December 2017

Let’s kick things off with a banger. (Note: these tracks are arranged in no particular order, so like, this doesn’t mean that it’s all downhill from here.) First off, thanks to Nick for playing this in his car while I was riding shotgun. I’ve always liked the song Capsize by Frenship but hadn’t taken the time to listen to any of the other songs on that album. 1000 Nights’ persistent drums are absolute fire and this song ought to be blasted in automobiles everywhere.

Speaking of cars… Get Into My Car is a refreshing tune from the familiar group, Echosmith, (can you believe Cool Kids was released in 2013??) I love listening to (blasting) music in cars and can’t resist shouting the chorus to this song whenever it comes on:

“Get into my car, get into my life!!! / Get into my heart, you know what I like!!!”

Parson, Parson, Parson. After Kygo remixed his song Stole the Show in 2015 (an amazing song), I wasn’t sure when I’d see Parson James’s name next. The answer is now – James’s Only You is a swaying, piano-driven tune that shows off his impressive vocals.

It also has tambourines in it, which is a giant plus of course.

I love Phoebe Ryan. Have ever since she remixed R.Kelly and Miguel in 2015 with her track Ignition/Do You… I also thought Mine from that EP was solid and felt the same about Chronic, a song she dropped in 2016. I thought to myself: “She is going to blow up.” And then she collabed with the Chainsmokers on All We Know and I thought “finally this is it.” Long story short, I still think Ryan’s underrated.

In 2017, she killed it. She’s featured on a Jaymes Young track called We Won’t (fire) and I’ve included 3 out of the 4 songs from her EP James, which is the most features of any artist on this playlist. Interestingly, when I first listened through this EP, I was disappointed but a couple more plays remedied my incorrectness.

Should I kicks off with this biting line: “You introduced me to your friends, by saying I’m a friend, is that all I am to you?” 

And the chorus wraps cleverly around its own lyrics: “Should I call you baby? Baby, should I call? Or, baby should I call you a friend?/Or should I never call you again?”

The latter, Phoebe! Never call this James boy again, he sounds like a real douche canoe.

Question: Who is Will Jay? Answer: a 21 year old half-white half-Chinese singer whose been on the Voice in China and is so cute in this music video!

His song Gangsta is a catchy one: punctuated with staccato beats and with lyrics on something actually worth discussing: male stereotypes of masculinity “I don’t need to be a gangster to be a man / Acting like a baller – that ain’t who I am.”

My favorite moment is definitely around the 1:25 minute when Will sings, “Show ’em who the best.” and echos a DJ Khaled-esque sample “You da” in the background. Gold.

I adore this song. Jackson Penn’s Streetlights on Mars is grounded in guitars but floats dreamily upwards with synth-overlays that brighten the whole track. But first, who is this man?

Jackson Penn’s real name is Freddy Wexler and Freddy Wexler’s kind of a big deal. He’s written and produced for names like Kanye, Selena Gomez and Steve Aoki. Streetlights on Mars is his debut single as a solo artist. I love these kinds of stories, when songwriters and producers come out from the murky depths of that part of the music world and into the light of the public eye, into the mainstream where they can be appreciated as they ought to be. It’s why I have a soft spot in my heart for folks like Ryan Tedder, Kanye West, Kesha, Bruno Mars and I guess Jackson Penn now too.

Favorite line from the song: “It was a slow dance – a bad song / I told her, ‘Just hold on, till they play something we like.'”

Thanks to Brooke for this jam. Oliver Riot’s a duo composed of two twins from New Mexico. Their smooth vocals + a pumping tambourine beat make this a nice, chill song.

Favorite line: “Just a man’s make up, fake love, make ’em all laugh / Come on, someone take off your mask.”

Rachel Platten is back! With lyrics that you want to yell at your ex and a funky beat, Perfect For You is a veritable banger. Things get kicked off with this dagger of a line: “You like me in small doses, what am I supposed to do with that?” 

Then there’s the overlay from a chorus singing: “so love me or leave me alone” which is woven in masterfully. Top to bottom a great track.

This song hits like a slow-burning candle. It’s chill, punctuated with funky horns and sensual vocals and makes you want to get out on the first flight to Tokyo.

This song makes me want to simultaneously pop a Hubba Bubba bubble gum bubble, ball up some kids on a street court, flip some stir fry in my mom’s wok, teach other people how to Dougie and do this all while an animated character in the movie Big Hero 6. I’m sure that’s exactly what Pharrell and Migos were shooting for when they whipped up this gem!

Stir Fry is catchy x 100 and a nice add in the growing song portfolio of Migos.

So apparently the Perfect duet of Ed Sheeran & Beyonce is what’s topping the charts right now. And that’s a great duet too, but this, this is something else.

There aren’t many words to describe Perfect Symphony. Instead of words, I’d suggest watching this video of the Brit and Italian recording this gem. I’m usually partial to the French but in this case, Vive l’Italie!

