much in the country ouvre. Kent’s voice is rather thin and the backing vocals don’t make up for it. The guitars do go a ways towards that though.
Jordan DavisNext Thing You Know61I’m sure this is touching to those people who still feel feelings, but the country trend of writing first wedding dance songs as singles has way jumped the shark AFAIC. Next thing you know, your third album is released directly into the used CD bin.
David Guetta, Anne-Marie & Coi LeroiBaby Don’t Hurt Me60Rewriting, or actually adding verses can’t save this reworked Haddaway hit from being just as inane and annoying as the original.
Bailey ZimmermanReligiously59Gotta get that title in the chorus with a crowbar, eh? And why does your break down just sound like your nose is stuffed up?

The Hit Songs of the Summer

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It occurred to me that I have been derelict on getting my full rankings of the charting single out this summer, which is no good because how else are we supposed to name a song of the summer? Let’s remedy that now that we’re officially into autumn.

June

  1. Roddy Ricch – Late at Night
  2. BTS – Butter
  3. Olivial Rodrigo – brutal
  4. Riton X Nightcrawlers ft. Mufasa & Hypeman
  5. Sofia Carson – Fool’s Gold
  6. Megan Thee Stallion – Thot Shit
  7. Bad Bunny – Yonaguni
  8. Polo G & Lil Wayne – GANG GANG
  9. Jackson Wang – LMLY
  10. DJ Khalid ft. Post Malone, DaBaby, Lil Baby and Megan Thee Stallion
  11. Olivia Rodrigo – hope ur ok
  12. Polo G ft. Lil Durk & The Kid LAROI
  13. Migos – Avalanhe
  14. Anitta – Girl From Rio
  15. Olivia Rodrigo – traitor
  16. Doja Cat – Need To Know
  17. Olivia Rodrigo – favorite crime
  18. Migos ft. Drake – Having Our Way
  19. Olivia Rodrigo – 1 step forward, 3 steps back
  20. Olivia Rodrigo – enough for you
  21. Olivia Rodrigo – jealousy, jealousy
  22. Olivia Rodrigo – happier
  23. Dierk Bentley – Gone
  24. Marshmello and the Jonas Brothers – Leave Before You Love Me
  25. AJ Mitchell – STOP
  26. Chris Young and Kane Brown – Famous Friends
  27. Nessa Barrett ft. jxdn – la di die

July

  1. Dua Lipa – Love Again
  2. Doja Cat & The Weeknd – You Right
  3. Tyler, the Creator ft. Lil Uzi Vert & Pharrell Williams
  4. Tate McRaw and Khalid – working
  5. BTS – Permission to Dance
  6. Rauv Alejandro – Todo de Ti
  7. Tyler, the Creator ft Youngboy Never Broke Again & Ty Dolla Sign – WUSYANAME
  8. Normani ft. Cardi B – Wild Side
  9. Billie Eilish – NDA
  10. Maneskin – Beggin’
  11. Coldplay – Higher Power
  12. Dan + Shay – Glad You Exist
  13. Bella Porarch – Build A Bitch
  14. Jason Aldean – Blame It On You
  15. Doja Cat – Ain’t Shit
  16. Cheat Codes – Lean On Me
  17. BIA ft. Nicki Minaj – WHOLE LOTTA MONEY
  18. DaBaby – Ball if I Want To
  19. The Kid LAROI ft. Justin Bieber – STAY
  20. NF – JUST LIKE YOU
  21. Ed Sheeran – Bad Habits
  22. Cole Swindell – Single Saturday Night
  23. Post Malone – Motley Crew
  24. Walker Hayes – Fancy Like
  25. Chase Rice ft. Florida Georgia Line – Drinkin’ Beer, Talkin’ God, Amen
  26. Aaron Lewis – Am I The Only One
August
  1. Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
  2. The Weeknd – Take My Breath
  3. Silk Sonic – Skate
  4. Lizzo ft. Cardi B – Rumors
  5. Kane Brown ft. Blackbear – Memory
  6. Pop Smoke ft. Dua Lipa – Demeanor
  7. Tones and I – Cloudy Day
  8. Tai Verdes – A-O-K
  9. Lainey Wilson – Things A Man Oughta Know
  10. TOMORROW X TOGETHER – Magic
  11. Aventura ft. Bad Bunny – Volvi
  12. Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood – If I Didn’t Love You
  13. Camilla Cabello – Don’t Go Yet
  14. Farruko – Pepas
  15. Lil Nas X ft. Jack Harlow – INDUSTRY BABY
  16. Luke Bryan – Waves
  17. Bazzi – I Like That
  18. WizKid ft. Justin Bieber and Tems – Essence
  19. Maroon 5 – Lost
And after all of that I am calling the song of the summer, which totally doesn’t line up with my rankings at the time but after hearing it a bunch the song for summer 2021 is…

Silk Sonic – Skate

You cannot deny this feel good jam. It should have risen a lot higher up the charts because this song is just too fun to be relegated to just the second single off the Silk Sonic record.

