The Best Of 2017 With The Best Of 2017
Rather than just banging on about my favourite bands in your stock standard end of year music blog wrap up, I decided to ask some of my favourite artists of 2017 what their stand out song for the year was. Needless to say they knocked it out of the park.
Sorority Noise - Disappeared
As chosen by Pat Broxton of The Sleepyheads
A friend told me to listen to Sorority Noise because "It's that emo shit that I love", and he was absolutely right.
The first listen of their track "Disappeared" had me hooked. The lyrics are brutally honest, especially when it drops into "I let my hair down today, and I took a shower for the first time in what felt like weeks". It's the kind of song that just demands your full attention.
For anyone that's fans of Modern Baseball, Pup, The Front Bottoms and similar band, I urge you to listen to "You're Not as __ as You Think". I can't say enough good words about it.
Moaning Lisa - Carrie
As chosen by Antonia Susan of Antonia & The Lazy Susans
Moaning Lisa’s ‘Carrie’ (not yet released) is a powerful anthem for non-males with an attraction to girls. One of the most important LGBTQIA+ songs in my opinion in that it makes you feel good.
Thick, overdriven guitars and strong, projected vocals will hit you with an attitude that fills your soul with unbridled confidence, making you feel proud to be who you are. It's something for once I can sing along to with full conviction. Its got everything you need, a sense of pride and desire and sensitivity. And it is absolutely electrifying to watch them perform it live. Keep your eye out for this song’s release date.
Slaughter Dog Beach - Phoenix
As chosen by Azim Zain of Elk Locker/Azim Zain and His Lovely Bones
It wasn’t easy trying to pick out a favourite song of 2017 (Special mentions to runners-up What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out by Gang of Youths and How Long Until You’re Next To Me by Jacob). After listening to Slaughter Beach Dog’s debut album Birdie for the last couple of weeks, I’m convinced that the opening track ‘Phoenix’ is probably my favourite song of the year.
This song made me fall in love again with the indie singer-songwriter sound, a genre where so many end up blending in. There’s just something about the quiet, understated melodies in this song. Simple but effective instrumentation and the sense of intimacy that the lyricism evokes that brings a smile to one’s face (the kind you get when you reminisce about an ex-girlfriend you’ve since made peace with and the good times you once had). #SlaughterBeachDogForNoFrontFences2018
Eilish Gilligan - Creature of Habit
As chosen by Rachel Maria Cox
Creature of habit works because it is such a simple song that is so intricately constructed. It’s like one of those paintings that has a million tiny brush strokes up close but then you step back and it’s a gorgeous landscape, open and vast. Idk what those are called I’m not an art person. I am however, an Eilish Gilligan person.
Unexpected harmonic movements create a sense of uncertainty and ambiguity reinforced in the lyrics “I’d be lying if I said I knew where I was going with you”. What’s essentially a pop song - the story of a new relationship - grows organically with minimalist pop and electronic influences blending with hints of jazz and vocal leaps to make any singer jealous.
