My favourite songs in 2018

Two thousand eighteenth was a hell of a ride and in its last day, when I’m writing this,  still is. This makes me happy and invigorated, makes me realize I definitely own my shit and there is nothing in this world, both inside my skull and outside of it, that would be of any threat whatsoever.

I have here on YouTube put together a small DF Best of 2018 playlist, comprised of the songs that I have encountered in 2018. which have left a lasting impact. They are not all 2018 releases but are sorted out by release date (YouTube release date, that is) and not by any particular preference order. Even though my eclectic taste in music does not startle anyone anymore I feel this year I gravitated more towards pensive works, not so much toward usual relationship dynamics topics but rather to existential works, following more in the path I’m threading last couple of years.

It is always funny to see them, the "songs leaving lasting impact", like this at the end of the year because these are the ones most listened to and I did not actually want/strive to highlight or present them specially while listening was taking place so I almost feel this data mining exercise is teaching me something rather than being just a final piece in image management puzzle we create for our friends and followers :D

Left Boy – Get It Right

I got introduced to works of Ferdinand Sarnitz by my 14yo daughter and this artist kicks ass. He does have an awesome 2018. release in the single "Bitte brich mein Herz nicht Baby..." but I chose to highlight Get It Right because it is a fantastic dance song and an earworm I frequently wake up to playing in my head.

Will Joseph Cook - Girls Like Me

Will Joseph Cook is an indie pop artist that I definitely want to hear more going forward. I love his songwriting, his humor and the millennial lore his pieces seem to be dripping with. I especially love the video for this song as it is a perfect, unassuming representation of what we have come to expect from our partners.

Glass Animals – Life Itself

Life itself, song from second Glass Animals album How To Be A Human Being is a song I just cannot get enough of even with them having quite a selection of awesome songs both on this album and the previous Zaba. Contagious rhythms, catchy hooks, nietzsche-sque quality to the piercing observation style. Just beautiful.

Bo Burnham – Can’t Handle This (Kanye Rant)

Listing Bo onto an actual music list may be somewhat misleading but this masterpiece from Make Happy definitely deserves to be included here as an sign of the time. Even though it is not a recent release it has not lost ANYTHING of its contemporary social commentary appeal and it has stayed a perfect centerpiece fitting to the spread we have in this year of burnout finally gaining its proper place in the spotlight.

The Gated Community – I Wanna Get Drunk Tonight

Maybe a strange sight on this list but a perfect match introduced by one even more perfect. The Gated Community song and their discography fit exquisitely into some crevices of my soul in need of a mariekondo-ing. I love this song especially as it perfectly sums up some of my sarariman pains I already wrote about some time ago.

Mashrou’ Leila – Tayf (Ghost)

I was introduced to Marshou’ Leila music by my new boss after their London performance earlier this year. Immediately after hearing them my heart was completely lost to their beautiful tunes and the beauty of the Arabic language, so soft and so visceral spoken and so enveloping and magical while sung. The more I learned about Hamed Sinno I grew more and more attached to their music and his work and existence.

Jonathan Young – Unravel Cover

Unravel is opening song to awarded anime Tokyo Ghoul, song written by Toru Kitajima and this cover is Jonathan’s rendition of the song – perfect in presentation and representation. As I have spent last 5 months learning Japanese I’m starting to understand and appreciate the beauty of this endeavor and it makes my heart sing even while making my soul break and cry with the weight of the emotion described.

Shawn Mendes ft. Khalid – Youth

I am already a big Shawn Mendes’s fan and am absolutely thrilled to see him grow and progress. Second favourite from this album is awesome Lost in Japan and the album is a perfect successor to everything we came to love and expect from Shawn and his songwriting.

Lewis Capaldi – Tough

Another songwriter with uncanny ability to tap into exactly how I feel  when my heart is broken. This is a song that sounds absolutely beautiful and also one whose lyrics I cannot listen to without crying my eyes out.

Half Alive – Still Feel

I love the chasm between clearly perky, dance rhythm and the solemnity and existential turmoil of the lyrics. Half Alive are a band with just several singles but all of those are impeccable, one better than the next.

Watsky – Welcome To The Family

For an artist already so many years active and yet so young new Watsky’s material is at the same time completely expected and beautifully surprising. I love the “human-ness” of his work, unpretentiousness of his lyrics and thoughts and still sharp cutting edge of his social commentary (see the song Whatever too, for a bit of insight).

21 pilots – Leave The City

Song closing Trench, my favorite album of this year, is a song also perfectly summarizing the existential tiredness of current moment and it is probably my new favorite Tyler Joseph poem, conveniently having its own sound track to follow it.

Not everything has been tiresome this year but it has been a year of me admitting that I’m done with some things…

And moving on.