Top Tracks 2018 Part III 80 – 71

80. The Weeknd – Wasted Times (My Dear Melancholy,)

The old mixtape Weeknd will never return, but his moody craft is still within the work of My Dear Melancholy and tracks like "Wasted Times". Heartbreak and a darker mindset are what made the Weeknd, not simply being drugged out and lustful. Here we get the best of both worlds. A springy and dynamic instrumental removed from all syrupy smugness and a spiteful and boasting Abel switching between hurting and being hurt. Amidst the poppy vibe, the dark tone of the track might be lost, but with The Weeknd´s voice and his powerful outro of “I don´t want to wake up / if you ain´t laying next to me” the strength of his sadness is as striking as in 2011.

79. Steven Julien – Roll Of The Dice (Bloodline)

Apart from many themes and inspirations running through Bloodline, “Roll Of The Dice” is a beauty for its glowing love for 808 drums. Transcending a pure homage, Steven Julien unpacks the bumping and trippy aspects of this drum machine for a head-nodding experience that is equally able to get speakers and people moving. The dubbed out vibe of the submerged funk is the cherry on top.

78. John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies – Prison Montage (Halloween OST)

Like many, I grew up with Halloween, not even knowing that there should be a sequence to the many films. It was the mood of the first movie, that captured the essence of an undefeatable murdering machine and the questions of having a psyche or just being pure evil incarnate. Before the films grew even more farcical and bland, the reboot option was the way to go. Like the 2018 version of Halloween, the soundtrack by Carpenter himself is a tasteful continuation of the original. The variations of the iconic theme tweak the mood in the right direction and “Prison Montage” stands as the perfect set up for a narrative that is full of suspense while carrying undeniable tragedy at its core.

77. Shinichi Atobe – So Good, So Right (Heat)

In my mind, I regularly tune out of knowingly listening to Shinichi Atobe and wander into recollections of first glimpses of Susumu Yokota's “Sound of Sky”. After listening to his ambient albums like Sakura and Symbol, I was thrown by the house sound of this album but wanted to return to it for the sake of completion and some tunes catching on. This light-as-air vibe I find in “So Good, So Right”. A track that would work just as well in the options menu of a PSX racing game or for headphone pondering while working. The driving house beat, the precise hi-hats, and the funky synth arpeggio towards the middle of the song make for a joyous listen and remind me of different times. Times in which it was ok to be unconcerned and let life flow.

76. Heinali – Starling Reprise II (Iridescent)

Another year with a Heinali release on Injazero and the chameleon that is his creative output shows yet another face. While sticking to his more ambient dealings that make up his biggest body of work, here Heinali goes deeper into drone territory and a more symphonic approach, too. "Starling Reprise II" is a majestic conjuring of beautiful organ-esque songs with a ghostly hint of contemplative twinkling. Iridescent is full of those moments, but here Heinali shines the brightest and reaches into spiritual territory.

75. Khruangbin – Maria Tambien (Con Todo El Mundo)

Encountering Khruanbin with Con Todo El Mundo had me asking why people were calling their style of music “Thai Funk”. Some research made, I could trust my ears again, understanding the wide array of musical influences the band employs in their instrumental pieces. To work with known terms, Khruangbin makes the best contemporary psychedelic music. A genre as a mindset, using various influences of an ever-expanding sonic life-world to craft something that is driving and energetic. "Maria Tambien" is a prime example, going between Spanish guitar influences and funk while keeping pacing and flow in mind throughout. It is a splash of water on hot stones, a volatile fume of the boundless aural ideas.

74. Preoccupations – Doubt (New Material)

Somewhere the first self-titled album as Preoccupations lost me. The band starting as Viet Cong had a gritty intensity, a dark hole of post-punk anger and frustration with light beams of riffs and musical ideas running through. Preoccupations from 2016 lacked that spark in some ways. With New Material, however, a new kind of desperation grew from the machine and “Doubt” embodies one of the darkest and moodiest moments. Here everything slows down and becomes viscous, Flegels burned out vocals do the trick of giving a church vibe, one of the preacher telling you everything is fucked and this world will never recover. The outlook on life this song covers, seeing something that is incredibly dark and beyond redemption, but still growing and swallowing up every other thing in its wake might be one of the best statements of feelings of hopelessness in 2018. Political or not, you decide.

73. Rae Sremmurd – Powerglide (SREMM)

After uncertainty, if the duo of Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy would even release another album as Rae Sremmurd, they went the (stream-trolling) middle road of releasing a triple album with every part filling up their own nine tracks beyond their collective outings. In the end, the best way for both artists might still be with each other, even though the most promise lies within Swae Lee becoming a full-time rnb voice/hook singer. "Powerglide" showcases their mind-blowingly melodious and catchy way of building a track, with the addition of Juicy J stressing the point. In a way, the duo lives for moments as these, epic bangers that run high with tension and procure as much as club tracks as simple flexes by Mike Will Made It and his capabilities as a producer.

72. Kyle – Playinwitme (ft. Kehlani) (Light of Mine)

Kyle´s success was imminent beyond "iSpy". For the wide array of artists making playful rap, his is in constant evolution and plays like a genuine fight with insecurities and the pitfalls of positivity. And the heartbreak! In “Playinwitme”, Kyle pairs perfectly with Kehlani´s voice and delivery and both fit perfectly over the school play kind of piano beat. With this track, Kyle made another step in his unique way of making entertaining rap music that doesn´t completely lose sense and meaning in a lighter message and typical pop tropes. At the very least he is able to make you smile in heartbreak.

71. Hiro Kone - Outside The Axiom (feat. Little Annie) (Pure Expenditure)

Hiro Kone´s approach to experimental techno music set´s her apart from most her contemporary. What Nicky Mao constructs on most of Pure Expenditure is barley club ready or feasible as a dance track, but still bodily and engaging. With a feature from artist Little Annie, “Outside the Axiom” becomes an electronic set piece and public service announcement. The nasal and chewy delivery of Little Annie feels like instructions and explanations for the slow-moving and sparse instrumental. It's like a waiting room before being allowed to enter a higher understanding in the middle of the track. The pace picks up, a serene touch lifts the uncanny and touches skin with faint vocals and strong blemishes made by Little Annie.