Top Tracks 2018 Part IV 70 – 61

70. Cavern – Sunday (Eater)

Instrumental Rock is a tricky thing. Following the great explosion of many many post-rock bands, the most apparent evolution as a listener might be, that you grow colder and are harder to wow the more you know. The deep satisfaction and wonderment of listening to my first tracks of Explosions in The Sky or Jakob might never return and many new bands that emerge do not bring anything greatly different to the table. Yet, if it is clear, that there is no wheel to reinvent, you better learn to use it very well. Cavern´s Eater as a whole is a rare gem of two instruments working in unison and creating some of the best post-rock this year. While there are hints of Long Distance Calling or a general affection for post-metal sounds on the record, "Sunday" is a track closer to something Jakob might have delivered in the past. The clear-eyed outlook of the simple guitar chords, the layers that build and play with each other convey triumph and grandeur. Harkins on guitar and drummer Schrock become an entity, producing sounds while putting emotion and the relation of tension and release at their core. Even the last few seconds of them returning to a harder edge fit perfectly and are a welcome shift in dynamics opening a new door of notes unplayed until further notice. 

69. Young Thug – U Ain´t Slime Enough (Feat. Karlae & Duke) (Slime Language)

Thugger released his snakes.. and his Young Stoner Life rooster in his fashion with Slime Language. "U Ain´t Slime Enough" has Young Thug bringing his fiancee Karlae to the forefront, her rapping and singing bearing the best parts of Thug. In comparison Duke´s verse frames the performances of Thug and Karlae in a more traditional sense. No matter the meaning of the song, "U Ain´t Slime Enough" works as a mission statement and highlights the way Thug approaches his music and songwriting, and by way of Karlea influences his peers. It is one thing to hear Drake featuring Drake but the formula of Thugger featuring Thugger in the style of Jeffery and a loose singing voice becomes promising in seeing this style executed by a male/female pairing… and Duke. 

68. Petal – Magic Gone (Magic Gone)

Born from the pains of living in the closet, mental health issues and the revolution of coming out and to terms with oneself, Magic Gone boast some stellar songs that on the surface level feel like well-written indie-rock but still hide or misconstrue their depth in their catchy flow. Dive deeper and listen to the lyrics and the progression of the songs and you´ll face a different story and understand the push and pull of the instrumental changes. The title track of "Magic Gone" is the middle point of the album and pretty much summarizes the starting point of self-realization and finding a footing in soft identity and standing alone while still firm. 

67. Khary – 4AM Thirst Ballad (Captain)

The companion piece to the more frivolous and upbeat "2AM Thirst Ballad" sees Khary taking on the female perspective of drunkenly hitting up a girl without any intention of building a relationship. Here we find a love-lorn side, someone giving affection and hoping for a breakthrough while being well aware of the power of alcohol and the reluctance for real feelings. “I fuck you with my heart / you fuck me for control” might be one of the best lines on Captain and of this year in general. 

66. FAUXE - T U N K U (Ikhlas) 

Another stellar release by Chinabot sees the Singaporean artist FAUXE mixing and matching traditional Malaysian-Tamil music into a rich array of hip-hop influenced beats. In the same way, one Clams Casino might work with samples of Imogen Heap, FAUXE uses various voices of Malaysia in their native tongues and sounds to set these traditional forms into motion by way of bass-heavy hip-hop beats. "T U N K U" sounds like an old Tamil ballad warped into oblivion. The first sung phrases are enough to evoke memories of my mum blasting her cassettes early Saturday morning and a certain kind of loss of never clearly understanding the topics but getting all the feels. FAUXE´s fast-moving instrumental is the perfect waterfall to sweep up this feeling and bring it into a context that sheds light on the musical maturation of many, keeping the nostalgia banging and alive. 

65. Kevin Gates – Money Long (Luca Brasi 3)

For all the introspection one Kevin Gates is able to pull off, there are as many hypermasculine swag joint of him going harder, worse and louder than before. Some of these tracks fail, but some like “2 Phones” or now “Money Long” just pop from the first sing-songy shout to every punchline that follows. With Luca Brasi 3 Gates has regained some strength and drifted off from a more poppy and accessible sound. Rarely would a line like “Money long / but my dick longer” resonate with such power as it does with him. 

64. Dave East – Corey (Paranoia 2)

Corey tells the story of Dave East´s childhood friend and the relationship that estranged after East´s success. It might not be a unique story and something other rappers have to spend time explorings, but here East takes the standpoint of a third person for the most part and channels his pain of losing a friend because of envy and false intentions with honesty that excuses any lack of originality. It is the mundane, a flight that was purposefully missed, a friendly gesture that turned sour in the eyes of Corey that appears as the core of missed calls and dissolving goodwill. East spits his verses with a certainty that conveys a kind of hurt spitfulness, like someone puzzeling together a story of betrayal as heard by other people. This little detail makes the story even more powerful and leads you to view the friendship in shambles with the song serving no other purpose then sealing the deal and turning your back on a friend. 

63. Spanish Love Songs – Buffalo Buffalo (Schmaltz)

The energy of desperation in "Buffalo Buffalo" mirrors the exhaustion the infectious chorus conveys. It is a plea of love as it is the last call for human warmth and a kind soul to partake in misery. Spanish Love Songs build Schmaltz full of moments of being fed up with the world and trying to cope with its many contradictions. Leaving and never coming back might be a simple response, but one felt by almost everyone in some shape or form Buffalo captures this impeccably with swaying pop-punk energy. 

62. serpentwithfeet – messy (soil)

Coming from blisters, I expected more of the same by serpentwithfeet. Not in a bad way, but as him building on the delicate electronic and classical/operatic leaning sounds and vocals. soil saw a sonic shift that I didn´t welcome all the time, while the vocal side of things has grown even stronger and more swaying. "Messy" sees serpentwithfeet linking up with Clams Casino for a slow and fragile song on growing closer and embracing each other's failures. The subdued bass hit over the clicking and clacking instrumental with small embellishments toes the line of bursting apart and disappearing into nothingness. Vocally, the tender voice of serpentwithfeet is honey, with a little witchcraft in the plush layers of intimacy. 

61. Usher – Stay At Home (feat. Future) (A)

Never did I expect to include Usher in any of my lists, but his surprise “A” project carried tight songwriting with his flawless vocal delivery and some of the best production by Zaytoven in recent years. It is fitting for Future to appear on this track and open the project with Usher. It is like the gruff Atlanta super trapper joining hands with a veteran from years past to re-introduce him with a newer sound and into the feeling of RnB fused trap music. Nothing is at fault here, Usher arrives in 2018 and proves that his RnB can remain relevant in any environment.