September 11, 2020

ZackLeave a comment

Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos (Loma Vista/Marilyn Manson)

As most of 2020 has felt and looked like a sideshow to the Manson circus, it’s no surprise that We Are Chaos is his best work since Antichrist Superstar. On the title track, he bawls in his iconic warble, “We are sick, fucked up, and complicated. We are Chaos, We can’t be cured.” This is a sentiment that ties the tumultuous universe of the last 7 months to the angsty youth paradigm that gave the Dope Show its first staging.

After spending the last few years steeping himself in various pop and folk subgenres, covering Johnny Cash, and generally getting away from what he does best, We Are Chaos displays the musical maturity that comes from all that travelling. But DAMN! it’s good to be home. 

“RED, BLACK AND BLUE” is a psycho-glam masterpiece that opens with a creepy monologue, then launches into a full-on angry gothic takeover. “PAINT YOU” starts as a guitar and piano homage to Bowie and McCartney before ascending into noise. Classic Manson. 

Through his career, he has spent a lot of energy and lyrically punches on the falsity of celebrity and the foolishness of hero-worship, and that is just as true here. Some examples: “Just ‘cuz you’re famous doesn’t mean you’re worth anything / In this world or the next one or the one before” (“INFINITE DARKNESS”). “I’m not special, I’m just broken. And I don’t want to be fixed” (“SOLVE COAGULA”). “Am I a man or a show or a moment” (“WE ARE CHAOS”). 

While it’s not as chaotic as the title seems to indicate, it is as Manson as it gets. His self-torment and cultural flagellation are front and center. The album closer, “BROKEN NEEDLE”, sees him playing the part of a turntable stylus, broken by the grooves that mistreat it, scratching up the instigator, putting it away, and promising to “Never ever play you again”. That kind of lyric sticks with you. 

-JR

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September 4, 2020

monkeyhammer81Leave a comment

All Them Witches – Nothing As The Ideal (New West Records)

Wow. Musically this is a treat. 

This Nashville quartet is steeped in blues, psychedelia, prog, and stoner metal. While they are a hard rock outfit, they employ classical guitar, gothic tones, and their own blend of everything that came out of the Delta Swamp (Dr. John, Soylent Green, Junior Kimbrough, etc). 

This is their 6th album, if you don’t count live releases, which I don’t. That’s in just 8 years, making them almost as prolific as King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard or Steve Buscemi. Much like the aforementioned genre-bending geniuses, you never quite know what to expect from these cats. Even just on this record, there are significant differences among the tracks.

The album opens with a slow build into a Tool-esque jam in 6/8 (“Saturnine & Iron Jaw”), “Everest” is a Led Zeppelin-meets-Donovan guitar instrumental, which bleeds into a Soundgarden-style downbeat banger (“See You Next Fall”). That gets followed up by a folk/country/blues track (“The Children of Coyote Woman”). The latter of these brings me to my next point, because it is the first song on the album that truly works with this dude’s voice. Up to this point, his voice is sort of like a blemish on an otherwise pristine surface. It’s not bad enough to make you stop listening, may even make it interesting, but causes you to hold back. 

The next 2 songs show a different characteristic to his voice without actually changing what he’s doing. The music just finally suits the nearly monotonous style of the singing. “The Children of Coyote Woman”, “41”, and the album closer, “Rats in Ruin”, almost seem like they came from a different band. 

The album returns you to regularly scheduled programming: brilliant music and subpar-if-interesting vocals. I, personally, still found that the record was a great listen, but I would understand if you don’t agree.

FFO: Deaf Radio, Agents of Oblivion, King Gizzard

-JR

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Podcast the Twelfth: Our Favorite Guilty Pleasure Songs

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What songs do we love, even though we probably shouldn’t? The guys hammer out their top 5 favorite guilty pleasure songs in this week’s Fairly Kickass.