“Ti ho guardato ridere e sussurando ho detto:
“Tu stasera, vedi, sei perfetta per me” 

“I looked at you laughing and whispering I said:
“You tonight, you see, you’re perfect for me”

This is one of my favorites on the entire list. I’d never heard of Tove Styrke before this month but a quick Google search shows that she’s a Swede and has a few other songs I’ll definitely be listening to soon. This one, Mistakes, starts off with this suggestive set of lyrics.

“I should probably leave, right? / Wanna get close, no clothes / It’s probably better if I go now / You make me wanna make mistakes”

But perhaps my favorite moment in the song is when Tove sings the following line which ends in the sound of some Levi’s being unzipped:

“You make it really hard to leave, bye / now I’m gonna wanna get out of my Levi’s”

Brilliant!

Thanks Kyle for bringing this song all the way back from 2013! I used to be a huge fan of B.o.B and can’t believe I didn’t discover this song until 2017. The whistle is so frickin’ catchy, the beat is fire, and B.o.B and 2 Chainz collab brings it all together.

Love the quick strings melody that is the foundation of this song. The snaps & claps are catchy as they always are, Emily Vaughn’s vocals and Yuppycult’s production make this track worthwhile. Pop done right.

Vesperteen’s It Will Never Be Enough is a pure pop play. Throughout the song, Vesperteen sings:

“And now I know / I’m chasing a shadow”

This song and its heavy guitars and drums reminds me of my beloved Bleachers in all the right ways. And for all its poppiness (seriously this word looks like poopiness), the song throws one curveball to give it a wrinkle of complexity – ending muted and soft on its title, sad and resigned: “It will never be enough.”

I LOVE this song. Who is Fleurie, Dalton Diehl or RUSLAN? I have no idea but they sound great. Just take me with you!!

Usually in international jams, you’re looking for tunes you can dance too because no American’s gonna have an idea of what’s going on lyric wise. Well, Danser accomplishes that and more!

Danser‘s about Lisandro Cuxi’s origins – his family being from Cap-Vert, a tiny set of islands off the coast of Senegal. Cuxi was born in Portugal and moved to France at the age of 9. Danser’s sung then mostly in French with one line of Portuguese (o pequeno já te canta).

It’s about Cuxi’s dream of returning to Cap-Vert and learning more about his homeland.

“Je viendrai te rencontrer / mon île adorée / Je sais déjà qu’on va s’aimer / J’te ferai danser”

“I’m coming to meet you / My adored island / I already know that we’ll love each other / I’ll make you dance”

A solid pop track about being your own person and not needing someone else. Worth it for this part of the song around minute 1:18:

“Actually I’m awesome”

Even if Riverdale’s a pretty basic TV show, they hit gold with this remix of Milkshake. It’s a soft, light and refreshing spin on Kelis’s classic song.

I love Bryce Vine. Drew Barrymore is a slick piece of song, chilled with Vine’s vocals: “You’re the next Drew Barry / And I want more”  and bumped by the repeating arpeggio melody in the background.

Sometimes when I wake up during winter break, I go sit on my couch and cry to E:60 documentaries and this song. Yes! Women! Feminism!! Even if some of the lyrics here are questionably sappy, it’s cool to see someone like Keith Urban making a track like this in 2017. I don’t want to say progress but like…progress, right?!

This 2014 jam’s got a real vibe and I’m into it.

“Won’t you please, please, please feel good?”

Another song to vibe too. His stage name’s Bahamas so I guess what do you expect you know? Ironic because Bahamas is actually a dude from Canada. Anyways, anyways, Way With Words is totally a song to play as you swing to a Caribbean breeze on a hammock on the beach. And if you’re in Columbus, Ohio for the month of January, I say, bring the beach with you! Catch me on a porch near you coming soon.

More progress, reverse chivalry with lyrics like these from Daniella Mason:

“I can be your shining armor / Fight for you just like a soldier / You don’t worry about a thing”

The chorus is what makes this song. Worth yelling out of your automobile at random passerby’s “I CAN BE YOUR SHINING ARMOR!”

hunter & wolfe’s Late Then Never EP has a bunch of good tracks, including this one. The EP as a whole is about this girl, Annie, who ripped our dear musician’s heart into pieces.

My favorite line from this song is worth some thought if you’re someone whose ever been praised, been told you’re smart, or gifted or whatever: “When they tell you that you’re something sharp / Do you turn around and cut them to the bone?”

Upon first listen, I thought this song was just a bubble-gum track and said “meh, pass.” Well, you know how it goes with those catchy songs when you listen twice.

So here we are, Rhys’s Too Good to Be True is definitely a well-orchestrated pop jam with an interesting xylophone-like melody.

“California, on my mind / Feels like I’m sitting on the great divide”

This very first line resonated me with so much that this song had to make this list. I’ll be moving out to California after graduation and it, and its high rent, is certainly on my mind. And well, senior year of college sure feels like sitting on some kind of divide.

Let’s Hit Rewind and play back college one more time 🙂

“Fun / I’m a toy / Pick me up / Then put me down again”

Used by Strangers You Know is a solid song. My favorite part is definitely the background humming that cycles through it.

