Burn Your Hits: Mike Brand

Choosing the best former Fifth Harmony member who had a great duet and single this year was a challenge. Normani’s hit, "Motivation" is a perfect throwback and her duet with Sam Smith was also v good. On the other hand Camila’s duet with Shawn Mendes, "Senorita," was the most streamed song of the summer, but her solo work has struggled ("Cry For Me" is great tho). Normani takes the crown this year.

Another general winner this year? Spooky music. Across Billie Eilish, Kim Petras, 5 Seconds of Summer, Bishop Briggs, and Hayley Kiyoko we had a surprising variety of halloween appropriate bops.

However, as a whole, there is one clear winner for the year. 2019 was the year of Ariana Grande. "thank u, next" at the end of 2018 set her up, and then with "7 rings" and her album she solidified her place in the pop pantheon. Closing out the year with her live album was her victory lap.

Some other gentler narratives:

For the second time Katy Perry has released an amazing lead single off a new album, and then fumbled it with the follow ups.
Dua Lipa still feels like she could really hit but hasn’t quite made it to the top tier of divas yet.
Self Love is also having a moment with MUNA’s "Number One Fan" and Lizzo’s "Soulmate"

Thursday, December 27, 2018

GLW 009: Mike Brand

GUEST LIST WEEK

GLW 001: Ilana Bergstrom

GLW 002: Curt Trnka

GLW 003: Marisa Plaice

GLW 004: Megan Swidler

GLW 005: Dionicio Solano

GLW 006: Erik Kristjanson

GLW 007: Gina Uriarte

GLW 008: Jamie Pfeifer

GLW 009: MIKE BRAND

GLW 010: Saskia Warwick (coming tomorrow)

MakeYouKnowLove - "Vitamin"

This is their only song, but they also produced some bops for other folks (like "PILLOWTALK" by ZAYN).

Nicole Millar - "Gimme A Break"

This is a great album, that deserved more attention when it came out. "Gimme A Break" is the biggest banger of the lot, though.

Liv Dawson - "Talk"

I genuinely don’t know why I enjoy this song so much, but the “We don’t need to talk” hook will be in my head for the rest of my life.

Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa - "One Kiss"

I hope 2019 has even more Dua Lipa.

Ariana Grande - "no tears left to cry"

This is the year that Ariana showed everyone that she belongs up there with the greats.

Childish Gambino - "Summertime Magic"

Fuck all the haters who don't think Childish can headline Coachella. If he got up there and did "Summertime Magic, This is America," "Sober," and "Heartbeat" it would be a better set list than most other headliners.

Troye Sivan, Ariana Grande - "Dance to This"

It was tough deciding between a few songs on the stellar album. "Dance to This" just beat out "Bloom."

Selena Gomez - "Back To You"

The first time I’ve been into a Selena Gomez song, now I understand why she used to be the #1 female artist on Spotify (currently beaten by Ariana).

Ariana Grande - "thank u, next"

This is where everyone else realized she is one of the greats. (And she got her first Billboard #1).

Cyn - "Moment of Truth"

Cyn hasn’t released an album yet, but some of her singles are great. This is her most fun, campy, saccharine pop song. For something a little more “indie” check out "Believe."

Teyana Taylor - "WTP"

This song wins the award for “Song most sampled at Bushwig” (A drag festival). I swear I heard it twenty times over two days, eventually I had to ask what the song was.

Charli XCX, Troye Sivan - "1999"

This should have come out a few months earlier so it could have been the SOTS (Song of the summer).

Justin Timberlake - "SoulMate"

A one-off that is better than anything on Man of the Woods.

Duke Dumont - "Runway"

Top gym song of the year. As soon as it says “Take it to the runway” I push the treadmill speed waaaay up.

Monday, January 1, 2018

Guest List Week: Mike's Best of 2017

GUEST LIST WEEK

#9: Marisa Plaice
#10: Mike Brand
#11: Desa Warner (Coming Tuesday)

#12: Alex Kain (Coming Wednesday)

This list is pretty much just pop music, which means that it’s the best guest list. These songs are among the most fun this year. And yes, "Bon Appetit" is an underrated masterpiece.

"Bon Appetit," Katy Perry

How was this not the song of the summer? It has hooks, it’s dirty, the samples are fun, and yet it barely made a dent on the pop scene. To be fair “got me spread like a buffet” was later topped as the best lyric of the year by Tove Lo’s.

"Your Man," THANKS

THANKS is made up of two former Alphabeat members. Their third single, "Your Man," sounds like a party from the opening notes and is everything you’d expect from THANKS’ lineage; it’s fun, playful and silly.

"Baby Who," The Aces

"Baby Who" could be mistaken for a b-side from Days Are Gone by Haim, but in a good way. It’s just a little more of what you love.

"Passionfruit," Drake

You’ve probably heard it, it’s a great song, not much for me to add here.

"Babygirl," Charlie XCX Ft Uffie

I like to pretend this song was written as a response to "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors (which is about masturbation)

"Scared of the Dark," Steps

This is probably 2017’s best example of a pop band reforming and giving their fans EXACTLY what they wanted. It sounds just like something they would have released in their hey day. The only downside? No iconic dance like "5, 6, 7, 8."

"Cut To The Feeling," Carly Rae Jepsen

This is a new category, but "Cut To The Feeling" is the best song of the year to listen right before an interview. I’d had three hours of sleep before mine with Spotify. One listen of "Cut To The Feeling," though, and I felt rested, optimistic and ready to go!

"Friends," Justin Bieber (With BloodPop)

Its just a great hook.

"Runnin’ Outta Luck,"Alex Cameron

Aussies love their throwback rock. "Runnin’ Outta Luck" is no different. It sounds like a modern version of Robert Palmer’s "Johnny and Mary."

"Scar," Tremors

This is the first song from Tremors on Spotify. It’s a great start and hopefully bodes well for more great releases from them.

"Disco Tits," Tove Lo

Lyric of the year:

“I'm sweatin' from head to toe

I'm wet through all my clothes

I'm fully charged, nipples are hard

Ready to go”

"Strip that Down," Liam Payne

The stark intro with just a bass line, cheers of “hey”, and a few snaps perfectly matches the title of this song.