Get in on the shamefest with the videos below and be sure to add some of your favorite songs that you’re not supposed to love in the comments section.

Jeremy’s Top 5 Guilty Pleasures:
5. Kiss – Beth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHkojuUSDO8
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The Podcast: The Eleventh – August 2020 In Review

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The FKA crew covers their favorite new albums of the month, discuss the best new arrivals in the top 40 and play a new game to help determine the filthiest song of all time.

Zack’s Top 3 Albums of the Month:
1. Biffy Clyro – A Celebration of Endings
2. Mach-Hommy – Mach’s Hard Lemonade
3. Alex the Astronaut – The Theory of Absolutely Nothing

Jeremy’s Top 3 Albums of the Month:
1. Blues Pills – Holy Moley
2. Biffy Clyro – A Celebration of Endings
3. King Buzzo with Trevor Dunn – Gift of Sacrifice

Dan’s Top 3 Hit Singles of the Month:
1. Taylor Swift ft. Bon Iver – exile
2. Taylor Swift – cardigan
3. Miley Cyrus – Midnight Sky

The Podcast: July 2020 in Review

ProducerLunchboxLeave a comment

This week, we take a look at another pretty good month in music. Jeremy and Zack give us their favorite albums of the month, Dan looks at the best and worst top 40 hits and the guys play their first round of the Looks Like game.

Jeremy’s Top 3 Albums of July:
3. Mannequin Online – I Feel It
2. Gaerea – Limbo
1. Ellie Goulding – Brightest Blue

Zack’s Top 3 Albums of July:
3. Gucci Mane – Gucci Mane Presents: So Icy Summer
2. Taylor Swift – folklore
1. Juice WRLD – Legends Never Die

Dan’s Top 2 Top 40 Tracks of July:
2. Megan Thee Stallion – Girls in the Hood
1. Lil’ Baby – The Bigger Picture

May 29, 2020

monkeyhammer81Leave a comment

Dive Index – Waving At Airplanes (Neutral Music)

In the past, I have been accused of comparing too many artists to Radiohead, to the point where that comparison loses some meaning. As such, I hesitate to use that as a jumping off point, even when the record is screaming for it. 

Dive Index is an L.A. based collaborative electronic project led by producer and composer, Will Thomas. Waving At Airplanes is the fifth full-length album under this name, and collaborators for this effort are vocalists Natalie Walker and Merz. In a convenient arrangement of songs, the tracks alternate back and forth between the two of them. 

Stylistically, this is shoegaze electronica at the top of the class. Most of the music is static pulses, electric blips and ethereal, atmospheric chord progressions. Every sound on the album is made using a modular synthesizer, with the exception of the construction sounds that happened to breach the studio soundproofing. 

Natalie’s vocals are beautiful and intoxicating, singing about deeply emotional moments of self-discovery, ignorance in relationships, and being absorbed by the things around us. “She’s Exploding”, “Wish I Had A Pulse” and the eponymous track stand out as jewels in this particular display case. Merz’s tracks, on the other hand, are a pretentious word salad that only occasionally stumble across a message. The most egregious example is “Pristine Wilderness”, which makes as much sense as a stroke victim with Tourette’s.     His tracks SOUND good, though, and ultimately, that’s what is most important. 

This record is definitely not for everyone, but it certainly struck a chord with me. 

FFO: Amnesiac-era Radiohead (Sorry. Had to.), Roger Eno, Ian Masters

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The Podcast: May 2020 In Review

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It’s time again to get the best new releases of the month, as Jeremy and Zack have their five best albums of the month while Dan has his rankings of the month’s new top 40 hits.

Zack’s Best of May:
5. Johanna Warren – Chaotic Good
4. Hayley Williams – Petals for Armor
3. Christian Lee Hutson – Beginners
2. Carly Ray Jepsen – Dedicated Side B
1. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Reunions

Jeremy’s Best of May:
5. Asking Alexandra – Like A House On Fire
4. Boston Manor – Glue
3. The 1975 – Notes On A Conditional Form
2. Deau Eyes – Let It Leave
1. Shiner – Schadenfreude

Dan’s Top Hit Singles of May:
3. Ali Gatie – What If I Told You That I Love You
2. Sam Smith & Demi Lovato – I’m Ready
1. Megan Thee Stallion – Savage