Phoebe Ryan delivers on Aspirin. It’s NSFW lyrics include the following and basically sum up my feelings on this track:

“My phone is full of fucking photos / You and me doing things / People shouldn’t ever know, know”

“Your love is massive / It’s got me gasping / Want you to do me some damage / After we’re done, give me aspirin” – (damn Phoebe!!)

“Comin’ at me like it’s Hammer Time, so divine / Kick it with you like a chorus line, I need a rhyme / Slam it like it’s poetry, I fuck with you, you fuck with me”

Rejoice! Vance Joy is back! This is a feel-good track with a great chorus.

“Who am I kidding?! / Before my defenses come down / Ah baby / Will you lay it all on me, now?”

ayokay took a page out of my 11th grade English class with heavy literary device usage in this song (which ones you ask? Don’t remember – I’ll default to interesting diction, bold imagery and pervasive metaphors – right Ms. Tuso?). Basically all this literary-ness to describe a relationship so dubious that ayokay has to sing: “If I was the last man here on earth / Then do you think we can make it work?”

I mean jeez, I’d hope so. Literary devices below:

“Float around you like a satellite / Yeah, you’re my ocean tide / Treat me like I’m your cassette”

Westlvnd’s falsetto in this is perfect. He sings:

“Ima leave the lights on low / Just in case you feel like coming home / I can change my old ways”

If its any consolation, I’d come back to you, Westlvnd.

“You don’t gotta die”

This song, entitled with the phone number to the National Suicide Prevention Line, gives me chills. I’ve loved Logic since 2011 with his song Inception and its great to see him still making deep music in 2017. Mental illness is a way bigger problem than some of us think and I’m so happy Logic made this song. Hopefully, it falls on some open ears.

PS: Thanks Kyle for another great rec!

This song is obviously from 2014. How did I know this before looking it up? Would You Want Me has all the characteristics of one of those interesting indie/alternative songs I totally dug in high school (and still do, evidently!)

After telling us all about her and James’s sex life, Phoebe Ryan is back to tell us that James has changed and:

“He don’t want me anymore / He don’t love me like he did before”

You gotta feel for Phoebe but the end result was this sweet EP, so like, a net zero in the grand scheme of things, yeah?

So I don’t understand Spanish. But it’s great hearing Shakira’s voice in 2017! I’m also guessing this song is about a bicycle and probably love, because aren’t they all? Oh and I also heard “Barcelona” in there so perhaps this song is actually a political one about Catalonia’s independence. Hard to say.

Latinx music will always get me on their beat, you just gotta get up and dance to that. This song is no exception, thanks to my little brother Joe and his AP Spanish skills for recommending this one to me!

I’ve never heard of Julie Bergan before this month. But her voice is super impressive. She starts the song off raspy and low, then jumps high seamlessly and all of a sudden some sort of British accent sneaks out (which is interesting because she’s Norwegian.) Those Europeans always learning that British-standard English, pffft.

This song is an impressive start and I’m hoping to hear some more of Bergan soon.

I’m really excited to share this country, folksy song that is a total jam. Don’t Wait For Me Marie is reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s Hurricane (one of my favorite all time songs) in a few ways: it is literally 8 minutes long and tells a whole, dang story in those 8 minutes. Definitely not like most of the other songs on this list but give it a shot before you skip it! Pending how eclectic your taste gets, you may fall in love with this lyrical and folksy masterpiece.

This R&B/soul song has me keeping my eyes on this guy, JYWRRN, in the future. Love when the beat hits soft and low.

I really dig the intro to this song, as Clara Mae’s smoky voice opens with:

“Been two years / Our memories are blurred”

If we’ve learned something from this month, it’s that snapping and clapping is an easy way to get me to like your song and Mae does that well here in I’m Not Her.

“She’s taking off her clothes in the bed you kept me warm”

Okay so apparently this song is popular on the radio right now. Sorry but I don’t listen to the radio and this song is too smooth not to include on this list. Thanks Kyle for the rec!

You didn’t think we could escape December 2017 without at least one Taylor Swift song, did you now?! I know Reputation dropped in November but for me and other plebes, we didn’t get to stream it until practically December. So it wasn’t until this month that I got my hands on T-Swizzle’s latest.

I love the entire album and have decided to include just one of my favorites here on the list, Delicate, a sophisticated and chiller take from Reputation.

“Handsome, you’re a mansion with a view / Do the girls back home touch you like I do?”

Thanks to Kimmie for the heads up on this ZAYN masterpiece!

I remember listening to the album Fool For You’s on when it first came out and I must have just missed this song. It’s a solid track from ZAYN with his amazing vocals melting through the words “I’m a fooooool for you.” Brilliant!

Thanks to Rachel for this tropical jam!

4Her has got a few things going for it. Those tropical drums that have been super popular the last couple of years. And this line, my favorite one to yell from this song:

“Maybe that’s her! / That’s the girl!!!”

Fitting to end December 2017 with one of the final songs on the latest Star Wars’s soundtrack, another John Williams masterpiece. I’ll spare my thoughts on the actual movie here (ahem, disappointing) and dive into the song:

Peace and Purpose is true to its name and plays during Luke Skywalker’s last moments in the Galaxy. Listening to it makes you want to very seriously and very solemnly say, “May the Force be with you.”