TV
–Gods of Tennis Docuseries Premiere (July 23 on PBS) – Jimmy, Chrissie, Arthur, Björn, Johnny Mac, Billie Jean, Martina.
Music
–Childish Gambino, Bando Stone & the New World – Apparently his last album, at least as CG.
-Deep Purple, =1
-Glass Animals, I Love You So F***ing Much
My Best of the 2010s list-making journey has finally come to a close! (Or has it? … For now, it has at least. The future will come as it may, and it may just surprise you, and me.) All this week, I’ve been posting my rankings of a few categories that I was inspired to put together after submitting them to a Best of the 2010s polls that I’m participating in with some of my fellow cultural aficionados. To wrap it all up, I guide you along to the realm of music and lyrics, as I present the Best Musical Artists of the 2010s.
My criteria was similar to that of my choices for Best Film Directors. I considered a combination of how much I enjoyed their musical output as well as how much – and how well – they influenced the industry at large.
Of all the pieces of art and entertainment that I’m ranking for the decade, songs are probably the most personal. Yet somehow I feel compelled to consider how they affected the world at large moreso than all the other categories. The tunes that I value the most aren’t just the ones that make my own heart sing but also the ones that draw all of us closer together. So as I assembled this list, I asked myself both, “What has made me dance these past 10 years?” and “How would I like to dance with everyone else?” Here’s what that playlist looks like.
(I aimed to stick only to songs that were released as singles, as opening this to deep album cuts would’ve made things so overheated.)
One of the big themes about entertainment in the past decade is the incomprehensible explosion of available content in every medium. While this may be a recent development in cinema and television, it’s been the case for music for centuries, or even millennia. Since humans have been banging on rocks and clapping their hands, really. Of course, it was a little more recent than that when recorded music became readily available.
This is all to say, I of course haven’t listened to every album of the past ten years that made its way onto SoundCloud or Spotify, or even all the Billboard chart-toppers. But I did listen to enough of them to be able to assemble a vibrant and varied soundtrack of my life in the 2010s. Here are the musical collections of the era that I just haven’t been able to stop pushing play on.
[4/2/20 2:00 PM UPDATE: This post originally mistakenly included Justice’s †, which came out in 2007.]
These were the singles released in 2018 or that first became hits in 2018 that had the strongest impacts on me.
1. Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Has any other singer besides Ariana Grande ever endured so many personal struggles so publicly and on such a massive scale? She still had a lot of heartbreak left to come after releasing “No Tears Left to Cry,” but luckily she was already equipped with and had gifted the world with a timeless anthem for how to insist on finding the joy amidst all life’s turmoil.
2. Dennis Lloyd – “Nevermind” – The ultimate kind of elastic groove to which you can chill out or dance ’til you drop.
3. Ella Mai – “Boo’d Up” – Ella Mai captured the language of infatuation in 2018, but the feelings are eternal.
4. Ariana Grande – “God is a Woman” – Oh, trust me, I believe. I was certain once I heard that first sexy guitar strum.
5. U.S. Girls – “Velvet 4 Sale” – This is the sort of rock music that makes me happy to currently be an adult human.
6. Beck – “Colors” – Is Beck the greatest dance artist of his era? “Colors” makes a strong case.
7. Janelle Monáe – “Pynk” – If we all had our own personal “Pynk” to announce to everyone who we are, the world would be a much better place.
8. Rüfüs Du Sol – “No Place” – I imagine that this is what it will sound like when I drift off this mortal coil.
9. Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – The musical equivalent of getting shot in the head and living to tell the tale.
10. Portugal. The Man – “Tidal Wave” – The force of extreme weather, but going down smooth and easy.
11. Janelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel” – Feeling good should sometimes feel like there’s a worm dancing in your brain.
12. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats – “You Worry Me” – It’s good to know that some musicians are out here to make sure we’re safe and sound.
13. Elle King – “Shame” – It’s healthy to exorcise the lowdown dirtiest impulses of your humanity through song.
14. Paul McCartney – “Come on to Me” – I know I’d also like to remain this punny and lusty into my seventies.
15. Bob Moses – “Back Down” – An ideal soundtrack for making an unstable night feel just a little bit more stable.
16. Kendrick Lamar and SZA – “All the Stars” – The kind of song that assures you that all the spirits of your community are with you.
17. Max Frost – “Good Morning” – I’m happy to admit when I wake up in a day-conquering mood, and Max Frost has packaged that feeling.
18. Tyler, the Creator – “You’re a Mean One” – Maybe all kids movie theme songs should be crafted by pansexual oddballs.
19. Two Feet – “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” – When the sound cuts out right before the chorus, and then the guitar chimes in so nastily, I feel like I’m drowning, into the Sunken Place or something … and I like it.
20. The 1975 – “Love It If We Made It” – The desire to make it all the way through together really does often sound this urgent, doesn’t it?
If you’re still catching up on the best TV of 2018, the following playlist would be a great way to go about it.
1. Atlanta, “Teddy Perkins”
2. Saturday Night Live, Donald Glover/Childish Gambino
3. Atlanta, “Barbershop”
4. Mystery Science Theater 3000, “Mac and Me”
5. Big Mouth, “The Planned Parenthood Show”
6. BoJack Horseman, “The Showstopper”
7. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “The Gang Solves the Bathroom Problem”
8. The Assassination of Gianni Versace, “A Random Killing”
9. Barry, “Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth”
10. Pose, “Giving and Receiving”
11. Joe Pera Talks With You, “Joe Pera Talks to You About the Rat Wars of Alberta, Canada (1950–Present Day)”
12. BoJack Horseman, “Mr. Peanutbutter’s Boos”
13. Murphy Brown, “Thanksgiving and Taking”
14. Atlanta, “Woods”
15. Murphy Brown, “#MurphyToo”
16. Better Call Saul, “Winner”
17. The Last O.G., “Swipe Right”
18. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “Mac Finds His Pride”
19. South Park, “A Boy and a Priest”
20. Sharp Objects, “Milk”
This review was originally published on News Cult in May 2018.
NewsCult Entertainment Editor Jeffrey Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then organizes the sketches into the following categories: “Love It” (potentially Best of the Season-worthy), “Keep It” (perfectly adequate), or “Leave It” (in need of a rewrite, to say the least). Then he concludes with assessments of the host and musical guest.
Love It
Jurassic Park Courtroom – Is this the first time a Jurassic Park parody has ever centered around the titular land of amusement being sued for wrongful death liability? It seems unlikely that it should take this long, but whatever, I’m not complaining. Maybe a lesser-known previous example exists, but the one we have now is simply incredible. I didn’t used to know that Donald Glover needed to adopt a ridiculously over-the-top Southern affectation to play JP’s lawyer, but now I have seen the light. This is the goofy, nerdy Glover so many of us fell in love with during his Community days, and thank heavens he is still willing to deploy it.
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.
Original Version
1. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
2. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts”
3. Cardi B – “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
4. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
5. Charlie Puth – “Attention”
6. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – “Unforgettable”
7. Shawn Mendes – “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back”
8. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
9. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
10. Yo Gotti ft. Nicki Minaj – “Rake It Up”
11. Liam Payne ft. Quavo – “Strip That Down”
12. 21 Savage – “Bank Account”
13. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
14. Niall Horan – “Slow Hands”
15. Post Malone ft. Quavo – “Congratulations”
16. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne – “I’m the One”
17. Childish Gambino – “Redbone”
18. Demi Lovato – “Sorry Not Sorry”
19. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
20. Justin Bieber + BloodPop – “Friends”
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.
Original Version
1. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
2. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts”
3. Cardi B – “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
4. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – “Unforgettable”
5. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
6. Charlie Puth – “Attention”
7. Shawn Mendes – “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back”
8. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
9. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
10. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
11. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne – “I’m the One”
12. 21 Savage – “Bank Account”
13. Liam Payne ft. Quavo – “Strip That Down”
14. Post Malone ft. Quavo – “Congratulations”
15. Niall Horan – “Slow Hands”
16. Childish Gambino – “Redbone”
17. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
18. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO Tour Llif3”
19. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
20. Calvin Harris ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean – “Feels”
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.
Original Version
1. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
2. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts”
3. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – “Unforgettable”
4. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
5. Charlie Puth – “Attention”
6. Shawn Mendes – “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back”
7. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
8. Cardi B – “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
9. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
10. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne – “I’m the One”
11. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
12. 21 Savage – “Bank Account”
13. Childish Gambino – “Redbone”
14. Post Malone ft. Quavo – “Congratulations”
15. Liam Payne ft. Quavo – “Strip That Down”
16. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
17. Niall Horan – “Slow Hands”
18. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO Tour Llif3”
19. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
20. Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay”
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